Why the attackers struck, no one knew.
But as they finally left, they all, without exception, carried a girl in their arms.
This led everyone to the same thought, a piece of news they'd heard earlier: someone was auctioning off 'girls' as 'goods'.
The very idea sent shivers down the spine of the locals in Cherry City.
Yet for the parents who arrived from other cities as quickly as possible, it was different.
They gathered together.
They had been discussing.
They had been rational.
But when they heard that someone had rescued their own daughter, the familial affection buried within them erupted completely.
They became reckless.
They pulled out weapons from their vehicles.
They stormed towards the locations where their daughters might be.
Their weapons, mostly purchased after the disappearance of their daughters.
Even the most peaceful person couldn't help but buy a small self-defense pistol after such an event, just like its name: self-defense.
They needed to protect their family.
They didn't know if they would ever use these weapons.
But they carried them.
And at that moment...
The sounds of pistols and submachine guns intertwined.
Explosions followed one after another.
The once quiet, peaceful Cherry City turned into a battlefield at that time.
The people on this battlefield were not soldiers.
But they were more terrifying than any soldier.
They fought with reckless abandon!
To find their daughters, they had already forgotten everything else!
The guards for the wealthy and the Councilors were completely dumbfounded, never having imagined a skinny middle-aged man with thick glasses could sweep through with an AK, or that a chubby middle-aged woman could endlessly fire a shotgun at them.
The most exaggerated was an old man, trembling with age, who walked up to them, then took off his coat to reveal a tactical vest loaded with grenades underneath.
Anger filled their eyes.
Hate was written all over their faces.
From their mouths came a unified chant—
"Give me back my child!"
Voices were loud and forceful!
The stunned bodyguards shuddered.
As employees of the employers, they were aware of some of the employers' affairs.
They quickly realized who these people were.
A sense of guilt emerged.
And this made them hesitate.
Which caused them to lose their last chance.
The simple defenses of the mansions were breached one by one, and the parents burst into the houses, calling out their children's names.
Some received answers.
They cried tears of extreme joy.
Could no longer respond.
They were helplessly sorrowful.
They became even angrier.
They began to go... mad.
The gunfire intensified.
The explosions grew louder.
The streets of Cherry City had cleared at the onset of the gunfight.
At that moment, people were hiding in their homes, trembling.
However, at that time, a figure appeared on the streets.
He was dressed in a black, proper suit, his left hand holding a cane, which tapped against the ground, making a distinctive sound with each step.
On the occasionally raised right index finger, a ring set with a ruby glistened brilliantly.
He walked neither fast nor slow, as if strolling through the street, seemingly enjoying it.
He hummed softly to himself.
Then, suddenly, the humming came to an abrupt halt.
It turned into a chilling monologue—
"Make it more tragic!"
"You shall greet your... King with such lives!"
"Cherry City, your King has returned!"