Chapter 36 Thugs
"I really have to thank you, young man! Cough..." The elderly woman expressed her gratitude when he saw Noah, her face full of gratitude.
"You seem like wealthy people. If you had connections, you wouldn't have to spend any money after hitting someone! If you really said it was a setup, there'd be nothing I could do to clear my name!"
"Please don't say that. It's our fault. We were the ones who hit you. We should be thanking you for being so forgiving," Noah said sincerely.
"What a polite young man!" the elderly person exclaimed and then said, "Young man, can I trouble you with one more thing?"
"What do you need? Just tell me."
"Okay, the address is..." After receiving the address, Noah left the hospital and hailed a taxi.
Half an hour later, he arrived at his destination.
This was the slum area of Prosperity Promenade, where he was greeted by rows of old, dilapidated buildings. These buildings had poor resistance to earthquakes, fires, and floods, which made it extremely dangerous for the residents in the event of a natural disaster.
"It's almost like a slum."
Noah followed the address and began his search.
The stench of sewage wafted up to his nose, and the road beneath his feet was full of pits and holes. Due to the chaotic distribution of the houses, many of the roads were dead-ends or mere footpaths. The children playing by the road all had thin faces and malnourished bodies.
Noah didn’t know that there was poverty like this in Oceanbridge City.
"Prosperity Promenade."
After searching for a while, Noah finally found the home Heather had mentioned.
It was a simple and rundown courtyard, overgrown with weeds. A clothesline stretched across the courtyard, with a few patched-up clothes hanging on it.
Noah stepped inside but found no one there.
"Her grandson, Ethan, probably hasn't come back yet," Noah thought to himself.
"Don't run away!"
Suddenly, a voice came from outside.
Noah turned to see a panicked teenager rushing toward him.
The teenager had a crew cut and was wearing a dirty gray T-shirt. Based on Heather's description, this was probably her grandson, Ethan.
Behind Ethan, two troublemakers were chasing after him, brandishing iron bars.
"Hmm?"
Ethan ran to his door, only to find a young man standing there.
The young man had a faint smile on his face and a slightly frail figure, exuding an indescribable demeanor.
"Who are you? And why are you at my house?" Ethan eyed Noah warily.
Before he could finish his sentence, the two troublemakers had already caught up, surrounding him with their iron bars in hand.
"Kid, you don't know your place, you tried to cheat under Liam's nose!"
"Come back with us now, or we'll beat you up right here!"
The troublemakers glared at Ethan menacingly. One of them reached out and grabbed him tightly.
"Damn it, let go of me!" Ethan struggled, but one of the troublemakers picked up the iron bar and forcefully struck Ethan's shoulder.
Ethan winced in pain, gritting his teeth, but didn’t utter a sound. That made Noah take a closer look at him.
The troublemakers were about to drag Ethan away.
"Wait, what's going on?" Noah interjected.
"Huh?"
Only then did the two troublemakers notice the young man standing beside them.
"If you don't want to die, stop meddling in other people's business!" One of the thugs glared at Noah.
"You’re trying to take someone away for no reason, can't I ask about that?" Noah furrowed his brow.
"This kid cheated at gambling, and now the boss wants us to bring him back and chop off one of his hands. Is that reason enough?" Another thug sneered.
"Damn your cheating!" Ethan shouted, "Even if I did cheat, what about it? If that bastard Liam, hadn’t made me sign a hundred thousand dollar contract and caused my family to be destroyed three years ago, I wouldn’t be like this now!"
"Fuck it, you have to accept the consequences at the gambling table! If you lose money, it's your own fault!"
One thug raised an iron rod and swung it toward Ethan's shoulder.
As the iron rod was about to hit, a slightly fair-skinned hand suddenly reached out and caught the iron rod firmly.
"Are you going to interfere, kid?" Both thugs turned to look at Noah, surprise evident in their eyes.
In this impoverished area, no one had ever dared to mess with Liam before.
"Yes, I am going to interfere." Noah nodded calmly.
"Go to hell!"
The two thugs' gazes immediately turned fierce, and they grabbed the iron rod, swinging it toward Noah!
Two dull thuds resounded.
The scene left Ethan dumbfounded.
The two iron rods hadn't even reached Noah when he kicked both thugs, each falling to the ground five meters away.
"Ouch, it hurts!"
"Ugh!"
They both grimaced in pain, feeling as if their intestines had been kicked apart and their buttocks had split in two.
"I’m Liam's man, kid. If you hit me, you'll be offending Liam!"
"Bring it on, tell us your name!"
The two men said in succession.
"Noah."
Noah clapped his hands, smiling. It had been many years since he had fought, but he realized that his strength had not declined, thanks to his previous aggressive training.
Noah's father, Larry, believed in the philosophy of "savage body, civilized mind" when it came to Noah's education, which resulted in Noah being far superior to ordinary people, both physically and mentally.
"Well, I guess you've got guts, just wait and see!" The two thugs threatened, supporting each other.
"Not bad! You look skinny, but I didn't expect you to be so skilled!" Ethan walked over, looking Noah up and down, his eyes filled with admiration. He then said, "But you're in trouble. Liam has a lot of clout in this area, and he won't let you off lightly for hurting his people."
"I'm not worried." Noah dismissed it. Even though Larry had restricted Noah for ten years, he had also arranged for hidden help and protection for him during those ten years.
"Are you Ethan?" Noah asked.
"Yes, how did you know my name?" Ethan asked curiously.
"Noah replied, "Your grandmother is in the hospital, and she asked me to tell you that she won't be able to cook for you tonight."
"She’s in the hospital?!" Ethan's face changed, and he worriedly asked, "What happened?"
"Uh... my father-in-law was driving and accidentally hit your grandmother. But don't worry, it's just a minor injury, and she'll be fine after resting for a few months. I’ll cover the medical expenses," Noah said awkwardly.
"What? Your father-in-law hit my grandmother?”
Ethan immediately became furious and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to punch Noah.
But he hesitated as he thought about Noah's terrifying skills.
"Where's my grandmother? I want to see her."
"She’s at the Royal Hospital, I'll take you there," Noah said.
After taking Ethan to Royal Hospital, Noah went back home.
"Honey, my dad just gave me an earful about you on the phone," Lisa said when she saw that Noah was back.
"He said you were defiant so I asked if you did something to upset him."
Noah touched his nose. He hadn't expected his father-in-law to hold a grudge and complain to Lisa.
But Noah believed he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Well..." Noah briefly explained the car accident.
