In the early hours of the morning, only a crescent moon hung in the sky, but its sliver appeared crimson.
On a secluded street in the western district, a disheveled figure suddenly dashed out from an alley. She wore a tight leather jacket that accentuated her perfect curves, and her arms were already slashed in several places, oozing crimson blood.
A chilling dagger was tightly clenched in her hand, gleaming ferociously and brightly under the moonlight. The lingering bloodstains attested to its recent passage through someone's flesh.
"You don't need to run anymore, Miss," a deep voice resonated from a warehouse in front of the woman.
She immediately halted her sprint, warily observing several figures emerging from the front. There were over ten of them.
The leading man had bandages wrapped around his head, a rugged face, and wore a black overcoat. He nonchalantly played with a domestically-produced Type 37 pistol, calmly blocking the path.
"Miss, your skills are truly terrifying. You never missed a shot, single-handedly taking down more than thirty of our brothers and managing to escape to this place..." The man's icy and ruthless voice slowly continued, "However, Miss, we anticipated this and set up this ambush. We knew that once you ran out of bullets, we could come out."
"Black Bear, I treated you well before. Why must you side with my father to come after me?" The woman gasped for breath. After dispatching dozens of enemies in succession, her own subordinates were depleted, and she was at her last resort.
The man known as Black Bear chuckled a few times, "Miss, regardless of any conflicts between the boss and you, I owe my life to the help you provided. Naturally, I must serve that aid. You treated me well in the past, but ever since you left the Western Alliance to form the Red Wisteria Society, you became the boss's enemy. Therefore, you are now my enemy. There's no room for sentimentality."
In the enigmatic streets of the Western District, a solitary figure emerged from the depths of shadows. "My father, an autocratic and unscrupulous man, engages in deeds that defy all sense of morality. Even the underworld disdains him, let alone how he treats all of you. In his eyes, you are nothing more than his obedient lapdogs. So many elders and brothers are willing to follow me, why are you so obstinate?" The woman realized she no longer possessed the strength to withstand the relentless barrage of bullets from the dozen or so assailants. She could only make one final plea.
Knowing the end was near, the woman's voice trembled as she spoke, hoping her words would resonate with reason.
In the dimly lit alley, Black Bear shook his head, his expression remaining cold and indifferent. "Miss, before I send you off, allow me to impart a few words—while the underworld may lack humanity, it still abides by a sense of 'honor'..."
As his words trailed off, Black Bear extended his hand, pointing forward. Behind him, more than ten men in black raised their submachine guns, their barrels aimed at the woman standing ten meters away.
In the blink of an eye, just as the gunmen were about to pull their triggers, a magnetic and ghostly voice resonated in their ears...
"Hey, fellas, if you're going to disturb my moon-gazing, I hope you don't really intend to use guns to pierce through a defenseless woman. Besides the gun beneath your belt, men should refrain from using anything else. Take a look, isn't she beautiful?" The words were filled with a strange sense of regret.
"Who's there?" Black Bear remained alert, scanning the surroundings, but there was no sign of anyone.
The woman, who had resigned herself to her fate, suddenly widened her eyes in disbelief, gazing at the empty space directly in front of her.
A figure descended from above, appearing before the dozen gunmen like a phantom. Resembling a vampire from European mythology, the figure unfurled its enormous bat-like black wings under the captivating moonlit night, revealing razor-sharp fangs and claws.
This was a young man with a somewhat lazy countenance. His face bore traces of amusement and curiosity, but above all, there was a sense of disdain.
Black Bear disliked that gaze, yet deep down, a trace of fear emerged. "Who are you!?"
The young man did not answer immediately. Instead, he casually turned his head towards the woman and asked, "If I help you deal with them, can you promise me one thing?"
"Anything, anything you want..." The woman's face, pale from blood loss, blushed at the thought. She could imagine all the things a man would desire from a woman he saved, even surrendering her own body. But at this moment, she had no other choice. She couldn't even fathom why she believed in a stranger, an unarmed man, to rescue her fragile life from the barrels of a dozen guns.
"No matter who you are, you must die..." Black Bear was furious. He despised being ignored, and he was the first to aim his handgun at the man.
"Bang!"
In the instant that sparks flew from the muzzle, the man disappeared. When he reappeared, his palm had already covered Black Bear's crown, effortlessly twisting it...
"Crack... crack!"
Black Bear fell to the ground, lifeless. His eyes were filled with incredulous indignation. He hadn't even had a chance to react before his neck was snapped!
All the gunmen in black were petrified. Black Bear, known as one of the best fighters in the gang and a product of the underground black boxing market, had inexplicably died the moment he fired his gun!
"The foolish bear said something earlier, didn't he? Right... Let me give you all a piece of advice. Bullets, they only work against the weak..."
As the man finished speaking, his body transformed into a blur once again, swiftly moving through the group of men in the darkness. With every approach, he delivered a strike with his hand—a slap to the head, a chokehold, or a punch to the chest. Any man struck by him instantly collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.
The woman, who had been witnessing this scene from a distance, could only comprehend the horrifying truth after each assailant had met their demise. They had all been killed in a merciless manner—crushed skulls, snapped necks, shattered organs—devoid of any trace of humanity.
If, at the moment when the man descended, the woman had imagined him as a knight in shining armor, rescuing the damsel in distress, then now, in her eyes, he was nothing short of a grim reaper!
Yes, she had been saved by a man resembling the personification of death itself, and she had agreed to fulfill his demands!
In truth, what the woman was thinking at this moment was that even if she hadn't agreed in advance, she wouldn't have been able to summon any resistance against his will. People could say "no" to other people, but they couldn't utter even half a "no" to a "god"!
Almost immediately after the unsurprising conclusion of this one-sided battle, the young man clapped his hands and slowly approached the woman. Bathed in moonlight, he revealed a toothy smile, entirely unfazed by the recent carnage. "I'm called Yang Chen. And you, my beautiful lady, what is your name?"
"Rose..." Rose replied absentmindedly.
"Rose... what a lovely name!" Yang Chen chuckled, a hint of embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. "Um... Miss Rose, let me explain my request..."
"Please... go ahead..." Rose lowered her head, prepared to be at his mercy, yet her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
Yang Chen spoke earnestly, "Miss Rose, I hope... you won't speak of today's events. I don't want to get tangled up in any trouble with your gang. Please..."
Please? Did he just say "please" to me?
Rose raised her head in astonishment. In that instant, it felt as if the entire world had frozen, leaving only the awkward smile on the man's face—genuine and gentle.