The seven or eight people in the warehouse were eyeing Isaac at the door, paying particular attention to the thing in his hand that looked like a water pipe.
Among these people, the one who appeared to be the leader, sitting on a box, stared at Isaac for a moment, then took the cigarette out of his mouth. "What are you doing?"
"Someone gave me this address and asked me to come over and meet them." Isaac didn't go inside, but just left the door slightly ajar behind him.
The man put the cigarette back in his mouth, stood up, and walked towards Isaac.
He was half a head shorter Isaac, but he walked with an imposing presence. Isaac judged that this man was probably used to using his imposing gait to intimidate his opponents, and was likely a skilled street fighter.
The man stopped in front of Isaac, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his voice slightly muffled. "You're that pretty boy?"
"... pretty boy?"
"Hmph, that's what he said anyway." The man held out his hand to Isaac. "Just give me the stuff."
"What is it?" Isaac asked, feigning ignorance.
The man narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you bring something with you? Don't play dumb with me. We'll handle the goods, and your business is over. What are you dawdling for?"
Isaac deduced that this person was arranged to wait for him here, but he only knew that someone would come with a ring; he didn't know the person's specific identity or provide any further details. He was likely an "outsider" of the Ghoul Cult.
However, Isaac figured he should be playing the role of a traitor who had defected to the Cult, and the first reaction to such a role was certainly not to obediently hand over his things, but to make sure he could get some kind of guarantee.
If the ring is given away without any agreement reached, the best option for the Ghoul Cult, regardless of whether they have any suspicions, is to kick the person aside. Therefore, the next step is not to meet with the Cult, but to be sent away by them.
"I'm here to meet my contact," Isaac said. "I risked everything to steal this. My contact told me to bring it here, but didn't say who it was for. I don't know you, and you don't know me. I can't afford to give it away for nothing or give it to the wrong person."
The man took the cigarette down. "Do you know where this is?"
"Warehouse No. 3, Deer Lane."
"That settles it then, just give it to me."
"I need to see someone who can truly take responsibility. If this thing is lost, my life will be in danger too."
"I can make that decision."
"Unless you can prove it."
The man looked back at his companion as if he'd heard something amusing. "This kid wants us to prove it! How? Does he want me to give him a code?"
"For example, you can tell me what this thing is and what it's used for," Isaac said.
The man frowned. "What does this have to do with me? Just bring it over as I tell you to. Do you think this is a vegetable market where you have to haggle over the price?"
Isaac now realized that these people were probably not even peripheral staff, but rather outsourced workers. They might have just been paid by the Ghoul Cult and knew only that they were responsible for reselling an item, but nothing else.
Even if the Joint Investigation Bureau were to lay in wait and capture them all, these outsourced personnel wouldn't be able to reveal much information.
However, is the Ghoul Cult really so comfortable letting outsource the entire process of handing over the rings...? Isaac glanced at the others around him.
At this moment, a man sitting against the wall spoke up, "Boss, is this kid playing us?"
"I think so," another said. "Should we pin him down first? I think that thing is the stick in his hand!"
"Exactly! You want us to prove it? What do you take us Boot Gang, for?!"
Boot Gang? Isaac paused, then subconsciously looked down.
... They really are all the same style of boots; you wouldn't notice this "identity marker" unless you were paying special attention.
Moreover, it seems that the pattern on the entrance of this warehouse is also a boot, only it's drawn rather abstractly. Isaac didn't recognize it at first, but now that he has a clue, he can finally make the connection to boots.
The leader put the cigarette back in his mouth, forcing out the words through clenched teeth. "Did you hear that? Our patience is limited. If you don't want to suffer, stop with the nonsense, hand over the stuff, and your business is over."
"After I hand it over, how do I contact the person I'm supposed to meet?"
"That's your problem and theirs, it has nothing to do with us." The leader tilted his head. "I'm only responsible for receiving the goods; I don't concern myself with anything else."
Isaac took a half step back. "Then I can only go back first, and wait for the person who can truly take responsibility to contact me."
Seeing that Isaac was about to turn around, the man cursed and reached out to grab Isaac's shoulder, "What do you take this place for, where you can come and go as you please?"
The moment that hand approached, Isaac grabbed the man's wrist with his own.
The man was taken aback. He tried to pull back, but couldn't. His expression changed, and with a forceful jerk, he finally managed to break free.
He took a half step back, his face darkening.
Seeing this, several people nearby also stood up. One of them kicked away an empty wine bottle at his feet and shouted, "Dare to fight the boss? We'll beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him!"
"I think this kid's asking for trouble, boss. What do you suggest we do?"
The man spat out his cigarette, rubbed his wrist where it had been gripped, and said with a half-smile, "Since you're so ungrateful, then it'll be up to you who calls the shots. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance."
The group gathered around, and Isaac glanced at them but didn't grab any of the weapons at hand.
It seems they planned to rely on their numbers to subdue him with their bare hands and steal his things, without intending to escalate the situation by shedding blood.
The man clenched his fist, making a "click" sound, and then threw a punch.
A punch aimed at the nose is unlikely to kill, but if it does land, it can immediately cause pain and bleeding, and usually triggers an instinctive reaction to touch the nose. If it's followed by another punch, most ordinary people will be unable to defend themselves.
Isaac grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it to dissipate the force.
The man tried to resist, but Isaac's strength was unexpected; his arm was twisted and he hissed as he did so.
"This guy's trained!" someone shouted.
"Don't let him get away, all of you attack!"
Without further hesitation, the group rushed at them from different directions.
A man threw a punch, which Isaac blocked with his cane. The man's fist slammed into the cane, causing Isaac to wince in pain.
Someone lunged at him from the other side, but Isaac dodged to the side, and the person missed and stumbled into a nearby box.
The leader, recovering his composure, swung his wrist and yelled, "Don't fight him one-on-one! All of you attack together and hold this kid down!"