Chapter 247: The Bloodline Rangers Arrive
Three men had burst through the front doors with a loud crash, stepping confidently into the room as if the chaos already brewing was merely a welcome party. Each of them wore the same sleek jacket, midnight black and unmistakably tailored for more than fashion. Yet there was one subtle distinction: the color of the lining on the inside of their jackets.
Out of all of them, one man stood out immediately, the one whose inner lining shimmered silver beneath the overhead lights. He was clearly the leader, and he stepped forward with effortless calm, commanding the room without saying a word.
"What is happening today?!" the manager shouted, his voice already strained. "Did everyone take a crazy pill this morning?!"
As if on cue, the kitchen doors swung open behind the bar, and a new wave of tension washed over the room. The kitchen staff emerged, still dressed in crisp white uniforms, but in their hands, they held long, sharp kitchen knives.
Just as Max and Dud had suspected, the staff weren’t ordinary chefs, they were Black Hounds.
"I know Max gets himself into some really, really dangerous situations," Joe muttered under his breath, "but this... isn’t this a little too dangerous?"
Steven, standing beside him, gave a wary nod. "We half-expected this. After all, Max called everyone he could before coming here. He knew what might go down."
Joe’s heart pounded in his chest. These weren’t just school delinquents carrying bats or pipes, these were fully grown adults, broad-shouldered and heavy-handed. Some of them were just as big as Steven. And those blades they held? They weren’t bluffing. If Joe were stabbed, he wasn’t sure he’d even make it to a hospital.
From above, Max watched everything unfold. He let out a breath of relief as he recognized the silver-lining jacket. Earlier, he’d seen the message confirming they were en route. And now, they were finally here.
Despite all the unknowns, despite all the unpredictable elements of this operation, Max had always believed it would come down to one thing: fighting.