Just then, several shouts came from outside the courtyard.
The children inside jumped in fright and hurried behind the old director, not daring to make a sound.
The old director's expression changed at once. Anger filled his face as he strode toward the courtyard gate.
Aaron also turned around, his face expressionless.
At the gate stood four thugs in flashy clothes, with dyed hair, tattoos, and arrogant sneers on their faces. They were pounding on the gate.
The old director shouted furiously at the thugs outside.
"You've gone too far!"
"I refuse to believe there's no law or justice left in this world."
"The Donovan Group acts like it owns Grit City, colluding with corrupt officials and crushing anyone in its way. I'll take this all the way to Crown City and report you myself!"
"Cough, cough..."
The old director was shaking with rage, his eyes wide as he glared at the thugs. After he finished speaking, he coughed several times.
"Take this to Crown City?"
"Hahahaha!"
"You're killing me, old man!"
"You really think you can even leave Grit City?"
"Listen, geezer. You had your chance to do this the easy way. Don't make us do it the hard way."
"The Donovan Group isn't something people like you can afford to mess with."
"They're the biggest corporation in Grit City. You're just an old man with one foot in the grave. What exactly are you going to fight them with?"
"If you don't move out today... don't blame us when things get ugly."
When the thugs heard the old director's words, they burst into laughter and mocked him with smug faces.
"You... you..."
The old director was so angry he could not get a word out. His face turned red as he pointed at the thugs, nearly unable to breathe.
"Who exactly are you planning to get rough with?"
At that moment, a calm voice sounded from the side.
The thugs froze, then turned toward the voice.
They saw a young man in black casual clothes slowly step out.
It was Aaron.
"Huh?"
"Kid... who the hell are you?"
"This has nothing to do with you, so don't try to play hero. Just looking at that pretty face of yours pisses me off. Get lost, or I'll rearrange it for you."
The yellow-haired leader stared at Aaron's handsome face, jealousy rising in his heart as he spoke with a vicious glare.
"Young man... this has nothing to do with you. Hurry and leave."
The old director did not want to drag Aaron into this, so he quickly waved at him, signaling for him to go.
Aaron smiled faintly when he heard that and said to the old director,
"Grandpa Director... it's all right."
"Today, I'll make these people understand that law and justice still exist in this world."
"Hualis isn't a place where anyone gets to act like they're above the law."
"And if someone thinks they can crush people just because they have power, I'll cut that power down myself."
A domineering pressure surged from Aaron's body. His clothes and hair moved despite the still air, and an icy glint flashed through his eyes.
"Gulp..."
The blond thug suddenly felt the terrifying pressure radiating from Aaron. His pupils shrank, and he could not help taking several steps back.
He swallowed hard, staring at Aaron with fear and uncertainty.
After spending so many years in the underworld, his instincts told him this kid was not ordinary.
The aura around him was even more frightening than some Pokémon. That realization shook the blond thug deeply.
He was not stupid. On the contrary, he was quite sharp, and he knew exactly who he could and could not provoke.
The blond thug turned his head and signaled for one of his lackeys to call for backup.
The lackey understood at once, quickly took out his communicator, and went to call people over.
Aaron saw everything they were doing, but he did not stop them.
Because he knew these people were only small-time trash.
Getting rid of them would not solve anything.
To settle the problem completely, the real person in charge had to show up.
...
At the same time, inside an upscale club.
In a luxurious private room, a muscular man and an overweight middle-aged man were being entertained by two beautiful women with pretty faces and curvy figures.
The overweight middle-aged man looked utterly pleased as he asked,
"So... have you dealt with that old man from the children's home yet?"
"I've already spoken with the deputy mayor about that land. We're going to build the most luxurious arena in Grit City there."
"Now only that old geezer's place is left."
"Handle it quickly."
"Otherwise, it'll be hard to explain things to the deputy mayor."
The muscular man nodded and said to the overweight man,
"Mr. Donovan... don't worry. It will definitely be handled today."
"Mm..."
The overweight middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction.
He was none other than Donovan, the chairman of the Donovan Group.
In Grit City, practically everyone knew his name.
After all, the Donovan Group was the largest corporation in the city. Donovan had connections on both sides of the law, was ruthless and well-connected, and had bribed more than a few officials.
Even the deputy mayor of Grit City was one of his political backers.
In Grit City, Donovan practically acted like he owned the place.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Just then, the muscular man's communicator rang.
He answered the call, and a voice came from the other end.
"Boss... a teenager suddenly showed up at the children's home. The blond thinks he's not ordinary, so he told me to call you for backup."
The muscular man's expression changed when he heard that. He barked into the phone,
"You useless idiots... one teenager scared you this badly?"
"Hmph. You can't even handle something this small. Stay there. I'm bringing people over right now."
...