"Hehehehe." The man looked at Claire on the ground and let out a chilling laugh.
Just released from prison today, he found the world completely changed from the one he knew over a decade ago, feeling as though he had stepped into a foreign land.
Everywhere he went, it seemed there was no place for him.
Upon returning home, he found that not a single familiar face was left. His parents had passed away while he was serving time.
So, he harbored thoughts of revenge against society. He planned to take advantage of the girl before making his escape. That was his intent.
Looking at Claire's legs and her tear-stained face, her delicate appearance filled him with desire.
"Don't worry, it'll feel great!"
But just as he lunged at her...
He heard footsteps from the side and instinctively looked up.
A shadow flew towards him at high speed.
He tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
"Bang!"
The brick struck the man's head hard, knocking him to the ground.
"Did I hit him?"
Ren's face showed relief.
He hadn't expected his random throw to knock the man out, but it worked out well, ensuring his own safety.
He walked over with another brick to check; the man's eyes were closed, and blood was oozing from his forehead, seemingly knocked unconscious.
"Are you okay?" Ren kicked the man lightly to check for a response. Finding none, he assumed the man was out and quickly took away his knife, finally breathing a sigh of relief. He then hurried over to the girl on the ground and helped her up.
"I'm… I'm okay." Claire was pale, obviously still shaken by the ordeal.
Her carefully chosen white outfit was covered in dust, and her knees were scraped, clearly injured when she fell.
"Daddy! Be careful of the big bad guy!"
At that moment, the voice of the little girl echoed unexpectedly in the alley.
Ren had a bad feeling and instinctively pushed the girl beside him away while ducking to the side himself.
"Splash."
Blood splattered.
Although Ren and Claire managed to dodge the attack, the assailant's sharp knife pierced through Ren's right hand!
"Ugh..."
In pain, Ren's face twisted.
Despite the agony, Ren was tough. Enduring the intense pain, he struck back.
He turned and delivered a knee to the assailant's groin.
"Crack."
"Aow..."
It sounded like something had broken. The man clutched his groin like a goalkeeper and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
There's no doubt, even a woman would feel pain if kicked there, much more so for a man.
This knee effectively incapacitated the man.
But this time, Ren didn't let his guard down. In front of Claire, he undid his belt.
"Make do with this for now."
He said this as he quickly tied up the assailant, ensuring he couldn't repeat his earlier actions.
Unfortunately, when he stood up, his pants fell down, exposing his underwear, causing Claire to instinctively cover her eyes.
At the same time…
"Freeze, put your hands up!"
Several police officers, having received the call, came over and rushed towards Ren's awkward situation.
...…
"Are you okay?!"
Jada arrived at the hospital, panting heavily with her bag.
Just then, she had been waiting at home for Ren to return when she suddenly received a call from the police saying Ren was injured, so she rushed over immediately.
At the entrance, she saw Ren holding their little girl, his hand wrapped in a bandage, his grimace indicating he was in pain.
"It's nothing." In front of the person he cared about, every man has a desire to appear strong. Ren tried to act nonchalant, "It's just a scratch. I didn't even blink. Back in the day, I fought my way from the Southern Gate to the Northern Gate with two melon knives in hand…"
Ren was enjoying his tall tale, but he had forgotten about a little traitor in their midst.
"Mommy! Let me tell you, Daddy was crying so much on the way here when the police brought him!"
The little girl hugged her mother's legs and interrupted Ren's bluff.
Ren's face fell, and he pinched the little girl's nose and twisted it playfully. "Weren't you also screaming for Daddy not to die?"
"No, you heard wrong! I didn't shout that!" The little girl slapped Ren's hand away, pouting.
Then she buried her head into Jada's stomach, covering her face.
She had been terrified! Seeing all the blood on her Daddy, she thought he was
going to die!
Seeing Ren still able to joke, Jada breathed a sigh of relief, approached him, and flipped his collar, her tone filled with anger and unhappiness: "Really, you rush forward when the other guy has a weapon? Do you have a death wish? Don't forget about your daughter next to you!"
"Sorry, sorry, it was an emergency," Ren said, seeing Jada's worried expression and smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry, it's all my fault!" At this moment, Claire, standing nearby, bowed and apologized.
"Are you…" Jada hesitated, then said, "The person Ren saved?"
The police had clarified everything over the phone, so she immediately guessed the identity of the girl before her.
"Yes…" The girl's eyes were still red, clearly, the recent events had left a deep mental scar: "If I hadn't taken a shortcut, this wouldn't have happened!"
"It's okay, it's okay," Ren waved his hand casually, "From now on, don't take shortcuts at night. Take the main roads, even if it's longer, safety is most important. It's lucky I was passing by, otherwise, it could have been much worse."
After that, Ren looked at Jada and waved his injured hand: "I think I really need to find some comic assistants now, or else I won't be able to keep up with the next issue."
Injured as he was, although he had trained his ambidexterity to a certain extent with the system's help, the left hand was still not as good as the right, and his efficiency would be much lower.
"Indeed. I've been telling you to get assistants," Jada nodded and then smiled, "Luckily, there are plenty at the company. I'll get the best for you."
At this point, Claire timidly stepped forward, raising her hand hesitantly: "If possible, could I help too... I could be an assistant... for free..."
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