Nathan’s mother spoke up hesitantly, her voice choked with tears, “But Fletcher just warned us not to mess with this person. What if something goes wrong? Maybe we should tell Fletcher about this and see what he thinks.”
At the core, everyone in this family feared Fletcher.
Eliot scoffed, dismissing his wife’s concerns, “What do you know? That’s just women’s talk! Fletcher doesn’t want Nathan causing trouble, but he’ll handle it behind the scenes. This has happened many times before – does he think I don’t know? But we won’t bother Fletcher with this. Let our son handle it himself. He needs to learn to pick himself up when he falls. That’s how Fletcher will start taking him seriously. Now that Fletcher has his own son, Nathan, you can’t afford to look weak, or the position of family leader might end up with Fletcher’s son, and we’ll be pushed to the sidelines!”
Despite his resentment over losing the family leadership, Eliot still pinned his hopes on his son.
As he spoke, he clenched his fist and slammed it on the armrest of his chair.
Suddenly, Nathan stepped up, eager to take action. He clasped his hands and stood tall, declaring, “Dad, let me deal with him! I’ll make him pay and show Uncle Fletcher what I’m made of.”
Eliot nodded approvingly, his voice firm. “That’s right, make him pay! Don’t leave him alive! Go ahead and gather your men. I’ll contact Enoch in the Southwest region to seal off the streets.”
Nathan’s face lit up with a satisfied smile. With that, he set off without a care in the world.
Early the next morning, Kayden rushed to the antique street in Inassea’s old town.
The antique street was located in the old town, as if these relics preferred the historical atmosphere of the area.
It was about a two-hour drive from Kayden’s hillside villa to the old town, as they were on opposite sides of the city.
Kayden tried to hail a taxi, but the driver refused to take him, frightened, and drove off before Kayden could even ask why.
In truth, one word from Kayden and Sariah would have come to pick him up without hesitation. But Kayden didn’t want to trouble her. The current Sariah was no longer the Wood that he knew; if it were Wood, he’d know exactly what to do.
After descending the hill, Kayden tried several times to hail a cab on the street, but every time he mentioned the old town, drivers would refuse in terror. Left with no choice, he took a ride to the outer ring road, the only route to the old town. Though not far from the city center, it was desolate, with few vehicles around.
He waited by the roadside for over ten minutes without seeing a single taxi. Just as he was considering buying a car himself, a cab finally pulled up. The driver was a greasy-looking man in his forties, unshaven and bleary-eyed, not inspiring much confidence.
As the car stopped, the driver leaned out and asked, “Where to, buddy?”
Kayden sized up the driver and replied, “The antique street in the old town.”
At the mention of “old town,” the driver’s brow furrowed visibly. Kayden thought he might drive off like the others, but instead, the driver lowered his voice, seeming to have made up his mind. “I can take you to the old town, but it’ll cost you. Triple the usual fare, alright?”
Without hesitation, Kayden opened the door and got in, saying, “I’ll give you 5000 dollars. Let’s go.”
The driver’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise. He studied Kayden in the rearview mirror, thinking he didn’t look like a big spender, yet talked like one.
Kayden pulled out a wad of hundred-dollar bills and tossed them to the driver. Seeing the money, the driver’s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, “Money talks!”
Kayden calmly urged, “Let’s go.” The driver chuckled and replied, “Sure, sure, we’re off!”
Soon, the car was speeding along the outer ring road, the journey smooth and uneventful.
Kayden was unusually quiet, unlike passengers who liked to chat. He was naturally taciturn, preferring the peaceful environment and the feeling of not being disturbed.
The driver kept glancing back at Kayden, feeling bored driving alone. So he asked, “I bet a lot of taxis refused to take you here, right, young man?”
Kayden nodded. “That’s right.” The driver expected him to ask why, but Kayden fell silent. After a long pause, the driver continued. “Do you know why they wouldn’t take you?”
Kayden shook his head. “No.”
The driver felt disappointed. How could this guy not know how to make conversation? He was so young, and wasn’t he curious at all? Undeterred, the driver persisted, “It’s because this outer ring road has another name – Young Master Road. You know why? There’s a group of rich kids who often race cars here.”
“Racing is one thing, but they often kill people on this road too. Anyone driving here becomes their prey. They take pride in hunting down outside vehicles on this road. Day or night, if these rich kids see a car here, they’ll intercept it and wreck it. Almost no one survives these crashes. That’s why this road has become a dead end for most people.”
The driver looked in the rearview mirror again to gauge Kayden’s reaction, but Kayden’s expression remained unchanged. He simply replied with a flat “Oh.”
Just one word, and not a flicker of emotion on his face.
Was this guy even human? The driver gave up, his spirit down.
They drove on for a few more kilometers in silence. Kayden closed his eyes, seemingly resting.
Suddenly, the car stopped. Kayden slowly opened his eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Wait in the car for a bit. There’s a problem with the vehicle,” the driver said hurriedly before getting out.
After a few minutes without any sign of the driver, Kayden’s brow furrowed.
He opened the car door, ready to check on the driver. But just as he did…
Suddenly, the roar of engines erupted from both sides of the road, followed by a cacophony of car horns. Not just one, but hundreds, as if they had all agreed to sound off at once!
In an instant, the entire outer ring road was filled with a deafening noise, shaking the whole world!