There was an urgent knock on his door just then, and Frank opened it to find a man he did not recognize.Still, his finely tailored suit made it clear he was not your average Joe, and there was a burly black-clad bodyguard behind him."Who are you?" Frank asked.Tidus did not waste his breath and asked bluntly, "Frank Lawrence? I'm Gerald Simmons' son."Frank promptly understood. "It seems your father's condition is worse than I thought."Tidus seized his collar right then. "You did something to him, didn't you?!"His father was perfectly fine despite being sick on occasion but was suddenly dying after meeting this brat! He really doubted this brat was innocent!Frank simply smiled. "Your father is plagued with multiple conditions, with his thorax being maimed during his younger days. It was always on the verge of aggravation. Also, I just need to lift my finger and he'd be dead—why go through so much trouble?"Tidus considered that for a long while before eventually growling
Everyone promptly ran to the doorway, but Frank was nowhere to be seen.Only Tidus was there, clutching his arm and wobbling as he hurried back."Tidus? Where's Frank?" Kenny promptly asked."No. That pompous bastard said my father's thorax was maimed during his youth and was already nearing death," Tidus growled through his teeth. "He demanded that my father go to him personally—I was going to argue, but he dislocated my shoulder!""What?!" Kenny exclaimed furiously. "He's so full of himself! I'll bring him here myself!""Hold it!" Dan suddenly barked and ran right up to Tidus. "What did you say? How does he know about your father's injury during his youth?!"Tidus did a double take. "No, he's just spewing crap. My father never mentioned anything like that…"Dan sighed lengthily. "Actually, it did happen, but he had supposedly made a full recovery. Also, only he and I are aware… Not even Vicky Turnbull would have known!"Everyone traded glances at that.Frowning, Norman sugge
Peter, Gina, and Helen were actually curious about who Sean had just spotted.They looked as he headed over to the large group of people at the entrance, groveling like a humble slave.Gina paled. "W-Who on earth are those people?"Even Sean himself had to fawn over them!Helen soon narrowed her eyes.She did not recognize the rest save one—Norman Schmidt."One of them is the chief of Riverton's commerce guild," she said. "I don't know the rest."Peter looked utterly envious—when could he mingle with the bigwigs like Sean did? "Gosh," he sighed. "He's even on talking terms with the chief of Riverton's commerce guild… Amazing!""Wow!" Gina exclaimed and turned toward Helen with a serious look. "He's a special man, mingling with the likes of such bigwigs. See how far his influence extends? You have to win him over soon!"Helen was speechless. "Stop prying, Mom.""Why? You're already divorced.""Enough. Let's finish up here—I have to go back to the office soon." Helen ignored
Annoyed, Tidus snapped angrily, "How much do you want?! We can pay you—just name your price!"Frank snorted in disdain. "Money is pointless to me.""Then what is it that you want?" Norman demanded—there was someone in this world who did not want money? Laughable!"A Myriad Hue Snow Lotus from Sky Peak," Frank replied, "or a Radiant Panacea Cap of the South Sea. Do any of you have it?""What…"Both items Frank mentioned were rarer than gold—people would go lifetimes without seeing them, let alone possess them."I don't have either," Tidus replied. "But treat my father, and I'll do all I can to procure them.""Are you giving me an IOU?" Frank asked in return."We can't gather them right away," Tidus explained. "Can't you give us time?"Just then, Dan glanced at Gerald, who was exhaling more than he inhaled.If this dragged on, he would be dead before Frank would help.Stepping up, he said, "Mr. Lawrence, I don't possess the medicinal ingredients you asked for, but my establish
"This feels amazing!" Gerald exclaimed as he strode up to Frank and bowed. "Mr. Lawrence, I apologize for being as short-sighted as I had been in the past. I have truly done you an insult.""It's no issue, Mr. Simmons," Frank replied evenly. "I'm simply doing my duty as a healer.""Wisdom and magnanimity—you are a shining example of your generation," Gerald laughed heartily and whipped out a debit card. "There's five million in here—consider it a little gift from yours truly."Frank shook his head. "Mr. Zimmer has covered your payment."Hearing his name mentioned, Dan flashed an awkward smile. "I'm afraid my shortcomings almost hurt Gerald. We're lucky you're with us, Mr. Lawrence!"He was suddenly thrilled—he was thinking he could emulate whatever technique Frank would use to treat Gerald, only for the man to achieve what he could not with just a pill.What sort of miracle pill was that?!It was not just him either—Kenny and Norman were getting curious as well, and their gaze a
Frank took a cab to Turnbull Villa right away, where Vicky and Walter were present, along with a beautiful woman and a burly man who looked like a bodyguard.Walter was the first to greet Frank. "Welcome, Mr. Lawrence.""Mr. Turnbull." Frank nodded.On the other hand, Vicky stayed seated beside the woman, appearing tame and disciplined.Just then, the woman asked, "You're Frank Lawrence?"There was a hint of disdain in her eyes.Frank frowned slightly but replied. "And you are…?"Before Vicky could speak, the woman introduced herself. "Susan Redford. I'm Vicky's mother.""So you are Mrs. Turnbull. Pleasure to meet you," Frank nodded, surprised that Vicky's mother carried such a presence.So one could tell that she was an heiress herself, though strategic marriages were probably normal for dynasties like the Turnbulls.Susan was studying Frank in turn. "My daughter told me you're extraordinary in medicine and martial arts?""My knowledge is superficial. I hardly hold my own,"
It happened in a split second, and Frank presumed that Cliff would concede.After all, they were just sparring, and Frank had no reason to murder a bodyguard of the Turnbulls.To his surprise, however, Cliff never sensed a thing and kept attacking him!"Stop!" Vicky shouted at that very moment. "That's more than three! Frank won!"Cliff stopped in turn.His boss only told him to threaten the kid—he had enough self-control to not kill Frank.He quietly backed away. Then, straightening his clothes, he suddenly realized that his collar button was gone and swore under his breath, "Shit, where did it go?"At the same time, Vicky turned to her mother. "Frank can take the wonderroot now, right?"Susan nodded. "Yes. Also, I'll be leaving soon—Cliff will stay as your bodyguard.""My bodyguard? That's unnecessary—Frank is my personal bodyguard." Vicky refused right away, wrapping her hands around his arm. "And there's still Yara, who is the daughter of the governor. You really don't hav
"What is that?" Frank asked in curiosity. Vicky leveled a mysterious gaze on him. "It's a pharmaceutical company. You can better harvest the rare medicinal ingredients from across the world if you join us—in fact, I'm doing this for you!""Haha…" Frank chuckled—he had just met her days ago, and he really doubted Vicky would go that far for him. "Let's just be honest, alright? What is it that you want?"While he was interested in such a company, Frank knew that nothing was free in this world. This was a give and take, and there must be a catch.Vicky smiled. "I want you to be my boyfriend.""What?" Frank appeared stupefied—he did not want to make enemies for no reason, especially since she was already engaged.Vicky giggled when she saw that it was a no. "I'm just kidding. Anyway, my side of the family has been eager to expand our medicinal business into Middleton. I've always been in charge of that, but I also know my uncle's side of the family would definitely send someone over
The hag shook her head repeatedly. "No, this is impossible! Even if you're gifted, you wouldn't be this accomplished without giving blood and sweat!"Frank sighed. "Don't you know that Einstein revolutionized physics in his twenties? Prodigies don't simply possess extraordinary gifts—they can gain twice the success even with less effort than the average person, staying well beyond any of your reach."The hag smirked. "To be honest, I would have been willing to let you join us if not for your arrogance."At her words, the lotus she sat on turned pellucid like Frank's and started flashing in red light too.The crowd who was feeling just disappointed a second ago were once again thrilled, and the middle-aged man even dissed Frank. "And you call yourself a prodigy? You're just a bitch the way I see it—your red light only lasted that long!"The hag sighed. "Such a shame indeed!"The red light shot toward Frank as she finished but faded in an instant, and soon, the hag's lotus faded as
Frank ignored the hag and asked, "How many people do you have?""It doesn't matter," the hag growled coldly. "They're plenty enough to deal with you."Frank nodded and sat cross-legged, closing and resting his eyes while saying, "Go on. Call for them."The hag was curious. "You're only in your twenties—wherever did you get that confidence?"Frank chuckled. "You can identify a horse from a donkey by making it run, as they say."The hag would like to end him right there. But considering that this was an opportunity to train, and they were all safe with her around, she decided to play along and called for everyone.Soon, over a hundred people dressed like the hag arrived. All of them were ugly or had birth defects, which paints quite the amusing picture.A middle-aged man in shades strode up, studying Frank in interest. "Oh, quite the overachiever, aren't you? Reaching the Ascendant rank in your twenties…"Frank shot him a look and asked coolly, "How many people have you killed be
Frank yelled, "Tell me who your boss is, and I might spare your life! Otherwise, the glass shards on the door will be your doom."That certainly showed the woman that Frank was being honest, and that she misjudged men!Chuckling bitterly, she said, "I actually quite liked you, so I'd rather not speed you to your death. Know when to stop if you're really smart, kid."Frank laughed coolly. "If I was going to stop, would I have come after you or Horace at all?"Fear comes from the unknown, which is why people fear the dark and the paranormal. But when they emerge from it, they fear nothing!"The woman gaped at Frank in disbelief, surprised that someone like him existed in such a quiet corner in this world.Terrifying, yet not patient—his existence was way beyond her reach.But when it came to men like him, she was still all too happy to help him die for on reason!"Fine, I'll take you to her—just don't be disappointed in the gap of power. Try to keep your pride as you do now."Fr
"What the fuck do you want?!"It was the first time Horace had ever seen anyone do something like this.Frank was helping out of sheer conscience and clearly would not tolerate anyone who committed evils, even going all out to wipe them out.At the same time, he was also different from the rest. Cunning ploys and fancy tricks were pointless against him, and he did not care about his reputation as long as he achieved his goal.And when it came to personal ability, wit, and influence, Horace simply did not compare in any element. He was also experienced enough to see that compliance was his only chance against a character like Frank. But chance did not even mean surviving but a polite death, because Frank would not let someone like him live!Throwing up his hands, Horace exclaimed, "I-I'll tell you everything! Just kill me—don't throw me in jail, okay?!"Frank said nothing and waited until Horace confessed everything, and once he gathered sufficient information, he snapped his fi
"How did you get in here?"Before this, Horace had arranged a security detail of over a dozen men in case Frank came after him.Even if they were no match for Frank, they could at least buy time, while he would hear the commotion and flee!However, Frank simply appeared without a sound behind him, making it all the more horrific!"Simple, really."Frank smirked. "I knocked them all out quietly! But to be honest, it's your own fault for not hiring martial artists despite being so rich. It's what you deserve.""You can kill me, but what's going to happen to the girl's parents?"Horace smirked, still confident in his own advantage as he waved his phone at Frank.It was a simple gesture to tell him that he was ready to take Aisling's parents down with him.Frank simply ignored him. "The assassin you sent was quite something, to be honest. Pretty face, and that mole under her eye… She's really special."Horace lost all composure right then—that could only mean that Frank had met h
"Got it!"The woman hung up and used her other phone to call Aisling again. "Lady, you will do everything we say. To put it harshly, you're now a slave—you don't get to refuse us!""Is that so?"Just as the woman finished, the window suddenly crashed open, and someone zoomed inside!Even before she could react, she was held firmly in place by the shoulder.Seeing the handsome face and knowing it was the martial elite who took down the dozenish goons sent by the cottage, she exclaimed in shock, "H-How did you find me?""Did you think I can't find you just because you're on the move?"Frank smirked as he pointed outside. "First and foremost, finding your name is simple since I have the means to find your number and therefore personal details. Also, this vehicle is registered under your name—and with the support of the most advanced GPS systems, it'd be shocking if I couldn't find you."In fact, Frank already knew the woman would not hang around in Aisling's home and called Jouri
Other factors aside, pride matters more than anything else when a person gets rich, and Horace absolutely refused to be mocked as a coward."Don't worry about it. I have other arrangements in place," he said. He then told the middle-aged man to leave and called a mysterious number.-An hour later, Frank was speaking with the intern at his homestay cottage when her phone rang.Taking it out and seeing an unfamiliar number, she knew right away that it was from the Mount Statera's management and turned on the speakers despite her curiosity as she answered."Aisling Walls, was it? Your name has a nice ring to it!" A playful, feminine voice giggled eerily from the other end."What's it to you?" Aisling snorted in annoyance. "Mess around, and I'll call the cops on you!"The woman was not intimidated at all, even laughing icily. "Go on, but your parents will die if you do."Aisling was stunned, shaking her head as she cried, "No, that's impossible… How could you know where I live?"
The middle-aged man frowned.He knew that the intern and the chief ranger would take convincing, but they did not even care to listen. "Actually, neither of you have any control over your lives now."And with that, he turned to leave.This was a homestay, after all—a fight would only further complicate the situation, which was why he did not want to do it here.However, just because he could bear with it did not mean that Frank could. "Hold it. Don't you think you're disrespecting me by leaving so quickly?"The middle-aged man stopped and turned, seemingly interested. "And where did you get the confidence to threaten me?"Frank simply smiled.At the very next instant, the middle-aged man and his dozen goons were sent flying.Then, even before they could get up, Frank had already cut up and stamped his foot on the middle-aged man's face."W-Who the hell are you?"He had worked for Horace for a while, but someone as bothersome as Frank was the first.Even if he was stupid, he
The chief ranger sighed. "I can understand being altruistic, kid, but strength doesn't solve all problems."Frank laughed. "Are you sure I'm just good in a fight? The behavior of upper management is definitely terrible—if someone like me would simply let it slide, what would happen to the ordinary folk?"The chief ranger no longer hesitated and told the intern everything he knew.Soon, her article blew up on the internet, with netizens everywhere outraged.Management naturally could not just let it slide.Horace Gagne, the person in charge, promptly sent his people after the intern and the chief ranger, only to find that they were both in Frank's homestay cottage.As both groups convened, they reported to Horace right away despite their surprise.Horace was certainly no fool—he knew that someone was setting this scene.But so what about it? He had plenty of ways to bury his opponent.And with that, his thugs all stormed into the first floor living room to find Frank seated on