“Y-Yeah, M-Mr. Hoffman? W-what can we do for you?” Black Dog asked with a respectful bow, and so did Jerome and Gerry the Fourth. Even Flower Neck, whose resentment for Fred ran the deepest, forced a smile. Fred was about to say something when Wanda shouted from inside the car, “Fred! Get in already! We’re going to be late!” “Alright.”Fred nodded and with a look that said, ‘We’ll talk about this when I get back.’ He then got into the car and it drove off.Flower Neck and the others shared a look.“H-He wants us to wait here?” Black Dog asked frustratedly. “I-I think so.” Jerome and Gerry the Fourth nodded after some thought.Flower Neck sighed.Still, they did not dare to move from that spot until Fred returned. Like security guards, the four of them stood outside the entrance of the hotel. Lord Eland, who was about to get into the car as well, shook his head with a chuckle at the sight.“Hindsight has always been easier than foresight.”…“Great Girls!”“Great G
“H-How dare he?!” Flower Neck said angrily as they left the hotel.The four of them were furious considering they had been standing here for the whole afternoon just to be told to wait the night as well, especially Flower Neck, who was slapped earlier today. Jerome and Gerry the Fourth nodded beside him. They were all powerful gang leaders who were used to being respected by others. Today was the first time they had experienced the life of dogs. They were summoned and excused at another man’s will.“What if we find an opportunity to kill him while he’s isolated? No matter how strong he is, there’s no way he can defeat us and our lackeys alone, right?” Jerome suggested. “No!” Flower Neck shook his head. “Don’t you remember how he summoned those men with just a call? Even if we manage to kill him, his men won’t just let us off so easily.” “Then…” Jerome could not refute him.Indeed. The fact that Fred could call upon heavy tanks with just one call spoke volumes of his cali
“I’ve brought him here, Great One.”Ten minutes later, in a presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel. Stellar knocked on the door before pushing it open. He walked in with a frightened Black Dog in tow.His fright was solely attributed to how eerily Stellar had appeared in his car and how his lackeys had vanished. If not for the murderous intent oozing off Stellar in waves, Black Dog would have fled for his life.Still, the sight of Fred’s expressionless face had him shivering reflexively.“When I said we’d talk about this tomorrow, I wasn’t expecting to see you again at 4 a.m. I have to say, the four of you are truly motivated,” Fred said calmly as he looked at Black Dog. Thud.With one glance, Black Dog felt an oppressive pressure sweep over him, forcing him to fall to his knees in terror. “M-Mr. Hoffman, I swear I never intended to cause you harm! Flower Neck and the others came up with the idea! I-I would never dare…” “I know. Or your wouldn’t be kneeling here
“You won’t tell?” Fred smiled as he saw the hesitation on Black Dog’s face and turned to look at Stellar. “Bring him out.”‘Bring me out?’Before Stellar could react, Black Dog was already overwhelmed with fear. He had been subjected to Stellar’s murderous aura the entire way over. Black Dog was certain that Flower Neck and the others had died at Stellar’s hand as well. He knew that it would not end well if Fred had him brought outside. Immediately, Black Dog shouted, “I’ll talk! I’ll tell you! Mr. Hoffman, the Hoffmans didn’t keep the details of the mission a secret at all! They sent Derick to Sea City in search of their subsidiary branch and to pick someone from the younger generation to rejoin the main family.” Fred did not answer and looked at Stellar instead. Stellar understood what he meant and pulled out his phone to send a message. Soon later, his phone pinged with the notification of an incoming message. As he read through it, he said, “Great One, the Hoffmans di
“Visiting us? Hmph! What a presumptuous bastard child.” In the grand hall of the Hoffmans’ residence that night.Fabian scoffed, and the other members of the family looked enraged.Insults for Fred like ‘bastard child’ and ‘brat’ also started flying everywhere. The reasons behind the Hoffmans’ fury were simple—because they had only found out today that Fred did not come to the Cloud Province for them but rather for his adopted sister, Wanda, who held a performance with Opal.Moreover, the only reason why Fred had Black Dog relay his message regarding his visit three days later was that the Hoffmans’ order to make his stay in Cloud City difficult had resulted in Flower Neck and the others hindering his travel. This infuriated the Hoffmans more than when they found out that Fred had killed Derick and was coming to the Cloud Province from the head of the Bensons, Morris. Through Fred’s actions, the Hoffmans could tell that he was not taking them seriously as the local tyrant
“It’s not fair, Elaine. I’ve never seen that man before. It’s not fair that Dad gets to make that decision or me!”Eileen complained as she held Elaine’s hand and wiped her tears. Elaine knew that Eileen was referring to the arranged marriage between the Hoffmans and the Fraleys that was widely discussed in Cloud Province. However, Elaine was no stranger to this. Coupled with the fact that this was the Fraley family’s matter, all she could do was offer her consolation. “Your dad has already set his mind on this. Even if I want to, there’s nothing I can say to convince him otherwise. Maybe he thinks that since the Hoffmans pretty much rule Cloud Province, marrying their eldest son would benefit both families and promise you a secure future.” “Eldest son, my foot! That’s a lie!”Eileen scoffed before Elaine was done talking. “Ferdinand Hoffman has a fiancé already! The Hoffmans are marrying me to some guy from a subsidiary branch!” ‘Subsidiary branch?’Elaine frowned.As the
Three days later, right outside the hotel.Fred and Stellar were bidding Tyne and the others goodbye. Just as they walked out of the hotel, they saw Lord Eland waiting there for them. He greeted them courteously, “Master Hoffman, are you ready to leave?” “Mhm.” Fred nodded with a smile. “My sister will be staying in Safe City for a little longer.” “Rest assured, Master Hoffman.”Lord Eland patted his chest confidently. “I’ll arrange quite some men from Saddle Mountain to come over for the meantime. Now that Flower Neck and the others are dead, I believe there won’t be any further issues. But even if anything were to happen, I assure you that I’ll protect Miss Yates and the others.” “Good.” Fred nodded and smiled. “Then I shall head to Cloud City assured.” ‘Cloud City?‘Where the Hoffmans are, huh?’Despite having an inkling that Fred was leaving to meet the Hoffmans, Lord Eland still felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Fred confirm it. He asked immediately, “Should I
“How dare you?!”Before Fred could say a thing, Stellar had already shouted in fury when he saw the side door.Despite knowing that the Hoffmans would deliberately trouble Fred, Stellar had never expected them to treat him like an animal before he had even gotten into the mansion. Through a subordinate too, no less.There was no doubt that the Hoffmans were humiliating Fred. Stellar, who had always idolized Fred, could not accept such humiliation to his idol. “W-What do you want?” The subordinate jolted in fear when Stellar shouted at him. Stellar was a warlord, specifically one born out of the warlord gentry, the Walkers. No ordinary person could endure such a shout.Just then, a laid-back voice rang out.“What’s going on? I was just planning to take a walk. What’s with the commotion?” A look of joy replaced the fear on the subordinate’s face as he turned around. There stood a young man with arrogance written on his face as he slowly walked over, surrounded by m
Marciella walking away did not bode well with the giant snake. Marciella was its food! How could it accept that its food had escaped?Marciella had not moved far yet. She reluctantly looked back at Fred.She did not know how Fred would handle the River God. She could only hope Fred would be okay!When Fred saw that she had left, he geared up, rubbing his palms in glee. He had an eager look on his face, which confused the giant snake.It was the snake’s first time meeting a man like Fred!How strange indeed!At this time!Suddenly, Fred said with hostility etched on his face, "Hey, Big Snake, what are you going to do now?"The snake's attention was entirely focused on him, which seemed off to Fred."What I’m going to do?"The giant snake fixated its eyes on Fred. It felt that it could handle a human like Fred easily.“I’m going to kill you with one bite! How dare you look down on me like this!"The giant snake rushed toward Fred fiercely at a speed so fast that no one could
Fred was annoyed by the giant snake's arrogant tone. Fred squinted his eyes at the snake and asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"“Huh?"The giant snake was shocked. He thought that Fred would submit to him, but to his surprise, Fred was not shaken at all.The snake was about to lose his temper.“Dirty snake, haven't I made myself clear enough? I think you are probably sleep-talking if you want me to hand over my people to you..." Fred said impatiently.At this moment…Feeling that it was being ridiculed, the snake said suddenly, "You punk, this is the first time anyone spoke to me this way. What is your name?"“Me?"Fred was stunned subconsciously, not knowing what the snake wanted. Suddenly, he understood.“Did you want to know my name so you can remember me, bow down before me, and become my follower? Sure, I’ll give you that chance!"He was adding fuel to the fire. The giant snake almost spat out blood in anger!"What? You want me to follow an immature bei
Huh!?Putting aside Marciella, even Fred could not hide his shock as a giant snake appeared from under the water!A giant snake!How could it be!?Fred's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake. "A Giant Snake… Is this the so-called River God?"Moreover, the size was humongous. The snake must be at least ten stories high!What a huge snake!Fred finally understood why he felt a powerful force under the water!There was a sharp glint in the giant snake’s eyes! That was the blinking light from time to time!"Who comes here? Are you from the village? Who do you plan to sacrifice to me this time?" As soon as the giant snake spoke, Fred realized that this was not the first time it had done this.The snake seemed familiar with the ritual process. Obviously, the villagers had witnessed this giant snake before. This was the meeting between the two sides! Fred felt uncomfortable at this. As for the giant snake, it felt bemused when it saw Fred. The snake had never seen Fred befo
Fred was going to risk it all to open this girl's eyes!The force from the punch was extraordinary! As soon as the tree was hit by the seismic fist, it fell immediately and the whole tree split neatly in two!Marciella was dumbfounded!Although she knew how powerful Fred was, to witness his power was a different thing entirely!"Master Fred, your power is insane!"Marciella could not help but applaud.Fred seemed indifferent, as though he had no feeling at all about this."Is it? Why do you think so?"He looked so indifferent.For Ancient Martial Arts, things did not get any simpler than this!"You’re so strong. Anyway, I don’t doubt you anymore..." Marciella sighed, suddenly feeling very sad. "This is the reward of being educated. If we were more knowledgeable, we wouldn’t be so clueless.”"Haha, if you can't solve your issues, your descendants can work harder," Fred said with a wink.Marciella said, "Mr. Fred, I needed to ask you something! What if our luck was changed ju
What Fred said aroused her curiosity."What does it look like when you offer a sacrifice?"Fred knew he could not speak of this matter. Sure enough, Marciella felt a little downcast after Fred said the words. She did not know why Fred would say such a thing. Suddenly, Fred felt bad about it.He coughed and said, "Don't think too much about it... I just want to find a clue. Maybe we could find a solution. Why does it never rain in your village?""Huh?"Marciella's eyes, which were still a little dejected, suddenly realized what was important and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Fred, are you saying that the reason why it never rains in our village is because someone is behind it?"Although Fred was unwilling to admit it, he could not help but nod. "Yes, this is exactly what you thought!""For real?!"Marciella felt hopeful again when she heard this. She said hastily, "The thing you asked about is pretty simple. You can just check out that place!""That place?"Fred turned around to see w
Marciella found herself nodding in agreement with Fred's harsh assessment. "You're spot on," she said. "That woman is nothing but vile!"Seeing Marciella's reaction, a rare smile crossed Fred's face as he nodded back. "Glad you see it my way," he said.What caught Fred off guard was the villagers' reaction. One by one, their faces turned ashen with despair.It seemed to them that nothing could be worse than the predicament they were facing. The absence of the witch spelled doom for the village—it was like their last shred of hope had vanished. They had all put their faith in her to charm the River God into blessing them with rain, which would have brought some peace to their troubled lives. However, now their chances seemed to have dried up just like their fields. Fred stood there, his face a mask of serenity amidst the chaos.In the moments that followed, the village chief was a picture of despair, his only option was to send everyone home while he racked his brain for a backup pl
"What?"Fred did not even have time to blink before the witch suddenly made a move.It was like a bomb went off.Kaboom!Then, she was dead!Fred dusted off his hands, even surprising himself with his lack of tolerance for the witch.Now, though, he had a real headache. He had planned to clear the air with the witch and lay out the past so everyone would know the full picture.He thought that might just turn things around.The situation changed when she vanished, and Fred's plans were completely derailed. Then again, changing the villagers' minds was not going to be a walk in the park anyway. They were pretty set in their ways, thanks to all the stuff they had been fed.As such, just talking it out might not cut it. Heck, it could even mess with history!With the witch out of the equation, Fred figured he might as well try a different tactic. Maybe if he took out the guy in the cloak and worked his own magic to bring some rain, it could save a lot of hassle. The more he thoug
"No way!"The witch bristled with defiance. She could not accept that she was no match for Fred.As she noticed Fred's focus was locked on her, a sly idea popped up in her mind.Before she could act on it, though, she found herself pinned against the wall by Fred in a flash...Her face contorted in disbelief. She was pinned so tightly that she could not even move!The witch was completely overpowered, her heart racing with panic.How could he be so much stronger than her?Fred, on the other hand, seemed unfazed."What's going through your head? You don't seriously think you can take me on, do you?" Fred asked, his voice laced with skepticism.The witch felt utterly trapped, as if at any second, Fred might just finish her off."Look, I messed up, okay? Can we not do this? I'm old, just a pile of brittle bones—I can't take this kind of rough treatment!" the witch pleaded with Fred, trying a new tactic to get through to him.Fred was not falling for it. He looked at her with a
"Heh, I caught on to you a while back, you know. You've been tailing me, and I'm pretty sure you're here for me. Plus, you don't have the look of someone from our village. That means you are an outsider, and I'm your target, right? Listen, man, we don't have any beef with each other, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"The witch had sensed the raw power rolling off Fred, and it was enough to send shivers down her spine!At that moment, she knew that challenging Fred was not going to be a walk in the park! If she had spotted him earlier in the forest, it would not have been good news for her. For starters, she had no clue how many tricks Fred had up his sleeve, and if he took her down, she and her buddy would be toast.However, the witch was not about to let Fred take her out without a fight! She racked her brain and finally settled on one strategy!She would try to sweet-talk him, hoping Fred would fall for her words just like everyone else, and fall into he