The alley was shaped like a hook. The outer part of the alley was connected to the main street by a row of backyard doors. There were about five or six of them.
But after making a turn, there was a 20-meter-long dead end. Apart from a tightly-shut iron gate on each side, there was only a three-meter-tall wall made of rubble.
It was obvious that the skinny man and his gang treated the dead end as their playground and had done quite a few bad things there. After bringing Claude there, they didn't seem as nervous as they would have been if they were on the main street.
Claude was still considering how he should deal with the five of them. The two men behind him who had been pointing their knives at him were only 16 or 17 years old. They let their guard down when they dragged him into the dead end because he didn't resist.
Even though they still had knives in their hands, they weren't pointed at Claude's waist anymore. Instead, they were about a foot away from him with the tip of their blades pointed at him. However, that was no longer a threat to him.
The five of them definitely hadn't gone to school. Otherwise, those who had taken physical and wrestling classes in middle school would know that when the weapon in your hand wasn't more than half a foot long and a foot away from the enemy's body, you wouldn't pose much of a threat to the enemy. The instructors of those two classes would be able to make them understand that in a matter of minutes.
However, the instructors had to be careful not to hurt the students during the demonstration. Claude, however, didn't have to worry about that at all.
As for the skinny man who was jumping up and down like a clown and the two burly men beside him, Claude didn't pay much attention to them. He wondered if he should use Magic Missile to leave a few holes in their bodies.
For them to be able to kidnap someone on the streets and force him to make a deal with them, it seemed that they had some sort of background in Whitewood City.
However, it was a pity that they met him and kicked an iron plate.
The skinny man was still yelling, "Hurry up and take out your money and sign your name on this agreement. Kid, you got lucky today. Looks like it's your lucky day to be able to buy this box of high-grade whiteroot powder from me."
The two men beside him were still laughing like idiots, completely unaware of their bad luck. They looked at Claude with mocking gazes, as though he was a piece of meat on their chopping block.
Just as he was about to make his move, his ears twitched. His acute hearing allowed him to hear the footsteps and breathing of about ten people in the dead end.
However, the closer these people got to the dead end, the lighter their footsteps became. Their breathing also slowed down, as if they were afraid of being discovered by the people in the dead end. They slowly surrounded the dead end.
What was going on?
Claude's heart skipped a beat. He stopped the hexagram magic formation in his meditation space. He wasn't familiar with Whitewood City, so he couldn't afford to let anyone discover that he knew magic.
However, in this case, he could only fight these five fellows hand-to-hand.
After putting on a show for a long time, Claude ignored him and only glared at him coldly. "Third, go get his bag and search him for his money pouch.
If he dares to be dishonest, give him a kick in the thigh … "
"Alright, Second Brother."
The youth called Third was the one who asked the skinny man if he was the one who killed Claude on the street. He seemed to be a ruthless person.
Sixteen or seventeen years old was the age where they didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Even if they committed a crime, they would be given a lighter sentence because they were underage.
As long as they didn't kill someone, the skinny man would take care of any minor injuries.
So, the one called Third boldly stabbed the knife in his hand into Claude's thigh. To him, all he had to do was make a hole in Claude's thigh. Once blood flowed out, even the toughest of men would cry and beg for mercy. Then, he'd do whatever he wanted to him. Anyone who dared to offend his second brother, Skinny, would definitely be skinned alive.
The knife in his hand was actually made by him himself. The blade was less than ten centimeters long and was sharpened into a triangular shape, making it extremely sharp.
It wasn't easy to cut with a knife like that, but it was very effective in stabbing people.
The youth called Third was rather famous in Whitewood. Most people knew that he was one of the skinny man's mad dogs. He was young and ruthless and loved to stab a few holes in the fleshy parts of a person's body.
Since Claude didn't resist, the third brother didn't think much of him. What a waste of a big guy like him growing up to be such a coward. When he begs for mercy later, I'll definitely step on his face. Who asked me to not grow taller after turning 15? Others grow taller every year, but I'm still so short.
However, the moment he thrust the knife forward, the big man who was about to be stabbed suddenly took a step back. Unprepared, Lao San could only watch as his knife brushed past the big man's thigh and missed. Lao San's body leaned forward involuntarily. Anger rushed to the top of his head, and he was about to yell, "How dare you dodge?!"
However, he found that a fist had suddenly enlarged in front of him. His vision turned black as his entire face suffered a heavy blow. Before the pain could be transmitted to the ends of his nerves, he heard a "kacha" sound, and the bridge of his nose had completely collapsed.
Claude hated the kid for being so unscrupulous, so he didn't hold back. Not only did he strike the kid's face, he grabbed the arm holding the knife and twisted it. Then, with a twist, he sent the knife straight into the kid's abdomen. It looked as if the kid had stabbed himself in the stomach with the knife.
Everything happened so quickly that it was over in the blink of an eye. The skinny man in front, the two burly men beside him and the knife-wielding brat behind Claude didn't know what happened at all.
All they saw was Third stabbing the outsider's thigh with the knife. They all looked on with smiles on their faces, thinking that the outsider would soon be hugging his thigh and begging for mercy. Something like that had already happened quite a few times.
Then, the young man from another place dodged. Then, Lao San stabbed the knife into his stomach. His face was covered in blood as he fell to the ground. He was out of breath and unconscious.
Claude naturally wouldn't let the dagger-wielding brat behind him go. He only used his left elbow to strike the brat's heart.
The brat was too open and his chest wasn't guarded at all. His hands hung low as he held onto the brat's dagger.
All Claude had to do was twist his elbow to accurately strike the man's heart. The man dropped his dagger right away and clutched his chest as he twitched uncomfortably on the ground. His face was flushed red and he tried to take a deep breath, but he couldn't seem to catch it no matter what.
The skinny man still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with fear as he watched everything unfold before him. Two of his men were lying on the ground, dead or alive, while the outsider didn't seem to have moved much.
The skinny man's face was contorted like an abstract painting. Although he was smiling, his eyes were filled with fear. He knew that he had hit the jackpot.
"Blow … blow the whistle … call my … uncle …" The skinny man finally managed to say those words. Seeing Claude walk towards him with a menacing smile, the skinny man retreated in a fluster and ordered the two men beside him to block him. He reached into his pocket in a fluster. "You guys … block him first. I … I'll blow the whistle …"
The box of so-called premium whiteroot powder and the agreement had long been tossed to the ground. The white powder inside the box was scattered all over the ground.
The two men charged over. The one in the lead raised his fist and swung it downwards. He was another amateur martial artist who didn't understand what it meant to be the shortest distance between two points in a straight line.
Claude's punch arrived first. The man's fist was still in mid-air when Claude's fist landed on his face.
"Pfft!" The man's face tilted to the side and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with a few teeth.
Usually, a fighter who didn't hit a vital spot would be able to hold on for two to three minutes even if they were at a disadvantage.
The same went for the man. He howled in pain and used his left hand to support his cheek while his right hand was thrust forward to stop Claude's attack.
However, that wasn't a problem for Claude. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed the man's right wrist before pulling him back. The man's entire body was brought over by Claude's strength. With a twist of his body and a push of his right hand, it was the most standard demonstration move in wrestling class, a great back throw. The man was lifted off the ground and his left hand flailed wildly in the air before he was smashed into the rocky ground like a broken sack.
The man was like a fish out of water. He struggled on the ground but couldn't get back up no matter how hard he tried.
When the other man saw his comrade in such a state, he didn't have the courage to charge forward at all. Instead, he kept retreating.
That was when the skinny man finally took out a copper whistle from his pocket and blew on it with all his might.
The sharp sound of the whistle reverberated through the alley.
"You … you just wait. Our boss's second uncle will be here soon. He … he's a patrolman. You … you just wait … go to jail …" The remaining man finally regained his courage when he heard the whistle being blown. He pointed at Claude and said, "Wait for it.
Claude curled his lips. It was no wonder the skinny man dared to gather a bunch of thugs to force people to buy and sell goods. It turned out that he had a second uncle who was a patrol officer backing him up.
It wasn't hard to imagine that if a regular civilian ran into the skinny man's gang, they would have no choice but to swallow their pride. They couldn't afford to offend them. Even if they tried to resist, they would be arrested by the patrol officers who would come later.
However, Claude wasn't worried about himself in the slightest. He suddenly realized the benefits of joining the military.
For the commoners, being a soldier in this era of war meant that they would easily become cannon fodder on the battlefield.
That was why Aueras adopted a militaristic conscription policy, linking military service to citizenship. At the same time, soldiers were given preferential treatment and status.
The moment he received the conscription order, Claude was no longer a commoner. To be more precise, he was now a quasi-soldier.
That was why he wasn't given a hard time when he was checked by the patrol officers and the guards at the city gates.
Sometimes, when the checks were strict, many commoners would be forced to open their luggage to see if they were carrying anything illegal. Claude, on the other hand, didn't have to do that. When the patrol officers and soldiers found out that he was going to Bluefeather for officer training, they all stamped his pass without hesitation and even wished him a smooth journey with envious tones.
So what if the skinny man's second uncle was a patrol officer? He definitely wouldn't dare arrest Claude.
Delaying the journey of the royal army and making up a false charge to arrest him … Did he want his whole family to die?
Not to mention, Bluefeather had always been protective of its members. Claude wasn't a regular recruit either. He would be promoted to the rank of sergeant at the very least after training. Even though he would be the lowest rank in the army, it still concerned Bluefeather's reputation. It wasn't a responsibility that a patrol officer of Whitewood City could bear.
The sound of a police whistle echoed from afar, and it was rapidly approaching the dead end.
The skinny man and the remaining burly man breathed a sigh of relief. The skinny man said hatefully, "You're finished. I'll definitely find someone to take good care of you in the dungeon."
Claude ignored the skinny man's threat. He was more concerned about the group of people that had snuck over. What were they trying to do by surrounding the dead end? Were they targeting him or the skinny man?
The whistle stopped abruptly at the entrance of the dead end. What puzzled him was that nobody came in even after a long while.
The skinny man had almost reached the corner of the dead end. He said to the remaining burly man, "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him get away. I'll go get my second uncle."
The skinny man turned around and ran out of the alley. But the moment he turned the corner, he bumped into something and let out a yelp, followed by a slap.