Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I’ve already been thinking about taking care of those Golden Hands degenerates. They’re like maggots infesting all of Lotian,” said Jafar coldly, his eyes full of hate at the mention of the Golden Hands. “Their ways go against our religious doctrines. They are nothing more than a bunch of heathens.
“But I must ask, how on earth did the Golden Hands even manage to incur the wrath of a Lord-tier trainer such as yourself?” he asked curiously.
Gao Peng hadn’t told him his true identity. He had only revealed that he was a Lord-tier trainer who wished to have an audience with him. Even though the number of Lord-tier trainers worldwide had increased somewhat, they were still considered a minority.
Any of them could easily attain a high-ranking governmental position at the provincial level if they wanted to. Gao Peng had also revealed to Jafar that he had two Lord-tier familiars with him, which was a lot more than the average Lord-tier trainer would have.
It just so happened that Jafar was a man who had a lot of respect for skilled and talented trainers.
“It’s nothing, really, save for the fact that these people tried to assassinate me several times in the past,” said Gao Peng casually.
Jafar smiled faintly. “Assassination has always been the way of those cowards.”
“So you wish to have your revenge on them, then? Perhaps I can be of assistance. I happen to know the locations of some of their branches. May your wrath bring them painful deaths,” continued Jafar. One of Lotian’s religious tenets dictated that those who had brought one harm in the past weren’t worthy of mercy, and that the only thing one needed to concern oneself with was defending one’s honor by any means necessary.
“I don’t need the coordinates of their branches. I just need to know where their headquarters are,” said Gao Peng, shaking his head.
He didn’t think that there would be any meaning in demolishing any of the Golden Hands’ branches. He could easily locate any one of them with his own resources if he wanted to.
The only reason he wanted to make contact with the higher-ups of the Jinsha region in the first place was to get his hands on information regarding the locations of the Golden Hands’ headquarters, or maybe some of their more important bases of operations.
He believed that the people in the Allied Government’s Jinsha branch knew much more about the goings-on in the region than any outsider. One could never underestimate the government’s information-gathering capabilities.
However, opinions on the question of how the government should handle the Golden Hands were extremely polarized. Some were in favor of outright destroying them, some were of the opinion that they should just let them be, and then there were those who suspected that the Golden Hands were simply the fangs and claws of someone in the upper echelons of their organization…
Jafar frowned at Gao Peng for a moment. Then he said, “Give me a minute.” He turned around to make a few phone calls.
“You might be able to find a couple of people in the government who know where the Golden Hands’ major bases of operations are right now. However, as luck would have it, you’ve come to the right person,” said Jafar with a knowing smile.
“I know where the Golden Hands’ headquarters are,” he said. “However, I must advise you against going there yourself. It wouldn’t be the wisest choice for you to make,” he continued, shaking his head. “Would you like to know why? Despite being pressured on all sides by the Jinsha region’s government, the Golden Hands is still a large-scale organization. There’s a strong possibility that they have more than one Lord-tier trainer on their side.”
“Don’t worry about me,” said Gao Peng confidently.
Jafar’s lips wriggled, as if he wanted to say something to change his mind. However, seeing that Gao Peng was clearly a man of conviction, Jafar pressed his lips together and simply smiled.
“All right then. I will respect your decision,” said Jafar. “I’ll be praying for your success in wiping the Golden Hands’ blight off the face of this planet.”
“I will,” said Gao Peng, nodding. After receiving the coordinates of the Golden Hands’ headquarters from Jafar, he bid farewell to his host and left the place. He was confident that Jafar wasn’t an ally of the Golden Hands. This was because 13 years before, when Jafar was still a mere local police chief, his wife and daughter had been killed in a suicide bombing incident, and the mastermind behind this act of terror was later discovered to be none other than the Golden Hands.
Over all these years, Jafar had been the vanguard leading the government’s fight against the Golden Hands. Looking at Gao Peng’s shrinking figure, his face grew troubled. These were uncertain times. All high-level combatants in the government were strictly forbidden at the moment from engaging their enemies, including the Golden Hands, without proper authorization.
The Golden Hands’ headquarters were located in a small town named Shaji. One would be hard-pressed to find it on any map. Shaji was a small town formed deep in the Golden Sand Desert after the Cataclysm.
Only those who frequented the deeper parts of the desert would know that such a place existed. Travelers sometimes stopped by to replenish their supplies. The townsfolk also seemed like a friendly bunch.
The town was situated near an oasis deep in the desert. It was approximately ten square miles. Not too far away was a lake, around which stood buildings of all shapes and sizes. In every corner of the town, men clad in robes as yellow as the sand around them stood alert to their surroundings.
At times, yellow-winged dragons could be seen flying through the swirling sand in the air before coming down to land in the middle of the town. A couple of the townsfolk could also be seen venturing deeper into the desert with their sandworm familiars.
A group of figures had climbed up to the top of a sand dune. There, their gazes fell on the small desert town in the distance.
To the north of the town was a patch of green plants. The town was built around the lake in a crescent shape. A couple of palm trees were planted on the banks of the lake. They could also see human shapes flitting through the buildings.
Gao Peng took a deep breath and said, “Looks like we’re here.” He looked down at the map in his hand.
“Yes, this is the place. Sure is a difficult place to look for in the desert… Let’s go,” said Gao Peng. All of them began walking towards the town in the distance, with Gao Peng leading the way.
Dumby followed close behind, clad in a billowing black robe. Beside it were the White Steel Bladed Beast, the Desolate Frost Lion, and Flamy, all of them silent as they mentally braced themselves for the upcoming battle.
Flamy had been given the role of providing aerial support, taking down airborne enemies, and chasing down fleeing enemies on the ground.
The White Steel Bladed Beast was in charge of the group’s frontal assault.
The Desolate Frost Lion’s Ice-type abilities could provide crowd control. One of its advantages was its small stature, allowing it to be easily carried around in battle.
Gao Peng also believed that piles of corpses had been buried beneath the sand for years since the town’s inception. The easiest way to handle a dead body was to bury it. The desert’s loose sand made this all the easier.
“Someone’s coming,” muttered one of the patrolmen who had spotted Gao Peng in the distance into a hidden microphone.
“Copy that,” said a voice in his earpiece.
When he was 500 steps away from the town’s entrance, Gao Peng stopped. This should have been far enough.
Dumby raised its head. Its ivory Soul Flames began to burn beneath its robe. It then spread out its fingers and let the flames engulf both its arms. “Awaken, my fellow undead.”
