Chapter 1176
Chapter 1176 - 1162: Cleaning
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7 min read
"Protection fees? Me? You? Dare?"
When the local "gang" came knocking, asking for so-called startup protection money, Lu Ping’an simply laughed out loud.
Especially when he saw that the leaders were a bunch of the Aquatic Clan.
"...You probably don’t know who I am?"
𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"Open shop! Collect fees! Rule!"
Looking at the group in front of him, wielding clubs and iron weapons, resembling refugees more than gang members - the Fishmen and Half Fishmen, Lu Ping’an was infuriated yet amused.
Reality sometimes is that nonsensical yet somehow logical.
The refugees lacking the ability to make a living were indeed quite pitiable... but what’s most likely, is their reality of turning their knives on those even weaker.
Lu Ping’an’s shop employed mostly members of the Long Hand Clan and Fishmen as attendants, while "human employees" tended to their own business without hanging around.
So, the "native gang" came by the new store as per their rules.
Demanding a startup red envelope and regular protection fees, or else they’d threaten with vandalism and looting. When Lu Ping’an, the "ordinary human youth," appeared, these guys toned down their arrogance a bit but were still quite obstinate.
"If not... block the door! Throw oil!"
"We are customers too, we want to shop... We have no money, but you can’t stop us from coming in."
Noticing the presence of "human employees," they switched tactics adeptly, softening their approach from outright threat to "if you don’t pay the protection fee, we’ll make it impossible for you to do business."
This too-clever-by-half shift in attitude only made Lu Ping’an laugh harder.
It seemed they were accustomed to this kind of "bullying the weak, fearing the strong"...
"Get lost."
Lu Ping’an couldn’t be bothered to argue, just calmly standing there, dropping the word and then preparing to turn and walk away.
"You... you..."
But clearly, some just didn’t know when to back off.
Even, a tall Fishman placed his hand on Lu Ping’an’s shoulder...
He had companions who realized what was happening, but it was already too late.
The Fishman was frozen in place as if time had stopped; the next moment, cracks appeared in chunks of flesh...
Thus, without even a chance for a scream, it shattered into pieces on the ground.
As chunks of flesh slid to the floor, and what might have once been a victim now lay in a mush of flesh, the scene instantly solidified.
This time, even the dumbest Fishman knew they’d hit a brick wall.
Lu Ping’an simply turned his head back calmly, his lifeless eyes slowly opening, his snow-white pupils seemingly harboring a deity...
The screaming Fishmen and Sea Tribe chose to flee for their lives.
Crawling, running, shrieking - as arrogant as they were before, they were now equally ugly in their escape.
They were just a bunch of losers... but in this moment, Lu Ping’an was truly intent on killing because losers that professionals would normally look down on could often commit atrocities that even the strong would hesitate to carry out.
In most cases, the weaker would only strike at the even weaker, and the biggest victims of these "native gangs" were, obviously, the truly ordinary refugees.
But looking at the garbage scurrying about in panic, Lu Ping’an again lost his interest...
"There’s no end to the killing."
Next to him, the Big Fishman Leader voiced the somewhat helpless thought Lu Ping’an was having.
This was human territory, but in reality, the number of "human masters" was limited, naturally leaving room for a large number of foreigners to enter, becoming ordinary citizens or warriors.
This world had no agricultural civilization to speak of, living steadily with what the heavens provided was nonexistent.
Fishing wasn’t just a skillful trade but also one that demanded risking one’s life, why would these garbage Fishmen resort to working hard and gambling with their lives when they could survive by bullying the weaker?
The fundamental reason, after all, was...
"This place lacks order..."
Though this was a frontline city, it was more so because there was a Big Shot stationed here, ensuring the battle lines remained secure.
For most professionals, human warriors, and Fishman Cannon Fodder Legions, this place was merely a pit stop; only the local refugees without homes would consider it as their own.
As a result, without "officials" stepping in to manage order, all sorts of chaotic elements naturally tried to "claim kingship."
In the human frontline cities, this was actually quite common; after all, the number of "human masters" was always limited, and their attention was mostly focused on adversaries of intellect, while the majority of local Fishmen and Water system life forms had their own ways of life... The human masters didn’t bother with them, as there was basically no benefit in doing so.
Ignoring them meant no responsibility, leaving them to their own devices—perhaps even a blessing in disguise.
And if you really wanted to take charge... did you have the credentials? This was a city with a Quasi-God stationed in it—are you sure you want to show off your presence in front of her?
"There are probably a dozen gangs that monopolize some manual labor. They don’t do the work themselves; after getting a job request, they find refugees to do it, then take seventy to eighty percent of the income..."
"Some Fishmen making small trades can survive, but they were tormented by them until they could no longer live... After A collects protection money, B comes along, giving no room to survive, and in the end, they all drive themselves to death."
"They generally don’t dare to trouble the human masters, maybe because they saw that you, sir, looked too ordinary..."
Someone laughed beside him. In fact, Lu Ping’an, wearing that wooden mask, subdued his own aura, and squinting to seal the Eye of Truth, indeed looked very "Mortal"... But the appearance of a "Mortal" here was the biggest anomaly on its own, yet those Fishmen clearly didn’t think that much.
"Why would the human masters care? With these evildoers around, whatever they want becomes more convenient to obtain, just by making a demand, someone would deliver it, whether it’s servants, labor, or even more outrageous requests... Besides, they’re not bullying their own people, so it doesn’t matter."
"Sigh, forget it, this city never had a master to begin with, no one will care..."
The native chaos surprised Lu Ping’an; after all, he thought with a Quasi-God in charge, at least some order would be maintained.
But it seemed that the Big Shot didn’t care at all, and with the city itself having little profit to plunder, it ultimately became the stronghold of some "refugee gangs."
No one had sovereignty over the city’s benefits, hence, no one could bear the responsibility of maintaining order.
"I’ll do it... Meow, I want the heads of all the gang BOSSes here."
"Meow, always bossing a cat around."
Though speaking this way, the reality of her quickly transforming into a Shadow and disappearing on the spot indicated she didn’t really resist.
Having come from the lower social strata herself, she perhaps knew what was most dangerous for the true weak...
"Do I need to send greetings to Lord Xiuyi?"
"Not necessary, she wouldn’t care if you bloodbathed this city."
With Big Cat’s backing, Lu Ping’an naturally became even more confident.
"Then let’s bloodbath it."
"No benefits? Let’s create some then. A stable and orderly city is more convenient for us to do business, to transform this city into a trade city..."
Thus, when the local tyrants encountered the dragon from across the river, the next morning, certain gray streets were covered with a thick layer of bloodstains.
— End of Chapter 1176 —