"KID—hiding behind a woman? What kind of 'skill' is that?!"
The gang leader roared. The dusty-yellow dog tail behind him shot straight with fury as he swung a fist and smashed in.
The other Perro thugs surged forward as well, faces twisted like demons. Their punches and kicks had no technique—just raw, reckless street violence.
Texas didn't have time to think. She raised a palm and caught the leader's punch cleanly.
She stepped in at the same time, drove a knee into his abdomen, and when he doubled over with a howl, she finished with a perfectly timed elbow.
In the blink of an eye, the thug leader—far bigger than the Lupo girl—was granted an infant's peaceful sleep.
Her wolf ears quivered, catching the whistle of blows from all directions.
A long, slender leg in black stockings snapped out in a side kick.
Someone flew.
Chen Xiu glanced at the unlucky bastard now "hung" against the wall, then at Texas's toned, powerful legs, and clicked his tongue in awe.
Super-Terra strength… kicking people into wall art like it's nothing.
If nobody said a word, you might've thought that guy simply had terrible luck, not that a beautiful girl just punted him.
A sharp crack followed—then a pig-slaughter scream.
Seeing two of their men drop, another Perro thug, blinded by anger, pulled a knife. Texas twisted his wrist, stripped the weapon in one smooth motion, and kicked him down onto his knees.
Only then did the remaining thugs realize they'd run into a real monster.
Damn it. Was this some kind of cop sting for performance points? They'd heard rumors someone was doing that lately…
But wasn't it supposed to be a blue-haired dragon lady? Since when did she turn into a gray-black Lupo?
The last two thugs decided instantly this wasn't worth it. They spun and bolted.
Texas had no intention of letting them go. Two escapees meant two wallets gone.
They didn't make it three steps.
A rush of air—then their heads were seized and slammed into the ground.
Texas dropped to one knee, a hand pinning each unconscious thug, like a wolf king standing over its prey.
Chen Xiu obediently shrank under the streetlight, barely daring to breathe, terrified Texas might casually punch him too.
"No need to be scared," she said, rising slowly and dusting herself off. "It's fine now."
She turned—caught a clear look at Chen Xiu's face—and paused.
Didn't expect him to be… handsome.
Shame about the outfit, though. Ragged clothes, dirt-streaked, looking like a beggar—making him seem painfully down-and-out.
Chen Xiu stared at Texas's cool, unbothered vibe, feeling a little speechless.
If someone walked in right now, they might assume he was the one getting harassed and catcalled.
But whatever. His goal had already been achieved the moment he grabbed Texas's hand. What happened after didn't really matter.
Texas quickly looked away.
Compared to staring at a pretty face, looting was far more important.
Handsome didn't fill an empty stomach.
After a quick pat-down, Texas stood there blankly, staring at a few lonely coins in her palm.
Columbian swear words. Five men, and this was all they had? Do Yan folks not carry cash?!
Her stomach protested again, loudly reminding her she'd never suffered this kind of humiliation in her life.
When she remembered even the cheapest spicy featherbeast pizza cost twenty yuan, her shoulders slumped with genuine despair.
Her ears twitched—soft footsteps behind her. The handsome Sarkaz was approaching.
Hungry enough for her stomach to growl, Texas didn't really feel like dealing with him.
Then she smelled steamed flour.
"Want some?"
A white steamed bun appeared in front of her.
His hands were dirty, so he'd wrapped it in a plastic bag before offering it.
"Being hungry feels awful, doesn't it? I know what that feels like. So if you don't mind… eat."
Texas looked up at Chen Xiu. His guileless smile, under the dim streetlight, gleamed like pale gold. In his torn clothes, he looked almost like an ascetic who'd endured hardship for years.
"Thank you…"
The Lupo girl accepted the meat bun, almost shyly.
One bite—and her eyes lit up. Her tail, previously limp, shot upright. She chewed fast, devouring thick dough and juicy filling.
"No need to thank me. I got these from Grey Tail Hall's relief meals. They're meant for people like us."
Chen Xiu didn't hide it. Then he pointed at the thugs sprawled across the ground.
"Also… we should change locations."
…
On the rooftop of an abandoned building in the slums, Texas sat cross-legged on the ground, one hand holding half a bun, the other clutching half a bottle of water.
It was her first time eating this odd Yan-style "stuffed bread," but it tasted fine—solid, heavy, real food.
Watching Texas eat six large meat buns in one go, Chen Xiu felt a pang.
That was most of his stored rations. Once they were gone, they were gone.
But—no buns, no Tex-Dog.
Everything was for the big deal ahead: a three-ten-thousand LMD bounty.
Texas swallowed the last bite with water, braced her hands behind her, and let out a satisfied burp.
The night breeze lifted her bangs. Her amber eyes narrowed, and after finally eating her fill, her posture relaxed into lazy contentment.
"Full? I've got one left."
Chen Xiu shook the plastic bag, somehow matching the rhythm of her tail.
"No." Texas sprang lightly to her feet, pressed a hand to her chest, and bowed. "Thank you for your help."
"You don't have to do that." Chen Xiu waved it off. "Everyone runs into trouble. If I can help, it's just fate."
He patted the spot beside him, inviting her to sit.
"I'm from Sami. You might not know where that is—just think of it as a country very, very far away."
"Coming to Lungmen was basically an accident. Ursus invaded my homeland. I was sold as a slave—first to Saint Petersburg, then to Chernobog. I found a chance and escaped."
"And you? Why are you here?"
Texas stared at Chen Xiu's gentle smile, genuine respect rising in her chest.
He spoke calmly, but it wasn't hard to imagine what he'd survived.
"I'm from Columbia," she said after a brief hesitation. "My family collapsed. I had to run—far away."
"I see." Chen Xiu nodded. "So we're two homeless strangers in a foreign land—both facing the same urgent question: how do we survive in this unfamiliar city?"
He paused, then extended a hand.
"I happened to spot an E-class wanted criminal with a 30,000 LMD bounty. But you saw it—combat isn't my strong suit. If you can take him down, we split the bounty fifty-fifty. Deal?"
Thirty thousand LMD. Half was fifteen thousand. Not a fortune, but enough to stop the bleeding.
Texas's heart jumped. She didn't even think—she gripped his hand hard.
"Deal. Tell me where the target is. Leave the rest to me."
Chen Xiu hadn't expected her to agree so quickly. Looks like the first layer of trust had formed.
Sorry, Emperor, he laughed wildly to himself. This Texas? I'm collecting her first.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (123 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (110 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (780Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (165 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (115 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (125 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (114 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (54Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (76 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (63 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (60 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (30 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (30 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (80 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (65 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (30 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (50 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (30 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (30 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (30 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it