Chapter 89: Chapter 89
Chapter 89: A Professional Mouse Catcher, Me, Tom do not demolish a house?
The last time the shop exploded was on Island 2, and this time they came to Island 3, which also belonged to the lawless zone, with a similar atmosphere on the island.
The town's outskirts looked very run-down, with many damaged houses about to collapse due to lack of repairs.
Here, knife marks and bullet holes became the most common decorations.
What was absurd was that there was a corpse wearing a naval uniform hanging at the entrance of a house, and the blurred writing on the sign next to it said something like "Death to Navy Intruders" as a warning.
The tattered white uniform fluttered in the wind, standing out conspicuously here—a naval soldier had died here, and even the body hadn't been properly taken care of.
Based on Adrian's understanding of Rear Admiral Kadar and Lieutenant Kuro from the 66GR Navy Base, both of these people were the kind who cared deeply for their subordinates. This probably had something to do with incidents before they were transferred here.
Perhaps the previous commander of the Sabaody Island Navy thought it wasn't worth making a fuss over a mere soldier.
"The atmosphere here feels very oppressive," whispered Adrian.
Adrian said, "This is the lawless zone, hiding most of the ugliness of the Sabaody Archipelago."
Taking advantage of the fact that there weren't many people on this stretch of road, they could exchange a few words in hushed tones. However, speaking loudly was still inappropriate because those dilapidated houses by the roadside might have residents or hidden individuals.
Artoria walked silently, holding onto Adrian and Rui Mengmeng, ensuring they wouldn't get separated.
Tom squatted on Adrian's shoulder, looking around. Even though it wasn't his first time here, he still didn't like the atmosphere. Tom instinctively tightened his grip on Adrian.
"Hiss... Ouch, Tom, be gentle, retract those sharp claws," Adrian felt that his shoulder might have been punctured by Tom's sharp claws. He reached up to touch Tom's fur.
"Huh? Why's he all ruffled up? Did he see something scary?" Adrian felt Tom trembling, but there wasn't anything horrifying around, which didn't make sense.
Rui Mengmeng reminded, "Boss, don't you think the sound the wind makes when it blows through those broken houses sounds like ghostly wailing?"
"..." Now that it was mentioned, it did sound like that. The eerie sound of the wind combined with the dilapidated buildings did give off a horror movie vibe. Adrian reassured, "Don't be afraid. It's just the sound of the wind. Can the atmosphere here be scarier than the ghost stories I told you?"
Tom recalled the ghost stories and shivered even more.
"Boss, maybe you shouldn't have said that."
Adrian: "..."
Fortunately, they soon entered an area with residents, dispelling the terrifying and gloomy atmosphere, which made Tom feel much more at ease.
Most of the houses here were tightly shut. Even if ordinary people wanted to buy essential items, they hurried along, avoiding eye contact, afraid of offending someone.
Only those who exuded a fierce aura walked boldly, though minor confrontations often escalated into fights.
This chaos was probably what Helse had described, where in the past, ordinary people didn't need to be so vigilant when going out.
Soon, Adrian and the others found a slave trading shop. They quietly slipped inside and closed the door, even putting up a sign indicating temporary closure, considerate towards the owner.
This shop was larger than the last one, with over thirty slaves displayed in the showcases. When the door closed, there was still a customer inside.
"I've decided on this one. Looks the strongest and should be quite durable," the man seemed like a minor noble. He had a steward-like attendant with him and after inspecting various options, settled on a tall, muscular man.
The shop owner, with a flattering smile, praised, "Oh dear, sir, you have excellent taste. This is one of our shop's finest slaves, possibly even having the bloodline of the Long-Leg Tribe. Truly a rare specimen!"
He was exaggerating; if this were a Long-Leg Tribe member, they'd have been taken to the auction house. Rare races like that were popular goods, and they would make more profit outside his shop.
However, the buyer seemed to believe it, "Originally, I only saw his strength, but I didn't expect such a rare lineage. No wonder he's so tall."
The slave who had been led out of the showcase wore a look of despair. He didn't know what torments awaited him in the future, but he still had people he cared about and wasn't ready to end his life.
The ones not chosen all sighed in relief, but then turned worried again, as they would inevitably face the same fate sooner or later.
"Bang!" The sound of something heavy hitting the ground caused the shop owner, the customer, the attendant, and the steward to all collapse.
The four of them fell neatly, extending their arms in front of them and lifting their legs, performing a standard falling technique—anything but cute.
Clatter, the sound of chains falling to the ground. The slave being led by the attendant staggered for a moment before regaining his balance, astonished by the scene before him.
Though it appeared quite satisfying, he didn't dare laugh or even move, afraid of provoking someone's anger or revenge.
"Ah!"
"Darn it!"
"Ouch, that hurts!"
"What's happening?"
The four of them held their foreheads in confusion, trying to figure out what had tripped them.
Tom, invisible, raised his head high, lifted his leg, and wiggled a few toes playfully—a tripwire. He was a professional.
Immediately after, brooms and chairs in the shop started flying up, falling on the heads of the four people.
Three of them fainted on the spot, while the shop attendant who got hit in the head with a red envelope cried out in pain.
The chair that had hit him paused briefly, then fell
again, successfully covering him in little stars.
The slaves in the shop started to get restless. They hadn't even registered the sudden commotion, but they realized someone might be rescuing them. The noise was contagious:
"Save me!"
"Please, you must save me!"
"Benefactor!"
...
Hearing the uproar, Adrian found a pen and paper on the table and wrote, "Quiet down." He handed it to the previously led-out slave.
Taking the note, the man hesitated before understanding. He immediately showed the note to the others and signaled for silence: "Calm down. Drawing attention from outside will bring trouble to our benefactor!"
Rui Mengmeng had already found the key on the shop owner and, following Adrian's instructions, selectively released some of the slaves based on their identification.
The money on the minor noble would be sufficient for the expenses of these people's journey. As they watched them leave with gratitude, Adrian started considering how to deal with the shop.
Given that normal shops were nearby, using fireworks or starting a fire might harm innocent bystanders.
After pondering for a moment, Adrian pounded his palm, "Tom, now comes your expertise in home demolition. Let's go, tear down this house!"
A string of question marks appeared in the air in front of Adrian. Those were Tom's response—how did you suddenly accuse me of something I'm not capable of? I'm just an adorable little kitty, when did I become skilled at demolishing houses?
I, Tom, only catch mice, I don't demolish houses!
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