"Forgetting is like a wound. The wound may heal but it has already left a scar."
— Monkey D Luffy (One Piece)
...
"Hey! You two trash over there, did you not hear me? Give me your money now!"
"Do you want me to hit you with my baseball bat?"
The big guy raised his baseball bat threateningly towards Dean and Cassandra.
Dean glanced back cautiously, silently confirming that there was no one hiding behind them.
He was done trying to reason with these three bullies, who called themselves the "Masked Gang".
So, they only rob people on the street?
They don't block their escape routes?
Don't they worry that people will just run away since they don't have guns?
If all the thieves in Gotham are this stupid, Batman might as well retire.
Even half of the GCPD's detectives would have to find other jobs...
The big guy signaled his two companions, and the three of them approached Dean and Cassandra with their weapons.
Dean shook his head helplessly. Gotham's alleys were really a mysterious place where you could encounter all sorts of people and things.
Swish!
At that moment, Cassandra, who had been silent by Dean's side, suddenly dashed out.
Her speed far surpassed what Dean had seen earlier. She turned into a long black shadow and quickly came to the three bullies in front of her.
But these three stupid guys hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation yet. When they saw the small, skinny girl charging towards them, they burst into laughter.
"Look at that; the expression on that little girl's face is so scary. I'm really scared. Oh, I want to go home and find my mommy!"
The leader of the gang mocked her with a smirk.
"And there's that skinny monkey over there, too scared to even move a muscle because of us... Ah!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp pain shot up from his leg.
It turned out that Cassandra had sprinted to the front of the big guy without them noticing and kicked his leg.
Crack!
The big guy's screams echoed along with the sharp sound of breaking bones.
"Ahhhhhh! Son of a... you little brat, how dare you bitch?"
The big guy clutched his injured leg and rolled on the ground.
"It hurts! It hurts so much! Mommy! Mommy!"
"Boss!"
The two big boys behind them saw their leader being taken down in an instant, but they didn't flinch.
They picked up their baseball bats and swung them at Cassandra.
Cassandra easily dodged their attacks with a casual sidestep, then took advantage of her small figure to slip through the gap between the two boys.
Following that, she swiftly swept her leg to trip the small boy on the right.
On the left, the thug was shocked and quickly swung his baseball bat at Cassandra.
Cassandra swiftly stood up from the ground and grabbed the boy's hand as he swung the bat.
She cleverly hit his wrist, causing him to let go of the bat due to the pain.
At that moment, another boy who had just been tripped was about to stand back up.
Without hesitation, Cassandra elbowed the boy in the ribs, making a crisp "snap" sound. She delivered multiple blows, causing the boy's face to twist in pain, unable to scream.
But Cassandra wasn't done yet. After the elbow strikes, she immediately grabs his arm and throws him over her shoulder.
At the same time, the boy who had just stood up collided with the other fallen boy. The impact was strong, and both of them fell to the ground in a pile.
The boy who had just stood up didn't even have time to understand what had just happened before another person landed on top of him.
The force was so strong that he lost consciousness as soon as he hit the ground.
The conscious boy lying on top of him, although still aware, had several ribs broken by Cassandra.
The intense pain contorted his face, leaving him clearly unable to counterattack.
After completing all of this, Cassandra stood expressionless in her original spot.
On her left was the big guy, squirming in pain and clutching his leg. On her right were two boys lying on top of each other on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the entire process seemed complicated, but it was actually completed within a few seconds.
Cassandra's moves were quick and accurate, and she didn't waste time. Each strike she made was meant to disable her opponents. Her attacks were ruthless, breaking bones without regret or hesitation.
It's as if breaking bones was just an ordinary thing to her.
Is it normal for a fourteen-year-old girl to behave like this?
Moreover, her movements didn't seem random, but rather, they appeared to be from professional training.
'If he had to say... it was similar to Robin, a young man who had gone through multiple fights to become a skilled fighter.'
Dean was observing the entire process and thinking to himself.
'I even prepared these things, but it seems they're not of much use now.'
Dean looked down at the stones in his hand and sighed inwardly.
Hiss...
On the other side, Mikey, who had been bullied in the corner, saw everything that had just happened and couldn't help but gasp in disbelief.
He recalled Cassandra's Asian appearance, and his heart skipped a beat.
Is this legendary...Kung Fu stuff?
At this moment, Cassandra turned around and waved at Dean, who was in the middle of the alley. Then she gestured a few times.
"Don't be afraid, come over here quickly. I've taken care of the bad guys."
What she didn't see was the sudden change in the expression of Mikey, the skinny guy who had been sitting against the wall in a corner.
From somewhere, Mikey had pulled out a small gun and discreetly aimed it at Cassandra.
'Those three idiots are such losers, they couldn't even beat a little girl? It's unbelievable how I had to cooperate with them in this stupid act.'
'I've never seen that little girl before, she's dressed in cheap clothes, probably not worth much. But that guy over there, if my memory serves me right, he's Dean Thurston, a famous prodigy magician. He must be loaded...'
Mikey greedily eyed Dean for a moment, then turned his gaze back to Cassandra.
'As long as I take care of this girl who can do the fight, Dean Thurston won't escape my grasp!'
Imagining the life he could lead after taking the Thurston family's fortune, Mikey smirked and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a stone came flying from nowhere and hit Mikey's gun.
"Ah!"
The stone hit with a lot of force, so Mickey had to let go of the gun out of pain.
Hearing the noise, Cassandra turned her head instantly and saw Mikey dropping his gun.
It was clear that Mickey had intended to hurt her.
At that moment, an unusual anger surged within Cassandra.
One second, she was protecting someone, and the next second, that person wanted to hurt her!
...
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