It seems that what Barette had just said was real.Barette glanced sideways at Nashville and replied, "I used to be the leader of the ninth district myself. Do you really think I would be the type to be spreading false rumors?"Austin frowned and lowered his head as he fell deep in thought. "This… might just be good news for me."He seemed relatively calm on the surface, but his heart was beating like a drum.Barette nodded and explained, "That's right! The first district's leader has defeated four leaders… And that means that you would have four less deathmatches to fight in. Your only fight will be against 'The Strongest' himself."Everyone within the cell quickly understood the implications of Barette's words.The terms for regaining one's freedom in The Grave Prison was ten consecutive wins in deathmatches.But it would be impossible for Austin to achieve such a feat given his current condition.Even if he were not to consider the fight with 'The Strongest', any of the four
The gray-haired gentleman dismissed everyone from his office.Veins could be seen popping from the back of his right hand as he sat quietly by himself.He was trying his best to suppress his anger.The gray-haired gentleman was Erwin Danvers, the chief warden of The Grave Prison, who was also the man with the highest authority within it.But there was nothing he could do against 'The Strongest' of The Grave Prison.Erwin knew better than anyone else that the first district's leader could walk out of the prison anytime he ever wanted to.More importantly, Erwin needed his presence within The Grave Prison to keep the rest of the prison in check and maintain balance.What the robed man had done had definitely broken the balance Erwin had tried to maintain.Erwin took a deep breath before pulling out his phone to make a call.As the call connected, he only uttered two words. "You dare?"He then immediately hung up the call as he fell deep into his own thoughts.News about 'The S
Barette was startled for a second, and then he politely replied, "Be careful, Austin.""Does he have any weaknesses?" asked Austin.Barette would always tell Austin about his opponent's weakness before every deathmatch.But this time, Barette had not said anything.He smiled as he shook his head. "He's been hailed as 'The Strongest' for 20 years now… Someone like him has no weaknesses."Austin laughed as he realized that this would truly be a fight to the death.He had already expected such an answer from Barette, as the first district's leader would never have held such overwhelming status and power within The Grave Prison if he had any weakness to begin with.While Austin felt helpless about it, he was also rather curious.He was curious about how Aldus managed to win his freedom back then if he had to face off against such a prominent opponent.Austin was well aware that Aldus was much more powerful than even Barette.But he did not believe that even Aldus could have domin
The entire surveillance room fell into an uproar.Everyone looked at the monitor in horror.They were in shock at the fact that Austin had made the first district's leader take off his robe.None of the officers would notice that Erwin and Brian's expression had become extremely complicated after the shock wore off.A similar uproar would happen in the other nine districts as well.Every inmate within the Grave Prison was tuning in to the fight, and they all knew what the robe itself symbolized.And yet, the first district was still eerily quiet.The only reaction from the inmates within the first district was that their faces became distorted with fear.Meanwhile, on the ring. Austin frowned as he looked at the face of his opponent.In front of him was a man who had a rather thin face with a determined look.Austin could tell that his opponent was a man of discipline from his face alone. And furthermore, the immense pressure emanating from his presence alone was enough to fr
Veins were visibly twitching at the corners of Austin's eyes on his pale face.He had just endured 23 knee strikes from Alexander.If he had not been strengthening his body under Aldus' devilish training regimen, a single knee strike could have been able to break his arms.Even so, his arms had lost all strength after enduring Alexander's barrage of attacks. His arms were in so much pain that he felt as if it was one more attack away from actually shattering.Austin's previous injuries also started to ache after defending blow after blow from Alexander.The painkiller's effect had practically worn off.The immense pain circulating throughout his body caused Austin to gasp for air.His eyes reflected nothing but fear as he stared at Alexander.Austin did not have any courage left to even face his opponent.It was the sort of fear akin to a prey's primal fear toward its natural predator.The entire first district was as silent as ever.All of the inmates were at the edge of th
The entirety of The Grave Prison was left dumbfounded.They could only wonder why 'The Strongest' was currently defending himself.It almost seemed like Alexander was joking around.On the ring, loud gusts of winds could be heard along the barrage of blows coming from Austin.He was launching attacks with both his fists like a crazed man.Even Austin himself did not expect that Alexander would choose to take on a defensive stance.Suddenly, Alexander laughed. "Is that the fastest you can go?"Austin's heart immediately skipped a beat. "Shit!"The next moment, he saw Alexander's right fist coming straight toward him.A loud thud could be heard as Austin was sent staggering backward. His left arm was shaking violently after the impact. It was as if it were about to break off from his body.Alexander shouted once more before Austin could even stabilize himself. "Here I come!"He appeared right in front of Austin in an instant and kicked him square in the chest.A mouthful of b
Alexander sneered at Austin as he threw a punch at him.The next moment, Austin's gaze suddenly focused on Alexander's movements.Alexander's disdainful attitude immediately disappeared as he realized that something wasn't right.Austin's body swayed to the side as he stretched both his hands to restrict Alexander's right arm.He then leaned forward to prepare for a shoulder strike on the disarmed target.A loud thud could be heard across the ring as Alexander was sent flying backward.Blood could be seen dripping from the corners of Alexander's mouth as he struggled to maintain his balance.The entirety of The Grave Prison fell into an uproar.All of the inmates were shocked as they realized that Austin had endured all the attacks up until this point in order to acquire such an opportunity for a counter-strike.And it had dealt enough damage for Alexander to bleed!Austin's smile turned devious as he stared at Alexander. "Aldus was right… I can only find my opponent's flaws
Austin's fist landed on Alexander's face.The force was so powerful that half of Alexander's face was deformed by the impact.And yet, there was no sign of pain on his face.He was smiling gently instead.Austin was left utterly confused. He stared at Alexander in disbelief as he no longer felt any murderous intent coming from his opponent.There was no longer even the slightest hint of opposition coming from Alexander. It was replaced with a gentle and approachable demeanor."Why… Why didn't you dodge that?" Austin's voice was trembling after using up all of his energy for his final punch.It was a punch that was thrown with extremely sloppy technique as a last resort. Alexander could have evaded such an attack very easily if he wanted to do so."Why would I?" Alexander smiled and replied, "Is your father doing alright?"Austin was extremely confused by the question as he stumbled backward. "He's… Doing fine."He wondered what were the implications of Alexander personally kn
Austin never expected that Nancy would come back.As he returned to the Tetra Club, he remained sullen, his eyes dark with unresolved anger.Seeing Austin like this, Cecily felt a pang of sadness.She gently tried to comfort him, "It's all in the past now, isn't it? I'm here with you, and we have our baby on the way.""I can't just let it go," Austin shook his head."The best I can do is not seek revenge against them, but to truly forgive and forget—I can't do that."The actions of Nancy's family were still fresh in his memory.Austin wasn't someone who sought revenge for every slight, but he was far from the kind of person who could simply forgive and forget, moving on with a carefree "Hallelujah."Dahlia's despair as she lay in bed, the arrogance and cruelty of the Welch family…In the eyes of the Welch family, Dahlia's life wasn't worth as much as Harvey's wedding.Even when the time had passed and he was about to finally be happy with Cecily, the Welch family not only dem
After leaving this city, Nancy put in a tremendous amount of effort to "rebirth" herself.Meeting Ethan had shown her a different side of life.While he wasn't part of the uppermost echelons of wealth and power, he had enough. Most importantly, he treated her with the utmost respect.She understood Ethan's background, which made that respect all the more valuable.A man of his stature could have any woman he wanted in his bed the same night.Yet Ethan had shown her incredible patience, making her question whether the rumors about him were true.Tonight, returning to this city was her way of bidding farewell to the past and embracing the future.After all, people need to look forward, don't they?Meanwhile, Ethan was feeling more dejected than he'd ever been.Lying in his luxurious bed in Brook Villa, he couldn't sleep, tossing and turning restlessly.He had hoped to establish a connection with Austin. A figure like him would be incredibly valuable to have on his side.He tho
The river breeze was cool, and the lights reflected on the water flickered softly.The figure in front of them wore a long black coat, standing quietly by the railing. Her fair, delicate profile, partially obscured by a few strands of windblown hair, carried a hint of melancholy."Sir, Mrs. Campbell, is something wrong?" Aldus noticed the change and quickly stepped forward to inquire."Let's go home," Austin suddenly said, his previously cheerful expression now somber, with a touch of disdain.Go home? They had just arrived.Aldus was surprised and quickly followed Austin's gaze. When he saw what Austin was looking at, he immediately understood.Without a word, he turned to leave with Austin.But a soft hand gently grabbed Austin's arm."It's been so many years, aren't you going to say hello?" Cecily asked."I have no desire to greet her," Austin said, his disdain clear and unhidden.Three years of marriage, filled with nothing but pain.Even when Dahlia was gravely ill, Nan
After a busy day, just as Austin was about to finish up, a new invitation appeared on his desk."Who delivered this?" Austin asked."Ethan," Wolf replied.Austin chuckled, didn't bother opening the invitation, and instead tossed it directly into the trash."I've got to get home to Cecily."When he returned to the Bamboo Parlor at Tetra Club, Raquel had already prepared a delicious dinner.The dishes were beautifully presented, with vibrant colors and enticing aromas.After dinner, Austin and Ezra stepped out into the courtyard."Mr. Lockwood, any news from the Campbells about my dad?" Austin asked, the text message from Walter still weighing heavily on his mind.Considering the Campbells' efforts to find Walter, and given their intelligence resources, they should have been some leads by now.But Ezra shook his head. "Nothing, Not a trace.""The Campbells' intelligence network has never been this weak, has it?" Austin frowned, speaking in a low tone.Ezra gave a wry smile. "
"Childhood?"Austin stopped his workout, wiped the sweat from his face, and smiled bitterly.His childhood had been bleak.Only Dahlia had brought some light into the darkness.Seeing Austin's pained smile, Aldus immediately realized his mistake.He quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Sir. I spoke without thinking. You don't need to answer that.""It's fine," Austin replied, gesturing towards a nearby bench, and inviting Aldus to sit with him.Once they were seated, Austin slowly began to speak. "There's not much to tell about my childhood. It was mostly just being called an 'illegitimate child' and living day to day, never knowing where my next meal would come from."If it weren't for my mom fighting tooth and nail to raise me, I'd probably be dead by now."With just a few simple words, he conveyed a world of suffering.Aldus felt a wave of guilt. He had only been trying to find clues from Austin's past that might explain his exceptional combat instincts and incredible physical
Austin's gaze softened as warmth flooded his heart.Who hasn't longed for a light left on just for them in a sea of lights? But in reality, how many actually have that?Cecily did that for him.Given her background, the fact that she went to such lengths truly surprised Austin.In the three years he spent in the past, he had never experienced something like this.His nose tingled with emotion as he pulled Cecily into his arms, speaking softly, "Thank you. Marrying you is the greatest fortune of my life.""Alright, alright, I asked Raquel to prepare breakfast earlier this morning. You go to the dining room, and I'll have her bring it over," Cecily said as she gently slipped out of Austin's embrace, her graceful smile lighting up her eyes."Doesn't Bamboo Parlor have a kitchen?" Austin asked, curious.Cecily gave him a playful look. "The chairs in the living room are so hard, and you spent the whole night on one—how could you have slept well? If Raquel had been clattering around
The room fell into a heavy silence."Deactivating the phone number… was Dad trying to prevent me from tracking his location?" Austin murmured with a frown.Ezra pondered for a moment, his voice low and serious. "Perhaps he was more concerned about someone else tracking him."Austin's eyes widened in realization.Of course—if Walter could send him a message to let him know he was safe, he wouldn't be worried about Austin tracking himDeactivating the phone was likely to prevent others from tracing his location."But who is he trying to avoid?"Ezra shook his head, remaining silent.Having followed Walter for many years, he knew the man's temperament and habits. But this time, he was truly baffled.He couldn't even begin to piece together a clue.Taking a deep breath, Ezra forced a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I'm at a loss this time, sir. There's no sign of anything unusual from the Campbells either."This statement only deepened Austin's confusion.If there were anyone who cou
Austin knocked softly on the door.Almost immediately, he heard the sound of shuffling from inside.Ezra opened the door, his face full of curiosity. "Sir, what's going on?"Austin quickly made a shushing gesture, worried about disturbing Cecily.Then he gently pushed Ezra back into the room."Sorry to bother you so late, Mr. Lockwood," Austin said.Ezra smiled. "It's no trouble at all. The older you get, the less you need. I was just reading."Austin glanced at the book on Ezra's bedside table and couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.This old rascal!Ezra blushed and quickly shoved the book under his pillow.Austin sat on the bed and pulled up the text message from Walter, showing it to Ezra."I just received this message."When Ezra read the text, his eyes lit up with a sharp gleam, and he was overjoyed. "This is from Mr. Walter!"Austin nodded, his expression serious. "But I've sent several messages back, and there's been no reply. I called twice—once it was immedi
"The underground king of Eastbrook bows down."This news swept through Eastbrook like a storm.Ethan knew that by doing this, he would become the laughingstock of the entire city. But he also knew he had no choice—he had to do it!Even if he became a joke, he would remain the underground king. But if he refused to lower his head, he would end up a dead man.He understood the situation perfectly.In fact, that very night, a message was released from Brook Villa.No one is to compete for the land!This is a clear warning to all real estate companies in Eastbrook. It was also a gesture of goodwill toward Austin.But Austin didn't pay it much mind.If not for Derrick's involvement, he had no idea how Ethan would have responded—but Austin knew his response would have been much tougher.A mere city's underground king? He didn't even compare to the richest man in Basin City or the capital—he wasn't even worthy of carrying their shoes!After leaving Brook Villa, Austin didn't linger