Zayn wore a strange look when he saw them as well.What a coincidence, that was for sure. He had wandered the forest for two days, met some 200 wild animals but no humans, and the first humans he encountered was Stephen’s team?If he had not known that they were dropped based on computerized randomization earlier, he would have suspected that the organizer had a part to play in this.To be honest, Zayn had been pretty bored during these two days without seeing anyone but wild beasts. He was kind of happy now that he met Stephen and his team.Compared to his neat and clean front, Stephen and his team were looking a little worse for wear, especially his four teammates who sustained injuries and were grimy with bloodstains. It was obvious that they had some altercation with animals. Stephen was the only one who looked more presentable—at least, he was not that mucky even though it was visible that he was sweating, and his hair and face were marked with dirt.Their eyes glowed when th
When he said that, his face was twisted in hatred, rage, and savagery.Zayn frowned slightly. “Shaelyn and I aren’t what you think. She did come to my room, but we didn’t sleep together.”His explanation contained a tone of surrender and fear when it reached Stephen’s ears. The man broke out laughing like he had just heard the biggest joke. “Hahaha! Oh, Zayn Larson, do you take me as a fool? You two were so close and personal with each other, and she went to your room at night. You’re telling me you guys aren’t banging now? Hahaha!”Zayn kept quiet. He suddenly realized that his explanation just now seemed extra. Stephen obviously did not believe him, and there was no way he would buy his explanation.When Stephen noted his silence, his threatening smirk grew. “Why, are you scared now? Weren’t you blustering earlier? Come on, show me that once more!”Holding his machete, the gleam from the blade was reflected on Stephen’s face just at the right angle and added an ominous sense t
Stephen knew for certain that his attack would land. The smug grin playing on his lips was proof of his overconfidence. He had been training for years now, but that single strike was likely the best maneuver he had ever executed.There was no way a pretty boy like Zayn could ever dodge such an attack with his pathetic level of skill. He could see it already—his machete slicing right through him and forming a bloody gash on the surface of Zayn’s pretty skin.Unfortunately, before his machete even reached the halfway point of the arc, Zayn moved out of the way.He threw a simple front kick, but for what it lacked in sophistication, it compensated with inhuman speed. He only retaliated after Stephen’s initial attack. In spite of that, he was still so fast that the former could not react to it in time. It took only a split second for Stephen to feel a burst of pain shoot up his abdomen.His feet parted from the ground. He careened backwards, sailing through the air before a large tree
Their fight was not exactly guaranteed—the rules of the game made it so that if Xander and Zayn never actually encountered each other, they would never fight. Still, it was a slim chance that something like that would actually happen.As Xander trudged forward, one of his lap dogs asked gingerly, “Say, most respected Mr. Griffin! How many dog tags do you think Zayn’s got by this point?”He started out being a member from another team, but he immediately gave up his dog tag upon seeing Xander, despite the latter working in the exact same way Zayn did. His reputation and fighting skills were simply too renowned for these people to leave after offering their tags—they stuck around, trailing behind him like Xander’s very own team of fanboys, just waiting to watch the battle of a lifetime between Xander and Zayn.By now, he had garnered about fifty odd people with him.Another one of his lap dogs chimed in immediately, “C’mon. As if that’s a legit question! Of course he could never net
Anyone in the know could tell exactly what was going on: Xander had a specific axe to grind, and his target was Shaelyn Peach.Shaelyn simply replied, “Last I checked, Mr. Griffin, whatever’s between Zayn and me is none of your business.”The crowd was aghast by her audacity—she fired back at Xander, of all people! Did she have a death wish?Even the looks on Mr. Otto and her companions from the Aeolus House changed. Furtively, they tried to shoot her signals demanding her to stop talking before she killed herself just because she had a smart mouth.Xander’s eyebrows were practically knitted together. Enraged, he scoffed mirthlessly, “Do you expect an applause for your temerity, Shaelyn? How brave of you to disrespect me! Shall I applaud Aeolus House, for producing such a brave and stunning member, Mr. Otto?”His face was so stormy that anyone would have guessed how infuriated he was. Even a simple sneer sounded as imposing as the boom of a thunder, and the crowd visibly tensed.
One of them leaped to his feet and made his objection clear. “It’s a bit too much to ask us to hand over our dog tags. Don’t you think so, Mr. Griffin?”He was an expert fighter who took Ossiumol once, though not much improvement had come to him other than making him fight about as good as a stellar skilled pugilist. Still, the Aeolus House was far from a ragtag band with a cool name—they were a group of powerful fighters with both reputation and skills, and the fact that Xander treated them like they were nothing just reeked of arrogance.Xander’s response, however, was to meet the man’s eyes with a menacing glower.It looked so intimidating that the man stumbled backward as though he was staggered, his face pale in fear.“What did you say?” Xander boomed, narrowing his eyes threateningly and considering the man like a hungry leviathan eager to swallow anyone whole. He oozed an aura of terror.The man fell into an abrupt silence with his head hanging.Mr. Otto clenched his teeth
The Aeolus House members formed a line and handed their dog tags to Xander, their meekness and docility highlighting the peak of Xander’s unchallenged dominion. No one harbored even the will of dissent. Even their breaths had become bated.Outside these woods, they were people occupying positions of power, people who owned hundreds of millions of assets, people who commanded the loyalty of a surfeit of employees. And yet, here, they were no better than the lapdogs and goons who served them out there—and it was not necessarily a fault of their own. Xander was too powerful. No sane person would think it’s a good idea to offend him.The Aeolus House left with their tails between their legs. They waxed their worth, but what good could it do? None of them could punch harder than Xander could.“That Xander Griffin is the definition of shameless! He’s got no f**king rock bottom, does he? He doesn’t even give us the amount of respect Aeolus House deserve—that wretched jack*ss!” One of the m
“Enough, all of you!” Mr. Otto suddenly bellowed above the hubbub. “I want all of you to stop abusing Shaelyn right now! All that needs to be done is to have Shaelyn and I visit Xander after this event for a formal apology. Nothing’s gonna happen to the Aeolus House.”Shaelyn bit her lips and said to him, “Mr. Otto, please listen to me. Zayn promised me that he will defeat Xander when it happens, and I just think all this pessimism is premature. We should place our faith in Zayn, you know?”Mr. Otto looked at her with disappointment. “Shaelyn… I’ve always thought you were better than this. I’ve always seen you as a worthy heiress for our flock, but look at you! You just—sigh. Damn it, it doesn’t matter. You can’t squeeze toothpaste back into its tube, can you? You’re on your own, Shaelyn. As for Zayn… you should keep your hope in check, I think. He cannot win against Xander. Of that, I’m sure!”Shaelyn clenched her jaw. She was a firm believer in Zayn’s prowess, but after being surr