xymnovel Chapter 99 The Dagger from the Gutter
Chapter 99 The Dagger from the Gutter
"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Long live Greece!
The shouts, like a tsunami, rose one wave after another, almost lifting the sky above the port of Piraeus.
Thousands of workers, these ordinary people who are usually forgotten in the corners of society, are now expressing their excitement in the simplest and most passionate way.
Their eyes shone with a light they had never seen before.
That is the dignity of being recognized, the ecstasy of being seen, and the anticipation of the future!
Constantine stood on the high platform, calmly accepting the wave of sound. He didn't wave again, nor did he say anything more; he simply watched quietly as the faces below flushed with excitement.
He knew that the seeds of loyalty had been sown.
Five hundred thousand drachmas bought the most solid foundation for this country for decades to come!
Just as the ceremony was halfway through, and the atmosphere reached its peak.
A sudden change has occurred!
"Down with all oppressors! We reject the king's charity!"
A sharp, distorted roar ripped through the frenzied ocean like a blade!
A gaunt-faced young man with fanatical eyes suddenly burst out from the side of the crowded throng! Like a mad dog, he gripped a dagger he had somehow produced, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
His goal couldn't be clearer—the figure on the high platform, the one everyone was watching, Constantine!
The crowd was stunned for a moment by this sudden turn of events.
No one expected that someone would attempt to assassinate the crown prince at such a time!
Things changed too quickly!
The attendant standing next to Constantine instantly lost all color in his face. He instinctively screamed, "Your Highness, be careful!" and reached out to pull Constantine behind him.
The royal guards standing around the high platform also reacted. The officer in charge roared, "Protect His Highness!" The soldiers immediately raised their guns, trying to aim at the assassin who was moving through the crowd.
But it was too late!
The assassin was too close to the platform; the guards simply didn't have time to form an effective interception!
However, Constantine's reaction exceeded everyone's expectations.
He did not back down.
Instead of retreating, they took a step forward!
His deep eyes, like those of a hawk, precisely locked onto the charging assassin, his gaze showing no panic, only a cold composure.
He didn't even draw the sword at his waist.
Because it's no longer needed.
Before the assassin could get close to the platform, or even before the royal guards could aim their guns, an even more astonishing scene unfolded!
The people closest to the assassin were not the guards, but the dockworkers who had just received their welfare payments and were still excited!
"Fuck your mother, you bastard! How dare you touch His Highness!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the throat of a worker who was as strong as a bear!
He was the son of the old worker who was the first to kneel down and weep. He had been grinning foolishly just now, but now his eyes were bloodshot and his face was contorted with rage!
Almost instinctively, he slammed his 200-pound body into the charging assassin!
This collision was like a boulder crashing down on a mad dog!
The assassin was thrown off balance by the immense force, his forward momentum abruptly halted.
And this is just the beginning!
"Protect His Highness!"
"Dry him to death!"
"Kill this ungrateful bastard!"
Angry roars echoed from all directions!
The workers, once they realized what was happening, were faster and more fearless than the most elite guards!
They had no tactics, no formation, only the simplest and most primal thought—to protect the person who gave them dignity and hope!
A worker who had just received his money bag didn't even have time to put the money away properly before he swung the heavy bag full of coins at the assassin's head!
With a muffled thud, the money bag slammed into the assassin's cheek.
Another worker in line, without thinking, grabbed the iron wrench used to secure the cable next to him and charged forward with a roar!
The limping veteran Stavros's heart nearly stopped the moment he saw the assassin appear. But the next second, a surge of bloodlust, even more intense than it had been on the battlefield years before, rushed to his head!
His injured leg suddenly burst forth with astonishing power. He roared like an enraged lion, forcefully pushing aside the people in front of him and charging into the center of the riot!
dagger!
The assassin was still struggling to swing the dagger in his hand!
However, what he faced was a wall made of flesh and blood, anger and loyalty!
A pair of calloused hands gripped his wrist tightly, then snapped it backward!
"Snap!"
The cracking sound of bones breaking was clearly audible!
The assassin let out a scream that was not human, and the dagger flew out of his hand, drawing an arc in the air before crashing to the ground with a clatter.
Immediately afterwards, a hammer, a wrench, and a large foot wearing a tattered boot landed heavily on him from all directions!
"Kill him!"
"Protect His Highness!"
The anarchist, who was misled by Alexius's men and tried to awaken the masses with "the blood of revolution," didn't even get close to Constantine before being completely overwhelmed by the angry workers in just a few seconds!
His roars turned into painful groans, and finally, even the groans disappeared.
Only the heavy breathing and angry curses of the workers echoed at the scene.
On the high platform, everyone was stunned.
The attendant stood there with his mouth agape, forgetting to retract his outstretched hand.
The royal guards, guns at the ready, were in aiming position when they discovered that their target had disappeared into the crowd.
The whole process was incredibly fast!
From the moment the assassin rushed out to the moment he was subdued by the workers, it took only a dozen seconds!
Constantine stood quietly on the edge of the platform, looking down at the chaotic center below, at the workers who were protecting him with the most primitive violence.
His face remained expressionless, but no one knew that his heart was in turmoil.
He anticipated that this distribution of benefits would win people's hearts.
But he never expected that the reward from people's hearts would come so quickly, so directly, and so...scaldingly!
Stavros rushed to the front, kicking away the unconscious assassin before looking up at the high platform with red eyes.
He saw Constantine looking at them.
Stavros didn't speak. He simply pounded his chest hard with his dusty hands, then turned around and, with his tall frame, spontaneously formed a new human wall with several of his fellow workers in front of the platform.
Their actions declared – anyone who wants to harm His Highness must first step over our dead bodies!
This scene silenced everyone in the room.
Constantine slowly raised his hand and pressed it down.
"Bring him up."
His voice, though not loud, clearly reached everyone's ears.