Andrew, who had already prepared for this, took the armor out of the trunk and offered it to Burnice.
"There was a big incident yesterday, so the checkpoints leaving the city have gotten a lot stricter. To avoid attracting attention, I only brought a pair of gauntlets."
Although the armor only covered the forearms, it didn't diminish its coolness in the slightest.
Its rugged design was anything but crude; if Andrew were to wear the thick gauntlets, his hands would instantly become a pair of iron fists.
Seeing that Andrew had agreed, Anby stopped blocking Burnice.
But Burnice didn't take the armor. Instead, she continued to look at Andrew with anticipation and said:
"Andrew, you should put it on! Just holding the armor... it's like wanting to pet a Thiren's tail, only for them to detach it and hand it to you. It's just not the same feeling at all."
As soon as she finished speaking, Piper pinned her down again.
"Burnice! Do you still want to have that 'fuel party' you were talking about?!"
"I do! But I really want to touch Andrew's armor too."
Before Piper could even retort, Caesar timidly interjected into the conversation:
"Actually, I'd... kind of like to touch it too."
At that, Piper looked like she was about to lose her mind.
"But aren't they here to see the property?! We can't just keep them standing outside!"
Reminded of their purpose, Caesar finally remembered why they were here. She scratched her head, a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll open the gate right now."
"It's okay, Caesar! We thought your interaction was pretty interesting to watch!"
Belle popped her head out from behind Andrew, smiling reassuringly at Caesar. Then, realizing she hadn't introduced herself, she slapped her forehead and said:
"My name is Belle. I'm a friend of Andrew's."
As Caesar went to open the gate, she said cheerfully:
"Hi, Belle, nice to meet you! You and Wise look a lot alike!"
"Hehe, you noticed? Wise and I are brother and sister!"
Just as Caesar was about to open the gate, she let out a surprised and puzzled sound.
"Huh?"
Hearing Caesar's confused tone, Piper asked nervously:
"What's wrong, Caesar? Is there a problem?"
Caesar's face was a mask of confusion. She carefully scanned the surroundings, murmuring to herself in puzzlement:
"Why is it so clean here? Hasn't this place been empty for months?"
Hearing this, Piper also peered over, confused. She had no memory of arranging for anyone to clean up.
But seeing nothing else out of the ordinary, Piper thought for a moment and said:
"Maybe the Old Man sent someone to clean it? He's always been pretty meticulous, after all."
Caesar thought about it and figured that was probably the case, nodding in agreement.
So, the group stopped dwelling on it and headed into the warehouse.
The inside was the same.
While you couldn't call it 'spotless,' there were clear signs it had been cleaned.
There were no signs of damage, which reinforced Caesar's earlier thought. But what they found next made her feel that something was wrong again.
To be precise, everyone present felt that something was off.
As they walked through the partitioned rooms, it became clear the contents weren't the result of simple cleaning.
There were magazines carelessly stacked together, playing cards scattered on a table, and hay piled up to serve as beds.
After checking all the rooms, it didn't take long for them to confirm one thing: a group of people was living here.
But the Sons of Calydon, the rightful owners, knew nothing about it.
Caesar and Piper looked at each other and shook their heads, confirming neither knew anything. Even Burnice stopped goofing around and began to inspect the place carefully.
They wouldn't have known if they hadn't looked, but the search yielded a shock.
Judging by the signs of departure, the occupants had only just left. Although the many abandoned daily necessities suggested a hasty exit, anything that could reveal their identities had been completely scrubbed.
Or perhaps, to avoid being discovered, the occupants had been careful not to leave any identifying information from the very beginning.
A thorough check revealed nothing more.
However, one thing was certain: that group had absolutely no intention of coming back.
After all, not only were the cooking pots from the kitchen gone, but even the posters that had been on the walls were torn down.
If someone claimed this meant they planned to return, Andrew would be the first to call bullshit.
Just then, a shout suddenly erupted from outside.
"Listen up, you people inside! This place has been claimed by yours truly! Get the hell out if you know what's good for you!"
Hearing the surprised words of his underling next to him, Hu Feng, the leader of the Glutton Gang, said smugly:
"Of course! I've been keeping an eye on this prime spot every day. I knew the second they left."
He pumped his fist, full of self-satisfaction.
"As long as we seize this place while no one's looking, our Glutton Gang will finally have a real territory!"
Just then, another of his followers, a rounder fellow, spoke up with a worried look on his face.
"But boss, isn't this the Sons of Calydon's turf? Are you sure it's okay for us to just take it?"
Hu Feng dismissed his underling's concerns with a wave of his hand.
"The Sons of Calydon have never given a damn about this place. What are the odds they'd catch us red-handed the moment we move in?"
He then looked around contentedly at the handful of followers by his side. It had taken him a lot of effort to assemble his own crew.
"Alright, let's move in!"
Just then, a scrawny young man suddenly shouted:
"Something's wrong, boss! Someone's trying to snatch our turf! I've never seen that car before, it's not from the Outer Ring!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, Hu Feng couldn't stay still. He wanted to slam his baseball bat on the ground in frustration, but the thought that it was brand new and he'd saved up for a long time to buy it made him hesitate. He couldn't bring himself to do it.
He glanced around, then snatched a pair of chopsticks from his chubby subordinate's hand and, to the sound of the guy's mournful cry, slammed them violently onto the ground.
"Damn it! Those city folk push us too far! We already fled to the Outer Ring to escape that Doomsday Iron Fist, and someone still dares to come here and steal my territory?!"
Hearing their boss's furious words, the other underlings began to shout in righteous indignation.
"Yeah, boss! Let's teach them a lesson!"
Spurred on by his followers, Hu Feng led his men menacingly to the warehouse gate and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Listen up, you people inside! This place has been claimed by yours truly! Get the hell out if you know what's good for you!"
____
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