She ended up tagging along with them.
"Call this big sister Xiaozhi. Look after me from now on~"
She clung on tightly to Lukas's arm sending goosebumps crawling all over his skin. Due to their close contact, Lukas could smell the natural perfume emanating from Xiaozhi. Despite laying on trash, she had a pleasant flowery scent.
"Talk to me~ come on~"
Lukas shook himself awake and kept walking. If it wasn't for the fact that he could tell her leg was injured from the way she leaned on him, he would have shook her off.
They arrived at an abandoned warehouse - the meeting site. Its windows had been smashed in and the smell of cigarettes hung thickly in the air. The gate swung open and close as its hinges protested bitterly. Xiaozhi's heels clacked against the cemented ground, the sound echoing around the building. The group walked through the gates and entered the building.
The damp, rotten stench hit them like a storm. Xiaozhi covered her nose and fell silent. Just like on the outside, the insides were in a terrible state. Beams stretched high overhead and old equipment were stacked in the corner out of the way. Cigarette ash and cans of beverage littered the floor. Tyres were used as make-shift seats and were scattered around the space.
It was a mess.
The delinquents glared at them; the trio were clearly unwelcomed. Unruffled, Lukas calmly looked back at them. For a moment, neither side moved.
In the midst of this apparent stand-off, a single male appeared from the darkness.
Wu Shen's hair was now slightly spiked which further accentuated his mean, slanted eyes. Though he bore no evident piercings, he was not without accessories - Silver rings glinted off his fingers and a chain danced upon his neck. He wore a simple black top and shorts - the cuts from the previous incident had already disappeared.
He whistled.
"Who's the lady? Your new mistress?"
The gang immediately erupted into laughter.
A vein bulged in Lukas's forehead.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Is it true?"
Lukas's hands balled into fists.
"...Shut your mouth. I'm in a very sh*tty mood for multiple reasons. Don't test my patience."
Wu Shen fell silent.
This man meant business.
"So. What did you want with us? Wasn't it you who told me you didn't want to see my face again?"
"You're going to be my underlings." Lukas went straight to the point.
Pause
"Excuse me?"
Wu Shen's expression was one of pure disbelief. This man that had humiliated him in front of everyone and stole his servant wanted to do what with them? ...He must have heard wrong.
"You are going to be my underlings."
"...This sh*t must be f*cking around. Hey! This sh*t's f*cking around isn't he?!" Wu Shen spread his arms and sent this open question to his followers.
"Yeah..."
"Of course..."
Weak mutterings of agreement answered him.
"Of course, I'll give you a chance..."
Wu Shen spat at this. "A chance? Just who the hell do you think you are?"
Ignoring him, Lukas continued in a low voice, "We'll fight. If you win, you can do whatever you want to us. If we win-" His eyes flashed with a mean light. "We'll do whatever we want with you."
Wu Shen seemed to be in conflict but finally made up his mind.
"Fine. But you won't mind if I use everyone right?"
At these words, everyone stood up and charged at the two boys. Lukas had long released himself from Xiaozhi's hold. She retreated in the far end of the room unwilling to get herself tied up in this mess.
It was, to sum it up, a one-sided battle.
The saying quality over quantity really proved itself true in this situation. Most of Wu Shen's men didn't know how to fight and their punches were aimed clumsily with no proper sense of direction.
'They're all useless.'
Wu Shen eyed Lukas who was busy fending off four men and attacked him as soon as he spotted n opening.
The punch was fast and to most, difficult to avoid.
However, the blow did not reach Lukas's face. To Wu Shen's chagrin, Lukas had caught his fist in his own whilst simultaneously flinging the others away.
Raising an eyebrow, Lukas whispered, "Is that all you have?"
"F*ck!" Wu Shen pulled away from him and put a good amount of distance between them. The situation wasn't looking good. Mike had already dealt with half his side.
At the rate things were going, he would lose.
Wasn't this all pointless then? His men were getting beaten for no reason. What were they even fighting for? It was better to just bend to his will and-
"Surrender."
This word halted everyone in their tracks.
"Huh?" Mike, who was in the middle of beating a kid to a pulp, let out a sound of his misgivings.
"We surrender." Wu Shen repeated his words with great clarity.
"...I don't believe you." Wu Shen's blackened expression told him otherwise. Lukas didn't let down his guard. Instead, his eyes darted around the room warily.
Wu Shen ground his teeth and bent stiffly until he was kneeling on one leg.
"I, Wu Shen, shall follow you... leader."