***** At that moment, every single thug lay sprawled across the space like discarded trash. Some had slammed into the walls and other objects in the room and slid down, leaving streaks behind them, while others lay twisted on the ground, clutching their limbs bent at angles that human joints were never meant to achieve. One man’s arm hung uselessly, clearly dislocated. Another’s leg was crooked in a way that made the boss’s stomach churn. While several of them were missing teeth… white, bloodied fragments scattered across the floor. Then there were their faces… Gone was their earlier arrogance and cruelty. What remained now was nothing but pure horror and confusion. Every one of them trembled violently, groaning, some even crying. One moment, they had been the predators, arrogant and ruthless… but in the next, they became reduced to pitiful wrecks. Witnessing all this, the boss couldn’t help but swallow hard, his scalp prickling with cold. For the first time in ye

***** Oblivious to the trap the gang boss had meticulously arranged, Zach stepped out of the modest hotel as though none of it mattered. Behind him, the workers stood frozen in stunned silence, their expressions a mixture of disbelief, awe, and lingering fear. They had all seen a group of violent gangsters storm in earlier, looking for him to settle scores. Yet, not only had he walked out alive, but he had done so uninjured and unbothered. It was the kind of outcome that didn’t make sense, no matter what. Zach, however, paid them no attention whatsoever. He simply walked to the roadside, flagging down a passing taxi. Immediately, the vehicle slowed in front of him, its tires scraping lightly against the roadside. Zach gave the driver a small, polite nod before sliding into the back seat, his movements smooth and unhurried. After stating an address, he leaned back against the seat, watching as the car pulled into motion. And just like that… It was as though the ea

***** Zach finally realized why the old man hadn’t stopped sneaking glances at him from the rear mirror during the ride. With this, a quiet wave of sympathy rose inside him, but before he could speak, the old man added… “I lost him about five years ago.” Tears gathered more visibly in his eyes now, yet the smile on his face remained stubbornly in place, stretched across his trembling lips. Zach saw through it instantly… recognizing that kind of smile better than anyone. It was the same expression he had worn for a decade now… meant to reassure others while silently concealing unbearable torment beneath the surface. For a brief second, something heavy stirred in his chest. Then suddenly, Zach snapped to attention, badly startling the old man. His heels aligned sharply, his spine straightening into a rigid line of discipline as if an invisible command had just been issued. In the very next second, his right hand rose, his fingertips touching the edge of his eyebrow in a p

***** Ultimately a faint sigh escaped Zach’s lips, then he shook his head slightly. In the next moment, his expression returned to its usual composed neutrality. Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, Zach lowered his eyes to his hand, only to realize that a folded twenty-dollar bill was tucked between his fingers. He recognized it instantly… the money he had intended to pay the driver, which he had firmly refused to accept. Honestly, Zach disliked receiving free favors. In his worldview, everything carried a cost… especially kindness. If this had been any other situation, he would have insisted on paying regardless of the other party’s objections. But this time… he hadn’t. He understood something. Refusing the old man’s gesture would not have been polite; it would have been cruel. The sincerity in the driver’s voice earlier had been almost desperate, as though giving that free ride was a privilege rather than a favor. For once, Zach had chosen not to argu

***** “It seems…” Zach suddenly, his voice so cold that it seemed capable of freezing the air itself. His eyes grew dark and frigid, radiating a murderous pressure so intense that the atmosphere around him seemed to drop several degrees. “…these enemies are truly hell-bent on erasing my family from the root, not even leaving us the dignity of a legacy.” His teeth ground together with such force that a faint creaking sound escaped his jaw, making it almost miraculous his molars didn’t crack under the pressure. For the first time in a long while, Zach lost every trace of the effortless composure he normally carried. At this moment, he looked exactly like a man standing on the edge of a massacre… one push away from unleashing destruction without restraint. But then… Just as the violent storm within him threatened to break loose completely, Zach shut his eyes. He drew in a slow, deliberate breath and then slowly released it. In the very next second… everything returned t