Chrome walked past his little sister and stopped right in front of his father.

"Are you okay, sir?" Chrome asked.

Such a formal tone. Bernard was confused.

Hm? Since when did his own son start talking to him like some stranger? They were very close. After his wife left them they’d only gotten closer. It deeply bothered the old man that his son addressed him in such a distant way, but this wasn’t the right time to question it.

Reaching up, Bernard took his son’s hand.

Chrome effortlessly pulled him up to his feet.

"Yeah... your pops is quite sturdy, you know? Haha."

Bernard said as he laughed.

But Chrome didn’t laugh.

Sure, the old man would try to shake it off.

He honestly believed that what Kingsley and his gang did to him was somewhat deserving, considering they owed an unpayable sum of money. But Chrome didn’t see it that way at all.

Chrome held the old man close and glared at Kingsley and his suit-wearing thugs.

"Anyone who would harm defenseless people doesn’t deserve any compensation."

Those words got one of the goons mad.

"What did you just say, you little shit?! You’re talking way above your level, kid!"

His voice was deep and filled with anger.

Chrome yawned as he spoke.

"You’re picking fights with defenseless old men and little girls in preschool so what’s your level?"

Pffft—hmmm!

The other goons held their laughs back.

The goon got puffed out his chest.

"Do you even know who you’re talking to? I am a master at the Spirit Realm! A bug like you doesn’t even have the right to breathe the same air as a true cultivator!"

Chrome didn’t even blink at the boast. He ignored the man as he gently guided Bernard over to the tattered couch and helped him sit down next to Lili. Once his family was safe, Chrome turned around and calmly began walking toward the apartment door.

Seeing him walk away made gang members laugh.

"Look at him! The brat is scared out of his mind!"

"Haha! He must’ve heard about the cultivation realm and wants to run away now!"

"Hey kid, the door’s that way, make sure you run fast!"

Jackson was the only cautious one.

He didn’t join in.

Instead, his eyes were locked tightly on Chrome’s back view as the young man got farther away from them and closer to the exit.

’These aren’t the footsteps of a man who is afraid...’

He felt entirely uneasy.

The other goons were still laughing it up.

BAHAHAHA—

The sharp sound of a lock being shut interrupted.

CLICK!

The room was suddenly quiet.

Chrome wasn’t opening the door to run.

He was locking it.

Click. Click. Click.

Chrome slowly turned and locked more and more latches on the rickety, old wooden door.

Perhaps he should give them some casual talk so he could look cool to his little sister.

"The downtown parts of Dragon Ridge City aren’t too safe. So, all the civilians here are always advised to have more than three locks on their doors. To be honest, I always get annoyed when I have to lock them all..."

He slid the final latch into place.

"...but today, I’m glad..."

Chrome turned back to them with a soft smile.

"Here’s the deal. These doors won’t open until the neighbors beg me to stop."

"You arrogant little nobody! Don’t act like you ain’t the son of a bitch we beat up every time we come here!"

BOOM!

The angry thug charged at Chrome like a gust of wind with his fist aimed for the throat.

Chrome didn’t even move. He reached out and grabbed the goon squarely by the lips as he squeezed them with a grip as hard as iron. He dragged the man across the air as the goon’s lips stretched out like a duck’s beak before Chrome threw him by the lips into some furniture.

CRASH!

The goon collapsed into the wreckage.

The remaining gang members went stiff.

"Hey... he’s not moving. Is he conscious?"

"No way... with his cultivation he shouldn’t get tossed like a sack of potatoes by this kid?!"

"What kind of strength is that?!"

Hearing his men whisper in fear made Kingsley both angry and embarrassed. He glared back at them.

"Shut up! All of you, shut the fuck up! How can you even be afraid of this loser?! We’ve beat him up before, so why the hell are you th—"

BLAM!

Kingsley didn’t even finish his sentence.

Chrome appeared out of nowhere and buried his fist so deep into Kingsley’s face that it felt like the enforcer’s skull was made of children’s playdough.

The remaining goons’ eyes bulged out.

"OH SHIT!!" ಠ_ಠ

They refused to fight this monster.

A blank-faced Chrome dropped to his knees. He grabbed Kingsley’s neck, pinned him to the floor, and raised his other fist high into the air.

Before bringing it down, Chrome paused. He turned his head and smiled warmly at Lili, who was watching from the couch with wide eyes.

"Lili, be a good girl and cover your eyes, okay?"

Lili nodded obediently.

"Okay, big bro!"

She slapped both of her tiny, little hands tightly over her big green eyes.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Those were the only sounds Lili heard and sometimes the helpless begging of Kingsley who sounded more and more like a dying chicken with each punch.

Bernard couldn’t believe his eyes.

’Since when... since when is my son so strong?!’

Just like him, Chrome was a weakling.

Where is the proof of paternity?!

By the time Chrome finally stopped and stood up, you could barely tell it was Kingsley beneath all that messy blood and painful swelling.

Chrome wiped his brow and looked around.

"Who’s next...?"

Nobody. Because they’re all gone.

There is a saying that the heavens will make a way where there seems to be no way. The goons had already flown out the window and left behind both Bernard’s $5,000 savings and a cash envelope for repairs.

Chrome looked down at his red fist and sighed.

"Maybe I overdid it..."

He glanced down at an unconscious Kingsley.

There was barely any teeth left in his disfigured mouth.

Groan... was the sound of the broken furniture. The goon Chrome had tossed earlier was trying to sneak his way out with lips as big as a napoleon fish.

’Ah. I managed to esca—’

Grab.

Chrome’s bloodied hand held his shoulder.

EEEEK! The goon shrieked like a terrified rat.

He slowly looked back and saw the calm, gentle smile on the young man’s face. The goon’s face turned pale. If he hadn’t already wet his pants earlier during the beating, he was definitely doing it now.

He looked down at Chrome’s other hand.

It’s not a limited-edition Gucci bag he’s holding, that’s the body of his boss!

"Please! Please don’t kill me!"

The goon began begged with watery eyes.

"I’ll do anything! Just let me go! I’ll suck your dick? You want me to eat your shit?"

If this were a woman... it is profitable for Chrome.

Chrome tossed Kingsley’s unconscious body directly into the goon’s chest.

"Send a message to Big Mama. Tell her that if she can’t act like a decent lady and respect me and my family... then I’ll make sure she doesn’t receive a single penny from us. Is that clear?"

"AS DAYLIGHT, SIR!"

The goon shouted at the top of his lungs.

Chrome turned around and dismissed him with a casual wave of his hand.

"Good. Now get lost."

The goon clutched his boss flew out the window like he was an acrobat doing a circus performance.

Finally, peace and quiet again.

"Oh, Lili~"

Chrome called out playfully.

"You can open your eyes now."

Lili slowly pulled her small hands away from her face.

"Eh?"

She blinked, looking around the room.

All the bad guys were gone.

Her eyes went wide with wonder.

"Woooah! Big brother is a magician!"

Chrome smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ehehehe, praise me more."

He propped up his shoulders and smiled proudly.

Hmm... the apartment was a mess though.

"Anyway, this place looks really rundown. I was thinking of renovating the place and adding new stuff, since most of the things we have here are outdated. And maybe we can get some new clothes for you and your dad too."

He gestured around the small apartment.

"We’ll need a new fridge, a proper stove, some actual curtains, and maybe a nice television that doesn’t static every five minutes—"

Eh? Bernard and Lili tilted their heads.

Uncle Sam was the first family member to go mad.

Chrome must be the second.

This had to be poor man syndrome. Sometimes, a man would be so intensely poor and stressed that he would simply imagine he was rich just to bear the shame of reality.

Ding!

[Quinn Hilton has just made an encounter with your girlfriend. How does the Host wish to handle this?]

That killed the bright smile on Chrome’s face.

"Fuck..."