[December Bonus Pick Winner: [Starting as a Class 5 Mutant]!]
The Bone Gang members immediately aimed their weapons at the little girl.
But in the next second, their chests were pierced through, and they fell to the ground one by one.
The elite forces of the Imperial Guard had struck!
After dealing with the surrounding gang members, the only one left was the skull-faced gang leader held by Arye.
With a sudden burst of strength, the skull-faced thug broke free from Arye's grip, retreating to a safe distance.
His crazed expression showed a glimmer of reason.
As a small leader of the Bone Gang, he didn't seem too afraid.
After all, a certain level of cunning had kept him alive through the gang's brutal infighting up until now.
"Which gang are you from?"
The skull-faced thug glared at Arye.
"This is Bone Gang territory.
You dare to kill me on a ceasefire day? Not only will your gang be wiped out, but everyone on this street won't survive either.
By breaking the rules, you'll have every gang in this area hunting you down!"
Killing a prominent gang member during a ceasefire was a major taboo.
Of course, this only applied during the ceasefire days—on any other day, it didn't matter.
The gang leaders simply wanted a time to drink, eat, and enjoy themselves without worrying about fighting.
The skull-faced thug noticed that Arye seemed to care about the weaklings around him.
He glared menacingly at the civilians, threatening them:
"Stop them, or you'll all die!"
Arye's heart burned with rage as he approached the skull-faced thug. This scum had to die today!
"Don't kill him!"
"Please, don't kill him!"
"Sir, spare us…"
"Stop him, or we're all dead!"
Suddenly, the crowd found their courage, some begging, others trying to stop Arye, while a few shouted from behind the crowd.
Some even raised pitchforks and sticks.
Why weren't they afraid of Arye? Maybe they thought he was a good person.
For these people, angering the Bone Gang was worse than death.
The Bone Gang's tortures and sacrificial rituals were worse than hell!
To avoid this terrifying fate, many decided to intervene, hoping to stop those who intended to kill an important Bone Gang member.
They couldn't let these people bring ruin to their street!
It was as if they had forgotten that Arye had just saved them and that it was the Bone Gang who had been tormenting them all along.
Instead, they now saw Arye as the villain.
Several civilians pointed their forks and axes at Arye and the Imperial Guards.
The Guards were momentarily stunned.
Weren't they here to save these people? How had they suddenly become the villains?
For a moment, the soldiers hesitated.
After all, the Imperial Guard had recently issued new regulations.
The Governor had clearly decreed that unless absolutely necessary, they were not to harm civilians who hadn't been proven to be traitors or heretics.
There were several clauses explaining this.
The most important one was whether the civilians attacked first.
At this point, the civilians were only standing off against the Imperial Guard, not actively attacking, so the soldiers couldn't make the first move.
Though this rule made things difficult, especially in situations like this, the Governor insisted on maintaining the purity of his forces.
The Guards looked to Arye, waiting for his orders.
The skull-faced thug assumed Arye had backed down. After all, no one dared to face the wrath of both the Grey Wolf Warband and the Bone Gang.
He shot Arye a scornful look, turning to leave.
"We'll remember this. Soon enough, your bones will hang on the Bone Wall!"
"Stop!"
Arye's voice rang out, barely containing his fury.
The skull-faced thug turned back, furious:
"You bastard…"
Swish!
A black shadow flashed, and he saw the tip of a blood-drenched blade.
Then came the warmth in his abdomen—something was spilling out.
It was his intestines.
Just moments ago, Arye had slashed upward, cutting open the thug's belly.
His intestines spilled out.
"How dare you… You're all going to die! Your bones will be smashed to bits!"
The thug couldn't believe what had just happened—this damned man had actually attacked him.
But the searing pain in his gut confirmed it was real.
He dropped to his knees, desperately trying to shove his intestines back into his body.
"No… My guts, my guts!"
Due to some mechanical augmentations, the skull-faced thug wasn't dead yet.
He helplessly tried to push his intestines back in, only for them to fall out again.
"You… How could you…"
"Oh no, you're going to get us all killed!"
"Why did you kill him? You monster!"
"We're all going to die, I curse you!"
The civilians, who had been aiming their forks and sticks at Arye and the soldiers, collapsed into despair, shouting curses at Arye.
But Arye remained unmoved, staring down the crowd:
"So, what now? Are you going to attack me?"
He had anticipated this situation long ago and had even asked the Governor for advice during the planning meeting.
The Governor's response was clear: "Good men shouldn't have guns pointed at them!"
The Governor's stance was clear.
Anyone who dared to attack any institution or challenge the authority of the King's Court would be executed.
If these civilians dared to make a move, they would face the wrath of the King's Court!
The civilians stared blankly at Arye, still too afraid to act.
They broke down, wailing and cursing these people for ruining their lives.
"Hurry up and help me, or you'll all die!"
The skull-faced thug groaned, demanding the cowards come save him.
The civilians snapped out of it, scrambling to help him, but Arye's voice stopped them cold.
"Don't save him!
We are soldiers of the King's Court, following the orders of the great Governor to rescue you!"
Arye tore off his disguise, revealing the King's Court's uniform, emblazoned with the golden lion insignia.
Pointing to the wailing skull-faced thug, he declared:
"After tonight, the oppression of the gangs will be no more. What you should be doing is taking revenge—kill him!"
Yet even then, the civilians cowered, too afraid to move.
Looking at them, Arye felt a deep sense of disappointment:
"You are unworthy of the Governor's blessing!"
He understood their cowardice—not everyone had the courage to stand up and fight.
But how could people living under such oppression continue to wait for others to fight and save them?
The Governor had plans to establish a citizen system, where the people of his domain would be divided into classes. Citizens of different levels would receive different resources.
Arye fully supported this idea.
Those willing to fight for the Governor should receive better rewards.
But these cowards before him? They didn't deserve the Governor's favor. Letting them live was blessing enough!
"Hurry up, do you want to die? I'll kill you all!"
The skull-faced thug coughed up a mixture of blood and oil, still threatening them.
Finally, some of the people stepped forward.
They were the ones who hadn't cursed Arye and the Imperial Guard.
They took the weapons from the hands of the cowardly ones and began walking toward the skull-faced thug.
(End of Chapter)
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