Chapter 24:

"A..." He only smiled, the scar on his face twisted, emitting a more sinister aura. "Little mute, you are a beggar." He mockingly glanced at the handful of loose change in her hand. A mute girl with an idiot, anyone with half a brain could tell they were destitute, especially when looking at the pair of worn-out jeans she wore with frayed hems. Did they have money? Only a fool would believe that.

Demi Moore tightened her grip on her hand, feeling more anxious. He didn't want money, so what did he want?

The man said nothing, just stared at them, silently contemplating. The cold, malicious gaze in the fool's eyes was not wrong.

The scarred man grew somewhat bored after a while. It was indeed beneath him to deal with a pair like them, but he had no choice.

Slowly, he drew out a wooden staff about 30 cm long. Usually, when he "educated" others, he used an iron rod. Today, he was being entirely merciful with them already, or else that fool would become even more foolish later. As for Demi Moore, she hadn't made it clear how he should proceed, so he only needed to inflict a little pain. But his "little pain" was not something an ordinary person could endure.

"What do you want?" Ace's voice suddenly turned icy.

The scarred man couldn't help but be taken aback, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Ace. Wasn't this man a fool? Why didn't he seem even a bit foolish? Moreover, Ace's gaze made him feel pressured as if the air around him was being sucked away, making even breathing difficult. Standing before someone like this for the first time, in a haze, he felt fear.

Hesitating for half a day, he finally tightened his grip on the wooden staff. Regardless of how they spoke, it was just the two of them. Even if they were ordinary people, he wouldn't spare them, let alone a mute girl with an idiot? Truly a shattered soul, he couldn't help but despise himself a little.

"What do I want?" He raised his head, occasionally tapping the wooden staff against his palm. "I haven't done anything; I just want to give you a taste of my staff. Think about it, and anyone can be the one; I'll only hit one person; who wants it?"

His words were spoken softly, but his face displayed a cold, ruthless sneer, and his eyes emitted waves of danger. Ace said nothing more while Demi Moore bit her lip in confusion as if understanding. This scarred man wanted to cause trouble. Although she didn't understand when they offended him, she knew he wouldn't easily let go. Looking up at Ace, who stood before her, protecting her, she realized he couldn't afford to get hurt again. Right now, he was just a little boy.

She forcefully released Ace's hand and stepped forward to stand before him, pointing at herself.

She came forward.

Her body was strong, and she had gained a little weight recently. It was just a stick, and she could handle it.

The scarred man felt slightly surprised. In the end, he smirked, cracking the chapped corners of his lips. He didn't want to hit women, but if she offered herself as a target, there wouldn't be a problem. After all, he only wanted a stick. The rest didn't matter. But this girl, she indeed...

It's hard to say whether she was very kind or highly foolish.

"Think it through. If I strike with this stick, there's a good chance you'll break some bones!" He tightened his grip on the wooden staff, issuing a warning.

Demi Moore shook her head, opening her arms like a mother hen protecting her chick. Her gaze was fierce as she watched him. She was also afraid, and her body was still trembling. But she couldn't leave Ace behind. If one of them had to endure pain, she willingly chose it. Ace had already suffered enough.

The scarred man chuckled coldly. He raised the wooden staff and swung it, but he had no intention of holding back because he wasn't a benevolent person either.

But Ace pursed his lips, suddenly pushing Demi Moore aside, and in that instant, the wooden staff swung through empty air. The scarred man frowned, surprised by the fool's quick reaction. It was as if he could anticipate his actions in advance. Impossible, it must be a coincidence! He raised the wooden staff again, thinking it would be better to hit the fool than the girl. After all, he only needed to "deal" with one person. Whoever it was.

Another strike with the staff, and Ace squinted his eyes, tilting his head slightly. The wooden team narrowly missed his hair. Demi Moore tightly grasped the corner of her clothes, her voice trapped within her throat. She had never yearned for her voice so much, just one sound! Her lips kept opening and closing, but no sound came out.

The scarred man swung the staff multiple times, but Ace effortlessly dodged the attacks each time. He looked strangely at Ace's movements, feeling like he was facing a skilled martial artist. Moreover, he seemed formidable. The recent actions seemed like an instinctive reaction, which held significant meaning.

The scar on his face now looked like a hideous, wriggling worm, appearing incredibly sinister. And his strength seemed inexhaustible. Strike after strike with the staff, he couldn't finish it. Another team came down.

Ace skillfully evaded the scarred man's attacks without knowing why. It was like he could predict the next move, a genuinely instinctive reaction.

The corner of Ace's jacket kept lifting as he focused intently on every move of the scarred man. This reckless fighting style was starting to test his endurance.

Demi Moore anxiously watched the two of them, feeling helpless and unable to offer assistance. The situation unfolding was beyond her ability to intervene, and she was afraid of causing trouble for Ace.

The scarred man relentlessly attacked but couldn't touch Ace's jacket, no matter how hard he tried. Sweat slowly trickled down his forehead, and he realized he was growing weary. In all his years wandering the streets, he had never encountered anyone like this fool. No matter his technique, this person could calmly evade and avoid him, genuinely inexplicable.

Slowly curving his lips, though more challenging to deal with than he had imagined, the scarred man never said he came alone.

He admitted he was despicable and wicked, so causing a little more harm was just average.

Suddenly, Demi Moore turned around, eyes wide open, and saw another person slowly approaching Ace. In his hand, he also held a wooden staff.

"Ace..." Her voice came out hoarse, just one word, and then no other sound. Hearing her name and recognizing the voice, Ace jerked his head towards Demi Moore. He had heard it; it was Demi's voice. She could speak!

At that moment, he forgot all about the danger. His mind was filled with a constant echo of one voice, Ace, Ace. That was his name, Demi Moore, calling out to him.

In an instant, the two men's gazes met, and the man who had just arrived raised the wooden staff high, then ruthlessly struck it down.

A groan sounded, followed by a "thud" that seemed to carry the sound of bones breaking. Ace couldn't believe his wide-open eyes, his hand still suspended mid-air, unable to descend.

His ear only heard a buzzing sound, unable to attend to anything else.

Demi... Ace slowly looked as Demi Moore collapsed to the ground, blood continuously flowing from the corners of her mouth, staining her clothes red. The pain reflected in his eyes.

"Demi..." He crouched down, seemingly without the strength to even tighten his grip.

Reaching out, he wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth, but no matter how he wiped, it wouldn't come clean. Why? Why was it like this? Looking at her face, almost devoid of any trace of life, his eyes began to turn red. He raised his head, glaring at the man holding the wooden staff. This man had hurt his Demi, hurt her. He wanted to kill him, tried to kill them all. He didn't care about anything else; he wanted to kill them.