Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 779 - 772: Two Sides in Conflict

Chapter 779: Chapter 772: Two Sides in Conflict

Luoer strolled straight over to the bar, pulled out several gold coins and slapped them heavily on the wooden counter, saying emotionlessly, "Boss, I’ve brought you some business!"

The bartender jumped in fright at the sudden slap, and just as he was about to react, he saw the gold coins on the table. His face quickly transformed from shock and anger to delight.

"What would you like to drink?" The bartender scraped the gold coins into his hand, asking in a fawning tone.

"Give us..." Luoer glanced back at Feng, then turned around and said, "Three glasses of fruit wine."

"Alright, please wait a moment," the bartender said, unable to contain his delight.

Despite Feng needing to remain vigilant, Luoer thought that having her drink some wine wouldn’t pose a problem. After all, the fruit wine in their world has low alcohol content. It could also be likened more to fruit vinegar than fruit wine.

Soon, the bartender brought over three glasses of fruit wine. Given Luoer’s generous tip, they were not served in wooden glasses, but with glass beer mugs imported from Earth. Although the glass clearly had a layer of yellow dirt that could not be cleaned off, it was nonetheless far cleaner than wooden glasses that can easily decay.

As the bartender brought them their drinks, Luoer scrutinized his face and confirmed he wasn’t the man they had seen earlier. This could mean that the Dead Cat Pub may no longer be an asset of the Hound Gang.

Which made sense, as when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. The Church Court ordered the extermination of the Hound Gang due to the Advance Team. As Azita fled, this influential criminal organization, which had a hand in both the underworld and the legitimate world, subsequently collapsed, leaving no assets behind.

Hu Daoke took a hefty gulp, then grimaced disconcertedly. He looked at Luoer and complained, "Boss, I’m not quite satisfied."

"We’re just trying to quench your thirst here, not to give you a buzz. If you’re so eager to drink, don’t bother coming out with us next time," Luoer rolled his eyes at him, saying without considering his feelings.

"Well, I guess I’ll just put up with it," Seeing Luoer getting a bit angry, Hu Daoke immediately gave in.

Luoer was always quite strict during missions. Since drinking could lead to mistakes, he disliked his team members getting drunk, offering no room for negotiation on this matter.

Feng cautiously sat on the barstool, her right hand on her knife handle, left hand raising a glass of wine. She took a careful sip. Not knowing whether it was the alcohol or the sourness, she furrowed her brows slightly.

"Doesn’t it taste good?" Luoer asked with concern.

"Eh, if you don’t like it, give it to me!" said Hu Daoke with a cheeky grin.

Feng looked at Luoer but said nothing. She simply shook her head, and continued to carefully take another sip.

"Don’t force yourself. You’re our main strength right now. If you get drunk, we’re all screwed," Luoer warned her.

Upon hearing his words, Feng immediately placed the glass down. She blinked hesitantly for a moment before pushing the glass towards Hu Daoke.

Luoer felt that he shouldn’t have said that. But indeed it was the truth. Given Feng’s presence, they had only brought two handguns for self-defense. Without Feng’s support in a fight, they could easily be wiped out.

Turning back, he saw the bartender starting to clean the glasses, showing none of the listlessness from earlier. He took a deep breath, then looked at the bartender and asked, "Boss, has anything major happened in Holy Heart City recently?"

"What would you like to know?" the bartender asked as he cleaned a glass.

"If I remember correctly, the Dead Cat Pub was an asset of the Hound Gang when I came here last year. But this time when I returned, I heard that the gang had been eradicated by the Church Court," Luoer remarked nonchalantly.

He could engage in such a relaxed conversation with the bartender due to his disguised elf characteristics, which made it hard for the bartender to identify his half-elf identity. Otherwise, they might not just refuse to talk to him, they might even kick him out.

"Who... who are you?" Upon hearing Luoer’s words, the bartender’s expression immediately changed. He studied them all cautiously and asked.

"Don’t be nervous, we’re just small-time merchants passing through. We came to Holy Heart City mainly to see if we could still pick up some goods from the Hound Gang," Luoer waved his hand and said.

Despite his nonsense, his gaze was very sincere, as if he really was telling the truth, effectively bamboozling the bartender.

"If you’re looking for the Hound Gang, well... how should I put it..." the bartender seemed to want to say something but stopped, "The Hound Gang was wiped out by the Church Court over a year ago, apparently because their boss offended someone from the Church Court."

In a way, the bartender’s information wasn’t wrong. After all, at that time, the Church Court had decided to intervene in the task of arresting Fu’en by the Advance Team; claiming the Advance Team was from the Church Court wouldn’t be incorrect either.

"Which power now controls this area?" Luoer asked, showing his concern.

If Azita had returned to Holy Heart City, he would have likely begun to rebuild his gang, remaining inactive up until now would be implausible.

"The Booze Ghost Gang, they now control this area. They used to be a subordinate gang to the Hound Gang and with the Hound Gang’s demise, they became masters of this underground territory," After looking around, the bartender lowered his voice and said.

As expected, a chaotic environment inevitably births dark organizations. After the Hound Gang fell, other gangs would take their place, becoming the new underground masters here.

"Did the Church Court manage to catch the boss of the Hound Gang?" Luoer asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

He naturally knew the circumstances Azita was in, but he didn’t want to make his intentions too obvious. He wasn’t sure which faction the bartender belonged to, so it was better to tread carefully.

"The boss of the Hound Gang managed to escape, but..." saying this much, the bartender once again looked hesitant.

"Come on, it’s okay. Take your time to think," Luoer said, sliding a gold coin over with his finger.

As soon as he saw the gold coin, the bartender’s face instantly changed. The previously hesitant expression turned into a big smile.

"You’re generous, boss," the bartender happily pocketed the gold coin and then whispered to him, "It’s rumored that Azita has returned to Holy Heart City!"

"He’s back? Then, did he take control of the Booze Ghost Gang?" Luoer asked curiously, widening his eyes.

"Impossible," the bartender waved his hand dismissively, "The Booze Ghost Gang was controlled by the Hound Gang for so long, they won’t willingly give up their power. They say Azita has rebuilt the Hound Gang, and he’s now at odds with the Booze Ghost Gang over territory. Your timing is perfect, had you arrived a few days earlier, this area would have been the scene of daily shootouts."

"No wonder this tavern is empty," Luoer nodded and said.

Of course, what he was really thinking about is not what he was saying. He was contemplating, at such a critical moment, which side would the Central Intelligence Agency stand on?

If the Central Intelligence Agency sides with the newly rising Booze Ghost Gang, then the Hound Gang would certainly stand no chance. However, if the Central Intelligence Agency sides with the Hound Gang, it’s akin to them letting the tiger return to the mountain, allowing Azita to become their enemy again.

Of course, there is also the possibility the Central Intelligence Agency will stand with neither party and whoever ultimately wins, the Central Intelligence Agency would then choose to collaborate with them.

According to headquarters, most of Odelanqi falls within the influence of the Central Intelligence Agency. It’s said the Odelanqi royal family has a close relationship with the Central Intelligence Agency. Clearly, if either gang could secure the support of the Central Intelligence Agency, the outcome would be vastly different.

Generally speaking, the enemy of an enemy is a friend. The headquarters, acting as a partner with the Church Court, could request the Church Court to step in and solve this issue. The Church Court’s previous crackdown had already proven their strength.

But as Luoer said, he didn’t want to support a criminal organization as it violated both his principles and those of the headquarters.

Moreover, even disregarding any ethical issues, Wang Xu had already made it clear that these underground gang organizations were not necessary partners. Not only are they inferior to powerful organizations like the Church Court, but they are even weaker than small, emerging organizations such as Melia’s.

So, Luoer was actually more interested in finding out whether Azita was alive than worrying about his safety. After all, Azita’s existence could buy some buffer time for the headquarters.

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