Chapter 347: The Consequences of Insolence
"Are you truly sure about this?" Alexander asked in a whisper that cut through Daniel’s agonizing groans.
Alexander took two steps forward, placing himself right in the crossfire with his hands still resting in his pockets. His spiritual aura began to leak out in a crushing pressure, causing the entryway lamps to flicker violently.
"You might have the numbers..." Alexander continued, glaring at each of the thugs with a cold smirk. "But no matter how many fish surround a shark... they are still just fish."
Driven by panic and rage, the thugs didn’t wait another second.
RATATATATATA!
A hail of lead and fire erupted across the mansion’s front courtyard. Muzzle flashes illuminated the night as dozens of high-caliber rounds struck Alexander’s body head-on. Empty shell casings rained onto the pavement with a continuous metallic clatter.
Yet, Alexander didn’t move an inch.
The bullets slammed into his suit and bounced off harmlessly, deforming on impact and dropping to the ground like mere lead marbles. The official TMC uniform from the other world possessed the protection of Silver-rank armor, making it impenetrable to conventional weapons.
Seeing that they had possessed the audacity to pull the trigger on his domain, Alexander’s expression turned pitch black.
"Take them inside," Alexander ordered in a flat tone, without turning around. "What comes next is not something they need to see."
Sydney and Paige reacted instantly. Taking Alexander’s aunt, his cousin Amy, Helena, and the rest of the women of the house by the shoulders, they ushered them swiftly indoors while Marcus, Ben, and Leo sealed the doors behind them.
Alexander stood alone in the courtyard, surrounded by the gunmen who watched in sheer horror as their weapons failed to leave a single scratch on him. Daniel, hunched over the ground clutching his bleeding stump, stared up at him with eyes wide with terror.
"Since you had the nerve to cross that line... now bear the consequences," Alexander declared.
He raised his right hand unhurriedly and spread his fingers.
"[Wind Blade]!" he uttered in a cold voice.
The air in the courtyard warped violently. A circular vortex of high-pressure, invisible blades expanded in the blink of an eye, sweeping through every corner of the grounds.
FWISHHH—CRACK!
There wasn’t even time for screams. In a fraction of a second, the dozen men, their weapons, and their vehicles were liquefied by the storm of mana, reduced to a scarlet mist that hung in the air before settling onto the marble tiles.
Alexander lowered his arm adjusting his cuffs without showing the slightest alteration. He turned toward the main entrance, where the armored door swung open.
Helena, Marcus, Ben, and Leo stood frozen at the threshold. It was one thing to watch Alexander obliterate trees in the forest, but witnessing him reduce a dozen armed men to an unrecognizable slurry in a second was an different experience.
Alexander walked toward the doorway, stopping before Helena.
"Helena, order someone to clean up this mess," Alexander said in a calm voice. "I don’t want the courtyard dirty by morning."
Helena opened her mouth to reply, but her voice caught in her throat for a second. She felt a sudden tightness in her chest, an almost instinctive sense of smallness before the man standing in front of her. She no longer saw merely a VIP client from TMC; she was looking at an outer border monster.
"Y-yes, Master Alex..." Helena nodded bowing her head deeper than usual. "I will coordinate with the hazmat detail."
Marcus, still clutching his tactical rifle with white knuckles, swallowed hard and let out a long breath.
"Holy shit, Alex..." Marcus whispered, wiping his sweaty forehead. "I knew you got strong, but... damn, you didn’t even give them time to blink. You ran them through a blender."
"They were a threat to this home," Alexander replied, glancing at him sideways. "And if we let trash like that try to step on us once, they’ll come back with more people. In this world, Marcus, mercy only invites aggression."
Ben and Leo exchanged silent looks, nodding slowly. The message was clear: Earth was no longer a safe haven, and if they wanted to stand alongside Alexander, they would have to adapt to this new reality.
Alexander walked back into the mansion, where the rest of his family was still waiting in the main living room, trying to process the gunfire from outside.
"I’m going to get some rest," Alexander announced in a weary voice. "I haven’t had a proper sleep since I set foot on the other side. Tomorrow morning I’ll request your new formal permits. You won’t need to stay cooped up in here anymore."
He looked at his aunt, his cousin Amy, and the rest of the girls with a firm expression.
"I wish I could take you all with me to the other world, but right now it is far too dangerous," Alexander continued. "At least you won’t be able to join me for now. As soon as the territory is secure, I promise I’ll bring every single one of you along. Tomorrow, only Marcus, Ben, Leo, and I are heading back. Right now I don’t have people I can trust up there, so we’re starting from scratch."
As if suddenly remembering a pending detail, Alexander reached into his backpack and pulled out the remaining five leather pouches he had brought along, setting them down on the coffee table.
"In case I forget... here are five thousand gems," Alexander said, gesturing toward the bags. "I’ll bring back more when I return. For now, you can do as you wish or buy whatever you need. If anything extraordinary happens, you can request direct assistance from TMC through Helena’s terminal. Tomorrow I’ll visit Stephen early to get everything sorted before we leave."
Without leaving room for further objections, Alexander looked around at everyone one last time.
"See you tomorrow," Alexander bade them goodnight.
He walked up the stairs at a slow pace toward one of the master bedrooms. Stepping through the door, he shed his uniform jacket and collapsed onto the king-size bed. Resting his head on the pillow, he closed his eyes, letting the accumulated fatigue finally wash over him. He was thoroughly exhausted after living on the razor’s edge for days without a single moment of rest.