Chapter 6 Playing by No One's Rules

• "You little bastard, kill me if you've got the guts!
• "Kill me!
• "I'm not scared to tell you, the second I die, my mentor will know.
• "When that happens, my mentor will not only kill you but everyone related to you.
• "Chickening out?
• "Scared, aren't you?
• "Hahaha ... "
• With both his shoulder blades pierced, Kemp knew that even if he was rescued, he'd be nothing but a cripple.
• Consumed by despair, Kemp glared at Eric's back, cursing him with venomous rage, trying to vent the fury boiling inside him.
• Eric barely even looked at him. He grabbed a toothpick off the table and flicked it toward Kemp like it was nothing.
• Thwack!
• The toothpick zipped through the air, sinking right into Kemp's forehead and blasting out the back of his head, burying itself deep in the wall.
• Kemp, the Porters' guard ... was dead.
• Everyone stared in shock, jaws dropping. Some of the more timid ones were so scared they collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
• "Ke ... Kemp's dead?"
• As Kemp himself had said before he died, taking him out might not seem like a big deal.
• But someone with his level of skill? They always had powerful backers and long-standing traditions behind them.
• To them, Eric's move was like poking a hornet's nest.
• Anyone bold enough to do that had to be either crazy or completely untouchable, with no fear of Kemp's powerful connections.
• Either way, Eric was playing with fire.
• He didn't give a d*mn about them!
• To him, they were nothing but pests.
• Fear!
• Dread!
• Panic!
• "Monica, enjoy the rest of your life while you can."
• Eric shot a cold glance at Monica, who was already sitting on the floor, trembling with fear.
• Then, he strode out of the room.
• The whole Duncans in the banquet hall were frozen with fear, and didn't dare to make a sound. They watched Eric leave, scared stiff that this terrifying figure might decide to unleash his wrath on them next and leave them in total ruin.
• "I could've been squashed like a bug, but he spared me.
• "Why, Eric? Why?"
• Monica muttered to herself, looking lost.
• With her face burning from the pain, her eyes turned colder.
• After taking a few deep breaths, she managed to pull herself together and start thinking about her situation seriously.
• She felt that the chaos of the night was ultimately due to Eric's sudden retaliation, which left her completely unprepared.
• In a normal situation, when she brought up divorce, Eric should've been surprised, confused, upset, and hurt, right?
• She imagined him showing up with the divorce papers, heart full of resentment, and demanding to know why she wanted a divorce and why she was treating his parents like that.
• And she would play her part according to the script, firmly rebutting with a speech about how they weren't from the same world, how he no longer deserved her, and so on.
• In the end, Eric would sign the divorce papers in anger and just walk away from everything, no questions asked, leaving with nothing.
• Monica had the whole script figured out for Eric, but he didn't follow it at all!
• Instead of questioning her after receiving the divorce papers, he showed up at her door, catching her completely off guard and attacking her.
• Even though she was caught off guard by Eric this time, when she calmed down and thought about it, it was only five short years.
• Even if Eric had become stronger after some lucky break, at the end of the day, he was just a lone wolf. How powerful could he be?
• On the other hand, look at her!
• The strong influence of the Porters and the recent death of Kemp at the hands of Eric would surely bring top fighters from Kemp's guild to come to Ciderbrook once they hear the news.
• "Monica!
• "That Goodwell guy just killed your Uncle Alan. We can't just let this go!" Martin Duncan said.
• His old face still showed plenty of fear and panic, looking like he was genuinely scared stiff by Eric.
• Monica shot a glance at her father and said, "Dad, use your position as the head of the Duncans to mobilize all available resources, and send Damian to my father-in-law. We need to escalate the conflict between the Porters and Eric.
• "And get the word out that Eric is still alive. Spread it as far as you can!"
• "Hold on ... "
• Martin thought for a moment, then his face lit up with understanding. "Monica, you want the big shots from Eldoria to find out this guy is still alive?"
• "That's right!
• "If they hear that Eric is still alive, they won't let him get away with it.
• "If they intervene, even if Eric had superpowers, he'd be as good as dead!"
• Monica clenched her fists, her scarred face twisting even more, veins popping out with fury. "Eric, no matter how strong you are, you're just a lone wolf!
• "You're like a leaf floating without any support. Killing you would be easy!"
• No one noticed the faint white glow coming from Monica's battered, bloody face.
• ...
• "A lone wolf?
• "A floating leaf?
• "Interesting."
• Outside the Grandline Suites Hotel, Eric slowly opened his eyes, grinning slyly.
• When Eric hit her with that vitality energy-charged blow, it wasn't just about humiliation. He also wanted to see if she'd stick to the plan he'd set for her.
• To him, Monica was just a tiny, worthless insect. Killing her would be a piece of cake, but that seemed too easy for her.
• As for the mysterious group that tried to kill him five years ago, they were already marked for death in his mind.
• Instead of wasting time and effort on his own investigation, it was smarter to use Monica as bait.
• If she wanted to survive, she'd try her best to let the mysterious group of people know that he was still alive.
• If they appeared, Eric could take them out for good and eliminate any future threats.
• "Now that this is taken care of, it's time to go home and see how things are there."
• Thinking about his parents back home, Eric was about to call a cab.
• But as he reached out, a deafening roar of an engine filled the air.
• A shiny silver Porsche 918 Spyder screeched to a stop right in front of him.
• As Eric tried to figure out what was happening, the car door opened, and people passing by were momentarily stunned when they saw the woman inside.
• So breathtakingly beautiful!
• She was the kind of stunning beauty who was perfect in every way—her looks, figure, and skin were all flawless.
• She seemed like God's masterpiece!
• If someone well-informed were present, they would instantly recognize her as Alice Hilton, the granddaughter of Ciderbrook's wealthiest tycoon, Silas Hilton. Known as the most beautiful CEO in Ciderbrook, she was a sight to behold.
• But what everyone didn't expect was that as soon as Alice got out of the car, she hurried over to Eric, her voice trembling and choked with emotion. "Are you Mr. Goodwell?
• "My grandpa is dying!
• "I beg you, Mr. Goodwell. Please help save him!"