The scrawny man's face turned pale, and he dropped to his knees. "I'll talk! Our boss ordered us to do it. He said we had to kidnap that woman and hold her until we got further instructions.""Why?" Sebastian asked with a frown.The scrawny man trembled as he replied, "I-I don't know. Our boss tells us what to do, and we just do it. He doesn't share anything else with us."Sebastian's frown deepened, his voice growing colder. "What's your boss's name? Where is he now?"The scrawny man hesitated, and his expression changed."Not gonna talk?" Sebastian said with a cold laugh, raising his hand to reveal three silver needles. "If I use these, you'll suffer a fate worse than him," he warned, pointing to his convulsing partner.The scrawny man flinched, trembling uncontrollably. "He's Leonardo Cobalt. We call him Leo. He's in charge of the underground casino in the downtown west. He's probably at the casino right now…""Casino?" Sebastian muttered with a frown.Hans wasn't wrong;
Leonardo's face darkened instantly upon hearing the question. He frowned and stared across at Sebastian with a cold gaze. "Who the hell are you?""Does it matter? You just need to answer me. Were you behind Whitney's kidnapping?" Sebastian asked coldly.Leonardo snorted, laughing derisively. His eyes were filled with contempt and mockery. "Kid, you come into my place talking big. Are you looking to get yourself killed?""Yes or no?" Sebastian repeated, his tone unwavering.Leonardo's expression turned grim, his eyes gleaming with irritation. He turned to Milo and asked sharply, "Where's the woman?"Milo was already in a state of shock as he collapsed to his knees with a cry. "Leo, h-he saved the woman!""What?" Leonardo roared, his anger erupting. His eyes locked onto Sebastian, his voice turning ice-cold. "Kid, are you here to start trouble?"Sebastian replied calmly, "Trouble didn't start with me. It started with you."Leonardo's rage boiled over. "You're fucking dead!" Wit
Leonardo let out a furious roar, and the guards hastily reloaded their guns, ready to shoot Sebastian from above. But before they could pull the trigger, Sebastian dropped to the ground and dashed forward at a high speed. Within a few quick moves, he had taken down all guards, leaving them clutching their broken arms and screaming in agony on the floor.Leonardo was dumbfounded, his heart pounding with fear. This guy was insanely strong, far beyond anything he'd ever seen."W-What do you want?" Leonardo stammered, his voice trembling with fear.Sebastian turned to him, his tone cold and emotionless. "Tell me, who ordered you to do this?""You wish!" Leonardo shouted defiantly. In his line of work, the first rule was to keep his mouth shut, or else he'd never survive."No? I've got a hundred ways to make you talk," Sebastian replied coldly as he stepped toward Leonardo.Seeing Sebastian coming at him, Leonardo shivered in fear and tried to scramble away. But with a swift fli
"Who even are you?" Sebastian frowned.Leonardo let out a mocking chuckle, his voice filled with spite as he shouted. "You don't even know who Mr. McQueen is, and you dare wreck our casino? You really have a death wish!" "Spit it out if you have something to say," Sebastian retorted coldly.Leonardo was infuriated by the comeback, and he shouted, "Fine, you're so cocky! Let me tell you, this is Mr. Zachary McQueen, one of the three infamous underground casino kingpins in Steinberg!Leonardo continued, "In Steinberg, everyone bows to Mr. McQueen? He controls 18 underground casinos and over 20 entertainment venues! Just one word from him, and he can summon a thousand men! "Kid, no matter how tough you are, you think you can take on a thousand people? I suggest you get down on your knees and beg for mercy, or you'll be dead before you know it!" Sebastian frowned, looking at the crawling Leonardo. "You done?" he asked coldly.Leonardo frowned. "What are you waiting for? Kneel!" h
"Attack!" Zachary ordered coldly.Suddenly, the door of the private room was pushed open.In the blink of an eye, dozens of henchmen in black suits burst into the room, filling the space to the brim. A voice bellowed from outside the room, demanding respect and sending shockwaves through the tense atmosphere. "Who dares touch Mr. Ballard without my permission?" Zachary stiffened, his body trembling as he turned toward the source of the voice. Stepping boldly through the door was a tall figure in a white three-piece suit and matching white shoes. The man strode in with a menacing aura, flanked by a retinue of subordinates.It was Hans! The undisputed kingpin of Steinberg's underworld, a man with the power to control everything with a single hand. The sight of Hans immediately drained the color from Zachary's face. Hans was a well-known man in Steinberg. Although Zachary was one of the three major kingpins of the underground casinos, with his own sphere of influence, he had
Upon seeing James enter, Zachary's expression changed dramatically, and his brow furrowed with concern."Mr. Turner? What brings you here?" Zachary reined in his anger and gave a slight bow, showing James a level of respect.James, the head of the Turner family, was a legendary figure in Steinberg. Anyone with any influence in the city had to give James some measure of respect. Even someone like Zachary knew better than to disrespect him."Hmph! If I hadn't come, would you have gone so far as to cripple Mr. Ballard?" James snapped, his face filled with displeasure.Zachary shuddered at his words, and he frowned in confusion. He glanced at James and asked, "Mr. Turner, are you here for this punk?""Watch your words!" James pounded his cane on the ground with a resounding thud, his voice sharp with reprimand. "Zachary! To speak to Mr. Ballard like that… Are you disregarding me?"Zachary froze, and his expression changed. He quickly stammered and said, "No, of course not, but I don'
Sebastian frowned. It seemed that the Targery family had considerable influence.James also whispered, "Mr. Ballard, Mr. Targery Senior was previously retired from a prominent position in Sunway, where he had significant authority. Many of his protégés now hold high-ranking positions. We can't afford to provoke Mr. Targery Senior easily."Meanwhile, seeing Hans and James's reaction, Zachary smirked coldly and said, "Mr. Turner, Mr. Wagner, what now? Are you still sticking up for this punk, or do you want to call it a day? I won't make things difficult for you both. Just take him away, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."Hans and James exchanged uneasy glances, then looked at Sebastian."Mr. Ballard, maybe it's better to let it go today. Ms. Sutton is safe now, after all," Hans suggested.But to everyone's surprise, Sebastian simply smiled and raised his head, staring directly at Zachary with an air of defiance. He said coldly, "I don't care who you have as your backing
"Dante?" Sebastian frowned as he didn't expect it to be him. "Why?" he asked.Leonardo told Sebastian everything honestly, including Dante's debt to the casino."Bastard! He's asking for it!" Sebastian was so mad he rushed out of the casino and drove Hans' car straight to the Sutton residence.Hans and James exchanged glances, both shaking their heads in resignation. They knew that Sebastian had gotten himself into trouble. After all, hitting Zakary was equivalent to slapping Mr. Targery Senior in the face!Now, things were complicated.…Fergus had already brought Whitney back to the Sutton residence. He had hurried to the abandoned junkyard. He found Whitney on his way and immediately brought her back.Whitney said that Sebastian had saved her and told Fergus to go rescue Sebastian.When Fergus arrived, aside from seeing a person lying on the floor, he didn't find any sign of Sebastian.Thinking ahead, Fergus pressured the man to record a video.Fergus instructed the man to
Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. He strode forward, standing in the center of the hall, and said coldly. "Ungrateful? How could you have the audacity to say such a thing?"Even if I'm surrounded by enemies, you Ballards can forget about making me submit! It's just death, after all. If I even blink, then I won't call myself a man!"Everyone there stared at Sebastian."How dare that brat be so cocky? If he's not punished, it'll be a disgrace to our family rules!""He should be given the death penalty!""It'll be a disaster if we just let him be, and it'll only bring trouble for our family. Please give the order, and we'll kill him at once!"The entire hall was in an uproar. Even Preston, who had been speaking up for Sebastian and Samson, sighed in resignation.Since Sebastian had already made his stance clear, Preston couldn't help even if he wanted to.Sebastian had roused the anger of everyone there, and Arnaud had closed his eyes and wasn't saying anything. He was cl
Sebastian was just about to step forward when Samson hastily waved a hand at him and said, "Sebastian, the grudges of the Ballard family from over ten years ago have nothing to do with you. Don't get involved!""But—"Sebastian's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Milton. There was an icy glint in his eyes. Samson shook his head slightly at Sebastian. The Ballard Estate had at least ten experts at the eighth level of the Eldoria realm. At Sebastian's current level, trying to fight them would only bring him big trouble."Sebastian, one must learn how to adapt to the situation," Samson whispered into his ear using voice projection. "Today, I will exchange my legs for your and Whitney's freedom. Think of it as a payment for what I owe you and your mother."Sebastian clenched his fists tightly. He hated himself for being too weak. He couldn't even protect his own family in a place like the Ballard Estate, where many experts were gathered.However, he would never allow anyone to
"Do you accept it, Samson?" Arnaud asked harshly when he saw that Preston hadn't said anything else. He turned to look directly at Samson.Samson smiled bitterly and turned to look at Sebastian before raising his head to look at Arnaud, who was sitting high above them. He said, "Uncle Arnaud, I was the reason for everything that happened. I wish to ask you not to trouble Sebastian.""What are you talking about?" Preston was agitated. He stood up again and yelled, "There must still be an investigation about who was right and who was wrong. Why should they break your legs?"As he spoke, his eyes blazed with fury. He looked at the thin old man and said furiously, "Milton, you old bastard! How can you be so shameless at your age? Tell me! Did you embellish the story to Arnaud?""Uncle Preston!" Samson stopped him quickly and sighed slightly. "Forget it. It's my fault for bringing such huge trouble upon our family back then."I admit that I have let our family down. Since imprisoning m
As the man in the black robe yelled, the entire hall fell silent at once. The thin old man threw the black-robed old man a disgruntled look, but he returned obediently to his seat.Once the noise had died down, Preston stepped forward and swept an icy gaze over the crowd who were present. "You call yourself the elders of the family?"The monument of our ancestral dragon is right in front of you. How could you bully two young members of the family in front of it? Don't you feel any shame?"Besides, how dare you speak before Arnaud does?"After the harsh scolding they received from Preston, no one in the crowd dared to protest. Sebastian nodded involuntarily. It appeared that Preston did have influence in the Ballard family. At least no one had interrupted his scolding, including Arnaud and the man in the black robe.Preston huffed angrily and bowed to Arnaud, who sat in the middle. "Arnaud, I've brought Samson and Sebastian!"Preston went over to the chair next to the black-robe
"Sebastian, I won't be going in. Remember, don't say anything without being spoken to, and don't be impulsive!" Andreas said softly in Sebastian's ear when they reached the door to the hall. He then walked over to the crowd, which was packed on both sides of the hall.Samson and Preston walked into the hall without any change in expression. Sebastian hesitated for a moment before hurrying to catch up.When they reached the entrance, the two old men reached out to stop them and said to Preston, who was in the lead, "Preston, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in. Everyone knows that you're biased toward Samson's family. If you get into an argument with Arnaud, then—""Nonsense!" Preston yelled furiously. He spoke in a menacing tone to the two old men. "Don't try those tricks with me. Today, I'm going to be the voice of reason. Who among you can do anything to me?"With that, he pushed them aside and strode into the hall.The two old men gazed after his ret
The Ballard Estate's resources were unfathomable as it was. Could Isabella's family be even more powerful than theirs?Sebastian clearly remembered that both he and Samson were under the Sacred Medicine Society. They even had the same mentor.The Sacred Medicine Society was above all the other mystic martial arts sects. Even the sect leaders of the Nine Sects were very respectful toward his mentor.If Samson really was from the same sect as Sebastian, then his mentor had clearly been unable to save him. Wouldn't that mean that the Sacred Medicine Society was no match for the Ballards?Wouldn't that mean that Isabella's family was an even greater entity?"If my mother's family is really that powerful, why couldn't they rescue my father? There would also be no reason to let me join the Sacred Medicine Society either, right?" Sebastian asked probingly. It seemed as if Andreas had never even thought about such questions. He smiled and shook his head. "You probably don't know about a
As they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Samson suddenly turned and lowered his voice as he said to Sebastian, "I didn't treat you and your mother well. Please don't hold it against me."Sebastian felt even more conflicted. After everything he had been through, he knew very well that there were times when one really had no choice. When Samson saw that Sebastian was looking at him with a conflicted expression, he patted him on the shoulder and gave him a warm smile. Then he took a token from Preston and walked out of the yard.They followed Preston as he walked toward the east, where there was a majestic-looking building."Why are you helping me?" Sebastian suddenly turned and asked Andreas in a low voice. Andreas glanced at him and gave him a long, cryptic smile. "Do you think I'm helping you? I'm helping myself while doing so!""Oh?" Sebastian looked at Andreas in confusion, his brow knitted. Even Rexton had mentioned that Andreas was in Arnaud's favor. Why would he need t
When Rexton and the others had gone, Preston turned to look at Samson and said irritatedly, "You little rascal. Would I ever hurt you?"Besides, you've been here in isolation for ten years. Why hasn't your temper changed at all? Couldn't you show me some respect in front of all those people?"Samson glanced at Preston but didn't answer.Preston huffed and ignored him. He turned and looked Sebastian up and down instead."Hey, kiddo. Over ten years have passed in just the blink of an eye. You've probably forgotten me. I even gave you candy back then! Come over here and call me Great Uncle Preston!"Sebastian looked at him in surprise. It was true that he didn't have much of an impression of what had happened over ten years ago. However, he could tell from what Preston had said and done that his attitude toward Sebastian's family was completely different from Rexton and the others.Beside Sebastian, Andreas kept shooting him meaningful looks. Sebastian finally smiled and said, "Hell
Although the old man looked as if he was over 60 years old, his expression was sharp and lively, and his skin was smooth as a baby's. It gave him a youthful air.Even the severely injured apprentices all scrambled up from the ground when they saw him. They hastily bowed and said, "Greetings, Great Uncle Preston!"Even Rexton had no choice but to suppress his anger. He bowed sullenly to the old man and said, "Greetings, Uncle Preston."Preston Ballard glanced at Rexton and turned to shout angrily at the apprentices, "If I hadn't come, were you planning to tear the Ballard Estate apart? Look at all of you! Get out of here right now!"Despite the scolding they had been subjected to, none of them dared to protest. They all lowered their heads and slunk out of the yard. Preston glared angrily at them as they went and snorted. "What an embarrassment to the family!"Then he smiled slightly and looked at Samson and Sebastian as he asked, "Samson, do you have anything to say?"Samson lo