Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 109 Melissa's Trouble
Two days later, Blackthorn Security Company.

"Captain, I'd like to ask for a day off on Lu Ze's behalf."

As soon as he entered the company, before he even had a chance to take off his coat, Klein hurriedly walked into the captain's office and said this to Dunn.

"Taking leave? What happened to Lu Ze?"

Dunn put down his pipe and said in surprise.

"Lu Ze is fine. It wasn't him, it was his sister."

Klein shook his head and said, "His sister Cecilia is that little girl we've all met. She seems to be targeted at school because she's too pretty, and she's upset and doesn't want to go to school."

However, it seemed a bit too coincidental that Klein had just discovered something was wrong with Luze and then immediately asked for leave. But he had performed divination on the gray fog several times, and the results all indicated that Luze was not out of control and everything around him was normal.

"Is someone bullying Cecilia?"

Dunn frowned. "Why didn't Lu Ze come to find me?"

"Well, it doesn't seem to have reached the point of bullying. Luze doesn't want to trouble the team with something like this," Klein sighed. "He's already asked for a week's leave from school for his sister, planning to stay home with her first, so he won't be coming today."

"Oh, I see. I understand."

After listening, Dunn nodded slightly. "Klein, you and Luzer are neighbors. Keep an eye on him. If he has any difficulties, let me know in time."

"Yes, Captain."

Klein thought with a touch of emotion, "The captain is a really good leader, even though he doesn't have much hair."
After saying goodbye to the captain and leaving the office, he thought of his younger sister.

Because of her love for mechanics, Melissa attends the local Tingen Technical School. She has two close female friends, which prevents her from being ostracized at school.

Speaking of which, she went to the shopping street with her friend today. A lady definitely needs to buy a nice dress and some nice jewelry before going to the theater. I think the money I gave her should be enough.
Standing in the brightly lit company lobby, the young night watchman suddenly felt a little worried.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"What do you mean?"

Down the street, in front of a shabby apartment building, Klein's sister, Melissa, was shouting angrily. Like Klein, she had black hair and brown eyes, and recently, thanks to better nutrition, her young face had gained a youthful glow.

A middle-aged woman sat slumped on the ground, her hair disheveled and her face streaked with tears.

Standing next to Melissa were two girls of the same age, her two friends, Selena and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was a girl with naturally curly brown hair and a chubby face, while Selena had burgundy hair. Neither of them seemed particularly brave; in fact, they appeared somewhat frightened.

Because they were surrounded by a circle of rude men.

These men were disheveled and had a savage air about them. Even when Melissa berated them, they just chuckled and didn't seem to care about the three young girls at all. Clearly, they were street thugs and hooligans.

“Girl, I’ve already said it, Mrs. Rocher owes me money, and it’s only right that I pay her back.”

The leader of the scoundrels, utterly lacking in manners, spat and pointed to a bloody mark on his hand. "You wanted to stand up for me, and you ended up hurting me. Fine, give me back the money this old bastard owes us, plus my medical bills, a total of 5 pounds. If you don't want that, you three young ladies can keep us company and have some fun."

Upon hearing their leader's words, the group of thugs burst into laughter, their voices filled with unbridled joy. Their gazes toward the three girls became increasingly lewd, constantly glancing at their young and vibrant bodies.

The people in the nearby slums just watched in fear, none of them daring to step forward to help the three frail little girls. Melissa gritted her teeth, her heart filled with regret.

It's all my fault for being so reckless, which led me and my friend into danger.
To save money and to help her former neighbor, Melissa entrusted the making of the dress to Mrs. Rocher, her neighbor on Lower Street. Mrs. Rocher was a poor but highly skilled seamstress. Mrs. Rocher had already successfully made a dress for Melissa once, and it turned out very well.

So this time, in order to go to the show, she used the money her brother had given her to ask this lady for help again. Originally, she planned to go shopping with two friends after ordering the goods, but unexpectedly, they encountered a group of thugs who came to collect debts from Mrs. Rocher.

Mrs. Rocher owed the thugs nothing, yet they relentlessly extorted money from her using shady tactics. Melissa, acting out of a sense of justice, stepped in to stop them, but accidentally injured the leader's hand, which led to her being extorted as well.

"Let us leave, but don't cause any more trouble for Mrs. Rocher!"

Melissa tried to make her tone firm, "I'm warning you, my brother's company has connections with the Tingen City Police Department. If you don't want trouble, you'd better leave now!"

"Really? That's terrifying, hahaha!"

Although Melissa was telling the whole truth, the thugs didn't believe her at all. They all winked and pretended to be scared, then burst into laughter.

They slowly tightened their encirclement, their smiles growing increasingly brazen. The three girls were forced to retreat, soon finding themselves in a deserted alley. The exit was blocked, leaving only the group of thugs and the three of them.

"Get out of my way! What do you think you're doing!"

Melissa could feel her two friends trembling. She was terrified, but she mustered her courage and snapped at them, "We're calling the police! You'll both go to jail!"

"Little girl, I have some good news to tell you."

The leader chuckled and said, "This is the lower street; it's normal for a few people to go missing every day. Even if the police come, they won't be very dedicated. If you behave yourselves, we'll have our fun, and maybe we'll be kind enough to let you off the hook."

As he spoke, his hands, stained with wine and mud, reached out towards the three girls' brightly colored skirts.

Klein.
Melissa clutched the amulet her brother had carved for her, her heart filled with despair.

"Melissa? What are you doing here?"

Just then, a somewhat familiar voice rang out from outside the alley.

Melissa couldn't help but look up, and over the shoulders of a few thugs, she saw the excessively beautiful face of her neighbor Cecilia Rondor, who lived on the same street.

Her brother and her own brother both work at the same company, but because they go to different schools, they rarely interact, only exchanging a greeting occasionally when they bump into each other in front of their doors. However, this neighbor's strikingly beautiful appearance left a deep impression on her.

Although I don't know why Cecilia is in the lower town, I'm saved!
"Run! Call the police! Help us!"

Realizing what was happening, Melissa immediately shouted. If Cecilia were caught too, this only chance would truly be gone!

"Catch her."

When the leader saw that someone had interrupted his good deed, and that it was a delicate and beautiful young girl, his eyes lit up and he beckoned to his subordinates.

Melissa watched in despair as Cecilia stood frozen in place, seemingly terrified, watching as several thugs surrounded her.

However, in the next second, all the men suddenly clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground.

(End of this chapter)