Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 525: I Also Have Other Identities
"Young one, now isn't the time for jokes—"
"—Do I look like I'm joking?"
Steven interrupted the old man, who had become somewhat at a loss because of his sudden action. Yet the tone he used sounded anything but serious.
As the person directly involved, however, Lin Yuhsia knew very well—he definitely wasn't joking. This was absolutely something he was capable of doing.
You should never try to understand how someone with an abnormal way of thinking works—unless you want your own thinking to become just as abnormal.
"…But if you do this, once the rules are broken, we may no longer be able to maintain such a friendly relationship."
The Rat King looked at Steven. After the initial surprise and confusion faded, he quickly understood Steven's reasoning. If Steven forced the answer out of him this way, then Steven would be the one breaking the rules—not him.
That would indeed allow Steven to get the answer as quickly as possible.
But the price would also be greater.
"No problem. Who said I want a friendly relationship with a bunch of gangsters? I'm a law-abiding model citizen. I'd never want to associate with shady people like you."
Steven showed no reaction to the Rat King's warning. Instead, he refuted him with a very serious and righteous expression, as if he really were some champion of justice.
"I've never seen a 'model citizen' who carries bombs around with him…"
Lin Yuhsia muttered quietly. Her voice reached Steven's ears, but he deliberately ignored it.
What did she mean she'd never seen one? Citizens in places like Afghanistan or Iraq often gave stationed western soldiers a bit of patriotic "shock" like that, didn't they? In the end, Lin Yuhsia just lacked experience.
"…Since you insist, then I have no choice but to comply with your wishes. We can discuss any further transactions later. If I tell you the answer you want, can you guarantee you'll release my daughter?"
The Rat King glanced calmly at Steven. Both of them knew very well the bomb would never actually be detonated. It was merely an excuse.
So he wasn't worried about his daughter's safety. If anything, he just felt a bit of regret.
An interesting outsider like Steven was someone he would have liked to learn more about if possible.
But after this, at least on the surface, there probably wouldn't be any chance to maintain their current relationship.
"Of course. Even thieves have their principles. I'm not here to kidnap anyone for romance. Holding onto her doesn't benefit me at all."
As he spoke, Steven even glanced at the Lin Yuhsia he was holding with an expression full of disgust.
Yes, she was a beautiful girl—but at the end of the day she was still a rat. Steven, for whatever reason, simply couldn't muster much interest in that species.
Even a hamster would've been better. But the long, thin, hairless tail behind Lin Yuhsia kept reminding him of that cartoon mouse with a missing ear from his memories.
"If you're going to threaten someone, fine, but don't look at me like that."
Lin Yuhsia knew perfectly well that in this situation she wasn't actually in any real danger. If that were the case, her father wouldn't be this calm.
But compared to that, what hurt more was Steven's expression. The look on his face practically spelled out the word disgust, making her feel strangely insulted.
If he wanted to kidnap her, then just kidnap her—what kind of look was that supposed to be?
"Recently, a group from Columbia arrived in Lungmen. They claim to be members of a company called Umbrella. Before that, they contacted those people who were blown up outside the city through certain small methods."
Feeling the resentful glare his daughter was giving him, the Rat King figured that if he allowed her to remain in Steven's grip any longer, she'd definitely go complain to her mother.
So he simply told Steven the answer he wanted.
These people had their hands stretched very far. The incident where Lin Yuhsia had nearly been kidnapped was most likely connected to them as well. But for a bunch of outsiders from Columbia to think they could run wild in a place like Lungmen—they were still far too naïve.
Originally, he had been considering how to teach those unruly fellows a lesson without causing too much chaos. But now, it seemed there was no need for him to act personally anymore.
As for whether Steven dealing with them would make the situation even more chaotic—that would be Wei Yenwu's problem to worry about. Since it had nothing to do with him anymore, why bother thinking about it?
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Steven readily released Lin Yuhsia.
This girl was much stronger than an average young woman. If Steven hadn't been naturally strong himself, he probably wouldn't have been able to restrain her so smoothly.
After being released, Lin Yuhsia glanced back at Steven with curiosity.
Up until now, she had always felt that Steven was just an ordinary person. There was no trace of Originium Arts on him, and his thin arms and legs didn't look like those of someone capable of fighting. All the threat he posed should have come from the explosives strapped to his body.
But in reality, only when she was being held hostage did she realize the truth.
His strength was far greater than she had imagined. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't shake off the hands gripping her—hands that felt like iron clamps.
"Thank you for answering my question. I apologize for disturbing you today. If there's nothing else, would you mind telling me where those so-called Umbrella members you mentioned are currently gathered? I'm a bit too lazy to go searching for them myself."
Steven once again returned to the image of a simple, somewhat naive young man. If not for the detonator still in his hand, it would be hard to connect him with the lunatic who had threatened to blow himself up moments earlier.
"…That wasn't part of our previous agreement. However, I believe this falls within the scope of something we could negotiate."
The Rat King narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Steven.
From his perspective, Steven also appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary man. Yet he had no doubt that Steven possessed the ability to play those Umbrella fellows in the palm of his hand.
It was a kind of intuition he had developed from many years surviving in the underworld—and that intuition was rarely wrong.
"For example, those rather unusual weapons and explosives you used earlier. If you could provide the formula or sell some of them, I believe I would be quite willing to complete such a deal with you."
The Rat King pointed at the stick-shaped detonators strapped to Steven's body. Regarding the explosion outside the bar earlier, he had already received all the information almost immediately. Naturally, he knew Steven possessed something capable of producing a massive explosion without relying on Originium.
For both Lungmen and himself, that was something absolutely impossible to ignore. Its strategic value was immeasurable.
"Hmm. If you're interested, I can sell them. But honestly, your status feels a bit too low. I don't do small sales. If we're doing this, it has to be a big contract. I don't think a mere Lungmen underworld figure like you has the capacity to handle that."
The moment the conversation turned to his weapons, Steven's demeanor completely changed. He now looked at the Rat King like a serious businessman, his tone becoming firm and professional.
"As far as I know, you're merely a shareholder of Rhodes Island. What gives you the confidence to say something like that?"
The Rat King looked at Steven in confusion. Even if Rhodes Island stopped selling medicine in the future and started selling weapons instead, it still wouldn't have the strength to claim that even the Lungmen underworld couldn't handle such a deal.
"Huh? That's just one part of my identity. Just like how you run a candy shop as a boss, why can't I run another company as well?"
As he spoke, Steven directly pulled out and displayed his business card, identifying him as the Chairman of the Block Consortium.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M