A calloused hand suddenly clamped down on Liam's shoulder. Before he could react, a powerful shove sent him stumbling sideways.
"Out of the way, you blind fool!"
The aggressive voice that followed was laced with disdain, drawing angry glares from the onlookers as Liam was shoved into the crowd surrounding a nearby table.
Flustered and humiliated, his face twisted in rage as he heard that mocking voice again. Turning, he roared, "You son of a–" but cut himself off abruptly when he saw who it was.
An entire line of burly men was passing by, many of them bearing large, prominent tattoos on their exposed arms. These rough-looking men, exuding an air of menace, were clearly part of the same group. As they headed towards the center of the hall, without exception, anyone in their path was unceremoniously shoved aside.
Liam was obviously not an exception. At the same time, his attention was drawn to the leader, a burly, chain-wearing thug.
He strode forward, shoving aside an uncooperative bystander with a swift kick that sent the man sprawling into the crowd.
With a disdainful sneer, the leader suddenly stopped, looked back at Liam, and doubled back toward him, "What did you just say?"
The thug, standing at least a head taller than Liam with thick, muscular arms straining against his black T-shirt, loomed over him like a bear. As he moved, his entourage of more than twenty men halted and directed their attention to the small area around Liam.
"I..." Swallowing hard, Liam bit back the angry retort that had nearly escaped him. He'd been in his share of confrontations, but this was on another level.
He glanced over at the poor bystander who was still clutching his stomach in pain. A quick scan of his surroundings revealed that about a dozen other bystanders were also encircling them, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Feeling suddenly cornered, Liam met the thug's gaze and instinctively took a step back. He thought in disbelief, 'How could they be so brazen in the casino?'
"It might have been a misunderstanding..." Liam murmured, his eyes flickering to the high school students he'd just been trying to impress.
They were all now staring wide-eyed, but cautiously from a distance. His shirt, still rumpled from the shove, felt tight against his sweating back.
Just moments ago, he had been the charming, confident man chatting up a beautiful student. Now, he was utterly humiliated in front of them, and a dark, angry flush creeped across his face.
"We should step back a bit," Olivia whispered to her classmates. She discretely assessed the twenty or so men who had gathered closer, her usually calm eyes now tinged with seriousness. She tugged on Diane and the class monitor's arms, her grip surprisingly firm, "Let's go..."
These thugs, who had barged into the casino and forced their way through the crowd, were clearly here for some unknown reason. But Olivia knew there was no reason for them to get involved.
They were just students on a field trip who had happened to end up in this city. The guy trying to flirt with them seemed to have found trouble, but it was best to leave this kind of situation to security. Olivia had heard stories of organized thugs like this who didn't hesitate to resort to violence.
Logan, a big boy, was miraculously guarded at the end because of his position. He watched Liam sweating coldly as he attempted to appease the gang leader with a spectator's curiosity. Logan also eyed the twenty or so black-clad men with intrigue.
This group of people were the ones who slammed open the casino door a few minutes ago. Others didn't know what happened just now, but Logan, who had been observing the surroundings, knew very well that when the other group of people was led into the private room by the casino manager, something happened.
Unexpectedly, they got into a quarrel with two equally burly security guards. After that, things quickly spiraled out of control. No matter how much the manager tried to persuade, he couldn't be the peacemaker. The leader even beat the manager and the two security guards personally before tossing them into the private room.
The group of thugs continued their march through the casino with even greater brazenness, their domineering presence creating ripples throughout the large hall.
Although the usual blend of raucous sounds filled the area, more and more patrons began noticing the disturbance. Starting from those near the private rooms, to those along the line of their forceful advance, a clear path was being carved through the crowd.
Around Logan and his classmates, the once bustling space had grown strangely empty as people drifted away.
Logan was being slowly dragged by the class monitor and the others, each inching carefully to distance themselves from the potentially dangerous scene.
"Logan, don't just stand there! Come on, hurry up..." Diane whispered urgently, clutching his wrist tightly. She moved with small, cautious steps, her eyes locked nervously on the gang leader as if any sudden movement might trigger him.
The group's instincts kicked in at once, and everyone knew to keep their distance from potential danger. Olivia and the class monitor both shot pleading looks at Logan, who caught sight of their anxious, 'ostrich-like' expressions.
Even the usually composed and confident Olivia looked a bit frightened. Amused, Logan couldn't help but smile, "Got it! These muscleheads must be from some gang, right? Let's make a break for it… oh, and that guy named Li something..."
"Forget him!" The class monitor cut him off. "As class monitor, it's my duty to prioritize the safety of my classmates!"
Logan silently gave her a thumbs-up for her flawless reasoning, falling in line with the group's cautious escape strategy.
Logan had a hunch about who these thugs were. They didn't seem to be from the Bear Head Gang, but rather a different faction from Napa's underworld.
Though he wasn't sure why they'd shown up at the casino, their confrontational demeanor hinted at some kind of conflict with the Bear Head Gang. This gang's antagonistic behavior seemed almost deliberate.
'It's good to have conflicts. I also have some minor financial 'disagreement' the Bear Head Gang. If things got chaotic, I might even be able to use it to my advantage.'
As for the unlucky young man in a suit, Liam, he'd unwittingly taken the brunt of the confrontation, giving Logan's group a safer buffer. Otherwise, it would have been Olivia and others who were pushed away.
But who made him have impure thoughts first? Bragging that he knows the casino's manager very well.
The disturbance was growing, and more than half the casino's patrons had fled. Logan dutifully followed Olivia and the girls, confident that their safety wasn't in jeopardy, as this group of thugs seemed to have a different goal in mind.
Logan figured that once the Bear Head Gang showed up to confront them, they'd have a clear path to make their exit. His only worry was about David and the others, whom he still hadn't seen.
Just when Logan and the others were about to sneak away, and one of the black-clad thugs suddenly glanced at them, and Logan's instincts kicked in. He remembered that setting flags was always risky.