The outcome Jiang Qi had feared most had finally come to pass.
The moment he saw White-Claw Crow reappear an hour later, expressionless, and walk straight toward where he was standing, Jiang Qi knew there was no way he was going to bluff his way through this.
"The last point Natuba's footprints led to was that little shack in the east side of town with the blue sheet-metal roof," White-Claw Crow said. He stopped several meters in front of Jiang Qi, looked down at him from above, and spoke in the same calm tone as before. "If I remember correctly, that should be your house, shouldn't it?"
"Yes. It's mine," Jiang Qi replied, lifting his head to meet White-Claw Crow's gaze.
Even though his heart was pounding, he showed no fear or panic on his face.
"Good. Then explain," White-Claw Crow said with a nod. "And don't tell me you know nothing. There are signs that the footprints around your house were deliberately covered up. You did a decent enough job. It would have fooled most people. Unfortunately, it won't fool me."
"Footprints, huh..." Jiang Qi sighed inwardly.
That had indeed been one of the weak links he'd worried most about.
Deadwood Town barely had any real roads. Most places were nothing but dry sand, and anyone walking there would inevitably leave tracks.
He had already done his best yesterday to obscure Natuba's footprints. At the very least, an ordinary person should have found them hard to read.
But Jiang Qi had heard before that White-Claw Crow's eyes had been modified—equipped with scanning functions and an extremely powerful information-analysis system capable of picking up details ordinary people would never notice.
Clearly, his little tricks had failed to deceive those eyes.
Letting out a quiet breath, Jiang Qi gave up on dodging and spoke plainly.
"Natuba is dead."
Even though quite a few people present had already guessed as much, hearing Jiang Qi say it out loud still sent a ripple through the crowd.
For a moment, it was as though everyone had reached some silent agreement.
The noisy square fell quiet within just a few seconds.
Those close enough to hear him turned toward the source of the voice. Those farther away, who hadn't understood why things had suddenly gone quiet, instinctively followed everyone else's gaze and looked in the same direction.
Then, under everyone's eyes, Jiang Qi slowly stepped out from the shade of the shack and into the sunlight, stopping in front of White-Claw Crow.
A short distance away, Old Homa's pupils shrank the instant he caught sight of Jiang Qi. He immediately tried to push his way over, but the crowd was too dense. He stumbled and nearly fell, and only Bauer's quick reflexes kept him from hitting the ground.
White-Claw Crow stared at Jiang Qi and frowned.
"You killed him? Why?"
"He tried to take my things," Jiang Qi said. "I refused, so he tried to use force. He even said he was going to kill me. So I had no choice but to strike first."
After a brief pause, Jiang Qi added, "According to gang rules, that should count as legitimate self-defense."
White-Claw Crow fell silent.
And truth be told, if that really was how things happened, then under gang rules Jiang Qi actually would count as acting in legitimate self-defense.
But...
"With those skinny arms and legs of yours, you killed Natuba?" White-Claw Crow asked, studying Jiang Qi with a faint frown.
"In this era, you don't need muscle to kill people," Jiang Qi said, pulling a gun from inside his clothes.
It was a short firearm with a distinctly modern industrial look. The gun itself seemed worn, and the various parts were mismatched in age and condition. One glance was enough to tell it had undergone major repair work.
A Thunder Roar SG800 civilian electromagnetic hunting gun—one of the "treasures" Jiang Qi had salvaged during his years as a scavenger.
When he found it, it had already been little more than a wreck. Fortunately, most of the core components had still been intact, and with the help of his ability, Jiang Qi had spent several days successfully restoring it.
It was an electromagnetic kinetic weapon—basically a miniature railgun—and clearly a product made possible by energy-core technology.
As long as it was loaded with an energy core and properly sized metal projectiles, it could fire. It did not require specially manufactured ammunition.
Jiang Qi had actually found more than one ruined firearm before, but most of them required dedicated ammo to function. This electromagnetic hunting gun was the only one that didn't, which also made it the only usable firearm he currently possessed.
Originally, Jiang Qi had kept it hidden in a secret compartment by his bed as a last-ditch lifesaver.
But now he had no choice but to reveal it.
Otherwise, he simply had no way to explain how he had managed to dispose of Natuba so cleanly and decisively.
As White-Claw Crow looked at the hunting gun in Jiang Qi's hand, a faint ring of light flickered in his eyes.
"Not bad," he said calmly, to the astonishment of everyone around them. "You repaired this gun very well, and you've maintained it nicely too. No wonder Homa took you in as an apprentice. You really are promising."
Previously, many of the gang members had only thought Jiang Qi looked familiar without quite remembering who he was. But the moment White-Claw Crow said that, all of them finally realized Jiang Qi's identity.
Instantly, the crowd's gaze swung toward Old Homa, who had only just managed to force his way out of the mass of people. Their expressions were complicated.
Especially the few gang members who had been close to Natuba—when they saw this scene, every one of them stared in disbelief.
The moment Jiang Qi admitted he was the one who killed Natuba, those men had almost been unable to stop themselves from making a move. If White-Claw Crow hadn't been standing there holding the situation in check, their weapons would probably already have been pressed to Jiang Qi's head.
And yet, judging by how things were unfolding now, they suddenly had a sinking feeling that Natuba might really end up with the same result as if he had fallen into a latrine and died—dead for nothing.
Old Homa finally came over and was just about to say something to White-Claw Crow when White-Claw Crow lifted a hand and gave him a silencing gesture, forcing Homa to swallow the words he had been about to speak.
Then White-Claw Crow looked back at Jiang Qi. His expression remained calm as he raised his voice and said:
"Natuba was a fighter. A man who stood on the front lines for this gang and for this town. Just because you're Homa's favored apprentice doesn't mean you can make his death disappear with a few light words."
"There's something I'm curious about. Not long ago, you were nothing more than a scavenger barely scraping by on what you picked out of garbage."
"So I'd really like to know—what could someone like you possibly have on you that Natuba would risk offending Homa, break gang rules outright, and still insist on taking it from you?"
The moment he said that, everyone's eyes sharpened and locked onto Jiang Qi.
They were curious too.
If what Jiang Qi said was true, then what kind of treasure had he been hiding?
But White-Claw Crow's interest was different from theirs.
What he cared about most right now was whether Jiang Qi's story was true.
If things really had happened exactly as Jiang Qi said, then to him this actually was not that serious a matter.
If Natuba had died because greed got the better of him, then that was hardly Jiang Qi's fault. White-Claw Crow would never fall out with Homa over a dead man. It simply would not be worth it.
What worried him more was the possibility that Jiang Qi had suddenly stepped forward to confess only in order to cover up something else.
If Jiang Qi failed to produce something White-Claw Crow considered credible, then even if Homa objected, he would still have Jiang Qi taken down and thrown into the interrogation room for a few days.
"As for that..." Jiang Qi said.
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, he slowly slid the hunting gun back into its holster.
Then he reached into the inner pocket of his clothes and took something out.
It was an energy core.
An S-grade energy core.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 135)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter67)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter85)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 60
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 65
From Junkman to Wasteland 50
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 35
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 40
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 37
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