Chapter 607 I Want to Take on Ten Alone

Chapter 607 I Want to Take on Ten Alone

While Keith and his crew were plotting to steal the White Ointment, James was driving Mary back to Smith Villa, then heading back to JZL Medical Clinic alone.

Mary had invited James to come in for a bit, but he politely turned her down.

He and Addison would just end up arguing the moment they saw each other.

James didn't want to deal with her.

The road back was clear, so James drove fast and reached the street where JZL Medical Clinic was in no time.

But as he got close to the clinic, he slowed down.

A minibus was blocking the road ahead.

Then three more vans pulled up behind him, cutting off any chance of reversing.

Finally, a stretch Lincoln came into view.

Bang bang bang—

The doors flew open, and out came over a dozen men in tight-fitting clothes, along with five people in black robes.

One was missing an ear, one had only one eye, one was missing a hand, one had a limp, and one was mute.

All five were disabled, but they moved without any hesitation—quick and slippery as eels, with a cold, sinister air around them.

The way they looked at James was like snakes sizing up their prey.

James didn't bother with small talk. He opened his car door and said, "Who are you people? What do you want?"

The man missing an ear stepped forward and said coldly, "You're James?"

The one-eyed woman added, "You're the one who hurt Paxton?"

The man with the limp glared at James and snapped, "You're the one who killed Ingrid in a sneak attack?"

The one-armed man spoke in a low, heavy voice, "And you got Ms. Gonzalez detained?"

Each one more arrogant than the last, each question more pointed, all of them bearing down on James at once.

"So you're with the Gonzalez Family," James said, putting it together quickly.

"What's the matter? Couldn't handle things out in the open, so you're playing dirty now?"

James had figured the Gonzalez Family would come for revenge, but not this fast. Clearly, what happened at the bar had really set them off.

Though when he thought about it more, it made sense—it wasn't just a matter of their pride, they also had to answer to Blood Medical Sect.

"You're not worth the Gonzalez Family playing dirty with."

The Lincoln's window slowly rolled down, revealing a deeply wrinkled old face.

A woman who looked around sixty, clutching a walking cane, sat upright in the back seat.

She glanced at James with contempt and said,

"We're not here to kill you tonight. We're just going to cripple you, then hand you over to Blood Medical Sect."

"If Matthew won't give us an answer, we'll get one from you."

This old woman gave off the same bone-chilling coldness as the five, even more unsettling than them—similar to Ingrid.

Her name was Granny Nether, one of the Gonzalez Family's top fighters and the one calling the shots tonight.

James smirked. "The Gonzalez Family is supposed to be one of the five great families. How did you end up being Lumaria's lap dogs?"

"Shut your mouth!" Granny Nether snapped sharply. "The Gonzalez Family is not for you to talk trash about."

"You're the one who needs to answer to the Gonzalez Family!"

"Be smart about it—let us break your legs and arms, and we'll take you in without any extra trouble."

"Otherwise, I'll make you suffer so badly you'll wish you were dead before I drag you in front of Blood Medical Sect."

A cold glint flickered in her eyes. "You don't have to believe me. Just don't come crying to me later."

James said calmly, "You're attacking someone out in the open like this. You're not afraid Matthew will find out and come after you too?"

"Matthew deals with official business. What we're doing tonight is underworld business," Granny Nether said with a cold laugh. "He's got no say in this."

James said mockingly, "Keep talking. You dare let me call him right now?"

Granny Nether didn't answer. Instead she barked, "Get him! Cripple him!"

The five disabled fighters moved forward with blank expressions.

James laughed. "Cripple me?"

"You small fry think you can take me out? Dream on."

He stepped forward. "Stop wasting time. Come at me all at once!"

He pointed at Granny Nether and her group.

"All at once? You're not even worth my time!"

Granny Nether sneered. "Five Cripples—finish him!"

The moment she spoke, all five shifted their feet, hands flying, and a hail of hidden weapons shot toward James.

Not knowing what they were, James didn't charge in recklessly to knock them away—he just sidestepped.

Sure enough, the weapons hit the spot where he'd been standing and burst into a thick cloud of black smoke with a sharp, acrid smell.

The wind caught it and quickly wrapped around James.

James instinctively stopped moving, held his breath, and jabbed a few silver needles into his own body.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Right at that moment, the Five Cripples moved.

Fast as lightning.

In the black smoke, James was just about to step back when he realized all five were already on him, each one grabbing hold of his arms and legs.

Before he could react, they lifted him off the ground in a flash and started spinning him in circles like a spinning top.

They spun him twelve full rotations without stopping.

Damn!

They're trying to make me dizzy?

James had never seen anyone fight like this before, and he was caught completely off guard—not to mention his head was spinning badly.

But he knew he had to break free, or they'd tear him apart.

James flicked his wrist, and Piercing Blade was in his hand.

Whoosh—

Before James could even strike, a flash of sword light shot out ahead of him, spinning out from around him.

The one-eyed woman and the others' faces changed sharply—they all dropped James and leaped back, barely dodging the blade.

Even though they got out of the way in time, their robes were slashed. Half a second slower and they'd have been gutted.

Granny Nether narrowed her eyes from inside the Lincoln.

James was quietly surprised—the Five Cripples moved like lightning, yet the flying sword had nearly caught them. Whoever used it was seriously skilled.

Almost the moment James landed, a middle-aged man was standing right beside him.

One hand behind his back, the other holding a sharp sword, his robe drifting in the breeze—relaxed and sharp at the same time.

James blinked. "Uncle Valentin?"

"The Five Cripples?"

Valentin patted James on the shoulder, then swept his gaze over them with a cold smirk.

"You're supposed to be seasoned fighters with real names behind you. Five of you going after one young man—you're not even a little ashamed?"

He clearly knew who they were.

"And who are you?" The one-eyed woman's face hardened. "You planning to stick your nose in this?"

The earless man's voice dropped. "Let me tell you—the Gonzalez Family's business isn't something you can afford to mess with."

Valentin moved.

Whoosh.

A streak of sword light swept out with him.

It wasn't fast. Everyone could see the strike clearly.

But the earless man's expression went pale.

That sword was aimed straight at him.

And yet in his eyes, the blade looked like it was moving slowly.

What did that mean?

It meant he couldn't read the sword at all—couldn't see through it.

Even so, the earless man wasn't about to just stand there and die.

He whipped both hands up, two daggers appearing in his palms, and slashed straight at the incoming blade.

Everyone watched as Valentin's sword arrived.

They expected something explosive.

What happened next left everyone frozen.

Both daggers cut through nothing but air—and the sword went straight through the earless man's throat.

One strike. Clean kill.

"So tell me," Valentin said, watching the earless man slowly collapse, "is this something I can afford to mess with?"

The earless man couldn't answer. He just crashed to the ground, dead.

"You bastard—you dare hurt my brother?!"

The one-armed man roared, "I'll kill you—"

His voice cut off. A sword had pierced him right between the eyes.

Blood poured down freely.

Valentin's voice came out, flat and even: "Did I ask you to speak?"

At that moment, the faces of the one-eyed woman and the others turned ugly.

None of them had expected Valentin to be this powerful.

The one-armed man fell dead.

The one-eyed woman caught herself, furious to the point of laughing. "You killed our brothers—have the guts to tell us who you are?"

Before the words even finished leaving her mouth, another streak of light shot up.

In an instant.

"Aah!"

A sharp, agonized cry rang out. The one-eyed woman fell straight back, a sword through her chest.

"Even if I told you, you couldn't do anything about it!"

Valentin didn't even look at her as he turned and struck again.

The limping man and the mute one instinctively threw themselves backward, trying to dodge the blade—but they were half a beat too slow.

A sharp pain hit both their throats, and they dropped to the ground without even getting a chance to scream.

The Five Cripples were all dead in the blink of an eye. The dozen or so men in tight clothes felt their eyelids twitching—the guns in their hands felt cold and impossibly heavy.

James stood there with his mouth slightly open—Uncle Valentin wasn't even fully recovered, and he'd cut down the Five Cripples like they were nothing.

If he were back at his peak, he'd probably just have to glare at someone to scare them to death.

"I was wondering who had that kind of nerve. Turns out it's Mr. Valentin himself."

The whole scene went silent. Granny Nether pushed the car door open again and stepped out, her smile carrying a venomous edge.

"The Dragon's Breath's Mr. Valentin—your reputation really does hold up."

She knew who Valentin was. He'd just gotten much thinner than she remembered from twenty years ago, and if she hadn't recognized his sword style, she might not have placed him at all.

Recognizing him was exactly why Granny Nether stopped sitting smugly in the car and came out to deal with this herself.

"I'm just curious what this James means to Mr. Valentin, that you'd protect him without a second thought."

The wrinkles on Granny Nether's face deepened. "I hope Mr. Valentin can give me an answer—just so I know where things stand."

"Give you an answer? You're not worth one. Done talking?"

Valentin looked at Granny Nether. "Then make your move."

"I'll give you one chance. If I have to use a second strike, I lose."

Granny Nether's lips twitched, and the veins on the hand gripping her dragon-head cane stood out sharply—before slowly easing back down.

"Mr. Valentin leads the four great generals of Dragon's Breath, second only to the top in the whole organization."

"How could an old woman like me ever match up to Mr. Valentin?"

Granny Nether looked deeply unwilling. "Tonight—I concede."

Swoosh—

The moment the words left her mouth, a flash of sword light shot out—and one of Granny Nether's arms flew clean off.

Her cane clanged to the ground.

Granny Nether went white as a sheet, biting down hard on her lip to keep from screaming out.

She hadn't expected this at all—she'd already surrendered, and Valentin still struck.

It made her believe the rumors—Dragon's Breath fighters were killing machines through and through.

She didn't fight back. Twenty years ago she was no match for Valentin, and the gap hadn't closed twenty years later.

Valentin flicked his sword clean and sheathed it.

"Good that you're giving up. Bring a message back to Ulysses and the others."

"I've heard the Gonzalez Family's top fighters are supposed to be unbeatable. Valentin will come by in three days to find out for himself."

"Out of respect—I'll take on ten of them at once."