Lynn asked Anton for more details, but the man just shook his head grimly. "I don't know much. But there have been rumors of a few homeless folks turning up dead recently in the outer district. Bodies all mangled and torn up, like they were chewed on by wild animals."
Hearing this description, Lynn furrowed his brows, unable to stop his thoughts from going to the werewolves. Could those creatures have made their way here too?
Anton didn't seem to want to linger on the topic. He remained silent and continued leading Lynn through the streets and alleys, moving deeper into the district.
Eventually, they arrived in an even more dilapidated neighborhood than before. The houses here seemed on the verge of collapse, walls crumbling and roofs caved in. It was like a ghost town, utterly devoid of any signs of life.
Anton approached one of the decrepit houses and began knocking on the door in a very specific rhythmic pattern - some type of code. They waited in silence for a response.
After nearly a minute, the sound of multiple locks being undone echoed from inside. The door creaked open a sliver, and a suspicious eye peered out from the crack.
Seeing Anton, the eye visibly relaxed. The door opened wider to reveal a muscular, tattooed man holding a machine pistol. He glanced warily at Lynn before waving them inside.
"Enter," the tattooed man said.
The door to the room opened, and Anton entered first, followed by Lynn. The tattooed man assessed Lynn, and under Anton's instructions, Lynn lifted his backpack to reveal its contents, showing the medical tools inside, before the man took the lead to open the way.
The trio walked through the dimly lit room and passed through the back door into another alley where they were asked to wait for a moment before the man advanced alone into the darkness.
"Aren't they too vigilant?" Lynn asked.
"To live in this area, you have to be more alert than others," Anton spoke softly in hushed tones. "If you are not vigilant, you'll be played to death by others, especially those involved with gangs. Those lacking vigilance are the first to meet their demise."
Lynn understood the logic. But he didn't take it seriously, he had just arrived in this district and was a little bit arrogant due to his extraordinary abilities.
Approximately two minutes later, the tattooed man returned and motioned for both Lynn and Anton to accompany him, and they followed him into a nearby house. As they entered the house, the door was immediately closed.
From several dark holes in the wall, guns were pointed at them. Three people quickly emerged from behind the door and surrounded them, one person with a machine pistol and two others with knives.
Lynn was already prepared to counterattack. However, his intentions were momentarily halted as he observed Anton's actions. Seeing his escort decisively raising his hands, he immediately did the same.
The room, previously dimly lit, experienced a sudden transformation as two flickering lamp torches were ignited. Revealing the details of the gloomy space.
"Marcus, Boss Reggie asked me to bring the doctor you need," Anton stated calmly to the tall, black-haired man standing before him.
The man named Marcus remained expressionless, not responding. He simply cast a glance at the two muscular men wielding knives, and they immediately proceeded to search the two individuals, meticulously inspecting their belongings.
Lynn's backpack was swiftly removed from his shoulders, its contents subjected to a thorough examination. Meanwhile, the person responsible for searching Anton discovered a revolver and a sharp dagger concealed on his person.
After a prolonged silence, Marcus finally broke his stoic demeanor and spoke in a deep voice. "We'll be taking these for now." he declared. "They'll be returned to you when you leave," he added, his tone implying that compliance was not optional.
Anton merely shrugged, seemingly unperturbed at being disarmed.
"Come with me," Marcus directed, gesturing for Anton and Lynn to follow him.
The tattooed man who had escorted them here quickly departed the room, another man trailing behind him. The others leaned silently against the covered window eating, occasionally peering out at the outside world bathed in the afternoon light.
They arrived at a closed door which Marcus opened, releasing a strong scent of smoke from within. Lynn's nose crinkled instinctively at the pungent odor, detecting and recognizing the drug mixed in the smoke.
The room was small, containing only a bed and a faded sofa. Lynn spotted a middle-aged man sprawled, partially paralyzed, on the couch naked except for torn bedsheets tied around his thighs and torso, the fabric soaked with oozing blood.
The man was bald, with dark beady eyes and a distinctive pointed face. His forehead glistened with a thin sheen of sweat as he endured obvious pain. A half-burnt cigarette dangled loosely from his mouth, which he occasionally withdrew to exhale a large plume of acrid smoke. Numerous cigarette butts littered the floor around his feet.
Lynn surmised the cigarettes must be laced with potent drugs, being used to try to alleviate some of the man's suffering.
"What're you staring at?" Marcus suddenly barked at Lynn. "Hurry up and treat my brother. If you can't heal him, you'll be buried together!"
He roughly jabbed his pistol against Lynn's temple to emphasize his point.
"Marcus, don't be so rude to our guest," the injured man rasped out weakly.
Although rebuked, Marcus continued glaring coldly at Lynn, as if daring him to make even the slightest mistake. Anton waited silently near the wall, observing but not intervening.
Feeling a bit helpless, having to pretend to be an ordinary frightened doctor, Lynn gingerly took a stiff step forward. "May I take a look at the wound?" he asked politely.
"Yes, go ahead," the man grunted with a small nod.
Lynn opened his backpack that they gave back to him, retrieving a pair of surgical scissors. With great care, he began cutting away the blood-soaked makeshift bandages from around the man's thighs and torso.
But some remaining were still stuck to the wound. As Lynn carefully tried removing them, the pain caused the injured man's mouth to tremble.
"Be careful, can't you see that my brother is unable to bear the pain?" Marcus suddenly growled. He strode across the room and pressed the cold barrel of his pistol against the back of Lynn's head.