A Bumpy Road to Power

Pft… pft pft…

One order.

The big guys on both sides moved in.

Several punches in a row slammed into Dirk Carter's lower abdomen.

The sharp pain spread out from his gut; it hurt so bad Dirk couldn't even straighten his back.

In an instant, his whole back was soaked through, his body spasming again and again.

Even so.

Dirk still forced himself not to collapse.

He clenched his teeth, then grinned and said to Elihu Houseman, "Your guys must've skipped lunch, huh?"

Provoking him like that? Unforgivable.

"Hit him! Keep hitting! As long as he's not dead, beat him however you want!"

Elihu roared.

One of the big guys raised his leg and kicked Dirk in the gut again.

He flew straight out, smashed into the wall behind him, then slid down to the floor.

Then fists and feet rained down on him like a storm; Dirk wrapped his arms around his head to protect it, and every other part of him got "taken care of."

They beat him for a good three to five minutes.

They only stopped when they were too exhausted to move.

Dirk's face was swollen and bruised; never mind the rest of his injuries, his nose and ears were bleeding, and every inch of his body was "screaming," almost making him pass out.

"You were right, my grandpa indeed won't let me kill you. But he also said, as long as you don't die, anything goes. Before Bohdan Sherwood gets to Veridia City, you're not going anywhere. You just stay obediently in this room for me. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere either. We've got plenty of time to play. Once good news comes in from Veridia City, I'll toss you into the river to feed the fish, hahaha…"

Elihu walked up to Dirk.

He planted one foot right on Dirk's face and said arrogantly.

"You won't get what you want."

Dirk said, enunciating each word.

"Hahahaha…"

Elihu burst out laughing again.

He crouched down and patted Dirk's face with his hand.

He said, "Whether we succeed or not has nothing to do with you anymore. You'd better think about how you're going to survive the next few days. Let's play with some new tricks. I'm going to make you wish you were dead."

With that.

He stood up.

Waved his hand.

Two big guys flipped Dirk over from where he was sprawled on the floor.

Four men stepped up.

They spread his body out into a big X.

Each one pinned down one of his arms or legs.

Elihu伸 out his hand.

A subordinate handed him a towel.

Elihu first used the towel to wipe his nose, then waved it in front of Dirk and said, "Ever experienced what drowning feels like? In a minute I'm gonna lay this towel over your face and pour water on it. Once it's soaked through, you won't be able to breathe. If you try to breathe hard, the water in the towel will rush into your mouth and nose. That feeling is really something else. I've seen it in movies, never tried it in real life. Perfect chance to practice on you today."

"Hahahaha…"

The people around them burst into loud laughter.

Elihu crouched down again.

Staring at Dirk's unyielding face, he said, "Beg for mercy. If you beg me now, maybe I'll consider torturing you a little less."

"Pah!"

Dirk spat.

The spit landed squarely on Elihu's face.

He froze for a second.

Quickly wiped it off with the towel in his hand.

Putting on a "whatever" look, he said, "Fine, fine, keep acting tough. I want to see how tough you are in a minute. Bring the water."

As soon as he said that.

He slapped the towel over Dirk's face.

Dirk's vision went black; he couldn't see anything.

Within just a few seconds, icy water was poured down from above; the towel was instantly soaked, and a powerful sense of suffocation slammed into him.

At first, Dirk could still endure it.

But after only a minute, holding his breath became difficult.

His body started convulsing uncontrollably.

He wanted to struggle, but his hands and feet simply couldn't move.

Elihu had no intention of stopping.

The fainting sensation grew stronger and stronger.

In that moment, Dirk could practically see Death waving him over.

With a bang.

A loud sound rang in his ears.

It sounded like the door being kicked open.

Right after that.

Wails and screams rose and fell one after another.

Dirk suddenly felt the pressure on his face disappear, then someone yanked him up from the floor.

An arm clamped around his neck.

A rush of fresh air slammed into his lungs.

He snapped his eyes open.

The sight in front of him left him stunned.

Elihu's goons were almost all on the floor, either clutching their stomachs or holding their thighs, rolling around.

The spots they were covering.

Were all drenched in blood.

Right in front of him.

Stood a man—none other than Boyd Linden.

He'd taken up an offensive stance, right hand reversed on a sharp dagger, eyes gleaming with ferocity as he stared at Elihu.

Elihu, meanwhile, was in a full-on panic.

At the crucial moment, he grabbed Dirk as a hostage.

He also pressed a sharp dagger against Dirk's neck.

On a normal day, Dirk wouldn't have cared about being taken like that; one slight move and he could've gotten out of it. But this time was different. His whole body was racked with pain, and he hadn't recovered from the suffocation; his head was still in a fog.

"Y-you… who are you? D-don't come any closer. If you come any closer, I'll stab him to death…"

Elihu had never seen anyone with skills like this.

He was scared stupid.

The hand holding Dirk was shaking.

"Young Master Elihu, if he dies, your mission's not going to look too good. Then your grandpa might say you're useless again."

Boyd showed not the slightest panic.

He advanced toward the two of them, step by step.

Elihu kept yelling "Don't come any closer" while backing away.

But every escape route ends eventually.

A few steps later.

He was already up against the window.

Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore; his dagger pushed forward slightly, piercing Dirk's skin. A thin stream of blood welled up on Dirk's neck…

"Drop the dagger, or Dirk dies…"

When people are terrified, they really do stupid things.

Boyd knew pressing too hard wasn't smart.

Seeing Dirk on the edge of danger.

Boyd finally relented.

He suddenly shouted, "Alright, I surrender. I give up. I'll drop the dagger."

"Forget about me. Fall back, now!"

Dirk shouted with everything he had.

He knew that once Boyd dropped his weapon, Elihu would never let him go.

Boyd gave a faint smile.

He said, "On the way here I told you, even if a knife's coming for you, I'll be the first one to go down."

After he said that.

He flicked his hand.

The dagger clattered to the floor.

"Get up, all of you, get the hell up!"

Seeing Boyd drop the dagger.

Elihu's courage swelled again.

He shouted at his groaning men on the floor.

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