Ch 443 - I’m Not Afraid of You

"Boy! Didn't you hear me?" Ash roared fiercely, and then he stood up in spite of the pain.

Ash was a martial arts master and was used to people treating him with the utmost respect and reverence. He was accustomed to dominating the people around him. The fact that Alex had the courage to ignore his very existence drove him into a furious rage.

Even Celia, Ethan, and Gavin had shown him more respect.

However, Alex ignored him entirely, and Ash could no longer control his temper. The bullets in his body hadn't hurt his bones and he knew techniques to control his pain. This meant that he could recover his strength a lot faster than ordinary people. 

Suddenly, he stood and threw a fist toward Alex. It was a powerful strike, as fast as a whirlwind and as forceful as thunder.

He wanted to let Alex know that his words were not to be ignored but to be revered.

If he had aimed that blow at an ordinary person, there was no way they could have survived it. 

But for Alex, it was a joke.

He didn't even try to dodge the fist.

He simply held out his own arm, and their fists collided.

With a crack, the bone in Ash's forearm snapped.

At the same time, Alex kicked out his foot, and the strength he put behind it made Ash feel as if he had hit a huge rock. He fell to the ground.

"How dare you fight with me, Ash?" Alex asked gently. Ash was frightened and angry. He looked at his broken arm and couldn't believe what had happened.

He couldn't believe that Alex was so powerful, and he was furious that Alex had dared to attack him.

He was the head of the infamous Thornton family of Baltimore. Not only was he a very powerful man in the city, but he was also a highly respected martial arts master. His prestige and seniority were well known among the powerful families of Baltimore. For decades, he had not been beaten nor disrespected.

Until that day, wherever he went, people would recognize him and show him respect. But now everything had changed.

He had actually been beaten by someone. And to make things worse, the person who had beaten him was a child who was just beginning to gain fame and reputation.

In Ash's opinion, the situation was just like when a new recruit entered the agency and, in front of everyone, started disrespecting and beating up the leaders who had been well-established and respected for decades.

He consoled himself with the thought that the boy had only beat him because he had already been injured. If he had been at full strength, there was absolutely no way it would have happened. But dwelling on this only made him angrier.

"Are you sick?" Alex asked sarcastically. "Look at you. What happened to you? If you still dare to call yourself the top martial arts master of America, I'll have to teach you a lesson," he continued as he approached Ash.

Ash's eyes narrowed with anger as he hissed, "You should know that the Thornton family has many contacts, including martial arts masters all over the world. If you attack me, you should be very afraid my family's revenge."

Celia and Ethan had also been surprised when Alex threatened Ash. As the old man had told Alex, the power of the Thornton family was indeed recognized and feared throughout Baltimore. Even the Clifton family, who were also well known and respected, feared falling out with the Thorntons.

Ordinary people would never dare to provoke such a family, let alone threaten or beat up the head of the family.

What Alex was proposing was tantamount to stabbing a hornet's nest. If he went ahead, he should expect not only to suffer revenge but probably to lose his life.

But Alex either didn't know or didn't care. He walked straight over to Ash, raised his foot, and kicked him in the face. Blood gushed from Ash's nose, and his face turned bright red.

"Hey, Ash from the revered Thornton family. Are you too scared to retaliate?" he taunted.

"Boy, you're really in trouble now. Don't you care about the consequences?" Ash's face was covered with blood, and his voice was hoarse and roaring.

"I'm in trouble, am I?" Alex smiled. Then, he pointed to Gavin and Ash and said, "You two idiots. Haven't you got it yet?"

"I'm not afraid of you or of your agency or the Thornton family. You all mean nothing to me. You were all happy to put me down and try to humiliate me, even while others were in danger and I was trying to help. Do you expect me to just let all that go unpunished?"

As he spoke, he raised his foot again. There was a cold and murderous look in his eyes and even the most experienced agents trembled.

Celia suddenly stepped forward to stop Alex. She said, "Mr. Ambrose, please stop. Why don't you let me take care of it, please?"

Ethan and Celia could both sense the tension in the atmosphere, and Celia was terrified that Alex was going to kill someone. If Alex killed Gavin and Ash in a rage, then there would be serious implications for both Celia and Ethan. They would have to explain why they didn't stop him.

Alex's expression was unreadable, and Celia felt very uneasy. She said quickly, "And don't forget that Heidi is here. She's a child and she shouldn't witness any more violence."

Celia knew how much Alex cared about the welfare of his students. She hoped that the thought of the psychological damage it could do to Heidi to watch her teacher hurting someone might make him stop and consider his actions more carefully. 

Heidi stood by, listening to all this quietly. She didn't seem to have anything to say to any of them yet.

Celia prayed silently in her heart, hoping that Alex could find some compassion.

It worked. Alex's temper gradually subsided and his murderous intentions dissipated. He hesitated for a few seconds, and then his anger seemed to disappear almost completely.

But not entirely. Before walking away, Alex stamped on Ash's leg again. With a snap, his opponent's thigh bone broke into two pieces.

The agony was so intense that Ash was filled with hatred and a desire to kill Alex.

Celia breathed a long sigh of relief. Ethan was less surprised because he knew that Alex was a decent man. Ash and Gavin had been extremely rude and disrespectful to Alex. If they had apologized, he knew that Alex would have calmed down and accepted their humility. It was Ash's own fault that he had been hurt.

Celia had just started to relax when she saw Alex going over to Gavin, and her heart sped up again.

"How dare you show so little respect for me in front of everyone? You mean no more to me than an ant, but I'm afraid that you must take responsibility for your actions," Alex said calmly.

The next sound that everyone heard was Gavin screaming in pain as Alex attacked him.