Chapter 502: Grey Zone Battle Beatdown
With much left to see and do in the city, Zero, Bob and Truen decided to excuse themselves and visit the southern district while the ladies returned to Mitchnew's guild to discuss in detail the combined operations of Black Mamba and Lady Death's network.
"According to Mitchnew, the southern district is also known as the Grey Zone. Be careful when you arrive, master. Only low-lives exist there and everybody is dangerous. There isn't anyone without an ulterior motive and the faction wars is a regular occurrence. We should try to lay low and investigate discreetly."
'Lay low' and 'discreet' weren't words in Zero's dictionary so Truen told Bob not to hold onto any hopes.
"Remember," the elf told Zero. "If there is a situation you cannot get out of by ignoring and walking away, hit them hard and knock them out in one blow but don't use magic. And, keep the hood up at all times. We don't want rumours about the new envoy being a violent street thug going around. It will give the other royalties a bad impression."
The Grey Zone was worse than the western district. Anywhere that Zero went, he was reminded of Deadman Town. While there were more people here, there were also fewer women and children. The shopkeepers didn't bother fixing their windows and doors that had been damaged by regular fights.
Truen took the lead and Bob walked beside Zero, keeping an eye out on the people around them as they walked. According to sources that they heard from, they had to look for the slave rings and the easiest way to identify if someone was a slave trader was to look at the whips they carried around their waist. Those with whips and a ring of keys were most likely slave traders.
"Slave trader spotted to the right!" Zero announced using the party call function and Truen quickly changed their route. Bob also slowed down significantly so that Zero walked ahead of him. There were two different groups of people eyeing them and the bolder group of low-lives were following them as they walked over to a quieter street.
"Be careful," Bob whispered lowly. "There are people flanking us from the back. This must be their turf."
Truen remained unfazed although Zero was nervous. What if he accidentally used too much strength and ends up killing someone? Should he use revival magic on them after that or absorb them into his system? Truen didn't answer Zero and was focussed on finding the true boss of the area.
Zero didn't know how it happened but he made eye contact with one of the slaves in the cage. Like all slaves unregistered under the new law, they were dirty and not in good conditions. The girl Zero made eye contact with was a bird beast folk. She had wings instead of hands but her feathers were matted with blood and torn in a few spots. It was a horrible sight but nothing scared Zero more than the look she had on her face.
She wasn't looking at Zero but behind him and the doctor turned around quickly. Bob was already prepared to tackle the six men who surrounded them and Truen sighed. He didn't feel like talking to mindless goons but if they didn't teach them a lesson, they would never meet the boss of the area who had the most information about slaves and possibly, kidnapping.
"Move aside if you don't want to get hurt or die," Truen told them. "We're here to talk to the person behind the slave trafficking operations."
"Who do you think you are?!" a thug with an eyepatch slurred and brandished his shortsword. "Leave your money here and we might let you go."
"No revival or healing magic," Truen warned Zero and readied for action.
Zero didn't have time to answer because Bob decided to march to the tune of his own beat and started the pummelling without even Truen's signal. The wood elf saw that three men behind were taken out in an instant and kicked some stones on the ground with precision, taking out two from the front as he blocked an attack from the third man aiming for Zero who backed away.
Bob didn't use a lot of strength and the three men stood up again. Two of them focused on Bob who easily handled them with one hand but the third man decided to aid his struggling buddies and reach for Zero.
As a peace-encouraging person, Zero tried to talk them out of it but failed. Since he wasn't allowed to use magic of any kind, Zero decided that the best way to resolve this unreasonable fight was to disable them temporarily.
Bob locked the elbow of one man and used his full weight to jump on him, making them crash into the ground while he kicked the other in the groin. Truen also quickly concluded his fight with a good uppercut to one goon and a heavy hit to the solar plexus of the other. They were about to lend Zero their assistance when they witnessed something they'd never seen before.
Like a fire in the wind, Zero danced around gracefully dodging the attacks and aimed for an opening to lightly tap on certain parts, rendering arms and legs useless in the fight. Then, for the finishing blow, Zero simply hit the acupoints on their chests and backs to make them fall onto the ground bonelessly.
The goons groaned on Truen and Bob's side but the two defeated thugs who were paralysed looked at Zero in fear. The doctor smiled warmly and bent down so that they could hold a conversation.
"Would you mind telling me who I can find to enquire about slaves now?"
Truen felt proud when he saw how Zero had already found his fighting style. There was no mistaking it. That dance-like movements were what the Marsupial Martial Arts from Amon and the strange paralysing taps were born from Zero's profound medical knowledge taught to him by Hua Tuo.
This wasn't even a scuffle or a fight, against a doctor like Zero, even without magic, there wasn't a struggle. It was a complete beatdown and Zero won this hands down. Bob looked at Zero with awe and Truen summoned Sureshot. It was a lot easier to get them talking when they were forced to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth with a little convincing.
Just before Truen could let the spell loose, they heard someone shout, "Hold it!"
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