A little after eight in the evening, Robert closed the book in front of him.
He then rubbed his aching neck; it had been a long time since he'd read for such a long stretch.
However, since he only had the last few dozen pages left yesterday,
he stayed a bit longer in Laut's family restaurant tonight.
"Laut, give me another cup of coffee."
Robert put the book away and waved to the manager with a smile.
Since retiring, he had lived in seclusion in Boston for several years.
Thinking back, Robert, who came from the Special Forces, was once a truly prominent figure.
When he was about to retire, because of his outstanding performance during his service,
Robert was scouted by a US intelligence agency and brought under their wing.
For the next decade or so, he continued to serve the US intelligence agency.
During that period, Robert helped dismantle many drug trafficking and criminal dens, and assassinated many enemy politicians.
However, right at the peak of his strength and condition,
Robert chose to retire at the height of his career and live a peaceful retired life.
The reason for this was that his wife of many years had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
To care for his wife, Robert even used many of his connections and completely offended his superiors.
But in the end, he got his wish and was able to retire early.
Thus, Robert stayed with his wife afterward.
They came to Boston, where his wife had lived for a long time as a child, and lived a life of seclusion.
Unfortunately, his wife passed away not long after.
Robert fell into a state of depression for a long time because of this.
Until he remembered one of the regrets his wife had mentioned before she passed.
She regretted not being able to read a hundred world classics to experience the insights of great literary masters on life, fate, and the human condition.
To fulfill his wife's regret!
Robert, who had joined the army before finishing high school and had spent the first half of his life killing countless people, always in the company of firearms and violence,
resolutely picked up books after turning forty.
In the past few years, Robert went from not being able to read even a page or two a day,
to now being able to sit there quietly for hours at a time.
Over several years, he had finished over ninety of the world classics his wife had chosen for him before she died.
In the process, Robert also made a discovery.
Not only did he start to love reading, but even he, who originally didn't have much of a sense of good and evil,
began to reflect on his past actions and started to enjoy life, treating friends, neighbors, and even strangers with kindness.
The manager, Laut, looked up at Robert sitting in the corner upon hearing him.
He knew Robert; the man was a regular at this shop.
While he didn't come for dinner every day, he would show up at least three or four times a week.
Moreover, he had been coming to his shop consistently for nearly half a year.
Seeing it was a regular, Laut immediately replied with a smile, "Coming right up."
In his family restaurant, there weren't many customers after eight in the evening.
Therefore, Laut was much more relaxed after eight.
He didn't need to stay behind the counter preparing food for customers constantly.
"Here, a latte."
"Drinking too much coffee at night isn't good for your sleep."
Robert was momentarily stunned, looking at the manager who personally brought it over with a genuine smile and concern.
He quickly managed a slight smile and nodded to the manager.
He even lifted the coffee and gestured toward him, "Thanks, Laut."
"Tastes really good!"
Seeing him take a sip and offer praise, the manager Laut laughed heartily.
He looked older than Robert and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.
"Alright, old friend."
"Call me if you need anything else."
"Okay!"
The manager Laut walked back behind the counter in a good mood.
He saw that besides Robert, there were two other tables of customers.
Feeling good, he was just about to give those regulars who frequent his restaurant a free cup of coffee each.
However, at that moment, accompanied by the sudden sound of brakes outside,
a group of six or seven burly men with full beards and fierce expressions, who clearly looked like trouble, swarmed into the restaurant.
"Wel... welcome."
The manager Laut could tell at a glance that these people hadn't come for anything good.
But he was the manager and the owner of this family restaurant.
Therefore, he had to bite the bullet and force a smile to greet them.
The leader was none other than Slaviy's subordinate, Vishnyak.
As soon as he entered the shop, he looked around everywhere.
After his gaze swept across the few people still seated in the shop, Vishnyak walked to the counter where Laut was.
*Bang!*
Vishnyak kicked over a nearby chair and sat down.
Robert was startled by the sound of the chair hitting the floor.
He frowned at Vishnyak and the others, his brow furrowing slightly, but he didn't have any other reaction.
The manager Laut was startled by Vishnyak's brutality.
His body trembled as he looked at these menacing men with fear, not knowing how he had offended them.
"Hey!"
Vishnyak glared at Laut until the white manager was shaking all over.
Only then did he speak up, seemingly satisfied, "Did that prostitute Tali come to your shop tonight?"
"Tali?!"
Laut naturally knew who Tali was—a poor young prostitute... because she was about the same age as his eldest granddaughter.
Therefore, even though Laut knew Tali's identity in the past, he had never looked down on her.
Realizing these people were likely here to cause trouble for Tali,
Laut quickly shook his head, "Tali hasn't been to our shop to eat for several days."
"Really?"
Vishnyak naturally didn't believe him. He had checked a few days ago, and Tali indeed couldn't come.
But today, she had reported that she wanted to come out to eat, which was why she was briefly released.
When the burly men behind him glared at Laut, his mouth began to quiver.
He nodded repeatedly in a hurry, "Really, she really hasn't been here for days."
Vishnyak looked around the shop and immediately frowned.
There were no surveillance cameras in this shop, so obtaining surveillance footage was out of the question.
With a cold snort, Vishnyak gave the men beside him a look.
Immediately, two burly men leaped over the counter.
"You..."
"What do you want to do?"
The two men grabbed Laut from both sides.
Pots, pans, and various cups behind the counter immediately crashed to the floor.
Instantly, the few tables of customers in the shop, who were already watching, reacted.
Seeing this, the expressions of two tables of customers changed instantly.
One table of customers scrambled to their feet and ran out of the shop.
The other table was more decent; they hurriedly fumbled for twenty us dollars, threw it on the table, and followed suit.
Only Robert remained in the corner, frowning at them; he didn't run, but he didn't stand up either.
"Behave yourself and come back with me so I can ask you a few questions."
"If you can't answer them, I'll make you suffer."
"No!"
"Please, I really don't know."
Unfortunately, they ignored Laut's struggling and forcibly dragged him out.
Vishnyak also stood up, and when he saw that someone in the corner of the restaurant hadn't run away,
he sneered at Robert, seeing him watching with an expressionless face.
Vishnyak snorted and made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand.
Then, he turned and walked out of the family restaurant.
Only Robert was left in the shop, silently watching the group depart with a constant frown.
No one knew that a top agent who had been dormant for many years,
after witnessing the arrogance and tyranny of a gang firsthand, this time, it wasn't for a young prostitute.
Instead, for a middle-aged man, he was prepared to come out of retirement and become the avenger who enforces justice on behalf of heaven..."}],
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