Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 600: Do You Even Know How to Use This?
"Forget that for now. The real issue is that the people you provoked don't exactly look friendly." Steven glanced toward the weapons in the hands of the approaching Siracusans. "Need help?"
The sharp gleam of long blades and the heavy-looking crossbows made it abundantly clear these men hadn't come here for a casual conversation.
By now, the other customers inside the teahouse had already sensed that something was wrong and fled in panic. Even the shop owner had hidden himself backstage, not daring to utter a single word.
Incidents like this had become rare in the slums over the years, but that didn't mean he failed to understand how serious the situation was.
Anyone with eyes could tell these Siracusans were dangerous people. Trying to stop them now would practically be suicide.
"Jeez... if that's the case, we really can't drag you into this any further." Exusiai clicked her tongue helplessly but still refused Steven's offer. "Since hiding's obviously not working anymore, maybe we should just surrender? Honestly, this is all your fault, Sora. You just had to run out to try that new flavor of stuffed pancake."
She sighed dramatically.
"And now my signature gun isn't even with me. This is gonna be annoying."
Even in this situation, Exusiai still sounded more inconvenienced than frightened.
Sora beside her nodded as well. Pulling Steven and Lin Yuhsia—two people who had absolutely nothing to do with this mess—into danger really would have been too unfair.
"We surrender," Sora said calmly as she stepped out from hiding. "If we go with you willingly, there should still be plenty of ways for us to be useful, right?"
Without a shred of hesitation, Exusiai immediately raised both hands in a perfectly practiced surrender pose. Together, she and Sora slowly stood and faced the encroaching Siracusan gangsters.
"As long as you promise not to hurt us or anyone else, I'm willing to cooperate," Exusiai said casually. "Besides, your real target isn't me anyway. It's Penguin Logistics... or maybe that bull-headed newbie who just arrived today?"
Even while surrendering, she still couldn't stop running her mouth.
The expression on her face looked nothing like that of a hostage.
Even Sora beside her remained unnervingly calm. Rather than captives about to be taken away, the two girls looked more like children reluctantly admitting defeat after losing a game.
Of course, their confidence wasn't without reason.
First, they knew perfectly well that the Siracusans' real objective wasn't them. Keeping them alive would obviously be far more valuable than silencing them outright.
Second, they weren't truly helpless either. And if they could stall long enough for their companions to realize they had disappeared, this little group of gangsters wouldn't amount to much at all.
Still, the Siracusan mobsters looked visibly confused by the sudden surrender.
Just moments ago these two had been running like madwomen and had even injured several of their men. And now they were surrendering just like that?
No matter how they looked at it, this didn't feel like the behavior of cornered prey.
After sweeping suspicious gazes across Exusiai and Sora, the Siracusans slowly shifted their attention toward the only other unusual figure in the room—
Steven.
The young man was still leisurely holding a teacup, openly watching the scene unfold with an expression that practically screamed Man, this is fun.
The gangsters immediately narrowed their eyes.
The only reasonable explanation was that the two girls were trying to protect—or perhaps cover for—someone.
And the most suspicious person present was undoubtedly this unfamiliar young man.
Although he looked quite different from the MountainDash Logistics young master they had been instructed to search for—and the age didn't quite match either—his behavior was suspicious enough that they couldn't possibly ignore him.
After forcing Exusiai and Sora aside at crossbow-point, one of the Siracusans—clearly the squad leader—stepped forward and abruptly interrupted Steven's peaceful tea-drinking spectacle.
"Hey, what's your relationship with Penguin Logistics?" the squad leader barked, raising his short crossbow toward Steven's head. "You're coming with us too!"
The sharp bolt glimmered coldly under the light. The wolfish Lupo's long fur-covered face twisted with open hostility, making it obvious he had no intention whatsoever of reasoning with anyone.
Steven glanced at him.
Then, instead of replying, he casually turned to exchange a look with the equally calm Lin Yuhsia beside him.
"You saw that, right?" Steven sighed helplessly. "I genuinely had zero intention of causing trouble today. These guys came looking for me. I just wanted to drink something after dinner."
The complaint was clearly directed at Lin Yuhsia, as though trying to preemptively defend himself from future accusations of "always stirring things up."
Only after saying that did Steven finally slowly sweep his gaze across the Siracusans surrounding him.
The look in his eyes resembled someone inspecting a pile of mildly interesting toys.
"True," Lin Yuhsia replied with a resigned sigh, "but that still doesn't change the fact that you're basically a magnet for trouble."
At this point, she had more or less accepted the cruel reality.
Even if Steven himself didn't go searching for problems, problems would inevitably come charging straight at him anyway. She genuinely had no idea how someone could possess such an absurd constitution.
If he weren't ridiculously strong, he probably could've died and been buried over a dozen times already.
"Try not to make things too messy," she added lazily. "If too many people die, the paperwork's going to be annoying."
That was all she said before lowering her head and calmly taking another sip of tea, completely ignoring the murderous Siracusan gangsters surrounding them as though they posed no threat whatsoever.
"Hey! Are you idiots even listening to me?!" the squad leader roared furiously. "I said get up!"
Clearly unable to tolerate being ignored like this, he shoved the crossbow directly against Steven's forehead.
"Got it, got it," Steven muttered impatiently. "Does nobody ever teach you basic manners? Seriously, why are you yelling so much?"
The next moment—
Bang!
A crisp gunshot suddenly echoed through the teahouse.
No one even saw Steven move.
Yet the Siracusan squad leader, who had been standing proudly in front of Steven only moments ago, suddenly dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
Blood burst violently from both of his thighs, and somehow—without anyone noticing when it happened—the crossbowman now found a dark black handgun pressed firmly against his head.
Silence consumed the room.
One second.
Ten seconds.
Half a minute passed, and not a single person spoke.
Everyone simply stared blankly at the absurd scene before them as though time itself had frozen.
"So," Steven said while looking down at the no-longer-so-arrogant squad leader, "figured out who's in charge yet? Trying to scare people with a crappy little crossbow... who exactly were you bluffing?"
Then, as though the kneeling gangster no longer mattered at all, Steven casually turned toward Exusiai.
The Sarkaz girl's eyes had practically begun glowing after hearing the gunshot.
"You mentioned your gun's missing, right?" Steven asked. "If I gave you a replacement, think you could handle these guys?"
"Of course I could!" Exusiai nodded so rapidly she looked like an excited little sparrow.
In the next instant, she slipped free from the gangsters restraining her with unbelievable agility and darted straight toward Steven's side.
"Perfect." Steven grinned. "Then I've got plenty."
While casually knocking aside several incoming bolts with one hand, Steven reached into his inventory with the other and pulled out a massive gatling gun.
The six-barreled monster gleamed with cold metallic menace as Steven casually handed it over to the utterly delighted Exusiai.
"You know how to use this, right?"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 689: Impossible to Refute[1]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713