What happened next stunned not only the people watching, but even the two who had been fighting moments ago.“Aren’t you two just testing each other out? There’s no need to get serious enough to break each other’s bones.”It was Luke.He now stood between the two with a cold expression on his face while looking directly at Lance. One of his arms was raised defensively, blocking Lance’s roundhouse kick with his wrist, while his other hand firmly held Alona’s fist just as it was about to strike Lance.But no one answered him.Only silence followed.Everyone stared at him with utterly dumbfounded expressions.What had just happened?How did he get there?Even Luke’s own friends abruptly rose from their seats in shock. Just seconds ago, he had still been sitting beside them, yet somehow he was already standing between Alona and Lance.None of them could even form proper words. Their mouths hung slightly open as disbelief completely overwhelmed them. They could not process how in the world

After parting ways with his friends, Luke found Levi and Alona waiting just outside the gate.Levi immediately approached him to greet him.“Mr. Cruise,” he said while giving a slight bow. “Thank you for saving Alona back there. I don’t even know what I would’ve said to Uncle Henry if something happened to her...”Luke raised a hand, stopping him before he could continue any further.“You don’t have to say all that.” His voice remained calm and steady. “You’re my people now. That means you’re under my protection, just as I’m under yours.”Levi nodded once.“Still... I wanted to thank you properly, Mr. Cruise,” he insisted with his head slightly lowered. “Thank you very much.”Luke observed him quietly for a moment before eventually giving a small nod.“Alright.”Levi was simply being grateful. And perhaps accepting a sincere thank-you wouldn’t hurt.Even if what Luke did felt like a minor thing to him, it clearly meant a great deal to Levi.“And enough with the formalities,” Luke adde

“What’s going on? Why would Warren challenge Mr. Cruise?” one man asked in confusion.“Because he’s an idiot,” the person beside him answered bluntly, followed by a mocking chuckle.He honestly wasn’t the only one thinking that way about Warren. Almost everyone there shared the same opinion.It wasn’t necessarily because they already believed Luke could defeat him. Truthfully, most of them still didn’t know how skilled Luke actually was in combat. But the mere fact that Warren was openly challenging their newly appointed second leader was already an incredibly bold move.If Malcov found out about this, he would probably beat Warren himself.Then again, maybe the two simply had some sort of disagreement they wanted to settle with their fists. That kind of thing wasn’t exactly unusual in gangs. Sometimes conversations were solved the old-fashioned way. And knowing Warren, he was most likely the one who initiated this whole mess.“W

“You’re too humble, Mr. Cruise. I still couldn’t do what you did even after practicing for more than ten years,” Don said as they walked, clearly unconvinced by Luke’s claim that he still hadn’t perfected the Side-Jump Technique.They were currently heading toward the dog farm, where Richard was supposedly being held according to Levi. That was Luke’s real reason for visiting the camp in the first place, aside from formally checking the gang’s headquarters.Behind them, Levi and Miyuki followed while quietly chatting with each other. Their topic, however, was still Luke himself, particularly how he had stopped Lance earlier from almost doing something terrible to Alona during their fight.“Could you maybe teach me how to improve my technique someday? I still can’t figure out what I’m lacking to perform it the same way you do,” Don added with an almost pleading expression.Luke could only give him a wry smile.Don ranked first among the Bl

Alona could only stare at Luke with restless eyes, as if she could not believe that he was once again using his authority to force her into doing something she did not want to do.But what could she even do?Luke Cruise was still Luke Cruise.After a few moments, she irritably crossed her arms while her upper lip curled slightly.“Tss. Fine,” she answered with an eye roll, no longer bothering to refuse.Luke merely watched her for a brief second before letting out a sigh and lightly shaking his head.“Don’t worry. It’s not free labor,” he said while placing both hands behind him and stretching his legs out before gazing up at the dark yet clear night sky. “You’ll receive ten grand a month with free accommodation. Plus health insurance, of course. I’ll also cover all your expenses at La Fernandia.”He was merely promising her the same benefits Javier had promised him regarding the job.Alona’s gaze shifted back t