[ EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING ]
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Under the pile of Garbage where the people from the brothel usually throw their stuff, a snot nosed brat could be seen hiding in there. That snot nosed brat was Clifford.
He was currently watching the fight between Li Sheng and Jeferson. He should have been gone by now if he had listened to Li Sheng's words earlier, he was even fortunate enough that the thugs from Malicious Serpents did not pay him any mind and just ignored him, so he definitely could get away from this place very safely. But he did not plan to do so.
He cannot abandon his boss. Li Sheng might appear very unfriendly with his grumpy expression, but for a street rat who had nowhere to go to like Clifford, Li Sheng was his savior. He was accepted to the gang even though he was just a brat, he even knows that Li Sheng does not know that he existed before but being accepted was already enough for him. He felt thankful to Li Sheng for giving him a place to go to. That is why he was loyal to the Gang, and he never plan to just abandon Li Sheng right here.
Seeing that Li Sheng lost miserably against Jeferson, Clifford swallowed his tears as he watched helplessly while Li Sheng was getting dragged away like a dead dog somewhere.
SLAP—!
Then he slapped himself. Wiping the tears flowing out of his eyes, he decided to do something to be helpful to his boss. He is the one who got his Boss caught so he should also do something to make up for that mistake.
Going back to their gang's hideout, he went to grab some important things that he could use.
He grabbed a knife and a [ Paradis ] pill.
Each gang in the slums of Silvania, they all have their own businesses in order to function and survive.
The Butchers, Levin's group deals with meat. It sounds like a normal business some might say but they deal with dead bodies of the fight clubs in Sector D.
The Malicious Serpents also have their own business which is a brothel.
But Veno Gang, Li Sheng's group deals with herb things. Li Sheng is incredibly knowledgeable with herbs that is why he thought of starting a herbal business, though that business is not that different from the other two. At the surface it might be legal, but actually it also runs an illegal business which is drug dealing, and the [ Paradis ] pill is a product of that business.
".....hopefully this barter will work"
Clifford mumbled to himself as he ran back to the direction of Sector A and plan to return on the brothel.
Eventually, after almost an hour of running. Clifford arrived at the entrance of the brothel.
Looking around and seeing women dressed in revealing clothes or some of them not even having anything but underwear, Clifford steeled his resolve and quickly formed a plan on his mind.
'It has only been an hour after boss was caught so I might still have time before they execute him....assuming that they will do so.'
Walking around outside the brothel, countless adult eyes soon befell on him. Some mature women even approach him and say things like 'What's a cute kid like you doing in this place?' treating him as if he was just an adorable creature. But Clifford was a man of focus, he ignored the adults and proceeded to head in the alleyway behind the brothel.
"Maybe in this place, I will be able to find 'them' "
He mumbled to himself whilst he was strolling the dark alleys and had his neck turned at every direction, trying to look for a 'crackhead' and strike a deal with them.
Eventually so, it did not take him that long to find the type of woman who fits perfectly to his plan.
Approaching the worn down woman who was staring in a daze, he pulled out a [ Paradis ] pill from his pocket and showed it to her. Upon seeing such item, the woman's eyes then widened and as if she was posessed she panted heavily and stared at the pouch with desire, ready to snatch it away from him.
That makes sense, [ Paradis ] pill is a type of drug that most people in the slums are addicted to. This drug gives those who consumed it a sense of euphoria, making them feel pleasure and numbness as if they are in Paradise, hence the name [ Paradis ]. It was used as an anesthetic at first but it was eventually banned in the Empire because of how addicting it was and how badly it affected the mental state of the users, making them hallucinate things.
"Wh-what do you want?"
Guessing that Clifford had something that he wants from her after showing that item, The woman asked him that, discarding the thought of snatching the pouch from him after seeing the knife that Clifford was holding on his other hand.
"No....who sent you? I doubt you are after my body as you are still just a kid, so who sent you?"
The woman added as Clifford just firmly gripped onto his knife and then pulled the pouch back, making the woman feel alarmed.
"Do you ask this many questions? Just take this and follow my orders"
Clifford with a gaze devoid of any empathy or sympathy, uttered coldly towards the woman who then lowered her body and grovelled on his feet.
Staring down at the woman, Clifford rolled his eyes and started making his move towards the place where he thought his Boss was held captive.
He had been scouting this place for weeks now, so he knows this place like it was the back of his hand.
—————
Infront of a rundown cottage close to the sewer canals, two filthy men were stationed outside. One was a skinny one who looked like a skeleton could be seen yawning as he lazed around by using a pile of trash as a pillow.
"Why are we even guarding this place if the prisoners are locked with [ Enchanted Seals ]..."
Complained the skinny one while yawning and stared at a distance. It was indeed true, there was honestly no other reason to guard the place because their prisoners were locked up by a mystical lock which can only be opened by a specific key, so his complaints were indeed reasonable.
"It's the Blessed's orders. We dare not question them"
Replied his partner who appeared to be also lazing around and had a distant gaze. But despite having a point, lowly thugs like themselves couldn't really disobey the words of a Blessed, because for them the Blesseds are a different breed who could just squash them like they are bugs at a slight disobedience.
"But hey, it wouldn't hurt if we just leave our post for a while, no?"
The skinny guard sat up from the pile of trash and turned to look at his partner whose gaze was so distant that it felt like he wasn't even there.
The other guard would have replied but he was soon cut off when someone emerged from the shadows of the tight alleys.
It was a woman with good curves wearing a skimpy dress, by her hand she was seen holding a liquor bottle and by her walk, she seemed to be drunk.
"...."
There was silence between the two guards for a moment as they both exchanged glances to each other. The first one to break the exchange was the skinny guy who flashed a smile with his yellow teeth.
He approached the drunk woman swiftly and tried to support her, with a smile...he uttered to her:
"Hello, are you drunk? Do you want me to help you?"
Despite sounding like he was sincere in helping her, his expression and desire were a huge contrast to his words. Lust were evident in his eyes as his lips, he was biting it in anticipation.
The same goes for the other guard too, despite appearing stoic, it seems like his hedonistic desires were still present deep down. He approached the woman too, together with the skinny guard...he supported her and his eyes were staring st the woman's cleavage and her curves.
"Y-yes....please help me"
The woman replied with a smile as she started seducing the two mutts before her. It was the woman that Clifford had hired.
And while she was busy seducing those two mutts outside, a small figure quietly slipped inside the rundown cottage. It was Clifford.
The moment Clifford was inside the rundown cottage, he spotted a fat man with unbuckled pants sleeping right by the entrance. On his table, cigars and drugs were scattered....then there was also the thing that he was looking for. A ring of keys of what he assumed to be the key of the [ Enchanted Seal ].
"Filthy Pig...."
Clifford scorned at the fat man before grabbing the ring of keys from the table and headed towards the direction of the basement without making any noise.
Upon opening the doors to the basement, he then saw the silhoutte of someone guarding the cellar...feeling alarmed because of the approaching silhoutte, he retreated back outside to find another way in.
Outside, he saw the two guards doing their thing from a distance, he just ignored them and thought of a way to get in, but it was when he saw it. Right beside the cottage was a sewage system. He had surveyed this place so many times so he definitely knows that this sewage system would definitely lead somewhere on the basement of this cottage, the only trouble that he would face though was the stench of shit. But what else can he do?
Staring at the dirty water of the sewer, Clifford took a deep breathe before steeling himself.
"I am coming for you, Boss"
He mumbled before diving into the water full of shit.
————
"Clifford?"
Crawling out from the gutter where most wastes usually go, Clifford rejoiced upon seeing his boss and his older brothers were alive and well.
"Hi boss, I brought you keys"
He smiled as he showed the ring of keys on his hand and did not linger any longer and opened the [ Enchanted Seal ].
Li Sheng, upon seeing that effort of his just could not help but have a smile on his face. His subordinates behind him also rejoiced but they did it silently to not alert any guards, then once the seal was opened....the four of them was finally free.