Henry was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Do we know each other?"
James shook his head and smiled mysteriously, "We will in the future."
"You're quite an interesting person," Henry managed a rare smile.
Henry's driver was highly skilled. Despite the dense fog outside, the car maintained a swift and steady pace. Suddenly, James's keen eyes caught a glimpse of a staggering figure on the roadside.
That fleeting moment made James's eyes light up, for he recognized the distinctive footwork of his former life's martial art—Guihai Fist, a technique he learned from a martial artist he met during his escape.
"Stop the car!" James suddenly shouted. Henry was startled and quickly instructed the driver to halt.
With a screech of brakes, James flung the door open and dashed out, disappearing into the thick fog with a few agile leaps.
Henry watched in astonishment, his usually composed face showing a hint of emotion as he exchanged a shocked glance with the driver.
"Uncle Fu, did my grandfather have such skills when he was young?" Henry asked.
The middle-aged driver, Uncle Fu, had a keen eye. Taking a deep breath, he replied slowly, "The clan leader reached the pinnacle of his martial arts at forty, but even at his peak, his agility wasn't quite like this. But… this young man is barely in his twenties. Did he start training in the womb?"
Henry chuckled wryly, "Uncle Fu, don't laugh at me. I'm genuinely impressed. This man is extraordinary."
Uncle Fu nodded in agreement.
With that, Henry opened the door and quickly followed. He wasn't slow either.
Meanwhile, James had no idea how much his casual display of skill had shocked Henry. With feet as swift as the wind, James heightened his senses to the extreme, quickly locating the source of the sound. In mere moments, he caught up with the figure, pausing in surprise—it wasn't the middle-aged martial artist from his past but a tall young woman in sportswear.
"Is she his disciple or daughter?" James wondered. The woman, dressed in white sportswear, was clutching her right arm, blood seeping between her fingers, while a massive mutant dog lay dead at her feet, its neck broken.
"James, what's this?" Henry had also caught up, his face tense as he noticed the mutant dog and the woman's injured arm.
Breaking a mutant beast's neck bare-handed was not something an ordinary woman could do.
"Who taught you that martial art?" James asked the woman.
She hesitated, showing some wariness, and replied, "It's a family tradition."
James smiled, "That's great. Let me treat your wound first."
Taking out some well water, he approached her.
The woman was startled, exclaiming, "Isn't there no cure for mutant beast bites?"
"I have a way," James reassured her, handing over the well water. "Use it to clean your wound and then drink a little."
Following his instructions, she cleaned her wound and took a sip. Almost instantly, her eyes widened in amazement. "The itching is gone, and the chill inside my body has disappeared!"
Nearby, Henry's eyes flashed with joy.
Knowing the woman was out of danger, James smiled, "I have urgent matters to attend to. Could you give me your phone number so I can contact you later? I knew your father and would like to see him."
The woman nodded, giving James her number and introducing herself, "I'm Lisa, Lisa Brown."
James noted her number and glanced at Henry, who seemed remarkably calm. "Mr. Henry, you're quite composed. Aren't you worried about your grandfather's condition?"
"Being anxious doesn't help, and you didn't take long," Henry replied with a serene demeanor.
Watching James disappear into the fog, Lisa felt like she was dreaming. She had been desperate after being bitten by a mutant beast, but an unknown stranger had suddenly appeared and cured her.
"This man is so mysterious, but he saved my life, so he must mean no harm," Lisa thought. Remembering her urgent task, she hurried into the fog.
Henry's car soon arrived at their family home in the exclusive Lakeside Villa area. As they stepped out of the car, James and Henry heard a crazed roar and the clanging of chains from the living room.
People started running out, muttering, "It's over, the old man has relapsed."
Henry quickened his pace towards the living room, glaring at the speaker, who fell silent in fear.
Entering the living room, James saw the elderly patriarch, William, chained with thick iron locks. His chest heaved violently, and his eyes alternated between clarity and madness, clearly on the brink of turning into a zombie.
"Henry, did you find the medicine?" a middle-aged man, whom James recognized as Henry's father, John, urgently asked.
"Yes, I did," Henry nodded, looking at James. "Please, go ahead."
James nodded, about to approach William when a voice called out, "Stop!"
The speaker was a handsome young man, glaring coldly at James. "Henry, I thought you were bringing a medical expert, not some young guy. Are you desperate?"
James looked at Henry, who remained calm, "Go on, ignore him."
James nodded, and Henry turned to the young man, "Do you have any objections?"
Under Henry's icy stare, the young man felt intimidated but stood his ground, "If anything happens to grandfather, can you take responsibility?"
Henry smiled, glancing at the young man and those behind him, who all lowered their heads.
"If I fail to save grandfather, I will withdraw from all family businesses," Henry stated calmly.
His words shocked everyone, and the previously submissive family members immediately perked up. Henry noticed this but remained serene.
"Can I proceed now?" James asked, scanning the room and stopping at a familiar figure at the back, smiling.
The figure was Emily, a colleague from James's former job. In his past life, he lost contact with her during the apocalypse, but they reconnected later as evolvers. They had a good relationship.
Emily was astonished to see James, and hearing Henry's support, she felt hopeful, thinking, "Henry must trust James a lot to make such a promise. Maybe James really can cure the mutant beast bites."
James looked at William, who was struggling to control his rage, and felt a sense of respect.
"Let's see if this young man really has a cure for the mutant bites," the young man sneered, eyeing James with disdain.
He was also a family member, but the elder William's trust in John and Henry made the others jealous and fearful. Many hoped for William's demise.
Unfazed, James swiftly moved to William's side, pressing a finger on his throat and pouring the well water into his mouth.
"What!" The ten doctors in the room were shocked, one of them shouting, "What nonsense, how can you give him water!"
This outburst made the family members agitated, yelling, "John, Henry, is this your expert? Guards, seize this fraud!"
With that command, several men in suits advanced, wielding electric batons.
James tensed, ready to act, but an elderly voice boomed, "Stop!"
Everyone froze—William was cured!