Chapter 8: Strike While The Iron Is Hot

Words : 1675 Updated : Mar 7th, 2024

Benjamin's heart burned with rage. The thought that his grandfather had been deceived and lost his life, and his father had gone missing while searching for him was unbearable. "Those who do not kneel will be killed without mercy!" His voice echoed through the Thornton family estate like a thunderclap, shaking everyone to their core. At that moment, the entire Thornton family was stunned. They hadn't expected Benjamin to arrive so quickly. Wasn't there supposed to be a chosen date for this confrontation? They had only learned of Jasper's death ten minutes ago, and now, ten minutes later, Benjamin was standing at their gates seeking revenge. How could this be the chosen date? However, the Thornton family had not risen to its powerful status by being unprepared for such challenges. Moreover, ninety percent of the Thornton family's key figures were gathered here at that moment. After the initial shock, they quickly regained their composure. Smack! Sam, the Thornton family's steward, was the first to react. His fury erupted as he slammed his hand onto a chair, shattering it into pieces. Using force, he leaped outside, landing on the shoulders of the crowd, propelling himself forward to confront Benjamin. "You brat, you actually dared to come here! The Thornton family's gate is not something you can just barge through. I'll send you to your doom today!" Boom! With a fiery temper and no time for words, Sam launched a powerful strike aimed directly at Benjamin's head. "Die!" But Benjamin's gaze remained cold. His response was swift, his hand moving with blinding speed. He struck out before Sam could even react. Bang! In an instant, Sam was reduced to a cloud of blood mist, his form disintegrating in midair. "Where did he go?" The Thornton family members were left wide-eyed, staring at the blood mist, utterly bewildered. Their minds raced with questions. How did a person simply vanish into blood mist like that? It all happened so suddenly... "For every second that you do not kneel, I'll kill another!" Benjamin's actions were deadly and precise, answering their questions with brutal clarity. He continued to strike. Each movement was like a cannon unleashed—a pure, overwhelming slaughter. Blood mist filled the air, the stench of death hanging heavy. "Kneel or die!" "Kneel or die!" Bang! Bang! Bang! Benjamin's strikes were merciless. When he moved, it was like thunder. In mere moments, over a dozen people were reduced to dust, unable even to resist. "How can this be..." "Damn it!" "This... Ah! Mommy, I want to go home!" After a brief period of stunned silence, the crowd finally broke into desperate cries. Faces turned pale, legs trembled, and anyone who valued their life knelt down immediately. "Stop!" "You bastard, stop!" Three more members of the Thornton family sprang into action. These three were black-rank warriors, and they charged at Benjamin together in an attempt to stop him. But their fate was no different from Sam's. They lasted less than five seconds before they, too, met their end. The thousand members of the Thornton family were utterly terrified. They all knelt. Thud! Thud! Thud! By now, even the most clueless could see the situation for what it was. Anyone with a shred of sense knelt immediately. Benjamin advanced step by step, and no one dared to remain standing wherever he went. That was, until he reached the Thornton family's council hall. Inside the hall, fewer than ten people remained standing. Each of them looked pale, their mouths dry with fear. Bang! As Benjamin stepped into the council hall, the entire room seemed to tremble under his presence. Thud! York, who had vowed to avenge Jasper, was the first to collapse to her knees, her pants soaked in urine. The leaders of the Thornton family felt their legs give way, and they, too, knelt down. Elias, seated at the highest point in the hall, had a deathly pale face drained of all color. His eyes reflected nothing but pure terror, and his pupils trembled violently. In his sixty-five years, he had weathered many storms but never encountered anything like this. It was too terrifying. One man, one sword, sweeping through the entire Thornton family. No one could stand against him. Elias had never witnessed such ruthless decisiveness in a youth, someone who killed without hesitation and gave no one a chance. Overbearing, arrogant, extreme—he was nothing short of a demon. Three minutes... From the moment Benjamin appeared until now, it had only been about three minutes. Three minutes ago, Elias had been thinking about how to suppress this young man. But now, Benjamin had made the entire Thornton family, a thousand strong, kneel before him, too afraid to make a sound. If someone had told Elias three minutes ago that this would happen, he wouldn't have believed it—not in a dream or under the influence of any drug. The Thornton family was one of the six major families of Jatonville. Though ranked sixth, they were still a major power, capable of influencing the city's development, surpassing ninety-nine percent of families and enterprises. Boom! Benjamin took another step into the council hall. The hall trembled once more. Elias finally snapped out of his daze, cold sweat pouring down his face. Without hesitation, he knelt. "G-Greetings, Mr. Shaw... Welcome the Thornton family!" Elias, the master of the Thornton family, a billionaire magnate, was trembling, his voice stuttering. "Very good." Benjamin's voice was icy. "Now, kneel and prostrate yourself to my grandfather's spirit. Those who do not will face death..." Bang! The entire Thornton family, a thousand strong, prostrated themselves in unison. Not a single person dared to disobey. "Grandpa, I will avenge you. Those who caused your death will pay a bloody price!" Benjamin murmured toward the direction of his grandfather's tomb. Then, he stepped up to the Thornton family's main seat, the position originally held by Elias, and took his place with ease. "I have always been a reasonable person. Since you've knelt and prostrated yourselves, I'll spare your lives for now." As he spoke, he kicked Elias off the stage. Elias felt a violent tremor run through his insides and spat out a mouthful of blood. Is this what you call being reasonable? "I came to the Thornton family with a purpose, and I'm sure you all understand. Being the grandson of Henry and son of Mike, I want to know who used my information to lure my grandfather and father out?" "Who killed my grandfather? And where is my father now?" "Mr. Shaw..." Elias trembled, knowing that the Thornton family would be doomed if Benjamin's questions weren't answered. He forced himself to endure the pain from being kicked. "Your grandfather wasn't killed by anyone from the Thornton family. He was taken by someone else!" "Oh?" Benjamin's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Elias quickly continued, his voice laced with sincerity. "Although the Thornton family was involved in the events of four years ago, we didn't initiate them. Four years ago, our family was one of the six major families of Jatonville, while the Shaw family was just a third-rate family, hardly worth our attention. If we wanted to seize property or take lives, we would've done it directly—there would've been no need for a trap!" "You're deflecting responsibility quite neatly," Benjamin remarked coldly. "So you're saying it wasn't you. Then tell me—who was it?"

Chapter 8: Strike While The Iron Is Hot

Comments (0)