The Invincible Arthur Gardner novel Chapter 34

Arthur was shoved into the corner of the building near the garbage dump, far away from the main road, by five men who had a delinquent air about them. He hadn't followed them there on purpose, but when they had surrounded him and started pushing him away from the crowd, he had simply tried to avoid contact with them. Besides, he was accustomed to dealing with people like that.

"I don't have much time," Arthur said quietly, his expression remaining tranquil and unruffled despite the presence of the five people. "So, I hope you all will be able to leave shortly."

The five men in front of Arthur noticed him at the gadget store earlier, where he had purchased a few items totaling tens of thousands of dollars, and now he was walking alone. "He's definitely wealthy!" one of them murmured.

"He must be rich and stupid," one of the men scoffed. "Do you feel safe carrying that much money around by yourself?"

"Give us the bag you brought with you," the man said sternly, "and we'll let you leave unharmed."

Arthur drew in a deep breath, absorbing the five people in front of him. His eyes were drawn to the man in the middle, who he assumed was the leader of the group. He could tell by the way he carried himself. And his name was Deacon.

"Why aren't you scared of us?" Deacon inquired, his voice tinged with annoyance. "Do you think this is all a big joke? Or maybe because you have money, you think you're untouchable?"

Arthur shook his head and said, "No, not really. I'm all too familiar with people like you, and I'm used to being beaten up by the likes of you. But that doesn't mean I have to be scared of you, does it? Especially when you don't recognize the repercussions of your actions."

Deacon, the leader of the five, stepped up to Arthur and pushed him against the wall. "Listen here," he growled, his face contorted in rage, "you pompous, rich man."

"I'll rip out your tongue for your filthy words. You can only stuff your face and use your money to oppress the poor." he snarled as he attempted to shove Arthur's shoulder; however, Arthur was far too strong for him to budge.

Living without a job in that city was incredibly difficult, so those who found themselves in that situation could only rely on the kindness of strangers for aid. In desperation, some even resort to stealing and attacking anyone they come across.

Deacon punched the wall right beside Arthur's face, and then he snarled menacingly, "I'm gonna take all your stuff. I'm gonna beat you so bad that you'll either have to spend a fortune on medical bills or else you'll end up disabled. But, hey, are you even a wealthy person? I've never seen a wealthy person walking around alone like you. Did you steal the money?"

"Let's just beat him and take away the bag he brought," one of them suggested.

The others guffawed in agreement, chorusing, "He was only trying to look brave to hide his fear, hahaha!"

Deacon then spat in Arthur's direction, but Arthur had swift reflexes and managed to tilt his head just in time, so the spit missed his face.

Arthur could easily overpower five people standing before him, but he was debating internally whether there was a better solution than violence that would prevent them from continuing their criminal activity. Was there still a possibility of redemption and atonement for these individuals, or did they not deserve to be forgiven?

He had encountered far too many rotten humans, from the lowest rungs of the city's social ladder to its loftiest heights. The lower classes tried to rob others, while the wealthy used their money to buy favor from the less privileged and oppress them.

In Arthur's eyes, both factions of people appeared to be the same. He even asked himself, musing, "Are there any good people left in this city?"