Chapter 481: Chapter 370: Trace
"This might fry the brains of someone who’s still conscious..." Little Zi said.
"It doesn’t matter! Even if he dies, it doesn’t matter!" Wesley yelled.
"You! What are you going to do!" The word ’death’ finally instilled fear in Roslein.
"Nothing, it’s just that if you make a mistake, you pay the price. That’s it." Long Yi said.
Little Zi didn’t care about anything else; she only awaited Long Yi’s orders. As soon as he gave them, she rushed over.
"No! Don’t touch me!" Roslein screamed, trying to escape, but in an instant, he was frozen into an ice cube. Little Zi’s hands were pressed against Roslein’s head.
Almost simultaneously, all the information Long Yi wanted to know was forcibly extracted.
"Let’s go!"
Long Yi didn’t plan to waste any time and immediately turned to leave Wesley’s home. In the bed, Roslein was left alone, his eyes filled with fear and confusion. Wesley cast a glance at him, sighed heavily, and walked away.
The next stop, the casino.
The laws of the White Dragon Empire allowed gambling and levied heavy taxes on it, but the vast income generated by the gambling industry still allowed countless casino owners to make hefty profits.
The casino that Roslein frequented was located in the south of the city, an area populated by the wealthier citizens. Wealthy families loved to gamble there.
When Long Yi opened the door, the sexy hostess at the entrance was taken aback. She had never imagined that the legendary Long Yi would visit the casino!
"Lo...Log...Long Yi, sir! Hello! Welcome!" The hostess tried to make her posture even more enchanting. According to urban legends, Long Yi was known to be quite the lady-killer. If she could catch his eye, even a mere mention in one of his grand tales would give her lifelong bragging rights among her peers.
Unfortunately, Long Yi wasn’t interested in that. He simply nodded and quickly walked into the casino.
He already had a target.
Many casinos offer loan services, and there are also independent moneylenders who charge higher interest rates, but they make lending money easier.
Bald Jon was one of them.
Unlike your regular moneylender, Bald Jon was a burly brute covered in tattoos. Legend has it that this guy once killed two bears with his bare hands, and his initial fortune came from selling two undamaged bear skins.
Now Bald Jon ran a loan shark business; he was quick to lend and quick to collect, and no one dared owe him money.
However, he was restless these past few days.
He wasn’t sure if his impulsive decision to allow Roslein to execute that mission was right. The person who requested him was his lifesaver.
As an ordinary person, it sounded impressive to wrestle bears barehanded, but in reality, he had help. Jon was a very righteous man. He had received kindness from others without them asking for anything in return, and that left him feeling indebted. Many years later, when his benefactor suddenly appeared and asked for a small favor, it was like a walk in the park for him.
Lending money for Roslein to gamble and threatening him to work for him after he amassed a huge debt was a familiar operation for Jon. Yet, even though Jon wasn’t educated, he wasn’t stupid. Especially in these times, with the Black and White Dragon Empires on the brink of conflict, any aberration could be a potential scheme of the Black Dragon Empire.
Jon reluctantly completed the entire plan, and the benefactor left him with a huge amount of money as compensation. But Bald Jon didn’t dare touch the money. The more he thought about it, the more something felt off, so all he could do was pray that nothing goes wrong.
And at that moment, seeing Long Yi and Wesley appear at the same time and walk straight towards him, he immediately understood that everything he had been worried about had come true.
Jon didn’t plan to run. Wesley and Long Yi were both Dragon Knights, and especially Long Yi, who was a renowned powerhouse worldwide. Run? Where could he run to?
Jon remained still, fetching a giant sack full of gold coins the benefactor gave him from under his feet.
"Bald Jon, huh? I want to ask you something." Long Yi approached, all smiles.
"This is the money I was given... Can it reduce my guilt a bit?" Jon asked in despair.
"No no, we’re not interested in the money. You can keep it. I just have a few questions," Long Yi said, smiling. "As for your guilt - you better pray that nothing big happens, otherwise, even ten thousand of you couldn’t handle it."
Jon was already terrified. He led Long Yi to a secret room, his voice trembling as he recounted the entire process.
After hearing everything, Long Yi nodded and turned to leave.
Jon had thought he would be knocked out and taken away by Long Yi, but it seemed that Long Yi wasn’t interested in him at all.
"Long Yi... bro, what should I do now?" Jon whispered.
Long Yi shook his head: "Don’t do anything, just wait until we’ve investigated the entire process. If nothing happens, it will probably just be a fine. But if something does happen, this crime of colluding with the Black Dragon Empire is enough for you to have a good chat with the interrogator in prison."
Jon opened his mouth wide, helplessly sat on the ground, and his mind went blank.
"This is like finding a needle in a haystack."
Leaving the casino, Long Yi looked around, utterly bewildered. Jon’s so-called benefactor must be from the Black Dragon Empire. Those bastards were pretty clever, setting everything in motion years in advance, ready for the day they needed it. However, Jon had no idea where this supposed benefactor lived.
Who would he reach out to for help at a time like this?
Long Yi stood in his spot, deep in thought.
"Wesley, you should head back first and watch over Roslein. You’re the only one in your family with some power," Long Yi told Wesley.
"Then... you’ll have to take it from here." Wesley nodded, turning to leave.
Meanwhile, Long Yi headed towards the outskirts of the city.
There, resided someone Long Yi had no intention of visiting before.
Toen.
As the previous leader of Blood Coagulation in the White Dragon Empire, Toen now had a life of leisure. Although he had been ordered to kill Long Yi, Toen didn’t think he was up to the task. Long Yi wasn’t afraid of poison or face-to-face confrontations. His parents had passed away, and the girls he cared about were even stronger than him. He naturally wasn’t afraid of kidnapping either.
Damn it; Long Yi was impervious.
Facing such an adversary, Toen didn’t really have any good solutions. After he sent out the initial letter explaining the facts, the Black Dragon Empire had not given a clear response, so Toen had simply dropped the matter.
Although he was being closely watched, living here was relatively peaceful for Toen. No one was disturbing his tranquility. Kirei had given him an ample amount of gold coins, more than enough for him to squander. But it was a little boring.
Quietly calculating the time, Toen figured that Long Yi should arrive soon.
As he thought this, almost simultaneously, a knock echoed at his door.
Toen lumbered his large body to the entrance, and there stood Long Yi.
"Haha, I was just thinking about you, and here you are! Please come in, Brother Long!"
As Toen prepared to brew some tea, Long Yi halted him.
"I have some questions. Are you going to tell me directly, or should I ask them myself?" Long Yi stared into Toen’s eyes as he spoke.
Toen chuckled and responded, "You better ask, or I wouldn’t know where to start." Toen was no fool, he knew better than to fall for such an obvious ploy.
"Alright, since we can be considered somewhat on the same side, I won’t beat around the bush here. Where are the Black Knights who secretly snuck into the city a few days ago?"
Toen, being the leader in the White Dragon Empire for Blood Coagulation, an organization started by the Black Dragon Emperor himself, was naturally the right person to ask.
"I don’t know anything about that," Toen replied, his face a beacon of smiles. "If that’s what I were to say, I might not live to see another day."
Long Yi gave a shallow grin. "Look, you just saved your arms."
Even though it was winter, beads of sweat had formed on Toen’s face. Long Yi’s undisguised threat left Toen practically gasping for air. With his perception, he easily discerned Long Yi’s true intent from glare alone.
Long Yi was not a man who concealed his emotions well, or rather, he simply didn’t care to hide them.
And he had the power to back it up!
"I’ve met those five monsters. The men controlling them aren’t from Blood Coagulation, so I have had little interaction with them. A few days ago, I helped those controllers find a place to stay. However, I don’t know if they have brought the Black Knights there as well," Toen answered truthfully.
"Alright, next question. Who is that whore?" Long Yi inquired immediately after.
"Which whore?"
"You don’t know?"
Toen was startled, then laughed awkwardly. He suddenly understood, "Ah, that whore. She’s no one significant; she knows nothing about what’s happening here."
Long Yi continued to stare into Toen’s eyes. Toen widened his own gaze, attempting his best trustworthy look. After a short moment, Long Yi cracked a smile. "Thanks for your cooperation. If there are no big troubles this time, I’ll stop by to show my gratitude."
Watching Long Yi’s retreating figure, Toen felt like he escaped death by a hair’s breadth. He didn’t expect Long Yi’s mere presence to exert such immense pressure. He believed, however, that he avoided betraying any grain of truth. Everything appeared to be following his plan.
"Brother Long, about that whore, this fat bastard lied," Little Zi voiced from within Long Yi.
"I know." replied Long Yi. "I pressure him as much as I can, but he chooses to lie about this. Why do you think that is?"
"This whore is important," said Little Zi.
"No, according to my years of interrogation experience. This bastard wants us to believe that this whore is important," replied Long Yi. (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com to read.)
