Chapter 7

The tinted windows of the blacked-out SUVs rolled down.

*Rummm!*

Engines growled as the convoy of intimidating vehicles screeched to a halt, surrounding Alexander in a semi-circle of looming metal and malice.

Car doors flung open and the thugs spilled out onto the street in a choreographed show of force. First came Leo himself, the imposing gang leader.

The parents of the disciplined kids trailed sheepishly behind this small army, looking suddenly unsure if involving these vicious criminals had been the best idea.

Leo swaggered forward, his burly frame adorned with the bright red and black colour that struck fear into the hearts of those unwise enough to cross the Crimson Skulls gang.

His goons fanned out behind him, cracking knuckles and sneering as they sized up their target.

Leo came from an upbringing in the slums of Starlight City. From a young age, he fell into the wrong crowd, getting wrapped up in petty crimes and gang violence that plagued the streets. However, Leo's natural intelligence and ruthlessness quickly propelled him up the ranks.

By his late 20s, Leo had carved out his own territory and assembled a formidable crew, becoming one of the top 100 gang leaders in the criminal underworld of Starlight City. His gang, known as the Crimson Skulls, was feared throughout the rougher neighbourhoods for their brazen tactics and unwillingness to back down from any fight.

The Crimson Skulls were involved in a multitude of illicit operations - drug trafficking, arms dealing, extortion, robbery, you name it. But their main racket was protection money shaken down from local businesses too afraid to refuse their demands.

Any owners who failed to pay up would find their establishments vandalised or worse.

Leo ruled his turf with an iron fist, quashing any resistance or rival gangs that tried to muscle in on his lucrative operation. He surrounded himself with enforcers skilled in violence and intimidation tactics. Chaos and bloodshed often followed in the Crimson Skulls' wake.

Despite the gang's notorious reputation, the authorities found it difficult to make any charges stick due to Leo's meticulous efforts to cover his tracks.

He had the entire neighbourhood paralyzed by fear and a reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement.

Under Leo's leadership, the Crimson Skulls amassed a small empire of criminal enterprises and ill-gotten gains. The gang's influence stretched from the back-alley drug dens to the luxurious nightclubs they used for money laundering fronts.

"There's the punk who laid hands on our kids!" one of the fathers shouted, immediately retreating behind Leo's broad back like a coward.

Elena instinctively shielded the wide-eyed Charlie with her body, her motherly instincts screaming at her to flee from these dangerous men.

Leo fixed Alexander with a look that could curdle milk. "You're gonna pay for what you did, scumbag," he spat, venom dripping from his words.

But Alexander didn't so much as flinch. He stared back at the gang leader with an intensity that gave even the hardened criminal pause.

"I disciplined some brats acting like delinquents," Alexander stated evenly. "I did what was necessary."

The other men looked uncertain from their defiant leader to this unflinching civilian. An uneasy silence stretched between them, the calm before the inevitable storm.

"You bas*ard! You are calling my son a spoiled brat? Well, we have our own way of dealing with punks who disrespect us and our kids," the ringleader father growled. He was a massive man, bald-headed with arms resembling tree trunks covered in tattoos.

"I'm sorry for what Alexander did, but we didn't want any of this. Let us leave. It doesn't have to escalate any further." Elena tried to lighten the mood.

The man exchanged glances with his men. However, the group of men, clearly driven by a thirst for revenge, were not as easily swayed.

"You think you can just walk away after what he did?" one of the men growled, his voice laced with malice. "No chance. You're staying right here to watch him pay."

"Elena, take Charlie and go. Don't worry I will take care of this," he ordered firmly, his gaze locked on the thugs.

"But Ale....." she tried to object.

Alexander didn't want Elena and Charlie to see what he was going to do next because they might think he is too violent.

With a determined glint in his eyes, Alexander stepped forward, placing himself between Elena, Charlie, and the angry mob. His voice remained steady, despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"If it's me you want, then let them go," he proposed, gesturing toward Elena and Charlie. "They shouldn't have to witness this. Let them walk away unharmed, and I'll face whatever consequences you deem necessary."

"Noo! They are going no where" he lashed out as he sent one his men towards Alexander's.

"Kneel and beg, and I'll let my boy smack you ten times in the face. Then, I'll take that as compensation for laying your finger on my kid."

"Fine!" Alexander said, nodding to Elena. She didn't want him to do it, but in the face of power, the weak have no choice. Elena held Charlie's eyes, not wanting him to witness what would happen to Alexander.

Alexander stood straight, showing no reaction, as the man nodded and the gang's huge guy took action, appearing in front of Alexander.

"Well, come on then, tough guy! On your knees and let's teach you some respect!" the thug barked, taking an intimidating step closer, towering over Alexander. When Alexander didn't comply, the thug's ruddy face contorted further in rage.

"I gave you an order, punk! Down on your knees NOW!" His mighty fist aimed to smack Alexander's face, but Alexander caught his hand midway. The bulky man was shocked, as his blow had never been stopped by anyone except high-level martial arts experts.

Alexander then impaled his fingers into the man's wrist, shattering his bones with just his left hand. "Ahhhhhh!" The man shouted in agony.

"How did he do that?" Leo was shocked to the core. The huge man fell to the ground, crying in pain. Alexander nodded to Elena, gesturing for her to leave.

She saw everything that transpired and she knew now that Alexander was a little bit different and just maybe these people were no threat to him. Reluctantly, she turned away, clutching Charlie's hand tightly as they hurriedly retreated from the scene.

Alexander had learned the hard way that life could be merciless, and he no longer had pity for others. With a stern expression,

"That was just the beginning"

"You're going to regret this day, you son of a bitch," he seethed.

Alexander didn't respond, his jaw clenched tightly. "What are you all waiting for? Attack!" Leo shouted, his face already bright red with veins popping out of his neck. As the attacker launched with explosive speed, Alexander launched into a furious counterstrike.

His fist shot out in a reverse punch, connecting squarely with the man's jaw in as the crack of impact. But Alexander wasn't done. He flowed into the momentum, delivering a debilitating knee strike to the thug's midsection.

The larger man crumpled to the ground with a strangled wheeze, clutching his abdomen as blood seeped from his mouth. The other men immediately stopped laughing, caught off guard by Alexander's vicious martial arts skills.

"You're gonna regret that, asshole!" Leo cried out.

Alexander smoothly sidestepped the clumsy move he made, and used the man's own momentum to send him stumbling forward with a harsh foot sweep. As the thug fell, Alexander hammered him with a brutal heel kick to the back, driving the air from his lungs.

Two more charged him in a flurry of wild blows. But Alexander vanished as his movement, deflecting and parrying their strikes before ruthlessly dismantling them with swift elbow and knee strikes

Bodies fell in rapid succession; a particularly large man managed to catch Alexander with a glancing blow to the face, snapping his head back. But the seasoned fighter didn't flinch, instantly retaliating with a furious combination.

A hammerfist scattered his face as he lost his sense of thinking, leaving him open for Alexander's follow-up rising knee to the jaw and crashing roundhouse kick to the temple. The man crumpled bonelessly to the ground, out cold.

One by one, Alexander's opponents fell until only the ringleader remained, hunched over and wheezing, his face battered and bleeding from Alexander's pinpoint martial arts strikes.

Alexander straightened up, his body undamaged apart from a trickle of blood from his split lip. He locked eyes with the man, his gaze hardening.

"I don't owe you or your crew a damn thing," he stated coldly. "But if you want to walk away from this without me crippling you permanently, you'll compensate for the medical costs of not crippling you which is $500,000."

"You think you can just walk in here and demand money? I won't stand for it!" Leo said as as he stood watching all his defeated men

Alexander's gaze remained unwavering, his jaw clenched tightly. He took a step closer to him, his presence imposing and commanding.

"You had your chance," Alexander said, his voice low and filled with a dangerous calm. "But let me make it clear to you one last time. You compensate me for the medical costs, or you'll regret the day you ever crossed paths with me."

Leo, standing nearby, glared at the ringleader's father, his fists clenched. "You think you can threaten me and walk away without consequences? You're sorely mistaken."

With a defeated sigh, Leo reluctantly admitted defeat. "Fine," he grumbled.

"I'll wire the money to your account. But this doesn't mean we're done. We'll find another way to get back at you."

Leo was infuriated that he was defeated by someone that was considered as ordinary.

"Damian you will pay for this" he angrily stared at the person who called him.

Alexander didn't respond, his jaw still tightly clenched.

This was the first step he will take in taking himself out of poverty after all he had bills to sort.

*Ding*

The money was transferred to Alexander and he saw the alert.

"Thanks for your cooperation, I will love to do business with you next time" Alexander said as he walked out of them leaving the furious men on the ground.