Upon confirming that the source of the rising black smoke was indeed the location of the inn, Will and his companions ran toward it without hesitation.
Soon, they arrived at the inn, now engulfed in flames. The entrance was surrounded by a crowd, some attempting to douse the fire with water, while others merely stood by, silently observing.
"Excuse me, what happened here?" Jin cut through the crowd decisively and asked one of the bystanders.
"I heard someone died," came the grim reply.
"Who? Who died?" Jin pressed further.
"It seems to be the innkeeper," the man answered.
"What exactly happened?" Jin inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"That man, the one who's been oppressing us in the slums—Picks. He killed the innkeeper. I stayed here last night, and Picks, along with a few of his men, came looking for someone. They were in the room next to mine. When they didn't find who they were after, Picks took his frustration out on the innkeeper," another person leaned in to explain.
"Picks," Jin muttered under his breath. Hearing the name shocked him deeply. Not only had he never imagined Picks would so easily resort to murder, but he also felt a pang of guilt. He had had the chance to kill Picks before, but had failed to act. Now, this act of cruelty had led to the death of another innocent.
"Jin, what's going on?" Will asked softly, drawing nearer.
"Picks..." Jin's voice was a low, bitter whisper.
"Picks did this?" Will gasped.
"Yes. Because of our incompetence, we've indirectly caused yet another death. We've committed another terrible act," Jin muttered to himself, lowering his head in shame.
"Jin, don't blame yourself," Will said, placing a hand on Jin's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
"I don't need your comfort, Will. The life of the innkeeper was innocent. I swear I will make Picks pay for this," Jin's voice suddenly turned cold with rage.
At that moment, a cruel laugh rang out from not far off. It was Picks and his men, standing by, seemingly savoring the spectacle of the fire, gradually drawing closer.
"This is the fate of those who dare oppose me! Hahahaha!" Picks laughed maniacally. The people surrounding the inn shrank back, their faces filled with fear. Although they were furious, they knew they stood no chance against someone as powerful as Picks, a man with ties to the royal palace.
"Hm? What are you looking at?" Picks growled, glaring at the crowd.
As Picks approached, Jin could hardly contain his fury any longer. Will, sensing the growing tension, immediately placed a hand on Jin's shoulder, trying to suppress his anger. Picks reached the closest person, and without a word, kicked him hard. The man cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground.
"Humph! If you ever look at me like that again, I'll gouge out your eyes!" Picks snarled.
"You monster!" An old woman suddenly screamed at him.
Without hesitation, Picks stalked toward her, eyes burning with anger. Clenching his left fist, he swung it violently at the elderly woman. The crowd closed their eyes, unable to bear witnessing what was about to happen.
"Bang!" A muffled sound echoed through the air.
"Old woman, you should leave now," Jin said calmly, stepping in front of her. He grasped Picks' left fist with ease, turning his head to speak to the woman.
"Ah, thank you, young man," the elderly woman stammered, still dazed by the sudden turn of events.
"Come, Granny, let's go," Will said quickly, running to help her back into the crowd.
"You?" Picks stared at Jin in disbelief.
"It's been a while, Picks," Jin said with a confident smile.
"You're the one from before." As realization dawned, Picks recalled the pain he'd endured. He tried to pull his hand away, but Jin's grip was unyielding, and no matter how hard Picks struggled, he couldn't escape.
"What... what are you going to do?" Picks stammered, panic creeping into his voice.
"Your left hand seems quite lively," Jin remarked, his face darkening with malice.
Suddenly, Jin twisted Picks' hand, wrenching it painfully. Picks screamed in agony, but Jin showed no mercy. With a fierce, wrathful expression, Jin clenched his right fist and, with all his strength, drove it straight into Picks' chest. The force of the blow pierced through Picks' body, driving straight through his heart. Blood poured from Picks' mouth, staining his clothes as the life drained from him.
"I should have never shown mercy," Jin muttered, his gaze locked on the fading light in Picks' eyes.
"Jin!" Will shouted, his voice filled with shock. He had never seen Jin this enraged before.
"Picks, no!" The men who had accompanied Picks cried out in terror, witnessing the raw, unstoppable power that Jin had unleashed.
With a grim expression, Jin slowly pulled his hand from Picks' body, blood dripping down his fingers.
"Ah!" The crowd of onlookers, their anger reaching a boiling point, suddenly surged forward, grabbing Picks' men by their limbs, pulling them down, while others began attacking them. Chaos erupted around them, the scene descending into a frenzy.
"Jin, we need to go, it's getting out of control," Will shouted urgently. Without waiting for a response, he turned and began running back in the direction they had come from. Jin remained silent, his gaze lingering on Picks' lifeless body for a moment longer before he too turned and followed Will.
...
Shortly after, at the lair of the beggar king, Shaoen.
"Ah, Mr. Jin, I've heard of your deeds. You're truly remarkable. You've given us the slums a much-needed relief," Shaoen said with a mocking tone, a cruel smile curling at his lips, while Jin leaned back against a worn-out sofa, lost in thought.
"Hey, hey, hey! Take that bloody hand of yours away from my sofa, don't stain it! This is a precious piece I salvaged from the noble district," Shaoen scolded, eyeing Jin's bloodied right hand with distaste.
"Alright, Mr. Shaoen, don't bother him. He must be troubled right now," Will interjected.
"Troubled? No, he did the right thing. He's done us a great favor," Shaoen replied loudly.
"While that may be true, if we continue down this path, there won't be much difference between us and Picks," Will said somberly.
"Is that so? He killed a bad man," Shaoen replied dismissively.
At that moment, Lisa burst through the door, panting heavily.
"Bad news, the situation is getting out of hand," she gasped.
"What happened?" she asked, breathless.
"After everything that happened, the people in the slums have started rioting. They're getting ready to storm the noble district, and the guards are trying to hold them back, but we don't know for how long," Lisa explained.
"Isn't that a good thing? Isn't this exactly what you all planned?" Shaoen said with a grin.
"But now it's spiraling out of control. If we can't rein in these people, there will be even more death and destruction," General Lei, who had been standing silently, spoke up.
...
Meanwhile, in Arus City.
The people from the slums were now fully rioting. Armed with anything they could find, they moved in groups, their numbers overwhelming. At that moment, they were clashing with the Arus guards in fierce combat.
Above, Merlin, now in the form of a raven, flew over Arus City, observing the chaos from the skies.
"Heh heh heh. At last, the moment has come. The riot here is beyond control. Picks, your sacrifice has been worthwhile," Merlin thought with excitement as he flew toward the palace.