Chapter 6: The Mysterious Man

“It seems quite lively here?” A sudden voice rang out. In front of Rod, a masked figure dressed entirely in black appeared, standing there leisurely with his hands behind his back. Yet everyone felt a chill—though he appeared relaxed, his gaze exerted immense pressure on them, cold and merciless!
No one saw how this man appeared; it seemed as if he had simply materialized among the crowd.
“A strongman!” That word flashed through everyone’s minds. Indeed, the person who had appeared was undoubtedly a strongman—one whose presence was beyond ordinary people’s reach. His otherworldly aura couldn’t be faked.
“What are you standing around for? If you don’t want to die, get lost now!”
After staying in that position for a while, the man in black finally spoke, addressing Rod and the others behind him in a calm tone.
“We won’t leave. Cough, cough… Robby hasn’t been rescued yet!”
Glancing at the man in black, he stared coldly at Victor and his group, as well as Robby in their hands, and said firmly.
“Hand over that kid! I suppose I don’t need to get my hands dirty, right?”
Seemingly hearing Rod’s words, the man in black fell silent for a moment before speaking calmly to Victor and his group in an unyielding tone.
At these words, not only was Victor and his group stunned, but Rod and the others were also greatly surprised. They never expected this mysterious man to help them so much. Hearing this, Rod and the others felt relieved—they knew that if this man was willing to help them, Robby would surely be safe.
“Boss…” The man with a sharp face standing beside Victor looked at him with concern and asked hesitantly.
With a crisp sound, Victor unexpectedly slapped the man hard.
“What are you still standing around for? Release them now!”
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his frustration and anger and shouted at the man who had asked the question. At that moment, he clearly vented all his anger on this innocent man.
Holding his face, the man couldn’t believe that his boss would shame him like this in such a situation.
“Huh? Didn’t you hear me?” Victor said coldly when he saw the man still standing there, holding his face.

“Let him go, damn it! What are you waiting for? Release him now! Are you all deaf?”
Fueled by anger and frustration, the guy shouted at the two men holding Robbie down.
Seeing their boss speak, those two surely wouldn’t be foolish enough to provoke further trouble, so they quickly released Robbie and tossed him over to the other side.
“Boss, are you okay?”
After being freed, Robbie wasn’t relieved first—he rushed to Rod’s side immediately, worriedly asking. Having witnessed everything, his heart was filled only with gratitude; how could he think of himself first at such a time?
“Damn it, as long as you’re fine, that’s good. I’m lucky—I’m fine!”
Seeing Robbie finally freed, Rod also breathed a sigh of relief, offering a pale smile before teasingly saying, “Boss, let’s go quickly!”
With Robbie saved, everything seemed to be over. They had no intention of worrying about what might happen next; leaving now was the best option. So Jerome spoke up again at the right moment. “Though I don’t know who you are, I, Rod, will remember this kindness! Remember, my name is Knight Rod. I’ll repay you when I get the chance!” Taking a deep breath, Rod stared intently at the man in black ahead and said seriously, “Viktor, this isn’t over between us. Hmph.” “I’ll see you to the end!” Viktor replied in a grim voice, his face pale. “Let’s go!” With a hint of a mysterious smile, Rod glanced at the guy standing beside Viktor, who was now covering his face and pouting, before turning to Camby and the others. Then, with the help of Sambik and Jerome, he slowly left that troubled place and headed home.
Pulling out his phone, he ran away without looking back. Although that mysterious person had suddenly appeared to save them, they still weren’t at ease. Their situation was terrible right now; if those people chased after them, it would be troublesome. As for that old man, Rod and the others weren’t worried—there was no doubt that nothing would happen to him.
“Boss… Walker… Walker… he… he’s dead!”
In less than a moment, a scream was heard, followed by a young man around seventeen or eighteen rushing to Viktor, trembling as he spoke. “Damn it! Bury him properly! Finish everything quickly—I need to go out for something!”

Taking a deep breath, though he had anticipated such an outcome, Vidoc still felt pain in his heart when he heard it. Walker had been someone who had fought alongside him from the start and was also his most formidable warrior. Now that he was in such a situation, Vidoc couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Naitrod, wait. This isn’t over yet. That person saved you once—there won’t be a second time!” With a cold gaze, he muttered to himself. After speaking, Vidoc took a deep breath and turned to leave slowly. He had to go to one place to take care of some matters! He also needed to visit the city guards—after all, they hadn’t shown up at all throughout today’s events, so it was only proper to go see them.

……

“It hurts like hell! You guys, slow down!”
After leaving the dangerous area, Rod was supported by Cambi and the others, looking disheveled. Under the strange looks of everyone around, they arrived at their usual gathering place, a “base.” Now that everything had calmed down, Rod finally began to feel the intense pain—his whole body felt as if it were falling apart, causing him immense suffering.

“Huff… we’re here. We’re here! Boss, are you okay? Should I go find a doctor to help you right now?” Carefully setting Rod down, Jerome took a few deep breaths before asking anxiously, looking at Rod’s pale face. Rod’s condition was indeed worrying.

“I’m not going to die. Don’t worry. If you have anything to do, go ahead! But be careful. Vidoc and his bunch suffered a loss today—they definitely won’t just give up like this.”

Looking at the battered appearance of the others, especially Sambik and Cambi, who were both bleeding, the situation was tragic. As for Robby, his condition wasn’t much better—his injuries made him seem even more pitiful than Rod.

“What should we do now?” There was a moment of silence. Everyone seemed to realize their recklessness earlier. At that moment, they all understood the seriousness of the situation. They all turned to Rod, seeking his advice.

What chance did these young boys, barely sixteen or seventeen, have of dealing with such a situation? They were completely at a loss now.

“Bear it. We’re not Vidoc’s match yet! This situation won’t change in the short term! All we can do is stay away from them for now. Flame City isn’t entirely under their control—there must still be a place for us to hide.”

“What needs to be done then is to improve our own strength and expand our influence. Once we have the means to compete, we can avenge our past humiliation!” Rod said slowly, with a hint of coldness in his voice. Having lived through both past and present lives, he was now nearly forty years old, yet he still showed a rare calmness and composure.

“Yes, that’s the only way! Strengthen and expand our forces! Only by doing so can we hold our ground. Otherwise, we’ll really be driven out of Blaze City!” Jerome immediately agreed, his eyes lighting up at Rod’s words. Their words left the others in silence, as they pondered carefully over what they had heard.

“Where should we start?” After a long silence, Kambi finally asked in a deep voice. At such a youthful age, full of vigor and impulsiveness, their fiery temper made it hard for them to endure. Rod’s demands clearly clashed with their instincts, but after some thought, they reluctantly accepted them.

“Encircle the city from the countryside—start in areas where their influence isn’t strong or where they don’t pay attention. Grow strong there first, then return! Hmph, Vidoc, it’s not honorable to leave this grudge unavenged!” After a moment of reflection, Rod spoke solemnly, then outlined the general details to the others.

“Encircle the city from the countryside? Good, let’s do it that way!” Though they didn’t fully understand the plan, Rod’s explanation seemed logical, and coupled with their trust in him, they quickly agreed. Thus, a new plan took shape, and Knight Rod’s remarkable life began from this point.