Chapter 54: The $200,000 Kitchen Timer & The Back-Alley Ambush (Part - 2)
"Why don’t you help your poor Lexi buy me a watch next time."
"If I am not wrong, she was supposed to pay today."
The live stream chat literally crashed for a solid five seconds, as the servers entirely failed to process the sheer, impossible magnitude of the disrespect, before exploding into an unstoppable blur of capital letters.
[BrokeAndCrying: A KITCHEN TIMER?! HE JUST CALLED A $200,000 PATEK A KITCHEN TIMER!]
[WallStreetWolf: BRO IS NOT HUMAN! HE IS A LITERAL GOD OF WEALTH!]
[Kneeling4Alpha: I AM BOWING TO MY MONITOR RIGHT NOW! ABSOLUTE PEAK ALPHA!]
Rick completely ignored the chaotic digital worship, as he stood up, grabbing Lexi by the waist, "Let’s get out of here, critic, before the crowd gets too annoying."
But just as Rick turned to guide Lexi back toward the crowded main concourse, a sharp, mechanical chime violently echoed directly inside his skull, completely halting his footsteps.
[Ding! Enemy Intent Detected: Path of the Arrogant Young Master!]
[Objective: The pathetic trash, Brad, completely refuses to see Mount Tai, as he has gathered a squad of armed thugs in the back service alley to actively ambush you! Walk directly into his pathetic trap and brutally massacre his hired muscle to completely shatter his remaining ego!]
[Rewards: +1500 Mischief Points, $50,000 Cash Reward for physically taking out the trash!]
Rick read the glowing blue text floating in his vision, as a dark, highly bloodthirsty smirk stretched across his face, entirely satisfied that the system was practically paying him to beat up an idiot who was actively courting death.
"Change of plans," Rick stated lazily, as he firmly grabbed Lexi by her waist, completely steering her away from the safe, crowded mall concourse, deliberately guiding her down a quiet, heavily restricted service corridor that led directly out to the private back alleyway behind the massive commercial center.
The heavy midday heat hit them instantly as they stepped out into the shadowed, trash-filled alley, which heavily contrasted the air-conditioned, pristine luxury of the boutiques they had just left.
But as they walked halfway down the narrow concrete path, the deafening screech of heavy rubber violently shattered the afternoon noise, as two massive, pitch-black SUVs tore aggressively into the alleyway, aggressively blocking their only exit.
Lexi froze completely, as her heart hammered violently against her ribs, entirely terrified by the sudden ambush
The heavy doors of the SUVs violently swung open, and exactly eight massive, heavily built street thugs stepped out onto the concrete, as every single one of them was holding thick, rusted steel pipes and heavy crowbars.
And stepping out directly from the passenger side of the lead vehicle, holding his freshly casted wrist against his chest, was Brad.
Brad’s face was completely twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated madness, as his eyes burned with venomous, psychotic hatred, entirely refusing to accept his complete humiliation in the boutique earlier.
"You thought you could just embarrass me and walk away, you fucking beggar?!" Brad roared maliciously, as spittle flew from his lips, entirely failing to see Mount Tai once again. "You think some fake black card makes you untouchable?! In the real world, violence rules everything!"
"Break his fucking legs!" Brad commanded his hired thugs, as he pointed his uninjured hand directly at Rick’s chest. "Shatter his knees, cave his ribs in, and grab that cheap slut, because I am going to teach both of them a very painful lesson in respect!"
Lexi shrieked in absolute terror, as tears instantly welled up in her eyes, frantically clutching Rick’s broad arm, "Rick! Oh my god! There are too many of them! We need to run!"
But Rick did not take a single step back.
Instead, he gently shoved Lexi entirely behind his broad back, actively shielding her curvy body from the danger, as he looked at the eight armed thugs with completely dead, flat eyes, absolutely devoid of any human emotion.
"You really don’t know how to stop courting death, do you, Brad?" Rick whispered ruthlessly, as his deep voice carried a suffocating, lethal killing intent that made the temperature in the alleyway instantly drop.
The first massive thug charged forward with a feral roar, violently swinging a heavy steel pipe directly aimed at Rick’s skull, fully intending to crack his head open like a watermelon.
But Rick’s system-enhanced reflexes were completely monstrous, as he effortlessly sidestepped the lethal swing, moving like a phantom in the narrow alley.
Before the thug could even recover his balance, Rick’s large fist shot out like a venomous snake, aggressively smashing directly into the centre of the man’s throat.
CRUNCH!
The sickening, horrific sound of cartilage violently collapsing echoed loudly in the alleyway, as the thug’s windpipe was completely crushed in a single, brutal strike, making him drop the pipe and collapse to the concrete, desperately gasping and gurgling for air as he choked on his own blood.
The remaining thugs froze for a fraction of a second, entirely horrified by the sheer, visceral brutality, but Rick did not give them a single moment to hesitate.
He lunged forward with heaven-defying speed, grabbing the extended arm of the second thug who tried to swing a crowbar, and with absolute, unapologetic ruthlessness, Rick twisted the arm entirely backward.
SNAP!
"Aaaargh!" the second thug shrieked in pure agony, as his elbow joint violently shattered, bending backward at a horrific, unnatural angle, while bone fragments actively pierced his skin.
Rick violently kicked the screaming man aside, smoothly bending down to snatch the dropped steel pipe directly off the concrete floor, as his Culinary Mastery passively altered his physical movements, instantly turning the heavy steel pipe into an extension of his own arm, treating it exactly like one of his Shadow-Forged Cleavers.
Rick became an absolute demon of slaughter, as he waded directly into the remaining six thugs with terrifying, machine-like precision, completely dismantling their defenses in a blur of violent motion.
He swung the heavy steel pipe with brutal force, actively targeting their joints and vital points, as he ruthlessly caved in the third thug’s ribcage with a deafening crack, instantly dropping him in a wheezing, bloody heap.
He spun around, dodging a wild crowbar swing, and viciously smashed his steel pipe directly into the side of the fourth thug’s kneecap, completely shattering the bone into a dozen jagged pieces, sending the man howling to the ground.
CRACK! SMASH! THUD!
The dirty alleyway became a symphony of snapping bones, agonizing screams, and the dull, wet thud of steel hitting human flesh, as Rick showed absolutely zero mercy, methodically breaking limbs and shattering egos until all eight highly paid thugs were weeping, bleeding, and groveling in the dirty gutter.
Brad stood completely paralyzed by the lead SUV, as all the blood violently drained from his face, leaving him as pale as a ghost, because his entire squad of hardened enforcers had just been brutally massacred in a matter of seconds.
Rick slowly let the bloody steel pipe slip from his fingers, as it clattered loudly onto the concrete, completely ignoring the groaning trash surrounding his feet.
He casually raised his left wrist, pulling back the cuff of his tailored suit jacket, and looked directly down at the glowing diamonds of his brand-new, two hundred thousand dollar Patek Philippe watch.
"Two minutes," Rick stated coldly, keeping his voice entirely flat, as a dark, villainous smirk stretched across his face. "Not a bad kitchen timer."
Brad let out a pathetic, high-pitched squeak of absolute terror, as his bladder completely gave out, leaving a dark, wet stain rapidly spreading down the front of his expensive designer trousers, entirely broken by the sheer, overwhelming alpha violence he had just witnessed.
Behind Rick, Lexi stood completely frozen against the dirty brick wall, as her streaming phone had fallen limply to her side.
She was absolutely horrified by the visceral gore and the sickening sounds of snapping bones, but as she stared at Rick’s broad, muscular back, her logic completely short-circuiting.
The terrifying display of raw, unapologetic male dominance sent a massive, overwhelming surge of pure, animalistic adrenaline straight to her core, completely overriding her fear.
Lexi bit her bottom lip hard, as her breathing turned ragged and heavy, because despite the blood and the violence, her inner thighs were clamped tightly together, absolutely, undeniably soaked with the most intense, dripping lust she had ever experienced in her entire life.