Forbidden Nightmare

Chapter 117 Training, Self-Crystal
At noon, in the hotel restaurant.

The trackers who had taken off their animal masks were either talking in low voices or eating heartily, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Trackers are scavengers, assassins, and mercenaries who serve the nobility.

Before the puppet riots occurred, trackers were an underground profession that could not be seen in the light. After a tracker started wearing an animal mask, this convenient method of concealing one's identity gradually became the default unspoken rule in the industry.

Li Nanke, Cunning Rabbit, Crazy Rabbit and Pinocchio sat at a dining table.

The plate contains grilled and tender lamb chops, with crispy skin on the outside and juicy inside, served with grilled vegetables and creamy mushroom sauce, the color is tempting and mouth-watering.

Compared to the canned food we usually eat in the Black Rabbit Gang, the hotel has a lot of stored supplies, and the conditions in terms of food and accommodation are still very good.

In addition to Philip wearing a yellow dog mask, the hotel also has trackers such as gray donkeys, white bears, leopards, roosters, lions, etc. Some of them have been sent by Sophia to collect intelligence, and the rest who are eating in the restaurant are basically unwilling to obey orders.

Now that the government agencies have completely collapsed and the city of Kratt has fallen into chaos, although Sophia can still use the external enemies and the safe base of the hotel to summon some trackers, in fact, her control over them is extremely limited.

If Sophia had not been in control of the security facility, the Astrology Observatory, and had not had several loyal trackers guarding it, even with the crisis of the puppet army ahead, it would be hard to guarantee that some of the trackers who had lost their restraints would not do stupid and impulsive things.

Li Nanke looked at the next table, where a tall and strong man was having a meal with a white bear mask hanging on the back of his chair.

The tracker named "White Bear" was originally employed by the nobles of Moonlight Town, and the cathedral is located in Moonlight Town on the outskirts of Krat City.

Li Nanke walked forward and started a conversation. Seeing that the visitor was the leader of the Black Rabbit Gang, the other party was tactful and told him all the information about the cathedral that he knew.

"The people of our Krat City worship technological progress, and few people believe in God, so there are few believers in the cathedral. It's normal that you don't know much about it, Black Rabbit."

"The name of the deity the cathedral believes in is 'Star'. It is said to be a fallen star. It is in the form of a man wearing a robe and a hood, with a single wing on his back... I would say that these believers have a very limited imagination. If there really is a deity, how could it look like a human?"

White Bear is obviously an atheist and is very dismissive when it comes to churches and gods.

When Li Nanke heard that the god had a single wing on his back, his heart moved and he became more convinced that the cathedral area might be related to the so-called "angel".

"My former employer, Mr. Noble, was a devout believer. He believed that the 'stars' held the power of immortality, and that believing in gods could prolong his life."

"Hey, ironically... he died of petrification not long ago at the age of thirty-seven."

"White Bear, how much do you know about that 'Star' spirit?"

White Bear sneered and said, "That thing sounds fake. If there really is a god who controls immortality, it can at least make believers live longer, right? But look at the cathedral now. There is not a single living person left. It's just a bunch of crazy zombies."

"Besides, I don't believe in gods, so I don't know much about these things. What's the matter? Black Rabbit, you think it's the end of the world now, and you're starting to seek faith and sustenance?"

Li Nanke smiled lightly and said meaningfully:
"I don't believe in God either, but after a person dies, he can come back to life and become a zombie. Does this count as rebirth, longevity, or even immortality in some sense?"

Bai Xiong was stunned when he heard this and was about to retort, but Li Nanke had already stood up and went to other tables to talk to the trackers.

Black Rabbit's strength was not originally the best among the many trackers, but he could not withstand Li Nanke's own strong strength. When the trackers heard that he broke into the puppet factory and killed King of Flame, they had to weigh their own strength, give him face or even take the initiative to make friends with him.

After a round of questioning, the trackers knew very little about the remote cathedral area and only knew some basic information.

As soon as Li Nanke returned to the dining table, he saw an acquaintance, the factory director Mr. Vinini.

"Vinini, come sit here."

Factory director Vinini had already changed into a brand new suit. He obviously didn't dare to sit at the same table with those pursuers and prepared to eat at the table in the corner.

Hearing Li Nanke's call, he hesitated for a moment, but finally sat down.

"Mr. Factory Director doesn't seem to want to have any contact with me. Is this your attitude towards your savior?"

Vinini felt embarrassed and could only put on a smile and thank him repeatedly.

He knew that none of these trackers were good people, and that he could avoid a lot of trouble by having less contact with them.

Sure enough, trouble came as soon as Li Nanke said his next sentence.

"I remember that when you sent the telegram, Mr. Venini, you said that you were willing to give up all your wealth in exchange for the rescue. What is the reward you promised now?"

Vinini was overwhelmed when he heard this, and could only smile bitterly and say:

"Mr. Black Rabbit, I have all my money in the bank and I can't withdraw it now. You have also taken away the only gloves that are valuable to you. I have already told Sophia and you all the information and secrets I know. I really don't know how to pay the other rewards."

Li Nanke ignored him and turned to Pinocchio, who looked a little reluctant but remained silent, and said:

"Boy, do you think I should continue to ask for payment from Vinini?"

Pinocchio shook his head subconsciously:
"Mr. Vinini really has nothing to pay for his reward right now, and it's no use for you to push him like this, Boss."

Vinini nodded in agreement: "I only have one factory left now, that... puppet factory. Do you want it? If you want it, I will give you the position of factory director now."

Li Nanke continued: "I will teach you another lesson, that is, never believe the lies of unscrupulous businessmen."

He said to Vinini expressionlessly: "I have completed the commission. It is up to you to consider how to pay the reward. If you are unwilling to pay, I can rescue you or throw you back."

As he spoke, a bloody warhammer appeared in his hand and he leaned the handle against the dining table.

Faced with such a blatant threat, Vinini's face looked extremely interesting. He knew that Li Nanke would never give up unless he told her something today.

He lowered his head and thought hard, repeating over and over again, "I really don't have any reward."

After thinking for a while, Vinini suddenly slapped his forehead and said:

"Oh, I suddenly remembered that there is a bag of Ego Crystals under the seat."

"Mr. Black Rabbit, please wait a moment, I'll get it right away."

Pinocchio opened his mouth and looked at Vinini with wide eyes in disbelief. He really thought that the other party could not pay any reward.

But Vinini remained calm and stood up to get his reward, but was stopped by Li Nanke.

"Bring it here."

Vinini blinked: "What do you want, sir?"

"Do not talk nonsense."

Vinini looked extremely conflicted, but he could only hand over the car keys obediently under Li Nanke's gaze. Li Nanke threw the car keys to Pinocchio and asked him to take them.

After a while, Pinocchio, with a complicated expression, came back with several bulging cowhide bags.

Opening the cowhide bag, it was filled with azure blue self-element crystals.

Vinini twitched his lips and forced a smile, saying, "Look at my poor memory. I even forgot that there was more than one bag of Self-Crystal under the seat."

The crystal reflected a bright light under the light, attracting the attention of the other pursuers. Their expressions varied, some were jealous, some were envious, some were greedy...

In today's situation, banknotes are almost equivalent to waste paper, and the valuable self-element crystals are the hard currency.

Sophia recruited trackers and hired them to do things using Ego Crystals.

At the beginning of the puppet riot, city officials organized a human army to resist, but faced with an endless army of puppets, the powerless resistance was quickly put down.

Afterwards, officials and nobles fled the city of Krat on ocean-going ships, and now only a few small boats remain in the port.

The reason why the pursuers are still stranded in Krat City to resist is because those small boats are not capable of sailing in the ocean. Escape on them means life and death, and there is only a very small chance of surviving by crossing the ocean.

If the city of Krat was completely destroyed, they would have no choice but to escape by boat. And if they could cross the sea to reach cities in other countries, it would be far better to have a self-crystalline stone than to carry a bag of waste paper.

Li Nanke sneered, ignored the pursuers, and said to Pinocchio:

"Do you understand now?"

The boy took a deep breath and nodded: "I understand. Don't believe the lies of profiteers... Vinini should have other assets hidden. If you continue to press him, he will have no choice but to hand over all the remaining property."

Li Nanke nodded, then shook his head and taught again:
"We must be ruthless and merciless in dealing with the enemy, and not give them any hope of struggling and turning the tables."

"But Vinini is just a cunning businessman, not our enemy. As the saying goes, leave a way out for others so that we can meet again in the future. If you really push the other party into a corner, even a rabbit will bite."

The puppet boy nodded, not quite understanding.

Vinini was so frightened when he heard Pinocchio's words just now that his face turned pale. Now he finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard what Li Nanke said.

[Pure small pieces of self-element crystal * 150]

[Type: Props/Consumables/Special Currency]

【Quality: Excellent】

[Rating: 50/100]

[Details: The Ego Crystal Stone, which has been purified by a special process, can be used as a high-quality energy source, and can also be used as a trading currency in certain scenarios. The items traded with this currency will obtain ownership. When returning to the Great Other Shore, the item can be retained for sale and recycling at full price, which will be converted into exchange fees. ]

[Note: I have never touched money. I have no interest in money.]

Li Nanke took a few bags of self-element crystals and was stunned when he saw the description of their properties.

With a flip of his wrist, several bags of self-element crystals disappeared. He could collect them at will without any ownership rights.

Li Nanke's expression remained unchanged, but he changed the subject and continued to say to Pinocchio:
"Although Vinini is not our enemy, there is a saying that goes 'A man is innocent unless he possesses a treasure.'"

"He has a huge amount of assets but he doesn't have the ability to protect them, which is an extremely dangerous thing in itself."

"Boy, look at the eyes of those trackers, do they look like they want to eat Vinini?"

Pinocchio turned around and saw that the pursuers all had eyes as fierce as wolves and tigers. Due to Li Nanke's powerful strength, they did not dare to covet Li Nanke's self-element crystal stone, but they had nothing to worry about Vininike.

If Vinini was not still sitting at Li Nanke's table, the trackers might have done something to him.

"So in this case, for Vinini's safety, we have to take over all of his property so that those trackers will not threaten Vinini's life."

Pinocchio scratched his head, unable to react for a moment. He felt that no matter whether the boss said it directly or indirectly, it seemed to make sense.

Vinini looked at the pursuers, slumped in his chair with a pale face, and swallowed hard.

Does he still have any choice now?
For the sake of his own life, Vinini had no choice but to nod and agree: "Mr. Black Rabbit, I am willing to hand over all the remaining crystals to you. Please be sure to protect my safety."

Li Nanke smiled slightly and nodded: "This is a wise choice. Don't worry, I will protect you."

Vinini felt heartbroken, but he could only accept his fate at this moment. He lowered his head and ate his lunch in silence, feeling a pain in his heart.

Although it is not difficult to mine self-element crystal, it is not easy to purify the crystal. This leads to the fact that the output of pure crystal has always been very limited and the value remains high. A piece of crystal is much more expensive than gold of the same size.

Those bags of crystals were already half of his stock. He only hoped that after handing over the crystals, Li Nanke would keep his promise and protect his safety, otherwise those trackers would never let him go easily.

Pinocchio followed Vinini on another trip, and this time they completely emptied the factory director's assets, allowing Li Nanke to harvest several more bags of crystals, which made the trackers jealous.

Immediately, Li Nanke stood up, clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention, and announced loudly:
"Everyone, from now on, Vinini will be protected by the Black Rabbit Gang. If anyone has any objections, please stand up now and let's have a fight."

The pursuers had different expressions after hearing this. In response to Li Nanke's arrogant words, most of them lowered their heads and continued to eat, but there were still a few malicious glances cast in this direction.

"I've made it clear in advance that if you don't stand up now, if anyone dares to make small moves afterwards, don't blame me, Black Rabbit, for being ruthless."

Li Nanke scanned those faces one by one. The other parties lowered their heads and did not look him in the eye, as if they also acquiesced to such behavior. After all, his record of breaking into the puppet factory alone and killing King of Flame was too amazing.

Li Nanke smiled gently and said, "Since everyone agrees, thank you very much."

He sat back in his chair and said to the Cunning Rabbit and the Crazy Rabbit:

"Wait a minute and go to the amusement park outside the hotel to see if you can find the 'Parade Master'. If you find the target, lure him to the hotel."

Cunning Rabbit asked, "What if we don't find the Parade Master? The trackers have cleared the amusement park several times before, but they didn't find the target."

Li Nanke sneered: "These trackers seem to obey me on the surface, but they are still a little uneasy in their hearts. If I don't find it, I will kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!"

He was thinking in his mind that he should clean up all these restless things first, so as to avoid a fire in the backyard when he went out.

It's a good opportunity to integrate the forces of the trackers. We may need these people in the future.

(End of this chapter)