Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 686 Wind Demon (Part 1)

"boom!"

Amidst the howling wind, several ventilation windows on the second floor of the warehouse were simultaneously flung open with a bang!

The blinding sunlight suddenly flooded into the dim warehouse, making everyone dizzy. Many people instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes and alertly raised their weapons.

"Ah! It's so bright!"

"Who's up there!"

"Enemy attack!"

"calm!"

"careful!"

"Who will go take a look?"

"Hold on!"

In the midst of the chaos, Red Viper had no choice but to roar to intimidate the entire area, forcing his gang members, who had just experienced a fierce battle, to calm down and slowly adjust to the light in front of them.

"Nobody's here, it's not an intrusion."

Gutierrez scrambled up the wall to the second floor, picked up a broken window clip, and kept a watchful eye on the roof: "Maybe it's just... a bit windy?"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of the intense tension that followed the battle.

"Damn it, what the hell is this wind?" Sangale wiped the blood from his face.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a gust of wind swept into the warehouse, causing everyone to reach out and shield themselves from the dust.

"Who knows, maybe it's retribution for what we've done." Duro looked at a shattered window and scoffed disdainfully.

Ferguson glanced at him, his expression complex.

"The wind is so strong that it can blow so many windows open? Are you sure there's no one else upstairs?" Gamandia looked up at the ventilation windows on both sides of the ceiling, still suspicious.

"If you have any doubts, why don't you come up and see for yourself? Are you afraid of dying?" Gutierrez retorted coldly.

"Stop arguing, go and have more people check!"

Nekra said impatiently, raising his voice to drown out the wind: "Block the main roads, search all the warehouses in front, behind, left, and right. No one, whether they are sentries, overseers, or workers, is allowed to leave! Until we find the culprit!"

“Remember to keep a low profile!” Sangarei reminded him, “Don’t let the whole dock know about this…”

"what do you know?"

Duro rubbed the blood off his hands and said sarcastically, "Did you know you were stabbing your own people in the back in my territory? Or did you know you were violating city laws and committing murder in Emerald City?"

“Duro, old buddy, I know your bad temper,” Nekra said coldly, “but you’d better keep quiet about things you don’t understand.”

Duro scoffed, "So what if I don't shut up?"

Nekra's expression turned cold, and Ferguson quickly interrupted them:

"Brother Duro, about this—"

Just then, the masked man in black, who had been silently standing in the shadows, suddenly spoke:
Where are you taking her?

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and turned their heads:

Sometime later, Catherine, who had been lying in a pool of blood, had disappeared.

"What about people?"

"What are you doing!"

Amidst the uproar in the warehouse, the man in black slowly turned around.

The gang members followed his gaze:

In the shadows of the setting sun, the unconscious Catherine was being held by a strange figure, who was slowly and discreetly making his way towards the back door of the warehouse, backlit by the light.

"Damn it! Absolutely awful!"

"Someone's trying to slip away!"

"Surround him!"

The remaining gang members reacted instantly and quickly blocked the exit.

Holding Catherine's unfamiliar figure, he paused, forced to stop.

"You bunch of useless trash! How come no one noticed?!"

"Does this guy walk without making a sound?"

"The wind was so strong just now..."

"The window is open, but the light is bad!"

"It's okay, he's all alone!"

One step away.

The figure that suddenly appeared—Rolf glanced at the blocked exit ahead, then at the heavily injured and unconscious Catherine in his arms, and sighed softly.

One step away from getting out.

Just one step.

He lowered his head, gazing absently at the dying Catherine in his arms.

Nekra and Forg's men shouted at each other, trampling over the blood, and surrounded him, killing him instantly.

"A fish got missed."

Ferguson frowned and sized up Rolf: "I've never seen you before. Are you one of Catherine's men?"

Catherine's men.

Rolf clenched his fist.

He looked down at the familiar yet unfamiliar woman before him: the years had given her many wrinkles and gray hair, making her far less spirited than she used to be. Her current serious injuries made her look weak and powerless, no longer the domineering and sharp woman she once was.

"You were fighting so fiercely just now, how did you manage to survive? Were you just pretending to be dead the whole time?"

The red viper stared at his retreating figure, its murderous intent gradually emerging:
"Just to take advantage of the chaos to rescue that bitch?"

On the other side, Duro stared blankly at Rolf, his expression one of surprise.

This is... the younger brother of that new chubby guy, Wyman?

Wait, where's Fatty?
In the crowd, Zimicas recognized Rolf and was about to exclaim in surprise, but was covered in the mouth by the gritting-teeth Golov and dragged backward.

Damn, damn, damn!

I knew it! No self-awareness, no discipline, and doesn't listen to advice—I knew this mute guy was unreliable!
But the focus of everyone's attention—Rolf—remained standing in the same spot, ignoring the murderous gang members in front of him, only looking at the woman in his arms with a complicated expression.

"No, Turnbull, no..."

With a pale face and eyes closed, Huanren murmured unconsciously, clutching the wound on his severed arm, his abdomen a bloody mess.

He appeared to be critically injured and on the verge of death.

Rolf was momentarily dazed, as if he saw his former self lying in the ruins and pools of blood on Red Street, desperately awaiting death.

but……

Tell me, you bitch, did you give that wind-playing Rolf a chance?

Rolf felt a pang of pain in his heart.

When you use your so-called "most trusted and most promising subordinate" as a pawn, a sacrifice, as bait... sending him to his death in a single night of battle... so that you can rise inch by inch and climb the ranks step by step...

Did you give him a chance?

Rolf abruptly turned his head away, unable to look at her any longer.

"Kill him," the Red Viper coldly ordered, "and do it cleanly."

"and many more!"

Suddenly, Ferguson spoke up, stopping his men who were about to take action.

The homeless man stepped forward.

“He still dares to come to save her at a time like this; he’s a true hero,” Ferguson said, watching Rolf’s retreating figure. “Put her down, and I won’t kill you.”

Catherine had quite a few loyal subordinates.

Pity.

But Rolf stood still, seemingly oblivious.

"Ferguson!"

The red viper was quite displeased: "This is not the time to be polite!"

“We’re not serial killers,” Fogg retorted immediately. “Our objective has been achieved, the situation is settled, and there’s no need to shed more blood.”

Nekra chuckled: "The way you put it, it's as if you weren't the one who stabbed her in the back just now—"

"The reason you can still talk so brazenly on my turf, Little Red!"

Ferguson suddenly turned his head, his expression fierce, his words laced with threat:

"It's definitely not something you can do just by talking."

Nekra's expression changed.

The warehouse fell silent.

For a moment, Red Viper's eyes flashed with ferocity, and his men prepared for another fierce battle.

But in the end, Nekra took a deep breath and looked at the silent man in black:

"Now that you're the boss, what do you say?"

The man in black remained silent, his gaze behind his goggles seemingly fixed on some unknown place.

Red Viper frowned, but Fogg ignored the two of them and went straight to Rolf, saying:

“Child, you are still young and have spirit, which is good! Therefore, you are even less worthy of risking your life for such a despicable thing.”

Ferguson looked at the Phantom Blade's miserable state and sighed:

"Even if you leave with your life, you can still seek revenge on me later."

His words caused a murmur to rise in the warehouse.

“I told you, he’s old,” Gamandia said, dissatisfied.

Spare his life, and take revenge.

These words made Rolf's thoughts sink slightly.

revenge?

"Hey! Did you hear that, buddy!"

The red viper called out to Rolf impatiently.

That voice, so deeply etched in his memory, made Rolf tremble slightly.

The area below his knees seemed to be aching again.

revenge?

He unconsciously tightened his grip on Catherine's hand, and Phantom Blade let out a painful groan.

Rolf slowly turned around and looked at the red viper.

“Let her go, and you’ll live, and maybe even gain some recognition,” Nekra glanced at Ferguson and sneered disdainfully. “That’s what our magnanimous boss Ferguson said.”

That scumbag didn't recognize me.

Rolf looked at Nekra, his heart filled with anger at first, then with emptiness.

After so many things and so many years...

He doesn't even remember what I look like?

“What a waste of time, why don’t we just kill him? We didn’t—” Sangarei protested. But another voice interrupted him:
"Teto, is that your name?"

Duro spoke in a deep voice:
“I don’t know what your relationship is with Boss Catherine, but… put her down and come back.”

Duro looked around and said in a muffled voice:

"It's not worth it for a bunch of scum who kill each other."

These words drew discontent from many members of the gang.

Red Viper's mind raced: "Duro, do you know this guy? Is he one of your men?"

"None of your business, you scumbag."

Nekra, realizing he had made a fool of himself, gave a cold laugh.

"Put her down, you mute! Stop going crazy!"

In the crowd, Zimicas suddenly exerted his strength and instantly broke free from Golov's grasp: "They are real tough guys, not scum like me. They really will kill you!"

In that case, Boss Duro, and us underlings, won't get away with it either!
Zimicas, remembering something, quickly shook the still-shocked Golov beside him:
"Fatty, that's your brother! Say something!"

brother?

Feeling the gazes of those around him, Golov's expression changed.

Damn!

Upon hearing the familiar name, Rolf looked at Golov with a puzzled expression.

Now, even the zombies don't need a translator to understand what he means:
Why don’t you leave yet?
Get the hell out of here!
Golov was furious.

That damn mute, cripple, idiot, moron—why didn’t the royal guards kill this troublesome bastard when they stormed into the Palace of Restoration and were captured?
But there was nothing he could do; Golov could only suppress his anger and, despite the hostile stares around him, respond to Tsimikas's request:
“Cough, Teto, little brother? Um, I know, Catherine did you a favor, but… never mind, let’s go home, remember? Home?”

Family?
Rolf was momentarily dazed.

Family.

He suddenly remembered another place.

That's the Kevin Deer family's manor, the vampires' basement.

At that time, he was tightly bound in shackles, becoming their blood-sucking food, unable to live and unable to die.

Despair was his only companion.

Until that boy arrived.

So, are you willing to break free from these shackles?

shackles?

Rolf's breath hitched.

Seeing that he did not move, Ferguson's tone gradually became serious: "Put her down, young man."

Let her go?
Rolf lowered his head again, looking at the eldest sister, Phantom Blade, Catherine, and... the person who might have betrayed him, all in his arms.

At that moment, he became the focus of attention. The men in black, Nekra, Fogg, Duro, Golov, Tsimikas—all eyes were on him.

Put her down.

If you let her go, you can live.

lay down?

The next second, Rolf walked towards the wall.

The surrounding gang members tensed up, but Fogg gestured for them to calm down.

Grover, standing in the crowd, watched this scene, cursing inwardly but unable to hold his breath.

Rolf leaned against the wall and gently put Catherine down.

This relieved some people, but disappointed others.

But just as Rolf was about to get up, the unconscious Catherine instinctively reached out and grabbed his wrist tightly!
It was like grasping at a straw.

Rolf looked at his wrist and frowned slightly.

He gently grasped the eldest sister's hand and slowly but firmly pulled it away.

"very good."

Ferguson nodded, his words tinged with sadness.

Rolf remained silent and got up quietly.

“That’s more like it. I thought you were tough, but it turns out you’re just afraid of dying.” Nekra sneered.

“You guys, go clean up the mess,” Red Viper said, looking in Rolf’s direction, his voice low. “Remember, ‘clean up the mess’…”

His two henchmen understood immediately; they tightened their grip on their machetes and approached Rolf with menacing expressions.

"Hey, move aside..."

Rolf's expression changed as he saw the approaching person.

The next second, he instantly ducked and slammed his elbow into the stomach of the person in front of him—thud!

His movements were practiced and his expression was calm, as if he had done this hundreds or thousands of times.

"Uh--"

The opponent winced in pain and bent over.

"No!"

"He did not surrender!"

"Kill him!"

A roar erupted from inside the warehouse, and another thug shouted as he drew his machete and charged forward.

call--

A small, quick breeze brushed across the thug's face, forcing him to close his eyes.

The next second, he was met with Rolf's side kick.

boom!
The second thug screamed as he flew a meter away with his machete, collapsing to the ground, unable to get up.

The shouting from inside the warehouse grew even louder:
"Damn it!"

"You dare to launch a sneak attack!"

"Surround them!"

No one knew that Rolf was completely calm when he took action.

Yet it was also incredibly chaotic.

Why did he make a move?

Why invite trouble and court death?
Did it even implicate his companions?
For revenge? To repay a debt of gratitude?
To put an end to the past? To quell years of resentment?

For an opportunity, for an explanation?
Rolf didn't know.

do not know.

That woman, whether she's called Phantom Blade or Catherine, is clearly just an ordinary gang leader, isn't she?

She even betrayed him, didn't she!
And he, hadn't he already decided to let go of the past?

Hasn't he already traveled thousands of miles, broadened his horizons, transformed himself, and found a new life? Isn't he no longer the street thug who could get excited by a few words?
No longer!

He had no reason to save her!
There's no reason for me to interfere!

No reason!

Rolf told himself this over and over again: pain, resentment, unbearable pain, and resentment.

But just now.

just……

When he caught a glimpse of Catherine lying in a pool of blood, clutching her mangled body, struggling desperately, on the verge of death...

[To break free from these shackles, and then, with this broken body, struggle and eke out a living in this world.]

The boy's words echoed in my ears:

Let's see how cruel it can get.

Rolf clenched his fist.

Just now, just as they—whether it was Fogg, Nekra, Tsimikas, or Duro, Golov—all for different reasons, but in unison, wanted him to "put her down."

Are you willing?

At that moment, he, Midila Rolf, a man who had lost his legs, his past, and his self for far too long... suddenly understood.

[Struggle one more time.]

Are you willing?

Rolf's breathing quickened. He looked up at the Blood Vial gang members roaring and shouting before him.

Let her go?
No.

He grinned slightly, revealing a smile.

These people, these bastards, these scumbags, these...

They wanted him to let go, they wanted to force him to let go...

Everything in this damned world is unanimously demanding that Midila Rolf give up...

Not her!!!
[Struggle one more time!]

Thinking this, Rolf smiled and stepped forward, slowly raising his left hand and showing it to Nekra—

A middle finger.

Everyone in the room, including Nekra, was stunned.

Middle finger?

What do you mean?
Only Glov sighed softly.

"Fuck you, I knew it was a trap," Neckra said, gesturing to calm the shouting gang members. He glanced at Fogg, "A person determined to die can't be stopped—Fogg, do you still want to be polite?"

Ferguson did not answer; he simply gazed at Rolf, who stood guard in front of Catherine, his expression complex.

Duro took a deep breath and looked at Rolf standing in the corner, outnumbered and facing so many people all by himself. His admiration grew even stronger.

In the crowd, Golov clenched his fists and pushed away Zimicas, who was trembling and trying to say something to him.

The terrifying assassin in black remained standing in the shadows, silent.

"Ferguson, what do you say? Still trying to win people over?" Nekra said maliciously.

Ferguson frowned.

He glanced deeply at Rolf, who was smiling, and suddenly realized: the reason why the other party did this was very simple.

Because he wanted to do it.

That's it.

This simplicity is something that Ferguson lost many years ago, and perhaps will never have again in his life.

The next second, Fogg closed his eyes and waved his hand expressionlessly.

"on!"

The three gang members in the front row, armed with knives, exchanged glances. They looked at their unfortunate companions, raised their weapons warily, and slowly surrounded them.

Faced with an imminent battle, Rolf's first action was to crouch down and place his hands on his knees.

His knees are still relatively intact.

His flesh was closest to his legs.