With that, the day’s lessons continued as usual, and soon the final class came to an end. Jeff began packing up his notes and neatly arranging them into his bag, preparing to head home so he could continue working on improving RAZi. Just as he was about to leave the classroom, Ryan walked up to his side with a friendly smile. "Hey, Jeff, do you want to come with us to Central Heights High School? You are free today, right?" Ryan asked, while inviting him in the process. Jeff’s eyes widened slightly, though not in a way that was too obvious, as he asked calmly, "Is there an event there?" "Nah, there is none," Ryan replied, shaking his head. "Glen was planning to go there to meet with his girlfriend, so I thought, why not go together? That is why I wanted to invite you. After all, out of everyone in the class, only you and Mark rarely hang out with the rest of us. So, what do you say?" Ryan’s invitation was lively as he waited for his answer, since not only Jeff was their but also Mark besides him who was also contemplating. After thinking for a moment, Jeff finally asked, "But isn’t it dangerous? I heard that school has a lot of troublemaker students. What if we get beat up?" What he asked was not an understatement or wrong at all, since that particular school had a reputation for being filled with unruly students. He had often heard stories about how almost every day there was some sort of fight breaking out, making the place anything but peaceful because of the endless brawls between groups of students. Many public schools in the Philippines had their share of problems, and that school was no exception. In fact, its name often carried a sense of notoriety. Jeff had even come across some rumors that one student had once stabbed another during a heated conflict. However, the story had not been widely reported, so no one truly knew if it was factual or just a rumor that spread quietly among the students. "Don’t tell me you are actually afraid? Hahaha!" Ryan burst out laughing so hard that tears began to gather at the corners of his eyes. "Don’t worry about that. As long as I am around, those bastards will not dare do anything," Ryan declared boldly, even pointing to himself with a proud expression as if he were some kind of a scary guy Seeing just how confident Ryan appeared, Jeff narrowed his eyes with a doubtful look. "How so?" he asked, wanting to know what exactly made Ryan so sure of himself. Ryan just giggled as he casually reclined, resting one arm across his shoulder, before leaning closer to whisper in a low voice. "This is a secret, so keep it to yourself. If you really want to know, my father is part of a gang, and his position there is far from low. If anyone ever tries to mess with me, they will have to think twice, because dealing with me is the same as asking to be thrown into a hospital. So don’t worry about your safety. As long as you are on my side, they will never even be able to lay a finger on you, not even a single strand of your hair," he said with confidence, leaning back afterward and giving Jeff a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Hearing Ryan’s answer, Jeff was taken by surprise. He never had expected that Ryan actually came from a gang family. Even back in his first life, he had never known about this hidden background. However, as he thought about it, a faint memory came back to him. He remembered the time when he had once visited Ryan’s house. The place was filled with weapons, shelves stocked with guns and knives that stood out too much to ignore. What made it even more unsettling was the image of Ryan’s father, a large man with a massive tiger tattoo stretched across his arm, calmly sitting in the living room while cleaning a gun as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩 Just that scene alone should have been enough for him to grow suspicious, but at that time he was not particularly curious and had simply brushed it aside without giving it any further thought. "Then I’ll go. What about you, Mark?" Jeff asked. "Sure, I’ll come as well. If I go home right now, my father will only give me endless chores to do," Mark replied with a heavy sigh. "I see. Then it’s settled, Ryan the two of us we’ll go," Jeff said as he turned back toward Ryan. "That’s great!" Ryan responded with enthusiasm. Ryan then went around to invite the rest of their classmates to join. He first tried to convince Lester, but Lester declined since he already had plans to spend time with his girlfriend. After that, he asked Andre, yet Andre also turned him down, saying that he was going out to hunt for some new chix instead. In the end, the team was only composed of four members Jeff, Mark, Ryan, and Glenn. Once everyone had agreed, they began to prepare and set out together. Since Jeff did not own a vehicle of his own, he decided not to ride on a public transportation. Instead, he hopped onto the back of Mark’s motorcycle, which is a Raider 150. The motorbike was well known in their town, admired not only for its impressive speed but also for its stylish design. It was even considered a status symbol, if people seen you have one you must be rich. Since its price was much higher compared to the usual motorcycles in the area. As Jeff settled himself on the seat behind Mark, the sound of engines roared to life. Ryan and Glenn, who each had their own motorcycles, rolled out beside them, forming a small convoy as they headed off together. Across the street from the school, a tall man wearing a dark jacket stood silently, his piercing gaze fixed directly on Jeff’s back. He did not move or say a word, yet his presence alone carried a weight that was hard to ignore. The student feeling an ominous aura around him, just went around him. The man’s eyes followed them unblinking, until their figures slowly shrank into the distance. While riding on the back of Mark’s motor, Jeff suddenly felt an inexplicable chill creep through him. A faint shiver ran down his spine but he quickly brushed it aside, convincing himself that it was nothing more than a sudden gust of cold air. 1st: Special thanks to ’Essos👑’ – the GOAT of the month, for both the rewarding gifts and golden tickets! Much love, brotha! 2nd: Special shoutout to ’Shawn_Martz👑’ – The same GOAT of this month, for all the amazing gifts! You’re absolutely RAD! 3rd: Big thanks to ’Pat_funding👑’ for the unwavering support since the very start of my journey and for the golden tickets and gifts!