Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 16: My Demand

In the early hours of the morning, only a crescent moon hung in the sky, but at this moment, the crescent appeared crimson.

On a quiet street in the western district, a disheveled figure suddenly darted out from an alley. She was wearing a tight leather outfit that accentuated her perfect curves, her arms now slashed in several places, oozing crimson blood.

A chilling dagger was tightly gripped in her hand, gleaming ominously in the moonlight, the remnants of blood proving that it had just sliced through someone's flesh and blood. "Miss, there's no need to run anymore..." a deep voice came from inside a warehouse ahead of the woman.

She immediately halted her sprint, warily eyeing the several figures emerging from the front, numbering more than ten in total.

The lead man had bandages wrapped around his head, his face rugged, dressed in a black overcoat. He casually toyed with a domestically produced Type 37 pistol in his hand, calmly blocking the path ahead.

"Miss, your skills are indeed terrifying. Not a single shot missed, you took down over thirty of our brothers single-handedly and still managed to flee here..." the man's cold, emotionless voice slowly continued, "However, Miss, we anticipated this ambush meticulously. So, as soon as you ran out of bullets, here we are."

"Black Bear, I've treated you well in the past. Why must you join my father to oppose me?" The woman gasped, having taken down dozens of enemies in a row, her own subordinates depleted, and herself on the brink of collapse.

The man, codenamed Black Bear, chuckled disdainfully. "Miss, regardless of any conflicts between the boss and you, my life was given by the boss, so naturally, I must serve him. Miss treated me well before, but ever since you left the Western Alliance to establish the Crimson Society, you became the boss's enemy. Therefore, you're my enemy too. There's no room for sentiment."

"My father is arbitrary and unscrupulous, engaging in despicable deeds. Even the underworld despises him. Moreover, he didn't treat you well either. In his eyes, you're just his lapdog. So many elders and brothers are willing to follow me. Why are you so stubborn?" The woman knew she had no strength left to resist the gunfire from over ten people; she could only make a final plea.

Black Bear shook his head, his expression still cold. "Miss, before I let you go, let me give you some advice — the underworld may lack humanity, but it still upholds 'loyalty'..."

Before he finished speaking, Black Bear pointed forward, and over ten men in black simultaneously raised the micro-uzis in their hands, aiming their muzzles at the woman ten meters away.

In the blink of an eye, just as all the gunmen were preparing to pull their triggers, a ghostly, magnetic male voice appeared in everyone's ears...

"Hey, guys, if you're interrupting my moon-gazing, fine, but you're not seriously planning to have a dozen big guys shoot a woman, right? When men shoot at women, besides the one below, you're not allowed to use anything else. Look at her, she's so beautiful..." His words were filled with regret.

"Who's there!" Black Bear looked around warily, but there was no one to be found.

The woman, who had been waiting for death, suddenly widened her beautiful eyes, looking incredulously at the sky directly ahead!

A figure descended from above like a phantom in front of the dozen gunmen, resembling a vampire from European myths. In the enchanting moonlit night, they silently spread their large bat-like black wings and extended sharp claws.

This was a young man with a somewhat lazy expression on his face. There was a hint of mockery and curiosity in his eyes, but more than anything, there was disdain.

Black Bear disliked this kind of gaze, but deep down, he felt a trace of fear. "Who are you?!"

The young man didn't answer. Instead, he casually turned his head to ask the woman, "If I help you deal with them, will you promise me something?"

"Yes, yes, anything..." The woman's pale face, drained of blood, flushed red at the moment. She could imagine anything a man might want from a woman he had saved, including offering her body. But at this moment, she had no choice. She didn't even know why she believed that a stranger, unarmed man could save her fragile life from over a dozen gun muzzles!

"No matter who you are, you must die..." Black Bear roared angrily, aiming his gun at the man first.

"Bang!"

In the instant the sparks flew from the gun barrels, the man disappeared. When he reappeared, his palm suddenly covered Black Bear's forehead, twisting lightly...

"Crack... crack!"

Black Bear collapsed limp on the ground, his eyes wide with incredulous indignation... He didn't even have time to react before his neck was snapped!

All the gunmen in black were dumbfounded. Black Bear, one of the best in the gang, a product of the underground black market for combatants, inexplicably died when he opened fire!

"Just now, what did that stupid bear say... oh, right... I'll leave you all with a word: bullets, they're only effective against the weak..." As the man finished speaking, his body once again turned into a blur, weaving through the dozen men in the darkness. With each approach, he struck out with his hand — whether a slap to the head, a lock on the throat, or a blow to the chest. Every man hit fell instantly.

The woman, watching from a distance, struggled to comprehend as she saw these enforcers die. They were killed instantly by inhumane methods — shattered skulls, broken necks, shattered internal organs.

If at the man's arrival she had imagined him as a hero saving the damsel in distress, now, in her eyes, he was nothing short of a grim reaper!

Yes, she had been saved by a man who seemed like a grim reaper, and she had agreed to accept his demand!

In truth, the woman realized that even if she hadn't agreed beforehand, she couldn't summon the will to resist him. People could say "no" to people, but they couldn't utter even half a "no" to a "god"! Almost immediately after the unquestionable end of this battle, the young man walked slowly to the woman's side, clapping his hands. In the moonlight, he smiled, showing no discomfort at the recent massacre. "My name is Yang Chen. What's your name, beautiful?"

"Rose..." Rose was somewhat absent-minded.

"Rose... what a beautiful name," Yang Chen chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with a hint of embarrassment. "Uh, Miss Rose, let me state my request..."

"Please... go ahead..." Rose lowered her head, prepared to be at his mercy, but her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

Yang Chen said earnestly, "Miss Rose, I hope... you won't talk about what happened today. I don't want to get involved in any trouble with your gang. Please..."

Please? Did he just say please to me?

Rose raised her head in astonishment. In that moment, it felt like everything in the world had frozen, leaving only the awkward smile on the man's face — sincere, gentle, and real.