The Supreme War God Has Returned!

Chapter 014 – The Bar Encounter

*****

After reaching the hotel the previous night, Zach had wanted nothing more than to sleep; after all, his schedule for the following day was packed… every hour accounted for.

So, he had gone straight to bed without eating.

But… sleep had refused him.

No matter how much he tried, his eyes wouldn’t stay closed.

He had tossed and turned endlessly on the bed, the unfamiliar ceiling doing nothing to anchor his thoughts.

Each time he closed his eyes, his memories of the city crept violently into his mind.

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t returned in over a decade, or maybe the city itself remembered him.

Either way, they had come crashing down on him… unrefined, vivid, and merciless.

For over two hours, recollection after recollection had assaulted him.

Some were familiar… the ones that had haunted him for years, resurfacing again and again, no matter how deeply he tried to bury them.

The others were forgotten moments, all of them clawing their way back to the surface, each one hitting as hard as the last.

It had felt like living through everything again… every loss, every scream, and every failure.

Ultimately, Zach knew sleep wasn’t coming.

The more he lay there, staring at the dim ceiling, the more restless, agitated, and relentless his thoughts became.

Eventually, he rose from the bed.

“If sleep wouldn’t come, maybe a drink could knock it unconscious,” he had mumbled to himself.

And just like that, he had gotten dressed and headed for the hotel bar.

However, just as he entered, he was met with the scene of a woman being hunted.

She had been backed against a pillar, her shoulders drawn inward, her fingers clenched tightly around the strap of her small purse as though it were the only thing keeping her grounded.

A group of men had surrounded her, blocking every possible escape.

They laughed, leaned in too close, and said things that made Zach’s jaw tighten just by hearing fragments.

“Well, look at this one… do you want daddy to take ‘good’ care of you?”

“Why so tense, sweetheart? We’re just trying to be ‘friendly’ with you.”

“Don’t act shy, love. You came here alone, didn’t you?”

Their eyes had roamed over her like she was merchandise on display, all of them laughing in a wild, unhinged manner, harassing her.

Witnessing the scene, Zach had paused… but only for a moment.

Then he had ignored it, believing it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

With a detached expression, he had turned away, heading for the bar.

But just then…

He saw one of the men grabbing the woman’s wrist another pressed in close behind her, trapping her completely.

As for the woman, her breath had hitched audibly over the music, panic flashing raw and uncontrolled across her face.

“Relax, doll... we’re not the bad guys. You looked lonely, so we figured we’d keep you company.”

“Aww… are you scared? That’s kinda cute.”

The group of men exploded into wild, unhinged laughter, and… that was it.

Zach stopped walking.