Chapter 40: The Backalley Justice
The horse carriage rattled along the main road, but Ren's eyes were scanning the side streets. As they passed a narrow, damp alleyway, something caught his eye. A group of three teenagers, maybe 15 or 16 years old, were surrounding a girl.
Ren's blood ran cold. It was Mina.
She was slumped against a brick wall, her face bruised and bleeding. The leader of the group, a thug named Rocky, stepped forward. He sneered at her, "Weak trash like you has no right to live in this sector. I'm telling you for the last time—give me the golden coins, or I'll bury you right here."
Ren didn't hesitate. "Stop the carriage!" he shouted to the driver.
The carriage lurched to a halt. Ren hopped down, tossing a few extra coins to the driver. He looked at Hana, who was watching him with wide, worried eyes. "Hana, go on ahead. I have something I need to take care of. I'll meet you later."
"But Ren—!"
"Just go!" Ren commanded. The driver flicked the reins, and the carriage pulled away.
Ren turned and walked into the shadows of the alley. Inside, Rocky had grabbed Mina by the throat, lifting her off her feet. She gasped for air, unable to speak. Ren's eyes landed on a heavy metal pipe lying in the trash. He scooped it up, the cold iron feeling familiar in his grip.
"Let her go," Ren's voice was low, vibrating with a dangerous edge.
Rocky turned, dropping Mina, who collapsed to the ground. "Oh? We've got a hero here? Kid, do you have any idea whose territory this is? This is Rocky's street. Beat it before I break your teeth."
One of Rocky's lackeys stepped forward, mocking Ren. "Yeah, get lost, loser!"
Ren didn't waste words. He didn't even break his stride. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the metal pipe. It whistled through the air and slammed into the lackey's forehead with a sickening crack. The boy crumpled to the ground instantly, blood pooling around his head.
Rocky roared in rage. He grabbed the pipe from the ground and swung it down with brutal force onto Mina's leg. A horrific snap echoed through the alley. Mina let out a piercing scream as her skin tore, blood soaking into the pavement.
"What are you standing around for?!" Rocky barked at his second lackey. "Kill him!"
The second thug pulled a pistol from his waistband, aiming it unsteadily at Ren's chest.
Ina's instincts took over. Ren didn't freeze. He watched the thug's finger, the tilt of the barrel. As Rocky raised the pipe again to crush Mina's head, Ren exploded into motion.
He didn't run away; he ran in.
In a blur of movement, Ren reached the gunman. He grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it with a bone-breaking snap, and ripped the pistol from his hand. Without stopping, Ren lunged toward Rocky.
Rocky swung the pipe, but Ren caught it mid-air with his bare hand, the iron vibrating against his palm. Before Rocky could even blink, Ren pressed the stolen pistol against the gunman's head.
BANG.
The first thug fell. Ren immediately pivoted, the barrel now inches from Rocky's forehead.
BANG.
Rocky's eyes went wide for a split second before his body slumped into the dirt, joining his friends in a heap of cooling meat and expanding blood.
The silence that followed was broken only by Mina's ragged sobbing. She clutched her shattered leg, her small frame shaking with agony. Ren stood over the bodies, the smoking gun still in his hand, his heart pounding not with fear, but with a cold, hollow satisfaction.