"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."
A continuous chain of explosions echoed from outside the city.
The Krieg Pirates had ignited the Terminal Waste Heap, and the time limit for his main mission was now down to just a few hours.
After three days of meticulous preparation, the time for harvest had finally arrived.
Su Xiao moved swiftly through the encroaching darkness, making his way toward the city gates.
——
Outside the city, the Terminal Waste Heap.
The explosions had now merged into a single, deafening roar, with towering flames shooting into the sky. Burning debris was flung high into the air.
The scavengers who had been resting in the waste heap were jolted awake by the sudden blasts. The fire quickly spread across the mountains of trash.
By the time the scavengers realized what was happening and tried to flee their shelters, the inferno had already engulfed everything.
Piercing screams intertwined with the explosions, painting a scene straight out of hell.
If hell truly existed, the Terminal Waste Heap had become its embodiment.
The members of the Krieg Pirates watched as the flames consumed the waste heap and immediately began moving toward the city gates.
They had previously discussed the plan with Su Xiao—once the Terminal Waste Heap was set ablaze, they were to head straight for the gates, where Su Xiao would arrange for someone to open them.
Of course, Krieg would never agree to entrust his life to someone else's hands.
So after their meeting, Su Xiao had sent his trusted subordinate, Hank, to accompany the Krieg Pirates on their mission.
Hank, now disguised as a pirate, followed closely behind Krieg.
"Hurry! The fire's about to spread—we'll be in danger if we don't move fast!" Krieg bellowed, prompting his crew to quicken their pace.
Three minutes later, the Krieg Pirates arrived outside the city gates.
Standing before the towering entrance, the pirates grinned. They had done their part. Now, all that remained was to step inside the city and embrace the good life awaiting them.
Especially Krieg himself—he was already fantasizing about his future as a noble.
Luxurious mansions, exquisite food, and the bodies of countless beautiful women.
At this moment, Krieg even considered abandoning his life as a pirate altogether.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Krieg pounded on the city gates.
"Open up! This is the Krieg Pirates! We've set the Terminal Waste Heap on fire!"
After his knocking, only silence answered him. Apart from the howling wind and the crackling of flames, the city remained deathly quiet.
"Hey! Open the damn gates! The fire's about to reach us!"
Still, no response. A creeping dread settled in Krieg's heart.
Behind them, an all-consuming inferno raged. Before them, an impenetrable gate stood firm. They were trapped.
Soon, the flames would claim them.
"What the hell is going on? Why aren't the gates opening?!"
Bloodshot veins bulged in Krieg's eyes as he turned toward Hank, his expression that of a cornered beast.
Hank's lips trembled, his face pale. He had been sent out here by Su Xiao, but as an ordinary guard, he knew nothing about the king's true intentions—or that the promise would never be honored.
"N-no, that can't be… Wait, let me try!"
Hank's voice shook as he stumbled forward, a terrible suspicion dawning on him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Open up! This is Hank from the Royal Guard! Bai Ye! Get out here! Show yourself!"
Hank's shouts turned into desperate screams. The honorific "sir" was long forgotten.
"BAI YE! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Krieg finally understood—he had been deceived. They were nothing more than pawns, sacrificial lambs.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Hank.
"Burn. Him. Alive."
The words left Krieg's lips like a death sentence. His crew immediately seized Hank, binding him before hurling him into the nearby flames.
"NO! IT WASN'T ME! BAI YE, YOU'LL DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH—AHHH!"
The fire eagerly licked at Hank's skin. His agonized screams lasted barely ten seconds before being silenced forever.
Just as despair began to consume the Krieg Pirates, a low, rough voice called down from atop the city walls.
"Hey. You down there. Want to live?"
Every pirate below stiffened.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!"
Krieg, his rationality fraying, squinted up at the walls. A gaunt middle-aged man stood there, barely visible in the firelight.
Before Krieg could say more, multiple barrels came hurtling down from above.
The sight of the barrels made Krieg's blood run cold. With the inferno behind them, this could only mean one thing—they were being set up to die.
"Blow open the gates. That's your only chance."
With that, the man on the wall retreated into the shadows and vanished.
Krieg hesitated for less than two seconds before his first mate, Gin, lunged forward, stacking the explosive barrels against the gates.
From inside the city, panicked shouts erupted—the guards had noticed what was happening outside.
Krieg tore off his black cloak, revealing a suit of golden armor beneath. He raised his arm, aiming the built-in cannon at the barrels.
BOOM!
The explosion sent the pirates flying backward. Several unlucky ones were shredded by shrapnel, collapsing in pools of blood.
Out of the hundreds in Krieg's crew, at least a dozen perished in the blast.
But it was worth it.
Because the gates had been blown open.
Beyond the shattered entrance lay the mangled corpses of the gate guards.
The Krieg Pirates stepped over the wreckage and stormed into the royal capital.
This was a crew fueled by rage—and now, they would unleash that rage upon the city in a frenzy of slaughter and plunder.
"Hey. You. Don't move."
Krieg's voice was ice as he leveled his weapon at a shadowy corner.
"D-don't shoot! I'm the one who saved you!"
The same gaunt man from the walls emerged, fear in his eyes.
"Why help us? I don't know you."
Krieg didn't lower his weapon.
"Bai Ye is my enemy. And the enemy of my enemy… is my friend."
A cruel smirk twisted Krieg's lips.
"Where is Bai Ye?"
"In the palace. He's receiving rewards from the king—rumor says he's being granted noble status."
The words "rewards" and "noble status" struck Krieg like a physical blow.
Those were supposed to be his.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out. The man's chest erupted in a fist-sized hole. Krieg had just executed his own savior.
"You bastard. You dared throw explosives at me? Trying to get me killed?"
With that, Krieg led his crew toward the palace. His goals were clear—kill Bai Ye, slaughter the king, and ransack the royal treasury to make up for today's losses.
The gaunt man collapsed, blood bubbling from his lips as his body convulsed.
As the Krieg Pirates disappeared into the distance, the light in his eyes began to fade.
Then, from the shadows, a young man with a cigarette between his teeth stepped forward.
"Give… the money… to my wife and daughter… I did everything you asked…"
Su Xiao crouched beside the dying man and exhaled a slow stream of smoke.
"You did well. The money's already with them."
"Good… Thank you… Thank you…"
With those final words, the man's eyes dimmed completely.
He had been a death row inmate Su Xiao freed from prison. Their arrangement had been simple—a transaction.
Su Xiao provided money. The man provided his life.
A deal both fair and unfair.
Watching the Krieg Pirates vanish into the night, Su Xiao flicked away his cigarette and crushed it underfoot.
"Don't disappoint me, Krieg Pirates."
With that, he melted back into the darkness, speeding toward the palace.