My action shocked everyone. In this bar with over a hundred people present, I alone actually dared to challenge so many - wasn't this like lighting a fire in a haystack, asking for death?
At that moment, there was a snap and the lights immediately dimmed as people slowly approached me one after another, surrounding me completely.
"Roger, are you crazy? Trying to get yourself killed? I don't care what happens to you!" Harper shouted before suddenly biting my hand, attempting to escape in the confusion.
But when her teeth sank into my flesh, I didn't even blink. She froze with her mouth full of blood, staring at me in shock as I stubbornly refused to let go.
"You... you're really insane?" Harper's eyes took on a complicated expression as she looked at me.
I gave a bitter laugh. "I told you - I'm not letting you go until Stella gets back. No matter what happens, I won't release you."
"Beat him up!"
"Throw this bastard out!"
"Break his legs and make him crawl from the bar!"
The crowd began raising bottles and shouting threats while the two security guards swung their electric batons directly at me.
With one hand holding Harper, my movements were restricted. After dodging two or three attacks, I realized I had to act decisively - if those batons connected, the crowd would surely join in with bottle attacks, and I'd be done for.
As the guards closed in, I swiftly pulled out my tattoo needle and shot it with lightning speed.
Two faint whooshes cut through the air. In the dim light, no one saw what happened before both guards collapsed, foaming at the mouth and motionless.
Complete silence fell over the room. Everyone stood frozen, stunned, unable to comprehend how I'd taken down the guards.
In the sudden quiet, I heard someone whisper: "Go get the owner - something's wrong here." Footsteps hurried away through the crowd.
Seizing the moment of confusion, I tried dragging Harper toward the exit. But she fought stubbornly - kicking, biting, refusing to cooperate. I couldn't even lift her properly. Her wild resistance made me wonder what had happened to her these past five days to make her like this.
With no other options, I realized I'd have to knock her out to carry her away safely - before the crowd recovered from their shock and turned on me.
But the moment I tried to strike, I suddenly saw dark, ethereal light floating out from Harper's body. A gust of wind blew her hair upward, her face grew furry, and three large, thick tails appeared floating behind her.
This sudden transformation startled me, but in the blink of an eye, Harper returned to normal, making everything that had just happened seem like an illusion.
Was the light too dim? Had I seen wrong?
Just then, the crowd snapped out of their shock. Though I'd knocked down two security guards, there were still over a hundred people here. Even excluding the women, dozens remained who could easily beat me to death - what did they have to fear?
Realizing this, they raised their bottles toward me. I quickly kicked over chairs for cover as several bottles shattered against the floor with loud thuds.
A few men rushed forward. I swept them all down, but it was pointless - for every one I knocked over, more came charging.
At that moment, a tall figure burst through the crowd, positioning himself before me and swinging a massive fist with tremendous force.
I watched as a young man went flying - along with two teeth - landing over ten feet away and knocking down several others, blood pouring from his mouth.
Antonio had arrived!
"Mr. Roger, are you okay?" he asked, turning his head slightly.
Antonio was different from me - this man was tall, ruthless, and radiated killing intent. His glare alone could terrify ordinary people.
"Fine. Minor problem," I replied. The only bleeding wound came from Harper's bite. This girl had no manners - I had to take her back tonight. If not for me, that middle-aged man would have devoured her already.
"From now on, I'll be your opponent," Antonio announced, cracking his knuckles. "Do you want to come together or one by one?"
Facing about a hundred people, Antonio showed no fear. His entire body emitted a terrifying murderous aura that made those hooligans hesitate to approach.
"Quit pretending! We can all just smash him with bottles!" someone shouted from the crowd. Others joined in, and instantly, bottles came flying toward Antonio.
Antonio swung both fists, smashing some bottles midair while others struck his body with dull thuds, drenching him in alcohol.
About a dozen bottles hit him, drawing blood where they landed, until finally the barrage stopped.
Antonio's mouth curled into a cold smile as he licked some blood and alcohol from his lips, his expression turning icy.
"My turn!" he growled, then lunged at the crowd like a wild beast.
This crowd of fools was so terrified they forgot to fight back. When one person turned to flee, the others immediately followed. The scene became absurdly comical - a single man chasing dozens while they scrambled away in panic.
Truthfully, they had just met Harper - why would they risk fighting Antonio for her? And how many truly righteous people frequent these bars anyway? They were just joining the mob mentality. When their lives were actually threatened, they ran faster than anyone, completely forgetting about Harper.
The quickest runners had already disappeared. Those who were slower found themselves caught by Antonio's fists.
Antonio's strength was no joke - one punch from him could last you a lifetime. Several people went flying through the air in 360-degree spins before crashing down. A couple even soared all the way to the bar counter before tumbling back down.
A few tried to resist, picking up stools to swing at Antonio. But he simply turned and kicked - sending both stool and attacker flying. The stools shattered while the men collapsed unconscious, mouths bleeding.
Chaos erupted throughout the bar. The DJ, seeing the situation deteriorate, quickly pulled out her phone to call the police. But I shot a tattoo needle into her hand, causing her to drop the phone instantly. The screen shattered upon impact as the needle struck her numbing tendon, leaving her unable to grip anything.
Terrified in the dim lighting and unaware who had attacked her, the DJ abandoned her phone completely and fled.
When the dust settled, the bar was in complete disarray. People lay scattered across the floor - some unconscious, others injured... Fuck, am I going to be stuck paying all these medical bills?
Damn it, this is turning into a huge loss. I should've known better than to let Antonio go all out.