Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a deep, commanding male voice boomed through the factory.
A moment later, a figure appeared on the second floor. He was a man in his forties, with skin darkened by years under the sun, a head of untamed long hair, and a shadowy patch of unkempt stubble lining his lips. He wore military boots and matching pants, while his upper body was clad in nothing more than a simple tank top that stretched over his powerful frame.
But what stood out the most was the jade thumb ring he wore. Even from below, they could see the glint of the jade thumb ring as if it was deliberately seeking attention!
In ancient times, such jade rings were symbols of nobility and power, but above all, they were a testament to a person’s self-confidence. From this, it was clear that the man striding across the second-floor walkway wasn’t just confident; he reveled in himself. The steel railings lining the walkway offered those below an unbroken view of the man’s every move.
And his theatrical gestures were a spectacle of pure vanity. The ring on his thumb said it all. If this man truly held wealth or status, he wouldn’t be caught dead living in a place like this rundown factory. His jade ring wasn’t proof of his rank, but evidence of his narcissism.
Beside the middle-aged man stood a woman whose makeup was thick and heavy, painted with almost theatrical intent. Yet her curvy figure, at least, could still pass as attractive despite the garish makeup.
As the middle-aged man came to a halt on the walkway, a toadying lackey scrambled after him and hurriedly put down a chair. “Bruno! Your seat!”
Bruno, the middle-aged man, sat down with a practiced swagger. He threw one leg over the other in a pose of casual domination.
Without missing a beat, the lackey whipped out a cigarette, presenting it to Bruno with both hands like he was offering a treasure. Bruno clamped it between his lips with an air of lazy entitlement. The lackey struck a match and lit it with the kind of urgency you’d expect if his life depended on it. Bruno exhaled a long plume of smoke and leaned back, savoring the moment. “You’ve done a good job.”
“It’s my honor to serve you!” the lackey chirped, bowing and nodding like a wagging dog.
The lackey was none other than Owen Thomas.
Bruno took a long drag from his cigarette, filling the air with a thick cloud of smoke. He stared at Kayden with eyes full of contempt. “So, you’re here to stir up trouble on my turf?” he asked with a sneer.
“Bruno!” Owen quickly interjected, pointing at Kayden. “That’s the guy who kicked me flying just now!”
“Oh?” Bruno chuckled, exhaling a plume of smoke. “He kicked you flying? Is he really that strong?”
Owen turned to face Kayden and Felicity. “You two really have some nerve! Chase me all the way into our Black Tortoise Hall’s territory, huh? Let me make one thing crystal clear; Felicity, I’m not giving you a single cent of that money. It’s not like I don’t have cash, but your old man’s dead now. With no one left to back up the story, who’s going to prove I owe him anything?”
Felicity’s hands curled into fists, and her knuckles turned white as her rage threatened to spill over. She clenched her teeth so hard it hurt. She shouted, “That’s my mother’s lifesaving money! Lifesaving! Owen, without that money, my mom is going to die!”
Owen, however, burst into cruel laughter. “Your mom? She should’ve kicked the bucket ages ago! She’s already living on borrowed time.”
“You-!” Felicity’s face twisted with anger, but her voice faltered. The words she wanted to say caught in her throat.
Kayden raised his head and cast a long, piercing stare at Owen. “A debt must be repaid-everyone knows that. I don’t care who tries to stop me. You have to return the money and the interest today, otherwise, you’ll know the consequence.”
“Such arrogance!” Bruno erupted into laughter, and his tone was laced with ruthless disdain.
“So, what you’re saying is, you’re planning to take on every man here, all by yourself? You really think you’ve got the strength to pull that off?” Bruno took another deep drag, letting the smoke drift lazily from his nostrils. Then, as if to underscore his dominance, he casually reached out and gave the woman beside him a hard, disrespectful slap on her butt.
Kayden’s brow twitched. His gaze swept across the room, lingering on the thuggish crowd glaring at him like predators circling their prey. A faint, icy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “They’re a gang of worthless nobodies… I can take them down without even using half my strength.”
“Damn it!” one of the thugs spat, his voice erupting with fury. This was pure provocation, he thought. Who did this guy think he was, throwing out such audacious, cocky words?
It wasn’t just him. The group of thugs who were ignored and insulted was now buzzing with rage, like a swarm of hornets disturbed from their nest.
“You’ve got guts, young man!” Bruno shouted.
With a flick of his wrist, Bruno tossed away his half-smoked cigarette. Taking a step forward, he sneered. “Alright, I’ll make you an offer. If you can knock them all flat, every last one, I promise, Owen will pay you back. Every penny, no excuses. And not just that, I’ll even let you join us. You can be my partner.”
Kayden raised a brow at the words, his lips curling slightly. Partner? This clown thought he could stand on equal footing with him!
Kayden’s gaze was cold enough to freeze the air. “Do you actually think you’re fit to call yourself my partner? You’re not worth it.”
The thought of being compared to these bottom-feeders felt like the greatest insult to Kayden, the mighty War God of Seclela, a figure of legends.
The greatest insult of his life!
Bruno exploded with laughter. He threw his arms wide as if inviting the world to admire him.
“You’re joking, right? I’m not worth it? Who the hell do you think you are, calling me unworthy? Do you have any idea how many people would sell their souls for the chance to work with me? Do you even know what that means to join us? It means changing your destiny, to gain power beyond your dreams! Look at me! When I say jump, they jump. When I say kneel, they kneel! I wield such power! And do you know who’s behind me? Boss Walter Peters!”
Straightening his back, Bruno’s chest puffed out as he delivered his trump card. His voice was laced with pride as he mentioned the name, Walter Peters.
“Calling me unworthy? You little son of a bitch!”
With that final curse, he clapped his hands loudly.
Within seconds, shadows began stirring from the factory behind him. Figures emerged in waves, like ants pouring out of a disturbed anthill. One by one, men strolled out. Some of them were still yawning and rubbing their necks, as though dragged from their sleep.
And yet, they kept coming, dozens, then hundreds, until the space swarmed with five or six hundred people.
The five or six hundred men all brandished their weapons, axes, machetes, and steel rods!
Bruno scanned the scene with satisfaction, and a smug grin tugged at his lips. “Young man, we have six hundred men here. If you can take them all down, not only will I pay you back every penny I promised, but I’ll throw in ten times that amount!”
Ten times that amount… That’s one million dollars!
But, of course, Bruno wasn’t expecting Kayden to walk out alive, let alone claim the money.
Owen let out a faint sneer. He didn’t even need to say it, and he knew that Kayden was doomed to meet his end today.
One man versus six hundred? There was no way Kayden could walk out alive!
Kayden and Felicity were trapped in the center of the encircling horde, like a tiny island about to be consumed by a raging tsunami. The atmosphere was suffocating as if an oppressive tide was closing in from every direction.
Felicity had never experienced such overwhelming violence before. Her body trembled in fear, her legs felt like jelly, and cold sweat soaked through her clothes.
Yet somehow, despite her fear, she screwed up a spark of courage. Her voice trembled as she shouted toward Owen, “Owen! Please! We don’t want the money anymore. Can’t you just let us go?”
There was no way Kayden could take on six hundred men. Six hundred! The thought alone made her heart sink.
To her, one hundred thousand dollars was crucial, but not at the cost of someone’s life. If Kayden were beaten to death here, she would carry the guilt forever.
Seeing the desperation on Felicity’s face, Owen burst into laughter. His smugness was etched into every word. “Are you kidding? Of course not! Black Tortoise Hall is not a place where you can stroll in and out like it’s your backyard!”
“I’m sorry,” Felicity choked out as she turned to Kayden. Her tear-filled eyes brimmed with guilt and despair. “It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have brought you into this.”