[Affiliation]: Part One

All the witnesses grew stunned by Batu's daring action. To go against the Black Wolves was to go against death, itself. No normal man who valued his own life would risk crossing heads with them. However, Batu's immense strength said otherwise; it was a bold statement to the Black Wolves to never mess with him.

Jochi grew incredibly furious like a calm, sunny day blown into raging thunderstorm. A random no-name had the gall to go against one of the largest gangs in this city. Jochi couldn't allow this act to continue on, lest it would give others confidence to rise up against the Black Wolves.

"Beat this snot-nosed motherfucker!" He yelled out.

Batu grew cold, twisting Vien's arm before kicking him away. The man crashed into the table, splitting it into two amidst the fearful cries of women. Batu didn't particularly paid this fight any mind; he treated it like any other gang brawl beforehand.

A left punch dodged. A right kick blocked. Batu easily defended against two grown men before he threw his own punch with lightning speed.

"Ugh!" Blood flew as a man dropped to the ground in pain, holding his bloody nose.

Batu suddenly flipped onto a table as a chair smashed against the floor, barely missing him by mere inches. Screams echoed as people caught in the warzone ran for safety, huddling near corners or behind the countertop.

Grabbing the plates in hand, Batu chucked them at the Black Wolves like frisbees. Loud cracks echoed in the diner as the gangsters backed away from him; their arms covered theirs faces to block porcelain projectiles.

Meanwhile, Yu Mei watched the brawl with a wide grin. Unlike the others, she thoroughly enjoyed the show taken place right before her very eyes. She was pleasantly surprised by the way Batu handled himself: his demeanor, his unorthodox fighting and that badass smirk on his face. Yu Mei licked her lips in desire; she wanted to know more about this time-traveling man.

However, she couldn't just sit here and watch Batu take all the glory for himself. Her bones had been itching for some action, and she couldn't let this one go to waste. Yu Mei leapt from her seat, kneeing the face of an unsuspecting Black Wolf.

She threw quick, heavy punches at his body and topped it off with a spinning roundhouse kick to his head. Instant KO. The man dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"Thought you could use a little help," She glanced behind her, noticing Batu knocking another one out with a devastating uppercut.

"Who said I needed help?" Batu leaned back like fat joe against Vien's kick.

He swiftly tipped a nearby chair over and kicked it under Vien's feet, causing the dark-skinned man to trip over. Batu made quick work of him, knocking him out with a stomp to the jaw.

Jochi was now the last man standing; his breaths were haggard as he wiped the trickling blood from his mouth. He was barely a match against this monster even with five of his men. Who the hell was this guy? With abnormal strength like this, he couldn't be just some random no-name.

No, this kid had to be part of a worldwide crime syndicate where only monsters reside. The Yamaguchi? Triads? Fear slowly crept into Jochi's heart the more he thought about it. If that was the case, then the Black Wolves couldn't afford to offend him. However, Jochi needed to be sure of it.

"Hey, kid, which gang are you apart of?" He asked.

There was only one gang that came to Batu's mind. However, it wasn't just a gang. It was his family; his sworn brothers for life. It started out as a rag-tag group of teens hanging out together. However, as time passed by, that tiny squad of boys sprouted into one of the strongest gangs out of all the schools.

"The Golden Horde," Batu answered.

That was who he was, his identity and nothing could take that away from him. Even Father Time. After all, Batu was apart of the creation of the Golden Horde with his two sworn brothers: Hue and Erlan. Even if the world went against them, they would always stick together.

Yu Mei's eyes widened when she heard that. There was no way he was in the Golden horde; she didn't believe it one bit. Then, a sudden realization hit her. Those names that he mentioned before: Hue and Erlan. Those were the same names as the founding fathers of the Golden Horde.

"That can't be..." She whispered under her breath.

A sudden chuckle broke out of Jochi's stern visage, "And here I thought you were part of a worldwide syndicate. But to think you're actually part of that crumbling little group. How funny."

Batu frowned at his statement, 'Does that mean that the Golden Horde is still kickin' up until now?' He thought to himself. Unless it was another gang with the exact same name. However, Batu couldn't allow Jochi to disrespect its name.

"If I were you, I would shut my damn mouth," He said.

"You and that bitch over there made a huge mistake today. The big shots will hear about this, and your shitty get-together will disappear without a trace," Jochi sneered at them.

Batu suddenly hammered him right in the gut. Coughs of blood sprayed the floor as Jochi knelt down in pain, clutching his stomach. Before he could even look up, his head was smashed against the floor. Jochi was stuck in a groveling position by Batu's foot.

"You could bring the whole gang for all I care, but understand this," His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't you ever talk shit about my gang again." Batu applied a little more pressure on Jochi's head.

Jochi grit his teeth in fear under Batu's terrifying pressure. He was like a monster, no, he was like the actual devil, himself.

"You can fuck off, tell your little friends too, but if you ever come back here, then I'll make you learn the definition of pain, understand?"

"Y-yes."

Batu lifted his foot off of his head, and Jochi hastily made a break for it, leaving all of his men behind. The tires screeched as Jochi drove off into the distance.

"Well, that's that," He sighed in relief.

All around him were smashed tables, shattered plates and spilt food as if a tornado had ran through the whole place. The patrons had all escaped in the midst of fighting besides the remaining few covering behind tables. Heads popped out to catch a glimpse of the aftermath with wary eyes.

"My, I didn't think ya had it in you, Batu," Yu Mei walked up to him. She really did enjoy his domineering display earlier.

"It's all in the blood," He said.

Kiki and Mama Ming, a plump woman of short stature and chestnut hair, carefully tread through the destruction. Their diner that they had worked so hard for had been reduced to such a state, and it pained them to see it that way.

"Now I have to clean all of this up AGAIN," Kiki groaned out. She really hated her job.

Mama Ming walked up to Yu Mei with worry, "Little Mei, are you alright?" She brought Yu Mei in for an embrace.

"I'm fine, Mama Ming, really," She replied, gently pulling her away. "Sorry for causing so much trouble for you."

"Don't be," Mama Ming shook her head. "The Black Wolves would have done way worse if you two hadn't stop them."

Yu Mei pulled out her bankroll of cash and handed it to Mama Ming, "Take this; it's to pay for the damages that we've caused."

"I can't take this little Mei."

"Please," She insisted. "It's the least I could do to help."

Mama looked down at her hand, clutching the money tightly, "Alright then, for you I will take it."

"I've already contacted the cops; they should be here any minute to grab these scumbags up," Kiki said.

"Welp, I guess that's our queue to leave, call me when you need help. Okay, bye!" Yu Mei rushed out of the diner.

"What's she so afraid of?" Batu asked.

"She's wanted by the cops," Kiki facepalmed.

"Make sense."

Mama Ming suddenly held his hand with both of hers, "Young man, I also want to thank you for all your help."

"I barely did anything noteworthy of your praise, Mama Ming," Batu smiled in embarrassment. It felt weird to be on the receiving end of gratitude.

"Don't sell yourself short, my dear," She smiled back. "It's rare to find a good man such as yourself."

Batu knew he was far from being a 'good man': beating guys up, underground gambling, alcohol and evading cops; he'd done all of that while in high school. However, he felt nice to hear a compliment like that from a stranger, even if it wasn't true at all.

"Batu, hurry up!" Yu Mei yelled from outside. "The cops are almost here!"

"Ah- right," He said. "I guess I'm off then."

"Right, you shouldn't keep a young gal like that waiting," Mama Ming chuckled. "We'll handle it from here."

Batu waved them goodbye and ran out of the door.

"Come see me again, Batu!" Kiki waved back at him.

* * * * *

The motorcycle drove into an indoor parking lot by an old apartment located far from the bright lights of the city. The streets were narrow and littered while there were occasional rats that scurried about; and the buildings were cramped together as to avoid any waste of space. Meanwhile, black smoke churned out from twin turrets located above the rooftops.

"Where are we?" Batu asked.

"Home sweet home," She replied, hopping off from her motorcycle.

"Are you really fine with a guy like me bargin' in your crib?"

"You got no place to go, right Mr. Time-Traveler? So why not crash at my place for a while?" Yu Mei offered him. "Besides, I still have something I want to talk about with you."

They reached her small studio apartment after eight flights of stairs. As they entered, Yu Mei flickered the lights on, and a shade of dark pink brightened the room.

"What's up with the pink lights?"

"What? Ya got a problem with the color pink?"

"I'm just wonderin', sheesh."

Her room was pretty small to say the least. By the corner was a wooden desk with a circular device that projected a hologram screen. Posters plastered all over the walls that depicted anime characters and several rock bands. Instead of a normal bed, there was a hammock that hung low from the ceiling.

"Make yourself at home."