"…still, how do I go home?"

I had arrived in Southampton City by Roland's hovercraft, and obviously I couldn't just ask the crown prince to give me another ride home. I didn't own his d.a.m.ned hovercraft. With that option beyond my means, I had no choice but to take public transport.

That was all right. It wasn't as if this was my first time. I had been to Southampton City a couple of times before, and both times I had taken public transport. Especially during the fateful Stuart Corporation Building incident, where everything went to h.e.l.l. After escaping from the terrifying battle between Lionel Stuart and Yuan Dao Yue Guang, I boarded the train back to Jing Tian City along with Alicia. I was no stranger to public transport. h.e.l.l, I took it everyday.

It was just that Southampton City was a lot further than my usual commute and I was dreading the long ride home. Having lent my Kindle to Adrian, I had nothing to read on the train. I guess I could sleep on the ride, given how I was forced to wake up at 6 in the morning. I was already feeling drowsy after such a heavy meal.

So I ended up walking from the restaurant and toward the train station. Suppressing a yawn, I followed the directions on the Google Map downloaded into my smartphone and headed straight ahead. The holographic route took me through a wide road that stretched between two rows of shop houses, which included a bakery and a jewelry shop.

It was right outside the jewelry shop that I spotted what seemed like a commotion. A group of guys were heckling a poor girl.

"Sorry, but can you please let me go?"

A single girl was uncomfortably squirming as she founded herself surrounded by three guys, two of them flanking her to cut off her escape.

"No can do, sis," the person who seemed to be the leader replied with a sneer. "You b.u.mped into me and you expect to just walk off?"

"I already apologized," the girl pointed out stiffly. Then she bowed her head. "If necessary, I'll apologize again."

"Do you think an apology is enough?"

The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you suggest I do then?"

"Are you really that dense?" the leader laughed. He then leaned closer, still keeping a firm hold on her slender arm. "Spend the night with me, and we'll call it even."

The girl scowled. "So you intend to rape me just because I accidentally b.u.mped into you? How is that in any way even?"

"It's not rape if you give your consent," the leader drawled.

The girl smiled thinly. "Do you honestly think I'll consent to this?"

"With a body like that, and dressed in such provocative clothing?" One of the lackeys chuckled. "Aren't you just asking to be raped?"

What in the actual b.l.o.o.d.y f.u.c.k?! What kind of f.u.c.king reasoning was that?! The lowest of all sc.u.m who refused to take responsibility for their own crimes and instead turned around and blamed it on the victim…pinned the responsibility on the women for "seducing" and "provoking" them into rape. I felt rage boiling inside me.

"Grab her, guys!" the guy cackled. His two cronies grinned and closed in on her. Sensing some sort of danger, I hastened my pace. For some reason, n.o.body was intervening. Either they were afraid of the guy and his subordinates, or the trio were pretty notorious around these parts. They did seem like they belonged to some gang or underground society, what with those flashy s.h.i.+rts, dragon tattoos and longish hair.

If n.o.body intended to help, then I had no choice but to interfere. Come on, it wasn't as if I was risking my life. Someone in front of me was in trouble, what reason did I have to not help her, other than if I was some self-centered, uncaring, edgy a.s.shole?

"What seems to be the problem here?" I demanded as I approached them. The three guys and the girl turned around, and for the first time I got a good look of her. She had long, wavy green hair and sparkling emerald eyes that were for some reason very familiar. As if I had seen those eyes somewhere before, but I couldn't put my finger on where exactly.

Not that I had the chance to ponder on it. The girl brightened up when she caught sight of me, a dazzling smile spreading across her pretty face.

"…ah!"

I was stunned by how beautiful she was. It was just a second of hesitation, partially because I was still trying to remember where I had seen her before, but before I knew it she was latching onto my arm in delight.

"Richard!"

"…eh?"

My jaw dropped as I stared at her in shock, but she was clinging tightly to my arm and giggling as she turned to face the three guys.

"What…? When did that woman slip free!?"

It wasn't just me. The three men were also astonished by her sudden escape. One moment she was surrounded by them, with the leader keeping a firm hold of her arm, and the next…she was gone. Completely free from her grasp.

I immediately understood that this lady was no ordinary girl.

How does she know my name? I wondered. And why is she clinging to me like this?

As the sc.u.m pointed out earlier, the girl was admittedly dressed in a revealing dress that emphasized her well-endowed b.r.e.a.s.t.s, which almost peeked out of her open-topped blouse. The same huge chest that was pressed tightly against my arm.

"Sorry! Did I make you wait long?"

"…who are you again?"

"How cruel!" the girl sulked. "Forgetting me like this! Even though we had such a wild night the other time…!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you haven't gotten the wrong person? I'm just…"

"What the f.u.c.k do you think you're doing?!" the leader of the three growled as he stepped forward. "Flirting in front of us like this? That's our woman, nerd!"

…nerd. Did he seriously just call me a nerd? Okay, I mean I was wearing gla.s.ses and didn't look all that imposing, but that was one amusing insult.

"Sorry, but I can a.s.sure you that she's not your woman," I told him. "I'm supposed to escort her to my boss."

"Aw…you don't have a boss!" the girl teased as she poked my cheek with a finger, causing me to flinch.

Something in the guy snapped and he drew his knife.

"f.u.c.k off! I told you to stop flirting in front of us!"

"And I told you she's not your woman. Please let her go."

"Or what?" the guy scoffed. "Do you know who we are?!"

I c.o.c.ked my head to the side and scratched at my temple. "Not really. Who are you?"

"Idiot!" one of the lackeys howled with laughter. The sc.u.m who blamed the victim instead of taking responsibility for his actions. Good. I wanted an excuse to clobber him. "We are the members of the Black Serpent Secret Society! Our boss controls the underworld of Southampton City! If you p.i.s.s us off, you're dead!"

"That so?" I replied disinterestedly.

"Now hand that woman over to us and we'll let you leave with your corpse intact!"

So you were going to kill me regardless. If that was the case why the h.e.l.l should I listen to you? Do you think it was going to make a difference if my corpse was intact or not? I would be too dead to care about that.

Sighing, I shook my head.

"No."

"You asked for it!" the leader howled as he darted forward, slas.h.i.+ng at me with his knife. I felt a tug on my right arm as the girl slightly pulled on me, and instinctively I moved in tandem, completely evading the guy's knife. As his blade sliced through empty air, I casually lifted my leg and kicked him in the face, sending him spinning onto the ground.

"What…?!"

"Who the h.e.l.l do you think you are?!"

The two subordinates, upon seeing their leader was down, immediately hurried over to check on him. He was dazed and barely conscious, but still alive.

I wasn't going to commit murder in broad daylight. I had no intention of having a criminal record at such a young age. Even if it was self-defense, excessive force in defending myself would still result in a charge of manslaughter.

"I told you that we're from the Black Serpent Secret Society, didn't I? You won't get away with this!"

"Why should I care?" I smirked. "I'm friends with the crown prince of the Amazerian Empire and the children of the Stuart Clan. Can your boss handle them?"

"…eh?"

"You really expect us to believe that?!"

The lowlife sc.u.m was howling at me, obviously thinking that I was lying. Without waiting for him to finish, I stomped his face, sending him cras.h.i.+ng to the ground.

"You…you…!" he spluttered, clutching his face. Blood trickled from between his fingers, pouring from his broken nose. "W…what was that for?!"

"With a face like that, and dressed in such shabby clothing," I replied in a mocking tone. "Aren't you just asking to be kicked?"

Even as the girl giggled behind me, I kicked the guy in the solar plexus and sent him flying several meters away. He slumped down like a broken doll, his head lolling about as he lost consciousness.

The last guy turned his gaze from me to his fallen comrades, and gulped visibly. I smiled politely.

"If your boss has any beef with me, tell him to take it up with Roland…uh, his Excellency of the Amazerian Empire." The crown prince still owed me somewhat for waking me up at 6am in the morning.

The guy's eyes bulged, but at that point I was beyond caring. Ignoring him, I turned around and wrapped an arm around the girl's bare shoulders.

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"All right, Miss…I shall now escort you to my boss, as requested."

"Thank you, Richard."

The girl decided to play along for now.

"But I have no interest in meeting his Excellency. Shall we go somewhere else instead?"

Evidently she thought my "boss" was Roland, but she couldn't be further from the truth. That was something I made up on the spot as an excuse to escort her away from the three Black Serpent thugs. I didn't think anything beyond that.

"Uh, okay. I'll let you take the lead then, Miss. Where do you want to go?"

"Tee hee…" the girl giggled, and she practically waltzed away while clinging onto my arm. "On a date of course!"

"…right. Okay." I wasn't sure if the girl was being serious. She was just pulling my leg, I was sure. However, I had to play the part of the gentleman. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern." The girl smiled in delight as she leaned closer, wrapping a hand around my waist. "But…why do I feel like you think that it was unnecessary to save me?"

"You're mistaken," I replied automatically. Then I glanced at her seriously, my dark eyes hardening behind my gla.s.ses. "But I do have a few questions for you."