Chapter 150 - 149: Sudden Nighttime Incident

Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Sudden Nighttime Incident

Ronan Ford nodded and picked up the items on the ground. "Should I carry these back for you?"

Rian Sinclair shook her head. "No need. Let’s return them to the old man. I just wanted to play for the fun of it."

Hearing this, Ronan nodded and followed behind her, carrying the prizes.

Rian stepped forward to explain things to the old man. However, upon learning of their intentions, he frantically waved his hands and shook his head. "No, no. You won them fair and square. They’re yours now."

Seeing that the old man absolutely refused to take them back, Rian simply told Ronan to set the items down. She then grabbed his wrist, pulling him through the bustling crowd as they left the ring-toss stall behind.

She didn’t let go until they had walked quite a distance.

Ronan’s body had stiffened the moment her fingers wrapped around his wrist. His gaze remained fixed on those fair, slender hands resting against his skin.

When Rian turned around, she caught Ronan staring down at his wrist. Feeling a bit apologetic, she said, "Sorry about that. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Ronan withdrew his gaze. "It’s fine. Where do you want to go now?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt they sounded a bit odd, but after a moment’s thought, he decided not to explain himself.

Rian wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do next, though her high spirits hadn’t faded in the slightest. After pondering for a moment, she suggested, "Let’s grab some skewers."

Ronan stared blankly for a second, seemingly reminded of something, before nodding. The only time he ever heard that phrase was when his teammates mentioned it while out on missions in the wilderness.

A faint light flickered in Ronan’s eyes. He took a deep breath and looked at Rian. "Alright."

Unaware of the emotional shift within him, Rian glanced around until she spotted a bustling barbecue joint. She grabbed his wrist once more and led him toward their destination.

Upon arriving, the two found an empty table, sat down, and picked up the menu to order. Afterward, Ronan instinctively went to pay the bill first.

Rian sat in her seat and observed her surroundings. The place was packed. There were couples on dates, small groups of friends, girls’ nights out, and rowdy boys having a good time. It was a lively atmosphere. She watched the people around her as they drank, ate barbecue, shared funny stories, or complained about work.

By the time Ronan returned from paying, the food and drinks were already being served.

Noticing that Ronan hadn’t touched the alcohol poured for him, Rian realized it was likely due to his profession. She stood up, walked over to the fridge, and grabbed him a can of cola.

Ronan looked at the soda placed in front of him, a faint smile touching his lips. "Thank you."

"Don’t mention it."

Throwing all concerns about her image out the window, Rian chased bites of meat with gulps of alcohol, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"What are you doing?!"

A woman’s sharp voice rang out. It wasn’t particularly loud amidst the noisy din of the restaurant, and Rian and Ronan were seated quite a ways off. However, their heightened alertness made them immediately look toward the source.

"What’s going on over there?" Rian asked.

Ronan shook his head. He was just about to get up and check when Rian, seeing him move, decided to stay seated.

CRASH!

The sound of a shattering beer bottle erupted, followed instantly by a chaotic, indistinct clamor.

Seeing this, Ronan immediately rushed over. Rian also stood up and made her way toward the commotion. As they got closer, they saw a group of men violently dragging and beating four young women. A few bystanders were trying to intervene, but their efforts were completely futile.

The clatter of thrown chairs and the SMASH of breaking glass were mixed with furious curses and filthy slurs.

Because the two of them had been seated far away, making their way through was difficult. The panicked crowd trying to flee was colliding with the few curious onlookers trying to get closer, creating a bottleneck. By the time they pushed through, the fleeing crowd had cleared a large open space in the center. Yet, not a single person standing around the perimeter stepped in to help.

One girl, heartbroken for the victims, tried to rush forward to help but was tightly held back by her boyfriend.

Taking in the scene, Ronan didn’t look back. "Go find a safe corner and call the police."

Without waiting for her reply, he charged into the fray. Hearing his words, Rian simply turned to the nearest female bystander. "Help me call the cops."

The girl was trembling in fear, her eyes locked on the fresh blood already staining the ground. But upon hearing Rian’s request, she looked up with a worried expression. "Don’t go over there! You’ll get hurt."

Feeling her shirt hem being tugged, Rian replied in a low voice, "If I don’t go, those girls will get hurt even worse."

The girl’s fingers slowly let go, Rian’s words echoing in her mind. After a split second of hesitation, she pulled out her phone to record the scene for evidence before stepping aside to dial the police.

Rian grabbed a makeshift weapon nearby and threw herself into the melee. Ronan was already dodging a flurry of fists, flying bottles, and swinging chairs, doing his utmost to shield the battered girls. But they were heavily outnumbered. Even as he tried to protect them, one of the girls was inevitably dragged away and beaten.

No one in the crowd dared to intervene. They all knew there were simply too many attackers; stepping in meant risking a trip to the hospital themselves.

Suddenly, Ronan heard a voice shout, "Catch!"

He reached up and caught the tossed wooden stick, his eyes meeting Rian’s. There was no joy in his expression—only a deep frown. "What are you doing here?"

Rian swung her own club, viciously striking the legs of an approaching thug. She called back to Ronan, "Can’t let you hog all the glory of playing hero." Seeing that the grim look on his face hadn’t faded, she quickly added, "Don’t worry. I know a few moves. Dealing with these scumbags is a piece of cake."

Ronan didn’t waste breath arguing. With her help, the four girls were finally fully shielded from the relentless kicking and punching. Rian noticed that all the victims were injured. A few were in critical condition, their faces covered in blood, their pristine white clothes stained with gore and muddy footprints.

Rian had no idea what had started this, but protecting these women was pure instinct.

As a soldier, Ronan’s combat skills were naturally top-tier. Against a bunch of street thugs, it was an absolute massacre. With Rian joining the fray, Ronan stopped holding back. The men he knocked down were left writhing in agony, entirely unable to stand. He specifically targeted pressure points that would keep them down without causing severe injury. In mere moments, a pile of groaning thugs littered the floor.

Rian brought her club down on the last thug standing. With all the attackers now incapacitated on the ground, the surrounding noise remained deafening and chaotic. Yet, the police still hadn’t arrived. The response time in Kyoro was truly appalling...

Listening to the endless whispers and murmurs of the crowd, Rian wanted to know exactly what had happened. She raised her voice and roared, "Quiet down!"

Her voice echoed clearly across the restaurant, instantly silencing the room. Now, the only sounds left were the sharp gasps of pain from the thugs on the floor.

"Spit it out. Why did you attack them?"

Rian pointed the jagged half of a broken beer bottle at a man in a green shirt lying on the ground, her tone dripping with impatience. Seeing the battered and bloodied girls, a look of sympathy flashed across her face. She then turned to Ronan. "Call an ambulance."

The man in the green shirt clutched his chest, his eyes burning with fury. "You fucking bitch! You dare hit me? I’ll make you regret this!"

Rian genuinely couldn’t believe this piece of trash was still acting tough. She planted a foot firmly on his chest, leaning down slightly to bring the jagged edge of the broken bottle right up to his face. "This is Kyoro. Do you really think you rule the roost here?"

The man in the green shirt glared at her with a sinister sneer. "When the cops get here, you won’t be able to run! Just you wait. You’re just like those sluts over there—fucking disgusting! Hanging out in the middle of the night, aren’t they just asking for it? Yet they still try to play innocent! When the cops arrive, none of you are getting away!"