Chapter 75: The Power Of A Real Gang
The weekend had finally come.
It was Saturday, the day Max had set for himself. He couldn’t delay it any longer. Things had become too dangerous.
The way life was now, he couldn’t live it how he wanted. Not how he needed to.
His body had mostly recovered from what happened at school. The soreness was gone, but he could still feel the spot where he’d been stabbed. His shoulder wasn’t at a hundred percent, but it was good enough for what needed to be done today.
He slipped into loose-fitting clothes and pulled on a small black sports jacket. He was tired of white, the color reminded him too much of his past.
I don’t want to wear red either... definitely not my lucky color. And I can’t exactly go out in a school uniform, either.
The issue was... nearly all of Max’s clothes were white school shirts. So, in the end, he had to wear one underneath the black jacket anyway.
As he went to leave his room, he found someone already standing just beside the door.
It might’ve startled anyone else, but Max had expected it.
"And how long have you been standing out there this time?" Max asked calmly.
"Just thirty minutes," Aron replied. "I needed to make sure no one was planning anything."
He stood firm, dressed and ready.
"I know you changed your mind about hiring that security team," Aron added, "but I still have the others watching over the woman for you."
"Good. I don’t want something else to worry about," Max said. "But once we’re done... get a proper security team to protect her. As soon as possible."
The two of them walked down the stairs and headed off into the street, making their way toward the train station.
What they didn’t know... was that the very person they were trying to protect was just down another street, hiding quietly behind a wall.
"That’s... that’s the man who was standing across from the school that day!" Abby whispered to herself, her eyes wide in shock. "But... what’s he doing with Max? And where are they going?"
Max and Aron continued side by side until they reached the area near the gym.
Steven, as usual, was already outside, wearing his signature red tracksuit.
When he spotted them, he casually tossed something in their direction.
Max caught it in one hand.
"That’s what you wanted, right? Some wraps?" Steven said. "I picked black for you. You know... plain and simple. You know how to use them?"
Max didn’t say a word. He had already unraveled the wraps and was tightening them around his hands.
In boxing, and most martial arts, fighters wrapped their hands in long cloth wraps. It helped strengthen the wrist so they could punch at full force without injuring themselves. It also offered protection for the knuckles.
Unlike gloves, there was no padding. If anything... wraps made it easier to hit harder, made it so his fists were more dangerous.
Once Max finished wrapping his hands, the three of them continued on, making their way to the train station.
It was a small local station, not particularly busy. Outside, only a handful of people lingered here and there. Even inside, the setup was simple: buy a ticket, walk straight onto the platform. Only two trains operated from this stop.
Standing just outside the entrance, leaning against the wall, was Joe. And of all things... he was wearing a green tracksuit.
"HAHAHA!" Steven burst out laughing the moment he saw him. "I can’t believe it! Did you want to get made fun of? You’re actually wearing green! Trying to embrace your inner Green Ranger for today or what?"
"Shut up!" Joe snapped, his face turning red. "My mum washed all my clothes for some reason, this was the only thing I had that was clean!"
"Oh, please ," he added, pointing a finger. "You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? Since all you own is that one ratty tracksuit. Do you even have the money to clean that thing?!"
The two of them were bickering as usual, which was honestly impressive considering how they managed to train together at all.
"It’s good the two of you are this energetic," Max said, stepping forward. "I wasn’t sure you’d show up today, knowing who we’re going up against."
He paused, his voice lowering slightly.
"If we fail... you might never have another peaceful day at school again."
Joe folded his arms.
"It’s okay... I guess I’ll just have to find out what it’s like being on the other end."
All of them walked inside the train station and waited near the ticketing area. Before long, the train pulled up, and a few passengers stepped off.
But the second the group of ten appeared, moving together in a tight, solid line, everyone else turned their heads.
Hands in pockets, eyes forward, they looked like a unit. Like a crew. And they stood out like a sore thumb.
Leading them, of course, was Wolf.
"It’s good to see you’re here," Wolf said with a smirk. "I was starting to think our payday might just be yanking our chain."
There were ten of them in total. With Max’s four, that made fourteen. They’d be going up against at least fifty people, maybe even more.
"So, are you ready for today?" Wolf asked. "You said these guys were serious, right? That they use weapons?"
"Wait, where are your weapons?" Joe asked, glancing at the group.
"You think we can just hop on a train into a new town carrying blades and bats?" Wolf scoffed. "Don’t be stupid."
"Anyway," he continued, "what about you? You need protection in all this? ’Cause if something happens to you... how the hell are we supposed to get paid?"
"If you’re as good as you think you are," Max said, turning his head with a confident glance, "then it’ll all work out, right?"
Without waiting for a reply, he turned back around and began walking.
Aron stepped in beside him, silent and focused. The rest of the group followed close behind, moving in unison.
They were heading to the location where Dipter was expected to be.
Even if we’re outnumbered, Max thought, it doesn’t matter. It’s time to show Dipter... how a real gang operates.