Clara was on her usual patrol of her territory, checking for any scumbag Vagrants bullying others, helping out struggling elderly or children, and feeding some bread to a Hakimi she'd known for a while. But for some reason today, a group of black-clad strangers appeared in the Lower District, sneaking around suspiciously—clearly up to no good.
She had barely come over to see what was going on when a small-time lackey dragged her over.
"This is a kid from the Lower District? As expected of a poor place's riffraff—malnourished and underdeveloped at first glance."
Skott looked down at Clara, scoffing disdainfully before pulling out a long loaf of bread and waving it in front of her. "Kid, you take us to the Great Mine, and this bread is yours. Got it?"
Clara: ?
How long had it been since anyone in the entire Lower District dared to talk to her like that?
Was this sunglasses-wearing guy asking for a beating?
"Hey! Our boss is talking to you! Are you deaf?"
One of Skott's underlings, seeing Clara stay silent, decided to show off first. He poked her head. "What's with you, kid? Starved stupid or—"
Crack.
"Ow ow ow—ouch, ouch, it's gonna break, it's gonna break!"
Clara didn't even glance at him. She grabbed his finger and gave it a light squeeze, making the bold company employee scream in agony.
"So... what are you people doing here? Do you know the rules of the Lower District?"
"If you don't, let me educate you. In the Lower District, when you see me, Clara, you lower your head and behave."
Clara's voice was neither loud nor soft, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Gulp—
The other employees, seeing this, swallowed hard and retreated behind Skott. "Boss, this little girl looks terrifying!"
"Is the Lower District's vibe this hardcore?"
"If a random little girl is like this, what happens if we run into an adult guy? Are we gonna get beaten up?"
"My god, I'm not a lolicon, don't hit me!"
"..."
Skott's face darkened. "Little girl, I advise you not to be so reckless. Do you know who I am?"
Clara let out a "heh" and released her grip, stepping forward. "And do you know who I am?"
"Hmph, little girl, looks like you need a lesson."
Skott clenched his hand, and a long staff appeared. As an accomplished combatant, he always carried such a weapon.
Ever since the battle on the Xianzhou Luofu, Skott had trained tirelessly day and night, mastering the 'Lone Wolf Staff Technique' to perfection. His goal was to prove to the world that martial arts could triumph over raw power!
When martial arts reached its pinnacle, what did it matter if the opponent was a Vidyadhara High Elder? What did it matter if they could summon a water dragon? Supreme skill would overcome all!
Hard work would always defeat talent!
So... how could a mere little girl from a backward world stand in his way?
He would not lose again!
"Going all out to take down the enemy is the basic courtesy of war!"
Skott let out a battle cry and swung his staff at Clara—
Bang!
A heavy thud of flesh colliding rang out. Skott's pupils shrank as he realized his staff had been caught... single-handedly by this little girl!
Single-handedly?! How was this possible?!
How could a 1.23-meter-tall girl from a backward region of a backward planet have such terrifying strength?
"Hmph, looks like you still haven't faced reality..."
Clara's small hand gripped the staff tightly, her terrifying strength traveling through it to Skott's wrist, making it tremble uncontrollably.
"It's not me who provoked you—it's you who provoked me!"
Crack—
Clara suddenly exerted force, and with a crisp snap, Skott's staff was crushed barehanded—
Skott's expression shifted: confidence, surprise, shock, seriousness, solemnity, disbelief, terror.
In that moment, he seemed to see a humanoid beast! No, not just a beast—this was practically a humanoid freight train!
His staff was solid, mostly made of metal, yet it was crushed by a carbon-based lifeform with her bare hands?!
What kind of stats were these?!
This was practically superhuman!
In shock, despair, unwillingness, and fear, Skott was sent flying by the force transmitted through the staff, landing on the ground like a bullied little girl, sitting in a duck-like pose.
"Boss! This, this, this—what's going on here?!"
"Yeah, Boss, aren't you called the Black Monkey? How could you lose to a little girl?"
"I get it! Someone stole the boss's six roots! Brothers, I'll go catch the thief—you guys wait here!"
"..."
Skott roared, "What are you panicking for? We're company employees—act like it, don't embarrass us!"
"Call for backup, now!"
Snapped awake by Skott's reminder, the others scrambled to pull out a firework. "One piercing arrow, and a thousand troops will come!"
Whoosh—
The firework shot into the sky, exploding into a dazzling [Preservation] logo.
Thud thud, thud thud thud; thud thud, thud thud thud— (please imagine the Axe Gang background music)
A swarm of company employees, upon seeing the firework, dropped what they were doing and rushed over. In less than two minutes, the nearby streets were packed with company personnel, wielding high-tech weapons and glaring at Clara.
Clara herself, however, was unfazed.
"Brothers, it's this little girl—she just attacked our boss! Let's take her down together!" one of Skott's lackeys shouted.
"Some little girl dares to ambush our leader? Eat my—"
Bang!
An eager young employee, not even grasping the situation, charged forward—only to be knocked out cold with a single slap from Clara.
Clara stepped on the head of the unconscious employee, surveying the crowd with a commanding presence. "Anyone—else?!"
"Trying to outnumber your Sister Clara, huh?"
Clara sneered and snapped her fingers. The next moment, the ground seemed to tremble—
Boom boom boom...
A swarm of drone soldiers, like crazed locusts, charged toward the scene. Any company employee in their way was sent flying. In less than two minutes, Svarog, Clara's number one subordinate, arrived with Grizzly and Fangwolf in tow.
"Command executed: Stay away from Clara!"
Svarog: "Leave now, and no one gets hurt. Otherwise, you all die!"