Ex Husband Returns: The Martial Arts Godmaster

Chapter 4: The Price of Arrogance

The warehouse fell into tense silence as dozens of powerful figures knelt before Logan, their expensive suits stark against the grimy concrete floor. The silver-haired man who had addressed Logan as "Master" remained in his respectful position, waiting for acknowledgment.

But Aaron Blackwood stood frozen in place, his mind struggling to process what he was witnessing.

"This... this is impossible," Aaron muttered, his voice shaking with disbelief. "He's nobody! He's a cockroach! A worthless delivery maggot!"

The silver-haired man's expression darkened as he slowly rose to his feet. "You dare continue to insult the Master?"

"Insult him?" Aaron let out a harsh laugh, though sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. "I know this pathetic worm personally! My cousin Darien just married his ex-wife! This pest spent the last year and a half living like a parasite in their home!"

Several of Logan's followers exchanged glances, their faces showing dangerous levels of anger at Aaron's continued disrespect.

"You're making a grave mistake," warned a man in an expensive Italian suit who controlled half the city's legitimate businesses. "Show respect to Master Logan immediately."

"Respect?" Aaron's voice rose to a near-shriek. "For this termite? You've all lost your minds!"

Meanwhile, the other kidnappers who had been laughing and mocking just minutes earlier were now trembling with fear. One by one, they began dropping to their knees.

"Boss," one of the thugs whispered urgently, "maybe we should listen to them. These are serious people."

"Please, Master Logan," another kidnapper begged, his voice breaking. "We didn't know! We thought you were just... we thought..."

"You thought he was an insect you could step on," the silver-haired man finished coldly. "Your ignorance doesn't excuse your disrespect."

Aaron watched his men grovel before the shabby delivery man and felt his rage building to a boiling point.

"Get up, you cowards!" he screamed at his thugs. "He's fooled you all somehow! Can't you see? He's nothing but a diseased rat who crawls around delivering flowers!"

"Aaron Blackwood," Logan spoke for the first time since the convoy arrived, his voice quiet but carrying absolute authority. "Your cousin's arrogance cost him dearly tonight. Will you follow the same path?"

"My cousin?" Aaron laughed bitterly. "Darien called me personally! He told me all about you, you pathetic beetle! How you lived in their house like a flea, surviving off scraps!"

The crowd of powerful men bristled at Aaron's words, several reaching inside their jackets for weapons.

"He told me how you groveled and begged!" Aaron continued, spittle flying from his lips. "How you crawled around their feet like a worm, desperate for attention!"

"Enough," the silver-haired man growled, taking a step toward Aaron. "Your disrespect ends now."

But Aaron was beyond reason, his family pride and shock driving him to greater fury.

"No! I won't be intimidated by some elaborate hoax!" he shouted. "This maggot probably hired actors to pretend he's important! He's the same worthless insect he's always been!"

Logan's followers looked to their master, waiting for permission to act. The tension in the warehouse was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Master," the silver-haired man said respectfully, "shall we deal with this pest?"

Logan raised a hand, stopping them. "Let him finish."

Aaron took this as encouragement, his confidence growing. "See? Even now he's too weak to defend himself! A real leader would have already put me in my place!"

"You're right," Logan said calmly. "A real leader would."

The statement seemed to validate Aaron's position, and he turned to address the kneeling figures with renewed arrogance.

"Look at him!" Aaron gestured wildly at Logan. "Does this look like a king to you? This crawling slug in his cheap clothes? This bottom-feeding parasite?"

While the powerful men were focused on Logan, watching for his reaction to the insults, Aaron's hand slowly moved to the pistol concealed beneath his leather jacket. His fingers closed around the grip, and his lips curved into a vicious smile.

"I'll prove to all of you what this cockroach really is," Aaron snarled.

In one swift motion, he drew the weapon and fired directly at Logan's chest.

BANG!

The gunshot echoed through the warehouse like thunder. The powerful men spun around in shock, several crying out in alarm.

But where Logan had been standing a split second before, there was now only empty air.

"What the—" Aaron's eyes widened in disbelief.

Logan had moved so fast that the human eye could barely track the motion. He stood three feet to the left of his original position, completely unharmed, his expression unchanged.

"Impossible!" Aaron screamed, raising the gun again. "You're just a bug! Bugs don't dodge bullets!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Aaron fired repeatedly, his shots wild with panic and rage. Each bullet passed harmlessly through the space where Logan had been standing milliseconds before. Logan moved like flowing water, each motion precise and effortless, as if he were simply taking a leisurely stroll while death flew past him.

"He's not human," one of the kidnappers whispered in terror.

"Shut up!" Aaron roared, emptying his entire clip in a desperate barrage. "He has to be using tricks! Smoke and mirrors! He's just a filthy roach!"

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

The hammer fell on empty chambers. Aaron stared at his useless weapon, then at Logan, who stood completely unharmed in the center of the warehouse.

"No... no, this can't be happening," Aaron muttered, his voice barely audible.

Logan began walking toward him with slow, measured steps. Each footfall seemed to echo like a death knell in the sudden silence.

"You called me a cockroach," Logan said conversationally. "A maggot. A parasite. A worthless insect."

Aaron stumbled backward, his empty gun falling from nerveless fingers. "Stay back! Stay away from me!"

"You shot at me," Logan continued, still approaching with that terrifying calm. "Multiple times. With intent to kill."

"I... I didn't mean..." Aaron's back hit a shipping container, trapping him.

"And you're Darien's cousin," Logan added, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more menace than a shout. "That makes this personal."

Aaron tried to run, but Logan's hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground with supernatural strength.

"Please," Aaron gasped, his legs kicking uselessly in the air. "I'm sorry! I was wrong! You're not an insect! You're—"

"Too late," Logan said simply.

He threw Aaron to the concrete floor with bone-jarring force. Before Aaron could even try to crawl away, Logan's boot came down on his right calf.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bone echoed through the warehouse. Aaron's scream was inhuman in its agony.

"That's for calling me a cockroach," Logan said clinically.

His boot moved to Aaron's left leg.

CRACK!

"That's for the bullets."

Aaron's vision was starting to blur from the pain, but Logan wasn't finished. He stepped on Aaron's right arm with methodical precision.

CRACK!

"That's for being related to Darien."

Finally, Logan's boot found Aaron's left arm.

CRACK!

"And that's for disrespecting me in front of my people."

Aaron's screams had faded to weak whimpers. Blood pooled beneath his broken limbs, and his face had gone gray with shock and pain.

"You will never walk again," Logan informed him matter-of-factly. "You will never use your arms again. But you will live, as a reminder to others about the consequences of mistaking a king for an insect."

Aaron's eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed unconscious, his body unable to process any more agony.