The Devil’s Cage

”They should be Broken Fingers!”

Bosco said in an affirmative tone and then he started to mutter in a softer volume.

”As for who instigated them… I don’t have that many enemies but also not entirely none. Those who wanted me dead are but a few but I think they should be running away to Will Prefecture. None of them would have the spare time to chase after me, so…”

Bosco then took in a deep breath.

”So, that leaves me with the invaders from the North West.”

Bosco smiled bitterly right after the revelation.

”I thought the current situation was bad enough but it is actually even worse than I thought. Riverdale has been infiltrated to this extent!”

”This damn war…”

Bosco couldn’t continue anymore. He was worried.

He already tried to prepare for the worst case scenario when the Prairies men appeared outside Lightning Fortress but he didn’t think it would get out of hand to such an extent.

The gangs that lurked in Riverdale’s shadows are being instigated by the Prairies men!

The meaning behind that statement was indeed terrifying for Bosco.

He turned his eyes to the street further ahead, the packed and slow moving refugee crowd had despair all over their faces.

Kieran looked at Bosco quietly and turned away soon.

”Sir...Sir 2567?”

Bosco opened his mouth out of instinct after being slightly stunned.

”You do what you have to do, I’ll do what I have to do as well.”

Kieran then disappeared into the shadows of the streets after leaving his words behind.

The Fire Raven took off from Kieran’s shadow and soared through the sky above Riverdale. Its sharp eyes that were comparable to an eagle were scouting all the different spots according to Kieran’s will.

Kieran too glanced over the system notification that came after.

[Discovered sub-mission: The traitor in the city]

[The traitor in the city: The reunion with Bosco opened up new paths for the current situation. A sudden assault on him allowed you to notice how hard is it to guard Riverdale but you don’t have any other choices! You need to find the Broken Finger’s hideout and stop those thugs from causing more problems in the chaotic situation…]

...

Kieran wasn’t surprised by the sub mission.

When Bosco was being attacked, Kieran’s sharp senses already sniffed out the possibility of a sub mission. In fact, after many dungeon runs, he already had a sufficient amount of knowledge about how a sub mission would appear.

Most of the sub mission would be related to the main mission, the difference in between was only the degree of affection towards the main mission.

There was also a minor possibility of a standalone sub mission as well but after completing it, it will also improve the situation of the dungeon world. Of course, the standalone sub mission would also hold a higher difficulty compared to the main mission and might even provide the player with a completion rating or special rating.

As for the [Special Event] triggers, Kieran viewed it as an extra main mission.

...

The fog of war shrouded the sky above Riverdale.

The refugees made the once prosper city messy and quiet.

Messiness shuttled through the main streets of the city while quietness filled the rest of the remaining blocks.

Because of that, when someone deviated from the main street and headed elsewhere, it was very eye-catching. Perhaps the someone was careful enough and acted like a fleeing refugee but from the bird’s eye view of the Fire Raven, the hiding and covers were even more suspicious.

The person went through a couple street blocks and dashed out madly after he confirmed that he wasn’t followed.

The dashing speed would leave a common man so far behind that one could only see the dust behind and after a full ten minutes, the person finally slowed down as he reached an area with a lower building structure group.

The place was still within Riverdale but it was different from the other parts of the city, the building structures, and the environment as well.

It was filthy, stenchful and muddy water was flowing everywhere, it was like a giant sh*t hole.

The place was actually the slums.

The slums too existed in Riverdale, it was formed by the early middle classes that went bankrupt after being wealthy. As time passed on, more and more different categories of people joined the slums.

There were the gluttonous and lazy scoundrels, the crippled but unable to get pension mercenaries, but most of them were farmers from distant lands that wished to get another chance on life in Riverdale, though the place wasn’t as pleasant as they thought.

The scoundrels formed up factions on their own and dominated the slums.

Soon after, thieves, robbers, wanted men, and even prostitutes got into the mix and the place was turned into a chain of crimes that breeds only business for the bad.

Broken Finger was one of the strongest among those scoundrels.

A decade ago, Broken Finger was a mercenary in the slums that had lost one of his fingers but it didn’t affect his strength at all. Within a three months period, he gained a big portion of turf in the slums and was even able to oppose the once boss of the slums, the Daggers.

Besides that, Broken Finger’s business was much more diverse.

Killing people was just an occasion in a fortnight for the Daggers but it was the main business income for Broken Finger.

No one knew who the man was before he became Broken Finger, his original name was slowly forgotten after the title was given to him by the people. The men under Broken Finger also addressed him as the boss.

The man who struck fear in countless people’s heart in the slums was sitting on that old broken chair at the moment, listening to the reports of his men.

His thick brows furrowed together after the report though.

”Send more men… If the ambush fails, attack with brute force! Go gather the men, I’ll lead!”

After Broken Finger gave out his orders, his face full of scars was looking determined and fierce, his men dared not even breathe loudly before him, let alone refute.

Even more so, his subordinate didn’t think there was anything wrong with his boss’s orders. He might doubt it during peaceful times but not at this moment.

The Prairies army was already at their doorstep which turned the whole Riverdale into their treasure vault. A couple more jobs and they would have enough to retire in the south.

Broken Finger’s subordinate was picturing a nice retired life and didn’t even noticed his boss’s steps approaching.

When he felt his neck was grabbed by his own boss and was sent flying outside the house, he only realized things have gone wrong but it was already too late.

Bang!

The man’s body crashed hard at the gate causing him to scream in pain but the scream stopped abruptly.

Darkness descended outside the broken gate all of a sudden.

When Broken Finger saw the darkness outside, droplets of sweat broke out on his forehead because he remembered it was in the afternoon where the sun was shining brightly.

Broken Finger remembered the warmth of the sun and bright scene a moment ago.

”Who the hell is it?”

Broken Finger growled heavily and drew his sword at the darkness outside the gate.

Chang!

A cold glare shone inside the house as a curved scimitar appeared in his right hand where his broken thumb and index finger was. Broken Finger turned around and performed a slash like a bolt of lightning.

The nervousness on his face instantly turned into a vicious one.

It was a disguise, a disguise that he put up to prepare his surprise strike!

”DIE!” Broken Finger laughed viciously.

However, right at the next moment, his vicious laugh was frozen, the curved scimitar that he slashed out like a lightning strike couldn’t hit his target.

He saw the person behind him.

The existence that terrified him beyond words and shook even his soul was standing behind Broken Finger.

”You know me?”

Kieran squinted his eyes.