“Yes,” the crowd nodded.
“Good, I will go to rescue them soon,” Robin declared. As the words left his mouth, all eyes turned to him.
“What is this?” Elane asked Rosey Chambers. She came with Rosey Chambers; Rosey should know.
“He’s a doctor, saved my grandma,” Rosey Chambers replied.
“A doctor!” Elane and Kim’s mouths twitched in disbelief. They didn’t bother with him anymore. They did not mock him for being overconfident. Anyone willing to help was a friend. Though they thought Robin was bluffing, they still considered him a friend. An unreliable friend.
Robin, in turn, said to Jeff Reczek, “Find out where Evelyn Hall is.”
“Understood.” Jeff Reczek left. St. Sunday wasn’t Stillwater. Robin didn’t have much power here. Besides Jeff Reczek, he only had a few Wolfman Guards. So, it might take some time to investigate. In Stillwater, a phone call would be enough. It could be found out in a few minutes.
Just then, a crowd of people rushed towards them. They were dressed similarly to Kim, in simple clothes, each wielding a stick. However, there were many of them. Over a hundred.
“Damn, how did these people find us?” Kim’s face changed as he looked at the approaching crowd.
“Kim, what’s wrong?” Rosey Chambers asked.
“These guys, they’re part of Dandan’s gang as well, specializing in collecting protection money. We didn’t have any business yesterday, so we didn’t pay. I pleaded for a few days of leniency, but I didn’t expect them to come for me,” Kim explained with a bitter smile.
Stomp, stomp, stomp. The crowd soon arrived at the orphanage. Their clubs struck everywhere, the thumping sounds stirring up the previously peaceful atmosphere.
“Kim, you came to this orphanage? Ha, must mean you have extra money. You can pay yesterday’s protection fee. My brothers and I haven’t eaten yet,” the gang leader, a man with some scars on his face named Long, said. He didn’t carry a club, but a steel rod. His words were fierce and intimidating, perfect for scaring honest people like Kim.
“Long.” Kim lowered his body and rushed forward in an appeasing manner. However, Long slapped him across the face. Kim didn’t dodge, taking the blow head on. He even stooped lower, saying, “Long, calm down, please.”
“Your face has thickened up. It hurt my hand,” Long shook his hand as if the slap had hurt him more.
“Long, you know our business situation. Nobody dares to come to St. Sunday anymore. We haven’t had business for several days. Where do we get the money for protection? Can you give us a few more days?” Kim pleaded with a smile.
“You have no money for protection? Then why did you come to this broken orphanage?” Long pointed at the orphanage with a gloomy face. “A broken orphanage, not worth keeping open, feeding a bunch of useless eaters.”
“What did you say!” Rosey Chambers stood up indignantly.
“Oh, we have a beauty here,” Long noticed Rosey Chambers for the first time.
“Long, she’s my niece, my real niece. Please, let her be,” Kim moved to shield Rosey Chambers.
“Your niece? Alright.” Long didn’t look at her again. In this gang lifestyle, reputation is everything. You can’t harm family. This is the rule. As the leader of a large gang like Dandan, he couldn’t break the rule. If he did, the brothers behind him would be dissatisfied and rebellious. Then how could he continue to be the leader?
“I won’t touch her, but now, the money has to come out,” Long swung his steel rod, very threatening. In the gang world, besides reputation, fear is the most important.
“Long, I really don’t have any money now. Please, give me a few more days,” Kim was so humble, he was almost kneeling.
“No money? Ha, that’s unacceptable. No money means you can’t pay the protection fee, which means if someone bullies you, we won’t protect you. Understand?” Long dusted off his steel rod, then a cruel smile appeared. “Pay up, or I’ll break your leg.”
Once a leg was broken, Kim couldn’t carry anything. He would be useless. But, Kim closed his eyes. He really had no money. His last bit of cash was used to buy flour. He had only eaten one meal in several days.
“Good fellow,” Long sneered, “You really don’t know how to appreciate kindness.”
Then, he swung his steel rod, intending to break Kim’s leg, to show what happens to those who don’t pay the protection fee. However, his steel rod was caught.
“Did you forget about me?” Robin’s voice echoed.
Only then did they notice Robin standing in front, dressed casually, effortlessly holding the steel rod.
“Boy, who are you?” Long glared at Robin, furious that he dared to block his rod. Immediately, he tried to retrieve his rod and strike again.
However, he couldn’t pull it free.
Long’s face turned beet red, veins popping, both hands trying to pull back the rod. “Boy, let go!”
“Let go? Alright,” Robin released his grip.
Caught off guard, Long fell on his backside, a very embarrassing sight. His face was flushed with anger.
“Boy, you’ve really pissed me off,” Long was enraged.
He waved his hand, signaling his underlings to attack. Over a hundred people charged forward. It was an impressive sight.
Then, a shadow flashed by. Where it passed, chaos ensued. All the previously imposing men were now whimpering on the ground. But no one got a clear look at the figure before it disappeared. It was the Wolfman Guards, Robin’s personal guards. But they were too fast for these men to see clearly.
“What the hell is… going on…” Long, who had managed to stand up again, collapsed back on the ground, his face covered with cold sweat.
“What’s happening doesn’t matter,” Robin walked through the mess, hands behind his back, and stopped in front of Long. “What matters is, if you don’t pay a protection fee, no one will protect you. Maybe you won’t be able to leave here in one piece today.”