Chapter 53: Selling His Sister
It was a strange sight.
At the entrance of the alley shrouded in night, twelve big tough-looking gangsters stood obediently against the walls. Yet their boss turned out to be a green-haired girl of only twelve or thirteen.
Her delicate, childlike face and petite loli figure looked completely mismatched with the title of a street boss—except for the heavy smoky makeup that made her look far too mature.
Still, when Xi Nian looked at the girl, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.
The higher her status and the fiercer her demeanor, the more it showed how much she had suffered, how much stronger and harder she had to be compared to her peers just to survive without being bullied…
"Hey, did you hear me? Do you want to be my little brother—" Lorna braced her foot against the wall beside Xi Nian in a domineering pose. But before she could finish speaking, Xi Nian reached out and gently patted her head, brushing over her green hair.
Everyone froze.
Especially the twelve dyed-hair, tattooed thugs. Their eyes widened in disbelief, some even gasping. "It's over, that kid's dead!"
Lorna herself paused, almost unable to process it.
Then she sharply smacked his hand away, withdrew her leg from the wall, and stepped back, fixing him with a cold stare. "What do you think you're doing?"
"You had some dust on your head." Xi Nian quickly came up with an excuse. Of course he couldn't admit it was just an unconscious gesture of pity. If he said that, he'd be beaten for sure.
"Oh, I see." Lorna nodded slightly as if she believed him.
The group of thugs: "…"
Seriously? Boss, you don't actually believe that, do you?!
They all knew Lorna's temper. If any one of them had dared to touch her head like that, their arm would already be broken.
Clearly, not everyone was treated the same.
…
Xi Nian spoke directly, not treating her like a crime boss at all. "Sorry. I can't be your little brother, and I don't intend to."
The gang members tensed again.
But to their surprise, Lorna didn't get angry. Instead, she stepped aside.
Leaning against the wall casually, she waved her hand. "In that case, go ahead. You can leave."
"You're letting us go?" Xi Nian asked, startled.
"What, you want me to treat you to dinner instead?" she snorted.
"Boss!" the bearded thug from earlier panicked, unwilling to let them off.
"Clear the way. Let them go!" Lorna's cold voice shut everyone up instantly.
"We're leaving."
Xi Nian took Gwen and the silver-haired boy by the hand and carefully walked toward the exit. Under Lorna's oppressive presence, no one dared stop them. They could only watch as the three disappeared onto the main street outside.
Once they were gone, the alley fell silent.
Lorna's cold voice rang out. "Who told you to steal? And you even hit a child?"
Thud!
The bearded thug dropped to his knees, his face pale. "Boss, I was wrong, I shouldn't have—"
His words cut off.
It was as if an invisible hand clamped around his throat. He struggled helplessly as his body slowly lifted into the air—exactly like when he had choked the silver-haired boy earlier!
A terrifying power was awakening!
The other gang members didn't dare move. Their spines tingled with fear as they watched the man float two meters off the ground.
At the back of the alley, green light glowed.
Lorna's small figure still leaned against the wall, but her green hair floated wildly as her raised hands radiated shimmering emerald energy.
Ten seconds later, the thug collapsed onto the ground like a dead dog, gasping for breath with snot, tears, and saliva dripping everywhere.
"There won't be a next time." Lorna's childish voice was cold as ice.
"Yes, Boss!"
The others shouted back quickly, sweat dripping down their faces.
…
Meanwhile, Xi Nian led Gwen and the silver-haired boy at a run until they reached a livelier street. Only when he was sure no one was following did he finally stop.
The crisis was over.
The silver-haired boy looked up at him with sparkling eyes full of admiration. "Big bro, you were amazing! You took that bad guy down in just two moves!"
"Amazing? I almost didn't make it out of there," Xi Nian said with a bitter smile.
"Kid, you've got guts, going up against someone that big." Gwen scolded in her big-sister tone.
"Hmph! I just ran too slow. Otherwise, he never would've caught me." The boy puffed his cheeks in protest. "Besides, he tried to steal from someone else, so I just got their stuff back for them."
He pushed up his crooked goggles and grinned as he looked at the woman's handbag.
"Not bad. When you grow up, you'll definitely be faster than him." Gwen encouraged.
"Of course!"
The boy thumped his chest proudly, then suddenly remembered. He looked at Xi Nian and introduced himself. "Big bro, my name is Pietro Django Maximoff."
"Pietro, huh."
Xi Nian nodded, ruffling his fluffy silver hair. "It's already late. You shouldn't be wandering alone. Go home. I'll hand this bag over to the police."
"Okay."
Pietro handed over the handbag, then suddenly pulled Xi Nian aside, slipping him a folded note. In a conspiratorial whisper, he said, "Big bro, I'll introduce you to my sister. She's way better than the one next to you…"
"Uh…" Xi Nian froze.
"Ouch!"
Pietro yelped as Gwen pinched his ear, glaring down at him with a half-smile. "And just what are you saying, kid?"
"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" Pietro yanked free, then bolted down the street. Halfway, he turned back and waved. "Big bro, don't forget! My sister's amazing!"
"Kids these days are way too precocious…" Gwen muttered, grinding her teeth. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have saved him!"
"He's just a kid." Xi Nian laughed, glancing down at the note in his hand. It had an address and phone number written on it.
For some reason, Gwen felt a chill of foreboding—just like when she first met Kara. She frowned. "Xi Nian, you're not seriously planning to meet this so-called sister, are you?"
"Of course not."
Xi Nian shook his head and casually slipped the note into his pocket.
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