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Chapter 61: A Thin Human Face
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 22:48:47 +0000 UTCIf there was an opportunity to meet Annie's “cousin,” Charlot mused to himself, it could undoubtedly expand his network. Perhaps it would even help secure a powerful supporter for his marriage to Annie.
Whether this would offend the other party was not Charlot's concern. A proper person would never shrink back from an endeavor simply because of the possibility of failure. They would prepare thoroughly and boldly face the consequences of defeat.
Annie nodded firmly and said, “In a few days, my cousin will return to Strasbourg. I’ll arrange for you two to have tea together.”
Charlot handed her a cup of freshly brewed coffee and said, “Miss Annie, you truly are my lucky star!”
Annie blushed slightly, took the coffee, and sipped it gracefully like a proper lady.
Charlot invited Annie to the third-floor terrace to enjoy the scenery of the Lukavaro River. Annie gladly accepted, and the two of them spent a leisurely afternoon there.
Even so, Charlot still did not earn the privilege of dining with her. He accompanied Annie to the entrance of a small alley before dinner and watched her carriage depart. Just as he turned to find a place to eat, a chill suddenly swept over him. The Eye of Insight activated automatically.
A stranger exuding a murderous aura, disguised as a passerby, was rapidly closing in on him.
The assassin was already very close. Charlot instantly determined that there was no time to use the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle. The rifle required a reloading process, and the assassin was too near. With a flick of his wrist, the Blood Rose sliced through the air, “thrown” directly at the threat.
The assassin hadn’t expected Charlot’s reaction to be so swift and decisive. He thought his concealment was flawless and that his target could not have detected him. With no time to react, he bent backward into a stance similar to the Iron Bridge, his upper body nearly parallel to the ground.
The Blood Rose brushed past his nose and looked as if it would fly off harmlessly. However, the vampiric rapier miraculously twirled mid-air, circled back, and coiled around the assassin’s neck.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three sharp collisions rang out in rapid succession.
The assassin had produced a dagger, clashing with the Blood Rose three times in the blink of an eye, breaking Charlot's lethal strike.
Charlot summoned his Bloodfire Qi, controlling the Blood Rose to shift its movements. Simultaneously, he revealed the Vampiric Axe and hurled it viciously toward the assassin's thigh.
The assassin could no longer hide his identity. His combat energy erupted, and with a forceful kick, he sent the Vampiric Axe flying. His dagger whirled defensively several times to fend off the Blood Rose, after which he spun around and sprinted away at full speed.
An assassin had come for him.
How could Charlot let him escape alive?
This assassin’s techniques were cunning, his strength superior to Charlot’s. Last time, he had retreated when sensing danger. Now, he had even changed his appearance.
Although the assassin had been temporarily repelled by Charlot's mastery of Bloodfire Qi-controlled weapons, this was merely the assassin being cautious. If he chose to fight recklessly, he would likely have overwhelmed Charlot.
Should the assassin prepare himself and return, there might not be another chance for the newly promoted third-rank Chief Clerk to survive.
Charlot planted his Battlefield Cane into the ground and retrieved his Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle. The assassin had been too close earlier, leaving him no time to take out the rifle. But now that the enemy had fled, he was finally within firing range.
Charlot crouched, bracing his arm on his knee in a standard shooting stance. He hadn’t realized before how steady his hand could be when pulling the trigger!
The first Anti-Magic Armor-Piercing Round flew out, striking the assassin's left shoulder.
The specialized Anti-Magic Armor-Piercing Round could kill a Titan ogre with one shot. Even high-level transcendents like Grand Duke Ferdinand or Lord Leo wouldn’t be able to withstand its power.
Half of the assassin’s body was obliterated instantly. The remaining half was flung far away by the bullet’s residual force.
Charlot slapped the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle back into his Battlefield Cane, recalled the Vampiric Axe and Blood Rose, and quickly ran to the assassin’s body. The assassin gave him a venomous glare, as though trying to say something, but died before he could utter a word.
Charlot searched the body and retrieved a wallet, a dagger, and an alchemical pistol. As he was about to get up to notify the City Patrol Guards, something thin slipped off the assassin’s face.
It was a thin human face!
Beneath the flimsy face covering was an unfamiliar visage.
Charlot’s eyes flickered in realization. “So, he used this magical artifact to change his appearance. At No. 1 Falcon Street, he disguised himself as Aubrey Tildon Atwood, and this time, he took on another face.”
“Unfortunately, he didn’t know I have the Eye of Insight! And even less that the Eye of Insight automatically activates against killing intent.”
“This extraordinary ability has saved my life again!”
Charlot beckoned to a group of newspaper boys nearby and said, “Anyone willing to run to No. 1 Falcon Street in the Lukavaro District and report to the City Patrol Guards can go now. Tell Dubin to bring at least fifty men. The first one to arrive gets five centimes, the second four, the third three, the fourth two, and the fifth one. No rewards for anyone after that.”
The boys took off sprinting, eager to win the five-centime reward.
Less than an hour later, Dubin arrived at a jog with a squad of City Patrol Guards. When he saw the assassin’s corpse, he couldn’t help but say, “Boss! You used that rifle from last time, didn’t you? Its power is ridiculous.”
Charlot shrugged and said, “Take the body to the mass grave outside the city. No need to register it!”
The City Patrol Guards managed public security in the city. Although this was the Picardy District, the Picardy squad hadn’t shown up, and Charlot had technically handled the matter outside his jurisdiction. But that wasn’t a problem.
Charlot had taken his spoils and didn’t feel like investigating further. The culprit was the Fierce Horse Detective Agency. The grudge between them was growing deeper and deeper. Charlot believed dueling wouldn’t solve the problem. Even if they temporarily backed off, he would one day uproot the Fierce Horse Detective Agency entirely.
The newspaper boys soon returned. Charlot called them over, confirmed their rankings, and handed out the promised rewards. He even gave an extra centime to each child as a consolation prize, including those who had arrived after the top five.
He lived on Elysée Avenue, and these boys were sharp-eyed. With such generosity, it would be much easier to get their help in the future.
Dubin, who had handled countless similar cases, wrapped the assassin’s body in a shroud and took it away. Once the City Patrol Guards left, Elysée Avenue quickly returned to its usual bustling state.
This era was like that.
No one cared about the lives or deaths of strangers. Such street killings were so common that most residents were unfazed.
Charlot returned to 58 Elysée Avenue and examined his newly acquired spoils. The wallet contained fifteen ten-flor bills, a bit of loose change, and a note with an address:
5 Dragon Fort Street, Alcatras District. Chelsea Detective Agency.
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