Chapter 78 - 75: Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun

Chapter 78: Chapter 75: Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun

It was November, and the nights in Liancheng were cold.

The old beggar was woken by the cold, and he rubbed his hands together vigorously.

"It’s so damn cold without the Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun. Shit!"

Suddenly, the old beggar saw something, and his aged eyes slowly narrowed.

It was five people.

An old man in a black cotton robe with a long braid.

A pair of burly twins.

A young woman with her hair in a bun.

And a youth in a wheelchair, dressed in a red robe and holding a string of Prayer Beads.

The five of them drew near.

The woman sneered.

"You old bastard. We finally found you. So you’ve been hiding in this shithole all this time."

The old beggar snatched the half-empty bottle of liquor from the ground and chugged it down.

When it was empty, he tilted the bottle back, shaking out the very last drop into his mouth before smacking his lips, still wanting more.

The youth in the wheelchair straightened his red robe.

"You dog of a slave, where is it?"

The old beggar gave a wry chuckle.

"You little pigtail. I returned it to its rightful owner."

The woman gasped in anger.

"Insolent slave! How dare you speak so rudely!"

The red-robed youth’s expression darkened.

"You’re saying you returned the Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun to that antique shop?"

The old beggar nodded contemptuously.

"Your ancestors borrowed items from that place. Now that those items have appeared in your hands, it means you stole them.

You’ll all die, sooner or later. That Manager will hunt you to the ends of the earth.

As for this old man... I’ve lived for so many extra years, it’s already a win for me..."

Before the old beggar could finish, the red-robed youth waved a hand. A golden light shot from his Prayer Beads, and in an instant, the old beggar was decapitated.

The woman spat at the old beggar’s corpse.

"Old bastard. You deserved to die!"

The long-braided old man walked to the red-robed youth’s side and said respectfully:

"Master Xie, since the item has been returned, it’s no longer something we can get our hands on. Should we return and report?"

The red-robed youth straightened his robe and asked:

"Do you know how old that old bastard was?"

The long-braided old man shook his head.

The red-robed youth said in a deep voice:

"One hundred and eighty-four years old."

The long-braided old man was stunned for a moment.

"One hundred... eighty-four? Could his Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun extend life?"

’By that count, the old beggar was from his grandfather’s generation.’

The red-robed youth nodded and began to tell a legend:

"Legend has it that the Greek Deity Prometheus stole the Divine Fire from Olympus Mountain for mortals.

Zeus was furious and had him bound to a cliff on Caucasus Mountain to suffer the torture of having his liver eaten by a Divine Eagle.

The mighty Heracles, passing by Caucasus Mountain, admired Prometheus’s deeds and shot the Divine Eagle dead."

Hearing this, the woman immediately grew indignant.

"That Hercules, Hera-whatever-his-name-is, how detestable!"

The long-braided old man stroked his beard, filled with righteous indignation.

"Prometheus stole a treasure from the Emperor’s family. He got what he deserved!

And for Hercules to dare commit such a rebellious act, rescuing that traitor—it’s the height of disrespect! His entire clan should have been executed!"

The woman suddenly sneered.

"That Emperor of the Immortals in the West is a real coward, too. Couldn’t he have just posted more Prison Guards?"

The red-robed youth continued the story:

"The mighty Heracles discovered a flicker of flame in the Divine Eagle’s belly. It was the Divine Fire.

It turned out that when Prometheus stole the Divine Fire, he inhaled its essence through his mouth and nose.

The Divine Eagle had devoured so many of his organs that the accumulated essence of the Divine Fire in its belly formed a new Divine Fire."

The red-robed youth stared at the old beggar’s corpse and said:

"That Divine Fire is inside the Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun.

It is because the Divine Fire is inextinguishable that this old slave was able to live for so long."

A sharp glint flashed in the red-robed youth’s eyes.

"My brother said that the Divine Fire in the Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun is the most crucial part of the Taiping Plan.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been ordered to hunt this old slave for so many years!"

The long-braided old man said with considerable apprehension:

"But, that item has already been returned. We can’t just go and rob the antique shop, can we?"

The long-braided old man’s grandfather and father had both instructed him never to go to South Sea City in his entire life.

Because there was an antique shop in South Sea City—a terrifying one.

The red-robed youth chuckled lightly.

"We’ve been hunting him for so long. Have you ever seen him leave Liancheng?

Heh, it’s not even certain if he dared to go to that antique shop himself.

I’d guess he gave the item to someone else, and not long ago."

The woman asked:

"Not long ago? How do you know?"

The red-robed youth pushed the wheels of his wheelchair himself, moving forward a little, and pointed to the old beggar’s ear.

"Frostbite. It’s new."

The red-robed youth continued:

"If I were him, I would also return the Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun to the antique shop. That would be a good way to spite me.

Our mission now is to find the person who has the Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun."

The long-braided old man asked:

"If we don’t find him... what should we do?"

A cold sneer played on the corners of the red-robed youth’s mouth.

"Then we go to the antique shop... and take it by force!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

The red-robed youth glanced at the others, straightened his back in his wheelchair, and declared loudly:

"Under all heaven, there is no land that is not the Emperor’s. To the farthest shores, there is no one who is not the Emperor’s subject!

We are the true masters of Great Xia! Where in this world can we not go?

If that Manager doesn’t know what’s good for him..."

A cold light erupted in the red-robed youth’s eyes.

"Then we fight! It’s not like the five of us can’t take him down!"

The others fell into deep thought.

The woman said with a beaming smile:

"That’s true. With the five of us, that Manager should at least show us some respect.

We just want one Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun. He wouldn’t offend us over something like that."

The red-robed youth glanced at the others, who still looked conflicted.

"Complete this task, get the Divine Fire, and our merits will be monumental!

Just think about the glory and riches those ’above’ will bestow upon us."

Everyone was moved.

The long-braided old man and the burly twins brushed the invisible dust from their knees, knelt on one knee, and bowed their heads.

"For the great era of peace! We are willing to go!"

...

「The next day. Liancheng Train Station.」

Most people prefer to take a plane when traveling far.

Because planes are fast and cheap.

For example, the trip from Liancheng to South Sea City is two hours by plane and costs a thousand. By train, it takes three days and costs four thousand.

But for an artsy type, the train is the most atmospheric way to travel—especially a vintage, green-painted one.

Zhong Shu was just such an artsy type.

Since the director had given him a few days off anyway, he figured, why not take a train trip to the South Sea?

Zhong Shu stood at the security checkpoint, gripping the handle of his suitcase, his mind racing to come up with an explanation.

After all, there was a gun in his suitcase. Even if it was an antique gun, it was still a gun.

He had to prepare his excuse for the security officer in advance.

For someone like him who was extremely shy around strangers, this was, without a doubt, a challenge.

Strangely, the suitcase passed through security without any issue.

The security officers looked nonchalant, as if they hadn’t noticed the flintlock gun hidden in the suitcase.

Zhong Shu breathed a sigh of relief, picked up his suitcase, and walked toward the platform.

He glanced back casually and saw five strange people.

Those five people were dressed bizarrely, wearing robes of various colors, as if they were about to perform in a play.

Zhong Shu was suddenly filled with admiration.

’They must be artists! Now that’s what you call gathering inspiration!’

Zhong Shu really wanted to take a picture of them with his film camera but felt it would be impolite.

He wanted to ask for a photo...

But no, he could never bring himself to do that.

Disappointed, Zhong Shu clutched his suitcase and walked onto the platform.

Those five people were right behind him.

Just then, a train pulled into the station.

Zhong Shu looked up at the train’s number: ’401’.

This was precisely the train from Liancheng to South Sea City.

But... Zhong Shu felt something was strange.

Why was the train black?

It was very black. A deep, thorough black.

What was most surprising was that the locomotive was billowing thick smoke.

Zhong Shu muttered in astonishment:

"A steam train? They still have steam trains running?! Is this some kind of black-ops tech, or a retro revival?"

People on the platform had already begun to board the train one after another.

Some passengers, clearly also surprised, were taking pictures of the train as mementos.

The number of people on the platform dwindled.

Zhong Shu quickly took a photo of the train with his film camera and hurried aboard.

WHOOOO...

The locomotive, billowing black smoke, departed along the tracks.

Five minutes later, an announcement came over the PA system.

"Dear passengers, Train 401 from Liancheng to South Sea City is now approaching the platform. Please stand behind the yellow safety line..."

A green-painted train pulled into the station. A conductor opened the door and was immediately stunned, looking out at the platform in disbelief.

The platform... was completely empty.