England, is a land of old traditions and rigid customs. London, the heart of the UK, stood apart from the rest of Europe-lacking the romance of France, the passion of Italy, the precision of Germany, and the warmth of the Netherlands. It wasn’t exceptional in any one way, yet it possessed its own distinct charm.
Just outside London, in a wealthy suburb, mansions and estates sat spaced far apart, occasionally interrupted by ancient castles, each flaunting its wealth and uniqueness.
At the front of one such castle-white stone walls, sharp-pitched roofs, and a design straight out of 18th-century England-a row of cars waited. Though Ryan rarely set foot in the UK, that didn’t mean he lacked influence here.
As they arrived, Ryan still held Echo close, absently tracing the scar on her shoulder. The bite wound he’d left was healing well; Bill’s ointment worked wonders. There wasn’t even a hint of pain left, just the faint unevenness of the scar as a reminder.
While Hawk and Cobra remained serious about the mission, Echo felt more curious than concerned. She couldn’t help but wonder what had triggered Ryan’s earlier rage, only for him to switch back to his usual cold, detached demeanor, as if nothing had ever happened. After all, Ryan had never shown this kind of emotional volatility before.
Leaning on Ryan’s shoulder, Echo kept her eyes wide open, staring at the white castle.
Hawk and Cobra stayed inside the car, while an unfamiliar subordinate-his expression cold and rigid-walked up to the two doormen standing at the entrance.
After exchanging a few words, the doormen’s faces immediately went pale. They shot a nervous glance at the car Ryan sat in, said nothing more, and ran straight into the castle.
Time passed, and just as everyone was growing impatient, the castle’s electronic gate suddenly slammed shut with a loud click, shutting Ryan out. Hawk and the others instantly darkened, their faces turning grim and threatening.
Ryan still kept his eyes closed, though the hand gently brushing over Echo’s scar froze for a split second. If Echo hadn’t been paying close attention, she wouldn’t have even noticed the change. But that cold, dangerous aura spread fast-after all, nobody in the underworld dared to disrespect Ryan.
“Blow it open,” came his icy command.
Hawk and the others responded immediately, and with a subtle gesture, someone moved toward the gate.
Echo raised an eyebrow at the old-fashioned castle and gave a small shake of her head in pity. That antique was about to go up in smoke.
Bunch of idiots-they were lucky Ryan even bothered to notify the doorman instead of just barging in. That was more courtesy than the Silver family deserved. Thinking they could disrespect Ryan and get away with it? What a stupid move.
The explosion was precise, executed with expert precision. The grand gate disintegrated into dust with a soft blast, leaving nothing behind.
No flying metal shards, no roaring flames, and no earth-shattering explosion. The explosives Ryan used were perfect-down to the millimeter. If he wanted a one-millimeter explosion, there’d be no deviation, not even a fraction more.
Echo raised her brows, impressed by the sheer skill on display.
The black Cadillac rolled forward, gliding into the now-exposed castle grounds with a cold, commanding presence. Inside, servants scattered in all directions, their panicked faces and frantic movements turning the castle into complete chaos, like a flock of chickens under attack.
The car stopped at the main house entrance.
Ryan got out, his expression cold and indifferent, not sparing a glance at the people around him. He strode toward the front doors, Echo following closely by his side, with Hawk and Cobra flanking them on either side. The four of them moved with an air of absolute authority, like they owned the place.
“If no one useful shows up in the next minute,” Hawk said calmly, as if addressing his own men, “start blowing it up from the northeast corner.”
Even those with the slightest bit of courage didn’t stick around after hearing that. They bolted off in all directions, desperate to avoid the coming destruction.
“Ryan! How dare you?!” A middle-aged man stormed into the room with a group of similarly aged companions, rage written all over his face.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the hall, and a tile near the man’s foot shattered with a loud crack, sending shards flying. He stumbled back, fear flashing across his face.
Cobra lowered his gun with a cold, emotionless expression. “You’re not qualified to say the boss’s name,” he said icily.
The middle-aged man’s face turned red with a mix of anger and shame. He stood in the center of the hall, too scared to yell but too humiliated to stay silent, torn between rage and fear.
Echo stood next to Ryan, who sat in the main seat, quietly observing the four people who had arrived-three men and one woman, all appearing to be in their fifties. They carried themselves with an air of faint elegance, and while their looks were passable, it was clear that in today’s world, demeanor mattered more.
These four definitely had a sense of authority about them, like people accustomed to holding power.
But compared to Ryan? They might as well have been minnows in the presence of a dragon. There was no comparison. The stark difference in presence made Echo raise an eyebrow.
“Mr. Ryan, may I ask what brings you to our Silver family today?”
Just as Echo finished sizing them up, a calm voice drifted over. The four middle-aged figures immediately stepped aside, revealing an elderly man in his seventies or eighties.
The old man held a cane, but he stood tall and straight. His hair was snow-white, yet his presence was composed, without a hint of fear or arrogance. As he approached slowly, exuding an air of nobility, Echo realized that the real boss had finally shown up.
“Where’s Clement?” Ryan asked, his cold gaze lowering as he looked at the elderly man, who took a seat nearby.
The brief flicker of menace in Ryan’s eyes vanished just as quickly, and his voice remained cold, devoid of any emotion.
The old man sat down, his face stern. “This is a matter for the Silver family,” he said in a deep, steady voice. “Mr. Ryan, there’s no need for you to get involved.”
Ryan’s expression darkened, and he leaned back against the chair. Without hesitation, Hawk gave the order: “Blow it up.”
“Wait!” The old man’s face sank as he slammed his cane hard against the ground, trying to stop them.
But nobody responded, and nobody obeyed. Explosions began to ring out, one after another. These weren’t like the earlier controlled blasts-this was full-scale intimidation. The deafening booms and terrified screams filled the air, turning the five people in front of them pale with fear.
“What the hell are you doing, Ryan? You came to our Silver family just to stir up trouble? You bastard!” the middle-aged woman blurted out, her fear and fury getting the better of her.
The words were barely out of her mouth when Ryan’s eyes flashed with a deadly glint. Standing beside him, Echo could feel the sudden surge of hatred and disgust in his gaze.
Cobra, without a word, pulled out his gun in a blur, aiming it directly at the woman’s furious face.
At the same moment, the old man’s expression shifted, and he shouted angrily, “Who told you to speak? Get out!”
Moving with surprising agility, the old man leapt in front of the woman to shield her.
No one would’ve guessed a man his age could move that fast.
Ryan raised his hand slightly, just as Cobra was about to pull the trigger. Cobra’s eyes flickered with a brief flash of surprise, but he lowered his gun without protest at Ryan’s signal. Still, the cold, murderous glint in his eyes remained locked on the woman, whose face had turned deathly pale as she realized her mistake.
Echo noticed Ryan’s subtle gesture and couldn’t help but feel astonished. Ryan’s reputation was at its peak-whether in the underworld or the legitimate world, nobody dared to disrespect him. Insulting him so openly should’ve meant death, if not for the offender herself, then at least for her entire family.
But this time, Ryan held back. Even with all the hatred he had for the Silver family, he restrained himself.
Echo couldn’t help but be stunned. It was completely out of character for Ryan to let something like that slide.