Tommy's Opportunity

Thea thought carefully. Anyway, she had nothing to lose. She could learn from her for a while. Besides, having a female teacher was always more convenient. Although people in the martial world were not concerned about trivial matters, practicing various combat techniques with her dad before was too embarrassing. Thus, she nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, ma'am, I'm willing to learn from you."

"Very well. Go to this address early tomorrow morning and find me. I'll also give you this bottle of medicine. It'll reduce swelling quickly." Miss Shiva's expression was a bit peculiar as she handed Thea a piece of paper and a bottle of medicine. With a swift "whoosh," she disappeared.

All Thea could think about echoing in her mind was the phrase "reduce swelling quickly." Was her face swollen? She touched it and exclaimed in pain. Indeed, her face was swollen badly. her image is completely ruined! her confident tone earlier, coupled with her current appearance, was just ridiculous!

With this ghostly appearance, she couldn't go home. If Moira saw her like this, she would freak out. She could only find a place where no one was around, pour out the ointment, and apply it to her face, hoping that this miraculous ointment would work. After waiting for ten minutes, she realized she had been overly optimistic. Perhaps there were miraculous medicines, but definitely not the one in her hands. Her face still burned with pain.

It seemed like she would have to spend the night at Felicity's house. She just hoped Felicity wouldn't be too curious. But how likely was that?

"Woah, Thea, what happened to you? Did you encounter some bad guys? Do you need to take some medicine? What if something happened?" Felicity, as always, was caring and compassionate. Seeing Thea looking disheveled with a swollen face, she immediately conjured up a bunch of scenarios in her mind, tears welling up in her eyes out of concern.

At first, Thea felt touched by her friend's concern, feeling warm inside. But as Felicity continued talking, things started to feel off. Why would she need to take medicine? What's wrong with her?

Realizing what was going on, Thea was annoyed and lightly tapped Felicity's forehead. "What nonsense are you thinking? I just fell while practicing martial arts," she said. Thea had discussed her martial arts training with Felicity before. After all, they were teammates now. She knew Felicity was a hacker, and Felicity knew she was learning martial arts. This way, both parties could trust each other.

Although Felicity's tone was sincere and her expression was moving, a Massachusetts master's degree holder wasn't easily fooled.

"You fell?" Felicity shook her head gently and took out her tablet, showing a bunch of pictures of injuries. Pointing at them, she said, "This, this, and this are falls. What you have is clearly from a fight."

Knowing she couldn't fool her friend, Thea had no choice but to tell the truth. "I lost control during sparring and got a minor injury. My teacher also got nicked by me."

"Wow, that's dangerous," Felicity murmured.

Thea thought to herself, That's nothing compared to what Yao Fei did to Oliver when they trained together. Yao would shoot him with an arrow as soon as they met. From back to front, Oliver was like a transparent hole. And when Oliver trained Roy and Barry later, it was the same—no beating around the bush, just getting shot with an arrow first! Dad's training method was much gentler!

They had previously discussed defense methods for unexpected situations. For someone like Thea, heiress to a large conglomerate, strengthening herself was always more important than carrying high-tech weapons. The perception of women as weak and helpless made them the main targets of criminals, bandits, cultists, and various villains in this DC world.

If Thea were to frequently appear in public, turning herself into a weapon would be her only choice. Wearing an evening gown with a gun strapped to her thigh might be an image in anime, but in reality, nobody dresses like that. If the skirt is too short, it won't cover properly, and if it's too long, it's inconvenient to access.

Watching Felicity care for her like a gentle sister, Thea was surprised to learn that she had some experience in treating injuries. Felicity gently applied the ointment to the swollen parts of her face, and Thea felt that her skills were much better than her own attempts in the woods. She couldn't help but feel lucky.

"Be honest, are you really okay?" But as soon as Felicity spoke, Thea felt the gentle sister disappear into the distance, and the unscrupulous woman returned.

"You idiot, I'm tough! I could take on a hundred of you!"

"I don't believe it. Let me check!"

"Ouch, don't touch randomly!"

Meanwhile, Malcolm stumbled back home, clutching his old waist. He applied some medicine prescribed by Ra's al Ghul. Ra's had lived for over eight hundred years and had reached the pinnacle in various fields, not just martial arts. In terms of knowledge, he could probably earn at least fifty doctoral degrees.

In the original storyline, Yao Fei's herbs, capable of curing various poisons and diseases, were cultivated based on methods obtained from Ra's al Ghul. The medicine Malcolm used on himself at this moment was personally prepared by him according to ancient recipes.

After applying the medicine and re-bandaging himself, Malcolm found tonight's encounter somewhat amusing. He had intended to spar with her to keep her motivated, but it ended with blood everywhere. Nevertheless, he felt proud. He believed that Thea's ruthless approach reflected his own style, although he was unaware that she had ended up with a swollen face.

Casually glancing at the table, he noticed a new note. "I've agreed to your request. Remember to pay as agreed." There was no signature. Malcolm sneered and tore the note apart. This woman who only cared about money, despite her extraordinary martial skills, had become a slave to money. It was ridiculous.

But thinking about how she could approach him without a sound, her strength was truly unfathomable. With Thea under her guidance, Malcolm felt reassured.

With Thea's situation settled for now, and considering her current intelligence and martial skills, Malcolm wondered if he should pay more attention to his son. The thought of Tommy not knowing about Thea's situation troubled him. What if Tommy found out about his affair during his marriage? How would his son view him? Surely, he would be more disdainful. Revealing the truth might irreparably damage their relationship. Malcolm sighed, realizing he couldn't say anything.

During training sessions, he had also understood Thea's intentions. His daughter learned martial arts to deal with unexpected situations. Although Malcolm controlled the underground forces in Starling City, he didn't implement military-style management. There were idiots every year, especially this year. What if one day he wasn't paying attention, and a few individuals planning something big jumped out? While a young and beautiful daughter would undoubtedly be the prime target, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't target his son. If the son of the crime boss were kidnapped by unknowledgeable criminals, it would be a huge joke. As Malcolm gazed at the black bow and arrows hanging on the wall, he realized that perhaps he should give his son a chance as well.

He checked the monitor and noticed that his luck had improved since Thea cut him. Tommy was staggering towards the door, so Malcolm immediately instructed the butler to bring him to him.

"What's wrong, old man? Are you finally restoring my bank card?" Tommy had no idea what was going on and thought maybe his recent good behavior had earned him back some privileges. His heart raced with anticipation.

"As my only heir, don't you think it's dangerous for you to be hanging around in the slums with Laurel every day?" Malcolm felt like he and his son were not on the same wavelength at all. He had planned to discuss things calmly, but his tone turned hostile from the first sentence.

Hearing this, Tommy was also annoyed. "Am I in danger? I'm a broke loser who takes the bus every day. Who's so blind to come after me?"

Tommy's response was reasonable, and Malcolm didn't know what to say. To ease the tension, he had to take a step back. "I'll restore your expenses tomorrow. Can you listen to what I have to say carefully?"