Hades Has Returned

Chapter 006

"Jack Brooks drove a Lamborghini down from Moonview Mountain?"

Tina Cheney sneered, a look of pure incredulity on her face. "My Lady, you must have hallucinated from exhaustion after that trip to Alchemy Demon Island Prison!"

"A stinking ex-convict who can barely find a job... how could he possibly afford to drive a Lamborghini or live in a villa?"

"This is the most expensive real estate in Northriver. Even the cheapest villa here costs five hundred million dollars!"

"He can't even afford a single brick of this place, let alone live here!"

Tina shook her head dramatically. "You just annulled the engagement, that's all! Is your guilt making you see Jack Brooks everywhere you look?"

Winter Lacy listened and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She's right, she thought. How much money could Jack possibly have fresh out of prison?

How could he afford a villa on Moonview Mountain? It must have been a trick of the light.

The next day.

Jack Brooks woke up early. He planned to visit his mother's grave on Phoenix Mountain.

As he hiked up the winding mountain path, he noticed an old man and a young man walking ahead of him.

The old man was dressed in a traditional Traditional Tunic Suit, his back hunched with age. With every step, he let out a harsh, hacking cough, his windpipe making a wheezing, hissing sound like a broken bellows.

Supporting him was a young man with a sharp, predatory gaze and a lean, powerful build.

Jack was moving much faster than them and quickly overtook the pair.

As they brushed past each other, the lean youth seemed to sense a dangerous aura radiating from Jack. He tensed immediately, his muscles coiling like a spring, and turned to the old man as if asking for permission to engage.

The old man coughed twice, waving a trembling hand. "It's fine, Tiger Lynch. He's just here for a hike, like us."

Jack continued his climb. Halfway up the mountain, Ted Wolfe caught up to him, panting heavily.

Ted Wolfe had learned from Jack the previous day that he would be visiting his mother's grave on Phoenix Mountain, so the billionaire had come early to wait for him.

"Lana Way?"

Ted Wolfe read the name on the tombstone and gasped, his eyes widening in shock. He muttered under his breath, "It can't be that coincidental..."

Jack heard him. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing, sir. It's just... your mother has the same name as the 'Woman in White' from the Great Battle ten years ago. It's probably just a coincidence," Ted Wolfe said with a nervous laugh.

"Ten years ago? A Great Battle? Tell me about it," Jack demanded, his brow furrowing.

At the mention of the battle, a look of deep fear and apprehension filled Ted Wolfe's eyes.

"I only heard bits and pieces from others," Ted began, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Ten years ago, over one hundred Grandmaster level martial artists descended upon Northriver. Their target was a single woman named Lana Way."

"The two sides clashed in the southern suburbs of Northriver. In the end, nearly a hundred Grandmaster experts fell. The woman in white was heavily injured but managed to escape."

"The strange thing is," Ted continued, "the very next day, everything was calm. It was as if that earth-shattering battle had never happened. No news reports, no police investigation, nothing in the papers."

"It was as if someone with immense power had completely blockaded the information."

Jack's face turned grave. "When exactly did this battle take place?"

"I think it was... the night before the Hungry Ghost Festival," Ted Wolfe recalled after a moment of thought.

"What?" Jack was stunned. "That was the night my mother was injured!"

It had happened in the dead of night. Jack had been asleep and knew nothing of it.

When his mother returned, she was already gravely wounded. She passed away the very next day.

Same name. Same day of injury. Both wore white.

There was no doubt. It was the same person!

But in his memories, his mother had been an ordinary woman, gentle and frail. How could she possess such terrifying combat power to s*******r a hundred Grandmasters?

Jack frowned deeply.

His mother's identity was definitely not simple!

"Ah! It really is the same person?!" Ted Wolfe swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. "Boss, your mother never mentioned that battle to you?"

Jack shook his head. "No. I didn't even know she possessed such power."

He muttered to himself, his voice cold.

"With the capabilities of The Brooks Family, it is absolutely impossible for them to gather over a hundred Grandmaster experts. And it is even more impossible for them to have the heaven-defying influence to blockade such massive news."

"Could it be that besides The Brooks Family, there were other forces hunting my mother?"

Ted Wolfe nodded vigorously. "Exactly. The mastermind behind this must have hands that reach the sky. Their background is terrifyingly vast!"

Jack's eyes narrowed into slits. A violent, murderous aura exploded from his body.

Boom!

An overwhelming pressure descended upon the mountain, making the air heavy and hard to breathe. Ted Wolfe felt his scalp go numb, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Investigate!" Jack commanded, his voice like ice. "Find the people who spread the news of that battle!"

"I don't care who participated in the assassination. They all must die!"

His body was wreathed in a palpable, unquenchable rage.

Ted Wolfe felt the temperature around them drop as if they had been plunged into the dead of winter. Under the crushing pressure of Jack's presence, which felt as heavy as a mountain, he nodded solemnly.

Suddenly, a voice filled with complaint drifted over from nearby.

Jack frowned and looked over.

"Dad, why did you run up here again!"

"Your body is weak; you should rest at home! Can't you let the younger generation handle paying respects to Mom?"

"Tiger Lynch, you too! Why didn't you notify me when the Old Master went out?"

The voice was concerned but laced with frustration.

Jack followed the sound.

Not far away, a middle-aged man in a military uniform was helping the old man Jack had passed earlier sit down on a large rock.

The old man’s face was now ghostly pale. His mouth was wide open, gasping for air, his throat making a rattling, gurgling sound like a dying engine.

The lean youth, Tiger Lynch, stood nearby with his head bowed, clearly intimidated by the man in uniform.

"The elder is Old General Frank Zane. The middle-aged man is his eldest son, Tom Zane, a Colonel in the military," Ted Wolfe whispered, acting as a living encyclopedia.

"His second son is Xavier Zane, the President of Apex Bank."

"The The Zane Family has a resounding reputation in both the military and political circles of Northriver."

"The buzzcut man beside him is the Old Master's personal bodyguard, Tiger Lynch. His martial arts skills are impressive."

"The President of Apex Bank?" Jack murmured, a thought clicking into place.

"Don't blame Tiger. I told him not to say anything," Frank Zane wheezed, waving a hand weakly to stop the scolding.

Tom Zane sighed helplessly. He pulled out a thermos from his bag and handed it over.

"We found that Century-Old Wild Ginseng that was missing from the prescription. I've already brewed the medicine and brought it up. Drink it, Dad."

Frank Zane looked at the thermos. "Miss Lacy said that if I drink this medicine, my illness will be eighty percent cured. Do you think it's true?"

"Winter Lacy is a divine doctor; her words can't be wrong," Tom Zane affirmed with confidence.

"She is the Inner Disciple of the Medical Saint, Hugh Gore. When she acts, the illness is removed instantly!"

"Just drink it with peace of mind!"

Jack frowned. He strode over quickly.

Just as Frank Zane was about to bring the thermos of herbal soup to his lips, Jack reached out and pressed down on the lid.

"Presumptuous!"

Tiger Lynch reacted instantly. Seeing a stranger get too close, his killing intent flared. He swung a heavy fist straight at Jack's head.

The fist howled through the air, carrying the weight of a sledgehammer.

Jack caught the fist effortlessly with one hand, his expression indifferent.

"If the old man doesn't want to die, throw this medicine away immediately!"

With a gentle push, Jack sent Tiger Lynch stumbling back three steps.

Tiger Lynch felt like he had been hit by a train. He was shocked.

He prided himself on his Iron Body Technique and rarely met a match. He hadn't expected to encounter such a powerful figure here on a random hike.

Just a gentle push, and he had lost all power to resist!

His instinct on the trail had been right—this guy was a master!

Tiger Lynch’s hand drifted to his waist, reaching for a weapon.

However, Tom Zane was faster. He had already drawn a pistol and aimed it squarely at Jack's chest.

"Where did this bastard come from?" Tom Zane roared. "How dare you question Winter Lacy's medicine!"

Ted Wolfe was terrified. He rushed forward to smooth things over.

"Colonel Zane! This is my friend! Please, don't take offense!"

"Your friend?" Tom Zane recognized the richest man in Northriver and lowered his g*n slightly, giving him a bit of face.

"President Wolfe, people with loose mouths aren't worth deep friendship. You'd better control his tongue!"

Ted Wolfe smiled awkwardly, not daring to nod or agree.

Control his tongue? This is Hades! Even calling him a 'friend' is me climbing the social ladder. How would I dare criticize him?

"Ignorance!" Jack said coldly. "The old man's minor illness doesn't require medicine at all."

"Drinking this will only harm him!"

To Jack, these people were ants. If he didn't need to talk to Frank Zane's son about a loan, he wouldn't bother with whether the old man lived or died.

"Doesn't require medicine? Nonsense!" Tom Zane rebuked angrily.

"This is a prescription personally formulated by Divine Doctor Lacy! How can you question it?"

"President Wolfe, if you don't control this man, don't blame me for not giving you face!"

Winter Lacy was the The Grand Healer of the South, the apprentice of Hugh Gore. She had cured countless intractable diseases.

For this young man to criticize her prescription was simply laughable!

Ted Wolfe smiled bitterly and whispered to Jack.

"Mr. Brooks, please leave it alone. It's getting late. Let's wait for the Candles to burn down and head back down the mountain!"

Jack laughed coldly and stepped aside.

"Dad, that guy is just a grandstanding brat! Don't take his words to heart!"

Frank Zane drank the medicine in one gulp.

Moments later, his body suddenly relaxed. His breathing became smooth and easy.

"Hey! It really is miraculous! After drinking this, I don't feel suffocated anymore!"

Frank Zane looked radiant, his voice full of energy.

Tom Zane was overjoyed. "I told you! Miss Lacy is a genius! Her medical skills are unquestionable!"

He shot a glare at Jack. "Unlike some people who pretend to understand when they don't. Thinking they know a little fur and trying to critique medical authorities!"

Jack smiled disdainfully. He held up five fingers.

"The old man can still live for this long!"

"Five days?" Tom Zane's eyes flashed with cold light. He growled, "The Old Master is only in his seventies. Living another twenty years is no problem."

"You curse my father to die again and again. What is your intention?"

"It seems my The Zane Family hasn't offended you!"

Jack was unfazed. He spoke indifferently.

"He will die within five steps!"

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

As he counted, he turned and walked toward Lana Way's tombstone with a cold expression. With every step he took, another number fell from his lips...