F-4 Block, people here gave it a name, the White Night Zone, because from here on, it is the underground part of the Vegas District, where even during the day, it is as dim as night.
Horatio Cochrane was once the king of the underground there, and his Labor Gang once covered half the area of the PW-P-15 Megaport Freight Zone, and also occupied several sections within the massive, bloated Vegas District.
Although ordinary people living there were unaware of these behind-the-scenes conflicts, those in the underworld in that area all steered clear of Horatio.
"This is far enough, thank you."
"Not going a bit further?"
"Your family's crest-emblazoned luxury car is too conspicuous here; going further isn't a good idea."
The hovercar slowly descended.
"Farewell, Miss Hood. You've worked hard these past two days; I hope we can meet again in the future." Horatio bid Farida farewell with a gentle expression.
Farida looked at the black-haired young man in front of her, caught off guard by his sudden gentle seriousness.
The girl's cheeks flushed slightly, and she shyly turned her face to look forward, shouting, "Hmph, finally rid of you. The Hood Family, as a glorious Naval family, considers such minor matters insignificant. Do your duty well, provisional Sergeant."
"Yes, Miss Hood!" Horatio stood with his legs together, straightened his back, and gave her an aquila salute.
"Be careful; you don't even have a gun on you. In a place like this, without our Hood Family's protection..."
"Oh, oh, oh, such a nice car, how much must it cost?" Before Farida could finish speaking, a group of delinquents surrounded the luxury car.
Horatio, with many years of experience living in the Lower Hive, knew these guys were here to collect 'parking fees.'
The so-called 'parking fees' were actually just an excuse to extort a little money, a good training opportunity for the low-level thugs.
"Two young masters and misses, please pay the 'parking fee.'"
Although this group of delinquents was numerous, they only had a few scattered, poorly maintained automatic guns and homemade 'pipe guns'; the rest were wooden sticks and iron rods picked up from who knows where.
But as long as they could fire bullets, they were deadly weapons.
The thugs holding sticks and rods surrounded the car as a threat, ready to smash it at any time.
The fat leader at the front ran his dirty hands all over the soft leather seats and the Hood Family crest.
Clearly, they did not know that this crest represented the most powerful Naval family in Abyss Port. Recognizing crests was an Upper Hive custom.
"First, pay the 'parking fee'; this is the 'rule' of the streets."
The small leader chuckled as he pressed a small knife against the high-end car's paint.
As a place where law does not tread, the Middle and Lower Hives have their own rules; they are like small societies separated from the mainstream.
"Take your dirty hands off! If you scratch it, you'll die today." Farida's gaze was fierce, and she placed her hand on her gun holster.
The huntress vigilante, hailing from the Spire District, was unfamiliar with these lower-level ways. She primarily dealt with these thugs using guns and electromagnetic shackles, and as her hand touched her holster, a hint of embarrassment suddenly appeared on her face—the magazine had been emptied during the fight with the Chaos Spawn last night!
As another option, Farida thought about pulling out her Adeptus Arbites ID to reprimand them, but Horatio stopped her with a wave of his hand.
She glared at Horatio, as if saying, 'Let's see what you do!'
As someone who grew up in the Middle and Lower Hives, Horatio knew very well that in this situation, two seemingly rich young masters and misses who had sneaked out from the Upper Hive and an ID would not be able to bluff these "hyenas." It might even escalate into an uncontrollable armed conflict.
The Hive City Law Enforcement here played both sides, pretending to be blind. By the time the Adeptus Arbites arrived, the thugs would have already smashed the vehicle and run off. In a place without surveillance, there was no way to find anyone, and in the end, it would just be left unresolved.
Fighting with these thugs yielded no benefits, and any injury would be a huge loss.
Furthermore, if Farida were to get injured, he would have no way to explain it to Rear Admiral Alexander Hood.
[Then his Naval career would end just as it began! No, not this kind of thing!]
"How much?" Horatio asked expressionlessly.
He only came here to find the Diviner and ask about the situation, and then perhaps get something to eat. Although he was no longer a wanted man, he didn't have a gun on him, so it was best to keep a low profile.
"Such a nice car, it's only right to charge a bit more, fifty... fifty thousand!"
[...]
To save time, Horatio wouldn't mind throwing a little money to feed the dogs, but fifty thousand was clearly beyond his tolerance.
"I can give you fifty thousand. But..."
"Haha, brother, you're straightforward! Now, hand over the money."
These guys thought they had found a rich and easy target, and the other thugs relaxed their guard and laughed along.
Farida rolled her eyes at Horatio, turning her head away with a speechless expression.
[What's with this guy? I thought he had some tricks up his sleeve, but in the end, he's just obediently paying the money, tsk.]
"Before you take the money, I suggest you inquire about the cost of collecting 'parking fees' from Horatio Cochrane."
Horatio's tone was extremely grim, and his eyes, hidden in the shadows, were like cold, sharp daggers.
The air solidified instantly, followed by a few seconds of dead silence.
Someone who seemed to be a subordinate nervously leaned into the fat leader's ear, whispering slyly:
"Boss... Boss! He... he's that 'King of the Port District,' Kirkland. He got a new bionic limb, I didn't recognize him..."
The thug leader's eyes, as he looked sideways at his subordinate, were filled with nothing but terror.
His body suddenly slumped, and the domineering aura he had just displayed immediately softened. The oppressive fear made him tremble uncontrollably, and he said with a crying voice:
"You!"
He squeezed out a long, weak, broken sound as if he were choking, comically ridiculous.
"Me?" Horatio tilted his head, smiling chillingly.
"Kir... Kirkland, I... we..."
His voice grew softer and softer, his thick windpipe wheezing heavily, and soon his face turned red, and a comforting warmth spread through his crotch.
His overly long delinquent hairstyle shook in the air, looking somewhat ridiculous. The other thugs, seeing this, also put down their weapons, as if slapped by an invisible hand one by one.
"Very good, it's good that you still remember that name, then things are easy. Get lost."
Horatio reprimanded with a grim face, kicking the leading thug over.
"If you dare to rob again, next time it'll be your head."
"Thank you, thank you for your profound kindness, Lord Kirkland... I will never dare again!!!"
The leader cried, squeezing out a trembling sound, immediately scrambling up from the ground and fleeing into the distance, leaving behind the foul stench and filth from his incontinence.
The rest of his subordinates didn't even dare to pick up the weapons left on the ground and fled in a panic as if they had seen a ghost.
Perhaps none of them had personally witnessed Horatio's actions, but anyone who mixed in these streets knew that a person who could make a name for himself in this lawless land and earn the title of 'King of the Port District' was someone they were absolutely unqualified to provoke.
Horatio watched the group of defeated dogs scurry away, disappearing into the dim narrow alley, then turned to face Farida.
"Having come this far, it would truly be impolite to still have a distinguished guest like yourself protecting me, the 'host.'"
Horatio smiled and bowed to Farida like a Gentleman.
[This guy... is indeed not to be trifled with!!] Farida pursed her pink lips.
As a Adeptus Arbites commissioner from a prestigious family, she actually drove a gang leader back to his former territory.
[God Emperor! What is all this about?!]
At the thought of this, Farida's face also flushed, and her mind was already spinning.
"I still have matters to attend to, please excuse me, Miss Hood."
Horatio took a few steps back, waved goodbye, and his face returned to its usual gentle smile.
"You're an Imperial Navy provisional Sergeant now; from now on... you're not allowed to do these dirty deeds anymore! Hey, are you even listening?!"
From behind, the girl's resentful scolding and shouting came, Horatio curved his lips, and walked alone towards the dimly lit F-4 Block, gradually fading into the distance.