Chapter 63: Jimmy the Flashy Punk

Finn returned to Black Mountain’s administrative center and got Jimmy’s address from a few officials.

To keep him safe from Radiant Path attacks, Jimmy had been moved to a more secure location in the East District. Finn grabbed his mountain bike and soon reached the alley near Jimmy’s place.

He hadn’t even reached the alley entrance before Jimmy’s loud, cocky voice came drifting out:

“This flashy world can blind your eyes—so don’t act tough if you don’t have the strength! Don’t come at me head-on. I walk away bruised; you don’t walk away at all!”

Finn’s curiosity was piqued. Instead of showing himself right away, he stayed hidden at the side and watched.

On the rundown street under the dusk sky, Jimmy stood there with a roguish swagger, twirling a revolver in one hand. The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the cracked pavement.

Behind him was a group of kids about his age, facing off against a crew of burly young men on the other side. Both groups were tense, the air thick with hostility.

The youths across from them were tall and heavily built, arms covered in hyena tattoos, cigarettes hanging from their lips. A few even carried rifles and shotguns.

Jimmy’s side looked smaller and skinnier by comparison, many of them empty-handed. Yet their nerve wasn’t weaker at all—if anything, they seemed to have the upper hand.

The main reason was that Jimmy’s trash talk came out far too smoothly. The burly leader on the other side couldn’t keep up at all and could only repeat the same two or three dry threats: “You little bastard, I’ll kill you!” “I’m gonna rip that mouth of yours apart!”

Jimmy let out a cold laugh. “I don’t go looking for trouble, and I don’t take what’s yours. But don’t mistake that for fear. I can give you all the respect you want—or I can slap the teeth out of your mouth. You’ve heard of Finn, right? The Tier 5 Vanguard who showed up recently—the one and only super mutant!”

Hearing Finn’s name, the burly man actually looked a little scared and quietly took a step back.

Jimmy grew even more smug. “I’m telling you, Finn is my bro. He’s got my back!”

He jabbed a thumb at his own chest, chin lifted high. Though he had to look up at the man who was a full head taller than him, his expression somehow made it seem like he was the one looking down from above. “And my strength is only a tiny bit weaker than Finn’s.”

He pinched his thumb and forefinger together lightly, like he was holding a single grain of rice. “Just this much. So if you’re gonna run your mouth at me, you’d better think real hard about whether your life is worth the bet.”

Finn stood quietly nearby, watching Jimmy show off.

“Outsider, we’ve got numbers. Don’t think we’re scared of you!” the burly man growled viciously. He pointed at the large group behind him, the centipede-shaped brown scar on his face twisting into an even uglier expression.

Jimmy smiled faintly and actually reached out to pat the burly man’s shoulder. “You’re all bark and no bite—what exactly are you bringing to this fight? A nobody with no clout like you should step aside.”

The burly man clenched his fists tight, veins bulging at his temples as rage boiled inside him.

Even so, he didn’t dare make a move on Jimmy. But he couldn’t swallow his anger either. His thick palm shot out and gave Jimmy a hard shove, trying to push the arrogant guy away from him.

No one expected what happened next.

With one ordinary shove, Jimmy staggered backward and fell flat on the ground.

The whole street went dead silent.

“Heh. Minor miscalculation.” Jimmy patted his butt and stood back up like nothing had happened.

But the burly man in front of him now had a vicious glint in his eyes. After actually putting strength into shoving Jimmy down and seeing no special reaction from him, he finally realized this guy was nothing but an easy mark putting on a tough act...

Jimmy stared him down, neck stiff. “If you really want to throw down, how about we settle it with a dance battle instead? I’m saying this for your own good. If I accidentally kill you, Finn will chew me out for causing trouble.”

“Dance battle? Screw that! I’m sick of all this dance-battle nonsense!” The burly man swung a fist the size of a clay pot. A layer of copper-red light rose over his knuckles, solid and indestructible.

Jimmy leaped back three big steps and raised his revolver, voice threatening. “This is your last warning. Don’t push your luck.”

“I see it now—you’re nothing but trash! You’ve been flapping your gums this whole time because you don’t have the guts to swing!” The burly man’s entire body lit up with copper-red light, like a bronze statue cast in metal. His thick muscles tensed as he planted his feet into the ground, ready to launch himself forward.

“Finn went to Ironatom. He’ll be back tomorrow. I’m warning you one last time—I don’t want any trouble before he returns.” Jimmy was all bark and no bite now, but his mouth was still as stubborn as ever.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jimmy pulled the trigger first, firing three shots. The bullets struck the man’s copper-red aura and only kicked up sparks, leaving him completely unharmed. Seeing his attack had no effect, Jimmy had already jumped back two steps, ready to bolt at any moment.

“That’s it? That’s all you got?” The burly man wreathed in copper-red light patted the spot where the bullets hit, rolled his thick neck, and sneered. “You really are a worthless piece of trash. And you said you were only a tiny bit weaker than Finn. Looks like Finn is a fake Tier 5 Vanguard—all reputation, no substance!”

“Someone’s calling me all talk?” Finn walked out from the alley entrance with a relaxed stride, calm and unhurried.

“Bro, save me!” Jimmy cried out in relief and quickly ran over, hiding behind Finn.

“You’ve improved quite a bit lately. Your strength is already only a tiny bit weaker than mine,” Finn said with a teasing smile. “So what are you still scared of him for? I believe in you.”

Jimmy’s face flushed all the way to his neck. He said guiltily, “These men are from the Hyena Gang. I was on an empty lot teaching some people street dance when they showed up to collect protection money. They said the lot belonged to them, so I had no choice but to act tough and bluff them.”

He scratched his head. “Sorry, Bro. I borrowed your name. If I had backed down, they definitely would’ve beaten me to death.”

“Useless at everything else, but number one at acting cocky.” Finn shook his head helplessly.

The burly man glowing with copper-red light was already burning with rage. He cracked the stone bricks beneath his feet and lunged at Finn in one swift step, slamming his powerful fist into Finn’s chest.

Clang!

The deafening sound of metal striking stone rang out. Finn didn’t budge an inch from the punch, as if the copper fist had only struck him with a feather.

“Just this?” Finn tilted his head and looked at the burly man in front of him.

The cocky look dropped from the man’s face. He pulled back his fist in terror and tried to run, but it was already too late.

Finn casually swung out the Skybearer Sword. A bright arc of sword light flashed in a fan shape. The man’s head and arm were severed clean through. Blood sprayed from the stumps, shooting up like a bloody fountain under the dim sunset.

His companions didn’t even dare to come collect the body. They scattered in every direction, fleeing in panic.

Jimmy was startled by Finn’s sudden sword strike. His “disciples” who had been learning to dance huddled together timidly, watching Finn with a mix of reverence and fear, not daring to make a sound.

“Time to go,” Finn said as he sheathed his blood-stained sword. “We’re leaving tomorrow for the Alderon Sea.”

……

The next morning.

In the East District, Black Mountain had already set up its power station. The newly purchased mobile nuclear reactor was being transported in by truck and installed at the power hub.

Workers bustled about. Scaffolding made of wooden poles and iron rods formed a square cage around the hemispherical nuclear reactor.

Many Black Mountain residents stood nearby, watching curiously at this asset that would soon solve the settlement’s energy crisis.

Even City Lord Darius Smith had come in person. He stood on the balcony of a nearby high-rise, overlooking the busy power station together with his subordinates.

The key figure at the power station was Jared Hall, who was handling most of the technical work. He stood beside the nuclear reactor, holding a stack of draft papers and jotting down notes.

A yellow-helmeted engineer wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked up at the massive nuclear reactor and sighed:

“Mr. Hall, we owe you this time. Without your help, this pre-Cataclysm nuclear beast would’ve been scrap to us. We know how to grow crops, raise livestock, and repair dams. A reactor? That’s way above our heads.”

“This is what I should be doing,” Jared Hall replied coldly, still focused on his calculations.

The engineer laughed. “Radiant Path really is foolish. They shout about resisting nuclear energy, but they can’t solve the energy crisis themselves. Who’s going to believe them? Nuclear power means endless energy!”

Jared Hall nodded. “Yes. Mortals blinded by ignorance and greed will never be able to see the crisis right in front of them.”