Infinity, The Arcade Age

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the three-story wooden saloon's wall was blasted open, leaving behind a gaping hole.

The walls were riddled with bullet holes, with some even forming a continuous line.

It was clear that the enemy's ambush had been meticulously planned—they not only brought hand-crank machine guns but even absurdly rolled out two cannons!

Molotov cocktails, dynamite, blasting caps—anything that could be used, they used. The sheer firepower made it obvious: they intended to level the entire saloon.

However, Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri showed no signs of retreating.

Qin Ming, manning the machine gun, unleashed a relentless barrage, while Kasamoto Eri hurled wooden-handled grenades in retaliation.

The result? A chain of deafening explosions rocked the street. When Kasamoto Eri activated her A-level skill and summoned several C4 explosives, the heavily damaged saloon somehow remained standing.

Instead, the streets outside were reduced to rubble first.

Thick smoke filled the air, corpses littered the debris-strewn streets, and the enemy's makeshift fortifications had been obliterated.

Anyone taking cover behind those barricades was either blown to bits or gunned down, along with their cover.

When the firefight finally subsided, silence fell once more.

Qin Ming, shirtless and stationed by the saloon window with his machine gun, scanned the area for any surviving enemies.

Kasamoto Eri stood inside, reloading her weapons with precision.

But before she could finish, a sudden explosion erupted outside the room.

With a deafening crash, the wall burst apart, and a burly man charged in with brute force, ramming into Kasamoto Eri and slamming her against the opposite wall.

The ambush caught Kasamoto Eri completely off guard.

Pinned against the wall with the burly man's hands squeezing her throat, her response was lightning-fast.

She raised her revolver and fired three times:

The first shot pierced the man's arm.

The second shot struck directly at his most vulnerable spot below the belt.

As he instinctively loosened his grip to scream, she stepped forward and jammed the gun barrel under his chin before pulling the trigger a third time.

Bang!

Blood sprayed upward like a geyser, and the large man staggered back.

But before he could take more than two steps, Kasamoto Eri, now wielding her battle axe, charged forward and buried the blade into his skull.

If this had been the ordinary Kasamoto Eri from the original world, she might have struggled in close combat.

But Qin Ming's summoned version was a highly enhanced, gold-tier Kasamoto Eri—bolstered further by the Dreamwater boost. With both her strength and constitution stats at 30, even most bosses couldn't best her in close quarters.

Trying to brawl with her up close? A grave mistake.

She pinned the man to the floor and swung her axe relentlessly at his head, hacking until he was unrecognizable.

The blood-soaked scene sent chills down the spine of another enemy who had just charged into the room.

Stopping in his tracks, his face turned pale as he watched in horror.

Before he could regain his senses, Qin Ming, who had already turned with his machine gun in hand, pulled the trigger.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

The roar of the gunfire echoed in the room as a hailstorm of bullets riddled the man's body.

At close range, the power of a brilliant silver-tier light machine gun was devastating.

The man's body convulsed violently under the barrage, and he was flung backward.

His bloodied figure slammed against the wall, where over 200 rounds tore into him.

When the gunfire finally stopped, the man slid down the blood-stained wall, lifeless and perforated like a sieve.

Qin Ming stepped forward to inspect the body, his machine gun still in hand.

He frowned at the man's peculiar attire: a mismatched combination of leather armor on his upper body, ancient-style trousers on his lower half, and, most bizarrely, sandals on his feet.

Behind him, Kasamoto Eri, having just finished off her opponent, approached with her battle axe still dripping blood.

The two exchanged glances and simultaneously spoke.

"They're adventurers!"

The bizarre attire and abnormal brute strength that didn't fit this world's characters made their identities unmistakable.

"Weren't those two adventurers already dead?"

"Something's wrong! We've been tricked! They joined forces ahead of time and set us up!"

Frowning deeply, Qin Ming immediately tossed the machine gun to Kasamoto Eri.

He grabbed the rifle from the table and strode toward the exit, his expression fierce.

"Let's go! Find Simon! Those three adventurers must be with him!"

As he descended the stairs, his steps suddenly halted, and his voice cut off abruptly.

In the saloon's main hall, Simon stood at the center, his expression stern, holding his gold-trimmed rifle. Around him were over thirty henchmen, all taking cover and aiming their weapons menacingly at the staircase.

Beside Simon stood a thin, elegantly dressed man who leisurely filed his nails, seemingly indifferent to the tense atmosphere.

Hearing the footsteps from the stairs, the man raised his head slowly.

Noticing Qin Ming descending, he grinned wickedly.

"So you're the lunatic challenging us? You're pretty impressive, surviving this long against so many people."

Qin Ming remained silent, standing on the stairs with a blank expression, his rifle at the ready.

After scanning the group below, his gaze finally fixed on Simon.

"What's going on? Why is he obediently taking your orders?"

The fact that Simon had allied with his enemies to ambush him was genuinely beyond Qin Ming's expectations.

It didn't make sense. Why would Simon, the notorious local tyrant, go out of his way to collaborate with others just to target an insignificant junior bounty hunter like him?

Simon didn't even know who he was! Why would he go to such lengths?

The idea was absurd.

If Simon had already fought them and realized he couldn't win, then deciding to form an alliance might be understandable.

But this premeditated scheme? Completely illogical.

Faced with Qin Ming's doubts, the slender adventurer, Lei Dian, smiled slyly and waved his hand, revealing a peculiar item between his fingers.

The item was called the Writ of Amnesty.

Name: Writ of Amnesty (Knights of Valour)

Type: Consumable (Ordinary Silver Quality)

Effect: Upon use on a story character, resurrects them and makes them follow your commands. (Target's highest attribute must not exceed 40 points)

Description: Enlighten them with reason! Persuade them with civility! Surrender and serve!

It turned out that the earlier battle in the town had indeed ended with a decisive victory.

But the victor wasn't Simon—it was the Skyfire trio!

The Simon before them had already died once. What stood now was a revived version, resurrected by the Writ of Amnesty!

(End of Chapter)