Chapter 67: Hello
Iron Tank killed the frenzied Barbatre. Even if the other party was willing to offer a piece of gold-quality equipment, it couldn't shake Iron Tank's resolve to kill him.
At the same time, Mask and Ranzo were rapidly approaching Su Xiao, maintaining a distance of about two kilometers between the three of them.
"This guy's speed is a bit fast."
Mask's spirit was somewhat excited. She had successfully locked onto Su Xiao and was now enjoying the thrill of a cat playing with a mouse. This feeling was addictive for her. Although she didn't know the enemy's strength, it didn't diminish the pleasure of the chase.
"Tell me his exact location. I'll go ahead and hold him off."
Ranzo slowed down slightly. He couldn't track Su Xiao, so he couldn't afford to get too far from Mask.
"He's over there."
Mask twirled her fingers a few times. Heaven knows which direction she was pointing. She also had no intention of telling Ranzo the enemy's exact location. If Ranzo tried to shake her off, she definitely wouldn't be able to keep up.
"..."
Ranzo suppressed the urge to kill Mask. Before settling the score for taking the blame, he wouldn't lay a hand on this little wildcat, Mask.
"What the hell."
Ranzo suddenly cursed.
"Oh my god."
Mask, who had landed on a rooftop, immediately slammed on the brakes. Almost simultaneously, the two turned around and charged backward.
1 second, 2 seconds.
Boom!
A fireball erupted over 200 meters behind Ranzo and Mask. If they had continued the chase, they would have definitely been caught in the rapidly expanding blast.
The fireball instantly expanded to half a kilometer, and the scorching heat vaporized all buildings within that radius.
The heat wave swept toward them. Mask, hiding behind a building, curled up to reduce her body's exposure to the heat. An Apollo had been detonated.
Just moments ago, Mask and Ranzo had entered the explosion range of the Apollo. They immediately sensed the terrifying danger and retreated.
After a few seconds, the fireball from the Apollo disappeared, leaving behind blazing solar flames within the explosion zone. This was likely the Apollo with the fewest kills; its kill count was zero.
Behind a wall glowing red-hot, Mask stood up. The soft metal outer armor on her upper body opened, releasing a cloud of steam from evaporated sweat.
Mask had short black hair and heavy black eye shadow. Once her upper armor opened, her torso was completely exposed.
She poured clear water over herself. Her outer armor had decent heat insulation, or she would have been dehydrated by now. Water dripped from the ends of her hair as she gasped for fresh air.
"Getting hit by that thing... without an invincibility ability, you'd definitely die."
Having chased this far, Mask suddenly felt some hesitation.
Footsteps approached. Mask quickly closed her outer armor, encasing her body again.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Ranzo, coughing incessantly, came to Mask's side. His once stylish white hair was now scorched black, wisps of green smoke rising from it.
"Keep chasing."
The muscles on Ranzo's face twitched. He might have been able to tolerate taking the blame, but burning his hair? That was absolutely unforgivable!
"Alright... fine."
Mask's tone was a bit strange. It wasn't fear, but rather her struggling to suppress a laugh.
With a rustling sound, black ash fell from Ranzo's head. His fingers twitched, nearly driving him mad.
"Pfft~"
"If you dare laugh, you'll be the first to die today."
Electric arcs flickered in Ranzo's eyes. This time, Mask couldn't laugh anymore. In a life-or-death fight, she was no match for Ranzo.
"Lead the way. Keep chasing."
"Here."
Mask tossed a tablet to Ranzo.
"This is the location. Go chase him yourself. I'm not interested in personal grudges. That guy can use explosives to cover his retreat, which means he can also use them to take an enemy down with him."
A smile appeared on Mask's face, but her helmet's visor hid her expression well.
Ranzo said nothing, transforming into lightning and disappearing. Moments later, Mask reappeared with a grim expression, the tablet in her hand smoking. The scene was extremely awkward.
Ranzo's expression was twisted with rage, having reached the peak of anger.
"5000 Paradise Coins."
Mask held up five fingers, each fingertip sporting a shiny metal claw.
Ranzo didn't waste words. He directly tossed Mask a Paradise Coin savings card. After receiving a new tablet, he glanced at it, stored it in his inventory, and transformed into lightning to disappear.
After Ranzo left, Mask stood up, dusted off her backside, and stretched.
"Hmm~ Tricked another one. Those madmen from the Traveling Group aren't so impressive after all. Let me see, where are you now... Found you. You've already rushed out of District 21."
Mask leaped and vanished. A few seconds after she left, electric arcs flickered, and Ranzo reappeared.
"Finally shook them all off. That little wildcat wants to take all the spoils for herself. The Lightning Transformation can last at most half an hour, but that's enough."
Ranzo rubbed his head, getting a handful of black ash.
"Looks like I'll need a new hairstyle. A bald head doesn't seem so bad."
Ranzo walked in the direction Mask had disappeared, his pace unhurried. He wasn't in a rush. Reaping the benefits as a third party was clearly easier than fighting the enemy head-on. Ranzo believed in one thing: use your brain whenever possible, never your fists.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, District 22.
Most buildings in District 22 were hospitals. It wasn't far from the lawless District 16. After pirates fought to the death, they would come straight to the hospital.
In the crevice between two abandoned hospitals was an alley about six meters wide, piled high with discarded medical equipment. The surrounding streets were deserted.
Inside the alley, Su Xiao pulled down the collar of his clothes to check the gunshot wound he had received earlier. The bullet had pierced his shoulder, but fortunately, Little Mantou had healed him a few times, allowing the wound to close and scab over.
Su Xiao moved his shoulder. The scab fell off, revealing faint blood vessels beneath the wound. Fortunately, it was no longer a serious issue.
After arriving here, Su Xiao stopped fleeing. The faint sense of being watched was still there, meaning the enemy had locked onto him. Running was pointless.
If he had fled this far and all those lone wolves could still catch up, Su Xiao would have no choice. If that happened, it meant the lone wolves had temporarily united. The likelihood of that was low. Chasing an enemy while staying united? Those unruly lone wolves probably couldn't manage it.
The alley was deathly silent. Before long, Bubu Wang appeared beside Su Xiao out of nowhere, holding a flintlock pistol in its mouth.
Su Xiao took the flintlock from Bubu Wang's mouth, and a flood of prompts appeared.
[You have obtained "Roger's Sidearm."]
[Time until Silvers Rayleigh discovers "Roger's Sidearm" is missing: 76 hours.]
[Accept/Decline hidden quest: Fencing (Third Ring).]
[Hidden Quest: Fencing (Third Ring).]
Difficulty Level: Lv.?
Quest Brief: Go to "Appraiser Todd Anderson" to have this firearm appraised.
Quest Info: "Appraiser Todd Anderson" was originally located in District 21. Current whereabouts unknown.
Quest Time Limit: 76 hours.
Quest Reward: Ownership of Roger's Sidearm. After obtaining ownership, this weapon can be sold for 10,000 points of Pirate Reputation.
Quest Penalty: Hostility from all members of the Roger Pirates, and pursuit by Silver Ghost (Rayleigh) and Copper Ghost (Scopper Gaban).
...
Su Xiao decisively accepted the quest. Only a certified Roger's sidearm would have value.
Just as he accepted the quest, faint footsteps came from above. He looked up.
"Hello, little mouse."
Mask crouched on the roof of a hospital, looking down at Su Xiao. She raised a hand to greet him. She dared to come alone because she possessed extremely strong escape abilities.
Before appearing, Mask had considered what to do if she wasn't a match for Su Xiao. Her conclusion was to immediately create a huge commotion to attract other contractors.
"..."
Su Xiao drew the longsword from his waist without a word.