Liverton City — the old village district.
At this moment, two opposing groups were facing off in the heart of the village.
On one side stood the villagers, including Samantha and her mother, Ms. Modern. Samantha clutched her mother tightly, concern etched on her face.
The other group belonged to a demolition company. Dozens of roaring excavators filled the air with black smoke and deafening noise.
Standing next to Ms. Modern was a sharply dressed young man with gold-rimmed glasses — Jasper White, the son of her childhood best friend. A freshly minted lawyer who had just returned from abroad, Jasper had volunteered to help resolve the demolition dispute.
Looking at the aggressive crowd across from them, Ms. Modern anxiously asked Jasper, "Jasper, what do we do now? Are they going to force a demolition?"
"Don't worry, ma'am. I've got this under control."
Jasper patted his chest confidently and cast a subtle glance at Samantha. Ever since he laid eyes on her, he'd been completely captivated — other women simply couldn't compare. He was determined to win her heart.
He stepped forward and confronted the demolition crew's leader with a raised voice."What you're doing is illegal! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're in?"
The villagers immediately chimed in.
"Yeah! This is totally against the law!""Illegal! You can't do this!"
With the crowd backing him, Jasper stood taller, more self-assured. He glanced back at Samantha, hoping to see admiration in her eyes — but her face remained emotionless.
The leader of the demolition team burst into laughter."Illegal? Everything we're doing here is by the book."
"This is intimidation!" Jasper countered, pointing at the roaring excavators around them."You're trying to scare us into submission!"
"That's right! You're threatening us!""Back off now!"
The voices behind him grew louder, fueling Jasper's confidence. He straightened his back even more.
"We never threatened anyone," the leader sneered. "You're slandering us."
"If you don't leave, I'm calling the police!" Jasper shouted, waving his phone in the air.
"Yeah! Call the cops!""Let's see you talk your way out of that!"
Jasper's ego swelled with the growing support around him. He looked back at Samantha, his gaze filled with triumph. Once I fix this whole thing, she'll be grateful beyond words — maybe even fall for me.
The demolition leader, unfazed, chuckled."What exactly are the cops gonna do? We haven't done anything wrong."
"If you still don't leave," Jasper threatened, raising his phone like a weapon, "I'll expose everything you're doing online. One viral video, and your company is finished."
Smirking, he aimed his phone at the crew, filming their faces.Now let's see you squirm.
The leader's smile vanished. Where the hell did this idiot come from? These villagers were about to sign the contracts — now this clown is stirring up trouble.
He signaled to two of his men. They nodded and approached Jasper without a word.
They snatched his phone and shoved him hard to the ground.
Furious, Jasper grabbed a brick off the ground and smashed it into one of the men's heads, splitting the man's scalp open.
Seeing one of his own bleeding, the leader snapped."Beat his ass!"
In a flash, a mob descended on Jasper, punching and kicking him mercilessly.
Ms. Modern and Samantha screamed in terror.
Trembling, Samantha took out her phone and dialed Jack's number. At this moment, he was the only one she could think of.
After two minutes of savage beating, the leader finally called them off.
Jasper lay curled up on the ground. His gold-rimmed glasses were crushed, and his expensive suit was stained with dust and dirt. His face was swollen beyond recognition, blood trickling from his mouth — he looked like a mangled pig.
The leader spat on him in disgust."Piece of trash."
He turned toward the villagers impatiently."So? Are you ready to sign now, or do you want more of this?"
If it weren't for the boss telling us not to use violence, I'd have shown these fools how red flowers bloom.
Fear rippled through the villagers. These men were clearly thugs. Some began hesitating, preparing to step forward and sign the contracts.
Seeing the fear take root, the leader smirked. Nothing works like brute force.
Just then, the roar of a high-powered engine cut through the air.
A sleek car pulled up, and the leader turned — then froze in shock as he recognized the man stepping out.
Oh no. Not him.
Panicked, he rushed forward with a flattering smile."Mr. Jack! What brings you here personally?"
"Oh? So it's you, Black Dragon," Jack said casually.
The leader — Black Dragon — froze as Jack's gaze swept past him, locking onto Samantha and Ms. Modern in the crowd. Jack immediately strode toward them.
Black Dragon's heart sank. Crap. I'm dead again.
"Samantha, Ms. Modern — are you two alright?" Jack asked urgently.
"We're fine, Jack," Ms. Modern replied, clearly relieved to see him. "But this place is dangerous, you shouldn't be here."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
Jack gave them a reassuring smile before turning back to Black Dragon.
He walked up, eyes narrowing.
"Turn off those machines. That noise is giving me a headache."
"Yes! Right away!" Black Dragon quickly ordered the machines to stop.
"What's going on here? Start talking."
Black Dragon broke into cold sweat."Mr. Jack, it's like this — my boss is overseeing the redevelopment of this area. We've been following the city's official procedures, and the compensation was determined by the government. But some people are trying to hold out for more money, so I just tried to scare them a little, that's all. Look — these are the official documents."
Jack didn't even look at the papers. He pulled out his phone and called Michael Dawson, former bar owner and now a rising power in town.
"I heard about the demolition project," Jack said. "The compensation really is too low. I'll add 200 million on my end to the budget."
On the other end, Michael was stunned. Two hundred million, just like that? Yep, definitely a big shot.
"Got it," Michael said, and the call ended.
Jack transferred the funds instantly.
A chime echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations, Host. You've spent 200 million. Cashback of 200 million received. Gained 2 Prodigal Points."
Jack turned to Black Dragon."You heard that call, didn't you?"
Black Dragon nodded like a bobblehead.
"Double the compensation. Redraft every contract."
Jack then turned to address the villagers.
"I personally added 200 million dollars to the compensation. You'll all receive new contracts — at double the original rate. Does anyone have any objections?"
The villagers looked at him, eyes brimming with gratitude. With double the payout, who could complain?
"Thank you, Mr. Jack!""Thank you!""You're amazing, Mr. Jack!""Hail Jack!"
Their chants echoed through the village, loud and proud.