Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 208 Encountering Robbery

The excitement of the night gradually cooled down, and around 9:30, the crowd at the "Blues Hut" bar began to disperse. Tom said goodbye to his colleagues, and the three of them left the noisy bar, heading towards Mike's house to retrieve their backpacks.

Stepping out of the warm bar, the chill of the winter night immediately enveloped him. Away from the lights of the main street, the road leading to Maple Leaf Street felt somewhat empty and quiet. Mike was still immersed in the afterglow of the rock music, humming the off-key melody while reminiscing about the rhythm of twist dancing, his body swaying gently to the beat he remembered, occasionally adding a comical hip wiggle. Tom, on the other hand, had boundless energy, imagining the bare sycamore trees lining the road as basketball hoops, jogging, feinting, then jumping to execute a cool, imagined shot, accompanied by the sound of "Swish!"

The three were enjoying their post-class relaxation when a series of chaotic footsteps and shouts of laughter and curses came from behind them. Lin Yan's divine sense stirred slightly, sensing that more than a dozen people had followed them, but he remained unmoved.

Soon, the group caught up. It was a dozen or so white youths wearing leather jackets or work pants, cigarettes dangling from their lips, their eyes scanning Lin Yan and his companions with hostility. The leader glanced at them, noting that apart from Lin Yan's distinctive air and decent-quality clothes, the other two were clearly students with ordinary attire. He spat, "Pah, a bunch of poor students, nothing to brag about." The others also looked disappointed, seemingly deciding to let them go.

Just as they were about to pass each other, one of the tall, thin, and particularly sharp-eyed white youths suddenly stopped and stared intently at Lin Yan's wrist, which was exposed as he adjusted his collar.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" The tall man grabbed Lin Yan's wrist with considerable force, pointing to the Omega sports watch that still gleamed exquisitely in the dim light. "Kid, this watch is pretty good, isn't it? Take it off and let me see!" His tone was full of undeniable threat.

Lin Yan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. With his strength, he could easily crush the throats of these people in an instant. But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mike and Tom beside him, who had instantly tensed up and turned pale. They were just ordinary high school students; they shouldn't have been dragged into such a bloody affair, much less suffer psychological trauma or subsequent retaliation.

In a flash, Lin Yan made his decision. A perfectly balanced look of "panic" and "compliance" appeared on his face. Without resisting, he deftly unfastened his watch with his other hand and handed it over: "Here...for you."

The tall man took the watch, weighed it in his hand, and his greed intensified. He could tell it was valuable. "Hey, guys, looks like we've caught a fat sheep!" he grinned, then turned to Lin Yan, "Judging by how readily you agreed, you must have a lot of cash on you, right? Hand over your wallet!"

Lin Yan sneered inwardly, but outwardly he still "cooperated," obediently taking out a high-quality-looking wallet from the inside pocket of his coat and handing it over. He knew in his heart that these things, including this group of people, would all be taken if he wanted, so it wouldn't hurt for them to keep them for a while.

However, Lin Yan's "wealth" and "compliance" clearly sent the wrong signal to the group of thugs. The tall man weighed his wallet in his hand, his gaze sweeping over Mike and Tom, and he grinned maliciously, "You two are his friends? Seeing how rich he is, you must be carrying some too, right? Hand it over!"

Tom, with his impulsive nature, did have the small amount of pocket money he'd just received from his part-time job—money he'd used to treat others. He struggled fiercely, shouting, "Why should I give it to you! Get out of my way!" But how could one man possibly fight off two adult thugs? Immediately, two men stepped forward, roughly grabbing Tom by the collar on either side and beginning to search him, threatening him with foul language: "Kid, behave yourself! Hand over the money! Otherwise, tomorrow we'll find out which street and house you live on! You'll be sorry!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan's eyes instantly turned cold. He had originally only wanted to pay to avoid further trouble and conceal his strength, so as not to cause long-term problems for his two friends. But the other party dared to threaten him with family and friends, which completely crossed his bottom line.

"You're asking for it!" Lin Yan cursed inwardly, knowing he couldn't keep a low profile any longer.

He abruptly ripped off his fine wool coat, tossed it into the arms of Mike, who was visibly tense and nearly suffocating, without even glancing at him—a swift and decisive movement. Then he stepped forward, standing between Tom and the two thugs. His voice wasn't loud, but it possessed a strange, penetrating quality, instantly drawing the attention of all the thugs.

"Wait a moment!"

All eyes were on him. The "panic" on Lin Yan's face had vanished, replaced by an unfathomable calm. He looked at the leader of the thugs, a faint smile even playing on his lips, as if mocking their greed.

"They don't have any money on them," Lin Yan said calmly. "But I do."

As he spoke, he reached into his seemingly ordinary jeans pocket in full view of everyone. The next moment, to the astonished and even more greedy gazes of the thugs around him, he pulled out a thick wad of hundred-dollar bills, bound with a bank seal, from that pocket that looked like it couldn't hold much at all!

The green banknotes gleamed with an incredibly alluring light under the dim streetlights.

"The money's all here," Lin Yan said, waving the wad of banknotes with a hint of provocation in his voice. "You... if you're so capable, come and take it."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his arm and threw the thick wad of US dollars like a shower of flowers over the heads of the thugs!

"Whoosh—!"

A shower of green banknotes burst forth in the cold night sky.