“You bastard!” A young man suddenly rushed over, shouting angrily.
Kevin Davis turned, startled.
It was Ethan, the guy who’d been with Martha Brooks earlier.
Kevin sneered, “Oh, it’s you.
Get lost.”
“You scum!
Bullying a disabled girl?
Aren’t you afraid of karma?” Ethan strode forward, eyes full of fury.
Kevin’s face twisted with rage.
“Who the hell are you to butt in? Around here, no one tells me what to do. Disabled or not—even that Martha, if I wanted her, she wouldn’t get away!” He threw a punch straight at Ethan.
Ethan dodged easily, raising his leg and slamming it right into Kevin’s groin.
“Argh!” Kevin doubled over, clutching his stomach and groaning.
“You’re dead meat, kid…”
Wham!
Ethan kicked him again, right in the face this time, sending him crashing to the ground.
“Ethan, why are you hitting Mr. Davis?” A little girl, Claire, looked up at him nervously.
She knew him.
Still breathing heavy, Ethan looked at her and softened his tone, “Mr. Davis caught some bugs. I’m just helping to get rid of them. Go on to class now, okay?”
She nodded.
“Okay, Ethan.
Make sure you get all the bugs off him.”
“I will.” Ethan turned back and gave Kevin two solid kicks in the ribs.
Kevin was curled up on the floor, shaking from the pain, teeth clenched.
“Little punk… My cousin’s Alexander. He finds out, he’ll make sure you don’t leave this place alive!”
Ethan paused.
“Alexander?
That one?”
“Who else in Cloudshore gets called that?
Of course I mean Alexander!” Kevin smirked through the pain.
“Scared now, huh?”
Ethan was about to let him go, but the moment he heard Alexander’s name, a strange glint flashed in his eyes.
Instead, he kicked Kevin again, hard in the gut.
“Just happen to be looking for one of his guys to warm up on!”
Kevin still wouldn’t shut up.
“Come on then! Kill me if you’ve got the guts! Otherwise I swear, I’ll get you back!”
Ethan bent down and picked up a heavy rock, lifting it high above his head.
“Wanna die? Sure.” Then he hurled it straight at Kevin’s face.
“Ah!” Kevin screamed and threw his arms over his head.
Boom!
The rock smashed into the floor right next to him, shattering.
Ethan had aimed just off on purpose.
He crouched again, grabbing another stone.
“Missed that time.
Let’s see if I get it right now.”
Kevin panicked, hands shaking, bowed low with a nervous smile, “Bro, I was just kidding, alright?
Just take me for a nobody and let it go!”
Smack!
Ethan slapped him hard.
“Nobody?
Your whole family’s full of crap!”
Realizing he said the wrong thing, Kevin quickly backpedaled, “I was wrong, man!
Won’t happen again, I swear!”
Ethan glared at him.
“Damn right it won’t.
Now get the hell out!” He pointed toward the gate.”Alright, alright, I’ll leave, okay?!” Kevin Davis backed off quickly, nervous Ethan might hit him again.
As he pointed hastily outside, he added, “Oh right—my cousin’s out front, talking to the director about the land deal. Maybe you wanna go check it out?”
Damn it, so Alexander really came for the land!
Ethan’s rage flared up again.
Without a word, he sent a sharp kick straight into Kevin’s stomach.
“Get lost!”
Kevin tumbled painfully to the ground, rolling a few times before passing out cold.
Ethan didn’t spare another glance.
No time to waste—he sprinted toward the front of the orphanage.
…
Inside an empty classroom, a tense conversation was unfolding.
“Martha, what’s the point of clinging to this place?” Alexander was eyeing her up with a predatory look.
“Here’s the deal—send these unwanted kids to my dad’s welfare center, and you come work for me as a personal assistant. I’ll pay you a hundred grand a month… sounds tempting, right?”
Martha Brooks stayed calm.
“Mr. Rex, Starhaven has been around for over fifty years. The city even has plans to renovate it. I hope you’ll stop pushing this.”
Alexander’s smile turned cold.
“Let’s not make this ugly, Director Brooks.
You really think you can win against me?
One call from me and the demolition crew’s here by lunch.”
“This is a law-abiding country, Mr.
Rex,” Martha replied with a chilly tone.
“You want to demolish anything, do it legally. Please leave, or I’m calling the police.”
But Alexander suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him.
“Don’t test me, Martha,” he snarled.
“My dad gave me two hundred million to start a business. That land is the key. I get the land, I make money—and who loses? Not you.”
He laughed low and leaned in, fingers sliding toward her cheek.
“I’ll even get you a villa.
You live there, give me a bunch of kids.
Isn’t that a happy ending?”
“What the hell are you saying?!
Let me go!” Martha struggled furiously.
The more she fought, the more thrilled Alexander became.
That only made him grip tighter.
“You’re a damn orphanage director, not some princess.
Stop acting like your word means anything.
Last chance—yes or no?”
“I’d rather die than agree to you!
Let me go!” Her voice was choked with panic, eyes brimming with tears.
Just as Alexander moved to act again, a low shout stopped everyone cold.
“Get your hands off her!”
All heads snapped toward the voice.
It was Ethan.
Alexander’s lips curled into a sneer.
“Oh look, it’s you again. Didn’t learn your lesson, huh?”
Martha’s expression changed—anxious, scared.
“Ethan, stay out of this! It’s not your problem!”
But Ethan was fuming.
The second he saw Alexander grabbing Martha, a fire lit in his chest.
He might not say it out loud, but Martha meant everything to him—she was family.
His family.Someone hurting her—hurting Martha Brooks—made Ethan feel even worse than being hurt himself.
It wasn’t just rage now; it was a fire burning in his chest.
Ethan’s bottom line was clear—Martha.
No one could hurt her and get away with it.
He pointed straight at Alexander, voice sharp and furious.
“Let her go! Let go of her right now! If you’ve got guts, come fight me outside!”
Alexander sneered.
“What, got bold overnight?” But he did release Martha, motioned to his bodyguards, and strode toward the front yard.
Ethan backed off toward the courtyard.
Inside, it was way too cramped to handle multiple attackers.
Out here, with room to move and after a full night of pushing his limits, his speed and reflexes felt sharper.
If he could stop them from crowding him all at once, he might win this.
“Run, Ethan! Just go!” Martha sobbed as she saw Alexander’s thugs swarming in.
Her voice trembled with panic.
She knew Ethan—he wasn’t some street brawler.
How could he stand a chance?
Her tears only fueled Ethan’s anger.
“Stay back, Martha.” He gave her a glance, heart aching a little—but mostly, he was boiling inside.
Whoosh!
Before they could react, Ethan struck first.
Boom!
His punch was fast, heavy, and laser-precise.
One of the long-haired goons never saw it coming and crashed to the ground.
Alexander’s crew was stunned.
“Get him!” Alexander barked, eyes wide.
“Break that punk—I want this over now!”
The thugs charged.
Ethan didn’t go head-to-head.
He backed up as he moved, dodging, picking his moments.
Counterpunch.
Drop one.
Sidestep.
Slam another.
Slowly but surely, he started thinning them out.
“Go, Ethan!”
“You got this, Ethan!”
“Fight, Ethan!”
A crowd of kids gathered, shouting their support, faces glowing with hope.
Their cheers lit something inside Ethan.
His punches got sharper.
His kicks, deadlier.
Down went two more.
“Useless morons!” Alexander snapped.
He rushed at Ethan, roaring, “Time for my signature move—the Mountain-Splitting Bloom!”
With a sharp shout, Alexander launched a high roundhouse kick toward Ethan’s face.
But Ethan slipped sideways right in time, grabbed Alexander’s leg, and shoved it skyward.
With that, Alexander’s lower half was wide open.
Ethan’s fury boiled over—this was payback time.
But just as he was about to strike, a thug lunged from the side, shouting, “You’re dead, kid!”