All Chapters of The Impotent King Rises: Chapter 191
- Chapter 200
261 chapters
A Shot Shatters the Night, The Turning Point of Tragedy
"Isabella, watch your back!" David's hoarse scream tore through the freezing night air.The booming sound of a shotgun exploded brutally. The muzzle flash from Silas's weapon illuminated the ruined living room for a fraction of a second. The gunshot shattered the silence of the pine forest, sending hundreds of crows flying up into the dark sky, cawing in panic.David, who had just run a few steps toward the trees, spun around instantly. His heart seemed to stop beating. From a distance of ten meters, he saw Isabella's body thrown forward by the point-blank blast of buckshot. The hunting rifle slipped from the woman's hands. Isabella fell face-first, her face and chest slamming into the wet, muddy ground of the yard."No, Bell!" David roared, roughly letting go of Elena's hand."Dave, don't go back there! They will kill you!" Elena cried, hugging Arthur, who was trembling even more violently."Take Arthur and run right now, Elena! Run and don't look
The Biting Forest
The rainstorm battered the pine trees mercilessly, as if the sky were vomiting all its wrath onto the earth. Lightning struck wildly, briefly illuminating a dilapidated wooden cabin hidden deep within the forest, five miles from the Miller family's tomato field. The hole-ridden tin roof dripped muddy water onto the floorboards, which creaked under their weight.Inside that stuffy, foul-smelling cabin, Isabella's breathing sounded like a broken machine.David laid his general down on a pile of dry leaves that was slightly cleaner than the floor. Isabella's face, usually as cold as ice when holding a weapon, was now as white as cotton. Her body, clad in dirty mechanic's overalls, shivered so violently her teeth chattered, even though Elena had taken off her coat and draped it over the woman."Hold on, Bell. You cannot give up here," David whispered, his voice hoarse, fighting the guilt tearing at his chest. He pressed his scraped palms against the wound on Isabell
Rusty Saw and Tears
The rainstorm battered the tin roof of the old cabin mercilessly, its roar resembling the cries of the universe refusing to witness the horror within. Cold wind slipped through the cracks in the rotting wooden floorboards, but the air inside the cabin felt stifling, thick with the metallic stench of blood and cold sweat.David Vexley knelt on the creaking wooden floor. His two hands, which once could crumble mountains, now trembled violently holding a bottle of cheap whiskey and a wood saw covered in rust. Before him, Isabella Rossi lay on a pile of dry leaves, her face as pale as a corpse, her breathing ragged as she endured the infection fever beginning to boil the blood in her veins."Elena," David's voice sounded incredibly hoarse and heavy, "Hold her shoulders. Don't let her move a single millimeter."Elena, whose dress was already torn and smeared with mud, nodded stiffly. She crawled to the side of Isabella's head, pressing both of the assassin's shoulder
A Cold Dawn
"She's still breathing, Dave," Elena whispered softly. Her voice was hoarse from exhaustion and a full night of crying.The pale and cold morning sunlight began to pierce through the cracks in the walls of the rotting wooden cabin. The light revealed dust dancing in the air, falling right onto David Vexley's body. The man sat petrified in the corner of the room. His back leaned stiffly against the moldy wooden wall. His hands resting on his knees were still covered in crusts of brownish-red dried blood. He didn't blink. He hadn't slept a single second since Isabella's heartbreaking screams faded into the darkness of a coma."Her breathing is very weak," Elena added. She sat kneeling on the dirty floor, wiping Isabella's forehead with a wet cloth. "Her fever hasn't broken, but she survived the night. You managed to save her, David.""I cut off her leg like cutting a rotten tree branch, Elena," David answered with an empty and hollow voice. His eyes did not shift
Trading Blood for Time
"Go now, Elena. Do not look back," David ordered with a hoarse voice, his eyes staring sharply into the darkness of the forest."David, please," Elena sobbed."Run," David snapped loudly.He did not wait for his wife's reply. David turned his body and ran, pushing through the underbrush toward the south, in the opposite direction of his family's escape route. The rain had stopped, leaving behind freezing morning air and thick fog. His left hand held the cracked wooden mallet; his right hand gripped the dull kitchen knife.David touched his wounded temple. He pressed the wound hard, forcing fresh blood to flow again. He smeared his blood on pine leaves, tree trunks, and mossy rocks along his path."Come here, filthy dogs," David muttered. "Follow the smell of this blood."The barking of the tracking dogs sounded louder behind him. They took the bait. David kept running until his feet sank into a shallow, thickly muddy swamp area. This was the
The Well-Dressed Angel
"Take it, Son. This water is very clean, far better than the dirty mud stuck to your shoes."That incredibly calm and polite voice broke the tension at the end of the asphalt highway. The man in the perfectly tailored grey suit squatted slightly, offering a sealed bottle of mineral water to Arthur. The seven-year-old boy swallowed hard. His round eyes stared at the water with agonizing thirst, but he took a step back and hid behind his mother's legs."Don't touch that water, Arthur," Elena whispered with a trembling voice. She hugged her son's shoulders tightly, her eyes glaring sharply at the strange man before her. "Who are you? What do you want from us?""My name is Dr. Aris. I am here only to help, Mrs. Miller," the man answered with a warm smile. He slowly stood up and put the water bottle back into his coat pocket.On the cold asphalt, David Vexley knelt, panting heavily. Fresh blood still flowed from the stab wound in his left shoulder, dripping on
A Prison of White Silk
"Your blood sugar hit a critical point, Mr. Miller. But you are safe now."The calm baritone voice pulled David Vexley's consciousness from the bottom of an ocean of darkness. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy, but he forced them open. A soft, non-blinding white light greeted his vision.David tried to move. His abdominal muscles instantly tensed, but the sharp pain that had previously torn his body apart had now turned into a dull throb. He glanced at his left shoulder. The stab wound from the pitchfork was bandaged with high-quality medical dressing. The stitching felt remarkably neat, adhering tightly to his skin with no sign of infection.The air in the room did not smell of mud or iron rust. The room was filled with the scent of expensive antiseptics and a soothing lavender fragrance that calmed the nerves. The bed he lay on was very soft, equipped with pristine white silk sheets wrapping his mortal, wound-covered body."Where is my family?" David gr
The Monopoly of Life
"Her body temperature has dropped, Dave. The doctors said the sepsis infection has stopped spreading. She made it through the critical period."Elena's voice trembled with immense relief. The woman stepped into the hospital room with a noticeably lighter stride. For the first time in seven years, Elena's face looked bright and clean. The remnants of mud, blood, and despair from their escape in the forest had been completely washed away. She wore a change of clothes, a soft grey cashmere sweater provided by the hospital.David Vexley was sitting on the edge of the bed. He held his left shoulder, which was wrapped in a sterile white bandage. His sharp eyes stared directly at his wife. Instead of returning Elena's smile, the former King's face hardened like a rock cliff."Get Arthur's clothes right now, Elena. We have to pack immediately," David ordered in a very low and urgent tone.The smile on Elena's face faded instantly. She stopped in her tracks in the
Iron Legs and Pride
"Take your dirty hands off my body! I can stand on my own!"The harsh curse echoed down the hallway of the rehabilitation ward. David limped toward the half-open glass door. Inside the room, which had a blue matted floor, Isabella Rossi was struggling desperately. Sweat soaked her baggy grey t-shirt. She squeezed two cheap wooden crutches under her armpits, trying to lift the remains of her right leg stump, wrapped in thick bandages.Two physical therapists in white uniforms tried to hold her arms, but the former assassin's murderous glare made them retreat in fear. In the corner of the room, a motorized electric wheelchair bearing the AgriGen logo was parked neatly."Miss Rossi, please use the wheelchair. Your balance hasn't recovered yet," coaxed one of the therapists with a trembling voice."I said I don't want to sit in a wheelchair made by your company's loan sharks," Isabella hissed. Her teeth ground together, enduring incredible throbbing pain. She
The Child's Anomaly
"Your hands are too slow, Miller. Swipe that card properly or I will cut your pay this very day."The harsh voice of Head of Security Barnes echoed down the sterile hallway of AgriGen's underground laboratory. The stocky man slapped his baton against his palm. He looked at David with a condescending glare.David Vexley stood stiffly in front of the scanner machine. The cheap polyester dark blue uniform he wore felt itchy and hot. He took an ID card from a young scientist who didn't even bother to look at his face. David swiped the card through the scanner machine. A green beep sounded. The scientist stepped inside without saying thank you."Sorry, Sir. The machine jammed a little," David replied in a flat voice. He swallowed hard, enduring the throbbing ache at the base of his spine. Standing for eight hours straight was a new torture for his mortal body."The machine didn't jam, your farmer brain is jammed," Barnes mocked with a cynical laugh. "You shoul