Chapter 87: Dealing with Rick

The city lord stared at Chris for several seconds, his expression becoming increasingly pale.

"Father? What are you waiting for? That’s the bastard who attacked me! Hurry up and teach him a lesson!" Rick shouted, completely unaware of the situation.

The city lord suddenly turned toward him and raised his hand.

*SLAP!*

A loud slap echoed throughout the restaurant, leaving Rick completely stunned.

"W-What... Father?"

"Shut up!" the city lord barked before quickly turning toward Chris. He bowed slightly, forcing a smile onto his face. "Young man, please forgive my ignorant son. He has been spoiled since childhood and doesn’t know how to behave. I sincerely apologize for his actions."

Chris glanced at him before looking at Rick, who was still holding his cheek in disbelief.

"Come here and apologize!" the city lord ordered.

"But Father! He—"

*SLAP!*

Another slap landed on Rick’s face, making him stumble sideways.

"I said apologize!"

Rick clenched his teeth and lowered his head. He clearly wanted to complain, but after seeing his father’s furious expression, he reluctantly turned toward Chris.

"I’m... sorry."

His voice was barely audible, and his expression was filled with resentment.

The city lord’s face twitched. He grabbed Rick by the shoulder and forced him to bow lower.

"Speak properly!"

"I’m sorry!" Rick shouted, his face turning red.

Chris looked at the two for a moment before shaking his head.

"It’s fine. He didn’t really manage to do anything to us."

The city lord immediately nodded several times. "Thank you for your understanding, young man! I will make sure he never bothers you again."

Chris simply waved his hand, showing that he didn’t care.

He already knew why the city lord was acting this way. It was obviously because of Astra and Stella. After all, the man had recognized them earlier and knew exactly who they were.

However, Chris wasn’t particularly interested in the matter. Rick had been annoying, but he hadn’t managed to cause any real trouble for them.

The city lord seemed relieved by Chris’s response. He quickly grabbed his son’s arm and dragged him toward the entrance.

"Come on! We’re leaving!"

"But Father—"

"Not another word!"

The two quickly disappeared through the restaurant’s entrance, followed by the remaining guards.

For a moment, the entire restaurant remained silent.

The other guests had been watching the situation unfold from the beginning. Most of them had assumed that Chris was finished the moment Rick returned with the city lord. After all, nobody in the town would dare oppose the city lord’s family.

Yet, instead of punishing Chris, the city lord had slapped his own son twice and apologized repeatedly before leaving.

What exactly had just happened?

Chris paid no attention to their bewildered expressions. He simply picked up his utensils and continued eating.

"Let’s finish our meal," he said calmly.

Aelia nodded and continued eating as well, while the twins exchanged glances.

However, their earlier excitement had completely disappeared.

"What’s wrong with you two?" Chris asked after noticing their expressions.

"Nothing..." Astra muttered.

Stella shook her head. "We’re just not in the mood anymore."

Chris glanced at them before shrugging. He didn’t bother asking further and finished his meal.

Once they were done, the group left the restaurant.

As soon as they stepped outside, Astra pulled out a cellphone from her pocket.

She tapped the screen several times before bringing it close to her ear.

"Hello? We need a car to take us to the capital. Yes, we’re near the central restaurant district. Please send someone as soon as possible. Yes, the restaurant’s name is..."

After a brief conversation, she ended the call and put the device away.

"Someone will be here soon," she said.

Chris nodded and waited with the others.

It didn’t take long before a regular-looking car approached them and stopped nearby. An older man stepped out from the driver’s seat, looking around before noticing the group.

"Good afternoon! Did someone order a taxi to the capital?"

The twins nodded.

"That’s us," Stella replied.

The older man smiled warmly and walked toward the vehicle, opening the doors for them.

"Please, get inside. It’s quite a long journey, so make yourselves comfortable."

Chris nodded and opened the front passenger door before sitting down. Aelia and the twins entered through the back, with Astra and Stella immediately settling beside each other.

Once everyone was inside, the driver returned to his seat and started the engine.

"All right, let’s go!"

The car slowly moved forward before leaving the town and heading toward the main road.

For a while, everything went smoothly. The driver occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror, while the twins chatted quietly with Aelia.

Chris simply leaned back in his seat and looked outside through the window.

However, as soon as they left the town and reached the open road, something unexpected happened.

*SKREEEEEECH!*

The driver slammed on the brakes.

"What the hell!?"

Chris looked ahead and immediately noticed three large black SUVs blocking the road. They had appeared out of nowhere, positioning themselves clearly in such a way to stop them.

Before the driver could say anything else, their doors opened.

Several men stepped out, one after another, quickly surrounding the vehicle.

Some carried swords and spears, while others held guns.

Chris glanced at their weapons without showing much interest.

Firearms were common weapons in this world, especially among people who couldn’t rely on their physical strength or mana. However, they weren’t particularly useful against powerful adventurers.

Experienced fighters could often dodge bullets with their speed and perception alone. As for Chris, he didn’t even need to bother.

His physical defense was already high enough that ordinary bullets couldn’t penetrate his skin, even without the protection of his dragon scales.

The driver, however, didn’t seem to share his confidence.

His hands were trembling against the steering wheel, and his face had turned pale.

Chris noticed his condition and gently patted his shoulder.

"Stay inside. Everything will be fine."

The old man turned toward him with wide eyes but didn’t manage to say anything.

Chris opened the door and stepped outside before closing it behind him.

He calmly looked at the men surrounding the vehicle.

"Did that guy Rick send you?"

The men exchanged glances, and a familiar voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Good, good! You’ve guessed right!"

Rick stepped forward, wearing a wicked smile. His cheek was still swollen from the earlier slap, but his expression was filled with excitement.

He pointed toward Chris before looking at the men around him.

"Hand over the women and we’ll let you live. Otherwise..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, instead gesturing toward the armed men surrounding the car.

Chris sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Rick burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Do you think I’m the same as before? These men are much stronger than those useless guards! You won’t stand a chance against them!"

Chris glanced at the men one by one, scanning their strength.

He had to admit that they were indeed stronger than the guards from earlier.

However, in his eyes, the difference was meaningless. They were all weak as children.

Chris shook his head before looking at them.

"I’ll give you one chance to reconsider. Just leave, and I won’t bother you. Following a stupid rich kid to your deaths isn’t very wise."

One of the men immediately frowned.

"Who do you think you are, brat?!"

He raised his sword and rushed toward Chris, swinging it down with all his strength.

Chris didn’t even move.

He simply extended his hand and caught the blade between his fingers.

*DING!*

With a slight tightening of his fingers, he suddenly flicked the blade backward with tremendous force.

The man’s eyes widened as the sword slipped from his hands. Before he could even understand what had happened, the weapon flew straight back toward him.

*SHING!*

It passed through his head, cleaving it in half.

Blood sprayed across the road as his body collapsed to the ground.

For a moment, everyone froze.

"K-KILL HIM!" Rick suddenly shouted.

The men immediately raised their guns and began firing.

*RAT-A-TAT-TAT!*

A barrage of bullets rained down on Chris.

However, he simply stood there, scratching his cheek as the bullets struck his body.

He barely felt anything. It was little more than a slight tickling sensation.

Chris couldn’t understand why these idiots had even bothered trying something so stupid.

When the gunfire finally stopped, the men stared at him with wide eyes.

Not a single wound could be seen on his body.

"A MONSTER! HE’S A MONSTER!"

One of the swordsmen shouted before raising his weapon.

"EVERYONE, ATTACK TOGETHER!"

A dozen men immediately rushed toward Chris, holding their weapons tightly as they prepared to strike.

’Monster? Just because some bullets couldn’t hurt me? They’re definitely idiots...’ Chris shook his head and casually raised his hand.

A dozen fireballs appeared out of thin air before shooting toward the approaching men.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Each fireball struck its target precisely in the chest.

The men didn’t even have time to scream before their bodies were reduced to ash, which was quickly scattered by the wind.

In the blink of an eye, the road became completely silent.

Only Rick remained standing.

His entire body was trembling, and his face had turned deathly pale.

"Y-y-you! H-how!?"

Chris raised an eyebrow.

He couldn’t even begin to understand how this idiot had imagined that those weaklings could do anything to him.

He shook his head and took a step forward.

"S-s-stay away!"

Rick immediately stumbled backward, but his legs were trembling so badly that he lost his balance and fell onto his backside.

A yellow liquid began spreading beneath him, soaking his pants.

Chris stopped immediately, looking at him with disgust.

The man had actually pissed himself.

He shook his head before raising one finger and releasing a small fireball.

"Since you wanted to die so badly..."

"N-NO!"

*BOOM!*

Rick’s body instantly disintegrated, and even the disgusting liquid beneath him was completely evaporated.

Chris calmly turned around and walked back toward the car before opening the passenger door and sitting down as if nothing had happened.

The driver was still trembling, staring at him with absolute terror.

Chris smiled, trying to make his expression as friendly as possible, before gently patting the man’s shoulder.

"Don’t worry. They were just some criminals. I won’t hurt you. Let’s continue our journey."

The man’s eyes trembled as he hurriedly nodded. "Y-yes! Yes! Right away!"

He quickly stepped on the gas pedal, driving around the vehicles blocking the road before continuing toward the capital.

From the back seat, the twins immediately began cheering.

"Big bad man! That was amazing!" Astra exclaimed.

"Yes! You showed them what happens when they mess with us!" Stella added with a giggle.

Chris turned his head slightly. "What exactly was so amazing about killing people? Shouldn’t you two be reacting a little differently?"

The twins exchanged glances before shrugging.

"They were bad guys!" Astra replied.

"Yes! They deserved it!" Stella added.

Chris shook his head with a small smile. He really couldn’t understand these two.

Aelia, who had been watching the entire exchange, giggled slightly without commenting.

The journey continued without any further interruptions.

After driving for several hours, Chris finally turned his head toward the twins.

"By the way, I just realized that I haven’t asked you much about your family."

Astra and Stella looked at him curiously. "What do you want to know, big bad man?"

"Well, for starters, how many family members do you have?"

The twins exchanged glances before answering.

"Just our father," Astra replied.

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Just your father? What happened to your mother?"

Stella shook her head. "We’ve never had a mother."

Chris looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Our father has never mentioned having a wife or being with anyone before," Astra explained. "As far as we know, it’s always been just the three of us."

Chris frowned slightly. "Then why haven’t you ever asked him about your mother?"

The twins exchanged glances again before Astra shrugged. "Well... there’s something we haven’t told you yet."

"What is it?"

Stella took a moment before answering. "We were actually adopted when we were very young."