''Don't worry; by killing him, you actually helped us more than hurt. One person's death won't be enough to hold those scumbags accountable for what they've done thus far. '' In Dan's eyes, the flame of retribution burned.
Dan sighed and turned to Raydon again with a sincere question. ''Our place is not far away. You mentioned that you had just moved here. If you want to join us and eat something, you are welcome to. ''
After giving it some thought, Raydon agreed. His goal was to learn more about the environment and the world, and the best way for him to do so was to meet new people.
—
After a brief distance, Raydon and his group arrived at an area resembling a warehouse with large, rusted doors.
Dan walked up to the door, knocked three times, and shouted. '' We're back, open the door. ''
Another young man of similar age greeted them as one of the doors slowly opened with a loud creak. ''Welcome, Boss. You came just in time. Dinner will be ready soon. ''
Dan gave the boy a shoulder pat while beaming. ''Good, good. We have a guest. Do not forget to prepare an extra plate. ''
The young man smiled and spoke after looking at Raydon. '' Welcome brother. ''
Raydon nodded, and they went inside. Raydon was met with a large area when he first entered. The place appeared to be old, with some windows broken, but it was quite clean.
In one corner, beds and sheets were scattered across the floor. This was obviously where they slept. Three elderly women were chopping vegetables and cooking food in a sizable cauldron on the opposite side. Raydon noticed that the air inside was fragrant with delicious food.
In addition, a large number of people, from young children to the elderly, could be seen. Raydon quickly realized that there were at least 20 people inside. In response to what he saw, his first thought was that this place was a shelter.
''Boss, the table is already set; you may take a seat if you wish.'' The young man who had opened the door said to them, pointing to a long table made up of small tables that had been joined together.
By this point, everyone who saw Dan and his crew walk in was standing up to greet them.
''Welcome back, boss.'' A middle-aged man who was limping on one leg called out.
As he held plates in his hands, an elderly man said, "Boss, you are early today."
"Haha, Boss, I hope you had a day without any incident. " With a few teeth in his mouth, another old man said while laughing.
Dan exhaled, "Grandpa, you're already old enough to retire, stop calling me boss.''
''Who is old? I am still young. Come to arm wrestling if you dare. '' The old man yelled, showing the sagging muscles in his arms.
''Yes, Grandpa, you are the best; you should calm down before your blood pressure rises again,'' Karan said, he looked tired.
''Hey, old man, stop bothering people and let them eat in peace.'' When one of the elderly women shouted from behind him, the old man sighed, turned around, and sat in one of the chairs at the table.
''I apologize for the inconvenience; it's always a little noisy in here.'' Dan expressed his embarrassment.
''No worries. It reminds me of my old days. '' Raydon smiled, but there was sadness beneath his smile only a few noticed at the time.
The group moved toward the table after concluding their welcome. Except for the old, senile man who had already taken a seat at the table, everyone was looking at Dan and waiting for him to take a seat first.
Dan did not sit either; instead, he motioned for Raydon to take a seat in the chair at the head of the table. "Please take a seat. Today you are our guest of honor. ''
One of the young girls in the group couldn't help but speak up as everyone stared confusedly at Dan. ''Boss, what are you doing, it's your chair. ''
Karan frowned, glared angrily at the young girl, and motioned for her to be quiet with his hand.
Although the young girl noticed Karan's sign, she did not hold back and spoke louder. ''He is our boss, and we are required to respect him, no matter who the guest is. Boss, I can't support such disrespect, even if it's on your word. That's your chair. ''
''Shut up Pana.'' Dan couldn't take it anymore and bellowed.
''I apologize for the disruption. Please sit. '' Dan bowed his head once more and apologized to Raydon.
Pana's facial expression became more irritated. Why the person everyone referred to as the boss was treating a stranger with such respect baffled her.
Raydon sat in the chair Dan had indicated without saying anything, and Dan sat to his right.
After Dan, everyone sat down, wondering what was going on inside their heads.
Raydon examined the food in front of him. There was a bowl of vegetable soup and a plate of bread on the side.
''This is very nice. Regardless of what the aunts actually do, they always manage to make it delicious. '' A young man sang happily as he devoured the food in front of him.
''Haha, of course. When I asked them how they cook so well, they said they put their love into it. '' Another girl said giggling.
''Aunts love is really delicious. '' A boy who appeared to be 8 or 9 years old said in a serious tone. He still had soup dripping from the sides of his mouth.
The aunts giggled at this and smiled lovingly as they watched everyone enjoying their meals.
Everyone, with the exception of Pana, looked happy.
Only one person had not touched anything in front of him while everyone else was eating. Raydon just sat there and watched. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking due to the nostalgic look on his face and the flimsy smile on his lips.
Dan set his spoon down and looked at Raydon. When he noticed that Raydon hadn't touched his food yet, Dan expressed sadness.
''I apologize that we don't have much, but I can at least promise that it tastes good. '' Dan assumed Raydon refused to eat the food because he disliked it. After all, he was an item holder, and he had to be eating food that the rest of the table couldn't even fathom.
Raydon took a spoonful of his food and savored it without responding.
After Dan's question, everyone at the table fell silent and were staring at their guests with interest. The aunts, in particular, seemed to be anticipating Raydon's thoughts on the food.
They were curious about the reaction of the guest, whom Dan admired and adored so much.
Raydon ate the first spoon, followed by the second, third, and fourth spoons. He finished the last spoonful while everyone continued to watch him. He then grinned and said.
''Yeah, It's really delicious. ''
The aunts sighed in relief after hearing this, even though they had seen that Raydon had finished everything in his bowl.
Others continued to happily eat and chat as well.
Dan was about to begin eating his meal with peace of mind when he heard Raydon speak to him.
''How long do you think you can protect them? '' He inquired solemnly.
Everyone at the table fell silent once more. Dan looked at Raydon, puzzled, and said. ''I don't understand what you mean. ''
''You almost died today just to protect those around you. Now I see that you have more people to protect. I'm asking. Can you really protect them? '' Raydon locked his gaze on Dan, ignoring the other people at the table.
''What? Did the boss almost die today? ''
''Is this true what I heard, boss? ''
''Why didn't you tell us? We already know how dangerous this place is, why are you still risking your life for us? ''
At the table, both the young and the old spoke in unison, both of them expressing fear and sadness. Karan and the others who were there at the time of the incident remained silent, their heads bowed.
Dan ignored the questions others posed to him, and he mumbled, bowing his head. ''I don't know. ''
He gritted his teeth as he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. He had not expected to be asked such a direct question in this manner. It was as if, with this question, the worries he had buried deep within himself and couldn't share with anyone had bubbled to the surface.
The place where they were living was dangerous. And the world they were in was even more dangerous. Gang fights weren't their only problems.
Nobody died today thanks to Raydon, but things were different in the past and will be different in the future. He looked up with reddening eyes, remembering how crowded this place used to be. The faces of the people who should have been sitting in the empty chairs flashed before his eyes.
Dan's expression brought a sudden silence among those who witnessed it. Their previous state of happiness vanished like an illusion, and only sadness swept the area.
As everyone sank into silence and melancholy, Raydon's soothing voice rang in their ears once more.
''You are weak. So all you'll ever feel is sadness. And all you can do is put on a fake smile to hide your sorrows and worries. ''
Raydon's words cut like a knife into everyone's hearts. A few people tried to open their mouths to protest that what he was saying was nonsense, but they couldn't.
They were aware that everything he said was true. They were weak. They lacked the strength to defend what they valued, and even they themselves required protection.
Raydon watched in silence. He, too, had been weak, and there was no one to remind him of it. He also wore a mask over his face to conceal his worries. But not even that mask could keep Raydon from feeling lonely. In the end, he was the one who lost everything again.
Raydon noticed something he had never seen in his previous life as he observed everyone's depressed expressions. Everyone in this room was grateful for one another.
'Was this what I was always looking for? ' He thought to himself. He searched for his long-dead emotions somewhere inside him.
Finally, taking a deep breath, he spoke again.
''I will help you. ''
The people at the table could not make sense of Raydon's statement. They mocked him, wondering what a single person could accomplish and what he could change.
But, apart from everyone else, a light went on in the eyes of five people at the table who appeared to have given up hope. Raydon's calm, smiling face caught their attention. Their long-sought hope had been rekindled by those assured eyes.
They were aware of the impending apocalypse and knew that only the person seated in front of them had the power to prevent it.
These five people were looking at Raydon with hopeful eyes when they heard an irate voice.
''Who are you? How can you help us by yourself? How can you have the courage to come here and say these things? '' Unable to control herself, Pana stood up, slammed her hands on the table, and began yelling.
''PANA!!! ''
Dan roared with all his might. He yelled so loudly that Pana had never seen him this angry before.
''B-But he is… ''
Dan shouted again as Pana tried to speak.
''I don't want you to disrespect him again. '' Dan spoke menacingly.
He looked at the faces of the people at the table and began to speak slowly. ''He can help us. In fact, he is the only person who can help us. ''
As he watched everyone's surprised faces, he turned to Raydon and said in a trembling voice as he saw his nod.
''He can absolutely help us. Because, like our enemy, he's also an Item Holder. ''
Dan's words echoed in everyone's ears.
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