Chapter 6: Safe House

Most of them couldn't even make a sound. After hitting the ground, they lay there stiff and motionless.

Clearly, James had knocked them out cold. Only a few still had consciousness, lying on the ground moaning in pain, without even the strength to get up.

Those who remained conscious obviously knew they were no match for the man before them. Looking at James's cold eyes, they had no courage to step forward again.

They could only lie on the ground, staring at James with fear written all over their faces, trembling non-stop, terrified that James might come after them again.

Wesley's mouth and eyes grew wider and wider, as if they could swallow a fist. His face was full of shock. He shook Xavier's arm hard, his voice trembling,

"Is he... is he the Grim Reaper? That brutal?

His skills are terrifying. Over twenty guys, and he took them down in the blink of an eye. I can't believe my eyes."

Xavier's expression was also somewhat serious, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He said calmly,

"That's why I said, if he really wanted to take us down, we should have been dead thirty minutes ago.

He wasn't even trying his best earlier. If he got serious, we wouldn't even have a chance to fight back."

Wesley swallowed hard.

The fear on his face was gradually replaced by admiration, his tone full of excitement,

"That's amazing.

With skills like that, he could easily be a top fighter at Apex Sentinel Group. Wouldn't that mean a million-dollar annual salary?

What am I even doing with my life? I should just become his student and follow him around. Then I'd never have to take crap from anyone again."

"Forget it. He won't take you as a student."

Xavier said flatly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone. He knew too well that someone like James would never easily take on disciples.

"Why not? I'm so talented and smart. He definitely wouldn't lose out by taking me as a student."

Wesley looked indignant and quickly pressed on,

"Xavier, Xavier, don't leave! You've got good skills, and he obviously looks at you more warmly than me! Xavier! Put in a good word for me."

Xavier ignored Wesley's pestering and walked straight out from behind the shelf, heading toward James.

He walked up to James, pulled out a brand new handkerchief from his pocket, and held it out with both hands in front of James, his expression respectful, not daring to show the slightest negligence.

James raised his eyebrows, glanced at Xavier, his eyes showing a hint of doubt and scrutiny.

After a few seconds of silence, he reached out,

took the handkerchief, gently wiped the blood off his knuckles,

then casually tossed the handkerchief on the ground without saying a word, his expression still cold, and turned to walk toward the snack aisle.

Xavier, like a loyal follower, kept his head down and followed closely behind James, not daring to say a word or show any slackness.

Seeing this, Wesley quickly ran out from behind the shelf and followed behind Xavier, wanting to say something,

but under Xavier's stern gaze, he obediently shut his mouth and didn't dare make a sound.

But at this moment, Wesley clearly no longer had any thought of sneaking away. He was deeply shaken by James's powerful abilities and felt a sense of awe.

He had so many things to say, so many questions, itching to speak,

but he didn't dare. His face turned red from holding it in, and he could only follow closely behind,

occasionally stealing glances at James's back.

James returned to the snack aisle and found Bianca and Cleo. By now, Cleo had picked out four full shopping carts of snacks and toys,

while Bianca only had a bag of cookies beside her.

James saw the bag of cookies, and his eyes dimmed slightly, his thoughts seeming to return to that afternoon on the ship's deck.

Nineteen-year-old him and thirteen-year-old Bianca sharing a pack of cookies.

And a gentle kiss.

"Still remember?"

James tore open the package, took out a cookie and handed it to Bianca. Bianca's eyes reddened slightly as she gently opened her mouth. James put the piece Bianca had bitten into his own mouth.

Bianca's voice carried a hint of choking,

"James, these years have been hard on you, haven't they?"

Just because Bianca didn't talk much didn't mean she wasn't observant.

The old scars on James's wrists and the calluses on his fingertips proved that James's life in Novaria these years hadn't been easy.

Especially since he just came back from the bathroom and still had the smell of blood on him...

James never brought his troubles to others.

James chuckled softly and tapped the sensitive and gentle Bianca's nose,

then blinked, hiding the emotions in his eyes, reached out and pulled Bianca into his arms, holding her tightly, his tone gentle,

"Not hard, especially after seeing you, it doesn't feel hard at all."

He held Bianca for a few seconds before letting her go, handing the bank card to Cleo, then turned and walked toward the supermarket exit,

"After you finish paying, come out quickly."

"What's the password?"

Cleo held the bank card and shouted at James's back. Seeing that James didn't turn around, she could only shake her head helplessly, handed the card to the cashier, and muttered quietly,

"Looks like there's no password."

The cashier took the bank card and inserted it into the POS machine, swiping it gently.

The balance that flashed across the POS machine screen made Cleo's eyes widen instantly. James's bank card had so much money in it.

This fleeting balance also caused the money-loving Wesley to experience his second shock in just a few minutes.

He moved closer to the checkout counter, eyes wide, trying to see the numbers on the screen clearly, muttering to himself,

"This... this... my god, so much money, it's an astronomical figure. Who is this guy?"

Seeing this, Xavier, afraid that Wesley would say too much and upset James, quickly covered Wesley's mouth, grabbed the packed items, kicked Wesley's heel, signaling him to leave quickly.

With Xavier covering his mouth, Wesley obediently followed Xavier and quickly walked behind Cleo out of the supermarket.

James had already parked the car at the supermarket entrance. Bianca got in first, and Cleo, Wesley, and Xavier quickly followed.

But James didn't take them back to the original house. Instead, he started the car and drove through twists and turns toward the edge of the city, finally entering a remote underground parking garage.

The parking garage was very quiet, with dim lighting. Only a few streetlights gave off weak light, illuminating the area in front of them. A few cars were parked around, making it seem particularly desolate.

Cleo frowned as she got out of the car, looked around, and felt cold air rushing in from all directions.

Not only that.

There was also a musty smell, dust, and an atmosphere of silence...

So scary!