The black sun hangs high

Chapter 230 A Kiss of Regret
Hugh remained completely unmoved by what was happening before his eyes.

Or rather, he had anticipated it.

Rudolf and the survivors gathered around him were not on the Tricolor Brotherhood's list at all. Hugh had already instructed the Tricolor Brotherhood members through Bourwa to not waste their time on these "unprofitable" people.

The current situation can only be attributed to some internal problems among these survivors.

The people locked together were stunned. They hadn't even reacted yet when the tall, thin man who rushed forward started pleading with Hugh, who was standing outside the magic fence. He was so anxious and eager that he repeated the words and phrases several times in just a few seconds.

Rudolf was the first to react. His previously somewhat dull and cowardly face was now filled with rage. He roared and lunged at the tall, thin man beside him, his two hands, stained with dirt and blood, grabbing the man's neck and pinning him to the ground.

A violent conflict was about to erupt, and various sounds burst forth from the crowd: curses, cheers, children's cries, and the desperate wails of some of the more vulnerable survivors...

Hughes silently observed everything before him.

Under the soundproofing ritual he had set up beforehand, no sound could escape from here. However, Hugh did not intend to let Rudolf and the others kill the informant on the spot. He simply shook his cane, and several "Brain Spikes" with infinitely weakened power were immediately cast towards the crowd.

This mild mental shock was certainly not enough to cause any substantial harm to a person, but it was not difficult to create a certain mental shock and put an ordinary person into a daze. Therefore, the restless crowd immediately quieted down, and Rudolf and his companion, who were originally fighting, as well as the survivors who were about to go up to help, also stopped.

Taking advantage of the opening, Hugh opened a gap in the magic barrier, and two Kallon tentacles reached out, directly binding the informant's arms and legs, casually pulling him out of the deadly encirclement.

The magic fence was restored, and people gradually emerged from their dazed state. They noticed that the shameful informer who longed to join the Tricolor Brotherhood had been rescued by the young man outside the cage. Despair immediately swept over their minds, and even some of the young men couldn't help but sob.

They thought they were doomed.

A faint smell of blood filled the air—the informant's nose had been smashed in the fight with Rudolf, and he was bleeding from it, but he didn't care at all; instead, his face was full of joy at escaping death.

Hugh was too lazy to deal with this guy. He yanked open the basement door behind him, and with a flick of his Karl Jun Touch, he tossed the informant in front of the Brotherhood of Three Colors guards: "Check it out. This guy says he notified our people... Looks like he wants to join. You guys deal with him as you see fit."

Upon hearing this, the two guards immediately dragged the still bewildered informant away.

If nothing unexpected happens, this shameful guy's wish will come true. After all, the Tricolor Brotherhood has a lot of dangerous jobs that need to be done, and a newcomer like him should be very popular.

Then, Hugh said to the other member of the society who was also waiting outside the door, "Tie these people up with ropes. I'm taking them out for a while. We don't need to keep fifty people in this basement."

Before the society members could ask any questions, Hughes grinned slightly, revealing his gleaming white teeth: "Some experiments haven't been finished yet, and I think they're perfect for this. It'll be faster; dealing with them after dark would be more troublesome."

"Yes, leader."

So, amidst the desperate struggle of the people, many fully armed members of the Brotherhood of Three Colors entered the basement. They used thin, strong strips of cloth and ropes to bind all the survivors together. The Nightingales hiding in the crowd were no exception. When they saw these women who possessed some beauty, the bandits, who had also struggled for a long time after the disaster, couldn't help but reveal some lewd expressions. Some of the impatient ones even couldn't resist making a move.

Hughes watched all this unfold, and then he sneered, “Leave none of them alive, tie them all up… If you have any other ideas, I don’t mind taking you all with me. When it gets dark, you can slowly enjoy yourselves on the streets outside!”

Most of the people here had witnessed the scene of Shug establishing his authority, and upon hearing this, they immediately became obedient. The few who had previously made advances trembled and quickly tied the weeping nightingales to the back of the group.

In the end, only a girl who was about five or six years old was left.

She was too short to be tied to the others, so Hugh stepped forward and led the bewildered child out, thus leading the dozens of people out of the basement.

Even within the Brotherhood of Three Colors, such a scene was extremely rare. Everyone looked at the survivors chained together with the same mocking gaze one would give to the dead, but when they saw the Nightingales, they all showed expressions of regret.

"In that monster's eyes, there probably wouldn't be any distinction between genders... What a waste, what a waste!"

They dared not utter a sound, but could only silently curse the figure walking at the front.

There was no way around it; those terrifying tentacles hovering in shadow beside Hugh were enough to silence everyone present.

……

An extremely bizarre scene unfolded on the streets of Seren.

A young man wearing a tattered coat and holding a metal cane led a bewildered girl forward, while behind him was a long line of survivors chained together.

These poor people are terrified.

Because around them, swarms of rats were constantly scurrying about, but what terrified them even more was a gigantic rat, a veritable beast with three tails, that roamed around the group. Its sharp incisors, huge horns on its head, and enormous green eyes were so terrifying that no one dared to look directly at it.

Rudolf naturally took the lead in the group.

The young man, who was once very famous in the city of Seren but had now become a terrifying mage, seemed to find Rudolf walking too slowly. He casually cast a simple healing spell on Rudolf's injured left leg, which greatly relieved Rudolf's pain and made his previously unsteady steps become smoother.

At this time, there were very few Dark Abyss offspring on the street, and the few that occasionally passed by would be killed on the spot by the giant rat with three tails.

Before long, this peculiar group left the territory of the Tricolor Brotherhood and arrived at a deserted street.

"Alright, that's enough for now."

Hughes sighed, released the girl he had been leading the way, and then snapped his fingers. The swarm of rats that had been surrounding them immediately rushed forward, crawling up their trouser legs amidst the panic. However, they soon discovered that the rats were not gnawing at their bodies; their target was the ropes and strips of cloth binding their hands.

Some people's hands were tied very tightly, and the rats couldn't gnaw them open for a while. So the huge rat that was chewing on something slowly moved over. It lazily glanced at the trembling people and then immediately curled up its tail.

The ends of the three strong, long tails immediately sprouted barbs and blades like daggers. Then, these tails fell precisely, severing the restraints on their bodies amidst gasps of alarm.

People finally regained their freedom, but they dared not move at all. Instead, they nervously clung to their relatives or friends, anxiously watching the rats scurrying around them.

The sudden arrival of freedom only exacerbated their panic.

In this special group, the only one who did not show any panic was Rudolf, who was closest to Hugh; the rope on his hands was untied by Hugh himself.

Rudolf gently flexed his wrists, glanced at the rats scurrying past him, and then looked thoughtfully at Hugh.

After a brief hesitation, Rudolf tentatively spoke up: "Mr. Ernst, may I address you as such?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Hugh nodded slightly. He looked beside him and saw that the girl was still standing there blankly. Helplessly, he rummaged in his pocket and found a piece of candy that he had casually picked up from somewhere. The candy was wrapped in green paper with a grass pattern drawn on it. It was a common and cheap candy.

He shoved the candy directly into the girl's hand, then pushed her to Rudolf's side.

Rudolf quickly took the girl's small hand from Hugh, and then asked, "Mr. Ernst, are you saving us?"

"Or else?"

Hugh laughed, "Are we going to drag you all to feed those monsters?"

"Uh……"

Rudolf couldn't help but scratch his head. In the city of Seren, this was no longer a new form of "execution." Throwing unarmed people directly into the street was no different from murder. In fact, many brutal bandits and gangs liked to use this very convenient method to deal with their prisoners and captives.

Hugh took out his pocket watch and checked the time. Then he looked up and said, "It will take you at least an hour and a half to get from here to Iris Street. Considering that there are elderly people in your group, I'll give you two hours... Hurry up and set off, otherwise it will be troublesome when it gets dark. Just keep heading south. There are many forward outposts set up on Iris Street. You will be much safer if you encounter the sentries there."

"When you get there, please give my regards to Felix and his children. He's been under a lot of pressure lately and might need your help."

The moment Rudolf heard the name "Felix," his eyes immediately reddened, his face trembled violently, and then he nodded vigorously: "Thank you, sir!"

Many people behind heard Rudolf's words. After a brief moment of shock, a strong desire to survive sprouted in their hearts once again, and soon, the sparse group began to move forward under Rudolf's organization.

This time, the leader was now an adult male in the group, while Hugh, who had originally been walking at the front, had retreated to the side of the road.

He leaned on his cane and quietly watched these poor people walk toward their new shelter.

Many people in the group still lacked a complete understanding of what was happening, so when they passed by Hugh, they couldn't help but cautiously observe this young man, who had once been the talk of the town in Seren, with wary and fearful eyes.

However, the last few figures in this special team stopped in front of Hugh.

It was only then that Hugh realized that these girls who had once struggled to survive on Ladies' Street and Water Splash Street, and who had now chosen to stay with Rudolph and the others, were actually very young. In terms of age alone, they could even be considered Hugh's peers.

The nightingales of the past raised their heads and cautiously glanced at Hugh, but seeing his calm expression, they couldn't help but lower their heads again.

Finally, one of the older and more composed young women stepped forward. She gave Hugh a slightly awkward, standard ladylike bow, and then said earnestly, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Ernst... If we survive, we will tell others that your nicknames actually have another meaning."

The younger one chimed in with a clear voice, "I'm sure you're the dawn in the midnight, at least for us!"

Hearing these words, Hugh was slightly stunned.

These girls were quite bold after all; their praise was so direct and sincere that Hugh couldn't detect even a hint of teasing in it.

In that fleeting moment of stunned silence, Hugh suddenly felt someone get close to him. Although he didn’t sense any hostility, his long-developed instincts made him quickly take a step to the side.

Then, Hughes caught a glimpse of a face filled with resentment and regret.

The other girls laughed. They reached out and took the hand of the sister who had tried to kiss Hugh's cheek but ultimately failed. After bidding farewell to the incredibly mysterious young man, they quickly chased after the group ahead.

Even though he wasn't touched, Hugh couldn't help but raise his hand and touch his cheek.

"It's really a bit of a shame..."

He sighed, a low sigh that only he could hear.

(End of this chapter)