Chapter 32: Chapter 27 Misfits
Translator: 549690339
“Strange, where exactly did it go wrong… Could it indeed involve the Extraordinary Man with the enhanced sense of smell?”
Leonard Churchill eliminated all possible explanations, finally concluding that most likely, the flaw lay in the scent.
He was taking no chances.
At such a critical juncture, any negligence on his part would prove fatal.
For a moment, thoughts surged in his mind, rapidly analyzing the situation.
The footsteps of that fellow just then were very light, he was probably an Assassin Type professional.
This person went straight to car number 16. His purpose was clear: to intercept, to prevent anyone from jumping from the train.
In Leonard’s view, this wasn’t unexpected. If his pursuers had not reached this standard, they wouldn’t have been able to find him in the first place.
But it also proved one thing: the enemy was not sure who the target was, they had only narrowed down the general area to the train cars.
Obviously, the enemy’s intelligence would include the confirmed information that their target was a Card Master Apprentice. Hence, sending a regular curse card master might be sufficient to handle the situation.
If they knew for sure that he was the one they were looking for, they would have attacked him at the first encounter.
Not doing so, suggests their uncertainty about the identity of the person they are seeking.
This also gave Leonard time to react.
However, to leave the poker game now would instantly lead to his discovery.
If someone was blocking the passage to car number 16, then it was safe to assume someone would be blocking car number 14 as well.
The situation immediately turned dire.
Yet, even knowing he had been found out, Leonard didn’t show any form of panic. He kept betting in the poker game, maintaining a calm demeanor.
Because, he had been doing more than just playing cards in the previous hours.
While he was playing cards, he had quietly rigged the Shock bomb beneath the table to the gas lines with a piece of wire.
This small contraption wouldn’t harm anyone, but it would create a substantial commotion.
Should any turmoil arise, this would buy him some time.
He had also been keeping an eye on car number 14.
Now, almost anyone who entered car number 15 could potentially be an enemy.
He hadn’t spotted the hooded figure from earlier, which meant that the enemy exercised an ample amount of caution.
Soon, Leonard identified a woman in leather clothes.
It seldom happened that people wandered to the rear part of the train, and even if they did, they were always familiar faces from the neighboring cars.
Leonard had spent the past few hours memorizing the face of each person in every seat.
Therefore, the moment this woman appeared, he realized instantly that she wasn’t from any of the nearby cars!
Leonard didn’t know what capabilities this woman possessed, but the moment she entered, her gaze instinctively swept over the crowd of people playing cards.
This further confirmed for Leonard that he was exposed.
He didn’t give the woman any chance to attack close up.
Now that he was sure of being discovered, there was no point in keeping up his pretense, sooner or later, he would be found.
“I have no choice but to jump from the train…”
Leonard immediately stood up and pushed his way through the crowd of gamblers, mentally rehearsing the plan he’d gone over numerous times in his head.
Just as he expected, the moment he left, his movement attracted the brown-haired woman’s attention.
She stopped glancing at the group of gamblers and directly signaled her accomplice in car number 16.
Leonard pressed ahead, acting as if he was in a hurry to go to the toilet.
He didn’t fear discovery anymore.
Because he was pretty confident that the enemy’s orders were likely to keep him alive, hence they wouldn’t make a lethal move.
The train continued to move at a uniform speed, with occasional disturbances when it hit something, causing the exterior armor to make clanging noise.
All one could see from outside the car was darkness. It felt like they were inside a tunnel deep under the ground, black and terrifying, instinctively making one refuse to jump.
Jumping off the train was the worst possible choice.
If he had a choice, he would try something else first.
However, the enemy seemed to be smarter than he had expected, apparently, they didn’t want to give him an opportunity to jump off the train.
Not after he had walked away from his seat for a few steps, Leonard suddenly felt a momentary dizziness in his mental power.
It felt as if he was oxygen deprived with a sense of drowsiness closing in. This was a normal reaction in this kind of cabin.
However, Leonard immediately realized what it was: “A psychic curse card master?”
Enlightenment appeared: ‘Mental erosion exemption’
After his extensive interaction with the fallen witch, he had become familiar with the sensation of mental pollution.
This meant that someone was casting psychic spells on him from behind.
His extraordinarily high mental power was what allowed him to detect this slight abnormality, or otherwise, he would have fallen into the trap unknowingly.
“Going on like this, I am afraid I will not reach the designated position…”
Out of the corner of his eye, Leonard spotted the assassin at the entrance to the forward car, disguised amidst the crowd of people. Internally, he cursed his luck, it seemed that the fellow was preparing to surround and attack.
However, implementing his plan to jump from the train at his current location could greatly increase the risk of being caught.
For a moment, his thought processes spun tirelessly.
After walking for another few steps, Leonard’s peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a man in seat number 11 of car 16. “Huh..”
This was the Hunter he had suspected earlier for the “curse power loss of control”!
If this fellow really was the ruthless bounty hunter from the discussions among the hunters, perhaps he could…
“Looks like I’ll have to move on to Plan B after all.”
A new plan flashed across Leonard Churchill’s mind.
The distance was not enough to reach the predetermined location, but this guy was much closer.
If he guessed wrong, he would be caught on the spot.
If he guessed right, things would be much simpler!
With this thought in his mind, Leonard Churchill bypassed the toilet and stopped next to car #11.
But even this cessation caught the immediate attention of both the brunette woman and the assassin who had been watching him, causing them to stop as well.
And it wasn’t just the two of them.
Leonard Churchill sharply noticed that the moment he stopped, the curse power from the snoring middle-aged man seemed to uncontrollably leak out. This guy was also pretending to sleep!
There was a high chance he had guessed right.
Thinking of this, Leonard Churchill, under the watchful eyes of several people, quietly tapped twice on the table as if to send some secret signal.
Although the action was subtle, those who were supposed to see it did.
This small gesture made several people’s expressions change simultaneously.
A code?
Definitely a code!
This action was very misleading.
The sleeping guy was already suspicious and would certainly suspect that this knock was signaling someone else.
Meanwhile, the Blackwater Mercenary Group men who had tracked him down would also believe that Leonard Churchill was signaling his comrades.
Yet both sides, even if they detected it, would be hesitant at first, thinking, what if they guessed wrong?
Leonard Churchill caught their momentary hesitation. Right after the knock, he swiftly drew his revolver.
He didn’t aim at anyone, but instead shot at a gas pipe he had noted earlier.
“Advanced Firearms Proficiency” allowed him to hit the target precisely.
The illumination in the carriage was by gas lamps, and this shot hit the critical point machine. A flash of fire sparked and instantly plunged cars 15 and 16 into darkness.
“What’s going on?”
“Who the fuck fired the gun!”
No violence was allowed on the train, a rule set by the Hunter’s Association.
Sinless City had no laws, and the Hunter’s Association was one of the most authoritative organizations.
Anyone who broke this rule and caused adverse consequences and was caught could be sent to the guillotine.
This was the main reason why the men of the Blackwater Mercenary Group had hesitated before taking action.
But Leonard Churchill didn’t know, or rather, he didn’t plan to abide by it!
Upon hearing the gunshot, the oblivious hunters started making a commotion. However, during this commotion, a few gamblers rose, and “bang” “bang”, two consecutive explosions triggered the shock bombs they had installed earlier.
The enclosed carriage was like an iron can, and the two blasts of shockwave made everyone in the last few cars feel like they had been hit hard on the head, drawing a wave of curses.
Shock bombs wouldn’t be lethal even to ordinary people, let alone these extraordinary hunters.
But they strongly interfered with sensory organs and the nervous system.
Now, it was even more impossible to lock onto any sense of direction.
And the chain reaction caused by the gunshot was not over yet!
The several men from the Blackwater Mercenary Group sensed something was wrong and immediately pounced toward Leonard Churchill’s position.
How could they not realize that their target was trying to escape under the cover of chaos?
Darkness might obscure the visual senses of ordinary people.
But not necessarily for official card masters!
Especially for professional assassins like ghosts, seeing in the dark was one of their mandatory special skills!
He wants to escape?
Hmph,
Naive!
The assassin known as Little Five sneered as he watched Leonard Churchill blow up the gas pipe.
Even the shock bomb didn’t cause much interference to his target locking.
As soon as he could, he bolted forward, determined to capture his target.
Yet, a bizarre scene unfolded.
Little Five missed!
The figure he had locked onto in his sights had vanished without a trace!
The carriage was shrouded in complete darkness.
Where was the man?
Little Five’s face turned ghastly pale, finally realizing that he had underestimated the card master apprentice.
However, before he could figure out what was going on, a gigantic hand from car #11 swiftly seized his arm. The crushing force felt like his bones were being squeezed to pieces.
Pain overcame him, and Little Five’s face twisted in agony.
What’s going on!
No,
He really did have other accomplices!
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