Damian shook his left hand and said to the remaining two,
“Wouldn't it be easier if you obediently handed over my wallet, or maybe you could all attack me at once?”
The man with the missing teeth and the man in the straw hat exchanged a look at each other, then, as Damian suggested, they pounced on him at the same time.
“What the hell is this guy saying?!”
"died!".
The man with missing teeth took out a pocket knife from his waist and waved it threateningly.
This time, Liliana couldn't help but scream.
But Damian calmly dodged the knife and turned his body.
The man in the straw hat behind him waved his fist at Damian.
Damian instinctively tried to block the blow with his right hand, but forgot that he didn't have one, and ended up getting punched in the face.
"Damian!"
Liliana screamed, but Damian, who had stumbled for a moment, quickly regained his balance before the two men could launch another attack.
He then kicked the man in the straw hat who had punched him, directly in the jaw.
The man, bleeding from his mouth as if he had bitten his tongue, staggered and fell unconscious next to his two fallen comrades after Damian struck a pressure point at the back of his neck with a knife-handed strike.
“You bastard!”
The only remaining man, holding his pocket knife, pounced on Damian again with a venomous expression.
But his stabs missed Damian every time.
After dodging a few blows, Damian dropped the man, twisted his wrist, and disarmed him.
Then he stepped on the man's neck, pinning him to the ground, took out his gun from his waist, and pressed the muzzle of the gun to the man's temple.
"Don't move".
"Eek?
Eek?!"
It was not just the man who was terrified by the gun's sudden appearance.
Liliana, who was watching the scene unfold, was also stunned.
"Damian?
Hey, Damian?
Where did you get that gun?"
Ignoring Liliana's questions, Damian stared at the faint man with a fierce look in his eyes and said,
"I'll give you one chance.
I'll count to five.
In that time, hand over my wallet, gather your friends, and get out of my sight.
Or I'll shoot you.
One."
"Yes!
Yes, yes!
I will!
Please save my life, sir!"
"Damian?
Hey, calm down for a second, Damian!"
Liliana jumped from foot to foot, trying to stop Damian, but he wouldn't budge.
"I told you I'd give you a chance.
Two."
"Wow!
Wow!
Sir, please save me!"
"If you want to live, just do as I say.
Three."
“But you have to let me go so I can do anything!”
In fact, Damian was pressing the man with his leg, preventing him from moving.
How could he return the wallet and leave in this case?
Damian's warning was illogical.
But Damian continued to count in a cold voice.
"What is this?
Why aren't you moving?
Do you want to die?
Four."
Damian's rude words caused the toothless man's face to turn pale.
He has lived in the back alleys for a long time and met many bad people.
He knew the look in Damian's eyes all too well.
He's killed this man before.
The idea was strong that he would die here if he did nothing.
This guy could have easily shot him.
The man trembled and pleaded.
"Ah!
Sir!
I have sinned!
Sir!
Please have mercy on me!
Sir!
If you let me go, I will disappear now!
Sir!"
"Damian, stop!
You're not really going to shoot, are you?
Ha!"
Liliana grabbed Damian's arm.
"five".
Damian, having finally reached number five, pulled the pistol's trigger without a moment's hesitation.
Clank.
“Eek!”
“Ah!”
Liliana closed her eyes and screamed, and the man let out a scream, his face was pale, and then he fainted in terror.
Damian snorted and slowly stood up.
Instead of his gun firing loudly, it only made a sound once when the hammer struck an empty chamber.
Liliana carefully opened her eyes after covering her ears in case she heard a gunshot, but she did not hear any explosion.
She saw Damien and the unconscious pickpocket man.
The man Damien threatened was lying on the ground, his pants soaked in urine, but without a single drop of blood.
Liliana asked, trembling.
“Is he...dead?”
Damien, who was standing and dusting off his clothes, showed her the empty cylinder.
"He's alive.
I didn't load him with ammunition; I just pulled the trigger.
He fainted from fear.
There were no bullets to begin with."
Liliana nodded with her eyes as she understood the situation, then stammered.
“You mean the gun was empty?
So what's up with the threat of shooting?”
"It was just a trick.
I didn't expect him to faint, but it worked in the end."
“How did it work so well?!”
Liliana screamed, tears filling her eyes, and her body was trembling.
“Do you know how scared I was?!
You got into a fight, and pulled out a gun!
That guy had a knife, and you were clearly at a disadvantage, but you kept provoking them!
I was so worried about what might happen to you!”
“Oh…”
Damian scratched his head, feeling reprimanded.
Liliana's fear and protest were more intense than he expected, and he was a little confused.
He began to explain himself, trying to calm her down.
"But I was confident that I could defeat them all even if they attacked me at once.
I was beaten once because I forgot that I didn't have my right arm, but in the end, I took them all down, right?
I'm someone who survived after jumping into the middle of enemy lines alone, where dozens of enemies were waiting.
The situation wasn't that dangerous."
Liliana looked at Damian's handsome face, which was beginning to turn bruised, with a worried expression, then pointed to the gun in his hand and asked,
“Why did you have a gun?”
"I brought it in case something like this happens.
Usually things are resolved with a weapon faster than just words."
“You mean you were carrying a weapon without telling me?!”
"Don't worry.
I've never had a loaded gun, and I have a proper gun license.
I didn't threaten them with the gun to begin with; it was a last resort because they wouldn't listen to me.
Besides, even if I fired, it would have been self-defense because he pulled a knife on me.
And I wouldn't have been arrested."
Damian's indifferent attitude, devoid of any guilt, made Liliana feel dizzy, and she stumbled a little.
Meanwhile, Damian searched the unconscious thief's belongings and confiscated Liliana's wallet along with three other belongings.
“These men seem to be repeat offenders.
Let's report them to the police.
And Liliana, you need to return the bike to its owner.”
“I feel like you've shaved ten years off my life.”
Liliana groaned.
While Damian watched the unconscious pickpockets, Liliana, still shaking, went to find a payphone and called the police.
They handed the pickpockets over to the police, who arrived immediately in response to Liliana's call.
After Liliana apologized and returned the bike to its owner, the incident was settled for the time being.
***
"Oh!"
Damian's face scrunched up at the feeling of coldness on his cheek.
Liliana held an ice pack wrapped in a handkerchief to his bruised cheek, scolding him.
"Stay still.
We need to reduce the swelling."
They ended up near Central Park while chasing the pickpocket, so they entered the park and sat down on the grass.
Liliana had bought ointment and ice from a pharmacy and was treating Damian's injuries.