Chapter 004
1340 Words
Jake remained kneeling in front of his parents’ grave, his posture steady, his emotions slowly settling back into something controlled and cold.
Since Charles Montgomery had already apologized, Jake saw no reason to escalate things further. There was no value in arguing with strangers—especially when his focus lay elsewhere.
Behind him, the three figures moved off to the side.
But even as they distanced themselves physically, their voices did not escape him.
Now standing firmly in the Innate Realm, Jake’s senses were far sharper than before. Every word spoken within dozens of yards reached his ears with crystal clarity.
“Dad, that guy is completely shameless,” Sophia Montgomery said in a low but disdainful tone. “You probably don’t know—he’s nothing but a degenerate gambler. Massive debts, d**g a***e, even got arrested before. That’s why the Whitmore Family broke off the engagement.”
Her voice carried not just arrogance—but certainty.
“As for the inheritance from his parents?” she continued. “If it weren’t for Vivian Hawthorne, he would’ve burned through it long ago. Honestly, he should be grateful he’s still alive.”
She scoffed.
“And if Vivian hadn’t been protecting him, loan sharks would’ve chopped him to pieces by now.”
Charles frowned slightly. “And how do you know all this?”
“I’ve met Vivian a few times. Our families have business ties. I actually respect her a lot—she’s capable, decisive. I just happened to hear some things about the Cole family.”
Jake’s expression darkened, though he remained outwardly still.
“Vivian Hawthorne…” Charles murmured. “I’ve heard of her as well. A very capable woman. But other people’s affairs are not our concern.”
Jake’s hands clenched slowly into fists.
So that was how she had rewritten the narrative.
Turning herself into a savior.
Turning him into a disgrace.
A gambler. A junkie. A parasite.
A perfect inversion of reality.
“Impressive,” Jake thought coldly. “You build your reputation while burying mine.”
A flicker of anger surged again.
For a moment, he even considered turning back—dragging her down from that pedestal she had built with lies and tearing it apart piece by piece.
But he stopped himself.
Not yet.
There would be time.
Plenty of time.
Jake remained at the grave for a long while before finally rising to his feet. Just as he prepared to leave, a sudden cry broke the quiet.
“Dad! What’s wrong with you? Wake up!”
Jake turned instantly.
Using his Dual Sight, the distant scene snapped into sharp focus, as if it were unfolding right in front of him.
Charles Montgomery had collapsed.
His face was ashen, lips tinged with blue. Foam gathered at the corners of his mouth, and his body trembled with violent spasms.
Acute.
Severe.
Potentially fatal.
“Quick! We need to get him to the hospital!” Sophia shouted, panic breaking through her usual composure.
Ryan Drake immediately lifted Charles onto his back and rushed toward the parking area.
As they passed Jake, he spoke calmly.
“From here to the nearest hospital, even at top speed, it’ll take at least thirty minutes. With his condition, if he isn’t treated within ten… he’ll die.”
Sophia spun around, fury flashing in her eyes.
“What nonsense are you talking about? You’re not even a doctor!”
Jake met her gaze evenly.
“I may not hold a medical license,” he said, “but I understand medicine. Right now, I’m the only one who can save him.”
Sophia’s expression twisted in disbelief.
“You?” she said sharply. “You think I don’t know who you are? A washed-up gambler with a rotten reputation. You expect me to trust you?”
She turned to Ryan. “Let’s go.”
Jake simply shrugged.
“I’ve said what I needed to say. Believe it or not—that’s your choice.”
He began walking down the path, unhurried.
“Wait.”
Ryan’s voice cut in.
He stepped forward and blocked Jake’s path.
“I’ll give you three minutes,” Ryan said, his tone low and firm. “If you can’t save him… I’ll break your neck.”
Jake glanced at him briefly, a faint, almost amused expression flickering across his face.
“You’re welcome to try,” he thought.
Aloud, he said nothing.
“Ryan—” Sophia tried to intervene.
“If something happens to the old man,” Ryan said quietly, “I’ll kill him. Then I’ll answer for it myself.”
He lowered Charles carefully onto the ground.
“This is our only chance.”
Jake stepped forward.
“Lay him flat. Open his shirt.”
This was his first time treating someone with the techniques he had inherited. Despite his newfound confidence, there was a trace of focus tightening within him—a sharpening of intent.
He reached into the Arcane Satchel and withdrew a set of golden needles.
These were tools meant for something far beyond ordinary medicine.
The Fate-Changing Needles.
With precise movements, he identified the necessary points—locations that, in traditional terms, might have been described as meridian intersections, though he no longer thought of them in such limited ways.
Five needles.
Different lengths.
Placed with exacting accuracy.
Then—
his fingers hovered above them.
He did not touch them.
Yet the needles trembled.
Moved.
Rose and fell in subtle, controlled pulses.
Ryan’s pupils shrank.
“That’s…” he thought, stunned. “Mind-Guided Needling?”
Control without contact.
Energy directing matter.
That was no ordinary technique.
“That would mean…” his thoughts raced. “He’s at least in the Innate Realm?”
Impossible.
Ryan himself had trained for over twenty years, pushing his body to its limits, and had only reached Postnatal Tier 6.
The gap between that and the Innate Realm was not just large—it was nearly insurmountable.
And yet—
this young man…
“No,” Ryan thought. “That can’t be right.”
“Three minutes are almost up!” Sophia snapped, glaring at Jake. “Why hasn’t he woken up yet? I knew it—you’re a fraud!”
“Be quiet,” Jake said sharply. “Do you want him to die faster?”
Sophia’s eyes widened in anger.
“You—”
“Thirty seconds left,” she said coldly, glancing at her watch. “Let’s see how you explain this.”
Jake ignored her.
Instead, he began removing the needles one by one.
Sophia scoffed. “Still nothing—”
Suddenly—
Charles coughed.
Once.
Then again, more violently.
His body jerked as he drew in a sharp breath, his eyes snapping open.
Sophia froze.
Ryan stood motionless.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“Dad!” Sophia rushed forward, helping him sit up. “Are you okay?”
Charles blinked, disoriented.
“I… felt a sharp pain in my chest,” he said slowly. “What happened?”
“You had an acute myocardial infarction,” Jake said calmly.
Ryan quickly explained everything that had just occurred.
As the reality sank in, Charles turned toward Jake.
Then—
he bowed.
Deeply.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “You saved my life.”
He straightened, his gaze filled with respect.
“To think someone so young could possess such skill… we truly misjudged you.”
Sophia’s lips tightened.
“I don’t believe it,” she said stubbornly. “This has nothing to do with him. Maybe it wasn’t serious to begin with. He just got lucky.”
Jake smirked slightly.
“You can call me a ‘blind cat’ if you like,” he said. “But by that logic… what does that make your father?”
Sophia’s face flushed with anger.
“You’re asking for trouble!”
She raised her hand, ready to strike.
“Enough!”
Charles’s voice cut through the tension like a blade.
He glared at her.
“Apologize.”
Sophia froze.
Immediately.
- Writer
