Chapter 1903

Andrew picked up the ice water from the table and poured it over the man.

The unconscious skinny guy, Dirk Benedict, immediately jolted awake. “Please! Come on, man, don’t kill me!”

Andrew smirked, “Who do you think you are for me to spare you?”

Dirk’s face darkened. “Don’t push it, man. I’m with Mr. Nielsen. And Mr. Nielsen works for Big Z from Verhampton Valley, the real shot-caller around here.”

Andrew’s tone stayed flat. “Your little town actually has a shot-caller?”

Dirk puffed up with pride. “What, scared now? Here’s the truth: Big Z runs this place. He’s got both the cops and the gangs in his pocket. And word is, he’s got connections at the state level too! So be smart, let me go, and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

Andrew slapped him twice without changing expression. “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. My hearing’s a little off. Say it again.”

Dirk clutched his stinging face and snapped. “I said, back off or else…”

Another two slaps hit even harder, and this time, blood dripped from his nose.

Andrew grinned without flinching. “Still didn’t hear you. Say it louder. Come on now, I’m old… My ears are shot.” Dirk’s head was buzzing. All the arrogance drained from his face, replaced with full-blown terror.

He finally realized the man in front of him did not care one bit about threats. Keep mouthing off, and he was going to end up with his brains on the floor.

He immediately gave in and stuttered, “S-Sir… What do you want from me?”

Andrew tilted his head and teased, “What, you’re not going to name-drop your bosses anymore? Mr. Nielsen, Big Z… Where’d all that bravado go?”

Dirk shrank back. “N-No, I wouldn’t dare!”

Andrew’s voice turned cold. “Who sent you?”

The man tensed, clearly about to lie. However, another harsh slap came down hard, this one with more force than any before.

He coughed up blood, his head buzzing like it was about to explode. “Okay! Okay! It was Mr. Nielsen! He sent me, I swear! Please, no more! I’m begging you! I’ve had a messed-up head since I was a kid, and if you hit me again, I might end up totally brain-dead. And then what happens to my poor 80-year-old mother? She’s all I’ve got!” Andrew’s beating had reduced him to tears. That last slap would probably haunt him for the rest of his life. Andrew sneered. “If you have an 80-year-old mother at home, why don’t you do something honest instead of learning to be a thief and working for others?”

Dirk wailed, “I don’t want to either, but as a grown man, I could never work a regular job! You want me to do manual labor, but I can’t handle being out in the sun and rain. In the end, if I want easy money that comes fast, I can only make it on the streets! If I hadn’t run into you, I’d have two houses and two cars by now, living pretty comfortably.”

Andrew was actually speechless.

1/2

Was making it on the streets really this lucrative these days?

Nonetheless, small county towns in Holtrien were just as deep as big cities in their own way. Many people got rich by being willing to fight and kill, but these things could not be discussed openly. Besides, most people just turned a blind eye, feeling helpless to stop it.

“Two final questions! First, who is this Mr. Nielsen you mentioned? What does he do in Verhampton Valley? Second, why do you have parasite eggs on you?” Andrew’s expression turned ice-cold.

Dirk was startled and quickly confessed obediently. “Mr. Nielsen’s name is Cole Nielsen. He’s our boss and the number two figure in Verhampton Valley, and he’s a martial artist! As for what you’re calling parasite eggs, I have no idea what that is.”