Chapter 144: Some Risks aren’t really worth taking!
Chapter 143
"How was that?" Max asked as he landed back down with a grin on his face, staring at the two hundred men who froze in horror, their bodies shivering as cold sweat trickled down their faces.
"Wh...who are you? Wh...what do you want? Why are you here?" One of the men stammered, breaking out in sweat as he bombarded the dragon with frantic questions.
"Who I am? That isn’t important right now," Max said as he tucked his hands back into his pockets. "But what I want? It’s actually simple. I want to rule.
I was born to rule, and I’m here to rule, which is why I’ve come to take over your petty little gang for myself. So I’m giving you all a final chance—stand down so I don’t have to hurt you, then I’ll go look for your leader instead. Or attack me once more, and I won’t be so kind as to spare your lives."
"Take over our gang? Who the fuck do you think you are? How delusional can you be to think you can take over our gang when our leader is a hybrid?" Another man barked, chuckling mockingly.
"So if he is a hybrid, who am I?" Max asked as he lifted one hand and snapped his fingers. Immediately, flames blazed to life around his palm, burning bright and hot enough to almost illuminate the entire warehouse. The men froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
"He...h...he’s a hybrid!" one of them shouted in pure horror.
’Not really, but that should work,’ Max thought with a slight shrug.
"To hell with him being a hybrid! Didn’t you hear the vice leader? If we can defeat him, we’ll be rewarded big time! And even if he’s a hybrid, there’s no way he can handle our numbers! Right?" one of the men yelled, his voice shaking yet defiant.
"Uhm... I just showed you a few moments ago that I can," Max said, gesturing at the hundreds of men littered across the floor—some groaning in pain, others completely unconscious.
"He’s right! We can still win this!" another man shouted, rallying the others, and together they charged forward again.
Max sighed deeply and facepalmed. "You all exhaust me. Fine then, have it your way."
[Skill: Ruler’s Hand Activated]
Instantly, Max’s arm began glowing with a fierce blue light as he pointed forward. Around fifty men suddenly glowed faintly blue too.
"AHHHH!" the fifty roared in unison, their bodies trembling violently. The others froze mid-step as Max raised his second hand, and another fifty men’s bodies began glowing the same color.
The next second, they were lifted clean off their feet, hovering helplessly in the air.
"How about a rollercoaster?" Max asked with a wild grin as he began twirling his hands in a circle. The men spun faster and faster, screams of pain and dizziness filling the air.
"And up they goooo!" Max laughed, tossing his hands skyward. Like rockets, the men shot upward, smashing hard into the ceiling and denting it badly before crashing back down, face-first, into the ground. Within seconds, they were all unconscious.
’Hmph! Not bad for a first-time test. Impressive,’ Max thought, flexing his glowing hands.
"He’s a monster, a true monster!" one of the conscious men yelled, trembling uncontrollably.
"Now I’ll ask one more time," Max said coldly, his voice echoing through the warehouse. "Where is your leader?"
"He’s not interested in battling a weakling like you. But in the meantime, you can face me."
A new voice cut through the silence, and Max turned sharply. The vice leader descended the staircase, gripping something in his hand—a weapon.
He raised it, aiming directly at Max. It was a crossbow, but not a normal one. Sleek, obsidian-black metal forged its frame, its edges humming with faint energy, glowing faintly with a dangerous, almost demonic light.
A glowing blue sheen pulsed along the crossbow’s frame like veins of light coursing through metal flesh, giving it an eerie, otherworldly aura. The bowstring wasn’t string at all—it shimmered like condensed lightning, vibrating softly as if alive, eager to be unleashed.
It conjured an arrow that gleamed with a translucent shaft of pure energy, its tip crackling with electric sparks that hissed and danced in the air, leaving faint trails of blue light whenever it moved.
When fully loaded, the weapon seemed alive. Its glow sliced through the dim warehouse like a blade, daring anyone or anything to stand in its path. Even the faint hum it emitted made the air feel heavier, more dangerous.
"I’m sure I don’t need to introduce what this baby is, right?" the vice leader asked with a smug grin, his hand steady as he pointed the weapon directly at Max.
"An anti-hybrid weapon," Max muttered beneath his breath, his brows furrowing under his mask as he studied the weapon carefully.
’How did a tier-three gang even get their hands on something like that? Anti-weapons aren’t supposed to be accessible to low-tier syndicates.
Did they steal it? Or do they have a backer?’ Max thought, his mind racing. ’So I have to deal with this thing and the leader too? Great. But... can it even work on a dragon? I mean, dragons aren’t hybrids—it was designed for hybrids. So, there’s a chance it might not work on me.’
A sly smirk curved his lips beneath the mask as he relaxed slightly, straightening his posture.
"So, you want to take the risk? What if it actually works on you?" Pix asked worriedly, her voice echoing in his mind.
’Some risks are just worth taking,’ Max replied calmly in thought. ’We need to know if this kind of weapon can harm us. Only then can I figure out a way to neutralize them in the future.’
"No! Some risks aren’t worth taking!" Pix yelled again, frustration dripping in her tone.
"I want to let you go free," the vice leader began, his voice hardening, "but I can’t. You’ve made multiple offenses. First, you barged into our territory uninvited. Then you beat up my men and dared to threaten us. You can’t just walk out of here scot-free."
"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it, weakling?" Max taunted, grinning beneath his mask as he leaned forward, his aura flaring faintly.
"I can do this."
The vice leader’s words barely left his lips before he pulled the string.
A deafening BANG! tore through the air. The energy arrow shot forward at blistering speed, almost as fast as lightning itself.
Before Max could even react, it slammed straight into his chest.
"Let’s see if it can...ARGHHHHHHH!" Max roared in agony, his voice shaking the walls as he dropped to one knee. The bolt glowed violently, its energy spreading across his veins, forcing his muscles to spasm uncontrollably.
Pix screamed in his head, "MAX!"
But all that came from the dragon’s mouth was another guttural roar that rattled the entire base.