"Brother Veil!"
"Hurry, hurry up!"
Carlin's voice trembled with panic as she urged him forward.
How could Veil not know what was on her mind?
Without hesitation, he placed a steady hand on her shoulder and quickened his pace, charging ahead!
The screech of rubber tires skidding across the ground filled the air. To keep Carlin from falling, Veil had to hold her shoulder firmly as they rushed forward.
Only after pushing through the crowd did they get a clear look at what was happening.
Inside and outside the noodle shop, several burly thugs were violently smashing folding tables and chairs. Even the beverage fridge had been reduced to a wreck. They cursed and shouted as they destroyed everything in sight.
"Damn it! My little brother got diarrhea after eating your noodles! This filthy place is a health hazard!"
"You still dare open for business? What a joke! Tear it all down!"
"Smash it!"
"Damn heartless crooks!"
"..."
Carlin's father clung desperately to one of the thugs' arms, pleading, "Please, our hygiene standards are not poor! This must be a misunderstanding—please, just a misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding, my ass. Fuck you!"
The thug slapped Carlin's father aside and continued to ravage the shop without restraint.
"Who the hell sent you bastards?! Have you no shame?!"
"We've been running this shop for nearly ten years—no one's ever gotten food poisoning! You sons of bitches!"
"You just wait—I'm calling the police right now!"
Carlin's mother shouted through tears as she pulled out her phone, trying to dial the authorities.
One of the thugs lunged toward her and raised his hand, ready to strike.
But before it could land, Veil flashed forward and delivered a swift kick to the side, sending the thug crashing to the ground face-first like a dog eating dirt!
"Mr. Veil… you… why are you here?" Carlin's mother stared at him in disbelief.
Her heart had been consumed with anguish over the noodle shop—the very foundation of their family's livelihood. She hadn't even noticed the crowd gathering.
Only now did she realize that her daughter had been brought back by Veil.
"Uncle, Auntie, don't cry. And don't bother calling the police just yet. Let them break things if they want to."
Veil waved his hand and gestured for them to come closer.
The thugs, seeing their companion get kicked, initially looked ready to retaliate. But when their eyes landed on Veil, they hesitated.
They didn't dare.
He didn't look particularly strong, but there was a refined, noble aura about him—clearly not someone ordinary. He carried himself with a presence far superior to even the man who hired them—Jayz.
"What are you staring at me for? Go on, keep smashing."
Veil gestured lazily at the group of thugs, urging them to continue.
Carlin's parents were aghast. "Mr. Veil, how can you let them destroy everything? Our whole family depends on this noodle shop to survive!"
They weren't wealthy, but far from poor. Still, because of their daughter's legs, they had to make frequent hospital visits for therapy. Every expense was supported by this small restaurant.
If it was ruined, their lives would fall apart.
Veil offered them a calm smile. "Don't worry. They're in the wrong. They'll have to pay for everything they've damaged, so why bother fighting them now?"
He turned to Carlin and patted her shoulder, then pointed in a direction not far away.
Carlin followed his gaze—and her face turned pale in shock. "It's Jayz?! Why is he here?!"
Suddenly, it all made sense. Everything she overheard earlier at the Lyra Apartments—it all connected.
The noodle shop was left in ruins. The thugs, satisfied, walked away cursing under their breath.
They were proud of their work. Normally, the police would have shown up halfway through, but this time, they got to finish undisturbed. The job was done. At worst, a few days behind bars, and then a fat paycheck awaited. Easy money.
They strolled away, laughing among themselves.
Little did they know, what awaited them wasn't the police—but the cold and merciless Blood Mandala.
"My noodle shop…"
Carlin's mother wiped her tears in grief.
Her father stood silently, face tight with frustration. He wanted to stop them—he really did—but the numbers were against him. He could only watch helplessly, boiling with anger.
The curious crowd slowly began to disperse.
Just then, Jayz strolled over from a distance, wearing clearly expensive designer clothes, the brand logo boldly displayed on his chest.
He looked at Carlin in her wheelchair and chuckled.
"Carlin, what happened to your family's shop? Got wrecked, huh?"
Carlin stared back, her voice trembling with anger. "It was you, wasn't it? Jayz, I never thought you'd stoop this low!"
Jayz raised his hands innocently. "Carlin, come on. Don't throw around wild accusations. What do you mean I did it?"
He wasn't stupid—he'd never openly admit to it.
Everyone might know the truth, but unless those thugs pointed fingers, who could prove anything?
"Carlin," he said with a mocking grin, "your family doesn't seem to be doing too well. Without that shop, how are you going to survive? Why not let me take care of you?"
Carlin bit her lip hard, rage flaring in her eyes. "Keep dreaming! I'd never agree to that! We'll call the police, and whoever trashed our shop will pay for it. We'll open it again, just you wait!"
Jayz clapped mockingly. "Wow, such spirit!"
"But what if those guys are all deadbeats? What if even the police can't get a cent out of them? What then? You gonna sell their kidneys?"
He chuckled coldly.
This wasn't the first time he'd pulled a stunt like this. The thugs he used were all well-practiced in playing the system. Different faces each time—untouchable, untraceable. And it always worked.
This girl had turned him down twice. What choice did he have but to teach her a lesson?
Jayz's gaze slid down to Carlin's legs—those fair, slender legs. He couldn't help but wonder how someone supposedly crippled could have legs that looked so perfect.
He had to find out. Study them up close.
"You… You're disgusting!" Carlin was stunned, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Even her parents were speechless—no one had expected it to go this far.
If the thugs really were just deadbeats, how would they get compensation?
Even if they were jailed for a decade, what good would that do?
Their family's shop—gone. Their only source of income—destroyed.
And there were several of them. Would they even get real prison time?
As they stared at the smug Jayz, all three of them felt a chill creeping up their spines.
So young—yet so sinister!
"Sigh…"
Suddenly, Veil let out a sigh, looking at Jayz as if he were some lost, pathetic stray dog.
"You foolish child," Veil said with a hint of regret. "Why must you be so naughty? What do you think your father will do when he finds out about this? Flay you alive, I'd imagine."
"Who the hell are you? This has nothing to do with you!" Jayz snapped, brows furrowed deeply. He didn't like Veil—he actually found him extremely annoying—but there was something about the guy that made him seem hard to deal with. So Jayz had held back.
But who would've thought that before he even had the chance to stir up trouble, Veil would already be picking a fight with him?
How could he tolerate that?
Since when had Jayz ever been on the receiving end of someone else's bullying?
"Is that your boyfriend?" he sneered, pointing at Veil as he turned to glare at Carlin, his tone laced with venom.
Carlin shot him a furious look but said nothing.
It wasn't clear if she was silently acknowledging it… or just too disgusted to bother responding to someone as filthy as Jayz.
"You f*cking whore!" Jayz spat, not even trying to hold back, throwing his insult right in front of Carlin's parents.
"I thought you were some untouched little virgin—turns out you're just a used-up piece of trash!"
"You—!" Carlin's eyes instantly reddened with anger and humiliation.
How could someone be so vile?
All because she'd turned him down—not once, but twice—and now he'd had her family's noodle shop trashed, and still he wasn't done? He even dared to insult her like this in front of her parents?
SLAP!
Before Carlin could say anything, Veil took a step forward and swung his arm.
A crisp, echoing slap landed across Jayz's left cheek.
Almost immediately, the side of Jayz's face began to swell, puffing up visibly.
"You f*cking hit me?!" Jayz roared, clutching his face, eyes blazing with rage. In his fury, he let loose a stream of vulgar curses without thinking.
SLAP!
Veil didn't waste time arguing. He simply raised his arm again and smacked the other side of Jayz's face.
Now both sides were swollen. Perfectly symmetrical.
"Ah… that's better." Veil let out a sigh of relief, as though a personal annoyance had finally been resolved. "It was bothering me. That uneven swelling was really unpleasant to look at."
"Just you wait!" Jayz hissed. He hadn't forgotten what Veil did earlier—kicking that big thug like it was nothing. He knew this guy wasn't someone to mess with physically, so he didn't charge in recklessly.
Instead, he pulled out his phone.
But Veil was already a step ahead. He snatched it right out of Jayz's hand, pressed his finger against the screen like he was handling a chicken chick, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and opened the contact list.
Then he tapped a name, put the phone on speaker, and held it next to Jayz's face.
A gruff voice barked on the other end, loud and impatient.
"Spit it out! I'm busy as hell—what do you want?!"
Jayz gritted his teeth as he looked at Veil. Originally, he wasn't going to call his dad—he thought he could handle this by calling a few guys to deal with Veil quietly.
But now?
Veil wanted to die?
Fine.
Let him.
"Dad! Someone beat me up. Hurry and bring people over—I'm at the noodle shop on Snack Street!"
"What?! Who the hell touched my son?! Sit tight—I'm coming now!"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The call ended abruptly with a tone of cold finality.