Jack's skin glistened from sweat as he punched the wooden dummy, holding his breath as instructed by Jane. His fists struck every part of the dummy, causing it to rock furiously.“Don't spend more than a minute on one,” Jane instructed from behind him. “Make sure you attack all the dummies around… Use the same strength and speed.”“Right…” He huffed as his eyes drifted to the dozens of dummies surrounding him.In fact, there were several other pieces of equipment that he'd never seen before. Obviously, Brandon and Jane had moved them here before this rigorous training. And by the looks of things, today's own would be the most difficult one.Jack darted off nimbly, his piercing gaze resting on another dummy. He stretched out his right hand, hardened his palm, and struck at the dummy's trunk. A crisp sound emanated through the gymnasium as the dummy was sent rocking backward.He then slid on the ground toward another one, pressed his hands to the ground, and spun around in the air to de

‘I can't fail this quest,’ Jack muttered to himself, trying desperately to win the fight. Although his lungs burned, and his chest hurt, his will to win overcame the pain. He gritted his teeth and lunged at Jane. At this point, he couldn't afford to be defensive; otherwise, he'd end up wasting his time. [Countdown begins! Duration: 10mins 30secs] The System's countdown appeared in his mind, making his heart skip a beat. It was enough that it had given him this quest; why add the countdown? This was only making matters worse! ‘Control yourself,’ he reminded himself and reined his emotions in. He threw a straight lead, aiming straight for Jane's chin. This was a move he borrowed from the Jeet Kune Do techniques he'd learnt from Jane. He expected to hit her at least, even though his attack didn't cause much damage. But to his utmost chagrin, she didn't even blink. He watched as she slipped inside the punch, her forearm deflecting his wrist with a sharp clack, and forced a brutal pal

The smell of lithium grease and cold premium rubber usually calmed Kate Nolan down, but this morning, the garage felt like an absolute tomb. It was 5:00 Am and the air in the underground bay was freezing, biting at her bare skin where her canvas overalls were rolled up at the elbows. Kate knelt by the front left wheel of the six-ton, custom-made SUV, her fingers tracing the heavy tread blocks of the tire. She was feeling for the microscopic pitting left behind from the high-speed extraction drills so far. She hadn't had the time to inspect the SUV due to several important reasons… Or perhaps, she had no excuse for her inefficiency. She'd slacked off, feeling lazy because she was now working with a billionaire who had the potential to rise to become a very powerful person in the world. ‘I’ll never neglect you again, Beasty,” she said, patting the cold metallic surface of the vehicle. If one looked closely at her, one would notice that her expression looked solemn. It was almost as if

The morning sun streamed through the towering glass windows of the Neuman mansion, casting sharp geometric shadows across the polished marble floor. Jack sat in a plush armchair in the main living area, a cup of black coffee steaming on the side table. Though his ribs still throbbed slightly from the intense training sessions with Brandon and Jane, his posture was relaxed. The front doors parted smoothly, and Jane escorted a visibly anxious Fredrick Hales into the room. Fredrick—the sharp, usually unflappable billionaire behind BlueBird Hotels and BlueBird Supermarkets—looked like he hadn't slept a full night. He didn't even wait for Jane to introduce him and dropped his shoulders the moment he neared Jack. “Mr. Nueman, please,” he began immediately, his expression desperate. His voice was laced with an uncharacteristic strain as he practically begged. “I came as soon as I heard what happened at City Hall… I need you to forgive my grandfather, please…” ‘So this is about Mayor Garr

Kate steered the vehicle deeper into the gray, concrete labyrinth of the city, its V8 engine humming softly. The further they drove from the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown Kansas City, the more the landscape deteriorated into cracked asphalt, boarded-up warehouses, and rusted chain-link fences. They were entering the Gang District. Jack leaned his head against the headrest, a dull throb still pulsing through his ribs from the morning training session. He couldn't help but wonder when the Trillionaire System would reward him with healing potions for situations like this. ‘It’s still so useless…’ he clicked his tongue. ‘The way it gives me rewards I don't want…’ [I think it's high time I implement a policy to withdraw rewards!] ‘Hey!’ Jack smiled nervously, almost in a fawning manner. ‘It has not gotten that, Trillie…’ [Don't call me that!] The Trillionaire System rebutted, but Jack could sense the difference in its tone. Did you really like the name? Brandon sat next to him, hi