"Rum, it’s okay. There’ll be more missions after this."
"Yeah. You still did a good thing."
Several prisoners tried to console the madman who had arrived ready for battle, only to discover that the fight was already over.
Now, Rum was crouched beside the bus, drawing circles in the dirt with the muzzle of his rifle.
Charm’s face twisted as he glanced at Gin, who had joined them in trying to cheer Rum up.
Nothing was working.
"This is all Red’s fault," Rum muttered darkly. "I’m going to kill him someday."
"Don’t bother with him anymore." Gin shook his head at Charm, who was still trying to help. "Once Tank or Red beats him up, he’ll be back to normal."
Charm opened and closed his mouth, completely at a loss for words. At this point, he wasn’t sure whether Rum was a sadist or a masochist.
What Gin had failed to explain was that Red or Tank would usually agree to spar with Rum whenever he needed to blow off steam.
For Rum, a good fight was still a good fight.
Meanwhile, Red shook his head as he watched the prisoners and Gin crowd around the sulking man.
"Is killing people more important to him than saving lives?" he grumbled. "Why is he like this?"
"If Rum ever becomes a villain, he’ll be terrifying," Rus commented as he joined them.
Nelek, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
Tank, on the other hand, looked up thoughtfully, wondering what sort of costume Rum would wear if he became a villain.
"Does he really go back to normal after someone beats him up?" Ashley asked, narrowing her eyes.
"No," Red looked at her. "It’s not about losing or winning. He snaps out of that mood once he gets enough destruction out of his system. Usually, a good fight is enough to distract him."
"Oh..." Ashley’s lips formed a small circle. "So he just needs a good distraction to get his mind off things?"
Red, Tank, Nelek, and Rus all turned toward her. Their eyes narrowed.
"What are you planning?" Red asked.
Ashley smiled brightly. "Let me try."
Before any of them could stop her, she skipped away.
"Rum!" she called cheerfully. "Rum, let’s fight!"
"Absolutely not." Red immediately shook his head. "Hey! Get back here! You’re not fighting anyone else tonight!"
Without thinking, he hurried after her, shouting all the way.
"Are they seriously going to fight?" Rus blurted.
Nelek instinctively turned toward Tank, only to see the man shrug.
"We’ve already been fighting all night," Rus sighed. "Why do they still want to fight?"
"Let’s pretend we don’t know them," Nelek muttered. "Someone still has to watch these prisoners. This is taking forever."
While Nelek, Rus, and Tank remained behind to oversee the captured soldiers, shouting erupted near the bus.
"Madam!" Gin screamed at the top of his lungs. "Have you lost your mind?!"
Ashley flinched. So did Charm and the prisoners gathered around Rum.
"This is not the time for this!"
Red nodded from behind Ashley. "He’s right. This is definitely not the time."
"You!" Rum roared the moment he heard Red’s voice.
He shot to his feet and glared at him. "This is all your fault! If you hadn’t ordered me to drive those people, Vodka and that damned Warriyo wouldn’t have treated me like their personal chauffeur!"
He stepped forward, looking ready to tear Red apart.
"I’m going to kill you."
"Before you kill him, let me try something first!" Ashley jumped between them and raised her hand. "I want a turn!"
"Madam!"
"Come on, Rum." Red crooked a finger at him. "I’ll give you the beating you’re asking for, you fucking idiot."
He cracked his neck. "Saving lives is more important than fighting. I’ll drill that lesson into your skull."
"If I wanted to save lives, I would’ve become a doctor!" Rum roared.
"Enough, both of you!" Gin shouted as he pushed himself between them.

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