Chapter 896 - 383: Breaking the Rules (3)
In the past, when tackling dungeons, his role was always as a firearms specialist. He never imagined there would come a day when he could awaken the Talent of an assassin.
With his hands in his pockets, he separated himself from the soldiers dealing with the scene, lit a cigarette, and walked toward the urban area.
He didn’t notice at all that within the steam-condensed fog he loved so much, a tall figure cloaked in a Black Robe had already fixed its gaze on him.
Dense fog billowed out from under the Black Robe, enveloping the surrounding one kilometer.
It didn’t take long before faint screams echoed from within.
That afternoon, the wreckage of a carriage was found on the South Shore of the Hills River. The horse, carriage, driver, and Nestor, who was a passenger, were all shot to pieces.
Based on the scene traces, a deranged gang of criminals fired hundreds of shots at the carriage.
According to the ballistic analysis of the vast majority of the bullets, the weapons involved were models commonly used by the Gale gang.
This is easily understandable. The spark for the general strike was the Sloan Textile Factory incident, and one of the angriest groups during the strike was the textile workers.
Due to the Bright Lamp Report, many factories in the South Shore Textile District were shut down, causing massive losses. It’s quite normal for a few people to hold grudges and hire the Gale gang for revenge.
The next day, Connor held a funeral for Nestor.
Both Wu Chang True Self and Ma Jia’s True Form attended the funeral. The two of them looked at Nestor’s tombstone with solemn expressions, their thoughts unknown.
After the funeral, Connor didn’t return to the Bright Lamp Newspaper Office. Instead, he said he wanted to be alone and went to a bar he frequented.
He ordered three drinks at the bar but soon found it too noisy and went home alone.
He gently closed the door and didn’t light the Oil Lamp, because he saw a shadow sitting on the sofa in the living room.
With clenched teeth, he almost growled under his breath, "Who did it?"
A lazy voice came from the shadow’s mouth, "Most likely, it was the Conservative Faction."
"Nestor’s body was found on the South Shore of the Hills River. But according to our people, the last time he was seen, he was headed to the West District."
"Every time he went to the West District, he visited a secluded manor, which is one of Gascogne Chief Justice’s properties. I guess this time was no exception."
Connor took several deep breaths, trying to calm the fire of anger in his chest, and asked:
"Do you know the reason?"
The shadow said, "Nestor went with the Transcendent of the Secret Security Department. Instead of asking me, you might as well ask Sir Sean or that Peacemaker."
Connor said, "No matter the reason and no matter who stands in my way, I will make them pay."
The shadow clicked its tongue and said:
"Her Majesty doesn’t intend to stop you. She has asked me to convey her condolences for Nestor and remind you that if you’re looking for revenge, you might find what you need at Nestor’s home."
"Thank you." Connor said and suddenly felt dizzy. When he looked again, the shadow on the sofa had disappeared.
He lit the Oil Lamp and walked into the living room, finding the shadow gone.
Twenty meters outside Connor’s home, Wu Chang True Self, Divine Tongue, and Ma Jia were lurking from a distance, watching Connor’s house.
Soon after Connor returned home, the three of them saw a shadow leap out of Connor’s window.
Divine Tongue frowned and said, "Such speed, so fast I couldn’t even see what they looked like."
Ma Jia shook his head and said, "I didn’t see clearly either."
Although Wu Chang couldn’t see who the shadow was, he saw the Power of Root surrounding the shadow.
"The shadow that left Connor’s home was the Phantom. Why would he have any dealings with Connor?"
As a ranking Player, Wu Chang wasn’t afraid of him, but he wouldn’t ignore information about him.
Based on what he knew, after the Transcendent meeting day, after he left, the Phantom had connected with the Trade Commission’s chairperson.
The Trade Commission’s chairperson was a core figure of the Liberal Party and a staunch supporter of Glad. Could it be that the force behind Connor was the Liberal Party?
That doesn’t make sense. Connor was merely a Conservative Faction member in the Charter movement, not a surrender faction member. He shouldn’t be secretly contacting the Liberal Party behind Henry and Nestor’s backs.
This is interesting. After Nestor’s matter is resolved, I’ll have a word with Connor to figure out what’s happening.
Wu Chang refocused his thoughts and asked, "Have they all confessed?"
Ma Jia nodded slightly and looked at Divine Tongue with a wary expression, saying, "No one can withstand Divine Tongue’s Truth Serum."
Wu Chang continued, "It’s confirmed it’s the Conservative Faction, correct?"
Ma Jia continued nodding.
As soon as Nestor’s Clone perished, Ma Jia immediately informed Wu Chang of the situation. Wu Chang promptly arranged for people to guard around Nestor’s home, catching those preparing to set fire all in one fell swoop.
After drinking the Truth Serum, they confessed everything clearly, revealing that the masterminds were Brook and Chief Justice Gascogne.
They thought they could flawlessly commit murder for silence under the cover of steam Rules. But they didn’t expect that the Transcendent Guard escorting Nestor that day happened to be Ma Jia, who liked using parasitic bodies.
According to Ma Jia, the ones who acted were Players, but the opposing side used special methods to drive Demon-Breaking Bullets. Under the steam Rules, Players couldn’t resist the Demon-Breaking Bullets at all.
The opponent’s methods were indefensible. Fortunately, it was Ma Jia who was with Nestor that day. If it were anyone else, except for Divine Tongue and Killing Intent Fluctuation, others might not have survived.
We didn’t directly tell Connor, just to take the opportunity to probe what he was up to, not because we were genuinely unaware.
The Conservative Party killing Nestor was not much of a concern, but when they acted against his people, that was a slap in the face.
A force established by a Player was still adhering to the Rules, while a bunch of native noblemen of the Plane didn’t, playing this murder game—it was a complete reversal of dominance.
Since they like to play, let’s make sure to play big.
Wu Chang said:
"Tell the Shadows to record all noble high-ups supporting Gascogne, and keep real-time track of their locations."
"After Connor publishes the report here, let their support rate plummet, then we’ll pick an auspicious day to send them all on their way."