Chapter 5: Beat Twenty!

Bianca shook her head, a gentle smile on her face, and softly ruffled Cleo's hair.

"No way. You said it yourself—you have the Miss World pageant in a month."

"At Christmas, you begged me to control your diet."

As she spoke, she took a bag of chips from the cart and put it back on the shelf.

Cleo pouted, looking reluctant but didn't argue back. She just looked at James pitifully, hoping he would say something to help her out.

James remained calm on the surface, appearing to accompany the two girls while shopping, but his eyes and ears never relaxed for a moment, constantly observing the movements throughout the huge supermarket.

His gaze swept over every corner of the supermarket from time to time, sharp as a hawk's, not missing even the slightest movement.

He didn't believe that bringing two girls out so openly like this would go unmonitored.

So James was certain that more than just Wesley and Xavier were watching them.

Especially just now, when he casually glanced at the various entrances and exits of the supermarket, he noticed groups of two or three men gathered at each one.

Those men wore black clothes, looked alert, and their eyes constantly scanned the supermarket. They clearly weren't ordinary customers—obviously here to monitor them.

He just didn't know yet which faction these people belonged to—whether they were from Apex Sentinel Group, the Davis family, or some other hostile force.

No one knew about his return from Novaria.

He had deliberately hidden his tracks to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Besides, he hadn't returned as the boss of Apex Global Enterprises, but simply as James, the orphan who had been thrown into the sea back then and miraculously survived.

That was all.

James withdrew his gaze and looked at Bianca and Cleo beside him, his tone much gentler.

"Bianca, Cleo, there's a section over there with snacks I like. Help me pick out some."

Cleo immediately perked up, her eyes brightening, and quickly asked,

"Where are you going, James?"

"I'm going to the restroom. I'll be right back."

James smiled and ruffled Cleo's hair, his tone gentle but carrying a barely noticeable hint of instruction.

"Just stay here and pick things out. Don't wander off. I'll be right back."

"Okay then."

Cleo nodded. Though somewhat reluctant, she obediently agreed and turned to pull Bianca along, excitedly heading toward the snack section.

Not far away, Wesley's eyes lit up instantly when he saw James heading alone toward the restroom. He quickly moved closer to Xavier, lowering his voice, his tone full of urgency and excitement: "Xavier, that guy went to the bathroom. If we don't move now, what are we waiting for? Let's go! Plus, we can just take that woman directly. Even if he finds out, we'll already be long gone and he won't be able to do anything to us."

Xavier narrowed his eyes, staring intently at James's retreating figure, a hint of caution and contemplation in his gaze. He didn't respond immediately.

The men monitoring them also moved with James, quietly gathering toward the restroom, their steps light and expressions alert, clearly afraid of being discovered by James.

Xavier knew clearly that he and Wesley were just small-time players that others looked down on, only here to keep watch. They couldn't stir up any real trouble.

But these black-clothed men in the supermarket, dressed uniformly and looking composed, were clearly of higher rank and stronger capability. They definitely weren't ordinary monitors.

He wanted to see how this ruler of Novaria's underground world, who was concealing his identity and seemed ordinary but had a powerful presence, would handle the current predicament.

Or perhaps the strength he was showing wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface, and his earlier exchange with them was just him deliberately holding back.

Xavier clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, and quietly leaned close to Wesley's ear, his tone carrying a hint of mystery.

"Want to see something more exciting?"

Wesley's eyes lit up, instantly energized. He leaned close to Xavier's ear and asked urgently,

"How exciting? Men or women? Clothed or not?"

Xavier slapped Wesley on the head, his tone carrying some helplessness and disgust.

"Shut up and follow me. Stop talking nonsense. You'll know when we get there."

Wesley muttered and rubbed his head, looking reluctant but still obediently following behind Xavier.

Carefully avoiding those black-clothed men, they walked behind a large row of shelves,

From there, they could clearly see the corridor connecting the restroom and the emergency exit, hidden among the shelves and not easily discovered.

The two had just positioned themselves when they saw James walk out of the restroom. Just as he reached the corridor, he was surrounded by more than twenty black-clothed men.

Those black-clothed men were all tall and burly, looking fierce, arms crossed, surrounding James completely, blocking all his escape routes. Their aggressive manner showed they meant trouble.

James stood alone before more than twenty men, his expression calm without the slightest panic.

He simply rolled his wrists lightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the black-clothed men before him, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint cold smile.

The aura around him instantly became cold and powerful, an oppressive force rushing forward that made even Wesley and Xavier behind the distant shelves shiver involuntarily.

Wesley's eyes widened, his mouth gaping wide enough to swallow a fist. He lowered his voice, his tone full of shock and fear.

"Exciting! Won't he get beaten to a pulp?

No matter how good he is, he can't possibly take on more than twenty bodyguards, right?

These guys look tough—all of them strong and powerful. He's definitely going down today."

Before Wesley finished speaking, he saw James move.

His long leg swept out, the movement incredibly fast, carrying tremendous force. The two men standing to his right had no time to react before being kicked in the knees. They fell with a thud, curling up on the ground in pain, unable to get up again.

Not only that, James's right hand struck out with rapid punches, so fast they created afterimages.

Each punch precisely hit the vital points of the two fallen men.

After being knocked down, the two men didn't even struggle.

All their strength drained away and they passed out without even a groan.

Seeing this, the surrounding bodyguards rushed forward, swinging their fists at James, aggressive and intent on subduing him.

But unorganized attacks were useless attacks, especially against absolute strength. Their attacks seemed particularly clumsy and powerless.

James's movements were so fast they created afterimages, his figure nimbly weaving through the crowd, dodging all attacks.

At the same time, his fists and feet never stopped, each strike precise and ruthless, showing no mercy.

Any bodyguard who got close to him was knocked down with one punch or kicked away with one foot, with no chance to fight back.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty bodyguards lay scattered on the ground, sprawled across the entire corridor...