Hearing the commotion outside, Caesar and the members of the Sons of Calydon exchanged bewildered glances.
Caesar, a bit confused, scratched her head and looked to Piper for confirmation:
"Piper, is this place really ours? There's no mistake, right?"
Piper was also a little shaken by the sudden shouting. She pulled out the documents to double-check, then scratched her head, equally puzzled, and said:
"There's no mistake... Could it be that the big boss's section was rented out without us knowing?"
But after a moment of thought, Caesar shook her head in denial:
"No way, Piper. Ever since the old man retired, he would've told us if he was really renting it out."
"That's weird, then. Should we go out and take a look?"
Burnice, who had been itching for action, immediately piped up excitedly:
"Yeah, yeah! Let's go check it out first and see what's up."
Just as she was about to dart outside, Piper held her back again.
"No, Burnice! If a fight breaks out, what if you accidentally set the place on fire?!"
To prevent the new engine for Big Steel Tooth from going up in smoke, Piper was on high alert for any potential accidents.
Although she felt a little sorry for Burnice, Caesar couldn't help but nod in agreement after hearing Piper's words. After all, when Burnice went wild, she didn't care what got burned in the process.
Seeing Caesar pick up her shield and one-handed sword to head out, Andrew reached out and stopped her.
"We'll go together."
Before she could refuse, Andrew added:
"We don't know how many people are out there. It's better to have each other's backs."
Hearing this, Caesar's eyes lit up. The manga she'd read a couple of days ago flashed through her mind again, but this time, it was the scene of the male and female protagonists fighting side-by-side.
She quickly shook her head, trying to clear away the stray thoughts. Caesar felt a little annoyed with herself for staying up all night to read manga, which was now making her mind wander uncontrollably.
But the upside of having a hot-blooded shonen protagonist personality is that thoughts come and go quickly. In just a few seconds, Caesar had cleared her cluttered mind and said cheerfully:
"Fighting shoulder-to-shoulder, huh? Then don't mind if I do!"
The two of them strode out of the warehouse, side-by-side.
Pushing open the door, they saw a leader with six distinct-looking lackeys standing at the entrance with an extremely arrogant posture.
When Hu Feng saw two people emerge, he said confidently:
"I suggest you be smart and hand this place over, or else I'll have to give you a proper introduction to the cruelty of our Perfect Team!"
"Perfect Team?"
Andrew couldn't help but feel curious. After all, the six people behind the leader really didn't look like they were up to any good.
"Of course! I am the Mountain-Guarding Tiger of the team!"
As soon as Hu Feng finished, a lackey beside him immediately chimed in—it was the same one who had spotted the siblings' car in front of the warehouse from a distance.
As if they had rehearsed it countless times, the man quickly said:
"I! The Far-Sighted Eagle!"
The lackey who had been flattering Hu Feng earlier followed suit:
"I! The Grass on the Wall!"
A lackey who was constantly tossing a uniquely shaped ball made of some unknown material said:
"I! The Black Sheep of the Flock!"
The chubby lackey, who was tightly clutching whatever he had picked up from the ground with chopsticks earlier, continued:
"I! The Gluttonous Pig!"
"I! The Slacking Fish!"
"I! The Retreating Drum!"
Like a chain reaction, the men quickly announced their roles. Hu Feng saw nothing wrong with this at all and pointed smugly to his squad of highly 'qualified' lackeys, saying:
"How about that? Scared now, aren't you!"
How truly terrifying.
Looking at this group of people overflowing with mysterious confidence, Andrew found the situation hard to stomach.
But seeing Andrew's silence, Hu Feng assumed his painstakingly rehearsed entrance lines were having a deterrent effect and continued:
"After that other group cleared out, I was the one who scouted this place first. Be smart and clear out for me, pronto!"
Although the stuff before was... something else, this last statement piqued Caesar's interest. She turned to look at Andrew and saw that he was thinking the same thing.
Since they were talking about the previous occupants of the place they wanted to rent, Andrew was also very curious about who they really were.
"Don't you know the rule of first come, first served? What makes you say you saw it first? Don't tell me you know exactly when they left?"
Before Hu Feng could speak, the Grass on the Wall chimed in smugly:
"Of course! We spotted this place right after they left, and we were already keeping an eye on it even before that!"
The Grass on the Wall crossed his arms, his expression growing more arrogant.
"Our boss may have just made a 'strategic retreat' from New Eridu to the Outer Ring not long ago, but his intel network here is beyond anything you can imagine!"
"A 'strategic retreat' from New Eridu?"
Andrew couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What 'strategic retreat'? To put it bluntly, you just ran away, didn't you?"
Hearing this, Hu Feng instantly flew into a rage.
"You're courting death! Are you f*cking crazy?!"
He didn't care about anything else, grabbing a nearby club and shouting to his lackeys:
"Everyone, with me! Seven against two, the advantage is ours!"
The group immediately charged toward Andrew and Caesar.
The Far-Sighted Eagle sized them up and chose to charge at Caesar. After all, a girl should be the easier target, right?
But just as he took a step, a grappling hook shot out. Hu Feng, the Mountain-Guarding Tiger, was hooked by Andrew, pulled in, and sent flying back with a single punch.
Seeing their boss knocked to the ground again in the Yamcha pose, the Retreating Drum said decisively:
"We can't win, brothers! How about we ditch the captain and run for it?"
Just as even the Far-Sighted Eagle began to hesitate, the Black Sheep of the Flock suddenly stepped forward.
"What nonsense are you talking?! The boss treats us like his own sons! How could we abandon him when he's in danger?!"
His voice was as rousing as an alarm, shocking the others who were also thinking of retreating. They couldn't help but feel ashamed of their own subconscious cowardice.
But the Retreating Drum still said timidly:
"But... the strongest one, our boss, got taken out in one punch. If we go in, won't we just be feeding?"
Hearing this, the Black Sheep of the Flock grew smug. He held up the ball he had been tossing in his hand earlier:
"Watch this! My very own homemade, extra-spicy Ether Grenade! I guarantee it'll blow them sky-high!"
With that, the Black Sheep of the Flock threw the bomb, and it soared through the air in a perfect parabolic arc.
But just as Andrew was about to snatch it and throw it right back, he realized he didn't need to.
As the Black Sheep of the Flock hurled the bomb, it sailed in a perfect parabolic arc.
But just as Andrew was about to grab it and toss it back, he realized his intervention wasn't necessary.
This perfect parabola hit the wall, bounced back, and after a few more ricochets, landed right in the middle of the Glutton Gang.
With the explosion of the Ether Grenade, the other members of the Glutton Gang were sent flying.
It had to be said, the Black Sheep of the Flock wasn't lying about the bomb's explosive power.
Seeing Andrew and Caesar slowly approaching, the Grass on the Wall said in terror:
"Hey, can we... call a truce?"
"Right now? You've got to be kidding me."
____
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