"Charles."

"Alright, Charles, but I won't give up the position of provincial top scorer to you."

Samuel Thompson nodded.

A year ago, Claire Collins transferred to Yaoyang High School, kicking off the competition between the two of them for the top spot in the school—and even the entire city. But...

This competition ended almost entirely in Samuel Thompson's favor.

"I'm in the first exam room, so I have to go now. Good luck."

"You too."

Samuel Thompson replied.

"I will."

Claire Collins smiled slightly and turned to leave.

Samuel Thompson stood there, watching as Claire Collins turned and entered the teaching building where the first exam room was located.

A gentle breeze blew, her long hair fluttering, her beautiful figure full of youthful energy...

Samuel Thompson looked at this girl, as if wanting to etch her graceful silhouette into his memory.

But...

It would only remain in his memory.

After he made that decision on the rooftop, his life had already changed dramatically. From now on, his life would take a different path...

A path of no return, with no turning back.

A path that would never again intersect with hers.

With that thought, Samuel Thompson calmly withdrew his gaze and turned away without hesitation.

Chapter 4: Fear

The college entrance exam consists of four sessions per day, fully closed, lasting two days. The exam site provides accommodation and meals, and students are not allowed to leave the school during this period.

Samuel Thompson did his utmost to perform at his highest level.

University!

These two words no longer mattered to him, now that he had set foot on another path.

But to that woman called "mother," they held sacred meaning.

And now, that sense of sacredness had shifted to Samuel Thompson.

This past month, Samuel Thompson practiced martial arts, but never slacked off in his studies. Entering university in the most brilliant and eye-catching way possible was his best tribute to her.

After two days of exams, Samuel Thompson headed outside the school.

As he left, he sensed something and looked toward a black sedan parked by the roadside.

There was a man there, smoking, glancing at the school gate from time to time, his face cold.

Ryan Thompson, the man who abandoned his wife and child for his own career.

Samuel Thompson stood among the crowd, quietly waiting. When Ryan Thompson was distracted, he strode away with the flow of people, disappearing from his sight.

He no longer wanted any involvement with this man.

After walking for an hour, Samuel Thompson returned to his apartment.

As soon as he entered, he sensed something.

Turning his head slightly, his gaze fell on a man leaning against the wall, smoking.

Sensing Samuel Thompson's gaze, the man quickly turned his head, trying to hide.

But Samuel Thompson only glanced at him and paid no further attention, continuing forward and taking the elevator to his floor.

It was very calm.

Samuel Thompson glanced at the surveillance camera by the elevator exit.

The camera's light was dim, as if something was blocking it.

So...

Samuel Thompson's gaze fell on the corner near his rented apartment.

He could already hear the breathing of more than a dozen people.

Samuel Thompson turned the corner and entered the corridor.

At the end of the corridor, twelve people were waiting.

As soon as Samuel Thompson appeared, the twelve surrounded him.

"Kid, our boss wants to see you. Be smart and come with us quietly, or if you end up missing a few pieces, don't blame us."

Among the twelve, the leader—a burly man not yet thirty—spoke fiercely.

"Daring to come straight to my door, because I'm too weak... so you feel no fear..."

"Fear?"

The leader seemed to have heard a joke, and he and the other eleven laughed together. "It's always us Wolves who make others feel fear. No one has ever made us Wolves feel fear. I'm curious, what does fear taste like? Kid, can you let me try it?"

As he spoke, the leader leaned in until he was less than half a meter from Samuel Thompson, using his burly frame to look down at him, his expression full of menace.

"Do you dare!?"

"Whoosh!"

Since the other party had made the request, Samuel Thompson agreed without hesitation.

His five fingers curled, gripping the leader's throat with force. Power surged through his whole body into his palm. Using his back leg for support and his waist for strength, he lifted the ninety-kilogram burly man half a foot off the ground by the throat, then slammed him hard against the wall.

"Bang!"

The sound of skull meeting wall echoed through the corridor, which was only about one and a half meters wide. Blood gushed from the hole in the leader's head, staining the wall red.

Samuel Thompson's sudden move instantly set off the remaining eleven.

"Bastard, you dare fight back!?"

"You're dead! Break his hands!"

"You're finished, you little brat, you're finished!"

The furious roars echoed through the corridor, enough to make some ordinary residents at home in the apartment tremble in fear at the commotion.

Unfortunately...

They had chosen the wrong battlefield.

In a corridor less than two meters wide, how many people could attack at once?

One, or two?