Chapter 161: The Peak Art of Double-Crossing

“Holy shit, that arrow nearly hit my ass!”

Ariel twisted through the winding alleys of the Lower City, dodging the arrows flying at her from behind as she weaved left and right, trying to shake off the pursuers.

But those Rats and thugs had clearly gone blood-mad. No matter how she ran, they wouldn’t let up.

They knew # Nоvеlight # the Lower City streets better than she did, so every time Ariel thought she’d finally shaken them, those bastards would pop up again from some unexpected shortcut.

“Knew it... Having a helper really would’ve made this a lot easier.”

Ariel sighed lightly, still irritated at that clueless guy from earlier.

He was obviously some noble kid who didn’t know his way around the Lower City, but still—he could’ve been used as bait to draw fire.

As long as things succeeded, giving him two or three drops wouldn’t have been out of the question. Do I look like the kind of person who hogs everything?

But by this point, it didn’t matter whether anyone helped her or not.

Ariel glanced at the metal container in her hand, her eyes glowing with delight.

The Ancient Dragon’s Lifeblood—secured!

And she didn’t pay a single coin!

In this world, is there anything more satisfying than getting something for free?

Of course there is!

It’s getting something for free... and still getting to show off!

With a sudden clench of her fingers, her bandage-wrapped ruler-length greatsword appeared in her hand. She swung it casually—sending a “wild dog” who’d jumped out to ambush her flying into a wall with a miserable shriek.

“Tch. This level of trash dares to play double-cross?”

Ariel clicked her tongue in disdain, then grinned even more smugly.

You want to know what it means to be a professional? This is what it means!

Perfect timing.

Perfect plan.

Perfect escape route.

Even her post-heist dramatic flair? Absolutely flawless.

She’d secured the Ancient Dragon’s Lifeblood—the thing everyone was fighting over—with ease.

Sure, because she didn’t have anyone pulling aggro, her butt nearly got hit by an arrow. Minor flaw.

But is there anyone more skilled than her when it comes to backstabbing the backstabbers?

Nope!

She’d never lost at this game—not once since she was a kid!

Back when she was just some dirt-poor illegitimate daughter, even the white bread she ate came from robbing a guy who’d just robbed the bakery. That was double-crossing on top of double-crossing!

“And he said the Ancient Dragon’s Lifeblood would be his?”

Thinking of that clueless guy again, Ariel found it even funnier.

That noble kid who didn’t know where he was or what was happening—he was probably cowering somewhere right now, scared out of his mind!

“Hm?”

Just as she was basking in her triumph, Ariel suddenly felt a chill streaking toward her.

She pushed off the ground hard with her toes, her body twisting in midair in a way that completely defied physics—just barely dodging a blade that sliced out of the darkness.

“You’re...”

Seeing the attacker, Ariel raised a brow slightly.

“You’re that guy—Lorenzo, right? You actually caught up?”

“Don’t underestimate me, bitch!”

Lorenzo stepped out from the shadows, his face twisted in a furious snarl.

He looked a bit worse for wear, blood spattered across his face, but his stance remained proud. The magitech armor on his body shimmered with blue light, its pressure palpable.

Behind him came his panting aide and what remained of the Red Flame Gang elites—less than half now.

“Little shit... Are you ready to pay for what you’ve done?”

Lorenzo gripped his blade tightly. The blood still dripping from its edge screamed pure killing intent.

He had never—never—been this humiliated before.

And so, he had never—never—wanted someone dead this badly.

If he didn’t cut this little thief into a thousand pieces, he’d never be able to swallow this rage!

“Whew, scary~ But...”

Ariel tilted her head and looked to the side. “Those guys don’t look bad either.”

From the shadows stretched by the pale moonlight, a group of blood-soaked thugs emerged one by one. Most of them were wounded, but like wild beasts, the more injured they were, the more vicious they became.

Shurz stepped forward from among them. The elegance of a noble was long gone.

His beloved gilded silver cane had vanished, and half an arrow was still lodged in his shoulder—but he didn’t seem to notice. His old eyes were locked on Ariel, filled with madness and hatred.

“Did you take something?”

Ariel flared her nostrils. There was a different scent clinging to this group.

Still, if these near-mindless thugs could find her, then obviously the other one wouldn’t be far behind.

From the rooftop, that infamous Rat King peeked out just his head, first glancing coldly at Shurz before turning to Lorenzo and Ariel.

He said:

“Lorenzo, at this point, there’s no meaning in fighting. After this, fifty-fifty split—deal?”

His words clearly excluded the frenzied thugs.

Lorenzo didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked up toward the rats on the rooftops.

Because of their high ground earlier, the Rats had taken the fewest losses—only a few casualties. More importantly, they still had a good supply of crossbows and arrows.

Lorenzo clenched his teeth hard—so hard it was like he was trying to swallow the shame of losing fifty million.

But he still had enough sense to read the room. Through gritted teeth, he said:

“Fine.”

“Heh heh, see? Wasn’t that easy?” Sam gave an ugly, cackling laugh.

A vein pulsed on Lorenzo’s forehead. He forced himself not to look at Sam and turned his glare back on Ariel.

He stared at this little thief whose gender he still wasn’t sure of, his face dark enough to drip ink.

“Thief. Have you figured out how you want to die?”

“Oh? You guys think I’m cornered?”

Ariel laughed.

“Obviously.”

Sam sneered beside her.

“Kid, don’t tell me you haven’t realized—you’ve been herded into a dead end.”

Ariel glanced around in silence. Solid walls surrounded her. Behind her, it seemed, was already the edge of the city.

True—nowhere to run.

But the smile she hid in the shadows only grew brighter.

“And how do you know,” she said, “that I didn’t come here on purpose?”

“What?”

Lorenzo frowned, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

Too many things had happened tonight—he was already on edge. He was terrified this brat would suddenly wave a hand and summon some huge gang from the Lower City.

Now that would be fun.

But Ariel didn’t know any gang summoning spells. She rose up on her toes, happily spinning in a circle as she waved her arms around.

“Look at this place.”

“So quiet. So remote. So far from anything and anyone.”

“Most importantly—it’s far from that bridge. Far from any city guard post.”

“Get it now?”

Ariel tilted her head with her trademark, irreverent smile:

“Out here, I can go all out.”

Her gaze passed through the swirling mist and fixed on the distant silhouette of the tower bridge.

You see that, you clueless brat?

This is what true backstabbing looks like.

If your fists aren’t strong enough, you’ve got no business trying to play double-cross!

“If you think I’ll be scared by that—”

Lorenzo scoffed, about to make a cutting retort, when suddenly—

He heard that whistle.

Sharp and ghostly, it echoed through the night.

“Shurz!”

He spun around and glared at the Hyenas.

“Can you at least try not to freak out when your own mom walks in the room?!”

“N-No...”

Shurz, half-mad from drugs, suddenly froze.

That whistle had snapped him out of it.

His eyes regained clarity—and filled with deep, paralyzing fear.

“That’s... that’s not the Hyena Gang’s whistle. That’s...”