"Damn it, what are you doing here?" Danitz's voice was a mix of shock and vigilance.
"That's what I should be asking you." Seeing Danitz in clearly poor condition, Luo En also became more assertive.
"Blaze, you can't escape!"
Luo En and Danitz turned their heads simultaneously, as three dark figures encircled them from the end of the alley.
The leading man's knuckles cracked, and his fingernails elongated into bone-white claws, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
A Beyonder! Luo En immediately became extremely vigilant.
"Claw, you bastard..."
Danitz glanced at Luo En beside him, then at the three menacing figures, and said, "He's my new subordinate!"
"What?" Luo En's eyes widened.
"You!" He immediately understood Danitz's intention—this guy wanted to drag him into trouble.
"I don't know him," Luo En said, retreating a few steps. "I'm just passing by."
"Claw" Kuse bared his teeth, revealing a mouthful of fangs: "Passing by? There's no such coincidence." He sneered, disdainfully appraising Luo En's neat attire and inexperienced appearance.
"But it doesn't matter. Now that you've seen me, you won't leave here alive."
Luo En: "..."
He's really direct!
Realizing he was in trouble, he took a deep breath and turned to look at Danitz.
"I hate you."
Danitz, however, curled his lips, his eyes surprisingly filled with a sense of revengeful satisfaction: "Welcome to being a pirate."
Just then, "Claw" Kuse's body suddenly expanded, his clothes tearing as his Werewolf form, with outstretched claws, lunged directly at the two.
"Damn it!" Luo En quickly rolled aside, dodging the attack, and simultaneously drew his "Phantom" pistol.
Danitz also condensed an orange-red fireball in his palm.
"Go to hell!"
The fireball whistled as it flew towards the Werewolf.
"Tsk!"
"Claw" Kuse leaped forcefully, dodging the fireball, which grazed his body and struck the wall, exploding into a charred mess.
"Bang!"
Luo En seized the opening and pulled the trigger, a delicate spider silk expanding into a net in the air, directly binding the Werewolf's right arm.
"Well done!" Danitz, seeing this, tried to condense another fireball, but failed due to the pain from his wound.
However, just as both of them focused all their attention on "Claw," "Claw"'s two subordinates had already circled to the side.
One of the tall, thin pirates raised his pistol, aiming in Luo En's direction.
But... before he could successfully aim, his pistol suddenly fired a shot with a "bang."
"Huh?" The tall pirate was somewhat surprised, then suddenly realized something.
His pistol had misfired!
"Quick, get out of the way!"
The misfired bullet spun in the air, coincidentally striking his accomplice who was trying to ambush Luo En from behind.
"Ah!" The accomplice screamed and collapsed to the ground, his dagger clattering to the floor.
Seeing the fallen figure beside him, and realizing what the other party had intended, Luo En didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger directly, and a burst of dark flames erupted, instantly finishing him off.
"You're courting death!"
Seeing the ambush fail, the tall, thin man threw down his pistol, drew his scimitar, and charged like a Lunatic.
"Go to hell, kid!"
Just as he ran within two meters of Luo En.
An orange blur shot out from Luo En's satchel like lightning.
"Meow!"
Lachi's front paw precisely slashed across the tall, thin man's throat. He stumbled backward, clutching his bleeding neck, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Hiss... Ah... Ah..."
He opened his mouth, but only a hoarse sound emerged, then he collapsed like a rag.
"Meow!"
The Orange Cat elegantly sat on the ground, seemingly enjoying the sensation.
"Lachi, well done." Luo En breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to Danitz.
...
Why am I the only one left? Where are my subordinates?
"Claw" Kuse, having broken free from the spider silk, looked at his two defeated subordinates, momentarily dazed.
How long has it been?! My two subordinates are just gone like that...
"Damn it!" He roared, abandoning his plan to entangle with Danitz and instead lunged at the seemingly weaker Luo En.
"Damn it!"
The Werewolf's speed exceeded Luo En's expectations, reaching him in an instant.
Relying on his extraordinary spiritual intuition, Luo En narrowly dodged the attack, but he also fell to the ground.
The "Phantom" pistol also dropped.
"This... what a beautiful weapon."
Looking at the silver-white pistol Luo En had dropped, "Claw"'s eyes showed a hint of greed, as if he was mesmerized by it.
He actually gave up on continuing the attack!
His Werewolf form began to destabilize, his fur gradually receding, and his body shrinking back to human form. He panted heavily and picked up Luo En's pistol like a pervert.
"Good, very good..." Kuse caressed the gun barrel, a cruel radian curving his lips.
The muzzle first aimed at Luo En, but a moment later, it turned towards Danitz.
Clearly, in his eyes, Danitz was more of a threat.
"I'll deal with you first, then slowly take care of this rookie."
Under Danitz's terrified gaze, he pulled the "Phantom"'s trigger.
"Click"... The pistol made a crisp sound; it jammed.
"This..."
"Claw" Kuse was somewhat taken aback, and this brief distraction gave Lachi an opportunity. The Orange Cat leaped instantly, its sharp claws directly slashing across the opponent's eyes.
"Ah!" "Claw" Kuse painfully clutched his face, and the "Phantom" pistol dropped to the ground.
Danitz seized the chance, enduring the pain, and threw a fireball with all his might. The fireball accurately hit Kuse's chest, and the shockwave of the explosion sent him flying several meters.
...
A moment later, the alley returned to silence, with only the sound of their breathing. Luo En propped himself up and retrieved his pistol.
"Indeed, one shouldn't casually use other people's weapons," he muttered to himself. "Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you died."
Luo En knew that the other party had most likely been tempted by the "Phantom" just now, and when he tried to fire, he unluckily encountered its negative effect of occasionally jamming.
But is the "Phantom"'s temptation really that strong? Or is it due to the opponent's Pathway...? Luo En examined the weapon in his hand.
Danitz slumped to the ground, his face pale: "Damn it... almost died here."
He glanced at Luo En, then at the two corpses on the ground and the charred "Claw." "I didn't expect you to be not only good at bluffing but also quite capable in a fight."
"I won't hold it against you for deceiving me earlier."
"Capable in a fight... not bad." Luo En nodded, accepting the compliment, then changed the subject, "Mr. Danitz, you seem to be seriously injured!"
"Nonsense, can't you tell?"
"Wait!" Danitz said, belatedly realizing, "Why are you asking that?"
"Seriously injured, which means..."
Seeing Luo En's sinister expression, Danitz felt a chill.
"You wouldn't be thinking of burning the bridge after crossing it, would you?" He retreated a few steps, using both his hands and feet.
He was quite injured now and was no match for the other party at all.
"Don't be scared, aren't I your newly recruited subordinate?" Although he said that, Luo En once again raised his pistol and aimed at Danitz.
"A bounty of 3,000 pounds..."
Looking at Luo En's playful gaze, Danitz's pupils suddenly constricted.