Is this Ryan?
The same Ryan who was always eager to help, amiable to everyone, the one they graduated with?
After two punches, Kolak's cheek swelled even more!
"I've been avoiding the vital parts!"
What kind of chilling words are these?
The onlookers seemed to truly recognize another side of Ryan for the first time, their eyes almost popping out of their heads in surprise.
Flock was also perplexed.
This was his third encounter with Ryan.
The first was in the afternoon when Ryan turned in the day's haul at the logistics department, a staggering 27,000 in raw ore, which even he envied.
It also made him refrain from mentioning Ryan's rumored relationship with Aeloria in front of her, maintaining his aloof demeanor until their second encounter.
But this third meeting was unprecedentedly shocking.
A mere H2-level individual was now pounding an H4-level Kolak into the ground.
Ryan's demeanor had transformed from an obscure, seemingly easy-to-bully newcomer miner into a terrifying brute.
Moreover...
Ryan was acquainted with Maughan, and they seemed to have a rather good relationship.
Others might not understand the inner workings of the security team, but Flock was well aware:
The security team is not only responsible for safeguarding the base but also for combating the fierce beasts remaining on the planet and escorting the transport ships during their trips. Each of them was a hardened warrior who had fought beasts and zergs, with salaries and authority higher than Flock's.
At that moment, another group approached quickly with heavy footsteps:
Led by the head of security, Carlos.
"What happened here?" Carlos pushed through the onlookers, his sharp gaze swiftly assessing the situation in the private room.
Ryan finally stopped, throwing the bloodied Kolak aside.
Maughan concisely reported the incident to Carlos.
Aeloria and the others listened intently.
Jane had been drugged, and her last distress message was sent to Ryan.
This explained why Ryan had arrived so promptly.
Several men and women present felt ashamed, lowering their heads.
As friends, they had failed to take good care of Jane and almost let her fall into danger...
Aeloria rushed into the private room, her voice filled with urgency and concern:
"Jane!"
"Are you okay?"
"Wake up."
Carlos entered the private room.
He glanced at the unrecognizable Kolak and then gently pressed behind Jane's neck.
With a gasp, Jane vomited a mixture of alcohol and filth, her eyes slowly opening, filled with confusion.
Aeloria almost cried as she hugged Jane tightly: "Jane, you scared me to death."
Upon waking, Jane first saw Aeloria, then the others around her. She felt a sense of relief but did not respond to Aeloria, only nodding weakly to Ryan and struggling to say, "Th-thank... you... Ry... an..."
"Team leader, what should we do with this scum?" Maughan addressed Carlos with great respect in front of others.
"Take him to the security department for detention, collect all witness statements and surveillance footage from here, and hand him over to the judicial authorities for trial on the next return flight." Carlos's words conveyed determination.
Flock's face turned extremely gloomy.
The Carlos's decisions had already set the tone for Kolak's fate.
Although Flock was not directly involved, Kolak was a friend he had introduced. As a result, the wary, angry, and questioning glances from Aeloria and her friends grew more intense.
Flock felt utterly dejected; he had spent a lot of money on that nine-tiered cake, and now it seemed like a loss that wasn't worth the gain.
He could only blame Kolak for his incompetence, as he had left himself vulnerable. Now, it seemed that Kolak's reputation and freedom were both in jeopardy.
Carlos's team quickly sprang into action, taking photos of the scene, collecting evidence, and taking away Kolak, Jane, and Aeloria; even Ryan was taken away.
The originally lively birthday party ended prematurely like this.
Sighs and murmurs spread through the crowd:
"I never thought Kolak would be such a person..." "What a piece of trash!" "Fortunately, Ryan arrived in time." "Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable." "..."
Everyone went to the security department, where Maughan and the others changed into their work uniforms and began to officially collect all statements and analyze the drug components from Jane's body.
The human and physical evidence was undeniable.
Aeloria stayed by Jane's side;
Kolak was locked in a dark room, awaiting transfer to the judicial authorities;
Maughan said to Ryan with a smile, "You're lucky, kid. The boss just applied for a reward for you for your act of bravery, and the company has approved it, deciding to give you 50,000 as a reward. Don't forget to treat everyone."
"Thanks to your help, Maughan. Once the bonus comes, I'll definitely celebrate with everyone properly."
"I was just joking, and you took it seriously."
Maughan laughed, waving his hand:
"We still have some follow-up work to do, you go back first. Oh... and don't forget about tomorrow's handover."
Ryan signaled his understanding to Maughan and then left the security department.
"Ryan!"
At the door, he met Jane, Aeloria, and Flock.
Aeloria was the first to stand up:
"Really, thank you so much this time. Fortunately, you arrived in time."
Ryan did not respond to her thanks but looked directly at Jane and said:
"I warned you before to be careful of Kolak. He's not trustworthy. You almost fell into his trap this time. Be more vigilant next time; you won't always be so lucky... Alright, I'm leaving."
After saying this, Ryan turned and left.
Jane felt wronged, tears streaming down her face involuntarily.
Sobering up and recalling what just happened, she was still scared.
She was indeed grateful for Ryan's timely appearance.
And for the warning message he had sent before.
If it weren't for that message, she might not have been able to send out the distress signal and would have ended up like other victims, losing everything in a daze, with even the chip steward unable to protect her.
Aeloria felt even more wronged.
Where would she have thought that her meticulously planned birthday party would almost lead to a misfortune for her best friend.
She proactively thanked Ryan, but the other party seemed not to take her seriously.
"Alright, no harm done is the best news." Ryan said.
"It's late, Aeloria, you accompany Jane to rest well, hoping she recovers soon."
Flock didn't want to give up on Aeloria and chimed in.
But he didn't know that Aeloria had completely lost faith in him.
What kind of person Kolak was, Flock must have known very well.
Flock specifically introduced Kolak to Jane; he was definitely implicated in this matter.
Although Aeloria longed for a better life, she would never associate with ill-intentioned people.
"Flock, you go back first, I want to take a walk with Jane," Aeloria's tone was cold, as if refusing further communication.
Hearing Aeloria's tone, Flock had a premonition that he was about to fail.
"Aeloria, I swear to God, I really didn't know Kolak was such a person," he tried to regain Aeloria's last bit of trust in him.
But Aeloria and Jane had already turned and walked into their apartment building.
Jane returned to her room and then said to Aeloria:
"You go back too, I want to be alone for a while."
"Jane!" Aeloria's voice was choked with emotion, her tears almost falling: "I know today was my fault, I shouldn't have let you meet someone like Kolak, I didn't take care of you properly, I was really wrong, please forgive me this time, okay?"