Chapter 3: Bang!

Words : 2013 Updated : Aug 14th, 2025

Felix Looske took Elijah Quinny's punch full on. His head buzzed, and blood streamed from his nose in a thin red ribbon. He toppled over in a daze, too stunned to react, shock and humiliation written all over his face. Elijah drew back his fist, cool and unreadable, his eyes giving nothing away. He had long wanted to put that slick pretty boy in his place. "Elijah Quinny, are you out of your mind?" Leanna Yare cried as she rushed in, hauling Felix up. She fixed Elijah with a blazing stare, her voice hard and accusatory. "You're the one who walked away. What daughter are you suddenly looking for? You're here with bad intentions. You just want to wreck my life." Elijah listened to her cold words and only gave a thin, bitter smile. Disappointment and weariness settled in his gaze. This woman had gone far beyond anything he could salvage. He also understood that prying anything about his daughter out of her was now hopeless. He said nothing more and turned to leave, intent on finding another way. Just then, hurried footsteps pounded down the hall, and guards rushed in. A clutch of fully armed security guards swarmed through the doorway, led by a hard-faced middle-aged man in a white martial arts uniform. Felix, still on the floor, lit up at the sight. He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Uncle Mateo! Finally! He broke in here and hit me-teach him a lesson-make him pay!" Elijah swept them with a flat look and said impatiently, "Move." Mateo's mouth tilted in a scornful smile. Arms folded, he looked down at Elijah, sizing him up. Adopted by the family head, Ian Looske, he had trained for years, built a name in Riveria, and now served as Felix's bodyguard. "You laid hands on the young Mr. Looske and think you can just stroll out?" Mateo's voice stayed low, yet the pressure in it pushed down like a weight. "Kid, aren't you being a bit naive?" He brimmed with confidence. The Looske family had deep roots in Riveria. As far as he was concerned, dealing with some nobody here was nothing. Elijah cocked a brow and sneered. "What if I cripple him too-would that make you happy?" The retort hit harder than expected. Mateo's face darkened. He clenched his fists and set his stance. "So you've got some skill. I've been in this game for years, and no one dares act wild in front of me. Come on, show me what you've got." In the shadows, Raven stirred, ready to move, but Elijah cut her off with a single look. He was furious. One after another, these people blocked his path, burned through his precious time, and stood between him and his daughter. He needed to blow off some steam. With Mateo on the scene, Felix puffed up and bragged to Leanna. "Leanna, just watch. He'll be on his knees begging in a second." Leanna leaned into Felix, her eyes full of gratitude. "Felix, thank you. Without you, who knows what this madman would do." "Relax. Uncle Mateo can take him with one hand tied behind his back," Felix said, brimming with confidence. Elijah snorted. "Oh? Then I'd like to see how he floors me with just one hand." He vanished the moment the words left his mouth. Mateo saw only a smear of motion. Elijah, who had been a few steps away, simply blinked out of sight. A cold jolt shot through Mateo, lifting the hair on his arms. Only then did it hit him that he had picked the wrong target. "Ha!" he barked, throwing a straight right like a cannonball at Elijah's chest. He gambled Elijah would dodge. Elijah didn't even flinch-he met it head-on. Thud! The dull impact rolled through the hall. Elijah caught the fist with one hand and held it fast. His grip locked down like an iron vise. No matter how Mateo strained, he couldn't wrench free. He stared into Elijah's eyes-dark, bottomless-and a chill ran down Mateo's spine. This was no ordinary opponent. He looked like something that had stepped out of hell. "If you're a martial artist, you're meant to honor teachers, uphold the weak, and punish evil," Elijah said, his voice as cold as a winter blade. "You sell your skills to do harm, propping up bullies. Power like yours is nothing but a scourge." Panic broke Mateo's composure. "Sir, please-have mercy! I didn't realize who I was dealing with. Let me off just this once!" Felix still sneered, muttering, "Uncle Mateo, why are you wasting breath? Put him on the floor already. I'm waiting for him to kowtow to me." Mateo wanted nothing more than to slap him into silence, but begging was his only hope. "As long as you spare me, from now on I-" "Too late." Elijah's voice cut him off. True energy surged. Mateo felt a violent jolt. His clothes ballooned, his meridians snapped, and he crumpled to the floor like a torn burlap sack. Blood sprayed from his mouth. His face blanched. His eyes went blank, all hope gutted. Decades of hard training, ruined in one move. It felt worse than death. "Uncle Mateo, what's going on?" Felix stammered, staring stupidly at the man on the ground. Mateo laughed in fury, teeth grinding. "You idiot! The family head warned you-don't mess with people you shouldn't. Now look. The Looske family is finished!" He let his eyes fall shut, crushed with regret, sick with grief. Had he known the man was this terrifying, he wouldn't have raised a hand. Elijah gave Felix a mild glance that carried a sharp edge. "Felix, we're not done here. But I have more important matters right now. Next time, try not to disappoint me." He left the hall without a backward look. The remaining guards traded glances and didn't dare step in. If Mateo got taken out in one move, they wouldn't stand a chance. Felix finally snapped out of it and rounded on Leanna, fuming. "What on earth was that?" Leanna watched him walk away, unable to name the knot of feelings in her chest. This man was nothing like the one she remembered. Unwilling to accept any of it, Felix hurriedly called his father, Ashton Looske, and embellished the story from start to finish. On the other end, Ashton only snorted. "Just a guy who knows a bit of martial arts. Nothing to be afraid of." Mateo snatched the phone, his voice urgent. "Mr. Ashton, this is serious. I advise the Looske family to apologize at once, and the patriarch himself, Mr. Ian Looske, has to go." "Mateo, did training rattle your brains? A mere fighter-no matter how good-can't stop bullets. Stay out of this," Ashton said, flat and faintly scornful. Color drained from Mateo's face. Real despair took hold. "I've said all I can. If the Looske family insists on courting disaster, don't blame me for cutting ties. From this moment on, I, Mateo, have nothing to do with the Looske family. Just wait to be driven out of Riveria." "Ridiculous," Ashton replied with a chilly laugh. "Let's see how much damage a nobody can do. The Looske family will never let this go." In the dark, Raven watched it all, a colder light sharpening in her eyes. The air still hummed with Elijah's true energy. The hall lay under a pall of silence. No one dared say a word. Everyone understood that the Looske family's downfall was already a done deal.

Chapter 3: Bang!

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