Chapter 4.

Slade's eyes gained a strange strength as he realised what was about to happen. He couldn't just stand there and watch his nanny be crushed to death by the gigantic tyres of this mighty bulldozer.

There was no one in the bulldozer. It must be that the driver had gotten out too hastily and hadn’t set the brake properly, causing it to move on its own.

He was a couple of distances away from her and didn't want to risk the timing. There was a big stone just right next to his left foot.

He quickly picked it up without any stress. The stone should weigh at least 40 pounds. It looked like one of the parts of the house that had popped out during the fire.

Without having a second thought, he threw the stone towards one of the front tyres of the bulldozers. The precision was topnotch, and it balanced right when the tyre was about to be steered in the other direction.

A big roar was heard, and the engine of the bulldozer came to a stop. The force was sudden and had probably damaged something in the bulldozer.

Slade moved so quickly that his legs hardly touched the ground. He lifted his nanny off the ground with one arm and shoved the air in counter direction to balance himself on the other end.

Although the bulldozer had come to a stop, the large stone was only able to stop one of the tyres, so the huge machinery still jerked forward before a final stop.

The whole place became still following the feat that Slade had just accomplished. It looked exactly like a scene from a movie. Perhaps a fantasy movie.

Mamita, who had thought that her life was already over, was still in shock to discover that she was still very much alive.

Slade had not only used the rock because he couldn't get to Mamita, but also because he didn't want the house to be demolished.

If his main focus was to save Mamita in the first place, the rock might not have been needed. But if he had only saved her, the bulldozer would have proceeded towards the house.

The loud pants of the leader of the construction workers severed the silence, and Slade looked in his direction.

At this point, everyone was scared of Slade. How did he become so powerful all of a sudden? No one could tell.

Slade led his nanny towards the leader and halted right in front of him. The leader was still writhing in pain on the ground. He wasn't even strong enough to get up on his feet.

"Apologize to her." Slade warned sternly, his eyes ominous and barring.

When the leader looked into Slade's eyes, he swallowed at first. The aura exuding from this young man was something he had never felt before in his life. Not even when he was being addressed by his own bosses!

Also, he quickly recalled how Slade easily beat them all up without even having to roll up his sleeves. The skills that Slade used were very strange and new. The leader didn't want to endanger the lives of his workers again. It was only right for him to do as told right now then come back from revenge.

"I'm sorr---" The leader felt too proud to say the word.

Slade glared at him, and he shot back a venomous look at Slade.

"I'm sorry. I apologize to you." The leader said to Mamita.

Mamita, who didn't expect this turn of event, didn't really know how to receive the apology. Everything happening right now was strange and unusual to her.

For the past three years, she was used to being beaten, trampled upon, talked down on, picking garbage to provide for herself, and then getting ripped off of her hard earned money.

This will be the very first time that things worked differently in her favor. So, she was not used to it.

She watched as the leader limped to his feet. Being supported by one another, the construction workers started to leave one after the other.

"This is not over!!!" The leader called on top of his voice when he was certain that he had already walked a reasonable distance away from Slade.

Slade just smirked, watching them go. He was not fazed by the threat of the leader. In fact, he would be waiting for their revenge. If it wasn't for the respect that he had for his nanny, he would have bathed all of them in blood! It would be an easy feat for him to kill all of them like ants!

He can protect his loved ones now. He didn't care about threats of revenge!!!

"This is my property! Whoever comes back here will eat his own balls, served in his skull!!!" Slade roared as the men disappeared.

Mamita just stood there watching him. Was this really the innocent and gentle boy who was even scared of bugs? When did he become so bold, strong, skilled, and very imposing?

She wanted to ask him some questions but she couldn't bring herself to do it yet. She suddenly became worried about him. Was he injured?

"How are you feeling? Are you injured?" She asked, holding Slade's arm and trying to inspect it.

Slade watched as she tried to care for him even while she was in so much pain. His heart sank into his chest when he gazed at how unhealthy she had become. The emotions combusted, and his face flushed with utmost rage.

There was a half-dead tree outside the building, under which they were now standing. Out of rage, Slade yanked off one of the thick branches of the tree and crushed it to chaff with his bare hand!

Sensing Slade's anger and rage,

"You've just returned from prison, Bunny. Do not cause any trouble, please. Your parents ---" Mamita sniffled as memories poured in.

"Your parents will want to see you live well. So, let's put all those in our past and focus on the good things." She urged him, nodding at him.

Slade moved closer to her. He was soothed by her words. But when he tried to hold her and realised that one of her arms were gone again, gloom and deep sadness shrouded him.

This woman standing in front of him used to look like Mary Poppings. In fact, to Slade, she was much more beautiful than Mary. But right now, look at what she looked like.

Tears formed in Slade's throat, but he bit it in. He can't afford to make her sad by letting tears out.

"You should not worry about anything now. Your bunny is back. Everything will be alright. And don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Slade assured.

"What happened to your wrist?" Mamita asked suddenly. 

"My wrist?" Slade confused. Then he realized she was talking about the scar from the prison. 

The triangular-shaped scar.

It was not an ordinary scar given by hardship in the prison. Instead, it was a scar earned by Slade because of his good nature.

The scar was given to him by a man called Niel Rim-Adon. A powerful man whom Slade met in the prison. This man was considered a lunatic by the other inmates because he claimed to be the leader of a powerful organization, but Slade was the only one who held no bias against the man.

Everyone held Niel in the light of craziness and avoided him at all cost, but Slade pitied him, chatted with him, and even shared his food with Niel whenever the inmates spilled Niel's food. In fact, Slade was named The Crazy's man's dog.

During their chats, Niel would tell Slade about his powerful organization, which Slade never took seriously, because he thought it was mere fantasy. But Slade never refused to the face of Niel in order not to make Niel feel miserable.

Niel proceeded to teach Slade some classic combat skills that have been hidden from history for a long time. Slade was also taught the intricacies of medicine and how to appraise spiritual energies.

After three years, Slade has indeed mastered all the skills.

That was why he was able to beat those bustards up. 

In Niel's last moments, he had told Slade that he would give Slade his ring. Slade would have to go to a designated location when the time was right. 

But not now.

Now he needed to send Mamita home.

Then he needed to go to find his girlfriend. No, his ex-girlfriend. 

"Do you have a place?" He asked Mamita.

"Yes. It's just down the road, across the street over there and past the river." Mamita said, nodding in the opposite direction.

Slade intended to take her to her place first and care for her before any other thing!

As they walked to her place, they were passing by a river.

"I often go there to look at the house every two days. Although it broke my heart whenever I saw the present condition of the house, but the hope of seeing you again one day kept me strong. And today ---" She sniffled. "Today ---"

"Help!!!" A sudden scream came out of nowhere, hushing Mamita.

Slade was so instinctive, and his ears could trace sound to its direct source in a second. One of the perks of meditation.

When he looked, there was a passerby shouting for and pointing at the river.

Looking at the river, Slade saw a girl in the water. Drowning.