74 Chapter 74. Taking Advantage of the Loophole

'So you guessed this was the situation?' Jack thought back at her.

'Yes, this is something newbies might try to do. Stupid fools that they are,' Peniel scoffed.

'Why? I thought it was quite an ingenious plan. We can either waste time testing whose patience lasts longer or decide to get the criminal imprint."

'Heh, you think that because you are also ignorant like them,' Peniel said with a mocking tone.

'Do you mean you have a way out for Flame?" Jack asked.

'Of course! Tell her to keep her cool for a little longer. She will soon be freed.'

'You sound pretty confident.'

'Just shut up and do as I say!'

Jack had gotten used to her bossy tone so he wasn't bothered by it. He sent Flame a message as Peniel told him to.

He got her reply.

"Really? I've had enough of that bitch's chattering and was just about to rush out to dice her. At least I'd take her down with me.  Are you sure I need to wait?"

Jack sent another message reassuring her, telling her to absolutely stay inside until he returned.

'Now what?' He asked Peniel.

'Now we go for a walk,' she answered.

'Huh?'

'Just do as I say. Tell that noisy friend of yours to maintain the situation as it is now, we will be back soon.'

Though he was puzzled, Jack still conveyed Peniel's message to Bowler. As was expected, Bowler nervously hit him with all sorts of questions about what he was going to do. Since Jack himself didn't know, he just repeated that he would return soon with a solution, and that Bowler and Flame should stay put until he got back.

Bowler had no choice but to see Jack go off. He glanced back at the Weary Wolf crowd in front of Thug's Nest bar and helplessly waited.

An hour passed with no sign of Jack. The uneasy Bowler had sent three messages to Jack; one message got a reply asking him to be patient and not to worry. The second message got the same reply. The third one didn't get any reply. He didn't know if Jack didn't reply because he was busy or because he simply couldn't stand his nagging.

Bowler's hands were itching to send another message to Jack but he forced himself not to. Instead, he sent another message to Flame. He had also sent numerous messages to her in the span of the hour. Flame, unlike Jack, was pretty responsive. But most of her replies revolved around how she was going to tear apart the bitching wench outside who just couldn't stop running her mouth off.

Bowler peeked out again.  Fox was, indeed, still throwing insults and provocations at Flame. Bowler wondered how the heck she had the stamina for it. She had been shouting non-stop for hours. He loved to talk as well, but even he had his limits. He had to admit that he was impressed by the woman's tenacity. He imagined that she might have been a politician or a public speaker in the real life.

As he continued to wait, he received another message from Flame, "I'm going out."

'What? Shit!' Bowler exclaimed in his heart. He peeked out and saw Flame appear at the Bar's door. The Weary Wolf crowd, who had been bored after seeing no action all this time, immediately tensed up. They got into formation, allowing no gaps between them so Flame couldn't slip through their blockade. Bowler sneaked closer to the group, he saw a large crate nearby and hid behind it.

Fox, who had been babbling non-stop, became silent when she saw Flame come out. Now that her prey had taken the bait, she was panting and trying to catch her breath.

"Why are you stopping now?" Flame taunted Fox. "Weren't you flapping your gums all this time? Why have you shut up now that I've shown myself? Aren't you mighty with all those underlings around you? What are you afraid of?"

"Who said I am afraid, you bitch!" Fox shrieked in a high pitched voice. She was still panting. Bowler, who heard it from his hiding place, couldn't help but feel pity, somehow, for the woman.

"Come out and face us if you dare, bitch! Why stay holed up inside?" Fox added.

"I've already come out, you idiot. Are you blind or mentally retarded?" Flame was not about to be bullied. "If you dare, come attack me yourself! You are already a pitiful level one, it can't get much worse. Why don't you just attack me? I'm right here, dummy."

"You think I don't dare!?" Fox was just about to lunge forward but she was held back by Boulder. She looked at him angrily, he slightly shook his head.

'Ah, it's a pity she was stopped,' Bowler thought. 'If Fox had attacked, then she would have implicated the whole Weary Wolf gang, as they are in a party. So all of them would be considered to have made the first strike and been marked with criminal imprint.' And Bowler could have retaliated without fear of penalty as he was still in a party with Flame. Although they would most likely have gotten killed, being so outnumbered, there was also a small chance they could escape in the chaos.

Fox seemed to have realized this, too, so she calmed down and regained her smug expression.

"You think you can trick me?" She said with a mocking laugh. "Spout all the nonsense you want! We will just stand here and wait. Our members can take turns; half will go do their own things, the other half will stay here. So we can hold you here indefinitely! Let's see how long you can stay inside. Maybe in a few days, I will come back at a higher level than you, and you will still be here wasting your time inside." "Hahaha!" she cackled maniacally.

Bowler's hair was standing on end hearing that eerie laugh. Damn it, he thought, how do her gang members stand being around her? It was like having a lunatic as a friend.

Flame was also quiet. Her provocation had failed. She couldn't stand the sight of that woman laughing at her. She gripped her dagger tightly.

"Don't fall to her taunts!" Bowler sent her a short message.

"Oh? Can't stand it now? Why don't you attack me then? As you said, I'm only level one. I bet you could kill me with one strike. Come on, I won't evade. I will stand here and let you do it," Fox continued her verbal harassment.

Flame gritted her teeth. She was preparing to lunge at Fox as she sent a final message to Bowler, "Argh..! Can't stand her! It's better to just end this and start over than waste more time here!"

"Wait! Wait!" Bowler knew he couldn't prevent her from making a move any more by just sending messages, so he jumped out from his hiding space. "Don't do anything reckless! You would just fall to their scheme!"

The Weary Wolf gang turned to look at Bowler.

Fox grinned, "We thought you ran away already. Why are you still lingering around here? Can't stand to leave your bitch behind? How touching! No worry, you will be next. After that, we will look for that other friend of yours. We will make sure the three of you will forever be level one."

Her grin then turned savage, "We will make sure you regret the day you dared to cross us! Cross me!!"

"Like hell we will! Why don't you get a mirror and look at that ugly mug of yours? You are the one that's back at level one because of crossing us!" Bowler retorted. "You think this petty trick of yours is awesome? You are just a bully trying to take advantage of a loophole in the system. How those lackeys beside you can stand a loser like you ordering them around like some wimpy puppies wagging their tails at your bidding, is beyond my understanding. But don't think for a second that a group of losers like you can get away with this. Wait until my brother comes, he will send you lot packing with your tails between your legs!"

"Why you…!" Fox's face turned dark. She would never be able to win a verbal battle against Bowler. Losing her patience, she called the gang members to attack, "Get him!"

"Hold!" Boulder, however, was not taking the bait. "Don't fall for his provocation! Maintain formation."

Flame, who saw Fox losing her patience, felt slightly better. She held herself back. She realized she was being rash, but she was still restless and frustrated. It was not her style to just wait and do nothing. How long would she have to just wait here and suffer this humiliation? She still thought it better to just get it over with now.