A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 28 Morgue Standard Jewelry Store Job 5 minutes 00 seconds

When the explosion sounded, Xia Daier was choosing bracelets on the second floor of the jewelry store.

There are far fewer customers on the second floor than on the first. Those who are slowly and methodically selecting things here are all real old money. If you don’t have some money at home, you wouldn’t dare to come up here.

The display cabinets are filled with top-quality goods mined from the Western Continent, and none of them are worth less than three-digit gold pounds.

Xia Daier wanted to pick out a bracelet as a blessing item.

Xia Dai'er and her parents are devout believers of the Goddess of Order and the Holy Spirit. After surviving the incident half a month ago, Mrs. Branson believed that it must be the result of the goddess' blessing, so she donated a large sum of money to the White Church. The bracelet she was going to choose was the White Church's return.

The Church of Order and the Holy Spirit, commonly known as the White Church, has followers primarily located in the two developed continents of South Continent and the Eastern Islands. It is particularly popular among the wealthy and upper classes. The wealthy often take pride in owning jewelry blessed by the White Church, which boasts calming effects and health benefits. Blessed jewelry must be made of diamonds or silver, befitting the goddess.

She had her eye on a bracelet studded with pink diamonds. The diamonds were cut into the shape of a heart, a symbol of hope for love in the southern continent's customs. Just as she was about to try it on, the earth suddenly shook.

Unlike the dilapidated brick building in West Will, the construction quality of East Will was excellent. The explosion did not cause a collapse, but it still caused a considerable vibration on the second floor. Xia Daier almost fell to the ground due to her instability, but was quickly supported by the servant beside her.

Katrin's injuries hadn't fully healed, and the two bodyguards accompanying her were newly assigned by the family. This was the first time in two weeks that Xia Daier had been allowed out of the house, but only if she remained at the bodyguard's side. Mrs. Branson was truly terrified. If Xia Daier hadn't protested, the family would have been eager to put her in full armor.

The bodyguard grabbed the jewelry store manager, who frantically said, "There's a fire. Perhaps it's the Arcane Matrix in the store. Don't worry, Miss Branson. Please sit down and have a cup of tea. I'll go down and see what's going on. Don't panic."

The manager said this and ran down the stairs.

Xia Dai'er felt the heat coming from the first floor and pinched the corner of her clothes nervously. Although the manager said "don't worry", his confused eyes and hurried pace did not convince her at all.

This brought back some bad memories for Xia Dai'er. That day when they were suddenly attacked in the forest, the caravan security had the same attitude, telling her not to be afraid and saying it was a small matter.
She seemed to have thought of something, and her expression suddenly became melancholy, and the tension was replaced by the troubled thoughts of a young girl.

The two bodyguards were mercenaries who had participated in the war in the Western Continent. Naturally, their sense of crisis was much higher than Xia Daier's. Seeing that there was no movement after the manager went downstairs, they sent one of them to the stairs to check the situation.

He leaned over cautiously and looked down, but what greeted him was a beam of azure light—

The stair railing and wall panel were instantly pierced, leaving a dark charred gap.

The beam pierced the bodyguard's skull, splitting him in two. His shattered eyeballs and brain tissue, wrapped around his skull, flew high into the air like a pot of boiling soup. His headless body suddenly fell over, stumbling down the stairs like a drum.

This scene is too horrifying.

Xia Dai'er was not the only one on the second floor. The other customers had never seen such a scene before and started screaming.

"Help--"

"Killing people!!"

Xia Dai'er's reaction was slightly better. Although she was also frightened by the tragic death of the bodyguard, she had just experienced a life-and-death situation not long ago, so she was still able to remain calm.

"Is this... arcane?" The knowledgeable bodyguard immediately recognized what killed his companions. The blue light was exactly the same as the light when the Eye of Grindelwald catapulted the airship. It was the light of arcane!

Only arcane magic can produce such straight, high-heat rays.

After quickly assessing the situation, he immediately said, "Miss, hurry up, retreat to the third floor!"

The windows on the second floor were still intact and had not been affected by the explosion. However, since they belonged to a jewelry store, they could neither be opened nor easily broken, so they had no choice but to go upstairs.

The first floor a moment ago.

The explosives destroyed the arcane matrix used to protect the jewels. Black smoke filled the air and the hall was shrouded in flames. All kinds of precious tables, chairs and decorations were blown to pieces, and there were traces of charred black or blood everywhere.

The jewels protected by the arcane matrix and alchemical glass were intact. The fluorescent pyroxene, which had lost its energy source, glowed faintly within the glass cover, and the circuit made a "sizzling" noise, as if it was a reward treasure chest at the end of the game, which was highlighted to remind players to come and claim it.

In the messy hall, five masked men stepped on the corpses and collected the spoils slowly.

They were all wearing clothes that were out of place in Eastville, and one of them was even an orc. These guys who came out of nowhere waved their arms and easily smashed one jewelry display case after another, sweeping priceless diamonds into their bags.

Their arms glowed faintly, a sign that any arcanist would have recognized as the result of arcane strengthening. This type of physical strengthening was rarely used, as the short-term enhancement was extremely damaging to the muscles, and without a strong physique, it was simply unbearable. However, arcanists didn't waste time on physical training, making the five of them seem incredibly odd.

The black smoke caused by the explosion was so thick that the manager who went downstairs to investigate the situation covered his mouth and nose, and unexpectedly bumped into the robbers. They twisted his neck with a grin, and he died without understanding what had happened.

The five people were not affected by the thick smoke at all and seemed to be very adapted to the turbid air.

"There are still people up there."

The leader said with a smile, raising his arm and pointing it at the stairs.

The moment the Branson family's bodyguard stuck his head out, arcane runes surged, rays shot out, and the corpse rolled down.

Third-level arcane magic: rune magic gravel.

No chanting, no wand, just raising your hand to cast the spell.

He seemed to enjoy the feeling of having the power over life and death very much. The corpse rolled down the stairs, and he stepped on it and kicked it aside.

A faint smoke rose from the arm that released the arcane spell, and the muscles spasmed uncontrollably. The smell of burning came not only from the corpse, but also from the overloaded muscles in the arm.

Arcane magic is divided into nine levels. Although there is no absolute relationship of strength or substitution between each level, the mana and mental power required for casting spells, as well as the difficulty of casting spells, all increase with each level.

It is almost impossible to cast a third-level arcane spell instantly. The man has carved a complete matrix of rune energy and magic gravel on his arm, using his body as a magic device.

He nonchalantly took out a syringe, which still contained half a dark blue liquid. He stuck the needle into his arm and pushed the syringe all the way down.

Soon, the man showed an expression of supreme enjoyment, swung his arm to shake off the syringe, and called his two companions to go up the stairs to the second floor together.

"Fuck—you—East City—people's—mothers!!!"

"robbery--"

The customers on the second floor were not stupid either. Seeing the three masked men holding knives, these prominent figures in Eastville all handed over their money honestly.

There were only gold pounds, not even a few silver coins, let alone pennies.

There are also several large checks, watches, necklaces, and pendants.
They were all smart people and no one dared to resist.

They knew that power was useless against such thugs, but as long as they could leave safely and return to their comfort zone where power could be effective, they would have ten thousand ways to make these robbers suffer.

Looking at the gold pounds and valuables piled on the table, greed flashed in the leader's eyes.

"Very good, very cooperative, thank you." He stretched out his hand engraved with runes and made a gesture.

The customers looked at him in surprise, thinking that this was a sign that the robbers were willing to let everyone leave.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the first person took a step forward, he saw the two robbers behind him raise their arms, and the light of the runes flashed -

In an instant, a spear formed by condensed flames shot out, followed closely by an arc formed by condensed arcane energy. They had no intention of leaving anyone alive!
In less than a moment, screams filled the jewelry store, and the burnt nobles were beheaded by the curved arc.
Attacking arcane magic at level two or above can have power comparable to that of firearms, and it is a one-sided massacre against ordinary unarmed people.

"Don't burn the check." The leader warned, kicking the person who tried to crawl past him back into the sea of ​​fire.

The flames and arcs raged for four or five seconds before the slaughter finally ceased. The charred corpses continued to struggle. The table, whose legs had been rubbed by the arcs, could no longer support itself and collapsed with a crash. Gold pounds and jewels rained down upon the corpses. The place, which had only a minute ago been filled with the scent of fine incense, had transformed into a scene of purgatory.

"I don't want the silver coins, I'll give priority to the jewelry."

Before he could finish his words, a "click" sound suddenly came from behind. The three of them turned around and saw a beautiful young woman hiding in the corner behind the stairs. She accidentally knocked over the vase behind her. Knowing that she had been discovered by the robbers, she trembled and begged for mercy with tears in her eyes: "Don't kill me. Don't kill me."

One of the robbers sneered and was about to go over with a knife in hand, but he didn't expect his companion to stop him.

"Wait. I know this woman."

His voice was thick with resentment. "This is the wife of the owner of the Kane Steelworks. I saw her when I was kicked out. She was sitting in the carriage, so high and mighty."

He walked over step by step, his steps staggering uncontrollably - this was a symptom of a neurological disease. There were many such people in Sewell. Working in factories filled with alchemical gases for a long time would make their hands tremble more and more, and their steps would stagger. Factory owners would often fire workers before they lost their ability to work and became disabled, so as to save a negligible amount of compensation.

The robber pressed in front of the woman. Although his steps were trembling, his hands engraved with runes were strong and powerful. He tore open the fox fur coat with one hand, grabbed the naked skin in his hands, and kneaded it to vent his anger.

The woman screamed in pain, shivering like a fish, and then the hem of her skirt fell off, and he untied her belt.
"Ah," he moaned comfortably, then pulled off the mask, revealing a sad face, and licked it like a beast, biting it wantonly -

"That old man can enjoy this feeling every night! Every day, every day! And I have to boil molten steel for him day and night. Hey, piss, you bastard——"

KA. BOOM!!!
The azure beam of light hit the woman's head, and her pleading stopped abruptly.

Blood splattered everywhere. The headless corpse still retained the body temperature of a living person, and its muscles were still twitching. The robber was frightened and softened in an instant, pulling out with trembling hands.

"Damn Quinn, are you going to kill me?!" He turned his head angrily, only to see the arm with shining runes pointing at him.

The leader said with a cold look, "Put on your mask, Bates. Don't forget the doctor's mission. When we achieve our ideal, you can have as many women as you want, but not now."

The sound of flintlock gunfire was heard downstairs. The law enforcement officer had already exchanged fire with the robbers who stayed on the first floor, but as the arcane light flashed, the gunshots quickly disappeared.

"We've got five minutes at most—grab that Branson girl and get out of here before then, got it?"

Bates gritted his teeth and picked up the mask.

Before putting it on, he spat on the belly of the woman's corpse, as if the bloody belly was the greedy old face of the factory owner.

"There's another floor upstairs with no windows. She can't escape."

The three of them quickly looted the property and then walked upstairs.

The third floor is different from the first and second floors. It is a long and narrow corridor.

After the arcane matrix was destroyed, the lighting in the entire jewelry store lost power. The remaining light from the fluorescent pyroxene barely illuminated the space. On both sides of the corridor were tightly closed doors, and it was dead silent.

These private rooms are used for jewelry appraisal. The jewelry store also does recycling and consignment business, and to protect the privacy of customers, they set up private rooms. At the end of the corridor, there is also a locked warehouse and office.

"Bates, you open the door, and Arnold will hold it for him." The leader Quinn said after a moment of thought.

Opening the door was somewhat dangerous. Bates was about to refuse when he saw Quinn's cold eyes.

This is his punishment.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and start pushing the door, while Arnold raised his arm and followed him. He would shoot out arcs of arcane energy at the slightest abnormality. Quinn staggered his position with the two of them and checked every room with the door open.

The doors were opened one by one, and they were all empty. However, the three found that there were a lot of jewels still on the table that had not been taken away. It was obvious that there was someone on the third floor.

Sure enough, when Bates pushed open the fifth door.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!!" The cry for mercy scared Bates. He saw an old man squatting in the corner of the room. He was holding his head pitifully with his white-gloved hands, and his tuxedo was hanging on the ground. Judging from his attire, he was probably an appraiser in a jewelry store.

Bates tutted in dissatisfaction and prepared to set fire and kill people.

"Wait a minute." Quinn came closer and asked kindly, "Old man, has anyone come up here just now?"

The old appraiser shook his head frantically.

"I've been in there the whole time. I didn't hear anything. No one should come up!"

".Is it."

Quinn nodded slightly: "Then you can go to hell."

But at this moment, the premonition of death suddenly came from the back of Quinn's neck.

Almost at the same time, he turned his head suddenly, and the door behind him exploded. The bodyguard hiding inside jumped high and raised his knee towards his chest.

The speed was as fast as a ghost.

Quinn had no time to react. His eyes blurred and he was knocked away!

A slight pain spread in his chest. He hit the wall and fell down again. The knee hit his chest and it was sunken like a pit.

In just one encounter, he had four ribs broken. It wasn't that he didn't feel any pain, but the adrenaline had only temporarily knocked him unconscious.

Fortunately, the broken bones did not penetrate his heart, otherwise he would have been a corpse.

This is not human power.

He roared and yelled: "Be careful, it's a transcendent!!!"

(End of this chapter)