Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 509: This Really Has Nothing to Do with Me
The scene shifted back to Steven and co.
Having just stepped out of the Lungmen Guard Department, the trio was still discussing where to go first in this massive city—specifically, where to find a place to stay and rest. They hadn't even taken a few proper breaths of Lungmen's air before they heard a rather unusual sound rapidly approaching.
It wasn't the eerie background music you'd hear when a ghost appears in a horror movie. If Steven had to describe it, it was wild—something with a strong West Coast gang vibe. To be more specific, it sounded like the kind of track you'd hear as background music in Grand Theft Auto—completely fitting, with zero sense of mismatch.
Accompanying the music was an extremely luxurious-looking high-end sports car.
Steven didn't know much about cars, but he did know one thing: the lower the chassis, the less likely it was to be cheap. And the sports car now parked in front of them, with its flawless curves and striking design, was definitely not inexpensive.
Naturally, that made it all the more intriguing to see who would step out of it.
"I want one too. Get me one as well, okay?"
Centaurea gently tugged at Steven's sleeve, whispering in his ear like a little girl who had just spotted something she adored.
"Done."
Though he had no idea why a Kuranta—essentially a half-horse race—would be so interested in vehicles, for a nouveau riche magnate like Steven, anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem.
Leaving aside the fact that the two of them were still whispering to each other at a time like this, Mostima had already recognized the highly distinctive sports car. The moment she saw it, she knew exactly who had arrived. Instead of tension, however, a look of relief appeared on her face.
If it had come, that meant her journey was probably over. And putting some distance between herself and Steven? That wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Following that one often led to chaotic situations as well—but at least she could always find an excuse to slip away. Unlike now, where she was practically tied to Steven's side with no chance to escape.
While each of the three harbored their own thoughts, the sports car came to a stop in front of the Guard Department. As the door slowly lifted upward, the driver's figure gradually came into view.
Well… to be precise, it couldn't exactly be called a "human figure."
With a body shaped like a long gas cylinder, paired with the iconic black-and-white color scheme and short, stubby limbs, what stepped out of the car was—no matter how Steven looked at it—a penguin.
Yes. The kind of creature that, in his memory, would chase people around asking if they wanted to recharge their Q-coins. The only difference between that and the one before him was that this penguin was dressed in an extremely trendy T-shirt, wore a peculiar white cap, and had a pair of flashy sunglasses perched on its face—looking every bit like a trendsetter at the forefront of the times.
Of course, that was before factoring in the absurdly large "gold" chain hanging from its chest—whose weight seemed suspiciously off, swaying exaggeratedly with each step—and the music player clipped to its waist, still blasting that wild background track.
The outfit had looked trendy at first, but once you added those two accessories, the only word Steven could think of was tacky hypebeast. And judging by how wildly that gold chain bounced around his neck, Steven had zero doubt that if you tossed it into water, it would float.
Yet strange as the penguin looked, there was no mistaking its trajectory—it was clearly walking straight toward them. Steven was confident he wasn't misreading the situation.
And after noticing Mostima's reaction, he became even more certain.
"Does this mean my mission is basically complete? That was a pretty easy commission."
He muttered under his breath, more relieved than anything else. No matter the reason, if the job was done, that was good news for him.
"Mm, there probably won't be any—"
BOOM!!!
Before Mostima could finish her sentence, the smile on her face was obliterated by a deafening explosion.
The flashy sports car behind the penguin—just moments ago strutting forward with its own background music—detonated like a miniature nuclear bomb.
Flames swallowed the penguin whole before it even had time to react. The massive shockwave hurled shards of debris like artillery shells straight toward Steven and the others.
The thunderous blast threatened to rupture eardrums, and the force of the explosion made even the nearby Guard Department building tremble.
Steven instinctively shielded Centaurea and Mostima. An explosion of this level posed no real threat to him, of course. But when the flames finally dissipated, the penguin that had been standing before the sports car was gone.
Well… not entirely gone.
What remained was the faint scent of something suspiciously like roast duck lingering in the air—and the "gold" chain that had once hung around the penguin's neck, now lying at Steven's feet, burning like melting plastic.
"…Yeah. Doesn't look like this handoff is going to be that simple after all."
Steven scratched his head awkwardly. He hadn't expected that a casual muttered remark would somehow lead to this outcome.
The bizarre penguin that had appeared before them hadn't even managed to say a single opening line before being blasted into what was essentially a pile of fried nuggets. Surely that couldn't count as his bad luck manifesting again, right?
"…At least judging from the current situation, that does seem to be the case."
Mostima, equally unprepared for such a turn of events, twitched slightly at the corner of her mouth as she finally recovered from the lingering shockwave of the explosion.
This was clearly another attack targeting Mostima. It just seemed that the timing hadn't been executed properly—or perhaps it was merely a warning. Either way, it likely meant that unless the people hunting her were dealt with, this matter wouldn't be ending anytime soon.
"Wait. That penguin just now—he seemed pretty close to you, right? He just blew up like that, and that's all the reaction you've got?"
Steven pointed at the spot where the penguin had been standing. Compared to the explosion itself, he was more curious about Mostima's response. From how she had acted earlier, they seemed at least familiar—maybe even close. Yet the penguin had just been blown to pieces in front of her, and she was… oddly calm.
"We are close. But he's my boss. Honestly, I wish he'd explode every single day. Someone like him deserves a little suffering like this."
Mostima shrugged. There wasn't a trace of sorrow in her tone. If anything, Steven could almost hear a hint of satisfaction.
For a moment, Steven didn't even know how to respond. Was her work environment really that bad? Sure, "the boss exploding" sounded like something worth celebrating—but she didn't have to make it so obvious, did she?
Scratching his head awkwardly, Steven walked toward the center of the blast, examining the wreckage—or rather, what little remained of the sports car—and the explosion site.
It was obviously a premeditated detonation. While it was still unclear what the perpetrator's goal had been, one thing was certain: the handoff that should have happened here would now have to be postponed. That inevitably made Steven a little annoyed.
On the bright side, this gave him a chance to indulge his inner detective. Tracking down the mastermind behind the scenes would be a fine way to satisfy his sense of accomplishment.
After conducting a brief survey of the scene, he found that the luxury sports car had been completely obliterated. There wasn't even debris left—just a charred crater marking where it had once stood. No useful clues at first glance.
And precisely because of that, Steven could confirm that the epicenter of the explosion had indeed been the car itself. In other words, the source of the blast had most likely been planted on—or inside—the vehicle.
A targeted attack? Or just a warning? Pulling something like this off right in front of the Guard Department… the culprit certainly had nerve.
Rubbing his chin as he pieced together the subtle clues, Steven was about to continue searching the surrounding area for anything noteworthy when he noticed several female officers rushing out of the Guard Department, shock written across their faces.
"Well, fancy seeing you again. But let me clarify in advance, this explosion genuinely has absolutely nothing to do with us."
Steven flashed Ch'en a friendly and bright smile. He felt it was only fair to explain himself first.
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Big E. is a Beast Lord, so don't worry about him.
P.L. employees said that he had died and returned alive so many times that they no longer bother and show any concern of his "death".
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628