themonasnovels Chapter 492 Reencounter and a Disheveled Escape
Chapter 492 Reencounter and a Disheveled Escape
Chapter 492 Reencounter and a Disheveled Escape
The Tidefall Gang has a considerable number of high-ranking professionals. In other ordinary towns, its size would be enough to dominate the local area and become one of the top underworld organizations in the vicinity.
However, if the location were changed to Barracuda Bay, a major adventure town, an important port of the kingdom, and a core town of the Southern Islands, the strength and number of its high-ranking officials would obviously be insufficient.
That is, the Shark Gang, which was once its neighbor and had a hostile competitive relationship with it, was wiped out overnight because it overestimated its own strength and provoked powerful adventurers far beyond its ability to cope. They were able to enjoy the leftover resources. Otherwise, they would probably still be stuck in the narrow alleys of Bend Alley, doing some shady and meager gray industry.
The Tide Receding Gang's expenses are not low, especially given their recent frantic recruitment of peripheral members to expand their influence, which has put them in a bit of a predicament.
The biggest expense was naturally the "tribute" paid to the security officers in the saltwater district; the expenses for bribing officials through various channels accounted for more than half of their income.
Of course, this is necessary; there's no way to save any money.
Secondly, there are the rewards and bonuses for the core members of the gang.
Having painstakingly established such a small but significant force in Sucker Bay, the core members, being professionals, certainly couldn't afford to live a life of hardship. Unrestrained and large-scale withdrawals of the gang's funds had become commonplace.
As for those peripheral members, or "small fry"... being able to join the Tidefall Gang is already their greatest honor. Isn't it enough to use the name of the Tidefall Gang to bully others on the streets? At most, they might occasionally let a few small leaders take their brothers to cheap taverns for a couple of good meals. They have no concept of rewards or compensation.
Finally, there are expenses such as the purchase of weapons and armor, the operating expenses of informants and intelligence personnel, and the benchmark bonuses used as a pie in the sky after a few members have made meritorious contributions...
As the Tidefall Gang expanded its influence, its expenditures also reached unprecedented levels.
In this situation, they naturally strive to expand their income channels.
The port authorities have also dabbled in protecting vessels with weak backgrounds, charging stevedores handling fees, and even engaging in highly dangerous smuggling activities.
Unfortunately, their influence was too limited, and they lacked high-level professionals to maintain order. They couldn't even get close to the most profitable casinos and brothels in Sucker Bay, and could only act as thugs and bodyguards in the hope of establishing relationships with higher-ups and the big shots in the town.
Hogan felt his luck wasn't very good.
As a newcomer who had only recently joined the gang, he believed he had done his best to fulfill the tasks assigned to him by the leaders, keeping every detail in mind and carefully following them.
When they were at the docks, he would double-check even the most ordinary-looking residents before calling his brothers over. There were even cases where his targets were snatched up by other gangs.
He thought that with his caution, he would never make a mistake, but just a week ago...
To this day, Hogan still remembers that seemingly silly little guy, and that terrifying figure with black hair, black eyes, a sharp face, and a profound aura.
It wasn't until he returned to the Tide Receding Gang's core base in Harbor Bay and received confirmation from several well-informed members of the gang based on the characteristics that he finally realized he had indeed encountered the ruthless man who, according to rumors, had single-handedly beheaded the entire top leadership of the Horned Shark Gang—"The Hague" Xia Nan.
According to information recently circulating among adventurers, this "Hague" has temporarily joined the renowned "Blade of Vengeance" fleet.
If we follow this line of reasoning, the "easy target" he perceived—that naive-looking little guy who seemed to have little experience in the ways of the world—was probably also a member of the "Blade of Vengeance" adventurer team.
At that moment, Hogan had even already planned how he would die.
He only hoped for a quicker and less tormenting end, and he was willing to pay the price of his only 3 gold, 6 silver, and 2 copper coins, plus a threaded short sword stolen from a cheap blacksmith shop.
Hmm... If he could, he would be content with a good meal before he died. It doesn't have to be a fancy meal, just a plate of roast meat and a large glass of chilled ale.
Hogan waited anxiously for three whole days in his doghouse at the far end of the alley—the Tide Receding Gang, fearing repercussions, had kicked the kid out of their territory.
But unexpectedly, death did not come.
Perhaps a big shot like The Hague simply doesn't care about someone as insignificant as himself. In three days, no one has come to cause him any trouble, and even the Tide Receding Gang hasn't made a move.
Hogan tentatively stepped out of his small apartment and sat nervously in a corner of the tavern, inquiring about news of "The Blade of Vengeance." Any discussion mentioning The Hague made him tense, fearing that his name would be mentioned next.
Just as he had imagined in his sweetest dreams, The Hague and the Blade of Vengeance did not care about a nobody like him.
Hogan survived.
His experience at the docks has been circulating within the Tidefall Gang these past few days. While he may not have become a big shot, he has gained some prestige among the low-level thugs. After all, not everyone can get away unscathed after offending such a professional adventurer.
So when Hogan returned to the gang's headquarters unharmed, he naturally became a member of the Tidebringer gang again, and even became a minor leader through the gangsters' recommendation.
Unfortunately, perhaps out of concern that this kid had offended some big shot again, he was removed from his original post at the port and dock and reassigned to the coast. While collecting protection money from the fishermen, he also led his brothers to do some fishing. If they could catch rare species, they could even get a bonus.
Hogan is full of energy.
He felt that his survival was due to the blessing of the gods, or perhaps the goddess of fortune, or even the goddess of the sea.
He was destined to establish himself in Suyu Bay as a member of the Tide Receding Gang, and even to chat and laugh with those he could only look up to at the moment.
And today will be the beginning of all of this!
After learning from nearby fishermen that there was a large coral reef here, teeming with fish, and that it was generally unattended and frequented by fishermen, Hogan led a few of his men over in their fishing boat.
"Boss Hogan, there are so many fish here! They're in groups, you can see them even across the water!"
One of his thugs leaned over the edge of the boat, looking excited.
The taste of power is intoxicating; the title of "boss" made Hogan feel like he was walking on clouds, as if he were floating on air.
Imitating the gestures of those important figures he had once seen, he stretched out his hand and waved it casually.
"Offline."
"Yes, boss!"
The thugs gripped the fine-mesh fishing net tightly in their hands, and with a twist of their waists and abdomens, they swung the net downwards.
Huff—
As a short-tailed albatross briefly flew overhead, a sudden gust of wind swept across the deck.
Despite the clear skies and floating white clouds, with no sign of an impending storm, the gale was extremely strong, whipping up waves that crashed violently against the side of the boat, causing the thugs on board to lose their balance and stumble and fall to the ground.
The fishing net in his hand was also blown away by the strong wind, soaring high into the air before finally landing on the shore.
"What is that!?"
Where did the wind come from?
The thugs of the Tide Receding Gang cursed and swore, thinking it was just a natural phenomenon at sea.
Hogan, gripping the ship's railing tightly with both hands to steady himself, seemed to sense something and his heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously looked up, his gaze fixed on the white albatross flying far away.
The familiar, chilling touch brushed against his neck, and he shuddered violently, turning around instantly and instinctively looking towards the shore.
On a flat reef, a pitch-black figure that was absolutely familiar and made him tremble involuntarily stood there silently.
Eye contact.
"Go! Go now!!!"
Hogan let out a piercing scream he had never heard before in his life, almost breaking his voice.
The expression on his face became incredibly distorted due to panic.
At this moment, he had even forgotten his status as a newly promoted leader. In his panic, he fell awkwardly on the deck due to the rolling waves, but he didn't care. He squeezed out the original helmsman and used all his strength to turn the rudder, almost spinning sparks out of his head.
Seeing Hogan's behavior, his thugs, though unaware of what had happened, wisely followed suit, abandoning their original fishing mission and turning the boat around to head away from the coral reef.
……
hum-
The high-frequency hum of magical particles echoed once again along the coast.
As the light shards fell, Hein transformed back into human form, took a few small steps to steady herself, and looked puzzled.
"What's going on? These thugs are so timid, they ran away at the slightest breeze?"
As the guardian of this coral reef, she had certainly encountered speculators like the one just now who attempted to overfish in the area, so she was quite experienced.
According to past practice, unless it is a group of people with keen senses, most people will not notice the strangeness of the strong wind and will just think it is a natural phenomenon. Even if they do notice it, they will not think about it deeply.
The next development should be that Hein uses one of the few spells she can cast in her transformed state to make seaweed and aquatic plants grow on the opponent's body and deck.
By this point, they would generally realize that the coral reef was protected by druids, and ordinary people without supernatural powers would usually give up.
And if, after this step, someone still insists on breaking in...
Hein could only temporarily avoid the confrontation, memorizing the intruder's face and identity in Albatross mode, and would contact Lorraine and the others later to get revenge.
It wasn't that she was cowardly and avoided battle, or that her faith in her own society was impure. As the core of the "Blade of Vengeance" squad and the only spellcaster, her life safety was of utmost importance.
If a fleet is unable to participate in a mission due to some unexplained injury, the tactical depth and overall combat strength of the entire fleet will be greatly weakened.
So under normal circumstances, Hein really has no way to deal with intruders who ignore her existence.
With Xia Nan present today, she felt more confident.
Unexpectedly, these thugs were too cowardly; they fled in panic at the slightest breeze.
"They should be from the Tide Receding Gang. I saw one of them at the port before."
Seeing Haiyin's confusion, Xia Nan explained.
"Oh... those were the ones Alton almost snatched away? Haha, no wonder they ran away when they saw you."
A week had passed since they returned, and almost the entire "Blade of Vengeance" fleet had heard about Alton's ordeal that day. The barbarian Arken, who was covered in bandages and seriously injured, was thinking of going to cause trouble for the Tidecaller Gang. After being dissuaded and seeing that the little guy didn't care, and that Xia Nan arrived in time and caused no damage, he let it go, saying that he would visit their camp after he recovered.
"However, I have indeed heard the name of the Tide Receding Gang quite a few times in the tavern these past few days. They've been making quite a splash lately."
Hein looked down at the grouper at Xia Nan's feet.
"Perhaps they're expanding their influence."
Xia Nan didn't seem to care much about this and replied casually.
I never wanted to get involved with these gangs; no matter how much power they gained, it was none of my business.
To be honest, if Xia Nan were a high-ranking member of this gang, he would never have made such a big show of it, causing the gang's name to be frequently mentioned even in places like the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern.
In a place like Suoyu Bay, where all sorts of people mingle, being too high-profile will only attract unnecessary trouble.
To put it bluntly, if it had been hot-tempered Arken or ruthless Lorraine who had seen them surrounding Alton instead of himself, the Tidecaller Gang might not even exist today.
Even I sometimes wonder if the nickname "The Hague" and my past experience in the Shark Gang's stronghold are too conspicuous and could affect my future development in Barracuda Bay.
Shaking his head, Xia Nan stopped thinking about it.
The toe of the boot was covered with "Heavy Tide" and then struck the grouper on the ground hard, killing it completely.
Then I pressed the button on the pocket watch, and waited for three seconds while the hands turned.
hum-
Space twisted in an instant, and the giant grouper, larger than an adult human body, disappeared.
Instead, a mini black fish-shaped pattern appears on the dial.
"It's about time, let's call it a day."
Xia Nan nodded slightly to Hai Yin beside her.
"I remember someone was interested in that torture table we brought back from Twin Valleys, saying they wanted to come here specifically to have it appraised by you, right?"
"Judging by the time, it should be this afternoon."
Hearing Xia Nan say this, Hai Yin was taken aback, clearly having forgotten about it.
Only then did he realize what was happening, and he nodded repeatedly in reply:
"Right, right! I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. Let's hurry up and go, or the captain will scold me again if we're late."
It's almost the end of the month, everyone please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)