Chapter 38: Method

ding

The crisp sound of broken gold pieces landing on the table drew the gazes of the more sober thugs, eyes filled with greed, suspicion, and scrutiny.

It was as if a venomous snake were assessing the creature before it, wondering if it could become its next prey.

The bartender silently swept up the gold coins from the bar, glanced at the cold-faced Gu Lian and the child beside her, then walked into the kitchen to prepare food.

After the gold was cleared from the bar, the rest of the thugs withdrew their gazes; to open a business in this place and suppress such villains from making a move, the bartender himself was no pushover.

“My lady, are you…”

Young Little Flower hunched his shoulders in fear, as he never would have dared to come to a place teeming with such thugs, but now, he had no choice in the matter.

“No hurry, wait a moment.”

Gu Lian leaned against the bar, crossed her legs, and looked at him from the side: “Now, tell me your name.”

“My name is Te Bulang Qiaoni.”

“Is that so?”

Gu Ye lightly tapped the bar, her scarlet pupils fixed on Qiaoni, a formless pressure seemingly crushing down on him, causing beads of cold sweat to trail down his forehead.

Seeing this, Gu Lian scoffed and looked away; the boy felt the pressure vanish, subconsciously sighed, and clenched his hanging arm until the veins bulged.

Gu Lian couldn’t be bothered to look at this scene; she simply scanned the surroundings. The bar was even more chaotic than she had imagined, especially a yellow-toothed man currently gambling, whose gaze—as if he wanted to devour her whole—made her extremely annoyed.

A moment later, the bartender brought two plates of ribs roasted until they glistened with oil to the table, then turned to skillfully retrieve a bottle of beer and two mugs from the rack.

hiss

The cap was popped off, and the beer, still emitting white mist, was poured into the two glasses until it overflowed.

The bartender skillfully picked up a wooden ruler to scrape off the white beer foam at the rim, then tapped the wooden table with the ruler, shaking the foam away—the entire set of movements was very practiced.

He pushed a plate of sizzling ribs and a beer in front of Qiaoni, and Gu Lian smiled, picking up her own share: “Eat up, this is very delicious.”

“This…”

The little boy’s lips trembled, and tears couldn’t help but stream down his face; these weren’t tears of excitement, but tears of fear, as he had no idea what was expected of him afterward.

But being served a meal of this caliber before a task undoubtedly meant that what followed was dangerous—it was effectively a final meal before execution!

He was terrified, truly terrified; he even regretted trying to touch the belongings of the person in front of him and regretted not being one of those wealthy people.

“Qiaoni, what’s wrong? Not to your taste?”

Gu Lian was still smiling; as long as the other party was afraid, she didn’t have to worry about them playing any tricks later.

She was still pressed for time; the sooner she handled the target, the sooner she could go back and get an identification document for Yi Yi. That little girl was about the right age and had to learn some culture, or she really would become illiterate!

“…”

Qiaoni hesitated; the beer in the transparent glass was orange-yellow with bubbles surging, and the large piece of oily roasted ribs was still steaming, a rich, meaty aroma permeating the air.

The sound of him swallowing echoed in his throat, and Gu Lian tipped her head back to drink a large mouthful, her lips curling upward as she kissed the rim of the glass.

Qiaoni took a deep breath and exhaled, abandoning the war-ready food in his hand to grab the beer with one hand and the ribs with the other.

The sounds of chewing meat and drinking beer filled the air, and Qiaoni devoured the food and drink with a ferocious intensity.

“Hehe~”

Gu Lian gently pushed her own ribs toward Qiaoni; the boy paused for a second, then, without hesitation, grabbed the ribs like a starving tiger and began to gnaw.

Watching Qiaoni eat made her own stomach feel hungry, but to maintain her composure, Gu Lian finished her beer in a dozen gulps, reached into her bag, and pinched out another piece of gold.

ding

The gold piece rolled across the bar a few times before dropping into the glass in front of the bartender; those thugs glanced over, some even having a green glint in their eyes.

“What do you want to know?”

“The method to enter the Weikede base safely.”

“…”

The bartender did not speak, nor did he reach out to take the gold in the glass.

“Then let’s change the subject. How can I join the Weikede faction?”

As Gu Lian spoke, she pinched off another piece of gold and tossed it into the glass; those who could run a tavern in a land of chaos were either intelligence agents or had a powerful backer.

The former couldn’t possibly suppress these thugs, so this bar was clearly the latter, and since this was Weikede’s territory, the person’s identity was essentially set in stone.

“Join?”

“Yes, join.”

Gu Lian revealed a smile—a smile peculiar to villains.

She never thought she could kill her way from the outskirts of the Gold Coast directly into the inner sanctum; to say nothing of how such an act would alert the enemy, it might prevent her from completing the mission.

And this little boy… she really needed someone to lead the way; as an outsider unfamiliar with the land, she would likely get lost without someone who knew the terrain.

“You’re an outsider, don’t even think about it.”

The bartender picked up the glass containing the gold, carefully wiping it with a cloth, but shockingly, after he finished, the gold inside was gone.

“Don’t worry~”

Gu Lian unzipped a corner of her bulging backpack, revealing only one and a half gold bars, and given how full the bag was, it was obvious there was more inside.

Zipping it quickly, Gu Lian’s smile grew wider: “How about now?”

“…”

The bartender wiped his hands with the cloth, casually picked up the remaining beer on the counter, filled a glass to the brim, and held it out to Gu Lian, the glass hovering in midair.

“…”

Gu Lian’s lips parted, and she took the beer with one hand, draining it in a single breath; the orange-yellow liquid poured from her mouth into her throat, the heat carrying the sweet malt flavor as it flowed into her stomach.

“Ha~”

Gu Lian set the glass down, wiped the liquid leaking from the corner of her mouth, and turned to walk out of the bar; seeing this, Qiaoni promptly jumped off the barstool, stepped over the backs of the two thugs from earlier, and hurried to catch up.

Walking out of the tavern, Gu Lian opened her hand that had been holding the glass; a slightly crumpled note lay in her palm, and picking it up, she saw the English words written on it: Fighting Joy Street, No. 103.

Having obtained the intelligence she wanted, Gu Lian took a lighter from her trench coat pocket, lit it, and controlled the flame toward the note.

A light breeze blew; as Gu Lian walked forward, Qiaoni wiped the grease from his mouth and walked by her side in fear.

The flame flickered, but it had already caught onto the note, burning continuously from one end; under the cover of the fire, the note curled up rapidly, its edges turning black.

Gu Lian let go, and the burning note was carried upward in the air; as sparks fell, the paper eventually burned to ashes.

“My lady, someone is following us…”

“I know.”

Gu Lian’s expression remained calm, but her gaze swept the surroundings like an eagle; three people were following behind, and was there a sniper on the right side as well?

PS: Is anyone reading? Reply so I can see!