“Even if I’m no longer at my peak, I’m not someone they can toy with at will.”“Besides, most of my strength has already returned.”“Since they’ve come here to die, I don’t mind using their lives to rediscover the feel of battle.”“It’s been far too long since I last faced truly top-tier opponents. I’m almost starting to forget what fighting feels like.”Joseph let out a cold smile, his tone brimming with confidence.“Since you’re confident, Young Master, there’s nothing more for us to say.”“Your strength back then far surpassed theirs. If you can unleash even a portion of that now, crushing them again won’t be an issue.”Hearing the certainty in Joseph’s words, Neil Foster finally felt reassured.“Then let’s do this,” Brian Adams said after listening to both of them. “I’ll lead the team to deal with Monad and Richardson. The Kitahara brothers will be left to the Young Master.”“As for the remaining small fry, leave them to old Foster. You take people with you and handle them.”Neil

When her son was still very young, she had always hoped he would inherit the profession she and her husband had devoted their lives to.Yet the boy had shown little interest in becoming a doctor—if anything, he had resisted the idea.To her surprise, after watching Professor Wilson’s videos of treating patients, his attitude had transformed completely. Not only had his resistance vanished, he had developed a genuine passion for medicine.It was as though a long-standing wish shared by her and her husband had finally been fulfilled. As she went about her work now, an unbidden smile lingered on her face.After leaving the pharmacy, Joseph drove straight home.By the time he arrived, it was already past ten, nearing eleven.The lights in the living room were still on. Then again, it was summer break; it was hardly unusual for Alice and Mason Alvarez to stay up late.After parking the car, Joseph stepped into the villa.“Joseph, you’re finally back.”Alice’s eyes lit up the moment she saw

“I know. I’m not an idiot.”Mason shot Joseph a look.“This medicinal solution needs to be applied hot. It’s ready to pour.”Joseph said to the two of them.“There was only one set of herbs, so I boiled the whole batch. Is one application really enough?”Mason asked curiously.“What else would it be? One is sufficient.”Joseph replied with a faint smile.“Are you certain it can fully restore you within a day or two?”She still sounded skeptical.“You’ll see.”His tone was calm.“Alright then. Go wait outside. I’ll be right there.”Mason ushered Joseph out of the kitchen.Before long, she and Alice brought the prepared medicine out.Carefully, Mason began unwrapping the bandage on Joseph’s hand.“Even without special treatment, it would have healed completely in three to five days.”“But since you have something important to handle, we might as well try this.”She muttered as she worked.“Joseph, isn’t it too hot? Shouldn’t we let it cool a little?”“Can you even bear it if it’s this h

Once inside the elevator, Alice finally let out a quiet breath of relief. She was, by nature, somewhat reserved, and being the focus of so many watchful eyes had left her faintly embarrassed.The reason she had refused to release Joseph’s hand was simple: she wanted everyone to understand the nature of their relationship—to make a silent declaration that he was hers.After all, every woman harbors, in some corner of her heart, a measure of possessiveness.The elevator soon came to a stop, and the two stepped out together.“Come on, Joseph,” Alice said softly. “Grandfather’s office is this way.”“I know. I’ve been here more times than I can count,” Joseph replied with a faint smile.Outside the office, Alice knocked on the door.Moments later, it opened.Standing there was none other than old Mr. Morgan.“Alice, Joseph, you’re here.”“Mason is already inside.”“Grandfather. Uncle Mason.”“Grandpa. Dad!”Joseph and Alice entered, greeting them in turn.“So, everyone’s here,” Mason Morga

“Once they enter Nova City, we’ll be dragged into urban warfare,” Clarence Bennett said gravely. “In close-quarters fighting, we lose the advantage of numbers and heavy equipment.”“And their gear may be no worse than ours.”“With civilians everywhere, our hands will be tied.”“So this time, you’re not participating. It’s too dangerous.”He shook his head again, resolute.“We could intercept them outside the city,” Mandy countered at once. “In open terrain, we can leverage our superiority in manpower and firepower.”“But how?” Clarence replied. “We can’t track their movements.”“If we had the kind of intelligence network the Southern Frontier forces once had, an ambush might be possible.”“But this happened too suddenly. There’s no time to request their assistance.”“Besides, this isn’t the past. Without prior deployment and preparation, even they couldn’t monitor these people’s movements in real time.”Mandy picked up the file from the desk and studied it carefully.“Then how does th