Chapter 22: You Don’t Deserve It

Hearing the man’s words, Rod suddenly laughed, revealing a dazzling smile so bright it was almost hard to bear. He then stopped what he was doing, exhaled slightly, and placed the Dark Dragon back around Karl’s neck. He knew he had made the right move in the end—this effort wasn’t in vain; the other party finally relented.
“Will you let them go?” Rod asked calmly as he looked at him.
“Hmph, Brado, you’re ruthless. I’ll remember you. This isn’t over. Remember my name—Carter. Don’t forget it!” After hearing Rod’s words, Carter took two deep breaths, glared fiercely at him, and said in a dark voice.
“Whatever you want. If you want to keep going, I’ll endure it. Let’s release them together!” With that, he stepped back a few times, went over to Jim and the others, and spoke to Rod in a cold tone.
“Fine, that’s easy. You release two people first, and I’ll release the last one with you! No negotiating—there’s no room for discussion!” With a slight smile, still maintaining his cheerful expression, Rod spoke calmly.
Since he had leverage over the other party, he wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t worried about them doing anything to Jim and the others—he had enough bargaining power to deal with these guys, giving him some confidence.
“You… fine, very good! I give up!” At this, the guy named Carter became furious, breathing heavily. He glared angrily at the onlookers, whose expressions and murmurs made him realize many things.
“Idiots! What are you waiting for? Want to see Karl die? Damn it, you fools! Release these two now!” Carter then went over to the people behind him, looked at Jim and Kambi, and shouted at his men.
With no outlet for his anger, he took it out on his subordinates.
Smiling as he watched everything unfold, Rod said nothing, simply observing with interest.
As Carter finished speaking, the two men holding Jim and Kambi looked at him innocently, sighing as if they wanted to say something, but were stopped by Carter’s gaze. Reluctantly, they removed the cloth from Jim and Kambi’s mouths, untied them, and then kicked them out forcefully. Unaware of this, Jim and Kambi ended up rolling right up to Rod!

“Damn it, Carter, you…” Cambi jumped up instantly and shouted angrily, ready to attack.
“Come back! Isn’t there already enough trouble?” He glared at the two of them, wondering if their heads were really made of wood—how could they not see the situation? Was it wise to cause trouble now?
Turning with a somewhat aggrieved look at Rod, Cambi, pulled by Jim, walked resentfully toward Rod and stood beside him. “Boss, we…”
“Boss, we’re troubling you again this time. I’m sorry—we brothers owe you again!” Cambi couldn’t continue, not knowing what to say, so Jim stepped in.
“Are you okay?” With a slight smile, Rod asked concerningly as he watched the two in their miserable state. Their clothes were torn, and their bodies covered in wounds of various sizes—clearly they had suffered greatly.
“We’re fine! How could we be fine? Our boss told us these aren’t big deals. It’s just that we’re troubling you again. We feel terrible!” Jim said with a wry smile, keeping an eye on Cambi to prevent him from causing more trouble.
Rod was stunned by Jim’s words. It was something he had once told them himself. He didn’t expect them to remember. It felt like going back to those carefree days when they feared nothing. Sighing, he said, “Yeah, it’s no big deal. It’s fine. Go behind me first!”
“Brado, it’s time to release them!” Watching them talk, Carter over there grew impatient and shouted, “Don’t forget—you still have another brother in my hands! Don’t try any tricks! If we die today, you won’t live happily either!”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that petty. I’ll keep my word!” Rod said calmly, looking at Carter, whose face was red and neck thick.
“You guys wait for a chance to break out. Ignore me. I’m fine; I’m not seriously hurt. Just run toward our camp. Curly will meet you there, understand?” Lowering his voice to hide his actions, Rod spoke to the four behind him. He knew this matter wouldn’t end today. The other side had suffered a heavy loss and wouldn’t give up so easily. This was their territory, and they wouldn’t leave without getting something back. He knew exactly what kind of situation they’d face after releasing them, so he prepared a backup plan.
“Boss!” Hearing these words, the four behind him froze for a moment, then looked at Rod’s back with complex expressions before rushing to speak.

The eyes of those few strong men had already turned red at this moment.
“Are you still men? Stop talking nonsense! If you don’t want trouble, follow my orders—there’s no mistake. Take Sambik with you and don’t make me angry!” he roared at them in a deep voice. Then Rod raised his head, a smile returning to his face, and pulled Karl forward!
In the blink of an eye, they were in front of the others. “Alright, you can let them go now. I’ve brought them here! This is my fault today. No need for more talk—I’ll take responsibility alone. Whatever happens, I, Brado, will handle it. If I frown, I’m not a man; I’m too weak! Send your men back and let my brothers go!”
“You’ll take it on? Hmph? I’m curious to see how you’ll do it!” came a cold snort, but Carter still did as Rod said. Soon, those surrounding Jim and the others stepped back under Carter’s gaze and gathered around Rod, encircling him tightly from all sides!
“Leader…” At that, Jim and the others protested. They weren’t cowards who would abandon Rod, who had saved them, and run away on their own. They couldn’t do such a thing.
“Remember I’m your leader—follow my orders. I won’t repeat myself. Or face consequences!” Rod snapped back, glancing at them fiercely.
“Let them go, Carter! Don’t play any tricks. I said there’s no room for negotiation—let them all go, now!” he said again, turning to Carter.
“Okay, let them go. Heh, what else can I do?” Surprisingly, Carter wasn’t angry this time. He even gave a faint smile before speaking. This surprised Rod, but he guessed it was probably anger turning into laughter.
“One, two…” Rod stretched out the numbers, his muscles tensing as he prepared to act at any moment.
The others also moved, untying Sambik’s ropes and removing the cloth covering his mouth.
“Leader, go fast! Don’t worry about me! Hurry! They won’t give up easily. We’re no match for them. Go get more people—they won’t dare do anything to me!” Freed, Sambik immediately started shouting.
“Three…” Ignoring him, Rod counted to three. As soon as he finished speaking, he pushed Karl out with force, sending him flying.
The others kept their word and kicked Sambik toward them! Rod caught Sambik as he rushed over. “Go!” he yelled, pulling him along.

He started cursing in his heart. Damn it, that curly-haired bastard still hadn’t brought anyone. After wasting so much time, no one showed up, so he had no choice but to flee. Whether he could escape depended on luck, but whatever happened, he had to cover for Jim and the others and get them out.
“Surround them! None of them is getting away today! Damn it, they’re even causing trouble here!” Carter grabbed Karl who was flying over and started shouting loudly.
After grabbing Karl, he threw him to the ground and stepped forward toward Rod.
“Charge!” At the same time, Rod pulled Sambik and rushed to Jim and the others, shouting loudly. Immediately, the six of them rushed outside.
“Damn it…” Less than two steps later, Rod began cursing—they had been surrounded! These guys were really quiet; he hadn’t even noticed. Before he knew it, his escape route was blocked, with people on both sides. Suddenly, over twenty people surrounded Rod and his group in the middle.
“Damn you bunch of brats! You think you’re so great, huh? Still want to leave? Is this your home? Come and go as you please? All of you, kneel down! Brado, since you refuse to show respect, let’s settle this properly today. You said you wanted to take on me? Fine! I want to see what kind of person you are. Did you really think you could get away?” With a cold laugh, he walked up to Rod and his group. Now, Carter wasn’t angry anymore; he was laughing wildly.
“Watch closely! None of them is getting away! Damn it, Death Scythe Squad? So what? I’ll have you disbanded today!” He drew his long sword and pointed at Rod and the others, shouting loudly. It seemed like he wanted to vent all his resentment: “Heh heh, Death Scythe Squad? What’s the big deal? Just a bunch of losers!”
“It’s too late. Stay close and hold on a bit—they’ll be here soon!” Facing the situation calmly, Rod wasn’t too worried. Sensing the tension among those around him, he whispered a reminder.

“I, Brado, won’t change my name or surname. Whatever happens, I’ll just keep going. The Scythe of Death Squad doesn’t tolerate your criticism—either saying I’m good or that the Scythe of Death Squad is bad! Since I’m their leader, it’s my responsibility to protect them and maintain the squad’s reputation and morale!” His expression darkened as he stared at the other person, pointing at Carter: “I dare to do this without fearing the consequences. You… you said the wrong things and did the wrong things today. Only I can deal with my brothers—you don’t have the right. You’ve crossed the line, so… you won’t end up well today!” For some reason, Rod never felt such confidence before. Facing being surrounded by dozens of people, he wasn’t panicked at all and could face it calmly. After speaking those words, he felt relieved, and at the same time, it filled Jim and the others with fighting spirit. They stared at Rod ahead of them like flames burning, determined to defend him to the death!