Lein opened his eyes.
Even without looking at the sky, he knew it was only just beginning to lighten into a pale glow.
He wasn’t fully awake yet.
Every part of his body screamed with exhaustion, a deep soreness radiating from his muscles.
He felt as if he’d fought a dozen people and then run several laps around Ash Lane.
He should have kept sleeping until the fatigue completely faded.
But Lein sat up anyway.
That familiar sense of restraint surged through his limbs once again, instantly stripping him of control over his own body.
He had thought that after yesterday, that mysterious presence might be kind enough to leave him alone, at least letting him enjoy a full night’s sleep.
Now it seemed he had been too quick to relax.
Lein silently sighed in his heart.
Panic and resistance were no longer useful.
He was gradually getting used to this state of being a spectator in his own body.
His body stood up, smoothly putting on his coat without any hesitation.
Then the door slid open, and the cold morning air rushed in, jolting Lein’s conscious mind.
He was being controlled, moving forward along the stone-paved alley.
His pace was unhurried, making a regular sound in the silent dawn.
Lein was very familiar with this road.
It clearly led to the place he had visited only yesterday… the stronghold of the Sharp Hook Gang.
That dilapidated two-story building now looked even more sinister.
The windows on the first floor were boarded up with planks, like tightly shut eyes.
Unlike yesterday’s cautious approach, this time he made no attempt to Sneak or hide.
He walked straight toward the door.
From inside came muffled arguing, several men’s voices mixed together, sounding irritable and agitated.
“What about my share? That pocket watch is worth at least five silver coins!”
“Bullshit! Who knows if you didn’t hide it yourself and then come here to yell at us?”
“Shut the fuck up! The stuff went missing right under our noses. What’s the use of arguing now? Who was on guard duty yesterday? Get him out here!”
They were probably arguing about the stolen goods from yesterday.
Lein felt no guilt about that.
After all, those things didn’t belong to them in the first place.
Just as he thought that, his body had already reached the door and, without hesitation, raised his right foot.
With a dull, heavy crash, the already flimsy wooden door was brutally kicked open.
The door panel slammed inward, hit the wall, and bounced back, sending splinters flying.
The arguing inside came to an abrupt halt.
Inside the room, seven or eight men were gathered around a table.
Their movements froze at this sudden intrusion.
Under the dim light of the oil lamp, every face was filled with shock and suspicion.
They saw Lein at the door.
The boy stood in the doorway.
The rising dawn outlined his figure in a harsh, almost sacred silhouette.
His face was completely expressionless.
His gray eyes were empty and hollow, like dust-covered gems.
He just stood there quietly, exuding an unnatural, inhuman aura.
The men inside felt a chill in their hearts.
For a moment, they were intimidated by this eerie atmosphere, half-believing they had encountered some evil spirit in the early morning.
The silence lasted a few seconds, then was broken by a startled cry.
“Isn’t that the kid who beat… cough, isn’t that the kid who got beaten up by Leo yesterday?”
A man with a scar on his face recognized Lein.
He pointed at him as if seeing something unbelievable.
At his reminder, the other members of the Sharp Hook Gang finally came to their senses.
Fear and confusion quickly turned to anger.
“So it’s him!”
“Damn it, a lowlife errand boy for the Gray Rat dares to kick down our door?”
“Could it be that you’re the one who sneaked in and stole the stuff?”
One man directly pinned the theft on Lein, despite having no evidence.
But at this moment, the truth didn’t matter.
They needed a target to vent their anger.
Although, it was indeed Lein who had done the deed.
“Grab him! Avenge Leo!”
Several men grabbed whatever was at hand.
One picked up a bottle from the table, another pulled out a wooden club wrapped in iron from the corner, and another drew a short knife from his belt.
Their faces twisted with rage as they shouted and surrounded Lein at the door.
Lein’s heart sank.
‘This time I’m probably done for,’ he thought.
His physical abilities weren’t outstanding, and it was uncertain how much he could do in this controlled state.
The other side had seven or eight men, all armed.
Just as he thought he was definitely going to end up lying here, his body moved.
The first man to rush forward swung a bottle at his head.
Lein simply sidestepped slightly, letting the bottle brush past his ear.
At the same time, his right elbow shot backward like lightning, striking the man’s ribs solidly.
The man let out a short grunt, his face instantly contorting.
The bottle flew from his hand, and he curled up like a boiled shrimp and collapsed.
The second man, holding a short knife, had already closed in, thrusting the blade at Lein’s stomach.
Lein didn’t retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward, reached out his left hand, and caught the man’s knife-wielding wrist at an impossible angle.
He twisted downward, and there was a faint sound of joints dislocating.
The man screamed, the knife clattering to the ground.
Then Lein’s knee slammed into his abdomen.
The second man fell.
In an instant, two seemingly strong adult men were incapacitated.
The remaining few, shocked by this clean and efficient display, stopped in their tracks, their faces still bearing anger and confusion.
This didn’t seem right.
But there was no time for them to ponder.
Soon, the only sounds in the warehouse were painful groans.
All the men had been knocked down by Lein.
Not one could stand.
Lein, under control, walked to the scar-faced man who had been the first to fall.
He crouched down, pulled a well-maintained dagger from the man’s waist, and then fished out an old-fashioned revolver from a hidden pocket.
It seemed the man hadn’t even had a chance to draw this gun.
Even so, Lein felt a lingering fear.
Finally, after pocketing a few spare bullets, Lein stood up.
His gaze swept across a table in the corner.
He walked over and took a large piece of black bread wrapped in oiled paper, and a strip of dried salted meat.
‘Taking valuables and weapons is one thing, but now he’s even taking their breakfast,’ Lein thought.
Under control, he walked out of the room that now only held groans, gently closing the door behind him.
The cold morning wind blew against his face.
Lein ate as he walked.
The black bread was hard and gritty, the dried meat tough and salty.
But after a fight he couldn’t even control, the taste of this food felt oddly real.
His body led him through alley after alley, his steps never faltering, his destination clear.
Soon, he arrived at the place that had sent chills down his spine yesterday.
At the end of the alley, in the grayish morning mist and flickering shadows, the Ancient Mansion that should have disappeared once again appeared before Lein’s eyes.