Chapter 18: The Betrayal on the Road

Adan hailed a taxi and waited on the curb until it arrived. After about 10 minutes, a young man, the taxi driver, pulled up. He looked like a 20-year-old Mexican man, sporting a snake tattoo on his neck. He rolled down the car window and asked if Adan had called for the taxi.

Upon confirmation, the young driver gestured for him to get in the back, which Adan did without hesitation. Once inside, Adan felt a surge of relief. He was almost there — just two more hours of traversing through New York until he finally reached Long Island. He instructed the taxi driver to head to Long Island with a promise of an extra $1000 if he made it there quickly. The taxi driver's eyes glittered at the mention of extra cash.

The ride began in silence. Adan pondered over what the woman had said to him. He didn't understand why so many people told him he was special when he didn't feel that way. Sure, he had powers, but the gods were much stronger. He wondered why it had to be him of all people.

An hour passed, and they had covered half the distance. Then, the taxi driver spoke up, breaking the quiet. "Where did you get all that money, kiddo?" Adan hesitated but eventually replied politely that it was none of his concern. The taxi driver muttered to himself before veering off the highway. Adan questioned why they were leaving the highway, to which the taxi driver responded with a vague explanation about taking a shortcut. Adan couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The highway had been lightly trafficked the entire way. Almost all the cars had continued straight ahead, yet the taxi had taken the exit.

Lost in thought, Adan concluded that the driver must be planning to rob him. He cursed himself for offering so much money upfront. If he had acted normal, this wouldn't have happened. Sure enough, the taxi driver pulled into a secluded parking lot, parked, and turned around, revealing a concealed weapon. Adan was already prepared with his bow aimed at the driver's hand, ready to release an arrow. The driver screamed in pain as the arrow struck his hand, tears welling up in his eyes. Yet, with every passing second, his anger grew.

Just as the taxi driver regained his strength, he attempted to grab Adan, but Adan wouldn't allow it. He gathered some of his solar energy into his hand and delivered a powerful blow to the driver's face. The entire car shook as the driver was propelled through the windshield and onto the road ahead. As the driver struggled to get up, Adan noticed a snake tattoo on his chest, resembling a gang symbol. Then, the man shouted angrily, "I'll kill you!"

Adan stepped out of the car, equipping his bow with another arrow and aiming for the man's heart. Just as the arrow was about to strike, the man dodged to the right, rolling away before charging towards Adan. However, his advance was short-lived. Adan gathered even more energy into his fists, priming himself for another strike. With both fists, he lunged at the man.

Although the man managed to dodge one fist, the other connected with his left leg. The force of the blow caused the leg to snap off from the man's body, sending it flying backward. Afterward, Adan didn't give him a moment to catch his breath, as Adan gathered even more energy into his fists, delivering a devastating blow to the man's face. The force sent the man flying 20 meters (65 feet) backward, rendering him unconscious, or perhaps dead.

Adan was left panting, his heart racing from the intense encounter. He glanced at the bloodied figure on the ground, feeling strangely unaffected by the sight. He attributed it to his recurring dreams of standing on bloody battlefields and showing no mercy to his adversaries. Hastily, Adan retreated from the scene, retrieving a bandage from his backpack, a gift from Zoë, to cover the wounds he had sustained during the fight.