Chapter 010: Misunderstanding

The moment the gunshots rang out, the bear-like Ivan could feel the heat of bullets grazing his scalp. His first reaction upon seeing Cyrus Greene's gun was to drop and lie flat while calling for his brother Yakov's help.

However, the gunshots triggered panic throughout the bar. In America, shootings happened every day, and people dying was commonplace. This made Americans sensitive to gunfire - their first reaction to gunshots was to run immediately.

The Cat's Claw Bar had only one entrance/exit, so everyone could only push in one direction. In the chaos, Brother Yakov had barely drawn his gun when he saw a huge crowd surging toward him.

Damn it!

Even though Yakov was also a giant of a man, he didn't dare stand in the way of the surging crowd. Though he knew Cyrus Greene would try to escape within the crowd, he could only turn and run to avoid being knocked down. As for his brother Ivan, he would have to fend for himself.

After Ivan dropped down, he immediately realized the danger of his situation - being stepped on hundreds of times by the chaotic crowd could kill even a bull. But this realization came too late. Just as he tried to get up, the headless-chicken-like crowd had already surged over him.

"Ouch, who stepped on me? I'll kill them!"

"Oh... that bitch in high heels stepped on my balls."

"Help! Don't step on me, I can't breathe!"

Faced with thousands of feet from hundreds of people, Ivan on the ground couldn't even lift his head. In the end, he could only curl up his body, protect his head with his hands, and endure the agony of being trampled. As for where Cyrus Greene was, he couldn't even begin to worry about that.

The chaos was exactly what Cyrus Greene wanted. With one hand holding his gun and the other dragging Angie, he rushed out following behind a dozen people. When he saw the neon sign at the Cat's Claw Bar's entrance, he even fired several more shots to destroy it.

The continuous gunshots made the crowd even more agitated, with screams and shouts filling the entire bar. Nobody could control their emotions or stay calm - they could only surge toward the exit like madmen. Only after Cyrus Greene finally burst through the bar's main entrance did he feel the pressure on his chest suddenly release, even breathing became easier.

When Cyrus Greene reached the street outside the bar, a beat-up Ford sedan rumbled up and screeched to a stop in front of him. From the driver's seat, Lena shouted angrily, "Kid, you should thank me for not abandoning you. I wanted to leave you behind."

"Thanks, thanks," Cyrus Greene panted while saying thanks, opening the car door and helping Angie inside. After closing the door, he shouted, "Drive, drive, let's get out of here!"

At that moment, Yakov, who was guarding the bar entrance, spotted Cyrus Greene escaping and fired several shots at Lena's old car. When he realized he couldn't stop them, he cursed loudly, "Kid, I know who you are! Go ahead and hide at home crying like a BABY, because I'll find you, and then I'll teach you a lesson!"

Sitting in the car, Cyrus Greene was drenched in sweat, slumping against the back seat like a rag doll, his hands and feet trembling from the excitement. His chest heaved violently as he breathed. But after the car drove several blocks away, he checked the things he'd stolen from the Potaski brothers' room, looked at Angie who was safe despite being half-naked, and finally burst into laughter.

Success, real success! Although the process was dangerous, Cyrus Greene got the money - tens of thousands of dollars. With this money, at least he wouldn't starve to death during the Great Catastrophe.

His laughter was full of relaxed joy and elation, mixed with anticipation and expectations for the future. Now, barely twelve hours after arriving in this wasteland world, Cyrus Greene had completed his first step in defending against the Great Catastrophe - this was a damn good start.

It was a perfect first step. Although he had offended the Potaski brothers and shot someone, compared to the countless difficulties of the Great Catastrophe, this was nothing. When the whole society falls into chaos, having food, drinks, and a girl's company - this life was too wonderful!

Cyrus Greene's laughter was contagious. After his outburst, Lena, who was driving, also started laughing heartily. This streetwise woman turned back to punch Cyrus Greene in the chest, asking, "Kid, how much money did you steal?"

"I got over fifty thousand, just twice what you got," Cyrus Greene said with a laugh.

"Fuck! The Potaski brothers will be furious!" Lena laughed even louder, mostly delighting in the Potaski brothers' loss. She then asked, "Where do you want to go next?"

"Back to Murdock Avenue, 200th Street. I need to take this girl back to her parents," Cyrus Greene said.

"I envy this girl. When I was in trouble, nobody came to save me," Lena sighed, quickly driving the car back to Angie's house.

Cyrus Greene helped Angie out of the back seat and was about to ring the Lawrences' doorbell when the dazed Angie suddenly came to her senses. She pushed Cyrus Greene away and ran to the garbage bin in front of their house, lowering her head and vomiting non-stop.

Lena got out of the driver's seat, pulled some tissues from her small bag, and handed them to Cyrus Greene, saying, "She probably needs these."

Cyrus Greene took the tissues and walked to Angie's side, saying, "Hey, are you okay?"

After finishing vomiting, Angie lifted her head to look at her surroundings, snatched the tissues from Cyrus Greene's hand to wipe her mouth, and said unceremoniously, "Get away from me, you disgusting person. I don't need your concern."

"I think you might have misunderstood something. Things aren't what you imagine," Cyrus Greene thought the now-angry Angie was quite cute, which at least showed she cared about him. "I think I can explain."

"Explain? Are you going to make up some ridiculous story to make me believe your lies? Do you think I'm stupid?" Angie remained bitter, "I always thought of you as my best friend, but I never expected you to hire prostitutes. You're just... such a disappointment!"

"Hey! You're the only one who made mistakes tonight, not me. You're only fifteen - you shouldn't be drinking at all, let alone going to dangerous places like the Cat's Claw Bar. Do you know you almost got..." Cyrus Greene didn't finish the sentence, trying to give the girl some face.

But Angie just kept snorting coldly, completely disbelieving Cyrus Greene's words. She even waved her hand dismissively and said, "I don't want to hear your lies. Don't come near me anymore, and don't ever come to my house."

As Angie strode toward the front door before she could open it, the door opened by itself. Rachel Connor, looking puzzled, walked out first, followed by David Lawrence with a grave expression.

"Good Lord, honey, what are you and Victor arguing about? I thought you were already asleep." Rachel Connor had just gotten out of bed, wearing only a coat over her pajamas. She held her daughter's shoulders and said in surprise, "Angie, you've been drinking? Victor, what's going on here?"

Angie turned her head to the side, refusing to say a word. The Lawrences could only turn their gaze to Cyrus Greene standing outside their door. Cyrus Greene shrugged, trying to organize his words, when he heard Lena standing beside him say, "I think it would be better if I explained this if that's alright?"