Chapter 273: Repaying the Debt (4)

Richard picked it up and stared at the name printed on the plastic. It was Marcus’s executive access card.

Marcus frantically patted his suit pockets, his eyes widening in panic when he realized the card was missing. ’When the hell did he pickpocket me?!’ Marcus wondered, his mind racing back to their brief physical altercation at the diner.

Driven over the edge by the humiliation and the total compromise of their illegal operation, Marcus pulled his concealed dagger from his jacket.

"I have had enough of this nonsense!" Marcus screamed, his face twisting with rage. "I am just going to kill you right now!"

He lunged across the office, raising the dagger to plunge it directly into Solomon’s chest.

A wide, terrifying smirk stretched across Solomon’s face. "Finally."

Solomon kicked the leather chair directly into Marcus’s path. Marcus tripped over the rolling wheels, forcing him to awkwardly vault over the furniture. Before Marcus could even land on his feet, Solomon spun around and delivered a devastating, spinning roundhouse kick squarely to the man’s jaw.

The impact launched Marcus across the room. He crashed violently into the wooden wall shelves, shattering the display cases before slumping unconsciously onto the floor.

"That was the kick I owed you from the diner," Solomon stated, lowering his leg.

Just as Marcus hit the floor, the heavy steel security shutters slammed down over the office windows and the main hallway doors.

The automated lockdown sequence had finally engaged. Loud, synchronized footsteps echoed from the corridor outside as hundreds of armed enforcers from the lower floors poured into the executive wing, gathering right outside the office.

Richard backed away toward the corner of the room, a triumphant, malicious scoff escaping his lips. "You are completely finished now, kid. You are locked in here with my entire army."

Solomon casually rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, the sharp pops echoing loudly in the tense office.

"I knew ’talk no jutsu’ never actually works on dumb fucks," Solomon muttered, stretching his neck. "But this is honestly much better. I ate way too much at the diner earlier anyway. This will be the perfect cardio session to burn off all those calories."

The doors of the office burst open, and the armed enforcers began pouring into the office, swarming the room to execute Solomon.

Solomon did not wait for them to surround him. He stepped directly into their vanguard, treating the corporate office like his own personal training ring.

He ducked under a swinging baton, stepping effortlessly inside the attacker’s guard to drive his right elbow straight into the man’s sternum.

As the thug folded forward, Solomon grabbed his collar and spun him around, using him as a human shield to block a pair of incoming tasers. Fluidly dropping the stunned guard, Solomon swept his leg across the floorboards, tripping two advancing enforcers before springing upward to deliver a flying knee directly under a third man’s chin.

More men poured into the room, clogging the entrance. Solomon chained his martial foundations together, moving with a fluid grace.

When an enforcer tried to grapple him from behind, Solomon snapped his head backward, cracking his skull against the attacker’s nose. He twisted his hips, grabbing the dazed man by the belt and hurling him out into the crowded corridor like a bowling ball, knocking down half a dozen reinforcements in the hallway.

He utilized every single part of his body. He delivered palm strikes to exposed jaws, spun into roundhouse kicks that shattered ribs, and used the ruined office furniture to his advantage.

He kicked a rolling leather chair into a rushing squad and vaulted off the broken desk to launch a downward heel strike.

The executive office transformed into a chaotic blender of flying bodies and shattered glass, with Richard cowering in the corner while watching his private army get systematically dismantled.

Just as Solomon tossed another enforcer through the glass partition, the drywall on the far side of the room exploded inward.

A hulking giant of a man crashed through the plaster, swatting his own allies aside like bothersome flies. He stepped into the center of the ruined office, cracking his knuckles as plaster dusted his broad shoulders.

"I am Titan!" the giant roared, puffing out his chest and pointing a finger at the teenager. "You are finished, kid! My awakened talent turns my flesh into impenetrable steel! Once my armor hardens, no weapon on earth can pierce my skin!"

True to his word, the giant’s skin began to shift, turning a dull, metallic gray starting from his collarbone and creeping downward across his torso. The transformation clearly required a few seconds to fully cover his body.

Solomon stared at the transforming giant and let out a tired sigh. He did not bother waiting for the monologue to finish.

Channeling his internal energy, a bright silver aura flared to life, coating his right fist in a glowing layer of spiritual power.

He dashed across the room, closing the distance in a fraction of a second. Before the metallic gray conversion could even reach Titan’s stomach, Solomon drove his aura-coated fist straight into the giant’s unprotected gut.

The impact echoed like a cannon blast. Titan’s eyes bulged out of his skull, all the air leaving his lungs in a choked, agonizing gasp.

Solomon did not stop there. He grabbed the giant by the collar of his shirt, pulled him downward, and unleashed a barrage of silver-coated punches directly into Titan’s face.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

The punching sounds rang out like explosive gunshots, echoing down the enclosed corridors with volume. The noise was so overwhelmingly loud that the remaining enforcers froze in their tracks, staring in sheer horror as the supposedly invincible juggernaut was beaten into submission before he could even throw a single punch.

Solomon landed one final, devastating uppercut, launching the hulking giant off his feet. Titan crashed into the ceiling panels and plummeted back to the floorboards, out cold before his steel armor could even finish activating.

Solomon shook the dust from his silver-coated knuckles and turned his attention back to the terrified men crowding the hallway, offering a bright, welcoming smile.

"Who is next?" Solomon asked, rolling his shoulders.