Melissa's Trouble

Two days later, the Blackthorn Security Company said, "Captain, I'd like to ask for a day off on Luther's behalf."

As soon as he entered the company, before he even had a chance to take off his coat, Klein hurriedly walked into the captain's office and said this to Dunn.

"Taking leave? What happened to Luther?"

Dunn put down his pipe and said.

"Luther is fine. It wasn't him, it was his sister."

Klein shook his head and said, "His sister Cecilia... is that little girl we've all met. She seems to be constantly targeted at school because she's so pretty, and she's upset about it and doesn't want to go to school."

However, it seemed a bit too coincidental that Klein had just discovered something was wrong with Luther and then immediately asked for leave. But he had already occupied the Gray Fog several times, and each time the results showed that Luther was not out of control and everything around him was normal.

"Is someone bullying Cecilia?"

Dunn frowned. "Why didn't Luther come to see me?"

"Well, it doesn't seem to have reached the point of bullying. Luther doesn't want to trouble the team with something like this," Klein sighed. "He's already asked for a week's leave from school for his sister, planning to stay home and spend time with her, so she won't be coming today."

"... I see, I understand."

After listening, Dunn nodded slightly. "Klein, you and Luther are neighbors. Keep an eye on him. If he has any difficulties, let me know immediately."

"Yes, Captain."

Klein thought with a touch of emotion, "The captain is truly a good leader, even though he's losing his hair..."

After saying goodbye to the captain and leaving the office, he thought of his younger sister.

Because of her love for mechanics, Melissa attends the local Tingen Technical School. She has two close female friends, which prevents her from being ostracized at school.

Speaking of which, she went to the shopping street with her friend today... A lady certainly needs to buy a nice dress and some nice jewelry before going to the theater; I think the money I gave her should be enough.

Standing in the brightly lit company lobby, the young Nighthawks suddenly felt a sense of unease.

What do you mean by this?!

Lower Street, in front of a shabby Apartment, Klein's sister Melissa was shouting angrily. Like Klein, she had black hair and brown eyes, and recently, thanks to better nutrition, her young face had gained a youthful glow.

A middle-aged woman sat slumped on the ground, her hair disheveled and her face streaked with tears.

Standing next to Melissa were two girls of the same age, her two friends, Selena and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is a girl with naturally curly brown hair and a chubby face, while Selena has burgundy hair. Neither of them seems particularly brave; in fact, they appear somewhat frightened.

Because they were surrounded by a circle of rude men.

These men, disheveled and savage, merely chuckled at Melissa's insults, completely disregarding the three young girls. Clearly, they were Lower Street thugs and hooligans.

"Hey girl, I've already said it, Mrs. Rochelle owes me money, and it's only right that I get my money back from her."

The ringleader, utterly lacking in decorum, spat and pointed to a bloody gash on his hand. "You wanted to stand up for me, and you ended up hurting me. Fine, pay me back the money this old bastard owes us, plus my medical bills—five pounds in total. If you don't want that, you three young ladies can entertain us a bit."

Upon hearing their leader's words, the group of thugs burst into laughter, their voices filled with unbridled joy. Their gazes towards the three girls became increasingly lewd, constantly glancing at their young and vibrant bodies.

The people in the nearby slums just watched in fear, and no one dared to come forward to help the three frail little girls.

Melissa gritted her teeth, her heart filled with regret.

It's all my fault for being so reckless, which led me and my friend into danger.

To save money and to help her former neighbor, Melissa entrusted the making of the dress to her neighbor Mrs. Rochelle on Lower Street.

This lady was a poor seamstress, but her skills were excellent. Mrs. Rochelle had already successfully made a dress for Melissa once.

It works very well.

So this time, in order to go to the show, she used the money her brother had given her to ask this lady for help again. Originally, she planned to go shopping with two friends after ordering the goods, but unexpectedly, they encountered a group of thugs who came to collect debts from Mrs. Rochelle.

Rochelle had no debt to the thugs, yet they were using unscrupulous methods to extort money from her. Melissa, acting out of a sense of Justice, stepped in to stop them, but accidentally injured the leader's hand, which led to her being extorted as well.

"Let us leave, but don't cause any more trouble for Mrs. Rochelle!"

Melissa tried to make her tone firm, "I'm warning you, my brother's company has connections with the Tingen City Police Department. If you don't want trouble, you'd better leave now!"

"Really? That's terrifying, hahaha!"

Although Melissa was telling the whole truth, the thugs didn't believe her at all, and each of them winked and pretended to be scared.

Then he burst out laughing.

They slowly tightened their encirclement, their smiles growing increasingly brazen. The three girls were forced to retreat, soon finding themselves in a deserted alley. The exit was blocked, leaving only the group of thugs and the three of them.

"Get out of my way! What do you think you're doing!"

Melissa could feel her two friends trembling beside her. She was terrified, but she mustered her Courage and shouted, "We're calling the police! You'll both go to jail!"

"Little girl, I have some good news to tell you."

The leader chuckled and said, "This is the Lower Street; it's normal for a few people to go missing every day. Even if the police come, they won't be very dedicated. If you behave yourselves, we'll have our fun, and maybe we'll be kind enough to let you off the hook..."

As he spoke, his hands, stained with wine and mud, reached out towards the brightly colored skirts of the three girls.

Klein.

Melissa clutched the Amulet her brother had carved for her, her heart filled with despair.

"Melissa? What are you doing here?"

Just then, a somewhat familiar voice rang out from outside the alley.

Melissa couldn't help but look up, and over the shoulders of several thugs, she saw her neighbor Cecilia, who lived on the same street.

Rondal's face is excessively beautiful.

Her brother and her own brother both work at the same company, but because they go to different schools, they rarely interact, only exchanging a greeting occasionally when they bump into each other in front of their doors. However, this neighbor's exceptionally beautiful appearance left a deep impression on her.

Although she didn't know why Cecilia was in the Lower Street, she was saved!

"Run! Call the police! Help us!"

Realizing what was happening, Melissa immediately shouted. If Cecilia were also captured, this only chance would truly be gone!

"Grab her."

When the leader saw that someone had interrupted his good deed, and that it was a delicate and beautiful young girl, his eyes lit up and he beckoned to his subordinates.

Melissa watched in despair as Cecilia stood frozen in place, seemingly paralyzed with fear, watching as several thugs surrounded her.

However, in the next second, all the men suddenly clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground.