Arthur wasted no time searching for the woman, but no matter where he looked, the three of them had disappeared without a trace, as if they'd vanished into thin air. Just as frustration was setting in, a faint cry for help caught his attention. He immediately rushed toward the sound. In a narrow alley, he finally spotted them. The two men had backed the woman into a corner and were trying to wrestle her bag from her hands. She clung to it with all her strength—it was obvious the bag meant a lot to her. Her desperate cries for help rang out through the alley, the very voice that had reached Arthur moments earlier. Without a second thought, Arthur charged forward. The two men spun around at the sound of his footsteps, glaring at him with hostility. "Mind your own business and walk away," one of them snapped, his tone dripping with menace. The woman’s eyes locked onto Arthur. Without hesitation, she shouted, "Help me!" Seizing the moment while they were distracted, she gave the bag a forceful tug, ripping it back from their grasp. "Shut up!" one of the men barked. The woman shrank back, fear locking her in place. Arthur scoffed and stepped forward. "I'm not walking away," he said coolly. The two men gave him a puzzled look. They were both built like tanks, the kind of guys nobody wanted to mess with. Next to them, Arthur looked like nothing more than a wiry teenager. The men chuckled darkly, momentarily losing interest in the bag. "Kid, you barely look old enough to shave, and you think you can pull off the whole hero act?" one of them taunted. "Maybe go check the mirror before you get yourself hurt." "Yeah, you really think you—" The second guy never got to finish his sentence. Arthur moved. His kick came out of nowhere, slamming hard into them. They had been too close together to dodge. The first guy went down like a sack of bricks, and in the process, he knocked his partner over too. Arthur didn’t wait. He surged forward and slammed another vicious kick into them. This time, he put everything he had into it. The impact left them groaning on the ground, struggling but unable to get up. Arthur wasn’t about to give them a chance to recover. He pulled back his fist—huge and solid—and swung straight at their faces. The two men were wailing, pleading for him to stop. " Boss—no, sir—wait, man, please! Please don't hit us anymore! We’ll die at this rate!" "I'm sorry! I shouldn’t have messed with you! Please, no more—we give up!" Arthur saw they were completely beaten, unable to fight back. Only then did he step away. He straightened and turned to the woman, who was still standing there, stunned. "You okay?" he asked. "I... I'm fine," she said, though her voice was shaky. Brushing the dust off his clothes, Arthur glanced at her. "You're Ashley's friend, right? About that land earlier—appreciate you letting it go." He had noticed that she had her eye on it too. But the moment Ashley spoke up, she had backed off instead of bidding higher. While they were talking, the two burly men on the ground scrambled up, tripping over themselves as they sprinted out of the alley like their lives depended on it. Arthur instinctively started to go after them. The woman grabbed his arm. "Let them go." "But what if—" Arthur hesitated. He had no idea what those guys had been after. If they got away now, would they come back later? She shook her head. "I know who they are. There's no need to chase them." Since she seemed certain, Arthur let it drop. She was still rattled, but after a deep breath, she managed to steady herself. "I'm Ashley's friend. That land you bought today—it might turn out to be really valuable. You probably got yourself a great deal."As she spoke, she pulled off her crooked hat and mask, revealing a refined face that had clearly been well cared for. Her gaze turned serious as she said, "Thank you for helping me. What's inside this bag means a lot to me." Arthur rubbed the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. "It was nothing. I just happened to be there. No big deal." Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Oh yeah, my girlfriend's waiting for me. I should go. If you're okay, you should head home too." With that, he hurried off, flagging down a cab while dialing Ashley to let her know he was safe. He never noticed the woman behind him, watching him leave with a knowing smile. With the land deal finally taken care of, Arthur turned his attention to meeting Ashley’s parents. Ashley, on the other hand, had been lost in thought all day. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened at the auction. "Ashley… Ashley?" Arthur had to call her name a few times before she finally snapped back to reality. "Huh? What?"