Chapter 46: Unlucky Sampo

In the center of the room, Chen, still in the form of Bronya’s game avatar, watched Sampo Koski, and his eyes lit up.

A new plan, one far more effective than anything he had considered before, bloomed in his mind.

He realized that Sampo’s sudden appearance didn’t just complicate things—it made his entire scheme absolutely perfect.

In the original game’s story, it was with Sampo’s help that the Astral Express crew managed to enter the Lower District.

Instead of carefully playing the part of a lonely, lost girl to slowly cultivate feelings with the crew, why not just ride the powerful current of the main plot?

As long as he made contact with Sampo, he could get a direct ticket to the Underworld.

From there, executing the rest of his plan would be twice as effective with half the effort!

And the Lower District… At the mere thought, Chen’s heart gave an excited flutter.

‘Seele, the boy version… Natasha, the male doctor… Clara, who should still be a loli, right?

And Svarog… the big boss robot’s size shouldn’t have changed, I hope?’

So many character icons, just waiting to be unlocked!

Playing guessing games with Lord Bronya up here in the Administrative District was far too passive.

By taking the initiative and descending into the Underworld, the stage would be bigger, and his room to maneuver would be infinitely wider!

With that thought solidifying in his mind, he didn’t hesitate for a second longer.

Under the astonished gazes of Dan Heng and March 7th, and beneath Caelus’s ever-watchful eyes, Chen moved.

He abandoned his previous plan of acting out a tragic scene in the hotel room and instead launched himself forward!

His target was none other than Sampo, who was still leaning against the window frame with a strained, awkward smile plastered on his face.

“Eh?!

What are you do—”

Sampo had been completely unprepared for this.

The smile on his face twisted into a mask of pure shock.

Before he could even finish his sentence, he was caught in a full-body tackle.

The two of them immediately lost their balance, tumbling from the edge of the eaves with a shared, high-pitched scream!

“Be careful!” Dan Heng and March 7th cried out in unison.

Thud!

Crash!

After a chaotic display of splintering wood and rustling canvas, Chen and Sampo landed in a heap on a large pile of goods, sending a thick cloud of dust into the air.

“Ouch… my poor back…” Sampo groaned, pinned beneath the girl and grimacing in agony.

Chen, meanwhile, chose this precise moment to “faint,” his body going limp as he collapsed into Sampo’s arms.

This sudden, bizarre turn of events forced Dan Heng, March 7th, and Caelus from their hiding spot.

They no longer cared about staying concealed.

One after another, they leaped down from the window, landing softly beside the dusty pile.

“Are you okay?!” March 7th asked, his voice tight with anxiety as he rushed forward to check on them.

“There’s movement below!” a voice shouted from the street.

“The back alley!

Surround the back alley!”

“Target spotted!”

The sound of frantic footsteps and sharp commands echoed from both the front and back entrances of the hotel.

A moment later, several Silvermane Guards stormed into the alley from multiple directions.

In an instant, they had the five of them completely surrounded, their rifles leveled and blocking all possible exits.

“Don’t move!

Hands in the air!” one of the guards barked, the atmosphere crackling with tension.

Dan Heng instinctively moved to stand protectively in front of Caelus.

March 7th also dropped into a defensive stance, though he was complaining bitterly in his heart.

‘What kind of plan is this?!

This is just walking straight into a trap!’

At that critical juncture, a new set of footsteps approached from the hotel’s back door.

The surrounding guards immediately parted, creating a clear path.

Lord Bronya strode out, his cool gaze sweeping over the surrounded group.

His eyes lingered for a fraction of a second on Dan Heng, March 7th, and Caelus, cataloging the outsiders.

But when his gaze fell upon the girl lying unconscious in Sampo’s arms, his measured steps faltered.

Even in such a miserable, chaotic state, even with her eyes closed and her face smudged with dust, that face—so uncannily similar to his own—delivered a powerful visual shock.

A cascade of wild conjectures flooded Bronya’s mind, but he ruthlessly suppressed them, forcing his expression back into its usual mask of calm authority.

His father’s orders.

These suspicious-looking outsiders.

And this unconscious girl… Nothing about this situation was normal.

He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Chen’s face.

“Who is she?”

Sampo’s eyes darted around nervously.

He waved his hands frantically, his face a perfect picture of wronged innocence.

“I don’t know her!

Sir, I really don’t know her!

This girl just suddenly lunged at me, I’m a victim here, too!”

“Oh?” Bronya’s gaze shifted to Sampo, taking in his shifty eyes and the tense set of his shoulders.

“You don’t know her?

Then why are you here, entangled with her like this?”

“Pure coincidence!

An absolute, one-hundred-percent coincidence!” Sampo insisted, his hands gesturing wildly.

Yet, one hand was subconsciously inching towards the inconspicuous small pouch at his waist.

“I was just passing by, minding my own business.

Who knew I’d run into something so strange…”

Bronya saw through the pathetic act in an instant.

“Spare me your excuses.”

He raised a hand, signaling the guards to advance.

“Once we have you in custody, the truth will naturally come to light.

Take them!”

But it was already too late.

The merchant’s panicked expression melted away, replaced by a cunning, triumphant grin.

With a flick of his finger, a bead no larger than a fingernail shot from his hand, landing squarely on the ground in the middle of the group.

Bang!

The bead exploded, instantly releasing an incredibly thick cloud of smoke that spread with alarming speed.

Within seconds, it had enveloped the entire alley, swallowing Bronya and all his guards.

“Hold your breath!”

Dan Heng only had time to let out that single, sharp warning before a wave of powerful dizziness washed over him, his vision plunging into darkness.

March 7th was also hit, his body swaying as his knees buckled.

Even Lord Bronya was caught off guard.

He inhaled a small amount of the smoke and immediately felt his limbs go weak, his consciousness rapidly fading.

He struggled to issue an order, but found he couldn’t even force a sound from his throat.

The guards fared even worse, collapsing one after another like dominoes, their heavy armor clattering against the cobblestones.

Amidst the thick, swirling smoke, only Sampo, who had been prepared and held his breath, remained standing.

Though his movements were a bit shaky, he was still mobile.

He glanced at the “unconscious” Chen beside him, then at the slumping forms of Dan Heng, March 7th, and Caelus.

Hearing the last of the armored guards thud to the ground, he let out a wicked grin.

“Sorry, my lords, and… you new friends…”

But his smile quickly vanished.

Standing in the middle of his handiwork, Sampo scratched his head, a troubled expression dawning on his face.

“One, two, three… five?”

He counted on his fingers, his gaze shifting between the unconscious Chen, Dan Heng and March 7th slumped against the wall, the quietly unmoving Caelus, and Lord Bronya, who lay a short distance away.

“Oh boy… this has gotten a little out of hand.

The tin cans are fine, I can just leave them here to wake up on their own.

But these few…”

His eyes landed on the stunningly beautiful face of the silver-haired girl.

Then he looked at the equally extraordinary, and currently unconscious, Lord Bronya.

A pained expression crossed his face.

“Especially these two…”

He knelt down, carefully comparing their two highly similar faces, and clicked his tongue in wonder.

“Good heavens, look at this… Are they twins?”

Sampo stood up, planting his hands on his hips as he surveyed the “luggage” scattered all over the ground.

This was giving him a serious headache.

He might know the secret passages between Belobog’s Upper and Lower Districts like the back of his hand, but smuggling five unconscious people by himself… that was a bit beyond the physical capacity of a humble small-time merchant like him.

Just as he was wondering if he should risk finding a couple of helpers nearby, his gaze fell upon a rusty metal object partially covered by a tattered tarp deep in the alley.

It was a… small, flatbed handcart?

It looked like something used by local craftsmen or peddlers to transport goods.

It was even missing a wheel.

But the main frame looked sturdy enough.

Sampo’s eyes lit up.

“Aha!

There’s always a way out!”

He cheered quietly and trotted over, yanking the tarp off the cart.

He gave it a test push.

The axle let out an overburdened shriek, but it moved.

“It’ll do!

It’ll do!”

Not one to be picky, Sampo briskly pushed the rickety cart over and began the arduous task of loading his cargo.

First was Chen.

Sampo carefully lifted the gray-haired girl and laid her flat on the more stable end of the handcart.

He even took a moment to tuck in her conspicuous triple-spiral pigtails so they wouldn’t drag on the ground.

Next was Caelus.

The girl was surprisingly light, and Sampo placed her next to Chen without much effort.

Then came Dan Heng and March 7th.

Dan Heng was tall but lean.

March 7th, however, was a bit more substantial.

Sampo had to put some muscle into it.

He arranged the two on the other side of the cart, positioned head-to-toe with the girls in an uncomfortable but manageable pile.

Finally, the most troublesome piece of cargo: Lord Bronya.

The young Supreme Guardian was not short, and with his formal uniform and heavy cloak, he weighed a considerable amount.

Sampo grimaced, grunting and straining as he dragged and heaved, finally managing to get the unconscious ruler onto the cart.

The only problem was, there was no more room.

Sampo stared at the handcart, which was now packed so full it was practically overflowing.

With half of Bronya’s leg still dangling off the side, he rubbed his chin and thought for two seconds.

Then, he simply grabbed a length of rope and tied Bronya’s entire body to the cart’s handle, suspending him in the air.

“Perfect!”

Sampo slapped the dust from his hands, feeling immensely proud of his spatial management skills.

He grabbed the simple handle at the front of the cart and tested the weight.

Good grief, it was heavy!

The wheels groaned in protest, and the side with the missing wheel bumped along even more violently.

“Off we go!”

Putting his back into it, Sampo began to drag the mountain of human cargo.

With a chorus of creaks and groans, he pulled the cart toward the old sewer entrance, hidden deep in the back alley, that served as a secret gateway to the world below.

The cart bumped and jostled along the uneven ground.

On it, bodies swayed, gray hair and pink hair intertwined, and cloaks and hems tangled into a messy knot.

Amidst the chaos, the “unconscious” Chen, taking advantage of the moment Sampo wasn’t looking, secretly pulled his arm back before it could slide off the edge of the cart.

[Elysian’s Note:

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