Chapter 120: Robbery
Judging from his aura, this gloomy-looking middle-aged man was the same hooded guy who had tried to buy regular superpower potions. Zhou Ning was very curious about his identity.
If he turned out to be from an official faction or a righteous church, it would be best to avoid provoking him. But if he was part of the Curse God Cult faction... Zhou Ning wouldn't mind robbing him.
After all, his reputation with the Curse God Cult was already at -5000—permanently hostile. A few more fleas don't make an itch; more debt doesn't cause worry.
The two men emerged from the alley and cautiously took a long, winding detour before returning to the underground market.
Zhou Ning shook his head and smiled. Within the range of his Observation Haki, their movements were as clear as day. Trying to hide was about as effective as hiding behind a teapot.
After wandering the market for over ten minutes, the two men exited through another entrance and began heading northeast along the street.
This area, located in the northwest corner of the old city district, fell under the jurisdiction of the Church of the Earth God.
Not long after, they entered an alchemy shop together. Zhou Ning thought for a moment, then decided to drink a transformation potion, turning into a white-haired old gentleman.
Unlike Polyjuice Potion from Harry Potter, the transformation potion in Apocalypse could either use a person's hair as a catalyst to take on their appearance or be consumed directly for a random transformation. The effect was somewhat similar to the Savory Deviate Delight from World of Warcraft—comprehensive and versatile.
About five minutes later, Zhou Ning saw the gloomy man emerge alone with a case of potions in hand. Looks like the deal was done.
Zhou Ning lowered his hat brim and continued to follow the man from a distance. Around twenty minutes later, the gloomy man arrived at a carriage parked at a street corner and boarded it.
Zhou Ning frowned. The first thing he noticed was an emblem prominently displayed on the carriage.
The emblem featured a blue lion facing west, standing atop a cloud.
The "Blue Lion"... the symbol of the Rivers family. Damn it—what are the odds?
Watching the gloomy man's carriage roll away, Zhou Ning remained calm. He flagged down another carriage and, once aboard, pointed to the one ahead and said, "Think you can keep up?"
Seeing the coachman's doubtful look, Zhou Ning added, "Five Vecktas."
"Absolutely!" The coachman's attitude changed instantly. "Don't let the hornbeast fool you—even regular horses might be faster."
Zhou Ning nodded with a smile, pulling five 1-Veckta banknotes from his pocket and handing them over.
The carriage wheels rolled over the wet pavement, trailing the lavish carriage at a distance.
After more than half an hour, Zhou Ning noticed the carriage ahead pass through the docks and working-class districts without stopping, heading straight for the city's eastern gate.
Zhou Ning pulled out a file he had purchased earlier and flipped through it. As an old noble family, the Harrison Rivers estate was indeed located in the eastern suburbs, near Old Abbott City.
If his guess was right, that was the gloomy man's destination.
Glancing out the window, he saw a sizable Sea God Church nearby, with a 42-meter-tall bell tower and a surrounding area densely populated by civilians.
The city gate wasn't far, but the real problem was that the area near the gate was one of Darkland City's three volatile weather zones—frequent thunderstorms, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events made it nearly impassable. To get through, one had to detour southeast.
"Stop here."
Zhou Ning got off the carriage and looked around.
It was already deep into the night. Due to the volatile weather zone nearby, heavy rain poured from the sky, drastically reducing visibility. There wasn't a soul in sight.
Zhou Ning exhaled a cloud of mist. He didn't use an umbrella, letting the bean-sized raindrops pelt his body as he broke into a sprint. A golden-red combat suit quickly formed around him. Then, a grappling hook shot out from his hand, wrapping around the bell tower railing and pulling him up.
Moments later, he was on top of the bell tower. After a brief run-up, he leapt forward, his cloak unfurling into wings as he glided ahead.
Roughly four hundred meters later, Zhou Ning landed silently. Not far ahead was the city gate. His golden-red armor shattered away once more. With a sharp snap, he popped open his umbrella and strode beyond the gate.
…
The gloomy middle-aged man drove his carriage along the road. Before long, it had passed through the gate and onto a slightly muddy path.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank and a fierce gleam flashed in his eyes.
In the middle of the muddy road stood a strikingly handsome young man, quietly holding an umbrella.
"You're… Wayne Sturwell?" the man blurted out, eyes widening.
Zhou Ning didn't speak. He slowly closed the umbrella, stabbed the tip into the muddy ground beside him, and glided forward through the rain. At some point, a revolver had appeared in his hand. With a loud bang, the bullet shot straight at the hornbeast pulling the carriage.
A sharp whinny pierced the air. Blood spattered instantly as the hornbeast cried out in pain, all four hooves flying up as it crashed to the side, bringing the entire carriage rolling over.
The gloomy man reacted swiftly, launching himself off the hornbeast's back and skidding a long distance through the mud. He wiped his face and growled, "I'm Wright, Captain of the Seventh Guard of the Bryston Kingdom. Wayne Sturwell, are you attempting to assassinate an official?!"
But before he could finish, he hurled a talisman at Zhou Ning. "Thorns!"
Instantly, a tangle of thorny vines erupted and surged toward Zhou Ning.
But Zhou Ning shot backward like a compressed spring, dodging the spell entirely before launching forward again. As he charged, the gloomy man's heart clenched. His eyes froze with fear as he quickly drew a greatsword from his back, a flash of blade light slashing toward Zhou Ning.
But Zhou Ning didn't even flinch. Not a single change in expression. A crushing wave of Conqueror's Haki surged forth, engulfing the gloomy man.
The man stiffened instantly, paralyzed on the spot.
Zhou Ning's form blurred as he ghosted in close and activated Rapid Pursuit. He pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The cylinder rotated.
On the third shot, the cylinder triggered the effect of an enchanted bullet—one glowing with dark golden light.
Boom boom boom! Three bullets fired in rapid succession, striking the frozen man. Blood exploded from the wounds, grotesquely tearing into his body as red flames and blue frost erupted in all directions.
Within ten seconds, the man stood stiff, his health bar vanishing completely. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground.
A clean kill.
A prompt popped up on the panel:
[You have slain Wright Phillips (Lv. 27). You have gained 12,000 experience points.]
Zhou Ning let out a breath and stood up, pulling the umbrella from the mud and snapping it open. He rummaged through the overturned carriage, and two minutes later, found a blue potion case inside. Opening it revealed five rows—almost 120 regular superpower potions.
Damn, that's a lot of cash!
At 65 Vecktas apiece, this stash was worth nearly 8,000 Vecktas… a hefty haul.
Closing the case, he tossed it into his inventory. After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ning plucked a few strands of Wright's hair, then turned toward a nearby rock and said calmly:
"How much longer do you all plan on hiding?"
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