Chapter 149: The Barbecue Restaurant Assault

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: The Barbecue Restaurant Assault

Ronan Ford nodded and picked up the items from the ground. "Should I carry these back for you?"

Rian Sinclair shook her head. "No need. Let’s give them back to the old man. I just wanted the thrill of playing the game."

Hearing this, Ronan nodded and followed behind Rian, carrying the prizes.

Rian walked up to the old man and explained her intention. However, upon hearing that she wanted to return the prizes, the old man vehemently shook his head and waved his hands. "No, no. You won these fair and square, so they belong to you."

Seeing that the old man absolutely refused to take them back, Rian simply told Ronan to set the items down. She then grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the bustling crowd, leaving the ring-toss stall behind.

She didn’t let go of him until they had walked quite a distance.

From the moment those hands had clasped his wrist, Ronan’s body had stiffened. His eyes remained fixed on the long, pale fingers wrapped around his arm.

When Rian turned around, she caught Ronan staring down at his wrist. Looking a bit apologetic, she said, "Sorry about that. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Ronan withdrew his gaze. "It’s fine. Where do you want to go now?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt they sounded a bit odd, but after a moment’s thought, he decided against explaining himself.

Hearing his reply, Rian was momentarily unsure of what else she wanted to do, though her high spirits hadn’t dampened in the slightest. After a moment of thought, she declared, "Let’s go get some barbecue skewers."

Ronan was slightly taken aback, as if recalling something, but then nodded. The only time he ever heard that phrase was when his teammates mentioned it while out in the field on missions.

A faint glimmer flashed in Ronan’s eyes. He took a deep breath and looked at Rian. "Alright."

Unaware of the emotional shift within him, Rian glanced around and spotted a bustling barbecue joint. She grabbed his wrist once more and led him toward their destination.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the two found a random empty table, sat down, and picked up the menu to order. Once they finished ordering, Ronan went to pay the bill out of habit.

Rian sat at the table and observed her surroundings. The place was packed with people—some in couples, others in small groups, girls having a night out, and guys enjoying a few drinks together. It was an incredibly lively atmosphere. She watched as the patrons drank and ate their skewers, swapping funny stories or venting about their work troubles.

As Ronan returned from paying, the barbecue and alcohol were brought to their table.

Noticing that Ronan hadn’t touched the glass of alcohol poured for him, Rian remembered his profession. She promptly stood up, went over to the display fridge, and grabbed a can of cola for him.

Looking at the soda placed in front of him, the corners of Ronan’s lips curled up slightly. "Thank you."

"Don’t mention it."

Paying no mind to her image, Rian happily alternated between taking bites of meat and sips of alcohol. She was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Suddenly, a woman’s frantic voice rang out.

"What are you doing?!"

It wasn’t particularly loud over the noisy din of the barbecue joint, and Rian and Ronan were seated quite a distance away, but their heightened vigilance made them instantly look over.

"What’s going on over there?" she asked.

Ronan shook his head. He was just about to get up to investigate, but seeing him preparing to head over, Rian remained in her seat.

Suddenly, the loud SMASH of a breaking beer bottle echoed through the air, followed immediately by a chaotic, indistinct clamor of shouting. Seeing the situation escalate, Ronan immediately rushed over, with Rian standing up and following close behind.

As they drew closer, they saw a group of men dragging and brutally beating four girls. A few bystanders were trying to intervene and break up the fight, but their efforts were futile.

CRASH. SMASH. The sounds of chairs being thrown and bottles shattering mixed with furious cursing and vile, filthy insults.

Because they had been seated far away, pushing through the crowd was difficult. People trying to flee the violence were colliding with those trying to get a closer look, creating a tight bottleneck that made it hard for the two of them to get through. By the time they reached the scene, the fleeing crowd had left a large, empty clearing around the fight.

However, none of the remaining onlookers were stepping in to help. One girl, heartbroken for the victims, tried to run over and help, but her boyfriend pulled her back in a tight embrace.

Taking in the scene, Ronan didn’t even turn his head. "Find a safe corner and call the police."

Without waiting for Rian’s response, he charged into the fray. Hearing his words, Rian turned to the nearest female bystander. "Please call the police."

The girl was trembling in fear, especially having seen the blood already pooling on the floor. But at Rian’s request, she looked up with worried eyes. "Don’t go over there. You’ll get hurt."

Feeling a tug on the hem of her shirt and hearing the girl’s warning, Rian replied softly, "If I don’t go, those girls will get hurt even worse."

The girl’s fingers slowly let go, Rian’s words echoing in her mind. After a split-second pause, she pulled out her phone, quickly took a video for evidence, and then moved to the side to dial emergency services.

Rian grabbed a makeshift weapon from nearby and waded into the chaotic brawl. Ronan was already dodging incoming punches, flying bottles, and swinging chairs while doing his utmost to shield the beaten girls. But there were simply too many attackers. No matter how hard he tried to protect them, one of the girls would inevitably get dragged away and struck.

Not a single bystander stepped forward to help, but it was obvious why. With so many assailants, anyone intervening risked being beaten into the hospital.

Suddenly, Ronan heard a voice call out. "Catch!"

He raised his hand and caught the tossed metal rod, his eyes meeting Rian’s. Far from looking pleased, he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Rian swung her own baton hard against the leg of an approaching man. "I can’t let you hog all the glory of playing the hero," she replied.

Seeing that the grim expression on Ronan’s face hadn’t faded, she quickly added, "Don’t worry. I know a thing or two about fighting. I’m more than capable of handling them."

Ronan didn’t say another word. With her help, the four girls were finally fully protected and no longer subjected to the barrage of kicks and punches. Rian noticed that all of the girls were injured, some severely. Their faces were covered in blood, and their snow-white clothes were stained with mud and crimson patches.

Rian had no idea what had started this, but protecting these girls was pure instinct.

As a soldier, Ronan’s combat skills were naturally exceptional. Against a group of street thugs, it was completely one-sided; he was absolutely dominating them.

With Rian joining the fray, Ronan stopped holding back. The men he knocked to the ground were in too much pain to stand back up. He deliberately targeted pressure points and areas that would incapacitate them without causing permanent injury. In an instant, the floor was littered with groaning thugs.

Rian struck the final standing man with her baton. Now, every single one of their attackers was writhing on the ground. The surroundings were deafeningly loud and chaotic, yet the police had still not arrived. The response time in Kyoro was truly something else...

The endless chatter and murmurs of the crowd filled her ears. Wanting to find out exactly what had happened, she raised her voice and commanded, "Quiet down!"

Her voice carried clearly to everyone in the room. The restaurant instantly fell silent, leaving only the sharp gasps of pain from the thugs on the floor.

"Talk. Why did you attack them?"

Rian pointed a jagged, half-broken beer bottle at a man in green lying on the floor, her tone brimming with impatience. Glancing at the battered, bleeding girls, a look of sympathy crossed her face before she turned her eyes to Ronan. "Call an ambulance."

The man in green clutched his chest, his eyes burning with fury. "You little bitch! You dared to hit me?! I’ll make you pay for this!"

Rian truly couldn’t believe this guy was still running his mouth. She placed one foot squarely on his chest, bent down slightly, and pressed the jagged edge of the broken bottle closer to his face. "This is Kyoro. Do you really think you run this city?"

The man in green shot her a venomous glare. "When the cops get here, you won’t be able to run! Just you wait! You’re just like those other bitches—fucking disgusting. Coming out in the middle of the night just means you’re asking for it, right? Acting all innocent. When backup arrives, none of you are getting out of here!"