Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Jay-Jay's POV

Going home! The best part of study time. Going home! Going home!

"I'll take Jay-Jay home," Percy said seriously to Yuri.

Yuri just nodded, looking at me with sad eyes. I made him suffer.

I glanced at Percy, who was glaring at Felix. His brother was doing the same. They had been like that for a while now, their eyes locked in a silent battle like drawn swords.

He looks like he's about to fight.

"Come with us," Percy ordered.

"We have somewhere to go," Felix replied seriously.

"I can paralyze you so you won't be able to walk," Percy threatened.

"Is that your problem?!"

"You're refusing to listen to me!"

"Percy."

We both turned to the voice. It was none other than the King of Earthly Serpents. He looked at Percy seriously, holding a bag in one hand while the other clutched another bag.

"Felix can handle himself," he said before walking past us.

"Take Jay-Jay home. We're leaving," Felix said to Percy before following the others.

One by one, they walked out, leaving us alone in the room. Percy and I exchanged glances.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

"No. I don't care what you're thinking," I replied.

His eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"There's no point in talking to you, is there?" he said sarcastically.

"Of course not!"

I smirked, but he just rolled his eyes at me. He started walking, and I quickly followed.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"I'm going to follow them. You go home," he answered, walking faster.

I quickened my pace to keep up. "What?! I'm coming with you!"

"You're such a troublemaker! No way!"

"I'm coming!"

"I never said yes!"

"I'm coming!"

"You're so stubborn!"

"I'm coming!"

He suddenly stopped walking and looked at me, annoyed. "Fine! Yes! Yes! Happy now?!"

I grinned and let him walk ahead. Finally, he gave in! Stubborn men.

His car was parked outside the school. Since I reached it first, I had to wait for him before getting in.

"You took forever to walk!" I said, annoyed when he finally arrived.

"Wow!" he mocked, mimicking Babalu's voice.

Haha... serves him right.

He opened the car door and let me get in first before following. He started the engine but didn't drive right away.

"Aren't we leaving yet?" I asked.

"You can walk if you're in such a hurry. I'll drive," he replied sarcastically.

I punched his arm—hard.

"YAY!" he yelped. "The fuck! What's wrong with you?!"

"Because you're not speaking properly!"

I gave him a hard time while rubbing his arm. We waited a few more minutes before he finally started the car.

His pace was slow. I was about to complain about what he was doing, but I stopped when I understood—we were following the car of one of the Ulupongs, and we couldn't get too close, or we'd get caught.

This Percy is really smart!

We had traveled a long way, but we still didn't stop following them until they suddenly turned around. We followed again.

There were no houses around. All I could see were piles of broken cars. There was also something that seemed folded and layered.

"Parts for Sale"

"Available Tires"

I had no idea what this place was, but all I could see were signs selling or buying car parts.

"What place is this?" I asked Percy.

"A garage and impound. This is where cars are brought to be disposed of."

I looked around again. I saw mountains of steel and car shells. Percy moved slowly and suddenly turned off the engine.

He was silent while observing the area. I wasn't really used to seeing him like this—I was used to him being playful and funny.

Can I get him drunk?

"What are we going to do? Are we really staying here?"

He gave a small nod. "Do you know how to drive?"

"N-No. Why?"

"Nothing."

Weird guy...

A strange and nervous feeling settled in me. It felt like we were just waiting inside the car. My phone suddenly rang, so I quickly picked it up.

Two text messages had arrived—one from Yuri and one from Gagong Baliw. I opened Yuri's message first.

📩

From: Yuri

Message: Did you reach home?

I didn't reply. Instead, I opened the next message.

📩

From: GagongBaliw

Message: I miss you.

I winced at what I read. Here he goes again. I just deleted his message and put my phone back in my bag.

"They're starting."

I looked at Percy when he said that. I glanced around, but I couldn't see anyone or hear any noise.

"Huh? There's nothing—AAAGGHHH!" I screamed as a large rock suddenly fell onto the hood of the car.

"W-Where did that come from?!"

"Damn it! My car is scratched!" Percy shouted as he quickly started the engine.

He reversed the car, turned in another direction, then stopped and got out. I followed him and checked the hood, where scratches and dents were now visible.

"Don't walk away from me!" Percy shouted, making me almost run back to him.

His steps were quick, and he seemed to be searching for something. He positioned himself behind a pile of cars, crouched slightly, and peered around. I stood next to him and did the same.

From where we were, we had a clear view of the men fighting. Some were wearing masks, while others were wrapped in cloth. But one person, in particular, caught my attention.

Keifer...

He was in the middle, facing someone holding a baseball bat. His expression was calm yet unreadable, while the man in front of him looked furious. I looked around, but Keifer seemed to be the only familiar face.

"Damn it! They're not here!" Percy said in frustration.

It seemed like he was looking for Felix, but it was true—they weren't here. Suddenly, Percy stood up and walked off quickly. I had no choice but to follow.

I feel like a lost puppy! Seriously!

I was almost running to keep up with his pace. He walked like he was about to charge into battle.

Suddenly, a masked man fell right in front of us. Percy immediately pulled me behind him for protection. We both looked up at the same time.

The first person I saw was Ci-N, still in the middle of kicking his opponent.

"Jay?" David called out, gripping another man by the neck.

Ci-N turned to us and immediately grinned. He landed a final powerful kick on his opponent before walking toward us.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" David asked irritably.

"Join the fight? Will you watch us?" Ci-N asked me excitedly.

I just looked at him and at David, who still hadn't let go of the man's neck. Was he going to kill him?

"Where's Felix?!" Percy asked, annoyed.

Ci-N and David exchanged glances. Neither of them answered, but Ci-N raised his hand and pointed somewhere. Percy quickly headed in that direction, and I ran after him.

"That creep makes me angry," I heard him whisper.

Just like Kuya Angelo...

Suddenly, I remembered the words I had said to him. I felt like I had hurt him. But could I blame him? I was exhausted, even though I wasn't doing anything.

We changed somewhere again, and I noticed Eren and Kit in a corner, throwing punches and kicks at their opponents. Mayo and Josh weren't far from them, looking as if they had just finished off their opponents.

I glanced back at Percy and realized he had gotten far ahead of me. I ran to catch up with him. Sesame was always around.

The next people I saw were Denzel and Drew. Their opponent was already down, and Drew was reaching into their pockets.

"No wallets! Stupid!" Drew shouted in frustration as we passed by.

We ran into Eman, whose eyebrow was still bleeding. He seemed a little surprised to see us, but I chose to ignore him.

Ahead of us, Calix was dragging an unconscious man. He didn't notice us and just kept doing what he was doing.

Something felt off…

I had seen them fight many times before. It was normal to me. They did it because they were men. It was what they always did, as if it had become a daily routine.

But now, something was different. What they were doing felt brutal. They showed no mercy toward their opponents, and they didn't stop until their victims were bleeding and struggling.

I had never seen them like this before.

Before, they would let an opponent go once he was down. But now, that didn't seem to be enough. I had been nervous for a while, but now I was starting to feel afraid.

What I saw next confirmed my fear.

Edrix had chained his opponent to a pole and was punching him repeatedly. Rory kept hitting two men with a wooden stick, showing no sign of stopping.

Shit… why?!

Without realizing it, I clung to Percy's arm. He didn't seem to notice. He was still focused on finding Felix.

A man suddenly fell from above, stopping us in our tracks. I looked up to see where he had come from. Blaster was perched on top of a pile of steel beams and a car frame.

My grip on Percy tightened even more, making him turn to face me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I swallowed hard before nodding. It was obvious he didn't believe me. He took my hand and squeezed it gently.

"Tell me the truth. Do you feel something?"

Yes... I was afraid!

It felt like everyone who entered this place became a demon.

"Wh-what... I just want to poop" I blurted out, and he winced.

I wanted to slap myself for saying that. Damn it! I made a mess of my words. I couldn't tell him what I was actually feeling because I knew his priority was to find Felix.

"Can you hold on a little longer? I have some tissues in the car. Maybe you can find a corner over there," he said, pointing to a section of the piled-up steel.

I pulled my hand back and shot him a glare. What kind of suggestion was that?! Did he forget I was a woman? I couldn't just sit anywhere.

"It's tolerable!" I snapped, annoyed, and let him walk ahead.

But I immediately turned back to him when I heard a loud crashing sound—like steel collapsing. I saw the worry flash across Percy's face.

Shit! Please don't…

We nearly ran in sync toward the source of the noise. When we got there, all we found was a steel panel that had fallen from a great height. Percy punched the air in frustration. He still couldn't find Felix. I turned around when I heard a familiar voice.

The Snakes.

They were walking in a line, one after the other.

"Percy," I called while pointing to where they were going.

We walked side by side, heading in the same direction as the Gagos. We stopped when we saw Keifer.

He was still in the same place as before. This time, the person in front of him was kneeling, clutching his right hand.

The other one was obviously hurt. He didn't react as King of Kings twisted his arm, making him scream in pain.

What the...

I covered my mouth. No matter how many times I saw Keifer do this in front of me, I always had the same reaction. I looked at the unconscious, bloody bodies. I didn't know if they were still alive or not.

I'll just assume they're alive—even if it doesn't seem like they are.

"FUCK!" Keifer shouted so loudly that I turned to look at him. "This is not enough!"

"What do you mean 'not enough'? Keifer... we've already taken down half of the gangs," Felix said, gesturing toward the fallen men on the ground. "What else is missing?"

"Do you think this will make us strong?! Huh?! Do you think this is enough?!" he snapped angrily.

I didn't understand what was happening. Please explain, Author. The King was in trouble.

(N/A: He loves you.)

Tangina! That's not true anymore. Go home! This is getting ridiculous.

"So, what are we going to do? Take over every gang war here?" Edrix asked irritably. The King shot him a murderous glare.

"If that's the only way, then yes." He said it with conviction.

"You're just increasing your enemies! Ask Jay-Jay's cousin for help—he has more connections," Josh said in frustration.

"That's not possible," Yuri replied lifelessly, crossing his arms. "If we do, he'll take Jay-Jay away from us."

"That's great!" Drew suddenly shouted. "That way, we can make sure she's safe."

Yuri and Keifer both glared at him at the same time.

A big part of me was confused and curious about what he meant. Safe from what? Why do I feel like they're getting into serious trouble?

I shouldn't think about it. But I couldn't help it. It was like an itch in my brain—I needed to know what was wrong.

Scratch it! Come on!

I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have come. This is all Percy's fault. That was the only thing on my mind.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Drew asked, annoyed. "Jay-Jay broke up, didn't she?! You're about to do something stupid, and now you're acting like this?!"

Yuri immediately grabbed him by the collar. "Shut up, Drew," he said firmly.

Drew stiffened under his stare. Even the other Ulupong seemed tense as the atmosphere grew heavier. Their fists were clenched, ready to strike.

Fight already!

Suddenly, Ci-N turned toward us, followed by David and Eman. At first, there were only three of them, but the Gagos seemed to sense something and shifted their attention to us.

Yuri released Drew and looked at me with sadness in his eyes. The others were full of curiosity, while Keifer showed no reaction at all.

"J-Jay? H-have you been here all this time?" Felix asked, glancing between me and Percy.

I couldn't answer because Percy was standing in front of me. Even though his back was turned, I could feel his anger. He looked like he was about to explode.

Every step we took toward them was slow and deliberate. All that was missing was smoke effects and hardcore music. It felt like a full-on action movie scene.

"Is this what's been bothering you?" Percy's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it.

Felix didn't answer. He just looked away. Percy must have known he wouldn't get a response from his brother, so he turned to Keifer and Yuri instead.

"Is this what you taught my brother while I was gone?!" he demanded angrily. "Did you teach him to join in this bloodshed?!"

Instead of answering, Yuri and Keifer exchanged glances. Then, without a word, they turned their backs and started walking away.

Their silence was so rude that I couldn't stop myself from speaking.

"Don't be rude!" I shouted at them in frustration.

Yuri stopped and turned to face me, while Keifer remained with his back to us. That's better. It's better if I don't have to look at you.

"Jay—"

Percy immediately interrupted Yuri. "Damn it, Yuri!"

Yuri sighed and bowed for a moment. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, the King spoke first.

"Your brother has his own mind. Even if he is taught, it's up to him whether he chooses to go with us," he said without facing us.

All eyes shifted to him. Even I was looking at him, and for some reason, I couldn't understand why I felt strange...

Was I imagining things?

No! It was as if someone was watching me. My eyes instinctively turned to the back, but I didn't see anything unusual.

I kept looking, slowly turning my body. And then—right in front of me—stood a man. I took a step back but stopped immediately.

He wore a black mask with stitches—like a porcupine's quills. He was crouched, or rather, hunched over. His head moved steadily as he stared directly at me, causing the stitches on the mask to shift.

Okay... This is creepy.

In his right hand, he held a knife. I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I tried to take another step back, but I noticed that he was about to move forward as well. I froze in place, and so did he.

Damn it! If I turn around to call Percy—who is currently arguing—he might take the chance to attack me. My heart pounded in fear and anxiety.

Of course...

I couldn't move. My entire body trembled. His appearance was terrifying, and worse, it felt like I was his target.

I was about to scream, but he seemed to anticipate it and lunged at me, thrusting the knife toward my body.

"P-PERCY!" I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut.

I braced myself for the knife's impact—but nothing happened. My arms were still raised defensively. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw the reason.

K-Keifer... Again?!

He had caught the man's wrist with one hand while gripping his neck with the other. The man's feet dangled slightly off the ground.

"Who the fuck are you?!" the King demanded angrily.

An arm wrapped around me. I looked up to see Percy's worried face. My knees felt weak, and I instinctively leaned on him for support.

I turned my gaze back to the masked man. Instead of answering Keifer, he only laughed—his chuckles soon turning into an eerie, guttural sound. The King tightened his grip, making him grunt in pain.

"What the hell do you want?!" the King shouted.

"We... want... her... dead," the man rasped, his gaze locking onto me.

We? Not just one person?

"Who?! Who wants her dead?!" the King demanded.

The masked man didn't answer. He just laughed again. Is he insane? Damn it! I really shouldn't have come here.

Keifer had enough. He twisted the man's wrist, and the sickening sound of bones cracking filled the air. The man screamed in agony.

But what terrified me most was what he had said—We want her dead.

Who are they? Why do they want me dead?

My breathing grew heavy. A sinking feeling settled in my chest. I glared at Keifer. He released the masked man, watching him writhe in pain.

"This is your fault!" I yelled at him. "Because of you, I'm their target again! This is happening because of you—again!"

Now they want me dead.

The masked man let out another insane laugh.

"Sato, Jason, and Ram," he muttered, glancing between Keifer, Yuri, and me.

Shit.

I had accused him, but it turned out I was involved too. But still—this is his fault! Damn it! Life was already chaotic, and now I was on the verge of death.

"Who is Sato?!" Keifer demanded, his voice laced with irritation.

"Keifer." Yuri spoke his name, his tone flat. His head was bowed slightly.

At first, we were both surprised, but when he finally spoke, everything became clear to me.

"I fought him before," he said. "...And it looks like I'm going back."

It's me again... Damn!

What a mess! Why did I even come here?

"Come back..." Keifer said, looking at the masked man. "...Come back, Sato, Jason, and Ram. Tell them to return to me, and I will prepare them."

He was clearly holding back his anger, trying to avoid hurting the man again. The masked man slowly stood up and walked away. It took a while before he disappeared from our sight.

"I didn't know this was happening here," Percy said. "...I have no choice."

I watched him. He was still holding back his anger. Then, he looked at Felix, who was also surprised by what he had just said.

"You will come with me back to New York."