As they witnessed Fang Li directly using his gun to intimidate a group of civilians, not only the parties involved but even the Yomokawa samurai were taken aback.
“F-Fang Li-San?” Yomokawa Ayame was also at a loss when she witnessed such a scene.
In Yomokawa Ayame’s impression, Fang Li was supposed to be someone very approachable, easy to talk to, and pleasant to be around. So Yomokawa Ayame couldn’t fathom the fact that Fang Li would point a gun at a helpless group of civilians.
However, before Yomokawa Ayame could react, a middle-aged man in luxurious attire among the crowd shouted.
“Who… who the hell do you think you are? What right do you have to block our path?”
“Oh?” Fang Li immediately shifted his gaze and assessed the middle-aged man before speaking, “And who might you be?”
“I am a trusted aide to the head of the Yomokawa family and a government official of Aragane Station!” The middle-aged man raised his voice. “Even the Samurai show me utmost respect, and yet you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the government official fell silent because Fang Li had already raised his gun and pointed it at the official’s head.
“So, you’re one of the high-ranking officials of Aragane Station,” Fang Li calmly said, as if nothing had happened, and smiled at the government official. “But what does that have to do with me?”
“You…?!” The government official was visibly shocked by Fang Li’s words.
Clearly, the official had not anticipated that, while revealing his identity, this person in front of him, who wasn’t even a samurai, would dare to point a gun at him.
Ignoring the official’s astonishment, Fang Li maintained eye contact and said directly, “I don’t care who you are, whether you’re an esteemed noble or not. Right now, it’s a matter of life and death. There are countless lives at stake here, and there’s no distinction of status. If, at this moment, you still want to rely on your position and enjoy privileges, then I can let you experience it a bit earlier.”
Saying this, Fang Li pressed the barrel of the gun against the official’s forehead as he spoke. “Enjoy a free trip to death.”
Hearing this, the government official, observing Fang Li’s harmless smile and feeling the cold barrel against his forehead, broke into a cold sweat.
To be honest, even for Fang Li, it was somewhat challenging to do something like this. Threatening someone with a gun wasn’t a common experience for an ordinary student, let alone most people.
However, Fang Li had to do it.
After all, each of these people here was equivalent to an additional reward for Fang Li, and the Kabane army could attack at any moment, ready to slaughter everyone.
To avoid wasting time on trivial matters, which could ultimately become a hindrance, Fang Li had to play the role of a villain here.
It was said that shooting a bird served as a warning to others. Fang Li believed that these people would become slightly more obedient afterward.
However, in the next second, something happened that even Fang Li hadn’t anticipated.
“Enough!” With the sound of this shout, a person pushed through the crowd and approached Fang Li, staring intently at him.
“He already knows what to do. Put down the gun. You’ve pointed it at the wrong person!”
The person who spoke this was a young boy.
A very peculiar young boy.
Why was this boy considered peculiar?
There were two reasons for that.
First, his body was draped in a red cloak, and his skin had an eerie hue. It seemed like he was wearing no other clothes beneath the cloak, revealing glimpses of some metallic objects. This strange appearance caught people’s attention.
Second, the boy held a peculiar weapon in his hand.
It was a weapon that seemed to be modified from a riveting machine or a pile driver, resembling the shape of a submachine gun.
A peculiar boy wielding a peculiar weapon and appearing in such a situation naturally caused everyone present to look at each other in bewilderment.
However, upon seeing this young boy, some people couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.
“Ikoma?!”
These people who referred to the young boy as Ikoma seemed to be workers from a smelting factory as they were dressed in their work uniforms.
Clearly, these people were familiar with the boy.
In addition, Yomokawa Ayame, Konochi Kurusu, Araka Kibito, and the others also reacted to the appearance of the boy named Ikoma.
“It’s you?” Yomokawa Ayame exclaimed in surprise.
“Aren’t you the blacksmith from the ironworks factory who helped repair Ayame-Sama’s gun this morning?” Araka Kibito’s expression was equally filled with astonishment.
Meanwhile, Konochi Kurusu simply raised his Steam Gun and pointed it at the boy named Ikoma, and spoke in a cold tone.
“Why are you here?”
The atmosphere in the crowd immediately became tense.
Facing Konochi Kurusu, who had a gun pointed at him, Ikoma gritted his teeth and said, “Didn’t I already tell you? You’ve got the wrong person in your sights!”
Konochi Kurusu didn’t say much; he only silently rested his finger on the trigger, his eyes filled with coldness.
The sudden turn of events left the onlookers, who didn’t know what had happened, completely stunned.
Only Fang Li, since Ikoma’s entrance, had not shifted his gaze away from the boy.
Looking at the boy with a peculiar skin color, yet a determined expression, Fang Li muttered to himself.
(“Has he made his appearance? The protagonist of the original series…”)
The boy named Ikoma is precisely the protagonist of the original story.
He is an ordinary steam blacksmith residing in Aragane Station, where iron smelting and steam engines are the main industries. At the same time, he is a hot-blooded young man filled with a sense of justice, always hoping to defeat all Kabane and one day earn the admiration of others.
At first glance, this boy seems to be just an ordinary laborer with grand dreams, and there seems to be nothing particularly special about him.
However, Fang Li knows that Ikoma has two distinct characteristics that set him apart from others.
Firstly, it is the peculiar weapon he is holding in his hand at the moment.
It is a weapon called the Tsuranuki Zutsu, developed by Ikoma and his friends to defeat the Kabane.
It is a weapon that can launch special bullets called Jet Bullets.
Utilizing the principle that a shock wave produced by the explosion of gunpowder can generate a metal jet when it hits metal, it was developed as a special weapon with enough power to pierce through the hearts of Kabane.
The weapon in Ikoma’s hand is precisely such an existence.
The second distinct characteristic is Ikoma’s current body.
A body that is similar to the girl in Fang Li’s arms, capable of easily striking down the Undead Monsters that are called Kabane as nothing.
In Fang Li’s embrace, the girl named Mumei slowly opened her drowsy eyes and looked toward Ikoma.
