After the drama in the main hall of the villa, Ethan went to his study. He sat quietly at his large, black obsidian desk. Marcus Throne entered the room, looking nervous.
"Mr. Benjamin, an invitation just arrived. It's for a dinner with Ken, a member of the Council," Marcus said.
Ethan took the letter, read it once, and tossed it back onto the desk. "I'll go," he said simply.
Marcus looked stunned. His voice shook as he asked, "Sir, you're really going? It has to be a trap."
"Maybe," Ethan replied, his face showing no emotion. "But let's see what they have to say. what they want from me."
Ethan drove to the Dragon King, a five-star hotel at 8pm. As soon as he stepped into the lobby, his gut told him he was right—it was a setup. The grand hall was freezing and dead silent. There were no staff members, the lights were low, and the only sound was the hum of the air conditioner.
Suddenly, the heavy doors behind him slammed shut and locked. Ten men stepped out from the shadows, surrounding him. They carried machetes, iron rods, and knives. Their leader, a man named Davila with a scarred face, stood back and aimed a heavy Desert Eagle pistol at Ethan's head.
The air smelled like rain and rust. Ethan didn't panic. He shifted his weight, his eyes turning cold. He wasn't going to just fight; he was going to break them.
Two men with iron rods lunged first. Ethan didn't back away. Using the brutal style of Lethwei, he stepped into the attack. As they swung, Ethan smashed his forehead directly into the bridge of the first man's nose. It was a headbutt—the "ninth limb." Bone shattered, and blood sprayed across Ethan's face.
Before the second man could react, Ethan grabbed the man's shoulder with his both hands in a locking position and delivered a knee strike to his ribs.
Crack…Crack….
The sound of cracking bone echoed in the silent lobby. Ethan didn't stop. He grabbed the man's head and gave a jump knee strike in his face, blood sprayed out redden the shirt of Ethan and his face turning it into a bloody mess.
Three men with knives rushed him. Ethan moved like a ghost. He parried a blade and countered with a raw elbow strike that sliced open an attacker's cheek down to the bone.
He followed up with a spinning elbow that caught the next man in the temple, sending him crashing to the floor, unconscious and bleeding heavily.
He was a whirlwind of violence. He used his shins like baseball bats, kicking the machete-wielders in the thighs until they collapsed, their legs useless. The lobby floor was quickly becoming slick with blood.
Seeing his men slaughtered, Davila panicked. He leveled the Desert Eagle at Ethan's chest. But Ethan was faster. He closed the gap in a blur.
Just as Davila's finger moved to the trigger, Ethan's hand clamped down on the gun's slide, locking it so it couldn't fire. With his other hand, Ethan delivered a vicious upward elbow under Davila's chin. Davila's teeth snapped together, and he flew backward, skidding twenty feet across the marble floor.
Ethan stood in the middle of the carnage, his shirt stained with the attackers' blood, his expression completely calm.
Ha…. Ha...Ha.
Bravo...Bravo.
"Impressive. Truly impressive," a voice called out.
Ken appeared on the second-floor balcony, clapping slowly. He didn't seem upset that his guards were broken and bleeding on the floor.
"You passed, Ethan," Ken said, leaning over the gold railing. "The Council needed to know if you were just a man with money or a man who could fight. You are both."
Ken walked down the stairs, stepping over Davila's bloody body. "The dinner is real, but the plan has changed. We want you in our Inner Circle. Together, we can rule all of Florida."
Ethan used his [Eye of Discernment] as Ken approached.
Target: Ken
Loyalty: 15% (Extremely Low)
Hidden Intent: Wants to use Ethan's children to unlock secrete biological vault.
Wants to use Ethan's children to unlock a secret biological vault.
Ethan's eyes narrowed. They didn't just want his money; they wanted the blood of his children, Ares and Athena. To the Council, his family was just a tool to be used.
"I'll have dinner," Ethan said, his voice flat and dangerous. "But let's be clear. If you ever point a gun at me again, I won't just stop the gun. I'll rip the hands off your body so you can never hold one again."
Ken kept smiling, but a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Ethan followed him toward the dining room, already planning how he would destroy the Council, piece by piece, before they ever got close to his family.