Glover snorted angrily.
"At the very least, you can stop others from killing." The zombie stared ahead.
"Then, you can save lives."
Kohen laughed bitterly and did not answer.
"No." The person who spoke was Thales. This made Glover's desire to refute fade away. "Trust me, zombie."
"That's not it."
Thales shook his head.
"Stop killing and save lives. They look very similar."
Thales said faintly.
"There are also many people who say that as long as the murderer is killed before he kills, it is equivalent to saving the person he is about to kill, and the problem can be solved."
"But trust me, Calun."
"Those are two different things."
"There is still a long way to go between the two."
Glover did not answer. He was still deep in thought.
At this moment, Layork's cold laughter traveled into their ears.
"You don't have to be so kind, young masters.
There is no one in this world who deserves or expects you to save them. "
The assassin from the Brotherhood raised his hand and pointed at the dilapidated houses around him.
"Look, this is our life. It has always been like this. There is no need to change it, let alone save it.
"Upper-Class people like you who are so arrogant can't save anyone."
Kohen's frown deepened.
"You know, I have a friend, a very good friend. She also grew up in a similar environment. When I asked her, she also sneered and told me to give up," Kohen said gloomily to Layork.
"This is how the world is. It is self-contained and has its own rules. It's good enough that I can take care of myself."
"Acknowledge the rules, accept the rules, adapt to the rules, use the rules, and control the rules. Only by doing so can we rewrite the rules in the future."
Thales clenched his fists. At that moment, he actually thought of the two people saying the same thing despite their differences.
"Hold on to your sword. Don't lose it.
"What you need to do is not to make up for it, but to control it. Not to stand on this high wall and sigh, but to lean on this high wall and ride the wind and waves. "
Kohen sighed.
"She always said that, then she picked up the knife and killed the scumbags I caught and released …"
Kohen came to his senses. He knew that he had made a slip of the tongue, so he shook his head.
"Sorry."
"Your friend," Layork said nonchalantly, as if this was his personal rule.
"She is right.
"At least."
The killer cast a glance at the police officer.
"It's much more effective than your nagging."
Cohen shook his head.
'But the same, 'he said bitterly.' She can kill. '
"But I can't save anyone."
"She and I, we often quarrel about this."
Thales chuckled.
"Believe me, Kohen, the quarrel is not your fault." The teenager raised his head and sighed.
"Even after a few thousand years, there will still be people quarreling over it."
Cohen shrugged.
"Maybe."
He sneered in a rather self-deprecating manner.
"So I don't know … I don't know what to do."
"I've talked about these troubles to my colleagues, my superiors, and even my superiors' superiors."
"But every time, they would pat me on the shoulder with tolerance and sympathy. They would tell me that they understood, because they were once like me. They were young, passionate, hardworking, and … confused."
Cohen's tone turned gloomy.
"Then, after a long time, when they came back one day, they, they …"
"Give up," Glover said hoarsely. "They gave up."
Cohen nodded subconsciously.
"They're either used to it and become numb to it, or they're in cahoots with others to take advantage of the situation, or they don't care about it at all, or they're self-righteous and virtuous … Even if there are a few newcomers, they'll slowly be assimilated by the rules and regulations, the tiring work, and the fruitless effort. They'll eventually lose their original selves …"
Layork snorted coldly.
"Unbelievable. These words came from a young master of noble birth who never worries about basic necessities …"
He glanced at Cohen.
"I promise you, Cop," the quiet killer said casually.
"If I want to kill you in the future, I will be more precise."
Cohen sneered without a care.
"If I want to kill you, I will leave your corpse intact," Glover coldly countered on behalf of the police officer.
"For your tour guide this time."
Layork looked at him coldly.
"It doesn't matter what I think …"
Cohen sighed.
"Western District, Lower City District, West City Gate. These are supposed to be under my jurisdiction. I should be the guardian here."
He raised his head haggardly and looked at the filthy road in front of him.
"But the truth is, they are like my nemesis.
"They devour all my fantasies."
Glover pursed his lips and said nothing. Layork looked smug.
Thales, on the other hand, looked at Cohen sorrowfully.
"I want to bring about some changes." When he said this, Cohen gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
"But …"
His fists suddenly loosened, and he seemed to have lost his soul.
"That fatty Morris, and you, Your Highness, you made me understand that what I am fighting against is not just crime."
Cohen said in a daze,
"I don't know. I don't know if what I'm doing is useful … Sometimes, I wonder if I'm really like what they say, an idiot who does useless work, a stupid police officer."
Thales looked at him, unable to bear it, but he did not know how to comfort him.
"Even changing the position of a flowerpot in the police station." Cohen smiled. His smile was a little sad.
"I can't do anything about it."
Glover could not help but say,
"You are the young master of the Karabeyan Family. If even you can't …"
"You are right." Cohen looked at him and shook his head with a bitter smile.
"It is precisely because I am the heir of the Karabeyan Family.
"But …"
Cohen lowered his head slowly.
"I only have one sword, and I am alone."
The police officer looked at his family heirloom sword and sighed.
"But I have to face the wound that it has cut itself.
"It is too difficult."
Thales sighed as well.
"Do you remember the girl in the pharmacy?" the prince said softly.
"Yanni."
The three of them turned their heads.
"She only has a pair of hands." Thales lowered his head and looked at the increasingly uneven road under his feet. He was focused on counting the pits.
"Just like you only have one sword.
Who do you think is more difficult? "
Cohen was stunned.
But Thales did not speak again. He just stared at the road under his feet.
'This material, this feeling of his feet, this … direction.
'They are getting closer.'
A sense of familiarity and panic attacked him at the same time, making him unwilling to raise his head.
But the journey would eventually come to an end.
"We are here."
It felt like only a second had passed before Layork's cold and lonely voice rang in his ears.
"This is the Abandoned House.
"The child beggars are usually …"
'Abandoned House.'
Thales forced himself to stop trembling and raised his head.
'The familiar facade, the familiar trench, the familiar rows of dilapidated houses …'
'Hmm?'
Almost at the same time, Cohen and Layork's expressions changed.
"Strange."
Cohen sized up the rusty iron gate of the Abandoned House.
"What's wrong?" Glover did not understand.
Cohen stepped through the iron gate and looked at the rows of old and dilapidated houses before him. Many people in ragged and dirty clothes raised their heads and looked at them numbly.
The police officer frowned.
"There … are people inside."
Glover snorted coldly.
"Nonsense."
"No, no, no. You don't understand," Cohen explained, "A few years ago, I followed the police station's team to sweep the place. The Abandoned House was always empty. The scumbags could always move ahead of time, including the countless street children under their control. They couldn't catch anything."
Cohen walked forward, puzzled.
"It's just that I've never seen anyone living in it."
Thales caught up with him and frowned.
They walked on the terrible muddy road and passed by rows of stone houses that had not been repaired for a long time.
"They are all old, weak, sick, and disabled."
Glover walked past a house and glanced inside.
"There are also tramps. There are also child beggars."
But Thales still frowned.
They turned a corner and walked on the road that the teenager was very familiar with: the eighth house, the fourteenth house, the second house …
Thales tried hard to regulate his breathing.
On the road, beside the door, and under the eaves, there were poor people who were scantily clad and emaciated. They were either sitting or lying down. There were also people who stretched out their begging hands to them.
"That's not right." Layork kicked away a tramp who extended his hand to touch his boots. He could no longer stand it.
"The Abandoned House is not right."
Glover turned his head in disdain.
"What's wrong with you?"
Layork shook his head.
"I haven't been here for the past few years, but …"
He looked around vigilantly.
"The management of the Abandoned House should not be so lax, and …"
"According to the usual practice, there should only be child beggars and thugs here."
"And there should not be so many tramps. Some of them are not from the Brotherhood at all."
Glover still could not understand, but Kohen narrowed his eyes.
Thales was the only one who did not speak as he looked at the Abandoned House that was filled to the brim by the poor people.
At this moment, a lazy voice came from a broken recliner beside him.
"Hey, if you are here to rob, then you have come to the wrong place."
The four of them turned their heads. A pitiful man with a sallow and emaciated face straightened his back on the recliner and yawned.
"The Abandoned House belongs to Black Street Brotherhood …"
Layork's gaze shifted.
"Mertessa?"
When he heard this name, the man with the sallow face shuddered.
He struggled to get up from the recliner and stared at the quiet killer. In the end, he called out his name in a daze.
"You are … Layork?"
"Yes." Layork recovered from his astonishment.
"Why are you here?"
The expression of the man named Mertessa changed several times.
In the next second, he stood up, turned around, and left!
"Hey, wait!"
Layork chased after him. Thales and the rest were baffled.
"Who is he?"
Layork gritted his teeth and chased after him. "He joined the Brotherhood in the same year as me.
It's just that I haven't heard his name for a long time — Mertessa, stop! "
Mertessa's footsteps were limping, and he was not agile.
"Get lost! Stay away from me! "The man did not even turn his head around, but he retorted irritably.
Layork's gaze turned cold, and he suddenly sped up!
* Thud! *
A dull thud rose. Mertessa felt his feet stumble. He then lost his balance and fell to the ground in pain.
"You forced me to do this." Layork walked to his side coldly and watched Mertessa roll over in a pathetic manner. "Now, tell me, why are you here —"
Layork's words came to a halt.
He saw Mertessa clenching his teeth with all his might as he propped himself up with only his left hand.
Mertessa's other sleeve, where his right arm should have been, was empty.
"Did you see that?"
Mertessa turned his body sideways to cover his broken arm. He said angrily,
"Of course I'm here. Where else can I go?!"
Thales and the rest rushed to their side.
"What happened?"
Layork looked at the man's sleeve, then at Mertessa's haggard and sloppy appearance. His expression was complicated.
"Your arm?"
Mertessa seemed to be insulted, but he was not afraid of the silent killer. Instead, he roared loudly, "What happened?"
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
Glover and Kohen looked at each other. They did not know what happened.
"What? What on purpose? "Layork asked, puzzled.
Mertessa's breathing quickened. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Layork.
"Six years ago!"
The one-armed man sat on the ground and said in pain,
"Red Street Market, the One Night Battle, remember?"
The familiar term made Thales and Kohen's thoughts move.
Layork thought for a while.
"Of course, we won."
"Yes, of course the Brotherhood won." Mertessa trembled as he tugged at his empty sleeve.
"But I lost."
The one-armed man spat out these words filled with hatred. He took a deep breath and turned his head away from them.
Layork was silent.
"They said that you went missing."
Mertessa snorted coldly.
"Yes, I did go missing."
"That damned Red Bandana, and that damned explosion — I was buried under the rubble for three whole days, and it was the patrol team's Steel Skins who dug me out. When I woke up, I was already in prison. Didn't I go missing?"
'Explosion.'
Thales looked at Mertessa's severed right arm. He felt complicated.
"They said that it was a miracle that I survived. But look at this …"
Mertessa sneered and shook his empty sleeve.
"What's the difference between a gang's thug becoming like this and being dead?"
Layork raised his head and exhaled through his nose. He did not know what was on his mind.
Mertessa panted angrily. The others were silent for a while.
"Mertessa, what happened here?" Layork spoke again.
His tone became much calmer.
"What happened?" But Mertessa's words were very rude.
Layork raised his head and saw that the people around him were either leaning against the wall or hiding under the door cracks. They were all looking at them timidly.
"Abandoned House. Why are there suddenly so many tramps here? Are they members of the Brotherhood? And the child beggars — "
Mertessa interrupted him impatiently.
"Don't you know? Aren't you the one who killed Morris? How could you not know? "
"I only care about killing people." Layork lowered his head.
"I don't care about child beggars."
Mertessa snorted disdainfully and spoke in a strange tone.
"Of course. After all, you are Morris's favorite. Look at your little round butt …"
Layork sighed.
In the next second, the quiet killer's expression turned cold. He moved his arm!
* Thud! *
As Mertessa screamed in pain, Layork forcefully pulled his left arm backward and pressed his face against the ground.
"Listen up, Mertessa. I'm not being polite to you because your butt is round."
The quiet killer pulled out the blade at his waist with his other hand and said coldly,
"I'm also not interested in your severed arm and your bullsh * t.
"Now, answer my question, or I'll make your arms more symmetrical."
Kohen furrowed his eyebrows, but Glover pressed him down tightly and shook his head.
"Hahahaha." Mertessa seemed to be a tough nut to crack. Even though the pain was unbearable, he glared at Layork with hatred and spat out two words.
"F * ck you."
Layork's expression turned cold. He pressed Mertessa's face into the ground.
At this moment …
"Moody?"
An old and gentle female voice came from the dilapidated house beside them.
Mertessa shuddered!
"Moody? Where are you? "
Everyone saw a hunchbacked old woman walking out of the door shakily with the help of a tree branch.
She tried her best to extend her hand into the air. Her gaze was lost, and her eyes were abnormally pale.
"Moody, I can't find our cauldron. The one with less rust and only two nicks … I'm afraid it was stolen by the people in the sixth house again …"
'The sixth house.'
Thales was in a daze.
Then, the sound of the old woman's branch tapping on the ground brought him back to reality.
"Mother, go back!"
Mertessa struggled to get his mouth out of the ground and shouted anxiously,
"Now!"
Layork stared blankly at Mertessa under him before he raised his head to look at the old woman.
When Thales saw the old woman's expression, his expression changed as well.
"But we still need to fill our bowls with water for cooking. We don't have a container …" The old woman with white eyes extended her hand in puzzlement. She turned her head and listened carefully.
"Moody? What are you doing? Who's with you — "
The old woman's words came to a halt.
"Damn it."
She turned her pale eyes in Layork's direction and put on a cold expression.
"No matter who you are …" At that moment, the old woman appeared calm and collected.
"We don't have money."
Mertessa struggled even more, but he could not resist Layork since he had lost an arm.
Layork just stared at the old woman in front of him in puzzlement.
"Look at Moody. Not only did he lose his right arm, even the right side of his body is not very agile." The old woman sighed.
"How else can we earn money?
You won't be able to get anything. "
Layork was silent.
But the old woman's words seemed to have angered her son.
"Damn it, mother!"
Mertessa's face was filled with humiliation.
"Shut up and go back into the house!"
But the old woman turned a deaf ear to Mertessa's words. Instead, she calmly spoke in Layork's direction.
"If this doesn't make you stop …
"This old woman has a little friendship with the people in the Brotherhood. Moody is also a member of the Brotherhood. If blood is spilled, it won't look good."
A few seconds later, Layork quietly put away his weapon and let go of Mertessa.
He looked at the old woman, and his tone became much better.
"Mother Bess, your … your eyes, are they blind?"
"Blind? Ha! "The old woman widened her eyes as if she had heard a big joke.
"My ears are good enough to hear that there are four of you — three of whom are armed."
The old woman's words came to a halt.
"Wait, you know my name … So, you're one of the brats in the Brotherhood?"
Layork sighed.
"Don't worry, I'm just passing by." Layork stared at the blind old woman, Bess, and lowered his head in disappointment.
"I'm just visiting an old friend."
But the old woman named Beth ignored him. Instead, she asked her son, "What's wrong?
Instead, she asked her son, "Moody?"
"I'm fine, mother!" Mertessa, who had escaped, sat on the ground and panted angrily.
"I said, just f * cking hurry up and go back!"
The old woman sneered.
"Maybe I'm not your real mother, Moody. Maybe I still need you to remind me so that I won't trip over the stairs."
In the next second, Bess slammed her branch on the ground. She raised her voice abruptly.
"But at least I didn't let you freeze to death on the road or suffocate to death in the sewers when you were still a little kid who only knew how to cry. So, you f * cking brat, you f * cking son of a b * tch … Show some respect!"
The old woman's swift and fierce roar caused everyone to tremble involuntarily.
Mertessa rubbed his forehead in pain. He felt helpless and uncomfortable.
"Ahhh …"
Mertessa gave up on talking back to his mother and sighed.
"Alright, I'll talk to the sixth house about that stupid pot! Now, I beg you, go back to the house! "
Thales and the others looked at each other.
"That's good, that's good." Bess regained the old woman's weakness. She hunched her body and muttered as she turned around, "The Brotherhood, the Brotherhood, ha."
"How much more do we owe them? That devil's black sword … "
"Mother!" Mertessa began to roar angrily again.
Bess snorted softly and stretched out her branch to explore the way.
"Then you guys have a good chat. After all, this may be the last time you see each other."
"The last time? What's wrong? "
Layork glanced at Mertessa's injured body.
"Is he terminally ill?"
Bess trembled as she touched the mud wall, "No, I'm talking about you guys."
"Once you join the Brotherhood, you won't live long."
Layork stared at Bess fixedly.
"Mother!" This was the umpteenth time Mertessa had shouted angrily.
But at the same time, there was another voice.
"Granny!"
Bess's figure froze.
The old woman slowly turned around with an amused expression, "Ah, a young voice. It's crisp, powerful, and changing."
"Fifteen years old at most."
Thales walked forward and stared at the old woman.
"You said that your name is Bess?"
The blind old woman turned her head and sniffed a few times in Thales' direction.
"The smell of nobility, but it's somewhat familiar. There's also a hint of cosmetics. Why, did you just come back from Red Street Market?"
But Thales ignored her words.
"You said that you're a member of the Brotherhood." Thales stared at Bess's face.
"Why have I never heard of you?"
Bess opened her mouth and laughed hoarsely.
"Maybe it's because you haven't grown hair down there?"
Glover and Cohen had strange expressions on their faces.
The old woman's expression immediately became stern. She raised her voice in Thales' direction.
"And your little chick is still as soft as a caterpillar and can't get hard on its own?
"Impolite little brat?"
Mertessa said in pain,
"Mother! Enough! "
Bess snorted coldly. Her white eyes were lifeless, but they sent chills down people's spines.
"Little brat, go find Morris in this neighborhood and ask him if he's heard of the 'Black-Hearted Widow' Bess!
"And ask the other ungrateful brats in the Brotherhood how many of them have not been spanked by me!"
Thales was silent.
"I see."
He looked at Bess's face quietly, searching for a memory that flashed through his mind when he was young. He grinned.
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind.
"Mother Bess."
Thales repeated Layork's name.
"It's best not to," the old woman said coldly, unappreciative.
"This old woman would rather have some peace and quiet."
She slowly but skillfully stepped over the pit on the ground and disappeared behind the wall, leaving behind only her swift and fierce voice.
"Moody, don't forget that pot!"
Thales quietly watched the old woman leave, as if he had returned to the past.
The moment when he remembered the events of this world for the first time.
"Look at you, brat. Cry. Damn it, why don't you cry … Don't be an idiot … No, it's better if you're an idiot. I'll be less worried …"
At that time, her voice was not so old, but it was as rough and ear-piercing as it was now.
"You have to call me Mother Bess. Mother, do you understand? Even if you become successful in the future, I'll still be the one who raised you! Little brat, may the God of the Underworld take care of you as soon as possible so that you don't cause any trouble … "
At that time, Mother Bess's face was full of disgust, but there was also a hint of reverence.
"Alright, Thales, this is your name … Don't mind it. I know it's not nice, but I didn't give it … It's okay. I'll raise you until you're old enough, and I'll be free. I won't have nightmares all day …"
At that time, the Brotherhood's nursery nest was dark, narrow, damp, and simple.
"Alright, alright. Hurry up and take him away. I don't want to see him again in this life … Why? Haha, you won't believe me even if I tell you, but he's destined to cause a lot of trouble … "
"A monster born to a monster …"
At that moment, Thales opened his eyes and buried all the clear and blurry fragments deep in his heart.
There was still one more chapter. He would finish writing it around twelve-thirty.
(End of this chapter)
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