Marvel and Beyond

Max cursed inwardly at the sudden appearance of the waitress from the café.

He had wanted to quietly snub the crooks who were pushing their luck and enjoying the thrill of looting. 

However, now that the waitress had arrived in the middle of the confrontation, he would have to be more careful. Otherwise, the woman might get hurt by these thugs.

With astonishing speed, his eyes flickered between the waitress and the criminals. His mind churned swiftly, formulating plans to secure victory without causing harm to either himself or the unsuspecting waitress.

At the same time, the thugs had heard the new voice. Their bodies stiffened, alertness spiking instantly. 

They straightened their backs and subtly moved aside, forming a loose semicircle around Max, positioning themselves in a way that also kept the waitress within their broad view.

They swallowed their dry saliva nervously, and their fingers danced along the grip of the knives in their hands.

They eyed the waitress, and the moment their eyes landed fully on her, their gazes lit up with ugly pleasure. One of them even whistled at her fair complexion and lustful, youthful physique.

"Fuck," Max cursed again, his face contorting as he realized exactly what was swirling in the heads of the three muggers.

'This is the worst possible scenario.'

Not only had these thugs just experienced the thrill of robbing him in a rush of adrenaline, but now they were standing on the peak of that rush. 

And if a young and beautiful woman appeared in front of them during that high, her fate would be sealed.

They were planning something heinous, Max could see that clearly now.

He suddenly eyed the waitress and tried to gesture discreetly for her to leave, mouthing: "Go away!" 

However, as if she hadn't even seen him, when her eyes met his, she simply narrowed them, then coldly averted her gaze to the thugs.

 She acted like Max didn't exist at all.

One of the thugs, noticing her attention, grinned sleazily and spoke in a gravelly voice, "Oh, look who's here. Miss, you wouldn't happen to be lost, right? We can help you, if you want."

The waitress scrunched her nose and in a low, firm tone warned, "What's going on here? Leave, or I'll call the cops. This area is for respectable people—not for the likes of you."

"We're also respectable people, lady," the first thug grinned, shifting his knife slightly. "Just met an old friend here after a long time." 

He nodded toward Max. "Our friend here realized we needed help, so he's helping us with some cash. Ain't that right?"

"What a good friend," another thug cackled loudly, the laughter sharp and unnatural.

The third one, clearly more unhinged, stared at the waitress with increasing madness. "Maybe you can help us too, miss. We'll help you find your destination, and you can help us... more intimately, yeah?" 

He twisted his fingers into a lewd gesture, snickering.

Max gritted his teeth. He cursed himself for even thinking about helping her. He had already gestured for her to leave, to run but the woman was persistently conversing with these insane freaks.

Could she not see how they were eyeing her? Their lust was practically dripping from their expressions, their madness laid bare in front of her. 

They would devour her whole and leave nothing.

For a moment, Max even wondered if the girl might be part of the group. Maybe this was all some kind of trap, an act. 

But no, he could tell. As a man, he could feel the danger these three were emanating. She definitely wasn't with them.

He sighed heavily. The situation was gradually spiraling out of his control. He might have to resort to cruel means now. 

Being ruthless would leave a bad taste in his mouth, and maybe bring trouble with the law but if something happened to this girl, who for some strange reason evoked a sense of familiarity in him, the regret would drown him in bitterness.

Although he was fairly certain he didn't know the woman, he had to make sure nothing happened to her, not on his watch.

Of course, he wasn't trying to play hero or go around saving every damsel in distress. But he also couldn't just turn his head and ignore it, not when he knew exactly what these men were planning.

Death, murder, robbery; those were one thing. But sexual assault? He abhorred such crimes. They were a stain on all morality.

Determined to act, Max slowly shifted his hand in such a way that neither the waitress nor the thugs would notice. 

He was preparing to summon the gun from his system's spatial backpack. But before he could proceed, the waitress once again threw him off balance with something unexpected.

"Leave. I don't want to deal with the likes of you. This area's off-limits to your kind," she warned again, tone sharper now, almost commanding.

Her words didn't intimidate the thugs. Instead, they burst out into wild laughter.

One of them grabbed his stomach and howled, the sound echoing like a hyena's cry.

Even Max's eyes widened at her boldness. His mind scrambled. 'What the hell is she trying to do? Bluffing?'

'No... maybe she's buying time. Maybe she already called for help and came here to keep them busy…to save me too.' After considering the possibilities, Max sharpened his gaze.

If the waitress was stalling for backup, then maybe he needed to try something else. Shooting these guys would be the fastest solution, but if the authorities arrived right after, it might look like he was the thug harassing beggars and a woman.

But oh, how wrong he was.

The situation wasn't just spiraling, it was far more absurd than he had imagined. What happened next opened his eyes to something entirely unexpected.

….

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