Chapter 672: Fireworks

As darkness fully enveloped the sky, the O’Byrne family huddled around the dining table, performing their routine pre-meal prayer.

Ten-year-old Owen had always found such things meaningless, but in the community, most Ireland families had this custom, so he had long grown accustomed to it and continued to follow along as usual.

This was common among families who believed in the Holy Spirit, and it was said that most native Americans also did this daily.

However, unfortunately, these practices adopted by the Ireland people seemed to originate from a place called the Holy See, which reportedly differed in many concepts from the Windsor Church and the Holy Spirit Church in the New World, leading to opposition among believers.

It was strange; despite all believing in the same “One True God” and using the holy book with identical sections, there was an inexplicable underlying animosity between them.

Adults said that the Ireland people were targeted by the Windsor Kingdom in the Old Continent, and even in the New World, they found it difficult to be accepted by Americans, receiving the treatment of infidels due to these minor differences.

According to his brothers' teasing, it was fortunate that it was no longer the dark Middle Ages, or else they might even launch “holy wars” against each other.

Therefore, they all told Owen to stay away from strangers who actively discussed faith with him, saying those people were definitely not good.

After the prayer, everyone began to enjoy dinner.

The O’Byrne family was not considered a “large family” in the community; Owen was his parents' sixth child. Although his father was gradually aging, thanks to his older brothers and sisters, the family ate quite well. At least Owen did not have to worry about going hungry like some children his age in the community.

The staple food was still plain boiled potatoes, paired with traditional stewed vegetable soup. However, today, the soup even luxuriously contained bits of meat and butter, though not much, it was already a sufficiently rich meal for a non-holiday.

Owen scooped the thick soup onto his potatoes with a wooden spoon, then took a delicious bite, finding it exceptionally fragrant and sweet.

His father, who could no longer do heavy physical work due to injuries, seemed to be in a rather poor mood at this moment.

He spoke to his eldest son with some hesitation: “Ryan, I heard that your Mr. O’Sullivan was taken away by the local police today?”

Owen saw his eldest brother nod, and then his sister-in-law smiled and interjected: “Father, it’s rare for Ryan to be home resting today, so let’s not talk about work matters. Try the soup I stewed today; I specifically added a lot of meat.”

His father tasted a spoonful and praised it, but finally could not resist asking again, “I heard they are targeting gangs in the Dock Area this time. It shouldn’t affect you, right? If it’s really not working out, just find another job.”

His eldest brother also forced a smile: “It’s fine, you don’t need to worry. Mr. O’Sullivan just went to cooperate with the investigation and will be bailed out soon. Ava heard them say so at the scene today, so you don’t need to pay attention to those rumors.”

His other brothers also echoed his eldest brother’s words. His father, who rarely spoke anyway, did not say anything more afterwards, burying his head in his plate and eating his food.

Owen did not pay too much attention to these matters. However, after dinner, his eldest brother came to chat with Owen, telling him to try to stay home for the next few days and secretly slipping him a few candies.

It was also because of this that Owen noticed before going to sleep that his eldest brother, along with his second brother Rowan and fourth brother Ossian, seemed to be preparing to go out.

Nighttime lighting was expensive. Except during dinner, even when the kerosene lamp was lit, it would not be adjusted too brightly to save more money for food, so everyone rested very early.

Owen curiously leaned over and asked, and his eldest brother Ryan rubbed his head, signaling him to be quiet: “We still have work to do. You are already a little man; you need to be responsible for protecting everyone else at home.”

There weren't enough rooms in the house. After Owen returned to his small space under the stairs, he sucked on the candy and felt that everyone seemed a bit strange today.

So he tossed and turned a few times on his small bed, finally deciding to sneak out and see what his brothers were busy with.

...

The community was large, usually enough for Owen and his friends to play all day long.

However, when he saw his brothers gathering with a group of people and then leaving the community in batches, he hesitated slightly.

His family had always forbidden him from leaving the community without permission, especially his usually gentle eldest brother Ryan, who would get very angry every time he found out.

So Owen, familiar with the route, did not follow too closely, only watching them from a distance, almost being discovered several times by Ryan, who would turn to look back.

Then Owen saw blood and fire.

What appeared first was actually fire, and it was fireworks, rising from another direction in the Dock Area in the distance.

Ryan and his group quietly worked outside a house for a while, then, after glancing at the sky, they quickened their movements. Then, a light ignited, drawing a trajectory in mid-air, and upon landing, it brought forth a constantly expanding brightness.

Exclamations and curses erupted, followed by two or three people rushing out. Ryan and his group hid in the shadows, figures approaching and then moving away from each other, with louder noises emanating during this time.

The people who came out quickly fell one after another, pools of blood slowly flowing from beneath them, spreading like shadows in the firelight.

Screams soon came from inside the house, and people at this end of the street were rushing towards that direction. Then, with a “Save—”, Owen saw fireworks rising into the sky.

“Bang—”

“Bang.”

Two fireworks exploded, one far and one near, the distant one still a considerable distance from the previous fireworks.

A while ago, when Owen was at home, he had also seen such a scene of fireworks rising everywhere at night, but at that time, he had not realized that the beautiful fireworks blooming in the night sky represented such a meaning.

Owen panicked, his legs seemingly turning to jelly. Ryan and his group ran in a more distant direction, and he dared not follow further.

So he could only quickly turn back in the alley, wanting to go home as fast as possible along the original path, and forget the scene he had just witnessed as soon as possible.

This was not what Ryan and his group did.

I didn't see anything.

I must not tell anyone, not even father, he would worry.

Especially not his youngest sister, Sileas, that annoying bad woman. If Owen occasionally wet the bed, she could make Owen the laughingstock of the entire block the next morning while doing needlework.

Then, just as Owen returned to the community, he saw fireworks rising in front of him.

Louder commotions came from a little further away. In the houses of nearby blocks, some men were already cursing and walking out of their homes onto the street with sticks, seemingly searching everywhere for the perpetrators.

Owen took a detour, planning to avoid his familiar and angry neighbors, so they wouldn't suspect why he was out so late.

Unexpectedly, he had only run past two corners when he was directly knocked down by a figure in the alley.

“Damn it!” The other person also stumbled from colliding with Owen.

“This kid looks like an Ireland too.”

“Then just do him in. Hurry up, those people behind are still looking for us.”

A figure from the group quickly turned and walked towards Owen. Owen had just jumped up, wanting to escape, but was kicked in the chest by the person.

His bottom hit the ground, and a sharp pain shot through his back. Owen could only scramble backward with all fours, trying to distance himself from the dagger exposed in the other person’s hand.

His abdomen was savagely stomped by a large foot, and a cold glinting blade descended from above, seemingly aiming for his throat.

“Bang!”

Another firework bloomed in the night sky, but what Owen heard was a gunshot nearby.

The dagger spun and was struck away, hitting the ground with a metallic clang. The hand that had held it was bleeding profusely, and drops of blood splattered onto Owen’s face.

A man wearing a red armband appeared on the other side of the alley, smoke still rising from the barrel of his revolver.

Owen knew this was also an annoying outsider to the community, but he had heard the older kid, Sellen, from the block say that as long as they cooperated with these people, they would at least not harm Ireland people without reason like other gangs.

The person looked like a valiant greatsword knight from a story, walking alone towards the group of bad guys who had turned around because of the commotion:

“Don’t move! I’ll try to get you to the gallows alive.”