Davis looked at the group of students, a placid smile playing on his lips. "I would have loved to entertain you gentlemen, but as it stands, I'm already late. So please, indulge me this once. From goodwill, toddlers aren't meant for business; they're meant to bend down and study hard. I won't tell your parents. Now, run along." He made a dismissive gesture, as if shooing away children.
Kane bristled, a vein throbbing in his temple. He felt an intense urge to retaliate. When has he ever been a pushover in this school? A humorless laugh escaped him, laced with pure rage. "Wow, this is a first. Getting embarrassed by a boy like this. I'll give it to you, you've got guts, but guts alone won't save you here. Guys, let's show him how to take down moral lessons after hearing a story!"
"Well, since you kids don't want to adhere to my plea," Davis said, his voice dropping slightly, "this daddy here will have to accompany you. Don't blame me later."
The air crackled. Kane lunged first, a wild, uncoordinated punch aimed at Michael's face. But before his fist could connect, a blur of motion. Davis swiftly appeared before him. His forearm shot up, blocking Kane's attack with a sickening thwack that echoed in the quiet street. Kane recoiled, his hand stinging.
Instantly, the other students swarmed, a chaotic wave of arms and legs. But Davis moved like a well-oiled machine. He wasn't fighting; he was dismantling. Davis spun, deflecting a kick with his hip, then slammed an open palm into another student's chest, knocking the wind out of him. The student crumpled, wheezing. To Davis's left, deceptively agile, weaved through two attackers, his movements fluid and precise. He landed a quick, sharp knee to one's gut, followed by an elbow to the other's chin. Both went down, groaning.
Davis remained utterly calm, his expression unreadable, a silent conductor to the swift, brutal symphony unfolding around him. Within moments, the group of "higher-level students" was scattered, some nursing limbs, others sprawled on the pavement, completely disoriented.
In just few minutes, Davis was seen walking gallantly into the school, the loud groans and curses of Kane and his crew echoing behind him. Kane, clutching his ribs, managed to shout, "You better not leave the school vicinity today, or you wouldn't like what will happen to you! You don't know who my uncle is in this state, but I'll let you know for free, just you wait!"
Davis didn't turn. He didn't even give Kane the courtesy of a listening ear. He simply continued his leisurely stroll, a picture of serene indifference.
Back to the Mission
Miles away, at the heavily fortified border, Captain Michael and his elite team had penetrated the enemy's fort. Clad in stolen enemy uniforms, they moved like phantoms through the labyrinthine corridors, aiming to reach their leader undetected. But the best-laid plans often unravel. Before Michael could grasp what was happening, the air shifted, the shadows seemed to thicken, and suddenly, they were surrounded. Michael and his team froze, their hands hovering near their concealed weapons.
From the oppressive darkness, a sinister voice cut through the tension. "Captain Michael, the God of War. I just caught the Undisputable War General of all times. The 'GOAT.' What a glorified garbage? I don't know why, but I feel like I caught you too easily, or was it that my plan was too impeccable?" A chilling, evil smile stretched across the speaker's face, though he remained shrouded.
"Why don't you guess which it was?" Michael's voice, calm and unwavering, sliced back.
"Well, I think it was my impeccable plan after all. I'm sure you don't know about my pawn within your so-called Blue Eagle Regent team," the voice taunted. Michael's team members exchanged quick, accusatory glances, but their backs remained unwavering, forming a tight defensive circle. Mere words couldn't break their unity, especially not with Michael among them.
Then, the enemy leader, Rhino, made a hand gesture, and a figure emerged from the shadows – Bella. Lisa, one of Michael's key team members, gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief, her focus momentarily shattering.
"Bella!" Bella turned, her face etched with a desperate apology. "I'm sorry, Lisa. I really had no other choice or option. Please, do not feel betrayed."
Rhino's laugh boomed, a guttural sound of pure satisfaction. "Well, that was indeed touching. I felt it too. The heartache, the feeling of being stabbed in the back. Indeed, it hurts. Well, Michael, I knew you were still single, and a man of your status who is still very much single and celibate from a young age can easily be spellbound by the beauty of any woman, not to mention one with this docile and submissive nature. Men like you, with strong personalities and willful temperaments, like being dominant in their relationships. Thus, I specifically chose her for you. You know the saying: never let your neighbor's dog into your house just because it's cute. I knew you wouldn't be able to take your eyes away from her once you set them on her. So I sent her to infiltrate your circle to let me in on all your thought processes and moves because I know that you will be the major obstacle for me to achieve my objectives. And now that I have you in my web, finishing the rest is quite easy. You can already guess how you were caught in my web today, right? Because I don't like people dying without knowing how."
Rhino was still mid-sentence, basking in his perceived victory, when a subtle shift occurred in the surrounding shadows. The glint of metal, the soft click of safeties disengaging. Suddenly, the darkness around him was no longer empty; it was filled with the silent, unwavering presence of Michael's hidden forces. Guns, dozens of them, materialized as if from thin air, all pointing directly at Rhino's head.
He froze, his smug smile dissolving into stark shock. How? How was he ambushed without knowing?
Leo, unhurried, pulled out a portable folding chair, opened it, and calmly passed for Michael to seat. He leaned back, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Well, what can I say? I'm not really like you. I like people dying without knowing how, but I'll make an exception for you today," someone said, his voice echoing in the sudden silence of the room. It was then that Edward, Michael's Second, emerged from the newly revealed ranks of soldiers, stepping forward to face a dumbfounded Rhino.
"You really did your homework in knowing Michael... but you made a mistake sending a woman, let alone a beauty like Bella," Edward stated, his voice devoid of emotion. "Before you even sent her, we already knew that a spy would be sent to infiltrate us during the recruitment process. We're at war, and defeating the God of War means defeating the army, so we knew you'd need information on him. And of all the new recruits... she was the most innocent yet eye-catching, which should have fit Michael's personality. Though, at first, we thought her friend should be more perfect. In other words, we were suspicious. She was being surveyed, along with her friend, all along. She only knows and sends to you the information we wanted her to know. And since your whole attention was on Michael, taking you unawares and disarming your men while you were rejoicing about getting Michael in your web was very easy. By now, you can already guess whose plan this was, and whose is truly 'impeccable.'"