Chapter 7: Never Been Afraid

James let out a cold laugh.

"Are you questioning me? As long as I can find out where my wife Emily is, there's no place I won't dare to go. How about we bet our lives on it?"

"Bet our lives?"

As a ruthless leader, Vito had gambled countless times in his life.

He'd gambled over territory, over shipments... he'd never been afraid.

But this time, looking at the man before him who had single-handedly fought through an enemy gang in ten minutes to rescue Sophia, he truly felt intimidated.

If he won the bet, he'd gain the loyalty of a monster.

But if he lost, facing this monster...

He'd lose not just his life, but also his newly recovered Sophia, and the entire Gambino family.

"I... won't bet. I just want to know if you rescued Sophia alone."

Vito completely backed down.

"Dad..."

Sophia had now recovered from her shock.

She turned to look at the stunned family members. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. In that warehouse, I saw with my own eyes... he wasn't rescuing someone, he was hunting. Bullets flew past him but couldn't even touch his clothes. Those killers who usually pride themselves as elite didn't even get a chance to shoot before him. They were like... like lambs being slaughtered."

Vito froze, and everyone was shocked again!

What Sophia said was absolutely true!

Sophia walked up to James and bowed deeply.

She had been a proud Celestial University honor student, Vito's daughter, but at this moment, she was as humble as a believer before James.

"James, thank you for saving me. The Gambino family owes you a life, and I owe you a life too."

At these words, everyone in the room lowered their heads.

Sal, who had earlier wanted to tear James apart, now had a pale face.

He looked at the revolver on the ground that James had crushed into scrap metal with one hand, then at James's eyes that made his soul tremble, and finally dropped to one knee with a thud.

"James... I apologize for my stupidity and ignorance. From now on, I, Sal, am at your command."

As Sal knelt, a series of thuds echoed through the hall.

The sound of knees hitting the floor continued one after another.

"We follow Mr. Smith's lead!"

"We follow Mr. Smith's lead!"

Everyone shouted in unison, their voices echoing off the hall's dome.

Vito let out a long breath. He knew that from this moment on, the Gambino family was no longer the controller of New York's underworld, but under this young man's command.

"James, I agree to all your conditions. The Gambino family will do everything to help you find out the truth about your wife's death. Victor is a lead. As long as they're from The Chimera Collective, even if they hide in hell, I'll dig them out."

James nodded slightly.

"Listen, I don't care about power. All I care about is the truth about my wife's death. I'm going to find Victor now."

...

New York City, the Smith Villa.

In the living room, the family head Joseph was pacing anxiously.

Jocent still had bandages on his face from the injuries when James had sent him flying.

"Have you heard? Sophia's been kidnapped!"

Joseph was startled.

"What! Sophia's been kidnapped! What happened?"

Jocent said through gritted teeth, "It must be their rival gang! Dad, this is a golden opportunity! If we can rescue Sophia, not only can we clear the blame for the lost shipment, but we can also get close to the Gambino family!"

"I've already checked. The ones who took Sophia are from The Chimera Collective. I've gathered the family's top twenty elite fighters. Even if we have to storm in, we'll get her back."

Catherine looked at Jocent's high spirits with satisfaction.

"Right! That's what matters. As for that kicked-out James, he's probably still being a scapegoat at the Gambino Villa. When we rescue Sophia and Vito's happy, he might just kill James right in front of us. That would save us the trouble."

Joseph slapped the sofa armrest. "Good, let's do it! It's our time to shine!"

Just as Joseph was about to wave them forward, the door was pushed open.

"Mr. Smith! No need to go!"

A subordinate responsible for gathering intelligence rushed in, breathless, with a shocked expression.

"What? Has something happened to Sophia?"

Joseph's heart sank. If she was dead, all their plans would fall apart.

"No... no, Sophia's been rescued! Just now, she's back at the Gambino Villa, completely unharmed."

Jocent was stunned, then nodded in understanding.

"The Gambino family's own elite went into action? I knew it, those mobsters aren't to be messed with."

The subordinate looked up at Jocent. "It wasn't the Gambino family's people. It was one person... one person alone, who stormed into the kidnappers' secret warehouse. Ten minutes, they say just ten minutes, and he brought Sophia back."

Joseph and Catherine's breathing stopped. Joseph's eyes widened. "One person? Who? When did New York get such a powerful monster? Is it a secret special forces soldier from some military contractor?"

"It was James."

The subordinate said quietly.

Everyone's eyes widened!

James?

That family outcast who was supposed to die in Jocent's place? How could he do that?

Catherine stood up, her shrill voice almost lifting the roof.

"James? That loser? Are you kidding me!"

"It's true!"

The subordinate was sweating profusely. "The news came from inside the Gambino family. James is now an honored guest of the Gambino family! Vito personally accompanied him, and Sal even knelt and apologized to him in public! Now everyone in the Gambino family is talking about James."

Jocent shook his head frantically, touching his still-aching cheek.

"That's absolutely impossible! How could that loser have such abilities? I bet he hired some hitman outside and took all the credit for himself!"

Catherine also gritted her teeth.

"I absolutely don't believe James, that idiot, did it alone. Joseph, that lunatic spent five years out there, he must have joined some gang organization. He's deceiving people at the Gambino Villa, stealing our life-saving credit!"

Joseph also agreed, gritting his teeth.

"That bastard dares to reach into the Gambino family for benefits."

"If Vito finds out the truth, that he's actually a fraud stealing credit, not only will he die, but our Smith family will be dragged down with him!"

Jocent stood up, his eyes full of determination.

"Dad, we must expose that lunatic's true face! Let Vito know James doesn't have those abilities at all, that he hired outside help and set up a scheme!"

Joseph suddenly thought of something. "Right! I remember now, James has an old friend named Victor who runs a bar in the Bronx! Let's kidnap him and hand him over to Vito, let him expose James's true face in front of Vito! Let's go!"