Fight

Ryan stood his ground as the four thugs surrounded them. Bell looked nervous but not overly worried. However, Ryan knew that he wasn't the one they would spare. The gang had already tried intimidating him before, and when he refused to submit, it had bruised their fragile egos.

From the way they glared at him, it was clear their target wasn't Bell—it was him. They had previously warned him to stay away from her, yet he had continued working alongside her and was now even out shopping with her. Ryan suspected that the boss of the Mad Dogs Gang saw Bell as his possession, and Ryan's association with her had crossed an unspoken line.

Since Bell's store was within the gang's territory, many of their members likely knew of their boss's interest in her. Seeing Ryan interact with her so openly must have felt like a direct challenge. If they hurt him, it wouldn't just serve as punishment—it would also serve as a warning to others to stay away from Bell.

Ryan was already formulating a plan to either diffuse the situation or handle it head-on, but before he could act, Bell stepped forward, placing herself between him and the gang like a mother hen protecting her chick. Her head was held high as she spoke angrily.

"What do you think you're doing, surrounding us like this? If anything happens to me or my worker, Ryan, it won't end well for you—or your gang!"

The thug wielding a knife, seemingly the leader of this group, exchanged glances with his men before signaling them to close in. With a sneer, he said,

"What do you mean, Miss Bell? We're not surrounding you—we're surrounding him." He jerked his chin toward Ryan. "This guy doesn't know his place and thinks he can take what belongs to others. You're free to leave. We won't stop you." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Bell's face flushed with anger at the implication that she was someone's property, but all she could do was glare at them furiously.

One of the thugs cracked his knuckles as he stepped forward, preparing to punch Ryan. But Ryan wasn't worried. He had already assessed the gang—they were small-time thugs occupying a single street. Nothing he couldn't handle.

Just as the punch was about to land, Ryan shifted his stance, ready to duck and counterattack. But before he could move, Bell suddenly stepped in front of him.

The thug's eyes widened in panic as he was forced to redirect his punch at the last second to avoid hitting her. Both he and Ryan were momentarily stunned—neither of them had expected Bell to intervene like that. The thug grimaced, clearly straining himself in the process.

The gang leader scowled at Bell's interference. "Grab her and move her aside!" he ordered.

One of the thugs stepped forward and roughly grabbed Bell's wrist, attempting to drag her away. Ryan didn't stop him. He didn't want Bell caught in the middle of the fight—it was safer for her to be out of the way.

However, Bell didn't see it that way. She shot Ryan a disappointed look, clearly wondering why he wasn't helping her. Anger flared in her eyes, not just at the thugs but at Ryan as well.

"You sons of Mad Dogs! If you have guts, fight me directly! Surrounding an innocent person just to carry out your dirty plans—what kind of cowards are you?" she spat.

Then, without warning, she lifted her leg and kicked the thug holding her—right between the legs.

A loud crack echoed in the street.

The thug immediately collapsed, clutching himself in agony. A deep, guttural howl escaped his lips, resembling the cries of a pig being butchered.

The remaining thugs instinctively tensed, their legs snapping together as they winced at the sight of their fallen comrade. Even Ryan felt secondhand pain just watching.

Enraged by Bell's resistance, the leader of the thugs strode forward and slapped her hard across the face. The sound rang sharply through the air. Bell stumbled backward and fell to the ground, blood trickling from her cracked lower lip. It was clear the thug hadn't held back.

Ryan's vision went red.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward and delivered a brutal kick to the thugs leader's back, sending him crashing to the ground. He then crouched down next to Bell, quickly assessing her injuries. Seeing that her teeth were intact and it was only a flesh wound, he felt a wave of relief—but that relief was immediately overshadowed by anger.

The remaining thugs, seeing their leader get attacked, rushed forward. Ryan reacted instantly. He swept his leg in a low kick, knocking one of them off balance. Another thug swung at him, but Ryan blocked the punch with his forearm while driving his fist into the attacker's chest, sending him staggering back.

Within seconds, all three thugs were down. Meanwhile, Bell had already taken one out herself.

Ryan didn't waste time. He grabbed Bell's hand and turned away from the fallen gang members.

"Be grateful this wasn't at night," he said coldly. "If I had met you alone, you wouldn't have walked away with just a few bruises."

The thugs leader groaned, clutching his back as he struggled to his feet. One of his men hesitated before asking, "Boss, should we go after them?"

The leader clenched his jaw. "Can you handle him?"

The thug remained silent, recalling how effortlessly Ryan had taken them down. He wasn't so sure anymore.

The leader narrowed his eyes. "I want to know everything about this guy. How can an outsider from the city be so skilled in combat? Is he from the noble guards? The police? Or another gang?"

His gaze flickered toward the thug still writhing on the ground. "And get him medical attention. We'll deal with this later."

With that, the Mad Dogs retreated,their pride wounded—and their interest in Ryan greater than ever.

But both Ryan and the thugs know that this matter won't end like this and Ryan definitely will face the retaliation of mad dogs gang members.