David Carter hadn’t planned to sleep at Henry Brooks’s house, but he had to escort Henry Brooks home to express his gratitude and respect. Besides, David Carter also felt as if something ahead was calling to him, so after seeing Henry Brooks off, he could go check it out.

Henry Brooks was very familiar with the local area and led David Carter through the streets and alleys. This was the old part of Tanzhou, with buildings featuring the architectural style of the Republic era. Even though David Carter was well-acquainted with the mountains and forests, he still found it hard to keep his bearings in these winding alleys. As they walked into a secluded lane, two figures suddenly appeared ahead, blocking the path. It was clear they were lying in wait.

“Who are you?” Henry Brooks quickly regained his composure. As the elder, though frail and aged, his first instinct was still to protect the younger man. He glanced at David Carter, only to see him calm and collected, as if he had already anticipated everything.

“Old man, are you tired of living? Get out of the way! Kid, hand over the bag!” One of the two stepped forward, shoved Henry Brooks aside, and tried to snatch the bag from David Carter’s hand. Clearly, they had come prepared and knew what was in David Carter’s bag.

“Grandpa Wu, you should go.” Although David Carter had been able to beat wild boars senseless in the mountains since he was eighteen, and could easily overpower old men, this was his first time facing off against strangers. To avoid distraction, it was best for Henry Brooks to retreat to a safe distance.

David Carter’s principle was always to strike first; those who act later suffer. As the man approached, David Carter could see he was burly and brutish, his face full of menace. In the dim light, he looked like a fierce ghost. David Carter took a deep breath and suddenly lashed out with a kick. Like a leopard ready to pounce, he moved with lightning speed. The man didn’t even have time to react, nor did he expect such force—a blow to the chest like being struck by a sledgehammer sent him flying backward. David Carter didn’t let up, quickly closing the distance and landing a punch squarely on the man’s face. David Carter’s fists could kill a wild boar; if he hadn’t held back, that man would have met his maker on the spot.

Even so, the man felt as if he’d been run over by a car and immediately lost consciousness. Whether he lived or died, only heaven knew. David Carter’s movements were as swift as the wind; though it seemed slow in the telling, it all happened in an instant. Not only did Henry Brooks fail to see what happened, even the other man standing in the middle of the road missed it. He had thought it would be easy—just an old man and a young guy, and the two of them, both strong, would have no trouble. But as soon as they confronted them, they suffered a crushing defeat.

“Kid, do you know who I am?” The man, seeing his companion’s fate, immediately lost his nerve and tried to sound fierce, but his bravado was hollow.

But his legs betrayed him, trembling rapidly and uncontrollably. David Carter’s strength was far beyond his imagination, and his attacks were swift and ruthless. He thought to himself, it would be a blessing if someone like this didn’t come looking for trouble with him—how foolish to try to rob him now. All he could hope for was to bluff David Carter, since the latter was an outsider and might not want to stir up trouble.

“I know—you’re a coward!” David Carter never gave his opponents any chance. His principle was always: make sure the prey loses all ability to fight back, or else you’ll be the one to suffer. Once, when fighting a wild boar, he was fooled by its feigned defeat and let his guard down, only to be gored by its tusks.

Before he finished speaking, he charged forward, grabbed the man by the nape with his left hand, and drove his right knee hard into the man’s abdomen, folding him up like a shrimp. The rice noodles the man had eaten earlier came up in a rush from the forceful blow to his stomach. Then, his cheek took another heavy hit—he could even hear the sound of his own bones breaking. He thought, damn, how can anyone be this strong? But he didn’t feel any pain, because he was already unconscious before he hit the ground.

David Carter checked both men first—they were still alive, but questioning them was impossible, as both had passed out. Only then did he turn his attention to Henry Brooks. Seeing Henry Brooks cowering in the corner, he hurried over. “Grandpa Wu, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Xiao Yu, I didn’t expect you to have such skills.” Henry Brooks finally came to his senses. David Carter’s moves were as smooth as flowing water—violent, yet impressive to watch. Unfortunately, the lighting here was too dim, and many of David Carter’s actions were as quick as lightning; all he saw was a blur, followed by a few thuds, and the two men were down.

“I just have a bit of strength. Please stand up and check yourself, make sure you’re not hurt anywhere.” David Carter said. He had already noticed something was off with these two back at the noodle shop. Originally, they had planned to make a move when the waitress brought the noodles the second time, but he saw through them and they didn’t succeed. Still, they didn’t give up, following them out and finally making their move in this secluded spot. But they ended up kicking the hornet’s nest and getting themselves hurt instead.