88: Chapter 0088 Robbery

On the rapidly moving witchcraft motorcycle, the patterns of light blue Wind Element Runes carved onto its body shimmered in the wind, and the three occupants indulged in daydreams amidst the howling headwind carrying faint Demonic Energy.

Suddenly, several witchcraft modified bicycles, their wheels wrapped with rusty rune-etched wires, shot out diagonally from the distance, blocking the trio's path forward.

"Screech!"

The two witchcraft motorcycles slammed on their brakes urgently, their sorcery crystal-embedded tires dragging long black marks and emitting a scorched, burnt smell on the bluestone road.

The Wind Element Runes on the vehicle bodies instantly dimmed. They nearly collided with those bicycles; the speed they achieved astonished even the would-be robbers, a look of disbelief flashing in their eyes.

Seeing the three stop, those on the bicycles quickly surrounded them. The riders wore witchcraft leather armor riddled with holes.

Several similarly modified bicycles appeared behind them, blocking their retreat. About a dozen people surrounded the trio, all gripping rune-inscribed weapons.

A man with blood-stained sword rune patterns tattooed on his body and a sharp spiked haircut shouldered a rusty great saber carved with blurry Attack Runes on its blade.

He grinned maliciously:

"Heh heh! You guys spent so long messing around in the Secret Realm, you must have gotten quite a haul.

Stop playing dumb. Hand over all the Ice Crystal Ore you found, and I might consider letting you live."

A thin accomplice beside him touched the witchcraft dagger at his waist and muttered a few words under his breath.

The man's eyes immediately lit up, a greedy rune light flashing in them. He added with a wicked smile:

"Hmm! Leave the vehicles and these two pretty women. Kid, you can scram!

Hurry up and go. If you're lucky, you might reach Zero Degree City before dawn! Otherwise..."

His words were left unfinished, but the threat was palpable as he brandished the great saber.

The man's wicked grin drew loud laughter from the dozen or so accomplices surrounding them.

The laughter shook the small pebbles on the ground slightly, echoing across the desolate wilderness where faint Demonic Energy mist floated, sounding particularly jarring.

Li Size and his two female companions beside him were slightly stunned...

Gelia tightened her grip on the knight sword at her waist, while Felina frowned. They exchanged glances, thinking to themselves:

Had they run into robbers?

And it seemed the other party had planned this for a long time, specifically staking out this secluded road.

Within the Duchy's territory, the area under actual official control accounted for less than forty percent of the total area. The remaining sixty percent was occupied by Magic Monsters, bandits, or other chaotic forces.

This resulted in vicious crimes like robbery and kidnapping never ceasing in this world. After committing their crimes, these thugs would hide in the blind spots outside official zones.

The terrain there was complex, Magic Monsters ran rampant, and even the trees grew leaves inscribed with poison runes. For official forces to pursue them was like finding a needle in a haystack, extremely difficult.

Therefore, scenes of roadside robbery were not uncommon in border regions, and traces of witchcraft traps frequently marked the roads near the borders.

Li Size turned his head and whispered to Gelia:

"Can I kill people in this situation?

I don't want trouble, but if necessary, I won't hold back."

Gelia frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, recalling the relevant clauses of the Duchy's law, and then explained softly:

"According to the law, if there is definite evidence that the other party intends to kill or seriously injure us,

such as them attacking with weapons or uttering threats, our resistance or even killing them is not a crime.

But the prerequisite is ensuring our own safety."

Although her voice was calm, it carried a trace of vigilance as her eyes swept over every thug's weapon.

Hearing this, Li Size relaxed, a cold, grim curve forming on his lips.

He slowly drew out the Wind-Azure revolver, "winds kiss," which he hadn't used in a long time. Wind Element Attack Runes were carved on the gun body, shimmering coldly under the moonlight.

This gun hadn't been with him long, but perhaps this would be its last battle, as Li Size already had plans to upgrade his weapon.

He would implement the plan immediately upon returning to Gray Mist Mountain Town, replacing it with a more powerful piece of equipment inscribed with fortitude runes and capable of using dual rune stacking.

But for now, it was sufficient to handle the current situation. Li Size traced the runes on the gun body, his gaze firm.

Li Size said coldly, his voice carrying a faint Demonic Energy fluctuation:

"You still have time to scram.

I will count to three. If you don't retreat, you bear the consequences."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable Killing Intent. The Killing Intent made the surrounding air turn cold, instantly silencing the previously arrogant thugs, their smiles freezing on their faces.

The surrounding crowd looked at each other, some subconsciously taking half a step back, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.

They all looked towards the tattooed man in charge, awaiting his instructions.

The man gritted his teeth and gripped the great saber tighter. The Demonic Energy particles in the air became agitated, and the atmosphere instantly tensed up.

The tattooed man's wild laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by a Demonic Energy roar within his laughter. The flesh on his face twisted into a knot, and a fierce red light flashed in his eyes:

"Brat, you're courting death! Brothers, grab your weapons and charge! Chop him up!"

Before his words finished, Li Size's finger had already pulled the trigger, and the rune on the trigger instantly lit up.

"Bang!"

The silver-white gun body cut a cold arc under the moonlight. The bullet, carrying traces of Wind Element Runes, accurately pierced the wrist of the foremost thug.

The short knife clattered to the ground. His Marksmanship skill had recently advanced to the Mastery level through arduous practice:

Marksmanship (Mastery 0 / 100).

Accuracy was extremely high, displayed as 99%, making a miss almost impossible.

Traits: Infallible Shot, Curved Trajectory, with corresponding rune icons next to the traits.

Infallible Shot: Range Rune displays that within 50 meters, it hits any small target regardless of condition;

Curved Trajectory: Can control the trajectory of the fired bullets, with a Curvature Rune displaying a small curvature of 15 degrees to bypass obstacles.

That thug clutched his wrist and screamed, the scream carrying chaotic Demonic Energy fluctuations. He writhed on the ground in pain, crushing the rune grass beneath him.

"If anyone takes another step, the next shot goes to the heart."

Li Size's voice was like shards of ice. The muzzle of the gun, flashing with red runes, slowly swept across the remaining thugs. The surrounding crowd instantly froze, their arrogance replaced by terror, their faces turning pale.

The tattooed man stared, cold sweat carrying a faint Demonic Energy smell seeping from his temples. He hadn't expected the opponent's Marksmanship to be this accurate, and the power was clearly abnormal.

His brother just now was a Knight Rank wearing a Knight Rune Badge on his chest; ordinary firearms simply wouldn't possess this kind of power.

Gelia softly chanted an incantation carrying the sound of Water Element Runes, casting the Zero-Ring Sorcery "Resistance Enhancement" on herself and Felina.

Light blue defensive runes shimmered on their bodies. Her Resistance Enhancement could increase energy level defense by nearly 4 points.

As for Li Size, he didn't need it at all; his black magic iron armor was sufficient to handle most situations.

She softly said to Li Size: "Watch out for the one on the left. He's sneakily reaching for the crossbow with the rune switch on his back."

The rune glasses at the corner of Li Size's eye flashed, and his peripheral vision swept over...

Indeed, he saw a thin thug behind the tattooed man, his face covered in nervous sweat, furtively pulling out a crossbow.

The rune on his revolver flashed, it rotated slightly, and with a "Bang"...

The crossbow bolt didn't even have time to be loaded before the bullet, carrying traces of the Curve Rune, subtly bypassed the tattooed man's shoulder. That thug's shoulder was hit by a shot, and he fell aside screaming.

The tattooed man completely panicked, his legs going weak. He knew he had kicked an iron plate today and turned to flee into the depths of the wilderness.

"Trying to run?"

Li Size snorted coldly with contempt. His finger exerted force again, the muzzle shifted slightly, and the bullet grazed past the tattooed man's ankle, leaving faint rune traces and kicking up a spray of dust on the ground.

The smell of gunpowder mixed with the scent of blood permeated the air. After the crisp sound of the shell casing hitting the ground, there was the man's heavy, trembling gasp.

The man was so terrified his legs gave out, and he immediately knelt on the ground, crushing the stones beneath him. He begged for mercy while crawling backward, his forehead covered in cold sweat:

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'll trade treasures for my life and the lives of my brothers!"

As he spoke, he shrank backward as if that gun might spew fire again at any moment.

Li Size nodded upon hearing this, his face expressionless, only his gaze was sharp as a knife.

He turned sideways, pointed with his chin toward the sharp-tempered woman beside him who wore a rune police badge on her waist, and his voice, steady yet carrying undeniable pressure, stated:

"The one next to me is the Police Chief. She says you have violent tendencies and can kill you directly."

He paused briefly, his finger caressing the Wind Element Rune on the trigger guard. Although the muzzle was slightly lowered, his fingertip still rested on the edge of the trigger:

"However, if you still have value..."

"Value! Value!"

The tattooed man answered almost by shouting, his knees hitting the ground with a dull thud. He frantically pushed an accomplice beside him, whose face was pale with fear and whose hands were shaking:

"Quick! Take out that scroll!"

The man trembled as he pulled out a thick, old scroll from his embrace, bound in unknown animal hide inscribed with residual Defense Runes.

The surface of the hide was inscribed with three obscure characters in universal wizard script, marked with faint golden Demonic Energy traces:

Sharpness Spell.

Li Size narrowed his eyes to look closely, his pupils contracting slightly. The Pay-to-Win Analysis panel in his mind quietly lit up with basic information about this book.

He exchanged a glance with Gelia. The latter still had her right hand on her rune-locked holster, but her brow was slightly raised.

Felina leaned forward slightly, her fingers tracing the runes on her staff, her gaze sharp enough to pierce the origins of the book.

A thought flashed through all three of them simultaneously:

This is true luck!