Rise of the Forsaken Dragon: The System's Retribution

Chapter 2: A Trash No More

The night air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and expensive fertilizer from the Lanyue estate’s manicured gardens. Zhenkai walked down the long, winding driveway, his shadow stretching out before him under the amber glow of the streetlights. In his hand, he carried a single, tattered duffel bag—the sum total of three years of "service" to a family that had never seen him as more than a piece of furniture.

As he reached the ornate iron gates, the silence of the suburbs was broken by the low, predatory growl of engines. Three black SUVs decelerated in unison, their headlights cutting through the darkness to pin Zhenkai like a moth against a board.

Zhenkai didn't stop. He didn't even blink.

"The trash usually gets picked up in the morning, doesn't it?"

A tall man with a buzz cut and a jagged scar running through his left eyebrow stepped out of the lead vehicle. He leaned against the hood, lighting a cigarette with a flick of a silver Zippo.

"You Zhenkai?" the man asked, exhaling a plume of smoke.

Zhenkai stopped a few feet away, his expression unreadable. "Who’s asking?"

"People call me Scar. But you don't need to worry about my name," the man said, gesturing to the dozen or so heavies spilling out of the SUVs. "I’m just the guy hired to make sure you leave town with a few permanent reminders of why you don't mess with people above your pay grade."

Zhenkai tilted his head. "Tianqiao Renxu. He couldn't even wait for the ink to dry on the divorce papers, could he?"

"Young Master Tianqiao is a generous man," Scar laughed, and his crew joined in. "He didn't like how you looked at him during the banquet last month. Said you had 'defiant eyes.' He wants those eyes a little more... swollen."

"Is that right?" Zhenkai whispered.

[System Warning: Hostile entities detected.]

[Targeting... 14 targets identified.]

[Would you like to activate ‘Level 1 Gravity Field’? Cost: 10 Essence.]

Yes, Zhenkai thought. And make it heavy.

"What are you mumbling about, loser?" one of the thugs snapped, stepping forward with a metal baseball bat. "You think you’re in a movie? You’re a house-husband. A glorified maid. Look at you, you’re shaking."

"I’m not shaking," Zhenkai said, a cold smile touching his lips. "I’m vibrating. There's a difference."

"Kill the talk," Scar ordered, dropping his cigarette and crushing it under his boot. "Break his legs and toss him in the ditch. Let’s get this over with."

The thug with the bat lunged first, a wild, overhead swing meant to crush Zhenkai’s skull.

"Down," Zhenkai said.

Suddenly, the air itself seemed to solidify. A localized shimmer rippled through the space around the SUVs, and then, a sound like a massive hammer hitting the earth echoed through the night.

WHAM.

The thug with the bat didn't just fall; he was slammed into the asphalt as if an invisible hand had swatted him. The bat flew from his grip, the metal bending as it hit the ground. Behind him, the other thirteen men—including Scar—collapsed instantly. Their knees hit the pavement with sickening cracks.

"What... what the hell is this?" Scar gasped, his face pressed flat against the gravel. "I can't... I can't breathe! My chest... it feels like a truck is parked on me!"

"It’s just gravity, Scar," Zhenkai said, walking casually toward the lead SUV. His footsteps were light, unaffected by the crushing force he was projecting. "You’ve lived with it your whole life. You’re just finally feeling the weight of your own bullshit."

"Boss! I can’t move my arms!" one of the thugs wailed, his voice muffled by the dirt. "It feels like my bones are going to snap!"

"Shut up!" Scar roared, though it sounded more like a choked sob. "You... you freak! What did you do? Are you wearing some kind of magnet? A hidden device?"

Zhenkai knelt down next to Scar, grabbing a handful of the man's hair and pulling his head up just an inch. The pressure was so intense that Scar’s eyes were bloodshot, the capillaries beginning to burst.

"A magnet? That’s your best guess?" Zhenkai chuckled. "You guys really are bottom-of-the-barrel, aren't you?"

"Let me go... please..." Scar wheezed. "We were just doing a job... Tianqiao paid us five grand... I'll give it to you! I'll give you double!"

"I don't want your money," Zhenkai said, standing back up. "But I do want to send a message to our mutual friend. Hold on, let me get my phone out. The camera on this thing is surprisingly good for a 'poor' man’s phone."

Zhenkai pulled out his cracked smartphone and opened the camera app. He switched it to video mode.

"Alright, boys," Zhenkai said, plying a tone of mock encouragement. "The pressure is about to get a little worse. If you want it to stop, I need a performance. I want to see how loyal you are to Young Master Tianqiao."

"Anything! Just make it stop!" a thug screamed.

"Good. Now, on the count of three, I want all of you to bark. Like dogs. Loudly. If I’m not convinced, I’ll double the weight. I wonder how long your ribcages can hold up against five times the Earth’s gravity?"

"You're insane!" Scar hissed.

"One," Zhenkai counted.

The air grew visibly denser, the SUVs' suspensions groaning and hissing as the vehicles were forced lower toward the ground. The metal of the roofs began to dimple and bow.

"Two," Zhenkai said.

"Wait! Wait! Fine!" Scar yelled, his face turning a deep, bruised purple. "Woof! Woof woof!"

"I can't hear you!" Zhenkai shouted over the sound of straining metal. "All of you! Together!"

A chorus of pathetic, high-pitched barking erupted from the group of hardened criminals. They yapped and howled, tears streaming down their faces as they fought for enough oxygen to make the sounds.

Zhenkai panned the camera across the row of men face-down in the dirt, barking at the pavement while their "boss" led the pack.

"Beautiful," Zhenkai said, hitting the stop button. "Truly, a masterpiece of modern cinema."

With a thought, he deactivated the field.

The thugs gasped in unison, the sudden release of pressure causing several of them to vomit. They lay there, twitching, their muscles refusing to obey them after the intense strain.

Zhenkai scrolled through his contacts until he found a number he’d saved months ago—Tianqiao Renxu’s private line, which he’d intercepted during one of the man’s many arrogant visits to the Lanyue estate.

He attached the video and typed a short message: 'Your dogs have a very limited vocabulary. You might want to invest in better training. Also, keep the five grand. They’re going to need it for the hospital bills.'

He hit send and watched the 'Delivered' checkmark appear.

"You're dead..." Scar managed to croak, still clutching his chest. "When he sees that... he'll kill you..."

"He’s welcome to try," Zhenkai said, tossing his duffel bag over his shoulder. "But tell him this: the next time he sends people to see me, tell them to bring a shovel. For themselves."

Zhenkai turned and walked away into the night, leaving the broken men and the mangled SUVs behind. He felt a strange sense of clarity. The "Dragon Veins" in his body were humming, the golden energy circulating with every breath, making him feel as though he could leap over the mountains visible on the horizon.

[Ding!]

[Message successfully delivered. Humiliation rating: S-Rank.]

[Reward: 500 Essence Points.]

"Is that all?" Zhenkai asked the empty air. "I feel like I could have made them do a synchronized dance for that kind of reward."

[System Note: Essence is merely a byproduct. The true path begins now.]

A holographic screen flickered into existence before his eyes, translucent and glowing with a deep, sapphire light.

[First Quest Available: The Azure Dragon Ring.]

[Description: A relic of the Longrui lineage has surfaced at the ‘Midnight Bloom’ Underground Auction. It is currently being held as a curiosity by the Black Tiger Syndicate.]

[Objective: Reclaim the ring by any means necessary.]

[Reward: Unlocking the ‘Heavenly Eye’ Skill & 2,000 Essence.]

Zhenkai stopped walking. The Azure Dragon Ring. He remembered his grandfather mentioning it when he was a child—a symbol of the family’s true heritage, lost during the Great Purge that had forced Zhenkai into hiding.

"So, the world is starting to wake up, too," Zhenkai mused.

He looked back at the Lanyue estate, now just a distant cluster of lights on the hill. For three years, he had been a ghost in that house, a shadow following an Ice Queen.

"The auction is in two days," Zhenkai whispered to himself. "I suppose I’ll need a suit. And maybe a faster way to get around than walking."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black card—one he hadn't touched since the day he married Xueira. It was a simple card, no bank name, no logo, just a stylized dragon embossed in matte ink.

"I hope the account hasn't been frozen," he said with a smirk.

He stepped toward the curb as a lone taxi approached. He flagged it down, the driver looking skeptically at his disheveled clothes and the cheap duffel bag.

"Where to, pal?" the driver asked.

Zhenkai slid into the back seat, the air of authority around him so thick the driver instinctively straightened his posture.

"The Grand Hyatt," Zhenkai said. "And drive fast. I have a lot of lost time to make up for."

As the taxi sped away, Zhenkai watched the city lights blur into streaks of gold. The divorce wasn't an ending; it was a release. The dragon had been caged for a thousand days, fed on insults and scraps.

Now, the cage was open. And the dragon was hungry.