NOVEL NEXT Chapter 71: Patrol Team
"I'll go ahead and check where the patrol team is; I'll find a way to buy you some time."
"Yes, yes! Boss, you hurry up and go; we'll hold them off here."
"Thank you for your vegetables, Boss! This is our way of showing gratitude!"
"Boss, you should go quickly; we'll take him to the hospital."
"Oh no! The patrol team is already here!"
"Damn! How did they get here so fast?"
A team of ten people, dressed in identical uniforms, came rushing over.
The leader had a stern face and was clearly a Level 3 ability user!
Those people who were holding cabbages and potatoes glanced at the aggressive patrol team and then at the solitary Kim Haru. They gritted their teeth and stepped directly in front of Kim Haru, placing themselves between him and the patrol team.
"Boss, hurry up and go! I'll help hold them off!"
Even if it was just for a moment, with the boss's abilities, he would surely be able to escape far away.
In the next instant, someone else stood beside him.
"I'm in too."
"I'll join!"
"And me."
"Count me in."
"Damn, even if I can't, what can the patrol team do against so many of us? Add me to the mix."
"If they want to touch such a good boss, they'll have to get through me first."
"Me too."
"And me."
"…"
Almost everyone who had bought vegetables from Kim Haru stepped forward.
Even those who hadn't managed to buy anything also stood up!
Kim Haru's vegetables represented hope for them in this apocalyptic world. They had been struggling to survive in the Fourth District, and who among them hadn't gradually become numb? After all, it was rare for such hope to appear; they didn't want, nor were they willing, to let that hope shatter so easily.
They hoped that affordable, non-lethal ingredients would once again become available, allowing them to afford them too.
For that, what did it matter if they got hurt once?
After all, they had long been fed up with the patrol team's antics!
The patrol team of the Fourth District learned about the incident at the market involving multiple injuries. Since they happened to be nearby, they arrived very quickly.
They considered that it might have been an escalation of haggling between vendors and customers, thought it could be desperate individuals trying to steal food, or even speculated that it might have been someone turning into a zombie after eating too much mutated vegetables.
Of course, they also wondered if that young master from Third District had come to stir up trouble again, but they never expected that the injured one would include him and his lackeys!
Seeing Yoo Wonduk rolling on the ground in such a pitiful state, even if the members of the Patrol Team felt deep down that he deserved it, they quickly rushed forward to get him to the hospital.
This man couldn't have any problems here.
As for the person who had harmed Yoo Wonduk to this extent, the patrol team definitely needed to take him away to show some accountability.
However, how could so many people come out to block their way?
The patrol team members were bewildered and stopped by the crowd.
What was going on with these people? Normally, when faced with any trouble, wouldn't they run away faster than rabbits? Had they taken the wrong medicine today, or were they under someone's control?
Baek Seongmin, the captain of the patrol team who was already a Level 3 ability user, became even more determined to capture the person responsible for all this upon seeing the scene.
Anyone who could easily incite so many ordinary people to confront the official patrol team, which included ability users, must be a dangerous individual!
Baek Seongmin scanned the crowd and locked onto a tall young man in the back.
Among the throngs of people in the Fourth District, this person's attire was remarkably clean and exuded a fresh aura, setting him apart from the patched and repeatedly washed clothing of others.
Then there was his hair. Though it appeared a bit messy and slightly longer than typical short hair—as if it hadn't been groomed or trimmed for a while—Baek Seongmin's keen senses, as a Level 3 ability user, suggested that this person had definitely washed his hair just a couple of days ago and had even used a shampoo that was becoming increasingly hard to find.
Even that disheveled look seemed less like neglect and more like a deliberately crafted style.
As Baek Seongmin observed Kim Haru, Kim Haru was also watching Baek Seongmin.
The two of them locked their eyes across the crowd.
This person is a bit dangerous.
Both Kim Haru and Baek Seongmin thought the same.
Kim Haru looked at the patrol team leader, who wore an expressionless face, his gaze steady and his demeanor imposing. Such a person, in anime or games, resembled someone with considerable skills.
No wonder everyone feared the patrol team so much.
Kim Haru felt that even if he had numerous customers standing up for him, they were no match for this patrol team leader; if the latter decided to act, it would undoubtedly take mere moments.
Kim Haru did not intend to let these customers suffer unnecessary harm for his sake. He vaguely sensed that the patrol team leader would not do anything to him.
Sure enough, after being obstructed a few times by the crowd, Baek Seongmin noticed that they wouldn't easily make way for him. His imposing aura suddenly intensified, and the chill of his Level 3 ice abilities rapidly spread from him as the ground began to freeze with a crackling sound. A blanket of white snow covered everyone's feet, spreading mercilessly over their bodies.
Anyone touched by the icy cold felt as if they had been frozen in place and could not move.
Baek Seongmin controlled the situation well, immobilizing everyone without causing any harm; they merely felt the cold.
With the crowd no longer obstructing him, Baek Seongmin turned his attention to Kim Haru. "Take him away."