In a small alley in New York.
"Help... Help...!"
Linen, who had just bought some takeout and was about to drive home, stopped when he heard a woman's desperate cry for help echoing from the alley.
The voice sounded familiar—he was sure he'd heard it somewhere before.
Placing the takeout bag on the roof of his car, Linen walked toward the alley without hesitation.
Inside the narrow alley, a beautiful young woman with a graceful figure and sweet features was staring in terror at three burly men closing in on her.
She stumbled backward in panic, but they quickly surrounded her.
"Please... please let me go. I can give you money—just don't hurt me!"
The men only sneered. One of them, a tall man with tattoos, pulled out a dagger and pressed the blade against her cheek.
Feeling the icy touch of steel on her skin, the girl's legs gave out and she nearly collapsed.
"Haha, boss, this one's a real prize," one of them said with a leering grin. "Been a long time since I've seen a girl this fine. Why don't we take her back to the warehouse? Mr. Collins will pay big for her once you're done."
He smirked and added, "You know how it goes—plenty of people vanish in the States every year, nobody bats an eye. Even if the cops get involved, Deputy Director Alex will wipe the security footage. He gets plenty from us to keep quiet!"
The leader looked the terrified girl up and down, then gave a satisfied nod. "What are you waiting for? Take her back. I'll have my fun first, then you can take turns."
The man who suggested it grinned wickedly and reached out to grab her arm.
"No... help... please!"
Hearing their conversation, the girl—Lily—felt true despair. She knew that once they took her away, her fate would be worse than death.
"Shut up!" The man slapped her hard across the face.
"If you keep struggling, I'll cut your face off!" he snarled.
The blow left Lily dizzy. Before she could react, the man yanked her by the arm, dragging her toward the alley's darker end.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Just when she thought all hope was lost, a figure appeared at the mouth of the alley, blocking their path.
"What the hell are you looking at? Get lost before I gut you!" one of the thugs barked, brandishing his dagger.
"Linen?!" Lily gasped in shock and relief. "Run! Linen, call the police!"
Her first instinct wasn't to ask for help, but to protect him.
She knew Linen from school—popular, athletic, and good-hearted—but she also knew he wasn't armed. Facing three armed thugs could easily get him killed.
Linen, however, froze for a moment in surprise.
He hadn't expected the voice he heard to belong to Lily, a junior at the State University of New York.
She was famous on campus—not just for her beauty and wealthy background, but also for her kindness. She helped anyone in need, yet wasn't naive or pretentious. The perfect example of a "beautiful, rich, and kind" girl.
No wonder half the guys in school were crazy about her.
"Boss, looks like this guy knows the girl," one of the thugs muttered. "We'd better take him too. If he calls the cops, we're screwed."
The leader sneered and raised his knife. "Bad luck for you, kid."
Without hesitation, he lunged forward, aiming straight for Linen's throat—a killing blow.
Lily shut her eyes in horror, certain Linen was about to die because of her.
But instead of the sound of a blade cutting flesh, there was a sharp crack—followed by the gang leader's scream.
[Side Quest Triggered: Blood Parrot Gang]
[Description: The Blood Parrot Gang specializes in kidnapping and human trafficking, linked to organ dealers and the dark web.]
[Objective: Eliminate the entire Blood Parrot Gang. Leave no survivors.]
[Reward: Immediate enhancement of one ability.]
Linen had caught the man's arm mid-strike—and snapped it like a twig.
As the gang leader howled in pain, the system's mechanical voice echoed in Linen's mind.
He blinked in surprise. A side quest?
He had only come to rescue Lily, but it seemed fortune had other plans.
Seeing their boss's arm hanging limp, the remaining two thugs released Lily and charged at Linen with their daggers drawn.
"Heh… real gangsters use guns," Linen said coldly. "And you clowns show up with knives? Pathetic."
He stepped forward and drove a powerful punch straight into one man's chest. The blow caved in his sternum, sending him sprawling.
Though Linen's power leaned toward the mystical, he'd grown up in the streets under the Digital Gang. Hand-to-hand combat was second nature to him—and his physical strength was easily twice that of a normal human.
The three gangsters never stood a chance.
Lily could only stare in disbelief as Linen dispatched them in seconds.
Then, overcome with emotion, she ran to him and threw her arms around his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
The shock and fear of nearly being kidnapped overwhelmed her, and she cried as though the floodgates had opened.
"It's okay, senior," Linen said gently, patting her back. "Let's get out of here first."
The three men lay groaning on the ground, clutching their broken limbs as Linen led Lily out of the alley.
He couldn't kill them—not in front of her.
But once they turned the corner, before the gangsters could even get up, three skeletal warriors emerged silently from a black portal.
Their bone blades flashed once, piercing each thug through the heart.
Without a word, the undead dragged the corpses into the portal—and vanished.
Moments later, the alley was spotless, not a drop of blood left behind.
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