CHAPTER 235: CHAPTER 234: THE WHEEL OF HISTORY

Under the city gate of Sea Cape Gate, Patrol Execution Guard Lance leaned against the city gate, looking at the gradually dimming sky, estimating how long it would be until his shift ended.

Just from the name, you could tell Lance had some relation to the Lan Family of the Five Major Trade Associations. In fact, it was true. His uncle was the servant of a Lan Family elder. That elder loved smoking hookah; after getting old, he was bedridden all day. His uncle served the Lan Family elder well, and when the elder was in a daze, made him agree to let their family take on the Lan surname. From then on, Lance changed his surname to Lan.

In Xuanzhu County, the surname isn’t something you can casually change, or rather, it’s fine if you take a common surname, but if you’re found to have audaciously taken on the surname of a major trade association, people would consider you as trying to ride on their coattails, or might even come to your door to mock you, saying ’Do you even deserve the surname Ting/Jing/Lan?’ After all, in this era, a surname clearly reflects the power of a family.

If you claim you’re from the Ting Family and go to buy a pastry on the street, cut the queue, and insist on not paying, the shop owner might even willingly add an egg to your purchase, and those whose place you took can only seethe in silence.

That’s how domineering it can be.

However, this only applies to small surnames that haven’t spread out widely. The major surnames of Dongyang, like Luo and Quan, don’t sweat the small details. Of course, being surnamed Luo or Quan doesn’t make people automatically respect you more.

After Lance changed his surname, he could have joined the Lan Family Trade Association as a clerk with this identity, but since his surname wasn’t acquired legitimately, he wouldn’t receive much preferential treatment there. So after thinking it over, he decided to join the Patrol Execution Guard.

The Patrol Execution Guard conducted a simple investigation, found that he indeed had ties to the Lan Family, and let him join. Although the Patrol Execution Guard belongs to the Governor’s Prefecture and theoretically can not be infiltrated by the Silver Blood Association, practically there are many difficulties with this.

For example, in cases related to the Silver Blood Association, the governor can’t send commoners to stand up to the Silver Blood Association, otherwise, there would soon be another case of a missing Patrol Execution Guard.

When ordinary people cause trouble, the Patrol Execution Guard goes over, and ordinary people disappear.

When Silver Blood people cause trouble, the Patrol Execution Guard goes over, and the Patrol Execution Guard disappears.

Thus, there’s at least one team in the Patrol Execution Guard entirely composed of Silver Blood members, specifically designated to handle Silver Blood Association cases, called the ’Give a Face Team’.

But ultimately, being in the Patrol Execution Guard isn’t as comfortable as being with one’s own family, and joining the Governor’s Prefecture would cause his kin to look down on him. As a result, the ’Give a Face Team’ often has vacancies. However, for someone like Lance from the lower class, this is a rare valuable job.

He clocks in every day, and being late isn’t a big deal, as long as it doesn’t go overboard; during patrol, he could grab whatever he wanted, touch a pretty girl if he saw one; after the night shift, he could try his luck at the gang’s casino, as they didn’t dare to mess with the Patrol Execution Guard. Either that or some colleague who suddenly struck it rich would invite them to Gold Plate’s apartments for some fun.

Such a life is just like being an immortal.

Lance’s wish is simply to, one day, when he has the money, visit the legendary Xiangxue Sea, and he’d be content with that.

Recalling the tumultuous years of the past, Lance sighed. At that moment, a car drove into the Sea Cape Gate as Lance was about to raise his hand to signal it to stop, the car zoomed right in, almost brushing against him.

"Pah, so what if you have a car." Lance muttered a few complaints, giving a nearby box a hard kick.

His yawning colleague glanced at him: "Don’t kick that around; it’s merchandise from a trade association."

"Which trade association?"

"No idea, must be a big one. I saw the captain take a large sum of money."

Lance clucked his tongue, full of envy, jealousy, and hate.

Times have changed. Ever since that Jing Family bastard became the head of the Silver Blood Association, the nightmare started for the Patrol Execution Guard.

First, the Linhai Army stationed at Xuanzhu County made Patrol Execution Guards not dare to roam freely, fearing encounters with those out-of-town lackeys; then Jing Zhengwei demanded the Governor’s Prefecture limit the Patrol Execution Guard’s jurisdiction, turning them from once unrestrained to now mere watchdogs, only allowed to patrol the inner city while barred from handling outer city affairs.

In the inner city, every Patrol Execution Guard was a pushover, and anyone could treat them like their livestock!

Thus, guarding the Sea Cape Gate became a coveted task, and commoner Patrol Execution Guards were sent to patrol the inner city instead. Public security naturally didn’t require the Patrol Execution Guard, as those with power and influence always had guards and bodyguards.

The primary job of the Patrol Execution Guard became cleanup.

But this meant the Patrol Execution Guards’ pocket money diminished greatly. While captains and directors fared alright, ordinary Patrol Execution Guards previously relied on visiting every household to extort for their bonus; now that those lucrative side activities were gone, everyone grew poorer.

"Sigh, really want to go to Xiangxue Sea."

"Then go, you can dine and dash there, and the next day you’ll be sold to Red Jade Sea. As a brother, I’ll definitely go to Red Jade Sea to support your business."

"Get lost, you."

Lance cursed, abruptly spotting a group rushing towards the Sea Cape Gate, impatiently blocking them with a stick: "Move along, what are you doing trying to go in? Inside are places for people of status, what are you mud-legged folks trying to do going in? If you dirty the ground, you’ll have to lick it clean."

"That person just killed someone!"

"Was there just a car that went in?"

"He ran over two kids and fled! Hurry up and stop him!"

Lance scraped his ear, glanced at the earwax, and flicked it away.

"It’s none of my—"

"Damn business!"

Lance raised his stick and swung it fiercely, aiming at the head of the burly guy standing at the front, hitting him so hard that he fell to the ground with his head cracked and bleeding, screaming in pain.

"I’m telling you, don’t cause trouble for me." Lance pointed his stick at them: "While I’m still in a good mood, get lost, hurry up, otherwise I won’t be so polite later."

Lance knew these country bumpkins well; you just needed to beat the loudest one and say a few harsh words, and the others would naturally disperse.

But this time, it was different.

Not only did those people not leave, but more gathered. They helped up the beaten man and silently stared at Lance and the other Patrol Execution Guards, their gaze piercing Lance like needles, making him very uncomfortable.

"Look, look, look, you still won’t leave, huh? Fine, if you like watching so much, I’ll give you a good show..." Lance cursed as he walked over, only to be pulled back by a colleague.

"Don’t lose your temper." The colleague held his shoulder: "Something’s wrong."

Something was very wrong.

More and more people were blocking the Sea Cape Gate Avenue; some were idlers, some were workers who came after hearing the news, but most were ordinary residents from nearby. The workers loudly recounted the misdeeds of that driver, hundreds and thousands of mouths all discussing and cursing, their whispers turning into waves of tidal sound, crashing against the barrier symbolizing Xuanzhu’s class.

The other Patrol Execution Guards quickly realized something was wrong and hurriedly came to block the Sea Cape Gate together. Lance quickly asked, "Where’s the captain?"

"He went to Xiangxue Sea in the afternoon!"

"Damn it! What do we do now?"

"Just make sure they don’t pass through, that’s it!"

Just when neither side knew what to do, a middle-aged man came out, and Lance immediately shouted as if finding a lifeline: "Old Hai, is it you causing trouble again? I knew it was you!"

Just as the workers were familiar with Uncle Hai, Lance and the Patrol Execution Guards were no strangers to him either. Sometimes when workers’ shops offended the Patrol Execution Guards, it was usually Uncle Hai who came to apologize and make peace, and Lance had eaten at Uncle Hai’s place several times.

Lance’s impression of Uncle Hai was that he was a pushover, easy to bully. Now, in such a tense atmosphere, encountering such a soft target made Lance naturally overjoyed.

However, unlike the face of weakness and forced smiles in Lance’s memory, Uncle Hai’s expression was exceptionally calm and indifferent: "Lance, let the Patrol Execution Guards step aside, we need to find President Jing."

"Ha? Do you know what nonsense you’re talking—"

Bang!

A small stone flew from behind Uncle Hai, hitting Lance’s forehead accurately, smashing a splash of blood.

Lance screamed in pain and retreated. The other Patrol Execution Guards quickly supported him, their faces turning pale, yelling loudly: "What do you want? Are you rebelling?"

"You dare attack the Patrol Execution Guards?"

"Presumptuous! Do you know what you’re doing!?"

Uncle Hai calmly said: "Of course we know what we’re doing."

"We want justice, a reasonable and fair justice."

"A Silver Blood noble killed two children and escaped into the inner city. So, we want to find President Jing to oversee justice, to make him pay for the murders."

"Just now it was only one stone, but behind me, there are thousands, tens of thousands of people."

"Patrol Execution Guards, step aside."

The sky began to darken as the sun lamps, having absorbed light all day, started emitting light.

On the streets lit by continuous lamp lights, stood thousands and tens of thousands of civilians in rough clothes. Some were workers, some were hawkers, and some were even gang members.

They merely heard the news of the Silver Blood nobleman’s killings and followed the crowd here.

Initially, they all had the mindsets of watching the show, but now they were very quiet.

They all wanted to see.

Will the Silver Blood Association back down?

"Impossible!"

Rance pressed the wound on his forehead, stood up with assistance from his colleagues, and cursed with a ferocious expression: "You bunch of swamp boots, not a single one of you is allowed into the inner city! Not a single one! Not! Allowed!"

Uncle Hai’s face was grim: "Step aside, Rance, you can’t stop us."

"Can’t stop you? Fine, then I have to try. You, go quickly to the warehouse and get the guns, get the firearms out quickly! I will stand here and see if you dare to storm in!" Rance pointed his stick at Uncle Hai, veins bulging on his face: "Whoever dares to come, give them a shot! Our bullets are very plentiful!"

The other Patrol Execution Guards looked at each other, yet Rance swung his stick at them: "Go get the guns! What are you afraid of? Are we, the Patrol Execution Guards, afraid of this group of lowlifes, these swamp boots who don’t even have shoes? Quick, quick!"

Rance is definitely not someone in a position of authority here. Normally, people’s impression of him is just an opportunistic old scoundrel. Many people were seeing him lose his mind and act crazy for the first time, his forceful demeanor intimidating the other Patrol Execution Guards into subconsciously obeying the order to fetch firearms.

Uncle Hai frowned tightly, stepping forward: "Rance, are you courting death?"

"You all are the ones courting death!" Rance immediately pointed his stick at Uncle Hai: "A bunch of trash want to rise up and become masters? Dare to demand justice?"

"Let me tell you, even if the Silver Blood nobility hits two of your kids dead, even if they hit ten, a hundred, a thousand, you all have to hold it in for me!"

"Really think the Linhai Army came, you can reach the sky? Dream on, the Linhai Army has already left, gone!"

"You just wait, tomorrow the Silver Blood Association will send people to take back the factory, take back the shops, all the money you earned these days, you will have to cough it all out for me!"

"Swamp boots will always be swamp boots, Silver Blood will always be Silver Blood!"

Hearing the hustle and panic behind, Uncle Hai sensed something was off. This rhythm absolutely couldn’t continue with Rance leading it. He immediately used his Combat Technique to loudly shout: "Don’t listen to his nonsense, President Jing will spare no expense to make everyone’s life good, he will never——"

"President Jing is right. He will spare no expense to make everyone’s life good because you are the expense!"

Then one Patrol Execution Guard brought down firearms, and Rance quickly loaded bullets into the chamber, his face menacing and cruel: "You are finished, finished! You actually dare to rebel against the Silver Blood Association, let me tell you, I have remembered everyone standing here, none of you can escape!"

With Rance being a must-attack taunting attendant, nothing Uncle Hai said could match his provocation.

"Rance!" Uncle Hai looked at him with murder on his face: "You’re just a small Patrol Execution Guard; does the Silver Blood Association even care about you? Let me tell you, even if we kill you, the Silver Blood Association can’t do anything to us!"

"Bullshit!" Rance aimed his gun at Uncle Hai, his tone mad: "I am a Patrol Execution Guard! A Patrol Execution Guard of the Silver Blood Association! If I die, you all have to bury me! All of you! The Silver Blood Association will never forgive those who rebel, you all must die!"

Rance himself didn’t even realize, although he complained about President Jing and envied other Silver Blood nobles, despised by the Silver Blood nobility, he was actually the person who cared most about the Silver Blood Association.

People at the bottom never reach the Silver Blood Association threshold, having no feelings for it; people at the top already know what the Silver Blood Association is about, only having ideas of utilizing it; only people like Rance, who strained themselves to finally meet the threshold of Silver Blood Association but couldn’t join, yet could distinguish themselves from the bottom, were the most loyal and radical elements.

To them, the Silver Blood Association is the dream they strive for their whole life, the future they can work toward, an existence that souls of generations are tied to.

Even if they are exploited by the Silver Blood Association, doing the dirty work despised by the Silver Blood nobility, even if they also hate the Silver Blood nobility, they still can’t endure the Silver Blood Association being defiled by the bottom people.

Even if this is an erroneous, ugly dream.

It is still their dream.

"Rance!" Uncle Hai’s expression turned fierce as he directly charged at Rance.

He initially didn’t intend to clash with the Patrol Execution Guards, but Rance was too stubborn. If it continued like this, a bloodshed might occur before Zhengwei Jing arrived.

As long as Rance was first subdued, the other Patrol Execution Guards would stand down.

"You dare to charge over!"

Rance aimed at Uncle Hai’s head, without hesitating, he pulled the trigger!

However, the moment Rance pulled the trigger, Uncle Hai was already evading.

The Martial Artist’s spiritual power instinct was enough to let them subconsciously avoid any shooting action needing aiming.

But aside from Rance, the fellow Patrol Execution Guards beside him were also shooting at Uncle Hai!

No problem, Uncle Hai could still easily change shape to dodge.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three gunshots?

As Uncle Hai glanced at the gunman hiding at the edge of the crowd behind, a bullet pierced through his temple, taking away a splash of boiling blood.

Also taking away his dream.

That beautiful, correct dream.

At the moment Uncle Hai’s body fell heavily to the ground, Sea Cape Gate suddenly fell silent.

Until a scream opened the prelude to the night:

"Hai—Uncle—!"

Rance showed a joyful expression, laughing: "Hahaha, this is going against the Silver Blood Association—"

Bang!

A sudden strong feeling of push from behind, Rance turned his head to see colleagues calmly kicking at his waist.

"You—"

Rance didn’t have time to say anything, just fell forward to the ground. He just wanted to stand up, but his head was immediately stepped on by a muddy, stinky foot.

"Who—" He was about to curse, but found Uncle Hai right in front of him.

Uncle Hai’s weathered, angry, mournful face reflected in Rance’s pupils, making him faintly absent-minded.

"Avenge Uncle Hai!"

"Kill this bastard!"

"Patrol Execution Guards, fire, fire, shoot these mobs attacking the Patrol Execution Guards!"

"Suppress the riot!"

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire scrambled into chaos, screams, curses, and calls for killings merged together. Some charged forward bravely, some backed away weakly, and some looked bewildered, not knowing what to do.

Until a simple and clear slogan echoed through the night sky, instantly attracting everyone’s attention:

"Burn the Silver Blood Association!"

A burly man stood on a nearby rock, shouting loudly: "We killed the Patrol Execution Guards, the Silver Blood Association will not spare us!"

"The Linhai Army has already left, the Silver Blood Association will soon be back to manage the factories!"

"But as long as we burn the inner city, burn the Governor’s mansion, burn the Silver Blood Association, no one can stand above us!"

"The Heyang Army is gone, the Silver Blood Association is a paper tiger, we shouldn’t fear!"

"If they won’t give us justice, then we’ll take it ourselves!"

"Fire! Burn! Silver! Blood! Association!"

Soon people’s hearts surged, recalling the darkness of the Ting Family, the brutality of the Jing Family, the bullying by various associations, bold ideas endlessly sprouting in their minds.

If it had been like this from the start, they might have resigned to fate. But Uncle Hai and Yin Minghong gave them hope, and Rance displayed brutal reality in front of them, tearing apart their humble happiness, which was the most despairing.

Having gained, no one wants to lose.

All sorts of thoughts clashed intensely in their minds, their expressions looking at the Patrol Execution Guards grew fiercer and more furious, even the light twisted due to their spiritual agitation, refracting like shadows of red ghosts.

A Patrol Execution Guard saw danger, and aimed at the burly man: "Don’t listen to that Backlight Particle’s incitement, as long as you——"

Suddenly, from the other side of the street, dozens of men sprinted in, each holding a burning wooden stick, a newspaper wrapped for ignition. They charged towards Sea Cape Gate like a dragon of fire, singing loudly:

"There has never been any savior!"

"Nor god nor emperor to rely on!"

"To create happiness for mankind—"

Leading the pack was Qi Bajiu, sobbing with a tear-bloomed face, full of tears and anger, violently throwing the torch in his hand.

Dozens of torches spun and swirled through the air, landing in the second-story fortress of Sea Cape Gate, illuminating the inner passage and igniting the flags hanging outside Sea Cape Gate.

Qi Bajiu screamed heart-wrenchingly, seeming to vomit out his soul: "All depends on ourselves!"

The torches ignited the cargo in the corridor, a booming explosion shattered Sea Cape Gate!