Truth be told, since they had decided to engage in such acts, they were prepared from the start.
After all, it's rare to walk by the river and not get your shoes wet.
Yet, today they truly stumbled spectacularly, a downfall none had anticipated.
No one expected the trio before them—two men and a woman—to be so formidable, utterly stripping them of any ability to resist.
Their leader's situation was now a complete unknown—whether he could ever have his hand reattached was still up in the air.
Modern medicine, though advanced, required the right circumstances and capabilities to work such miracles.
If they were utterly powerless, or worse, dead on the spot, then no level of medical advancement could bring back the dead!
A chill began to creep into everyone's hearts, fear taking hold.
Some even regretted their decision to provoke this group today.
One of them thought of fleeing, but the sight of the knife in John's possession and the large pit on the ground rooted him to the spot.
It was all a joke—no one knew what might happen next, nor did they understand the situation at hand.
If other problems arose, what then? No one was sure how to proceed with such matters.
"Anything else going on lately?" John asked casually, his tone indifferent.
Yellow-haired, suppressing the pain, clenched his teeth and began to think carefully.
He didn't really know what this person was after by asking about recent events.
Could it really just be a casual inquiry into recent happenings?
But the looks of these two didn't suggest they were the kind to let matters rest easily.
"There's also..."
Yellow-haired strained himself, recalling the incidents that had already occurred.
"The captain of the city guard, his third concubine was caught in an affair with another man."
"The director of the Taxation Bureau recently bought a new orc in the underground city."
"The Immortality Sect is currently hiring people to repair their temple, but the requirements are said to be very high. Many people are interested in applying."
Upon hearing this news, John and Silver TearDark Fox exchanged glances.
Perhaps this information was useful to them, a missed opportunity up until now.
However, everyone knew, in their hearts, that this Immortality Sect was probably the same entity as their Immortality Organization.
It was just that they did not know where these people got the courage to operate so openly here.
Was it that the locals simply did not care, or could not manage?
Or was there some sort of beneficial relationship between them?
John gave a cursory search, while yellow-haired only felt his blood flowing more profusely, his consciousness beginning to fade into unconsciousness.
Even so, John did not let up; he delivered a fierce slap across his face.
Smack!
Yellow-haired's cheek was struck, and blood trailed from the corner of his mouth as he spat out violently.
Along with the blood, several teeth were knocked out, stark white against the crimson.
The onlookers shuddered in fear, instinctively stepping back, yet none dared speak, only managing to swallow their terror.
"Sorry, but I still have some questions for you, so you can't pass out just yet."
Those nearby watched in horror, filled with nothing but regret.
Some even began to tremble uncontrollably, tears streaming down their faces.
If it weren't for their duty in this public setting, they would have already been kneeling and begging for mercy, their legs weak as chaff.
Yellow-haired was nearly spitting blood in fury, never having imagined himself subjected to such treatment.
Everything he had prided himself on seemed like nothing but filth before this man.
This man seemed unafraid of the forces behind him, nor the unspoken rules of this world.
Who was he? How could he possess such formidable strength?
He was merely a gold-tier awakener!
Why was he able to overpower him now?
And why were his own brothers, mostly gold-tier as well, utterly defenseless against this man?
What on earth was happening?
The knife in John's hand still glinted coldly.
"Alright, one more question: how do we get to the underground city?"
Yellow-haired had braced himself for a significant query, but to his astonishment, it was just this.
He almost choked on his own breath.
He had never taken these people seriously, seeing them merely as prey.
Yet, now, the roles were reversed, and he was the prey!
The most vexing part was that the question asked was something every person on this planet knew.
Even children running in the streets could answer it! Was it really necessary to beat him so brutally over such a trivial question?
Feeling incredibly aggrieved, yellow-haired's eyes welled up slightly, and he nearly cried.
But he held it back, gritting his teeth.
"It's in the tallest building in the city center. The Rose Hotel is on top, and the underground city is right beneath it."
Rose Hotel?
Upon hearing this name, a new thought flashed through John's mind.
Could this be a coincidence?
But wasn't Rosie with the Dusk Sect?
How was she now seemingly involved with the Immortality Organization?
Silver Tear and Dark Fox exchanged a glance and then nodded subtly at John.
John didn't say a word, just gave a slight nod.
"Alright, since you answered the question promptly, I'll let you off this time."
Yellow-haired was nearly moved to tears of relief, just about to leave, when suddenly, he felt the knife pressed against his neck again!
He was terrified, nearly collapsing to his knees to beg for mercy.
This wasn't a way to play with someone; if you didn't want to let me go, just say it—why go through all this?
The others, who had been ready to flee, felt their legs weaken.
"We... we really don't know anything, we were wrong, I truly realize my mistake now. I promise you, next time I won't make a move against you. Next time I see you, I'll definitely walk the other way. Please, let us go, spare us please."
The others were incessantly kneeling and pleading, while John looked at yellow-haired with a smile, then turned his gaze to the others.
"You see, I'm a man who believes in an eye for an eye, a favor for a favor. Since some people wanted to mess with us, I won't be polite."
"Hand over anything of value you have on you."
What?
Not just yellow-haired and his crew, but even Dark Fox and Silver Tear were taken aback.
Wait, big brother, are we really doing this?
We're from Hidden Stars!
If this gets out, we'll lose all our credibility!
Yellow-haired shakily pulled out some money and threw it on the ground, then stepped back several paces.
The others, following suit, discarded the most valuable items they had on them.
"Can... can we go now?" one of them asked tentatively.
John, using his knife to sift through the items on the ground, chuckled softly and nodded.
The group, as if pardoned from a death sentence, scrambled away, supporting yellow-haired as they fled.
Silver Tear, puzzled, looked at John.
"They were going to attack us, and it wasn't just verbal. Why did we let them off?"
Aren't such people supposed to be dealt with harshly, killed, or handed over to the local authorities to prevent future threats?
John chuckled again as he sifted through the items on the ground, then turned to Dark Fox.
"Do you know why?"