’She’s a really good girl,’ Daniel thought to himself.
He had already walked several hundred meters away, but thanks to his super hearing, he still caught every word of the conversation happening back at the motel.
...
After leaving one street and turning into the next, Daniel and Carol felt as if they had stepped into an entirely different world.
It was dirty, run-down and chaotic.
That was the impression this neighborhood gave them.
There were barely any pedestrians on the road. On both sides stood rows of old, crumbling buildings that looked like they had been neglected for decades.
"I think we’ve wandered into the slums," Carol said.
"Looks like it," Daniel agreed as he looked around.
"No wonder Susan said the area’s dangerous."
Daniel shrugged.
"Well, we’ve already checked in. Experiencing the local culture of a slum might be interesting."
Truthfully, he was curious, as this was his first time visiting a place like this in either of his lives.
In this life, the small town where he grew up had been peaceful and comfortable as well. People had enough food and clothing, and crime was practically nonexistent.
A place like this?
He had never seen one before.
It was fascinating.
’I heard slums are pretty chaotic.’
A hint of excitement rose in Daniel’s heart.
His fists were already itching.
’I’ve never been robbed before.’
’If someone does try it later, remember to go easy on them,’ he reminded himself.
The buildings lining the street were old and weathered, their walls covered in layers of graffiti.
Public facilities were practically nonexistent. Only a handful of local residents sat outside their homes.
The clothes they wore looked old and worn, as though they had been using them for years.
As Daniel and Carol passed by, those people stared at them with strange expressions.
Some looked at them like idiots.
Some looked at them like fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Others were indifferent.
A few openly radiated hostility.
"Looks like not everyone around here is particularly friendly," Daniel said with a shrug.
Normally, he kept his super hearing and super vision turned off.
There was no helping it.
Whenever he fully activated them, enormous amounts of information flooded into his brain all at once. The sensory overload was enough to give him splitting headaches.
It was mentally exhausting.
The only reason he had used his super hearing back at the motel was because he wanted to make sure they weren’t staying at some shady place.
Even without activating his powers, though, his eyesight and hearing were still far beyond ordinary human limits.
And from those gazes... he could clearly see greed.
’Interesting.’
Before long, they reached the end of the street and entered another neighborhood.
This one was much livelier.
Although it was still far from clean, there were all kinds of shops scattered throughout the area.
Daniel’s ear twitched.
Behind them, back on the street they had just left, someone said quietly.
"Go tell Jimmy. Two fat sheep."
Finally, Carol’s expression brightened a little.
"Now this looks like a proper place. It’s actually not bad here."
"It’s definitely interesting," Daniel replied casually.
But his attention was elsewhere.
Activating a small fraction of his super vision and hearing, he quickly discovered that things weren’t nearly as pleasant as they appeared on the surface.
Beneath the facade lurked plenty of darkness and filth.
"Let’s grab something to eat. I’m starving," Carol said.
"We’ll head back afterward. Susan already warned us about the area’s security. Tomorrow we can ask her about visiting downtown instead."
Despite trying to act calm, she was clearly worried.
"Sounds good," Daniel agreed.
They found a restaurant that looked reasonably decent and walked inside.
The owner was a black middle-aged man, though his skin tone suggested he was probably mixed-race.
Carol ordered several recommended dishes.
The food arrived quickly and they ate just as quickly.
Mostly because Carol kept urging Daniel to hurry.
She had noticed several people outside staring at them without the slightest attempt to hide it.
She was still young, after all.
And she was scared.
After finishing the meal, she completely lost interest in sightseeing and immediately wanted to return to the motel.
Even the restaurant owner advised them to head back as soon as possible.
The trip back was much faster than the walk there.
Carol practically dragged Daniel along.
By the end, she was almost jogging.
Unfortunately, they were still intercepted.
As they rounded a bend in the road, someone blocked their path.
"Don’t move!"
The moment they turned the corner, they saw two large black men standing ahead.
One of them was pointing a handgun directly at them.
"Daniel, get behind me. Don’t be scared!"
Carol’s first instinct was to pull Daniel behind her and shield him with her own body.
Since Daniel had never been on guard against her, he was actually pulled behind her for a moment.
Carol slowly raised her hands.
"We can give you, our money. We’ll hand over everything we have. Please just let us leave, okay?"
Standing behind her, Daniel could feel her fear.
Her body was trembling slightly.
"Hand over the money," one of the robbers demanded.
"Here."
Carol carefully placed the money on the ground.
"Please let us go. I swear we won’t call the police."
She lowered herself as much as possible, desperately pleading for the two men to let her and Daniel leave safely.
Daniel was genuinely touched.
This bargain bin older sister was honestly too good to him.
"And the kid behind you," one robber said. "Step out and hand over your money too."
"He doesn’t have any money. I’m his sister. I’m carrying everything."
Carol’s voice shook.
"No more nonsense. Step out."
The robber’s patience was wearing thin.
"You’re scaring my sister."
At that moment, Daniel stepped forward.
His tone was calm and flat.
"Daniel, don’t!"
Carol immediately tried to pull him back.
But he wouldn’t budge.
"It’s dangerous, please don’t provoke them."
Daniel’s expression was surprisingly serious.
The two robbers burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Look at this brat."
The gunman waved the pistol in his hand.
"Do you know what this is?"
"I do."
Daniel’s answer remained calm.
The robber’s face darkened.
"Then are you stupid?"
Bang!
He fired a shot into the ground.
"Open your pockets! My patience is running out!"
"Okay."
The moment Daniel finished speaking, he pushed off the ground and vanished.
"What the hell?"
One robber’s eyes widened.
"Where’d he go?"
"Behind you."
Daniel’s voice suddenly sounded from their rear.
The two men nearly jumped out of their skin.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
The gunman had been so startled that his finger twitched.
Before either robber could react, Daniel had already snatched the pistol from his hand.
Now the gun was pointed directly at them.
Daniel raised it.
Then casually said.
"Bang..."
"AAAAAAAH!"
Both robbers screamed in terror.
Seeing the situation completely under control, Carol hurried over to Daniel.
"Are you okay?"
"I’m fine."
Daniel gave her a reassuring smile.
Then he turned back toward the two robbers.
His voice became cold.
"So... what should I do with you two?"
"Sorry! We’re sorry!"
The pair surrendered immediately.
Their ability to beg for mercy was honestly impressive, but Daniel couldn’t let them go without some punishment.
So, he just raised his hand to give them a light jab, as the robbers saw Daniel raising his hands, they immediately started crying out loud while repeatedly apologizing.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
Smack!
Without listening to their cries, Daniel just gave a light punch to their chest and immediately both of them fell to ground with a loud thud.
The sound echoed through the alley, which got Daniel worried as he thought he might have killed them, but when he checked on their heartbeat with his super hearing, he relaxed a little as he knew they were just knocked out and would probably wake up after few hours.
At his core, Daniel was still a kind person, he couldn’t casually take someone’s life.
The robbers hadn’t actually harmed him or Carol, nor had they succeeded in stealing anything.
A small punishment was enough for now, at least it helped him vent a little frustration.
As he observed the situation, Daniel tossed them one final sentence.
"Well anyways now, I’m confiscating the gun."
Then he and Carol turned and left.
Meanwhile, Johnny, who had been sent by Susan to check on them, had gotten delayed after running into a friend and chatting for a few minutes.
By the time he arrived, all he saw were the two robbers sprawled on the ground.
"What?"
Johnny blinked.
"What happened here?"
His face was completely confused.
Unfortunately, nobody was interested in explaining it to him.
...
On the way back, Carol looked like she wanted to say something several times.
"Just ask," Daniel said with a smile.
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"The thing where you suddenly appeared behind those two men."
Daniel laughed.
"I was actually holding back."
"Huh?"
Now Carol was even more confused.
"Wait... you’re saying that wasn’t even your top speed?"
"You’ll understand someday, Sis..."
Daniel grinned.
"I’m a little different from ordinary people."
"Like this."
He casually raised the handgun he had taken from the robbers.
Then, in front of Carol’s eyes, he squeezed.
Crunch...
The metal handgun crumpled like soft clay.
Within seconds, it had been compressed into a twisted ball of scrap metal.
Daniel casually tossed it into a nearby trash can.
"..."
Carol froze as she was completely stunned.
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