CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 3: SCHEMING IN THE SHADOWS

Stepping out of the bar, the cold wind sobered up quite a few Hunters.

They looked at each other, puzzled and said, "Our behavior just now... didn’t it seem a bit like gangsters?"

Yan Luo looked at them and retorted, "You’re just realizing it?"

They indeed looked very much like thugs just now!

"Especially you, Yan Luo, you looked so much like a mob boss just now!"

The Hunters who came to their senses pointed at Yan Luo, laughing and joking.

Yan Luo remained calm, "And then?"

"I think you can be our leader for a while, and together we’ll drive out those dogs from Crimson No.1."

"I feel the same, Yan Luo’s aura just now, tsk tsk tsk, I’ve only seen it in Advanced Hunters."

"Boss, where are we going next?"

The group of Hunters playfully established Yan Luo as their ’boss’.

Yan Luo didn’t mind, this title of boss was just a joke, and no one would mention it after a while.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Let’s find other Hunters from Crimson No.1, beat them up, and then chase them out of Crimson No.2."

If what those two Hunters said earlier was true, then over time, more Hunters from Crimson No.1 would come to Crimson No.2.

Though Blue Star is currently under the rule of the United Government, it was merely a stopgap measure to address the global crisis.

Currently, Blue Star doesn’t have an actual capital; the highest authorities of the United Government are set up in the capitals of each domain, communicating and working through the internet.

The environment in the Eastern Domain and Western Domain is different. Over in the Western Domain, things are more chaotic, and the Hunter’s Guild along with the local government mostly do not manage the Hunters, except for having the power to summon Hunters for combat during wartime, they rarely have jurisdiction over the Hunters’ actions.

Like the three rape cases in the past ten days, if it happened in Crimson No.1, the guilty Hunters would only need to pay a trivial compensation and could walk out of jail with swagger. But in Crimson No.2, such cases would be major ones.

Those three Hunters committed heinous crimes and have now been detained by the Crimson No.2 government, and it won’t be long before they stand trial. If nothing unexpected happens, they’ll certainly become convicts, with a sentence of at least three years.

Yan Luo thought it necessary to keep all Crimson No.1 Hunters outside as there might be many more such Hunters.

Those Crimson No.1 Hunters were used to unruly behavior in their territory, and would surely not change their habits once they reached Crimson No.2.

Yan Luo wouldn’t stand by and watch the place he lived turn into a cesspool; someone had to take action.

Neither the Hunter’s Guild nor the local government could turn away all the Crimson No.1 Hunters, so the matter had to be handled by the Hunters taking initiative themselves.

Upon hearing Yan Luo’s words, the surrounding Hunters cheered: "Hooray! Long live the boss!"

That was exactly what they were thinking, find those Crimson No.1 Hunters and then beat them up according to the Hunters’ rules and send them back.

"But the problem lies in how to find those dogs, right?"

Soon a Hunter pointed out the difficulty in executing this action.

Yan Luo glanced at them and said, "Don’t call them ’dogs’, such an expression is not accurate. Not all Crimson No.1 Hunters are scum, but still, we need to drive all Crimson No.1 Hunters out; otherwise, the Li Family won’t just let it go."

Hunters: ???

They didn’t know why Yan Luo was defending the Crimson No.1 Hunters, nor what this had to do with the Li Family.

"Oh, I get it!"

After Yan Luo’s hint, finally, a somewhat smart Hunter figured it out and said excitedly, "Those Crimson No.1 Hunters were brought over entirely under the Fields Clan’s instigation. Although the Fields Clan’s power is rapidly growing in Crimson No.2, becoming the third-largest buyer here, their market share is actually less than 20%, and they are blocked by the obstacle of the Li Family above them.

"So, they’re releasing information to bring over some Crimson No.1 Hunters to use their power to increase their market shares. And among the three rape cases here, at least one is led by the Li Family, as they want to utilize our force to deal with those Crimson No.1 Hunters, while taking the chance to strike the Fields Clan!"

Yan Luo nodded, "I only understood it after hearing those two Hunters just now. If the Fields Clan really intended to escape, they wouldn’t be so ostentatious. Such low-level Hunters would not receive this kind of information. Moreover, not all Crimson No.1 Hunters are fools. Despite this, there were still three Hunters who committed three rape cases in the past ten days, which can only suggest that there is a conspiracy."

The escape of Crimson No.1 Hunters was essentially a ploy by the Fields Clan, otherwise, there’s no other way to explain the Fields Clan’s ’high-profile’ departure from Crimson No.1.

If only one or two friends knew about the Fields Clan liquidating assets, it’d be fine, but several friends knowing it, doesn’t it seem high-profile enough?

After Yan Luo’s explanation, the once extremely excited Hunters felt like they had ice water poured over them, cooling from head to toe, instantly sobering up.

"...Then what should we do? Do we just let the Li Family manipulate us?" one Hunter said very displeased.

Nobody liked being a pawn, especially when someone intended to exploit their passion, the thought of rebellion filled them entirely.

"What I’ve said is just my conjecture," Yan Luo nodded, "We don’t have evidence to prove those three rape cases are connected to the Li Family. It’s only based on inference that they are highly suspicious. Can such reasoning be presented as evidence to the public? If said aloud, how many would believe it?

"Let’s not forget our original intent. Our aim is to protect Crimson No.2. Just move forward with this purpose in mind, and don’t worry about anything else. I’ve said my piece, does anyone want to back out?"

As soon as his voice dropped, several Hunters stepped forward.

"Boss—we really admire you, so we’ll call you boss one last time. You knew this might be the Li Family setting us up, but you still managed to suppress your inner discomfort and keep going, but we can’t, we really can’t accept being manipulated!"

They were even gritting their teeth slightly by the end.

After a few Hunters left, only twelve remained around Yan Luo, all looking at him, eager to know what his next move would be.

Yan Luo looked around, "Actually, it isn’t that hard to find the Crimson No.1 Hunters. Just some of you post online saying that Crimson No.1 Hunters are trash and invite them to a fight. I can’t post because I’m under an endorsement period, and ruining my personal image would require paying damages."

Hiss!

Upon hearing Yan Luo’s words, the surrounding Hunters couldn’t help but gasp.

The expressions on their faces looked as if they were constipated, and a Hunter said hesitantly, "Boss, there are some things... you don’t have to say out loud, just knowing them is enough. Of course, we’re glad you didn’t deceive us, but it sounds... awkward."

Yan Luo likes to say whatever is on his mind, which is indeed a good trait, but hearing those candid words made them feel awkward.

Indeed, this world still needs some white lies or silence.

"I’m glad you can point out my shortcomings in interpersonal communication, but I won’t change."

Yan Luo shook his head, then urged the Hunters to quickly post the messages.

In this era, people are inseparable from the internet. A child is connected to the internet from birth to receive education.

Even if the Hunters were drinking and fighting in the hall on the third floor, they would still keep an eye on the news online.

This is something beyond what the word ’entertainment’ can explain. Theoretically speaking, every Blue Star person coexists symbiotically with the internet.

Hence, Yan Luo didn’t have to worry about the Crimson No.1 Hunters not seeing those provocative messages.

As long as they didn’t respond, the Hunters around him would keep posting messages until they agreed to a fight.