Upon hearing she could be pardoned, there was not a trace of joy on Kallen's face. She just shook her head faintly and said, "It's no use. The Overseer has already made his decision. Once he decides something, no one can change it." After a pause, a bitter, despairing smile appeared on her face. "Besides, the current me has long since lost any reason to live."
Seemingly dissatisfied with Arthur's dawdling, a man in black yanked on the chain in Kallen's hand, causing her to stumble forward a few steps. He said, "At this point, what's with all the chatter? Get moving!"
Arthur watched this scene, his hand hidden in his sleeve clenched into a tight fist, trembling slightly from the excessive force. He seemed to be desperately enduring something, wanting to intervene, but in the end, he let it go. He did nothing, nor did he say anything to stop it.
Seeing Kallen being humiliated by these scoundrels, Ming Yu's anger flared. He glared at the man in black pulling the chain, his eyes looking as if they were about to spit fire. But he also knew that he couldn't change anything. Intervening now would not help Kallen's situation at all and would only get himself involved. Therefore, he just watched quietly, not making a move. Only his slightly trembling body revealed the turmoil in his heart.
It was only then that Kiana noticed the chains on Kallen's hands. Seeing how these people were treating Kallen, she was filled with uncontrollable rage. Her body tensed, ready to strike.
Just then, Ming Yu grabbed Kiana's wrist, shook his head at her, and said, "Don't go. This is not something we can interfere with!"
Kiana shot Ming Yu an angry glare, her blue eyes filled with fury. She said, "Then you stay here. Standing by and doing nothing is not this young lady's style." With that, she violently broke free from Ming Yu's grip. Her legs suddenly tensed, and she shot out like an arrow released from a bow.
Ming Yu did not continue to stop Kiana's recklessness. This was just who Kiana was. However, he had no intention of helping either. Since there was no real danger to her life, Kiana wouldn't grow without getting a taste of the harshness of society.
With a "bang," the man in black who was still pulling the chain was sent flying instantly. In her fury, Kiana had not held back. A visible dent appeared on the man's chest. If not treated immediately, he probably wouldn't see tomorrow's sun.
"What do you think you're doing to my savior!" Kiana slowly retracted her long, straight leg while arrogantly declaring war. "Don't be fooled by my cute appearance. I'm really tough when I fight."
"Kiana, dodge!" The moment Ming Yu saw Kiana still striking a pose, he knew things were about to go south. She had no idea who her real opponent was; she had only defeated a small fry and was already letting her guard down.
Kiana's heart jumped. She saw the leading figure, Arthur, vanish before her eyes like a shadow. Before her body could react, a sharp pain struck her neck, her vision went black, and she collapsed.
Seeing Kiana taken down without any resistance, Ming Yu understood that this Arthur was definitely not someone he could handle. Even in the modern era, Arthur would absolutely have A-rank strength. If equipped with a suitable battlesuit, S-rank wouldn't be out of the question. If Ming Yu were to fight, the result would be no better than Kiana's—he'd likely be defeated in an instant.
Taking half a step back, Ming Yu put on an awkward smile and said, "We just met Miss Kallen by chance. How about you let us go?"
Kallen also spoke up to explain, "They have nothing to do with me. Don't involve these innocent people."
Arthur was still hesitating when a lackey jumped out. "Lord Arthur, no matter what, let's capture him first." As he spoke, two men in black, ignoring Arthur's opinion, rushed towards Ming Yu.
Ming Yu's anger flared as well. *I may be wary of Arthur, but that doesn't mean any random cat or dog can lay a hand on me. I was already holding back a bellyful of fire, and you two just had to run into it. If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never learn to behave.*
Facing the charge of the two men, Ming Yu's eyes narrowed. He powered up his right leg and slammed a roundhouse kick into the chest of the man on the right. The man immediately flew backwards at an even faster speed. Without pausing, Ming Yu parried a punch from the other man with his left hand, closed the distance by half a step, and landed an elbow strike to the man's chest with his right hand, knocking him to the ground. Ming Yu had no intention of killing them—making a mortal enemy was not a good idea—but he didn't plan on letting them off easy either. They'd be laid up for a few days at least.
After defeating two opponents so cleanly, Ming Yu felt a little proud, but he also knew it was not a place to linger. He glanced at Kiana, leaped up, and prepared to escape over the rooftops.
While in mid-air, Ming Yu's heart suddenly tightened. He turned around and crossed his arms in front of his chest. As expected, a fist rapidly grew larger before his eyes, landing on his arms with a whooshing sound.
With a loud bang, Ming Yu's body was slammed back onto the ground. His whole body ached, and his head was slightly dizzy. Ignoring his injuries, he glanced at Arthur and then scrambled to escape in a random direction.
Seeing Ming Yu flee, a man in black called out, "Lord Arthur!"
Arthur slowly retracted his fist but showed no intention of pursuing. He only said, "Let him go. Let's hurry and take Miss Kallen back."
The rest of the men, though unwilling, could not defy Arthur. They could only resentfully pick up their injured companions.
When Arthur made his move, Kallen's heart had been pounding with anxiety. But seeing Ming Yu escape, she understood that Arthur had held back, and her worried heart settled. As for Kiana, since Arthur was willing to let Ming Yu go, he naturally wouldn't make things difficult for a young girl. She would be fine after a while.
Arthur looked in the direction Ming Yu had fled, silent for a moment. Many thoughts flashed through his mind. That person's gaze had been overly calm. Whether it was anger at seeing Miss Kallen humiliated or caution when facing him, his eyes always held a sense of calm, without a trace of panic. Instead, there was a feeling of seeing through everything, as if everything was under his control.
He shook his head with a bitter smile. He was probably getting old. How could a young man have such a gaze? Looking at Kallen in the group, Arthur's heart grew heavy again. The face under the mask was indecisive, his thoughts unknown.
After running wildly through the alleys for a long time, enduring the strange looks of many passersby, Ming Yu finally stopped in a small alley when he felt there were no pursuers behind him.
Panting, Ming Yu reflected on his current situation. His body was a bit sore, but there were no major injuries. Arthur must have held back, otherwise he would have had no chance of escaping. The reason was easy enough to figure out, and it was within Ming Yu's expectations. The honor of the Kaslanas would not allow Arthur to attack an innocent person. He had only attacked Kiana due to her own recklessness. In contrast, Ming Yu was much more cautious, and it was Schicksal who had made the first move. So Arthur only taught him a small lesson and did not stop his escape. Although he was annoyed, the situation was what it was, and Ming Yu had to accept this reality.
The current situation was that Kiana had been captured. However, with Kallen's explanation, it shouldn't be a big problem. She would be released after being held for a while. The key was his next move. Squinting his eyes, Ming Yu's mind raced, and a plan began to form.