Life in a Simulation - Chapter 23

Soon after, the bandit Jero, whose wound had healed, quickly brought back his four companions.

These four companions consisted of three men and one woman. Among the three men, one was a tall and strong man who wielded a heavy axe and had a scar on his face; he was called Johnson, nicknamed Big Axe Johnson. Another was a one-eyed archer named Leondro, and the third was a short man skilled in setting traps, named Rudom, nicknamed Dwarf Dom. As for the only female bandit with a fiery and sensual figure, her real name was unknown. She was called the Viperous Beauty, or “Viper Girl,” due to her proficiency in using poison and her unpredictable temper.

Including the most experienced Jero, who was considered the leader among the four, this group of five formed a capable and efficient team. Zhou Ming couldn’t help but marvel at how they seemed like the perfect combination for robbing, killing, and seizing treasures.

For a moment, Zhou Ming was tempted to join this group. However, this was just a fleeting impulse. He would not join them unless absolutely necessary.

Before the operation, after a brief exchange in the dense forest, Zhou Ming took out three maps from his pocket.

The first map was the route for infiltrating Rose Town. According to this map, they could avoid the castle guards’ sight and reach the target location at the fastest speed.

The second map was the layout of Steward Brunold’s residence in Rose Town. Zhou Ming had obtained this map by delivering items to Brunold’s house. With just a quick glance, he had memorized the location of the dog kennel, the room layout, and the possible treasure spots in Brunold’s home, and had also marked the route of action in his mind.

The third map was about how to transport the treasure after obtaining it. He estimated that Brunold’s residence would at least hide hundreds of gold coins and thousands of silver coins. The combined weight of these treasures would be hundreds of kilograms. Therefore, he suggested that each of the five of them should carry a cloth bag capable of holding 20 kilograms of weight. After filling the bags with treasures, they should leave through the back door of Brunold’s house.

Zhou Ming would wait in the backyard, keeping watch.

“Kid, how do you know that Steward Brunold’s house would have a lot of treasures? And that they would be hidden under his bed? Have you seen it with your own eyes?” Viper Girl stared at the three maps, unable to agree with Zhou Ming’s overly subjective plan of action.

Zhou Ming explained, “There will definitely be a lot of treasures. I’m certain that Brunold has embezzled a lot of the lord’s property over the years. The lord doesn’t care whether the annual income of the territory increases or decreases. All these matters are controlled by Steward Brunold. Moreover, compared to ten years ago, the output of Granling has been enough for Baron Connor to train 15 to 20 knights, but there are still only about 12. The knights’ equipment has not been significantly upgraded either. Where has all the money gone? I guess only Brunold knows…”

“Besides, considering Brunold’s greedy, stingy, and suspicious nature, he wouldn’t trust anyone else with this fortune. It would have to be kept under his watchful eye, in a place close to him and within reach at all times… Coincidentally, Brunold, who has a comfortable and safe room in the castle, insists on returning to his town residence every day to rest. I think, apart from someone with his miserly character, no one else would make such a strange move. So, robbing Brunold will definitely not go wrong!”

Looking at Zhou Ming, who spoke eloquently with solid reasoning, the bandits, including Jero, exchanged glances.

Was the kid in front of them really just a sixteen-year-old boy?

“Kid, let’s do it your way!”

Bandit Jero made the final decision.

So, on a night when dark clouds obscured the moon, the group of six, taking advantage of the pitch-black night, made their way to Steward Brunold’s residence.

The most difficult to deal with were still the guard dogs watching the house. Any slight movement would set them off barking, alerting the master of the house and causing the operation to fail.

Dealing with these guard dogs was easy. They just had to throw in some bones coated with poison. The dogs, with their keen sense of smell, would quickly devour the bones if they hadn’t been specifically trained to resist food from strangers.

An hour later, after no more barking or whining could be heard from the yard, the five bandits formed a human ladder to get someone into the front yard to open the gate. Following the route on the map, they quickly made their way into Steward Brunold’s bedroom.

Viper Girl used a piece of cloth soaked in the juice of pyrethrum, which had a soporific effect, to cover Brunold’s mouth and nose for a while, putting him into a state of unconsciousness. The treasures hidden under Brunold’s bed, like a naked beauty, temptingly lay bare before the eyes of Bandit Jero and the others.

Unexpectedly.

There were six treasure chests in total!

One chest contained nearly a thousand gold coins, and four others were filled with shiny silver coins, each with thousands of them.

There was also a chest full of valuable gems such as emeralds, amber rings, and agate stones, as well as a small amount of pearls and tortoiseshell from the southern coast.

The combined weight of these gold and silver coins, gems, and pearls was nearly 150 kilograms. Each of the bandits, including Jero, carried a heavy load of close to 30 kilograms of treasure, and they slowly made their way through the backyard gate, disappearing into the quiet night.

After successfully obtaining the treasure and piling it up in the dense forest to discuss the division of spoils, Bandit Jero suggested that one-third of the treasure be given to Zhou Ming, who had the greatest contribution.

The other four did not object. After all, even with the remaining two-thirds, they would be able to live a carefree life for the rest of their days. Although they were bandits with little moral scruples, they still adhered to professional ethics when it came to dividing the spoils. Even bandits have their code.

Looking at the dazzling and eye-catching treasures, Zhou Ming didn’t even feel a flicker of excitement. He pushed the treasure back and shook his head, saying, “These treasures would be a death sentence if kept with me. You all take them. Use them to recruit more men, expand your ranks, and buy better weapons to upgrade your equipment. Don’t think about spending them all at once. You still have many better opportunities… Trust me, the final big deal I have in mind will ensure that you all live a life of abundance for the rest of your lives, without any worries or fears.”

A life of abundance for the rest of their lives?

Without any worries or fears?

Just you this little…

The five of them looked at each other, all wanting to retort and mock, but for some reason, the words just wouldn’t come out. Instead, their hearts began to race.

After staring at the kid for a while longer, they seemed to see a grand vision in him that they had never encountered before.

…

“My treasures!”

“The treasures I’ve painstakingly accumulated over decades!”

“Who! Which bastard took all my treasures!”

“Bastard! Give my treasures back! Give them back now! Give them back!!”

“Ah~! Ah~!! Ah~!!!”

On this day, from the residence of Steward Brunold in the town, there came an incredibly shrill wail.

The cry was earth-shattering and soul-stirring, echoing throughout the entire Rose Town.

The townsfolk were extremely surprised. This pig-slaughtering cry—could it be that Steward Brunold’s parents had died? But when his parents passed away, he wasn’t this heartbroken.

And hearing him constantly shouting about treasures, had he lost money? With his stingy nature, he would only cry out in such pain if he had lost money, right?

The townspeople gossiped among themselves, while Zhou Ming hid nearby, chuckling to himself. Brunold must have been hit hard this time. The money he had mostly obtained through embezzlement would be difficult to report to the lord, and keeping it bottled up inside would be very distressing. He would probably remain in this state of mental derangement and extreme grief for a long time, right?

Hehe, hehe.

Life in a Simulation - Chapter 23

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Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

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