The night breeze in New York was cool, carrying with it the faint hum of the restless city.
In a shadowy corner, a silver Audi R8 sports car rocked gently.
Audi R8. 2.6-meter wheelbase. 5.2-liter engine. Dual-clutch transmission. Zero to sixty in just 4.5 seconds. A naturally aspirated engine boasting 611 horsepower.
Yet tonight, the luxury car worth over half a million dollars had been reduced to the simplest kind of bed.
Even with Aetheris's "three rounds in one night" perk, the battle-hardened warrior girl wasn't someone who gave up easily.
It felt like a chaotic standoff straight out of history. Like a lone fighter caught between two powerful warlords, both refusing to yield.
The clash had raged back and forth without end.
One side set fire to the Red Cliffs. The other stormed through with cavalry.
It took countless marches and fierce confrontations before peace could be won.
As the old poem says:
Broken spears buried deep in the sand, their iron yet to rust,
Polished clean, they reveal relics from dynasties long gone.
If not for the east wind aiding the heroes, the two beauties might have been locked away forever in the Bronze Bird Tower.
Tonight, those two beauties were resting inside the Audi, while Aetheris leaned casually against a nearby railing, lost in thought.
Reflecting on life.
In that moment, it felt as though he had reached a higher state of awareness. His mind drifted beyond the world, pondering life's greatest questions.
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
"Hey, man, what's up?" A group of five Black men swaggered over, clearly drunk or high on something stronger.
Aetheris didn't respond. Talking to them seemed more pointless than trying to reason with the chimpanzees at the zoo.
At least the chimps had the decency to say thank you when handed a banana.
"You rich boy, how dare you ignore the Brooklyn Five Tigers?" snapped the leader, visibly irritated.
"Brooklyn Five Tigers? What is this, some off-brand TV drama?" Aetheris was bored anyway. Playing along with these clowns was like enjoying a free comedy show.
"So, how should I address you fine gentlemen?" he asked with a smirk.
"Hah! Say our names, and your knees will go weak with fear!" the leader declared dramatically.
"Don't tell me… you're Uncle Sam himself? America's mightiest warrior?" Aetheris teased with exaggerated awe.
"Cut the nonsense. I'm Shawn, the Sky-Piercing Tiger from Brooklyn's Number One Block!" the leader declared proudly.
"I'm Michael, the Ground-Shaking Tiger, second in command!"
"I'm Doug, the Tunnel-Digging Tiger, third brother!"
"I'm Bernie, the River-Turning Tiger, fourth in line!"
"And I'm Donnie, the Black-Furred Tiger, youngest of the crew!"
The five of them struck an awkward group pose, so cringeworthy it was hard to look directly at them.
"We are… the Brooklyn Five Tigers!"
Aetheris's lips twitched as he fought the urge to burst out laughing.
But, for the sake of peace, he decided to let it slide.
These guys weren't exactly thriving. When Shawn lifted his arm, there was a hole in his shirt's armpit.
The others looked even worse. Shoes with gaping holes, faces smeared with grime, and Donnie was so scrawny he looked like a walking skeleton.
"Look, I don't have much cash on me. Here's a hundred bucks. Grab yourselves something to eat." Aetheris pulled a crisp bill from his pocket.
Shawn's eyes lit up. He snatched the money and planted a dramatic kiss on it.
"I love you, Franklin."
But things rarely go smoothly.
"Boss, I just saw that guy climb out of the Audi R8 parked over there. That car's gotta be worth hundreds of thousands. And now he's tossing us a measly hundred bucks? Ain't that an insult?" Michael, clearly a car fanatic, grumbled.
He was notorious for smashing the windows of expensive cars parked on the street, living out his Robin Hood fantasy.
Yes, that Robin Hood. America's favorite outlaw with a loose grip on morality.
"Exactly, Boss. If we don't rob the filthy rich, what's the point of life? Why don't we go big tonight?" Donnie made a throat-slashing gesture to drive home the point.
The meaning was obvious. They were planning to kidnap this arrogant rich kid who didn't know his place.
"Damn it. Let's do it!" After a brief huddle, the five fanned out to block Aetheris's path, their eyes flashing with aggression.
"What's this? You gearing up for another awkward performance?" Aetheris asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Performance? You've got one foot in the grave and still think this is a joke? Boys, grab him!" Shawn barked.
Aetheris's expression turned cold. These idiots were seriously asking for trouble.
Trying to rob him?
"Statistics don't lie," Aetheris muttered. "Nine out of ten street thugs are idiots. And the last one's just unlucky."
Of course, he wasn't going to stand there and wait.
With lightning speed, Aetheris drove an uppercut straight into Michael's nose. The crack of bone echoed as Michael stumbled back, clutching his face and howling in pain.
Bernie, the River-Turning Tiger, roared with rage.
"You little punk! You dare hit first? I'll kill you!"
He pulled out a dagger and lunged toward Aetheris.
"Say goodbye, rich boy."
Clang!
A sharp metallic snap rang out. The dagger shattered on contact.
A faint golden glow pulsed from Aetheris's body.
Golden Bell Shield. Perfected.
Blades and bullets were useless against him.
It felt like nothing more than a mosquito bite. Glancing down, Aetheris saw Bernie frozen in shock, staring at the broken dagger.
"Well, well. You really tried to stab me?"
With a swift twist of his wrist, Aetheris turned the weapon back on them.
The broken blade plunged into Shawn's stomach, guided by Bernie's own hand under Aetheris's control.
"Agh… Boss, I…" Michael's eyes widened in horror as he watched Bernie unwittingly stab his leader.
Shawn's punch froze mid-air, disbelief written across his face.
Killed by his own brother.
Guess that fortune teller really did know their stuff.
"Stop! Let her go now!" Donnie, the Black-Furred Tiger, shouted, holding the disheveled warrior girl hostage.
Her clothes had been ripped during the earlier chaotic encounter with Aetheris, barely covering the essentials.
Donnie's face was pale with fear. This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go.
A simple mugging had spiraled into a complete disaster.
This flashy rich kid turned out to be a cold-blooded martial arts expert.
"Kung fu?" Donnie's eyes darted between fear and disbelief.
"If I were you, I'd run while you still can," Aetheris warned with a cool, dangerous smile.
"Stop! Stay back! I'm serious, stay back!" Donnie screamed hoarsely.
With his wild curly hair and panicked expression, he looked like a man from some tragic movie scene, clutching at his last hope.
Unfortunately for him, this wasn't the movies. And he sure didn't know any secret martial arts techniques to save himself.
(End of Chapter)
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