A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 273 The Echo of Luck

Sukhorukov let out a painful gasp.

If a normal person is stabbed so many times, not to mention the damage to internal organs, the massive blood loss will cause brain hypoxia, blank consciousness, and once the eyes are closed, they will never wake up again.

As expected of the most resilient class among warriors, he can even think about and analyze the current situation.

who is it?

The Razor Party acts without restraint, and has countless enemies, from the poor and the rich to bureaucrats. It's impossible to list them all by nightfall.

However, judging from the timing of Quinn's appearance and his sudden return to the casino, it was clear that the murder was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Clearly, the other party was either Chaldale's bodyguard or someone with very deep ties to the Branson family.

Damn Rugal!

Why are you mentioning Xia Dai'er's name? Are you blind? You've been at the gambling table for so long and you still can't recognize the guy who won your money?

This is not really Lugal's fault.

Even if Quinn hadn't changed his face, not many members of the Branson family would recognize him.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man. If he took off the wide-collared trench coat that he wore at the academy, he would instantly blend into the crowd. Although his girlfriends, such as Xia Daier and Mi Yutong, thought Quinn had a kind of "handsomeness" that others couldn't see, objectively speaking, he was just very ordinary-looking.

Furthermore, thanks to his stealthy nature, Branson's servants or butlers would not react at all if they encountered him in the city.

Sukhorukov groaned in despair. The Razorfen Downs were insane, but they were not without reason. Over the years, they had never provoked the Academy or any companies involved in arcane arts, and they had ignored the Adventurers' Guild's wanted notices. They knew who they could mess with and who they couldn't.

His extraordinary knowledge mostly came from his studies during his time serving in the Empire's army, and he didn't know much compared to ordinary people. He didn't immediately connect it to the [Assassin] sequence, after all, he didn't even know what the sequence above thief was, but he knew that he couldn't afford to mess with this guy.

Although his men weren't superhumans, they were all skilled killers. It's worth noting that the average quality of the Razor Gang members was the highest among all the gangs in Seaville. In a street knife fight, one of them could take down two Whitebeards. Yet, they died so silently.
No, a deep fear flashed in Sukhorukov's eyes.

The lights that could excite gamblers shone on the haphazardly laid corpses, the mangled limbs, the flowing blood, the cracked mirrors, and the smashed ceramic sink. Sukhorukov could almost picture how this madman had forced his men's heads down and slammed them against the sink.
Why didn't I hear such a loud noise at all?

His memory seemed to have an inexplicable gap, as if he had been "paused".

"I said—"

Sukhorukov was good at lending money; he was quick-witted and knew that his only way to survive at that moment was to manage the loan.

"I cough, uh."

Blood gushed from his throat, and he choked, forcing himself to speak through the pain, "I...I can cooperate with you, I'm still useful, please don't kill me."

Quinn pulled the switchblade out slightly.

Although it was still stuck in Sukhorukov's back, at least it wasn't near his heart, so there was no risk of it rubbing against his heartbeat. It was so painful that he almost fainted.

No matter how tenacious its vitality, it is still only a Sequence Nine; if its heart is pierced, it will surely die.

“A carriage. We will prepare a carriage for Lucar.”

"Pick up Miss Branson when she gets out of school."

"Take them outside the city and force Congressman Elon to halt the reforms and pay the ransom."

After listening, Quinn stared speechlessly at the ceiling.

This plan is just like the moon landing plan PowerPoint presentation that the US Department of Aeronautics submitted to Congress; it looks feasible, but it's actually pure fantasy.

Branson has superhuman abilities, and Elon, as one of the suspects, was thoroughly investigated by Ancoua. For example, Graham, the bodyguard protecting Chaldale at the jewelry store, is a Sequence 8 [Fighter], and Katrin is a Sequence 8 [Sharpshooter].
After Xia Dai'er was attacked repeatedly, unless she was taken out by Quinn, she was always accompanied by a Sequence 8 whenever she went out.

The Branson family originally had a Sequence 8 Fighter, but he was found dead in the Goblin Cave in March. Even so, the Branson family, as the richest family in Eswell, still has a private security team consisting of nearly ten superhumans.

Among them appears to be a mid-ranking Knight. Ankua discovered that several years ago, the Branson family had spent a large sum of money on the black market to purchase the main ingredient for a Knight-ranking 7 potion, but they didn't know who it was.

Ankua guessed it was Elon, but as a senator, Elon needed to be tested. The rule that superhumans cannot participate in politics is an ironclad rule in the "Saviour Covenant." The fact that he could sit in a seat in parliament shows that the Academy agrees with the test results, so it's only a suspected case.
In Xia Dai'er's eyes, her brother had no connection with superhumans. Although he practiced swordsmanship every morning, he only practiced fancy rapiers with elegant movements, which were more for physical fitness than for actual combat.

Aside from the protection of the superhumans, there's also the Academy.

A member of parliament's family has been kidnapped in an attempt to coerce the member into changing policy. The academy cannot stand idly by when this happens. There's practically no need for an investigation; just send a sixth-grade student to do some divination, and they'll be found instantly, no matter where they are.

"Do you really think this plan can succeed?" Quinn asked with a sneer. "Or do you think I'm an idiot, just trying to fool you?"

"I swear by God the Father!!" Sukhorukov cried out in anguish, "This was Vyacheslav's idea! We'll listen to him!"

The Heavenly Father is the God of the Returning Tree sect, but He is different from the Holy Spirit Goddess. The Returning Tree sect believes that He is the embodiment of the World Tree walking among humans.

The Philippine Empire has a very interesting characteristic: it is the only country in the world where believers in the Church do not constitute the majority. Countries like Britain, which worships the Dragon God, and the Eastern Kingdoms, which worship the Goddess, have a higher percentage of believers in the Sun. However, the Philippine Empire is different. The vast majority of its citizens believe in the Father, with Sun worshippers being a minority, and followers of other religions even fewer. For example, the White Religion doesn't even have a church in the empire.

Vyacheslav – leader of the Razorfen Downs, a ruthless figure in the Seville underworld as terrifying as Elon. It is all thanks to him that the Razorfen Downs have been able to maintain their place in the city for so many years, given their modus operandi. It is said that he was the one who led the escape from the Northern Prison of the Empire.

He held absolute prestige within the Razorfen Downs, and if it were truly his plan, even the most foolish subordinates would follow it.

Quinn had never met Vyacheslav and didn't know much about him, but the leader of the Razorfen Downs couldn't be a fool. Could he have devised such a stupid kidnapping plan?
"Two hundred thousand gold pounds. Someone is offering two hundred thousand gold pounds for Elon's life, or to stop his reforms."

Sukhorukov's voice grew weaker and weaker: "I know who they are, let me go. I can identify them."

A flurry of footsteps sounded from the doorway.

Quinn looked up and met Ike's gaze, his face as black as coal.

This was the first time Quinn had been so serious since joining Golden Wind, and one could even see his anger.

"Oi~" Quinn greeted him as he pulled out his switchblade and released the dying Sukhorukov, causing him to fall to the ground.

He didn't intend to hide it from Ike. He had deliberately made a big fuss when killing those henchmen, just so Ike would have to clean up the mess. Sukhorukov was a core member of the Razorfen Downs, and it would be difficult to explain if he died in the Golden Wind Casino. He needed to at least give Ike some preparation.

"I don't blame you for stabbing that kid. After all, he harassed your woman."

Ike coldly glanced at the mangled corpses on the ground, which were so badly disassembled that even super-assemblers couldn't put them back together. He then looked at the damaged expensive floor tiles and white porcelain sink, and finally at Sukhorukov, who was barely breathing. He was about to lose his temper: "Why did you stab them? Why?"

"Did I stab you?" Quinn looked at Sukhorukov innocently.

Sukhorukov was about to cry. Couldn't you see all the bloody holes in his body?
"What kind of expression is that? Still feeling wronged, huh?"

Quinn found a good spot on his back and poked it a few times; the switchblade felt pretty good.

Sukhorukov's eyes popped out of their sockets.

"It's not that I'm innocent, it's that you're innocent, sir. Godfather, please don't misunderstand him. I'm the one who stabbed these people," he said, on the verge of tears.

Ike's voice sounded like a volcano was pressing down on his throat.

"Shelby, do you know what you're doing?"

Quinn stopped joking, his playful expression vanishing. He shrugged and said, "He harassed my woman." "If Vyacheslav finds out his brother died here, tonight my casino will be blown to bits by a few Northern Continent lunatics strapped with military explosives. The Golden Wind and the Razor Party are at full war. Before we wipe them all out, how many of us do you think will die?"

Ike spoke faster and faster.

But Quinn sensed that he wasn't really angry.

Or rather, he wasn't angry that he had killed members of the Peaky Blinders. He was angry that his plan had been thwarted.

“He really harassed my woman. He discussed kidnapping her right in front of me.” Quinn wiped the blood off the knife with Sukhorukov’s clothes. “If you think that’s too much trouble, I’ll talk to my brother-in-law. Ha, skipping school to gamble, she got yelled at at home and it’ll take me a month to calm her down.”

Ike narrowed his eyes slightly. "You all get out."

He said this to his men, and a large group of people with knives and guns retreated in droves.

"He told you to your face that he wanted to kidnap Miss Branson?"

Quinn then gave a brief account of what had happened.

Ike didn't show any surprise; he was looking at Quinn's clothes.

Having killed so many people, Sukhorukov's blood stained half the floor, yet this guy didn't even have a single drop of blood on him?
“I was already planning to go to war with the Razorfen Downs.” Ike’s voice slowed, but remained cold and hard: “You’re putting me in a very passive position.”

"If you have any complaints, you should at least tell me on my turf. Whether it's them or the kid you stabbed."

"If you don't want you to know, how can you hear the noise?"

Ike narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Whether you tell me before you take action or notify me after you take action—that's the difference between whether you see me as your boss or not."

The tall black man blocked the toilet exit, dimming even the bright lights in one corner: "If the arcanist Grindelwald doesn't think much of my little gang, just say so."

A chilling atmosphere seemed to rush towards us.

Quinn sighed.

"Rucal Branson, the airport's general manager, is a mole within the Branson family. I won't tell Elon this; you can use it to curry favor."

Ike burst out laughing instantly, his smile melting away like a gentle spring breeze: "Hey, what else is there to say? We're all brothers, so genuine."

He walked up to Quinn and put his arm around his shoulder in a friendly manner, completely different from the gangster boss whose eyes were full of murderous intent just moments before.

"Good for you, brother! Good for you! I've had my eye on these filthy loan sharks for a long time. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have gone easy on them. Just give me a heads-up next time something like this happens."

Quinn put away the switchblade, thought for a moment, and then put the knife engraved with the Imperial Star emblem into his pocket.

"This guy isn't dead, do whatever you want with him. Oh, by the way..."

He stepped over Sukhorukov, who was groaning on the ground, and went into the innermost stall of the toilet. When he came out, he was carrying two heavy black bags, muttering, "Hey, I figured the girl wanted the gold pound, so I'll take it."

Seeing Quinn leave the restroom with the money, Sukhorukov had never felt so humiliated in his life.

Beast!
Now it's just him and Ike left.

Although he didn't know why Ike said "we must wage war against the Peaky Blinders," recalling the Godfather's good reputation in the underworld, he forced a smile that was more pathetic than anything else: "Your Excellency, Godfather."

"I can switch sides."

Ike crouched down in front of him, staring listlessly at the bloody holes in his body.

"Hey."

Please speak.

Did you just say 'you're the one who stabbed them'?

"Uh?"

"So it was you who stabbed His Highness in the leg, Menma! Found you~"

"what??"

Sukhorukov felt a slight chill on his neck, and then his consciousness completely left him.

A blackjack table in the lobby of the Golden Wind Casino.

There was dead silence.

No one among the onlookers uttered a sound, no cheers, no exclamations; they stared intently at the two unrevealed cards on the table.

There was only one person at the gambling table, dressed in a suit, hat, and sunglasses in the middle of summer; it was impossible to tell if they were male or female.

The female dealer was nearly insane.

Judging from the thick pile of gold chips on the gamblers' table, this dealer hadn't won a single game.

"Please reveal the cards." She practically forced out those words through gritted teeth.

So Xia Dai'er obediently turned over her cards: two 10s, a total of 20 points, a decisive win.

She didn't even try to avoid the dealers and had absolutely no idea about the rules.

The moment the dealer saw the "20", her vision went black. She had shuffled the cards countless times, but the opponent's luck was inhuman; he could win no matter how he drew the cards.

"It's not very stable," Xia Dai'er muttered to herself. "Should we add another one?"

Twenty isn't enough? Adding more would definitely result in a bust!
No one around questioned it.

The dealer shuffled the cards with a frenzied, almost reckless motion, finally pulling out a card with trembling hands. She didn't even wait to hand it to Xia Dai'er before opening it herself—

'1'.

Twenty plus one equals exactly twenty-one, a decisive victory.

With gasps of astonishment, the mountain of chips rose even higher.

They seemed to hear the echo of good fortune.

This person didn't cheat; she didn't even touch the cards, but somehow she still won.

At that moment, Quinn finally returned.

Xia Daier cleared her throat and said smugly in a low voice, "This game is very simple, isn't it?"

Quinn was a little confused. What was going on? Had she turned her allowance into chips?
(End of this chapter)