Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Nesario watched the battlefield closely—although both sides had exchanged arrogant threats earlier, no one actually went all out once they started fighting.

The knocked-down guys lay motionless on the ground, occasionally getting stepped on by the melee fighters if they were unlucky, but no one deliberately pursued the wounded—just imagine, an exhausted or even unconscious guy was lying on the ground in front of you, all you had to do was aim your weapon at his unprotected head and smash it down—and it would be over.

However, this is not the case in the melee off the field—after knocking down or stunning the enemy in front of them, both sides will quickly move on to the next target.

Terrans are physically strong enough that they can take a baseball bat to the head without much harm, which reduces the occurrence of murders.

'It seems the Lentinium authorities have set a bottom line, which is probably the severity of a murder. If someone dies, this matter escalates significantly.'

I really don't know what to say... Should I say that it truly lives up to its reputation as Victoria's heart?

Elsewhere, the death of a few gang members is no big deal; the lowly poor and infected might even be bought and sold. But in Lentinium, gang behavior is governed by discipline and rules.

As the battle intensified, the number of people on both sides gradually decreased.

Fifty against thirty, nearly double the number of people, the battle was mostly two against one or even three against one; the Glasgow gang seemed to have no chance of winning this fight, but as Nesario had said before—Terra's most special thing was its courage.

There isn't a single ruthless individual in the Fangs gang who can outmaneuver ten thousand men, but in the Glasgow gang, there are actually two such guys.

Miss Aslan, whom I had seen before, was standing in the middle of the Fang Gang's group, holding her sledgehammer. There were about a dozen gang members lying on the ground around her. Each blow of her sledgehammer could kill one of them, because no one could defend against such an attack. The powerful hammer blows could only be blocked with a shield.

But where would they find shields to use in this situation?

Dodging is the only way to survive, but none of them have the strength of a monster like Neltharion. Even if they try their best to dodge, they will still get grazed.

The other is a film, with white hair mixed with black hair, and the combination of jeans and an old jacket gives it a strong street style. Its amber eyes seem to be burning. Miss Aslan has the demeanor of a general who is calm in the face of danger, while this white beast is a general who is completely on the front line - her style is very similar to Nesario, with a pair of brass knuckles as her weapons. She charges wherever there are many people, charging in and fighting her way out.

It's that simple and crude.

If the Fang Clan didn't have any experts, they would never have won this battle; general against general, pawn against pawn, the enemy's two generals had already charged in and were unleashing their full power, but the Fang Clan remained unmoved.

Sure enough... before long, the Dog Fang Gang members scattered in all directions. As the fight went on, they realized that almost all of their comrades had fallen.

Once morale collapses, the army falls apart like a pile of loose sand.

Seeing the Fang Gang flee in disarray, the Glasgow Gang did not pursue them relentlessly. They were all busy treating the wounded—even those Fang Gang members who couldn't escape were treated along with them.

'Miss Aslan seems to be very kind-hearted.'

Unfortunately, Nesario was gone. He retreated from his original spectator position and then relentlessly pursued the scent of the Fang Gang.

This gang had no concept of defense or being followed; all they wanted was to escape back to their hideout as quickly as possible and wait for their boss's orders.

The Canine Tooth Gang is, after all, a local tyrant that has been entrenched in these blocks for a long time. Fifty men are not their entire membership. This crushing defeat will punish several leaders, but it will also attract the attention of their boss. Next time, the Glasgow Gang will surely suffer a crushing defeat!

"Damn it! Damn it! Patch! The intelligence was wrong! That woman is not someone we can handle at all! Who said she was insignificant!?"

One of the Dogtooth Gang's strongholds was an abandoned factory. The factory was quite large, and there were very few pedestrians and residents around, making it a perfect location for gang activities. The only downside was its remoteness; gangs preferred bars, billiard halls, dance halls, and other entertainment venues, and there were none nearby.

Nesario tracked it down for a long time before finally finding it, and as soon as he arrived, he heard the roar coming from within.

Clearly, the Canine Tooth Gang had previously underestimated the Glasgow Gang; a gang led by a few women—it was laughable.

Then, during the battle, Miss Aslan smashed their teeth out with a single blow.

"Boss, please calm down. We've definitely been deceived; that must have been a deliberate illusion created by the other party. But right now, should we tell them about this..."

"Boom!"

The small iron gate on the side of the entrance was kicked open, and the loud noise startled the gangsters who were bandaging their wounds inside the stronghold.

They had just suffered a defeat and were now extremely nervous.

"Hand over all the money, or else..."

Nesario changed his clothes on his way over, concealing his appearance and lowering his voice – a troublesome process, as his distinctive horns were too conspicuous. Nesario could only cover his horns and face with a headscarf, making him look remarkably like a Sarkaz demon from a fairy tale.

"Where did this idiot come from! Taking advantage of our misfortune to rob us, the Fang Gang?"

Clearly, the already enraged leader could not tolerate such humiliation. Despite his injuries, he picked up his weapon and prepared to teach Nesario a lesson. The other members of the Fang Clan who were still able to fight also stood up.

They were also filled with anger, but they hadn't dared to vent it before, fearing they would be implicated in the consequences. Now that a punching bag had been delivered to their doorstep, they all wanted to take advantage of their numbers to kick it while it was down.

"Click"—Nesario clenched his fist, the unique structure of his finger bones making a cracking sound, indicating that he had finished warming up long ago.

......

Ten minutes later, Nesario left the outpost carrying a suitcase—the members of the Fang Clan were very hospitable; seeing that he had too much stuff to carry, they had even prepared a suitcase for him.

Chapter Twelve: Some are happy, some are sad

Nesario spread all his spoils out on his bed, the contents of the single bed covering the entire surface. To be honest, the haul was far less than what he had acquired in Ticalendo.

"Victorian gold coins, silver coins, copper coins, pure gold, Colombian gold certificates, Lungmen coins, precious jewelry..."

Gang hideouts usually look like this: valuables such as precious metals, coins, and jewelry are piled up in safes. They have many ways of making money, and the money they get comes from all sorts of different sources.

Of these items, the money can be used without any burden; however, the jewelry cannot be touched for the time being. This jewelry may be stolen goods that some unfortunate people used to pay off debts to gangsters or obtained through robbery.

Just in case, if such jewelry is very rare, or if the other party is deliberately waiting for it—Nezario sells it on the market, and then someone will come looking for it.

Although he is now a student at the Imperial Guard Academy, and the other party dares not cause trouble on campus, even the school cannot arrive at the scene immediately if something happens outside the school.

The only way is to sell it on the black market, where secrecy is paramount. But where in Lontinim is there a black market? Even if it exists, it must have been infiltrated by official organizations to create traps.

"Keep these for now, we'll deal with them later."

It's already quite an achievement to have gained anything on the first try. Considering the strict rules of Londinium, the fact that these gangs have managed to accumulate such wealth is truly heinous. Even a small gain is still a gain, and Nesario has already found enjoyment in his four years of university.

......

"*Victoria swears*! You mean you not only lost in a head-on fight, but your base was also taken over by that so-called Glasgow Gang!?"

“This… Godfather, we made a mistake in our intelligence. Someone lied about the situation of the Glasgow Gang.”

While Nesario was happily counting his money, some unfortunate souls were being verbally abused.

The former petty boss of the Fang Gang's stronghold was now standing trembling in an elegant and solemn study. If anyone from Syracuse were to come here, they would find that the study's decor was exactly the same as that favored by some Syracuse gang families.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear excuses!"

"Yes! I will take back our territory. Please give me another chance!"

The once arrogant leader now practically buried his head in the ground, not daring to even move his tail, for fear that any action he might take would anger the person in front of him.

On the sofa in front of the leader, a middle-aged man sat upright, with two bodyguards in black suits standing on either side of him. Judging from the man's arrogant demeanor and the leader's nervous attitude, it was not hard to tell that he was the leader of the Fang Gang.

His graying hair was meticulously groomed, and although his clothes were slightly disheveled, they were without a single wrinkle. His blue eyes held anger, but beneath that anger lay a clear and wise expression. The wrinkles on his face did not add any kindness or age to the man; instead, they gave him an imposing and dignified presence.

But upon closer inspection, one can discover something else—the leader and his bodyguards are not from the Pero tribe, but from the Lupo tribe, which is extremely similar to the Pero.

The leader of the Fang Gang is a Rupert, and a Rupert leading a group of Perots in the film-filled Victorian underworld—what an interesting story! It could definitely be a commercially viable novel with some artistic embellishment.

Unfortunately, this matter is probably not known to many people. Gang leaders are secretive and their identities are not the same as those in Syracuse.

"Get out! I've given you two chances, and you messed up both times. Go to the hospital and recover. Bond will take over your position."

"......Yes."

After leaving the study, the minor leader could no longer straighten his back; his spine, his entire being, was the identity and power he had just lost.

Although it was called recuperation, it was actually a demotion—by the time he left the hospital, his original position had already been filled, and his former subordinates had all scattered. If he wanted to make a comeback, he could only climb back up from being a thug.

This task... wouldn't be difficult for a leader with a large and well-established network, but he couldn't do it.

The masked robbery had already caused serious losses to the gang, and his assets had long been confiscated to cover the losses. What was even more serious was that he had too few subordinates and connections. He hadn't made contact with those of lower status than himself, and he hadn't tried hard enough to curry favor with those of higher status. All the benefits he could have obtained had been consumed by himself, and no share had been allocated to cultivating connections.

His gangster career is over.

Inside the study, the leader did not stop his activities just because a minor leader had left.

He then summoned another person, his informant planted in various locations. Loyalty is one of the qualities emphasized by the gang, a necessary factor for stability.

But loyalty cannot rely solely on verbal instruction; necessary means such as these should also be prepared.

"Tell me everything about Block 56."

"First, there's the Glasgow gang. They're not from 56th Street. They're a slum gang. Not long ago, some of our people had a conflict with them, and the cause of the conflict is still unclear. But the leader chose to retaliate directly, vandalizing and causing trouble on their territory two weeks ago. A week ago, the Glasgow gang also retaliated, taking over 56th and 57th Streets."

"The leader was not at the stronghold during that time, but at... a bar. After the territory was taken away, the leader organized a counterattack immediately, but with little effect, so it dragged on until yesterday."

Listening to the informant's report, Leader Rupert's hands clenched tighter. This series of actions was the work of an idiot! It seemed he had lost his sight, actually allowing such a useless piece of trash to become the leader of three blocks!?

"What about the masked attack?"

"Yesterday, after our defeat, we retreated to our outpost on the edge of District 58 to regroup, but then a masked man attacked the outpost... He single-handedly took down all 22 remaining people in the outpost and then ransacked the safe."

"..."

For a leader from Syracuse, this was not an inconceivable thing; the assassins trained by the great families of Syracuse could easily do the same thing.

But what puzzled him was—who exactly had their eyes on the Fang Gang? They weren't the size to be being treated like this.

Unless... someone discovers something about them.

Chapter Thirteen: School Starts

Nesario was unaware of the trouble his actions had caused; he was more concerned about today's opening ceremony.

As day turns to night, a week has long passed, and the renowned military academy of Terra—the Royal Guard Academy of Victoria—has ushered in a new academic year! People all over Victoria and even across Terra aspire to attend this school, but one of the reasons why a prestigious school is prestigious is its rigorous examination requirements.

The Royal Guard College admits only about 1000 new students each year, of whom only about 900 are able to graduate.

Such a small number of students are able to enjoy the highest level of educational resources; uneven distribution is an understatement to describe this situation.

Nethario enrolled approximately 1200 students this year, a significant increase compared to previous years. How did Nethario find out?

He learned this from a teacher when he went to the admissions office to pick up his school uniform.

A famous general in Terran history once said, "Military uniforms must be stylish, so that young people will join the army without hesitation."

This idea is not unfounded. Handsome military uniforms are indeed a source of pride for young soldiers, while ugly uniforms are naturally relegated to the back of the closet. Each country in Terra has its own unique style in military uniform design.

Nesario had looked into this kind of information when he was in high school, and Victoria's military uniform was indeed very attractive.

The black military cap features different openings designed for different ethnic groups, allowing ears, horns, and feathers to protrude; the khaki shirt serves as the inner lining, and the fabric used is of very high quality, so it will not feel uncomfortable against the skin.

The outer coat is a double-breasted overcoat in dark green; it has epaulettes on the shoulders, with extra reinforcement on the right shoulder to facilitate the use of crossbow bolts; the waist is bound by a tactical belt, which is the soul of the whole garment; the lower body consists of durable tactical pants and black tactical boots, and the military uniform on campus seems to have been simplified a bit.

"Tiger's back, wasp's waist, mantis's legs"—this is how the Great Yan Dynasty described its young soldiers, and it can also be used to describe Nesario at this moment.

It can only be said that the Odogaron's physical evolution is too perfect. Neltharion's anthropomorphism of it is almost synonymous with strength, agility, and speed.

"Seriously... this kid is slow."