At some point, two slender fingers were already pressed against his throat.

He hadn’t even seen how Blake moved; there was just a blur before his eyes, and Blake was already standing in front of him.

Moreover, for some reason, it didn’t feel like two fingers were pointing at his throat, but rather a short sword!

If those two fingers moved forward even a little, they would pierce his throat without hesitation!

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Scarface’s forehead.

“The thing I hate most is scheming little rats.”

As Blake spoke, his left hand grabbed the spike on Scarface’s right arm and yanked hard!

“Crack!”

With a crisp sound, the spike on Scarface’s right arm was ripped out, with a length of white bone still attached at the base!

Scarface let out a miserable scream, clutching his right arm as he staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground!

That sharp, piercing scream drowned out all other shouts and the clash of weapons.

The once chaotic battlefield instantly fell silent.

Scarface was an awakened one who had injected gene serum.

Those two spikes were deliberately modified and installed on his right arm.

The bones of awakened ones, as well as the alloy spikes, were far tougher than ordinary metal, yet this young man had snapped them off as if it were nothing?

Everyone stared at Blake as if he were a monster, while those standing near Blake instinctively backed away!

“Keep fighting, don’t mind me.”

Blake casually tossed the bloodstained spike to the ground, sat back in his seat, and continued eating his meat.

But Scarface was already writhing on the ground in pain—how could the fight go on now?

Two thugs hurried forward to help Scarface up.

Scarface’s face was twisted in agony. He gritted his teeth, trembling all over, and pointed at Blake with his left hand.

“Fine... fine, you’ve got guts. Just you wait!”

Scarface snarled as he struggled to his feet and fled with his men.

On the other side, The Shopkeeper was seriously injured, and their numbers were already at a severe disadvantage, so they didn’t dare to pursue.

Soon, the street returned to calm, with only the bloodstains on the ground reminding everyone of the fierce battle that had just taken place.

Uncle Grant felt as if he were dreaming.

He had thought today’s fight would end in disaster, but unexpectedly, things took a turn, and that seemingly unremarkable young man had saved them.

“Are you full?”

Blake looked at the little boy across from him, whose mouth was shaped like an ‘o’, and smiled as he asked.

Judging by his calm and relaxed expression, it was as if everything that had happened today had nothing to do with him.

Chapter 13: The Mastermind

“Thank you for your help today. May I ask your name?”

The Shopkeeper’s body was wrapped in thick bandages. Scarface’s spike had pierced straight through his abdomen. Although awakened ones have strong healing abilities, such a serious injury still left him extremely weak.

“My name is Blake. No need to thank me—I just don’t like being disturbed while I’m eating.”

By now, Blake was full. The waiter had come over and cleared away the dishes in front of Blake, leaving two cups of fine tea.

Moreover, the way the waiter looked at Blake had changed a lot.

There was awe, and also fear!

In a place with no order, the worship of the strong was even more intense.

“No matter what, you saved many of my brothers today, so I still have to thank you. However, I hope you leave as soon as possible. If you get targeted by ‘those people’, I’m afraid you’ll get dragged into trouble.”

The Shopkeeper’s tone was quite sincere.

Blake took a sip of tea and asked, “The ‘those people’ you mentioned—who are they?”

Blake had a pretty good impression of this The Shopkeeper.

Meat, vegetables, drinks, and tea were all extremely rare luxuries in this era.

Because land in Central City was so scarce, there wasn’t even enough for housing, let alone for growing vegetables or tea.

Most ordinary people’s daily food was nutrient paste, synthesized from the meat of wild beasts or zombies, which only met the most basic nutritional needs of humans.

And the taste was absolutely terrible.

So, the price of tea was even higher than that of meat or vegetables—a true luxury.

This The Shopkeeper was willing to serve him tea, which said a lot about his attitude.

The Shopkeeper replied, “As far as I know, the masterminds are the young masters of two major families. There’s also a B-rank hero from Silver Watch involved.”

“Young masters of major families? Are they government officials’ kids or rich heirs?” Blake asked casually.

“Well... probably a bit of both. Big families have power in both politics and business. But honestly, in a place like this, the real big shots don’t care. Only these up-and-coming second-generation types would bother with it.”

After speaking, The Shopkeeper shook his head helplessly.

“Is a B-rank hero that impressive?” Blake asked.

The Shopkeeper gave a wry smile. “That’s not a joke. A B-rank hero is equivalent to a three-star hunter. An awakened one who’s had a second awakening—that’s no laughing matter.”

“To be honest, any awakened one with real skills would have already joined the Hunter’s Guild or Silver Watch. Why would they be scraping by in a place like this?”