Chapter 6: Intimidation

Dean, carrying the money chest and the unconscious bandit, moved through the streets of Horn Town. The whole process was easy, except for a slight detour. He had to avoid the Guard stationed at the town gate and climb over a ten-foot fence to leave.

Dean had firmly memorized the patrol routes beforehand, so evading them was very easy and natural.

After leaving Horn Town for hundreds of yards, Dean found a small grove. He directly threw the bandit he was holding under a tree. As the bandit slowly regained consciousness from the pain, Dean placed the tip of his Longsword against his neck.

“If you want to die right now, scream!”

Dean, whose face was hidden by a hood to disguise him, lowered his voice and spoke in an extremely low and eerie tone.

No one wanted to die, and this bandit was no exception. He might treat others’ lives as worthless grass, but his own? That was definitely something to cherish.

Therefore, the moment Dean finished speaking, the bandit cooperatively raised his hands.

Of course, giving up like this was clearly not the style of a bandit!

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, and a dog will jump over a wall when desperate.

Humans are no exception, let alone a bandit.

The bandit who had raised his hands was rolling his eyes quickly, clearly plotting something. Without needing to ask, Dean could guess what it was.

After all, based on the memories in his mind, the Vice Regiment Commander of the Central Knight Order had killed four bold and reckless bandits one by one. Simply put, besides the one Dean killed and the one in front of him, there were two more bandits near Horn Town.

The thing he was looking for was naturally on those two bandits.

Therefore, Dean did not mind if this bandit in front of him called his two companions over. In fact, that was his original purpose.

Of course, for safety, he needed to do it his way.

So, the next moment, the bandit felt his right hand go cold, followed by a piercing pain. Before he could scream, a muddy stone was stuffed into his mouth, forcibly suppressing his cry and crushing two of his teeth.

At the same time, that chilling sensation appeared on his neck.

Looking down and seeing the Longsword placed at his throat, the bandit immediately endured the pain to stay silent and shook his head quickly. To show his submission, he raised his bloody hand again and swallowed his blood-covered teeth.

Although this movement reopened the wound of his severed finger, pain was still better than death, right?

Facing Dean’s ruthless style, the bandit immediately classified Dean as a real desperado. Although he was also a bandit and considered a desperado, compared to someone who acted alone like this, he was clearly inferior.

After all, he had scruples. He was not alone. But Dean, acting alone, had no scruples. If anything went wrong, the result would be drawing swords and fighting to the death.

Of course, in most cases, the enemy died, and Dean lived.

His dead companion and the bandit’s severed thumb were the best proof. Although the bandit was still alive, losing his thumb meant his Strength was greatly reduced. For a bandit, what did this mean? It meant the end of his bandit career!

As for continuing?

He would die sooner or later, either killed by the guards of the robbed or by his own men. A burden who lost his right thumb and couldn’t even hold a sword properly, if killed, his partners wouldn’t complain; they might even be happy. After all, this meant they could share the loot more.

But that was all in the future!

Right now, his throat was pressed by the Longsword of a executioner.

“G-My Lord… spare my life…”

The bandit lay there and begged for mercy.

“I just want to ask you some questions… If you try to do anything else, it won’t just be one thumb that gets cut off. Remember, losing a thumb just means you can’t hold a sword again. But losing certain things, you won’t even be a man!”

Dean’s gloomy voice seemed to carry the cold wind of the Northland Snowplains, making the begging bandit shiver and instinctively curl up. For any normal man, this reaction was not embarrassing; it was very natural.

“Y-You ask, I will definitely tell!”

Although his words were still stuttering, the bandit showed even more submission. The man who was previously leaning against the tree behind him now appeared before Dean in a kneeling and prostrate posture, like a beast showing its belly to humans to show gentleness.

“What is your name?”

“Jack!”

“So, Jack, where are you from?”

“Janel Territory in Vauban County!”

“Oh, what is your purpose this time?”

“T-Transaction, and a transaction with a fat sheep from the Capital of Emerald!”

The bandit named Jack answered Ye Qi’s questions without reservation. Even when it concerned their mission, he paused briefly and then stated it clearly, although it was just wrong information.

As for the fat sheep?

It was what the bandits called Ruman Bola. This had long foreshadowed Ruman Bola’s final fate. Now, only the executor had changed slightly.

“Good, you didn’t lie to me…” Dean deliberately paused, and then said again: “So, Jack, what do you think Meeter would do if he knew of your ‘honesty’?”

The moment Meeter’s name appeared, Jack trembled as if struck by lightning. He immediately looked at Dean in prayer and said repeatedly: “My Lord, My Lord, you can’t do this—Master Meeter will skin me alive!”

As Jack said, Meeter was the boss. He had his own underground power in Janel Territory in Vauban County, and even Baron Janel could not underestimate him. In Dean’s memory, this Meeter was eventually tracked out by the Vice Regiment Commander of the Central Knight Order and was brought directly to the Capital of Emerald, hanged on the city wall as another medal for the Commander’s promotion.

However, this did not prevent Dean from having a correct perception of this Meeter. Although the latter was eventually hanged, the fact that he could maneuver for nearly two weeks against more than fifty Knights of the Central Knight Order showed his outstanding abilities. Especially among his subordinates, he was very famous.

“You see, I didn’t say I would ‘officially’ hand you over to Meeter. I just said ‘maybe’. As long as you…”

“I will cooperate, I will cooperate, I am willing to swear loyalty to you!”

Before Dean finished his words, Jack spoke directly and kowtowed repeatedly. When Dean mentioned Meeter’s name, Jack had completely given up resistance. He could see that the other person knew a lot about him and the people behind him. Even this scene was planned for a long time.

As for the other person’s final purpose?

Jack was certain it was not a small fry like him. After all, a small fry like him was not worth such a big effort. With the other person’s ability, if they wanted to, he would be a Corpse in the ditch the next day.

Therefore, it was obvious that it was a Big Shot connected to him…

And the only Big Shot he could be connected to was naturally his boss: ‘Wild Fox’ Meeter.

It was clear that the other person wanted to deal with his boss, and he was just a small fry involved. A small fry who wanted to survive!

Therefore, to survive, Jack did not hesitate to make his choice.

“Good, then I need a reliable ‘loyalty ceremony’. You know I don’t trust mere words!” Dean, having expected this, continued to lower his voice and spoke in a gloomy tone.

“Of course, of course!”

Jack nodded repeatedly without any opposition. For Jack, as long as he didn’t die, anything was acceptable at this time.

As for what would happen later?

Jack, being a bandit, didn’t care!

He only knew that if he didn’t obey now, he was definitely dead. But if he obeyed, he could live, even if only for a little longer. For this bandit, that was countless times better than dying immediately.

So, Jack at this moment showed obedience far beyond normal expectations.

Dean naturally secretly approved of such obedience.

However, outwardly, Dean showed no change. He was still ruthless and gloomy. As Dean with past memories, he knew very well how to deal with these bandits.

They feared someone visible as cruel and terrifying, not someone gentle and kind.

The former would make them honest and obedient.

And the latter?

It would only make them raise their butcher knives to plunder everything they liked.