REBORN IN THE CITY OF GODS

CHAPTER 3 — THE FIRST SLAP IN THE CORPORATE LOBBY

The towering Vance skyscraper stood magnificently, reflecting the glare of the morning sun from the giant glass panels enveloping its entire facade.

This place was the center of all the wealth, power, and dark intrigues of the Vance family—a corporation controlling half of the city's security industry network and underground syndicate.

Eight o'clock in the morning. Adrian stepped through the revolving glass doors of the main lobby, wearing a standard black suit he had bought from a cheap discount store two days ago.

His dress shoes tapped steadily against the black marble floor, which shone like a mirror. There was no trace of hesitation left in his stride.

Today, he came no longer as an obedient dog ready to be slaughtered for the young master's interests, but as a predator who had just returned from hell to collect a debt.

In his memory, November 11, 2024, was the day he was first pulled into Julian Vance's inner circle of direct bodyguards. On this very day, for the first time, he witnessed just how rotten the morals of the Vance family's sole heir were beneath his charitable public persona.

Before Adrian could step toward the receptionist desk, a small commotion in the eastern corner of the lobby caught the attention of the corporation's passing visitors and employees.

"I told you, move your hands faster, you stupid old geezer! How many times do I have to say I hate seeing a dirty floor in front of me?" a shrill, arrogant voice echoed between the luxurious marble walls.

Adrian narrowed his eyes. There, near the main lobby pillar, young Julian Vance—wearing an expensive designer suit, slicked-back hair, and a mocking smile plastered across his face—stood with his arms crossed.

Before him, an elderly, white-haired security guard wearing a uniform lay crumpled weakly on the floor. The old man was clutching his knee, which had just been struck by the hard leather tip of Julian's shoe over a trivial matter: spilled coffee on the marble floor near his post.

Several other security staff stood a few meters behind, bowing in fear without daring to raise their faces, none brave enough to step forward and help their elderly coworker.

"Y-Young Master... please have mercy... my leg..." the old guard whimpered with a voice trembling in pain, holding back tears at the corners of his wrinkled eyes.

Julian snorted with disgust, roughly pulling the old man's uniform collar. "Mercy? In my family's corporation, incompetence is paid for with pain. Do you think hiring people like you grows on trees?" Julian glanced around, then his eyes caught the sight of Adrian standing upright not far from there.

The corner of Julian's mouth lifted into the sly smile characteristic of a young sociopath who enjoyed the suffering of others. He pointed at Adrian.

"Hey, you! New employee in the lower-tier security division!" Julian called out in a commanding tone. "Get over here!"

Adrian took a slow breath. The sensation of massive power flowing through his blood vessels after the system error loop last night still felt stable, rumbling quietly as it awaited the moment to be unleashed.

With a relaxed yet authoritative stride, Adrian walked closer to the center of attention.

"Is there something I can help you with, Young Master Vance?" Adrian asked in a flat tone, deliberately keeping his gaze locked straight into Julian's eyes without a shred of the usual fear displayed by new subordinates.

Julian frowned for a second, sensing something strange about this new bodyguard's gaze. However, he brushed it aside, believing his social status was sky-high above. Julian pointed at the elderly guard's leg, which was still trembling in pain on the floor.

"Take out the baton at your waist, and break this useless old man's knee right now in front of me," Julian ordered in a cold, casual tone, as if telling someone to throw away trash. "Do that if you want to keep working here for more than a day. That's your first loyalty test."

Whispers immediately broke out among the staff watching from a distance. Several women covered their mouths in horror, while others shook their heads at the young heir's cruelty.

In his past life, Adrian—still naive and bound by economic needs—was forced to look away or perform that cruel task with trembling hands. But today was an entirely different story.

Adrian did not move an inch from his spot. Instead, he stared straight at Julian with a direct, cold gaze filled with thinly veiled contempt.

"I refuse," Adrian answered briefly, flatly, and clearly. His voice cut through the previously noisy lobby, plunging it into absolute silence.

Julian was stunned for a split second, thinking he had misheard. "What did you say? You refuse my order? Do you know who you're talking to, you poor bastard—"

"I said, I refuse," Adrian cut in more sharply, stepping forward until the distance between them was extremely close. "Only a coward with no self-respect vents his power on a frail old man who can't fight back."

Anger exploded instantly across Julian's face. The veins at the youth's temples bulged out from intense fury.

Before dozens of his corporation's employees, a low-ranking bodyguard had dared to defy and openly insult him. Julian's pride as the future ruler of the Vance empire was instantly shattered.

"Damn scoundrel! You really want to die on your first day, huh?" Julian snapped, his eyes flushing red with wrath.

Without a second thought, Julian raised his right hand, activating the low-tier family heirloom magic ring worn on his ring finger. A bluish light glowed brightly in the air, emitting waves of system magic pressure specifically designed to shatter human mental states and break body joints.

The air pressure around the lobby suddenly dropped drastically. The artificial gravitational wave created by Julian's magic slammed directly toward Adrian, forcing anyone within a five-meter radius to kneel to the ground. Several decorative flower vases in the lobby even vibrated violently from the weight of the pressure.

"Kneel at my dog's feet, and kiss the floor you stand on!" Julian shouted with a cruel, triumphant smile, enjoying the sight as his target began to lose balance.

However, what happened next made the entire lobby gasp in shock and hold their breath.

Adrian didn't budge at all. Both of his feet were planted firmly on the marble floor, straight, without the slightest vibration.

The low-tier pressure magic wave released by Julian felt no more than a gentle breeze to Adrian's body, which had been perfected by the system bug anomaly.

Adrian slowly raised his head. His gray eyes stared sharply right at Julian, radiating an SSS-rank murderous aura that was so dense and cold, bleeding out uncontrollably.

It wasn't just a human gaze. It was the look of a creature from the abyss of death coming to claim a life.

Seeing that gaze, Julian suddenly felt an extraordinary chill crawl from the base of his tailbone up to the back of his neck.

His heart pounded wildly, and all the blood in his body felt frozen in a split second. The arrogance and haughtiness on his face instantly vanished, replaced by pure, uncontrollable panic.

Before Julian could cancel his spell or step back, Adrian released a wave of absolute intimidatory aura from his gaze—a psychic clash born from a year's worth of deep-seated hatred in the hell of death.

Argh—!

Julian felt an invisible strike hit his chest and internal organs hard, as if a giant steel hammer had pierced his magical defense without resistance. The young man let out a stifled cry, his eyes widening, and his body pitched backward.

Julian crashed hard onto the lobby's marble floor, hitting the ground in an embarrassing posture. Before he could even get up, a burning pain in his chest surged straight to his throat.

Fresh blood spurted from Julian's mouth, staining the clean white marble floor and his expensive shirt with dark red patches. The young man coughed violently, gasping for air, while his body shook in terror as he looked at Adrian, who now towered above him with a dead-cold, lethal smile.

Every employee in the lobby stood frozen in stiffness, none daring to make a single sound. The first slap had landed, and the war had just begun.