Alex found himself cornered as six men now surrounded him. They weren't armed, but he was clearly outnumbered. His heart pounded, and he felt trapped.
He glanced around, trying to figure out how he had gotten into this mess. All he wanted to do was help the man who appeared to be getting robbed. But now it was clear—it was all a setup. The entire scene had been staged to lure someone, and Alex had walked right into the trap.
Now he understood why everyone else passing by had been ignoring the situation in the alley. They knew it was a scam, and he had been foolish enough to fall for it.
"Alright, kid. Hand it over. Your cash, your phone, everything," said the man who seemed to be the leader. He took a step closer to Alex, his eyes cold and menacing.
Alex's mind raced. He frantically looked around for any gap, any opening to escape, but there was none. The men had formed a tight circle around him, leaving him with no easy way out. His options were slim—he could either try to break through by running directly at one of them or comply and hope they'd leave him alone afterward. But something inside him told him that even if he gave them what they wanted, it wouldn't be over.
Without thinking any further, Alex made his decision. He dashed forward, choosing a random direction and running straight at one of the men. His only thought was to break through, no matter what.
The man standing in Alex's way was ready, but he didn't expect the surprising strength of the teenager. With one powerful move, Alex knocked him to the side and bolted towards the exit of the alley.
'Just a few more steps and I'm out of here. I doubt they'll chase me in broad daylight,' Alex thought as he ran, his heart racing with hope.
But just as he was about to step out of the alley, he felt a strong grip from behind. The force was so intense it threw him to the ground. Before he could react, he was being dragged back into the alley, his body scraping along the rough pavement.
Alex didn't even have time to shout for help. In the blink of an eye, he found himself once again surrounded by the six men, trapped deep in the alley.
"You've got some strength, kid. But that won't help you now," the leader said with a smirk. Without warning, he kneed Alex hard in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.
"We better disarm you before you try anything else," the leader added as Alex gasped for breath, the pain from the blow still sharp in his abdomen.
Alex bent over, feeling like all the food he had eaten earlier would come spilling out of his mouth. But instead of food, it was just saliva mixed with small red particles—blood.
"Dammit, just take what you want and leave me alone!" Alex shouted at the man who had hit him.
The leader sneered. "Well, since you're talking tough, I won't make it easy on you anymore," he said, then looked at the other men. "Beat him up a little," he commanded.
The five men moved in, ready to pummel Alex. He braced himself, his arms instinctively coming up to shield his face and body from the blows that were about to land.
But before anything could happen, a sharp sound cut through the air—a whistling noise, like something speeding towards them. Out of nowhere, a stone flew across the alley and struck one of the men on the head. Without a word, the man crumpled to the ground, unconscious. His condition was unclear, but he wasn't moving.
"Let the kid go," a voice called out, stopping the gang in their tracks as they tried to figure out what just happened.
They turned toward the entrance of the alley, squinting to make out the figure standing there. The dim light from the street made it hard to see the details of the person, but they could make out the tall silhouette of a man.
The shadowy figure stood with one hand casually resting in his pocket, while the other hand tossed two stones up and down, calmly playing with them as if it was a game.
Alex also turned to look at the newcomer. For some reason, there was a faint sense of familiarity with the stranger, though Alex couldn't place why. Something about him seemed almost recognizable.
The leader, clearly unsettled by the new arrival, sneered and addressed one of his men. "Pig, looks like your plan worked better than we thought. But this guy looks dangerous. Go handle him," he said, never taking his eyes off the stranger.
Pig, a large brute of a man, wasted no time. He rushed toward the stranger, pulling out a small dagger from his pocket. With a swift motion, Pig aimed a slash at the newcomer, hoping to end it quickly.
But what the others saw next left them stunned. Pig was suddenly flying backward, his body skidding across the ground, and in seconds, he was lying unconscious at their feet. His knife clattered to the ground beside him, completely useless.
Alex, who had been lying on the ground this whole time, saw the entire thing unfold right in front of him. When Pig attacked with his dagger, the stranger barely moved. He had simply raised one leg and delivered a perfect crescent kick, effortlessly knocking the knife out of Pig's hand. It was all done in an instant, too fast for anyone else to process.
Due to Pig's momentum and not expecting the man to counter so quickly, he stumbled forward after the initial kick. But the stranger was quick and calm. He stepped to the side, and with the same leg, swung another kick into Pig's gut. The force sent Pig skidding backward, right toward the other men, landing hard on the ground.
All this while, the stranger kept one hand in his pocket, as if the fight didn't even require his full attention.
Seeing Pig down again, the leader of the robbers tensed up. He had watched how easily his man was taken down and realized just how skilled this stranger must be to perform such swift and precise moves.
As the man started walking forward, the group could finally get a clear look at him. Alex, still on the ground and now in shock, recognized him immediately. His eyes widened in disbelief.
'Isn't this that weirdo from the park?' Alex thought to himself, remembering their strange encounter from earlier.
The leader of the robbers, now able to see the man more clearly as well, glanced at Alex, then back at the stranger.
"Is this your son?" he asked, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
It was indeed the man from the park—the one in the red suit with the slicked-back hair. He still had that same playful look on his face, as if this whole situation was nothing more than a game to him.
"Kid, this is the second time someone has mistaken you for my son," the man said, glancing at Alex, who was still staring back in amazement.
Meanwhile, the leader of the robbers didn't care much about the man's relationship with Alex. What caught his attention was the expensive-looking items the man was wearing, especially the golden watch that gleamed even in the dim alley. The leader was already imagining how much he could make by selling that watch.
"Quick! Take this man down!" he shouted to the remaining three robbers who were still standing. Without hesitation, they charged at the man, their daggers drawn.
Each robber swung their blade, aiming slashes at the stranger. But every time, the man simply stepped aside, avoiding each strike with ease, his movements calm and precise.
After dodging the last strike, the man flicked his finger. Suddenly, a sharp popping sound echoed through the alley. One of the robbers screamed as his leg gave out beneath him, his knee joint twisted in an unnatural direction.
The stranger's hand was now empty, the stones he had been tossing moments before gone. In one swift motion, he had thrown the stones at the three men's legs, shattering their knees with deadly precision. The men instantly dropped their blades, collapsing onto the floor in pain. They bent over, ready to scream from the agony, but before they could, their eyes rolled back, and they were knocked unconscious, slumping to the ground in silence.
'This much shouldn't raise any suspicion,' the stranger thought calmly. He then turned his attention toward Alex and the leader of the robbers.
As he shifted his focus, he noticed something trembling in the leader's hand. It was a pistol, small but unmistakable, with a silencer attached to its barrel, pointed directly at him. The leader's hands shook violently as he aimed the gun at the stranger.
"Stay back, you monster!" the leader shouted, his voice filled with fear. His whole body quivered, knowing full well he stood no chance against this man. Despite his terror, he clung desperately to the pistol, believing it was his only way out of this dire situation.
"Calm down…" the stranger began to say, his voice low and steady as he attempted to calm the robber down.
However, before he could finish, the leader, his hand trembling with fear, squeezed the trigger. Three bullets were fired in quick succession, echoing through the narrow alleyway.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Both Alex and the robber leader stood frozen, their eyes wide as they watched in disbelief. The bullets, which should have torn into the stranger, instead bounced off him harmlessly. They hit his face and chest, then dropped to the floor with a soft clink, doing absolutely nothing.
The stranger stood completely still, unfazed. His expression didn't change. It was as if the bullets had no effect on him at all. Alex's mouth hung open in shock, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. The leader's grip on the pistol loosened, his hands shaking even more, the horror of what he was seeing sinking in.