One of the men noticed Ren's presence. He turned his head, raised his lantern, and shone its light on Ren's face. His two friends also stared intently.
"Excuse me, are there any casualties? And did you see the perpetrator?" Ren stopped in his tracks. The three exchanged glances before one of them—a man wearing a bowler hat with long black hair tied neatly—stepped forward.
"I didn't see him," he replied. "But there was an old woman who witnessed the incident." He pointed behind him.
In front of the blue tent, there were three people inside: an old woman, an injured man, and a resident who was trying to stop the bleeding from the stab wound in the victim's stomach.
The old woman had indeed seen the perpetrator, saying that a man in a black robe with a cloth covering part of his face had suddenly stabbed the victim.
She also witnessed several merchants being taken away to some place, one of whom was her son.
An hour ago...
The old woman's shrill screams broke the peaceful afternoon atmosphere. She hoped that someone would hear her and save the victim before it was too late.
Realising that their actions had been discovered, and with the sun about to set, the group in cloaks quickly left the square, taking several hostages with them, including Zavi's mother.
---
Elsewhere, not far from the square, two men were about to open the door of their house after returning from a bar. They were startled by the appearance of a group of robed men walking past their house.
The two men froze. They saw drops of blood on the road to their right and realised that the blood came from the hands of a woman wearing a blue apron who was tied up.
They imagined what the group had done to the hostages who had been tied up one after another. Without thinking twice, one of the men immediately pulled a pistol from his coat pocket and pointed it at the head of a cloaked man near him.
However, his target seemed to have known his intention. He turned quickly, glaring at the gunman with a grin, before lunging towards him.
Hush—
With one movement. The man suddenly felt a cold stab on the left side of his neck. His body froze, his mind went blank, and fresh blood flowed down his suit collar, dripping onto the rocks and forming a small puddle on the ground.
Shock and pain caused him to lose control, his fingers reflexively pulling the trigger.
Bang!
The cloaked man reflexively dodged, taking two steps back, and the sound of shattering glass followed. The streetlight behind him exploded, sparks scattering everywhere and piercing his back.
"Aarrgh!" the man screamed before the pistol slipped from his grasp.
His friend who saw this was stunned. He grabbed the fallen gun, intending to retaliate. But before he could shoot, a shout from behind ordered him to stop.
The man turned around, and the group in cloaks immediately fled when they saw a number of people approaching. He obeyed the residents' orders to stop, choosing to save his friend who was lying beneath him.
---
Ren glanced at the blue tent. "An old woman, huh? All right, thank you for the information, sir." After saying that, he turned and walked towards Zavi.
He still watched his younger brother kneel with both hands covering his face, guilt in his mind.
"How long are you going to stay like this, huh?" he asked. "Let's move, I've found the elderly witness," he said coldly.
Zavi looked up, and the two exchanged glances. Two seconds later, he finally stood up. Ren nodded, motioning for him to follow immediately.
The two walked towards the blue tent to meet the old woman who knew about or witnessed the riot in the town square.
Beside the blue tent lay crushed fruit and two damaged carts. Ren glanced at them before pushing aside the tent and entering, followed by Zavi from behind.
An old woman sat on a wooden chair. On the bed next to her lay a man covered in cold sweat.
Another person turned, stood up to greet them both, and asked why they had come.
"Are you family of this victim?" he asked, pointing to the man lying limply.
Ren shook his head, continuing to walk towards the old woman on the left.
"Sorry to bother you," he said softly. "Did you see who caused this damage?" he asked hopefully.
The old woman stared sharply at Ren's face before saying, "Yes, I saw them... Many people, not just one. About six people, each wearing black robes and with part of their faces covered."
"Ugh, that person again," he thought to himself. "Thank you for the information," Ren whispered. He signalled to his sister to follow him immediately.
Both of them came out of the tent. Meanwhile, the man who had previously spoken to Ren looked confused and approached the old woman.
"Is she a relative of yours, ma'am?" he asked in surprise.
The old woman did not say a word, and the atmosphere inside the tent suddenly became tense, but it eased immediately when three residents entered the tent. The tent flap closed, then reopened a few seconds later when two more people entered with anxious expressions on their faces.
"This is serious. Get out of here quickly! Take the injured person to a safe place, along with this old woman," said one of them in a panicked tone.
"What's going on, Yatsh?" asked one of the three villagers who had just entered.
"Don't talk so much, hurry up and take them away!" he said sharply.
They rushed out of the tent without being told what was actually happening. The old woman stood there confused, and in the end, one of the villagers took her away from the square as quickly as possible.
The crowd of villagers returned to their homes, urging their families to flee and seek shelter.
Earlier, when Ren and Zavi were still inside the tent, there was a male officer guarding the square who informed them that there would be a massive explosion there.
The residents immediately believed him because the guard was very friendly and trustworthy, having served for more than eight years.
Those who lived near the town square rushed out of their homes, carrying useful and important items, with lanterns lighting up the streets.
Meanwhile, the two of them had already run dozens of metres from the square, heading towards the Forgenate district, searching for the group of robed men.