Ethan ignored the dog and quickly stepped in front of Logan, blocking his path. He glared and snarled:
"Pay up! My dad's medical bills! Compensation for mental distress! Lost wages! Nutrition fees! Altogether, it's five hundred thousand!"
"I remember last time you said it was five thousand?" Logan raised an eyebrow, dismounting his shared bike calmly.
Ethan glared back, his eyes wide with anger:
"That was then! Things have changed! A few days ago, meat was $a dozen per pound, now you can't even get it for fifty! It's not the same anymore!"
The other villagers began to surround Logan.
According to village rules, no matter how much money was extorted, everyone in the village had to share it. Compared to five hundred thousand, a dog was insignificant.
"What if I don't pay?" Logan, surrounded by a group of people, remained unfazed, his expression calm.
"Don't pay? Heh, you think the weapons we're holding will agree with that? What, are you going to call the police? Try it if you dare!" One villager taunted, knowing that all electronics were currently out of service.
"Kid, this village and the nearby mountains are under our control now. If you don't have the money, there is no way you can walk out of here today!"
"Yeah! Pay up, or we'll break your legs!" Another villager with a club threatened viciously.
"Young man, if you don't pay, they'll beat you to death with just one swing each. You better think this through," the village elder pretended to advise kindly while signaling subtly behind his back.
Seeing the elder's signal, Ethan understood it was time to teach Logan a lesson. His heart leaped with excitement.
Finally, he could avenge the slap from last time.
Things were different now. With more than ten villagers backing him up, Ethan had no fear that Logan would dare fight back like before.
This time, he was determined to put Logan in his place and show him who was the boss.
With a sneer, Ethan stepped closer to Logan and swung his palm towards his face.
His large hand sliced through the air, aiming with full force. If this hit, an ordinary person would definitely be knocked to the ground.
The other villagers grinned, expecting a good show.
But they were in for disappointment. Logan swiftly grabbed Ethan's hand.
"Slap!"
A loud, resounding slap landed squarely on Ethan's face.
The scene felt all too familiar, and Ethan was stunned.
He spun halfway around from the force and fell to the ground, his machete slipping from his hand.
His head buzzed.
He felt something in his mouth and spit it out, only to see two bloody teeth.
Logan hadn't held back this time.
The group of villagers fell into silence.
The atmosphere became eerily quiet for a moment.
There were thirteen of them, and Logan was alone. They had a clear advantage, and all of them were armed.
None of them had expected Logan to fight back when surrounded by so many, let alone strike so hard!
Ethan lost it.
Last time, only his family had seen Logan slap him, but Ethan had never forgotten it.
This time, he'd been slapped in front of the entire village.
The pain on his face drove Ethan into a blind rage, and a surge of uncontrollable anger rushed to his head.
"I'm killing you!!"
Ethan scrambled to his feet, grabbed his machete, and swung it toward Logan's head.
As it turns out, some people let their emotions take control, making irrational decisions that they'll regret for the rest of their lives.
At this moment, Ethan was completely consumed by his fury.
"Ethan!"
"Stop!"
Two voices shouted simultaneously.
But Ethan acted as though he didn't hear them, continuing to swing his machete toward Logan.
Logan watched the machete coming at him but remained completely still, seemingly frozen in fear to any onlookers.
The sight made some of the more timid villagers avert their eyes.
But just then—
A dark shadow flashed by.
"Ahhh!!"
"Bang!!"
A gunshot echoed through the air, startling birds for a hundred meters around.
Ethan's scream and the gunshot rang out at the same time.
In that split second before the gunfire, Ethan's left leg had been clamped down on by a dog's jaws.
It was the same dog that had been surrounded by the villagers earlier.
Apparently, after breaking free, the dog hadn't left but had instead circled around and hidden in the bushes by the cement road.
Logan was slightly surprised. He had noticed the dog earlier but hadn't paid much attention.
He hadn't expected it to help him when Ethan attacked.
Ethan was shot in the side of his waist, and his machete clattered to the ground.
He collapsed.
The dog immediately darted to the side.
The gunshot had startled everyone except Logan!
The villagers erupted into chaos.
"Don't move! Drop your weapons! Hands up!!"
Two police officers emerged from the village.
Their expressions were grave, and they had their guns drawn.
They had been dispatched to notify various villages to take precautions against the cold, store supplies, and other important matters.
Everything had gone smoothly in the other villages, but when they arrived at Dragonsrest Village looking for the village elder, they couldn't find him. When they asked around, they learned he was outside dealing with a dog.
When the officers arrived, they stumbled upon an armed assault!
The shot had been fired by one of the officers, who had also been one of the voices calling for Ethan to stop.
The villagers glanced at Ethan lying on the ground, then at the guns in the officers' hands.
Without hesitation, they dropped their weapons.
The sound of weapons clattering to the ground filled the air.
The officers approached with their guns raised and barked:
"Everyone, squat down! Form a line by the side of the road!"
The villagers complied.
Logan obediently squatted down too, right next to Ethan.
Ethan wasn't dead yet. He lay on the ground, glaring at Logan with wide, hate-filled eyes.
If eyes could kill, Logan would have been cut into pieces by now.
Seeing Ethan in this state, Logan suddenly felt a mischievous urge.