Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Forty-Seven: A Confrontation [Please recommend and add to your favorites]

Wang Jue suspected that something might have happened. While trying to reassure himself, he took out his phone, found his father's number, and dialed directly.

He knew very well that if nothing was wrong, his father would definitely answer the call.

Beep...beep...beep...

After a brief wait, just as Wang Jue was growing impatient, a voice came from the other end.

"Hello?"

Hearing Wang Jianbin's voice, Wang Jue instantly breathed a sigh of relief. "Dad, where are you now? At the hospital? Did something happen?"

"Yes, we're at the hospital, but it's nothing. Just stay home and study," Wang Jianbin replied. There was some noisy commotion in the background, but it soon quieted down.

Nothing happened?

Wang Jue couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't as simple as they sounded.

"Alright, it's getting late. Go to bed early. I'm still busy here, so I'll hang up now," Wang Jianbin said briskly, clearly not intending to continue the conversation, and hung up without hesitation.

Wang Jue stood there, phone in hand, listening to the dial tone that signaled the line was dead, feeling thoroughly frustrated.

Suddenly, something occurred to him and he narrowed his eyes. "No, something definitely happened to Dad."

As his father's son, Wang Jue knew his father's temperament quite well. But if his father didn't want to say anything, what could Wang Jue do? He couldn't exactly force the truth out of them.

Besides, even if they did tell him, Wang Jue knew there was little he could actually do to help.

The only real asset he had was his martial prowess, though whether that would be of any use was questionable. Even if it was, and he decided to act, there was no doubt who would end up suffering in the end.

Given the temperament of those loan sharks, if Wang Jue dared to make a move, it wouldn’t even take a minute before the security squad would be at his door to "invite" him in for a chat. He might even end up locked away for a few days.

"I wonder if Captain Lan has transferred the money into my account? If so, this problem could be resolved," Wang Jue thought suddenly, recalling the three hundred thousand yuan bounty he had recently earned. He hesitated, contemplating whether to call Lan Yiyi to ask, but ultimately decided against it.

After all, Lan Yiyi had looked after him so kindly that day—he had eaten her food, drunk her drinks, and even taken her money. It felt wrong to bother her over money matters.

"Forget it, no sense worrying about it. I’ll just go to bed," Wang Jue muttered, getting up from the sofa and preparing to head to his room.

Knock, knock, knock...

Just then, a sudden knocking sounded at the door.

"Pretty bold, showing up this late to collect a debt?" Wang Jue, already in a bad mood, immediately assumed that whoever was knocking at this hour had to be one of the loan sharks.

In truth, he knew those people didn’t dare do much—their worst was to shout and cause trouble, trying to provoke and push you to the edge.

Others might not know how to handle such types, but Wang Jue had his ways.

Without a word, Wang Jue walked over and opened the door.

With a clang, the iron door—already dented from a previous encounter—swung open. Wang Jue saw that the man standing outside was not one of the loan sharks he had seen before. Half wary, half puzzled, he asked, "Who are you looking for?"

He could be certain he didn't know this man.

And this fellow did not look like an ordinary person.

He appeared to be in his early forties, with a face full of fleshy bulk that suggested trouble. Several scars were visible on his shiny bald head, and more cut across his brutish face, clearly the result of some sharp weapon. One scar even ran diagonally from the left eye to the corner of his mouth, making his appearance especially sinister.

From the look of those wounds, they had been life-threatening, even fatal.

For someone to have survived such injuries and still be standing here—it spoke to the man’s astonishing toughness.

Dressed in a black suit that barely contained his muscular frame, he towered at least two and a half heads above Wang Jue—easily no less than two meters tall.

"Kid, you were really hard to find," the man said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Where's the item? Hand it over!"

He came looking for me specifically?

This man was obviously no ordinary thug. Judging by his appearance and demeanor, he could only be a gangster.

Strange—Wang Jue was sure he had never crossed any gangsters before. What did this guy want with him?

Wang Jue was full of doubts. He had encountered loan sharks before, but none with this kind of presence and menace.

Could it be that this man was the real muscle behind the loan sharks?

If so, that would make sense.

"What item?" Wang Jue tried to clarify, just in case he was mistaken. "Are you the man behind those loan sharks?"

If this guy really was the one backing the loan sharks, then there was no way out of this but a fight.

With that thought, his body tensed, ready for combat at any moment.

"Loan sharks? I don’t know what you’re talking about," the bald man shook his head, then demanded with no courtesy at all, "Cut the act, kid. I want the box. Hand it over, or die."

"What box?"

Wang Jue felt a sudden chill in his heart, his face tightening as he feigned ignorance.

He truly hadn’t expected that, despite all his caution, after so many days, someone would still come after him.

Who was this man?

A relative or friend of the dead man? Or someone sent to kill him?

A thousand thoughts raced through Wang Jue’s mind, leaving him momentarily speechless.

If the man was a relative or friend of the deceased, perhaps he could just hand over the item. As for the rhombus-shaped gem he had absorbed, he could at least write an IOU while he figured out what it was.

But if the man was a pursuer sent to hunt down the deceased—

Then...

A sense of imminent danger welled up inside Wang Jue, though he did his best to keep his expression neutral.

But controlling his expression was not easy.

In fact, the subtle shift in his face at the very first moment had already been caught by the other man.

"So, I’ve found the right guy after all. You really do have it, don’t you?" The bald man grinned, as if he’d stumbled upon something delightful.

It was indeed good news—they had searched for so long, spread out in all directions, and finally found their target.

And soon, the item would be his. How could he not be pleased?

"What do you mean, I have it?" Wang Jue continued to play dumb, trying to muddle his way through. "I really don’t know what you’re looking for."

No matter how he said it, there was a note of stubborn resistance in his tone.

Whether the bald man believed him or not was unclear—but Wang Jue himself didn’t believe his own words.

The truth was, this was his first time facing such a situation; he didn’t know how to handle it.

Should he fight? Or try talking things through?

"You don’t know? That’s fine. Soon, you will," the bald man replied indifferently.

Compared to Wang Jue’s words, he trusted his own judgment more. And even if he was wrong, so what?

At worst, there would just be another soul added to his tally.

He’d already killed plenty of people.

After searching for so long, frustration had been building up inside him. Now that he’d finally found a lead, there was no way he was letting go.

As he spoke, the bald man suddenly lashed out with a powerful kick aimed at Wang Jue’s chest. The blow was vicious, intended to kill.

If an ordinary person took that hit, they’d meet their maker instantly. Even a martial artist like Wang Jue, trained in body refinement, would at the very least suffer several broken ribs and internal injuries.

If he was unlucky and a rib punctured an organ, death could come in moments.

Plainly, the bald man intended to knock Wang Jue to the ground and let brute force do the talking.

With a sudden burst of motion, his massive frame radiated an aura of savage aggression that crashed down on Wang Jue.

A terrifying sense of oppression!

A looming threat!

Wang Jue felt the gravity of the situation all at once, his eyes fixed on the oncoming foot, seizing the moment to shift his body and dodge.

"Not bad," the bald man sneered when his kick missed. He had not expected this—he had the advantage of proximity and the element of surprise.

Yet his sure-fire blow had been evaded.

Still, he didn’t mind. One missed kick was nothing.

He licked his lips, a trace of excitement in his expression. "Not bad, kid. You’ve got some moves. But you still won’t escape death."

With that, his right fist shot out—clearly employing some martial technique. The attack was fast, fierce, and brimming with an intimidating force!

It didn’t look like an ordinary punch at all, but rather like a mountain crashing down.

Seeing that fist, Wang Jue knew clearly that the man before him was not someone who cared about life or death.

If he were truly struck and lost the ability to resist, his fate would be death.

And his family might be implicated as well.

This was no longer something that could be resolved through negotiation.

Wang Jue had originally wanted to talk things through and settle the matter peacefully.

But now, seeing the deadly intent behind the bald man's attacks, his anger flared.

In that instant, anger overrode reason—Wang Jue no longer cared about being a good or bad person, nor did he care about killing or not.

All he knew was that if someone wanted to kill him, they had better be prepared to be killed in return!

In his past life, he had never practiced martial arts. He was bullied throughout school, and even after graduation, he was pushed around at work.

If not for his determination to rise above it all, would he have endured such humiliation?

Now, in this world of martial cultivation, he would not let himself be trampled like on Earth, never daring to resist.

Dodge, dodge, and dodge again!

His mastery of fundamental footwork came into play.

Wang Jue easily avoided the incoming blow.

Watching the bald man's fist collide with the iron door, Wang Jue instantly judged that the man was far stronger than he was.

Perhaps sensing the danger, Wang Jue's instincts took over. He became icy calm, knowing exactly how to dodge and what moves to counter with.

For now, the bald man was not like Lan Yiyi, who had rendered his techniques useless.

"Didn’t expect you to be a martial artist, kid. Not bad at dodging, are you?" The bald man’s excitement was gradually replaced by murderous intent. "Heh heh... Come on, dodge a few more punches for me, let’s see how long you last!"