"He wants me to cripple myself?" Jake asked.
"That's right," Wade said, "As long as you cripple yourself, Carlton will spare your life and let you live."
"Is that so? I understand," Jake replied.
Wade thought that Jake had been intimidated by the Carlton family. In reality, the Carlton family had significant influence in the capital city and throughout the entire HX country. Even large families hesitated to offend them. Wade believed Jake was frightened by the Carlton family's reputation, so he thought that Jake's choice to cripple himself was a wise one.
However, Wade's smug expression didn't last long. He saw Jake squatting in front of him. "Ah!" a scream echoed through the night, startling countless wild ducks.
At this moment, Carlton's mood was a bit vexed. He had been in J City for several days, but he had only seen Wendy once. Even during that encounter, Wendy had brought people along, which had irritated him. Moreover, he had been unable to see Wendy again. Wendy refused to meet him.
If Wendy were an ordinary person, Carlton had countless methods to make her submit, even to the point of willingly climbing into his bed. But Wendy wasn't ordinary. Wendy's family background was just as impressive as the Carlton family's, if not more so. Wendy's position within her family was even higher than Carlton's within his own. This was why Carlton and other young elites in the capital were pursuing Wendy. Her status was an important reason for their interest.
There were many beautiful women, and if Wendy were just beautiful, they might not have invested so much effort in pursuing her. However, someone as beautiful and influential as Wendy was rare. Marrying Wendy would grant them access to her family's connections and elevate their status. Many young elites, including Carlton, were eager to obtain Wendy for this reason.
Unfortunately for them, Wendy had never taken the pursuits of these individuals seriously. Even though Carlton had made a decent impression on the Liu family, Wendy had never given him more than a cursory glance. How could the proud Carlton not be infuriated?
What made Carlton even more infuriated was that someone like Jake, a mere chef, didn't even regard him. Dirk had already informed Jake of his identity, but Jake had remained indifferent. This heightened Carlton's anger.
In Carlton's eyes, someone like Jake was as insignificant as an ant. Yet, this insignificant person dared to show such indifference. Carlton wanted to teach Jake a lesson, to make him understand that not everyone could be offended. A knocking sound resonated at Carlton's residence.
"It should be Wade returning. Humph, Jake dared to compete with me for a woman. He'll spend the rest of his life as a cripple," Carlton thought. If not for Wendy's relationship, Carlton might have considered killing Jake outright.
Indeed, the person who entered was Wade. However, when Carlton saw Wade's current appearance, he stood up in shock. "How did you end up like this?"
"Young Master, will you help me seek revenge?" Wade's pale face was filled with anger, fear, resentment, and more.
At this moment, Wade looked extremely miserable. His right arm hung unnaturally, and while his left leg could walk normally, his right leg dragged on the ground as he moved forward. Even Carlton, who possessed some skills himself, could tell with just a glance. Someone had crippled Wade's arm and leg!
"Who did this? Didn't I send you to deal with that Jake?" Carlton asked.
"It was Jake who did it!" Wade said.
"Jake? He did this? How is that possible? He's just a chef and a physical education teacher. How could he have injured you?" Carlton couldn't believe it.
"It was him," Wade said, "He's not an ordinary person. He's a skilled fighter. I can't beat him."
"You can't beat him?" Carlton began to wonder if he was hearing things.
The young members of the Carlton family would have a skilled protector by their side. Wade was the expert assigned to protect Carlton. He was a Dark energy Master, while Carlton was only a Master of Excellence. Wade's capabilities far exceeded Carlton's, and he knew that Wade had achieved the level of Dark energy in his thirties. Normally arrogant, Wade now admitted that he couldn't defeat Jake. If Wade hadn't truly believed it, he wouldn't have spoken these words.
"His speed isn't particularly fast, and he doesn't have any fancy techniques. But his strength is immense. He hit me with a single blow, causing severe injuries, and then he crippled my arm and leg. He also left a message for you," Wade explained.
"What did he say?"
"He said that if you dare to trouble him again, the next time you'll be the one losing your limbs!" Wade conveyed the message.
"Damn it! This jerk!" Hearing Wade's words, Carlton became furious and kicked the table in front of him.
Had Carlton ever been threatened like this? Jake was just an ordinary person, a nobody, yet he dared to threaten him like this. It was preposterous!
However, seeing Wade's miserable state, Carlton couldn't dismiss Jake's threat. What if that bastard truly went mad and attacked him? Could he defend himself? Probably not. If Wade couldn't defeat him, Carlton definitely couldn't either.
"Young Master, I was careless this time. He only has brute strength; nothing else is noteworthy. I promise I'll kill him next time!" Wade's face was twisted with determination.
While Wade hated Jake for what he had done, he also felt extremely resentful. He had realized that Jake had no special techniques; even his speed wasn't particularly fast. It was Jake's sheer power that had led to Wade's current condition. If he had been more cautious from the start, he could have easily avoided Jake's attacks and wouldn't have ended up like this.
"For now, don't rush. I'll take you back to the family for treatment," Carlton said.
Though Carlton wished to dismantle Jake, he couldn't afford to act recklessly. His only skilled protector was severely injured, and if he failed again, who would protect him? Carlton greatly valued his own life.
Of course, Carlton couldn't just let Jake off easily. Jake's words had ignited a desire within Carlton to kill him. Carlton didn't want to keep this threat around. He planned to gather a few more experts, fully prepare himself, and then strike against Jake. He aimed for a decisive, lethal blow. This time, it wouldn't be as simple as crippling Jake. Carlton intended to completely eliminate him!