"Leave it to me, Mr. Nick! I''m a professional!" Caius said confidently.
The plump Nick wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing a smile, though deep down, he was still skeptical.
If Caius couldn''t handle the Crab Gang, then Nick would not only lose money but also this entire shipment of liquor.
Fortunately, since the job was posted through the Mercenary Tavern, if the mission failed, the Mercenary Guild would compensate him with a sum as consolation. It wouldn’t cover all his losses, but at least it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
So, he was willing to take the gamble.
If Caius completed the mission successfully, then Nick would have a reliable mercenary to entrust future tasks to.
This was how merchants and mercenaries worked together, and it was exactly what Caius wanted.
If he succeeded, his reputation in the dock district would spread, and soon, the golden-ranked missions required by the tavern wouldn’t be a concern anymore.
With that, Caius loaded the liquor onto the carriage Nick had prepared, grabbed the little catgirl, and set off out of the city.
The moment the carriage left the dock district, a hidden Crab Gang scout immediately rushed back to report.
The gang’s hideout was the Crab Tavern, which also served as a branch of the Mercenary Guild. This was the very same tavern that Yvlan had mentioned—the one with a three-star rating.
On the tavern’s third floor, a burly man with an iron-forged crab claw for a right hand listened to his subordinate’s report, his face darkening. He spat his cigar onto the ground.
"Melbourne, take some men and finish him off. And bring my liquor back!"
"Got it, boss!" A bald man with a harpoon tattoo on his head immediately responded. He slung a harpoon over his shoulder, gathered his crew, and set off.
...
As the carriage passed through the city gates, Kiki glanced around warily. "Big guy, are those people really going to come, meow?"
"They will," Caius replied casually while guiding the carriage. "But they won’t make a move here. They’ll wait until we’re outside the protection zone."
Kiki nodded. After a moment, she scooted closer to Caius and whispered, "A carriage has been following us from a distance, meow."
"Doesn’t look like good people, meow."
Caius turned his head.
About two to three hundred meters behind, a carriage loaded with burly men followed them. The men all had fierce expressions, and one of them carried two harpoons on his back, his bald head marked with twin harpoon tattoos.
Caius chuckled. "Only ten people? They’re underestimating me."
"Little cat, stay back when the fight starts."
"I can fight, meow!" Kiki declared immediately.
"I know you can, but it’s unnecessary. I can handle this lot on my own."
"Just stay back so you don’t get splattered with blood."
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"Alright, meow!"
Caius continued to drive the carriage as if he hadn’t noticed the Crab Gang members, while Kiki, a bit tense, kept sneaking glances behind.
Truthfully, Caius didn’t see them as a threat.
Not only because of his sharp mercenary instincts but also because he knew that unless the Crab Gang’s boss, Iron Claw, showed up—or they brought dozens, even hundreds of men—this small fry wouldn’t last against his hammer.
Judging from the people in the trailing carriage, the boss hadn’t come himself, which meant there was nothing to worry about.
As the carriage left the protection zone, the gang members’ carriage suddenly accelerated, charging toward them.
Caius, however, brought his own carriage to a halt, waiting for them.
The sooner he finished this, the sooner he could rest.
Seeing Caius stop, Melbourne felt provoked and immediately stood up on his carriage, raising his harpoon.
A rope was attached to the harpoon’s shaft.
At a fifty-meter distance, Melbourne hurled the harpoon straight at Caius’s back.
A smirk tugged at Melbourne’s lips.
This big guy was a sitting duck. Once the harpoon pierced him, Melbourne would pull the rope, dragging him off the carriage and along the ground for a few hundred meters. No matter how strong he was, he’d be done for!
But to his shock, just as the harpoon reached its target, Caius spun around with astonishing speed, catching the harpoon precisely.
Then, he yanked it hard.
Melbourne instantly felt an overwhelming force pulling him forward.
Unfortunately for him, he had a habit of wrapping the harpoon’s rope around his arm.
With a sudden jerk, he was sent flying straight toward Caius.
Melbourne panicked, but as a three-star gold-ranked mercenary, his reaction was quick.
Mid-air, he adjusted himself and drew his second harpoon, preparing to strike as he got close.
However, in front of Caius, being airborne meant he was already dead.
The Wolf Demon could attest to that.
As Melbourne neared, ready to thrust his harpoon, Caius swung his massive warhammer.
The metal hammer roared through the air with crushing force, smashing toward Melbourne.
In a desperate move, Melbourne curled up and used his harpoon to block.
But he had underestimated Caius’s strength.
With a single strike, Melbourne was sent plummeting to the ground, a sickening chorus of cracking bones filling the air. He tumbled across the dirt for dozens of meters.
Though both were gold-ranked, Melbourne was far weaker than the Wolf Demon. His physicality was nowhere near comparable.
Even the Wolf Demon would be bent like a shrimp if he took a direct hit from Caius’s hammer. A mere three-star gold-ranked human? He never stood a chance.
Melbourne wasn’t dead, but he was close. His arm—the one he used to block—was completely shattered. His steel harpoon was bent, and his ribs were likely broken. Blood spilled from his mouth.
One clash, and Melbourne was finished, left crawling on the ground, unable to stand.
Caius leapt down from his carriage, hoisting his warhammer, and strode toward the gang’s vehicle.
The Crab Gang members still aboard were frozen in shock.
Their third-in-command… was just gone?
Before they could react, the towering figure of Caius charged, his speed increasing until he was in a full sprint.
He was smiling.
Panic spread through the gang. They scrambled to steer the carriage away.
But dodging Caius’s hammer charge? Impossible.
Amidst screams and the sound of the carriage shattering, most of the gang members were sent flying.
Some managed to jump off in time, avoiding the initial impact.
But avoiding the hammer? That was another story.
Kiki peeked out from behind the liquor crates, ears twitching as she watched the gang members get launched through the air.
Now she understood why Caius told her to stay back.
Because they were getting hammered far, far away—and their blood was flying just as far.
For these silver-ranked thugs—some not even reaching silver—Caius didn’t need a second swing.
In less than a minute, all ten Crab Gang members were down.
Only two were still breathing.
Melbourne and one unlucky survivor Caius had intentionally spared.
After all, someone had to deliver the message.
Caius grabbed Melbourne’s head and dragged him to the survivor.
The man trembled, his eyes filled with terror.
"Crab Gang, right?" Caius squatted in front of him, grinning.
The man shook violently.
"Don’t be scared. I won’t kill you," Caius said with a warm smile. "I’m not a monster."
Then he snapped Melbourne’s neck.
"Now, go tell your boss: mess with me, and this is what happens."
"When the time comes, I''ll go find him. He can either wash his neck clean or get ready to compensate me for my mental distress—and cover my hammer maintenance fees."
Seeing the guy stay silent, Caius’s smile instantly disappeared, as if a shadow had fallen over his face.
"Got it?"
"G-got it..." The guy finally snapped out of it and nodded frantically.
"Good." Caius''s honest-looking smile returned, then he added, "Now… don’t be in such a hurry to scram. First, gather up everyone’s weapons, money, and anything valuable. Load them onto my carriage."
"Then you can scram."
The lucky survivor: "…"