Ren and Kai walked away from the arena, and Kai whispered to Ren, "I think this is enough. The fact that this is their only nightclub alone should free us and a lot of the other low-rank targets, not to mention all the other illegal stuff going on here."
Hearing that made Ren start thinking about that again making him frown. This time, Kai managed to notice Ren's expression before he could hide it, and now he was one hundred percent sure that something was off.
"We should find a quiet place to call the cops," Ren whispered.
They entered a hallway and moved close to a door behind them. Ren called the police. After a while, he turned around, done talking with them.
"It will take a while for them to come," Ren said. "Considering how big this raid needs to be, I think we should really go right now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kai frowned. "Wait. Something's off with you. What's happening?"
"What do you mean? Nothing is wrong."
"Come on, man. I already know something happened, so just say it. We're already wasting time, and I don't care if we get caught in this place. We are not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."
Kai looked fully serious he can't let any problems, especially a problem that came from a place like this just slide
Ren looked at the stubborn Kai and sighed. Then he explained exactly what he saw in the dance club area.
"What the fuck?" Kai exclaimed.
He was furious—but not at Ren. He was angry at the people behind the nightclub.
"We should go back there right now," Kai growled, already turning and starting to walk toward the dance club area.
"Hey, wait!" Ren grabbed his shoulder. "Wait—we can't just do that."
Kai looked at him sharply. "What the fuck do you mean we can't do that? We need to help them. Right now."
"Dude, we're not heroes," Ren said. "And we're not strong enough to just go in there and bust them out. That's just ridiculous."
Kai stared at him. "So what? You want us to just leave and let them stay like this?"
"We're not leaving them," Ren replied. "We are literally calling the police, Kai. We are doing the best thing we can currently do. I hate this as much as you do, but we're not heroes. And again, we are not strong enough to do anything about it right now."
Kai went silent. He knew Ren was right, but that didn't mean he liked it. He gave Ren a resentful look and started walking.
Ren didn't stop him. He felt guilty about it—but this was the best option right now.
So even though he still felt guilty, he walked away.
After a while of walking, they both stopped when they heard a sound coming from around a corner. They quietly glanced from the corner and saw someone walking through the hallway, dragging two other students with him.
He looked like a college student, and he was dragging two students who seemed a little younger than Ren and Kai—a boy and a girl.
"Come with me, you little shits," he said.
Ren and Kai stood there, watching from the shadows.
"Please, why the hell are you doing this?" the girl begged.
"Shut the hell up," he snapped. "I owe these bastards money, and you two are gonna help me pay it back. After all, I'm a good big brother. I helped you and your little boyfriend, didn't I?"
The two froze.
"So you two are gonna pay me back by working in the dance club and the arena to cover my debt."
"You being a good big brother what a fucking joke you never helped us, you fucking bastard," the girl yelled. "No wonder Mom and Dad never wanted me to talk to you when I arrived on the island, you fucking freak."
The college student stopped. He angrily glared at the girl and pulled his arm back to punch her.
Seeing this, Kai was furious. He was about to step in and activate his fire sword—but Ren grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
Kai stopped. Not because he wanted to listen to whatever Ren was about to say, but because he saw two shades come down from the ceiling and wrap around the college student's neck, choking him.
The man struggled, while the two victims watched in shock. After a couple of seconds, the college student went limp. The shades dissolved into the air, and the college student dropped unconscious onto the floor.
Kai looked at Ren in surprise. He didn't think Ren would do something like that, especially after what happened earlier.
Ren let out a quiet sigh.
"I guess," he said calmly, "we're taking this place down."
Ren was always the kind of guy who, if you asked him a hypothetical question—like whether he would fight a thief to rescue a young girl—he would say no. He would just call the cops.
Basically, he had always viewed himself as the rational guy—the kind of person who, even though he was good at heart, wouldn't do something stupid or risk his own safety to help someone. And that was okay. He believed there would always be others who would choose to take that risk, so it didn't have to be him.
And that way of thinking hadn't changed, even when he saw what was happening in the dance club. He felt guilty, but he still wanted to leave it to the cops.
But now, when he saw this college student dragging these two into the exact same situation, he chose to help.
He honestly didn't know why.
Maybe it was because, unlike a hypothetical scenario, this was real. And unlike the dance club area, this time he could actually do something—right here, right now—to help these two get out of a terrible situation.
His thoughts were chaotic. He knew how dangerous this was, but he still wanted to help.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist hard, stopping himself from overthinking.
Well, I already took the first step, he thought. I might as well go all the way with it and try to help.
Whatever happens, happens.
They stepped out from the corner and walked toward the two students. But before fully approaching, they made sure to put their disguises back on—masks, hoodies, caps, and glasses.
As they walked toward them, the two students freaked out and took a step back.
"Wait," Ren said calmly, deliberately changing his voice. "We're here to help. Please, calm down."
The two hesitated.
Then the girl spoke.
"Are you two… are you aspiring vigilantes?"