Chapter 2
I arrived at the home of the richest man, Brad, and the moment I stepped into the magnificent living room, I stopped abruptly.
Inside the lobby, several unfamiliar men were brazenly pushing a young man toward a leather sofa.
On their collars were clearly the exclusive logo of that Balkan black market industrial park!
That young man was none other than Brad, the rich second-generation heir who should have been facing the threat of amputation in the abandoned underground mines of the Balkans.
Not only was he unharmed, but the manor's maids immediately served him a bowl of steaming hot meat soup.
“Mrs. Brad, the $30 million ransom has been received in our park. As per protocol, we delivered the person safely,” the leading senior park official said. “But we’ve been on this long journey, shouldn’t you be responsible for refueling our special plane?”
Brad's mother circled around Brad with concern: "Butler, take them to the backyard and attend to their needs."
The man in the park snorted coldly, turned around, and strode towards the backyard of the manor.
I stood in the entryway, looking at this absurd scene.
The Brad family spent an astronomical sum to get the kidnappers in the park to personally return their precious son!
“Mr. Kane? What are you doing at our house?” Brad took a sip of hot soup and noticed me.
I strode forward, suppressing my anxiety: "Where's Mia?"
"She's still in the Balkans."
"Since you can use money to get her out, why didn't you take her with you?"
"Are you dreaming?" Brad's mother looked at me with disgust. "Why should our family's money be spent on a girl from the slums? We will never pay a single extra penny to kidnappers for a lowly commoner!"
“Not only that,” she sneered, “my son wouldn’t have been so frightened if that idiot hadn’t gone to the Balkans!”
Looking at this group of arrogant tycoons, I could barely suppress the bloodthirsty killing intent rising in my chest.
Those who dared to stand by and watch my soldiers die on the North African battlefield a few years ago would now have their skulls crushed.
But they are now the ones who can provide the funds to save Mia the fastest.
In order to immediately obtain the five million dollars in cash to buy my life, I swallowed all my dignity and anger, and cruelly broke the pride that belonged to the god of war.
“Mrs. Brad,” I pleaded hoarsely, completely lowering my stance, “since you have the remittance channels readily available, I beg you to advance the five million dollars ransom. Consider this money a loan, a debt I owe the Brad family. I will repay the money no matter what it takes.”
This humble act of bowing down to save someone instantly ignited Brad's morbid sadistic desires.
"Borrow money from me?" Brad laughed, pulled a checkbook from a drawer, scribbled five million dollars in a flourish, and slammed it heavily on the marble coffee table. "Fine, you poor bastard."
He sneered maliciously and pointed to the six extremely muscular, high-paid private bodyguards behind him.
"I've escaped death today, and my hands are itching. You lot, teach this arrogant lowlife a lesson. If you just stand here and take a beating without fighting back, consider this money a handout!"
I didn't hesitate for even a second when faced with this humiliation.
My gaze was fixed on the check on the coffee table: "Let's do it."
The six bodyguards immediately revealed cruel grins, and in unison drew their cold, heavy batons, pouncing on them like hungry wolves.
"Bang!"
The baton, accompanied by a piercing whistle, lashed hard across my shoulder and back!
The heavy blow, like a sinking net, reverberated throughout the hall.
For an ordinary person, such a sudden, unexpected blow would have shattered their collarbone and damaged their internal organs. But I didn't even flinch, and my back didn't even bend an inch.
They swung batons and rained down punches and kicks.
For the sake of that check that could immediately save Mia, I completely shut down the instinct in my central nervous system that wanted to crush the enemy in front of me.
I let the steel rod graze my forehead, drawing blood that streamed down my face, staining half of it red. Horrifying bruises and bloodstains spread from my abdomen to my shoulder.
Ten minutes later, the sneers in the room completely disappeared.
The six highly paid bodyguards stopped, panting heavily, their hands trembling uncontrollably.
They stared wide-eyed at me, as if I were a monster, covered in blood.
An extremely chilling sensation crept up their spines and into their scalps—they had clearly used all their strength, but the physical education teacher in front of them, who was originally just a weak and ordinary person in their eyes, was like a piece of raw iron rooted in the ground, with cold eyes, standing like a pillar and withstanding all the blows!
No more nonsense. I endured the tearing pain from my wounds, half-knelt on the ground, and reached out my blood-stained hand to touch the five million dollar check on the table.
Just as my fingertips were about to touch the paper!
Brad suddenly raised his foot and stomped hard on the back of my hand with the sole of his expensive leather shoe!
He burst into wild laughter, bent down, grabbed the check right in front of me, and tore it to shreds with a "rip"! Scattered pieces of paper mixed with my blood fell to the ground.
“A lowly, worthless dog like you, do you really think your worthless bones are worth five million dollars in charity? I’m kidding you!” Brad then waved his hand in disgust. “Throw him out!”
The bodyguards immediately swarmed me and roughly pushed me, covered in blood, out of the manor gate.
I was pushed outside the door.
There was nothing around but the pitch-black night to rely on.
The shortcut of using five million to buy his life has been completely cut off.
There are only ten ridiculous hours left before Mia is dismembered by the butcher.
Since bowing down won't get you any redemption.
Screw the rules.
