Chapter 201: A Slap in the Face

If his car hadn't broken down, Johnathan wouldn't have called Mateo to pick him up. "The brakes are acting up," he'd said. When he got in the car and noticed someone tailing him, he realized what was happening. So, he drove toward the outskirts of town. Sure enough, before long, the brakes completely failed.

If he wasn't mistaken, a large truck had been arranged to wait for him on his usual route to the university—ready for him to crash into once his brakes failed. The people tailing him were just there to make sure nothing went wrong.

Stone and the others turned pale when they heard Johnathan's words. Stone stepped forward and kicked the man hard. A sickening crack echoed in the air. Mateo followed up with two kicks of his own, his tone laced with venom.

"Looks like the gift we gave the lunatic was too mild," one of them remarked.

At the same time, Shane was having troubles of his own. First, a surprise inspection from his superiors—annoying but manageable. But during the inspection, his subordinates got caught abusing a female inmate. There was no way to cover it up. A report was filed, and he was publicly reprimanded. Humiliating.

But that wasn't even the worst part. When he returned to his office, he found a package waiting for him. Inside were files exposing everything he had done—his involvement in various incidents at Albanos, and even speculations about his background. The rest he could brush off. But the moment he saw the details about his origins, his expression turned terrifyingly dark. The angrier he got, the more sinister his smile became.

He didn't know who was behind this, but it was obvious Johnathan was involved. If before, he only wanted to take Johnathan's hands—now, he wanted his life. And it didn't stop there. When he got home, he discovered that every single one of his "pets" had been slaughtered. Snakes, Shane let out a laugh—cold and furious. Johnathan. Good. Very good.

Just then, his phone rang. When he heard the voice on the other end, his expression twisted. Looking at the pile of dead… He had suspected Johnathan had some combat training, so he had specifically hired skilled fighters. But all four of them had failed to take down a mere professor? What a disgrace. Worse, the four of them were now in the hospital. And it was Johnathan who had called the ambulance. Not only that, he had also reported the incident to the police and even cooperated in giving a statement.

This was a slap in the face. Shane was so furious he almost laughed. Clearly, Johnathan wasn't just some ordinary professor. A man like him couldn't have come from a regular family.

His background information was fake. Shane mentally ran through every influential family in Albanos, but none of them matched the Yeager family. And none of them had a member working as a professor. It had been a long time since he met someone this interesting. Maviston was turning out to be quite the playground.

When Johnathan finally left the police station, he noticed a bunch of missed calls from Sierra. He immediately told Mateo to take him home.

"How are you planning to explain this to the madam?" Mateo asked.

"There's nothing to explain. And you better keep your mouth shut." Sierra was already worried about Shane coming after her—no need to add to her anxiety.

When they arrived at Johnathan's apartment complex, Mateo was about to leave when Johnathan suddenly shoved him out of the car. "I'm borrowing the car for a few days," Johnathan said. Without waiting for a response, Johnathan took the keys and walked off. Mateo stood frozen for a second before yelling, "Hey—wait! How the hell am I supposed to get home?" The car wasn't anything special, but still—at least drop him off first! Johnathan was a real bastard.

When he got home, Sierra was already waiting in his apartment. "What took you so long?" she asked. She had been worried when Johnathan wasn't answering his phone. If he hadn't called her back later, she might've gone out looking for him.

"Had a chat with the dean," Johnathan replied. She didn't doubt him. A talent like Johnathan was someone the university wouldn't want to lose. Even though he was technically just a visiting professor who only taught when he had time, he was still one of Northwind University's biggest assets.

"Kason came to see me today," Sierra said, recounting their conversation. "Johnathan, he said he can save my grandmother. I don't know if he's telling the truth. I don't know what to do."

Sierra had always been rational. But when it came to her grandmother, she panicked. Everyone had weaknesses. Her grandmother was hers.

"Sierra, you and Hoth do research in this field. If Kason really had a cure, the Richardson family wouldn't be keeping it a secret," Johnathan stated. Johnathan's words were blunt but effective. Sierra instantly calmed down.