Chapter 181: Behead Terry
Chapter 181: Behead Terry
Terry glared at James with pure venom in his eyes.
Refusing to admit defeat.
Gritting his teeth, he charged forward again with his blade.
This time he completely abandoned any defense.
His only thought was to hurt James.
The blade stabbed straight toward James's abdomen.
James didn't dodge or evade.
His left hand locked precisely around the wrist holding the knife.
His wrist flexed slightly.
The sharp crack of breaking bone echoed clearly.
The dagger fell from Terry's hand and clattered onto the stone floor.
His entire arm hung limply at his side.
Excruciating pain radiated from the bone through his whole body.
He doubled over in agony.
Gasping for air.
"Dad!"
Kyle's voice broke as he shouted.
He rushed forward two steps.
Then froze abruptly.
Not daring to get anywhere near James.
Terry raised his other uninjured hand.
Wiped away the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Only madness remained in his eyes.
From the corner of his vision, he spotted the five guards still brave enough to remain standing in the courtyard.
He screamed at the top of his lungs.
"All of you, attack together! Wear him down! Prince Cedric's reinforcements will be here any minute!"
The remaining five exchanged glances.
They had no choice but to steel themselves.
Gripping their various weapons, they rushed forward as one.
James's gaze swept over the approaching men.
He stepped forward.
His figure weaving through the crowd.
His wrist turned.
He picked up the fallen dagger from the ground.
The flat of the blade struck repeatedly.
In moments, all five men lay on the ground.
Either with dislocated wrists or damaged knees.
Completely incapacitated.
Inside the hall, aside from Terry and Kyle, not a single guard remained standing.
Terry looked at his moaning subordinates scattered across the floor.
His last shred of confidence vanished completely.
A chill ran down his spine.
He'd spent decades in the underworld.
Seen countless ruthless characters.
But he'd never encountered anyone like James—someone whose strength crushed him in every way.
He slowly straightened up.
His good arm clenched into a fist.
Preparing for one last desperate gamble.
He'd stake his own life on this.
He had to kill James.
James walked slowly toward him.
The distance between them kept shrinking.
The oppressive atmosphere grew heavier and heavier.
Kyle stood behind them.
His legs trembling uncontrollably.
His mind raced, calculating escape routes.
Thinking about slipping out the back door.
But Kevin had quietly stationed people at every exit—the main gate, the side paths.
There was no chance of escape.
"I'll take you down with me!"
Terry roared.
Throwing every last ounce of strength in his body into a final charge.
His remaining right fist drove toward James's head with full force.
James sidestepped the all-out blow.
The dagger swept horizontally.
Slicing precisely across his opponent's throat.
Warm blood poured from the wound.
Terry's movements froze instantly.
His pupils dilated rapidly.
His body toppled straight to the ground.
The moment he hit the floor, he went completely still.
Kyle watched Terry fall.
His legs gave out and he collapsed onto the ground.
Tears mixed with terror streamed down his face.
He muttered over and over.
"It's over. It's all over."
The remaining Tovar family members who'd been hiding in various spots, planning to wait for reinforcements before acting, saw Terry's death.
Leaderless, they instantly split into two groups.
One group immediately dropped all their weapons.
They crouched against the walls with their heads down, not daring to look up.
Their bodies shaking uncontrollably.
The other group refused to surrender.
Clutching farm tools and blades, they charged hard toward the main gate.
Iron Wolf immediately led his men forward to subdue them.
In mere moments, everyone causing trouble was rendered helpless.
Not a sound of resistance remained anywhere in the Tovar Villa.
James informed Tobias of the situation and arranged for all innocent parties to be released.
---
Before long, Tobias had everything sorted out.
He walked up to James and gestured with his hand.
"Mr. Anderson, let's go."
"The car's already waiting downstairs."
James nodded and stood up.
Iron Wolf bent down and grabbed the cloth bundle from the ground, holding it in his hand.
The corners of the bundle had stiffened, stained with dark traces of blood.
Tobias glanced at the bundle, his tone slightly hesitant.
"This thing?"
"How should we handle it?"
James raised his eyelids slightly, his tone so casual he might have been discussing the weather.
"Send it to Cedric's house."
"Consider it my welcoming gift to him."
Tobias froze for a moment, then laughed out loud.
He nodded, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Alright, I'll have someone deliver it."
"I'll make sure it reaches Cedric's hands personally."
He thought to himself—James's move was brutal.
Sending Terry's head was basically a direct insult to Cedric.
When Cedric saw it, he'd probably cough up blood from rage.
---
Outside the estate, several black sedans were parked by the entrance.
Their headlights glowed softly in the darkness, engines quiet.
Tobias led James toward the middle vehicle.
"Mr. Anderson, take this one."
James said nothing, pulled open the door and climbed in.
Kevin took the driver's seat while Iron Wolf slid into the back beside James.
Tobias got into another car behind them.
The convoy didn't sound their horns as they slowly pulled away.
Following the streets toward the eastern part of the city.
At this hour, Pinecrest City appeared calm on the surface.
Most people were asleep.
But beneath the surface, chaos had already erupted.
News of the Tovar family's destruction and Terry's death spread like wildfire.
It flew through the entire upper circles of Pinecrest City.
No one could sleep anymore.
Leroy sat in the conference room for most of the night, the ashtray beside him overflowing with cigarette butts.
Several family elders remained by his side, exchanging uneasy glances but none willing to speak first.
As dawn approached, Leroy stubbed out the last half of his cigarette in the ashtray.
"Alright, everyone speak up. What do we do about this situation?"
His voice came out hoarse and rough.
Yesterday he'd thought the Tovar family could hold out, that James wouldn't stay arrogant for long.
One night later, the Tovar family was completely wiped out, even Terry was dead.
Panic gripped his chest—worse than when he'd lost to James himself.
The Tovar family had been so much more powerful than the Martinez family, and they were gone just like that.
Would the Martinez family be next?
One elder cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Leroy, I think we need to send more people.
Raise the courtyard walls higher, double the number of guards at the entrance.
And the young people in the family shouldn't go out lately,
especially they can't get into conflicts with James's people."
Another elder nodded in agreement.
"Exactly, Leroy. Things are tense right now—we should keep a low profile.
Once Cedric makes his move and takes care of James, we can show ourselves again."
Leroy listened without responding.
He knew these were temporary measures that didn't address the root problem.
If James was determined to come after the Martinez family, no number of guards would help.
If even Terry couldn't stop him, the Martinez family's security wouldn't stand a chance.
But he had no other options.
He couldn't exactly show up at James's door to apologize, could he?
The Martinez family had helped the Tovar family plenty against James back in the day.
Groveling now—James might not even accept it.
"Do what you said."
Leroy finally spoke.
"Triple the personnel. Twenty-four-hour rotating shifts on watch.
Everyone in the family—without my direct order, no one sets foot outside."