Chapter 5

Fear continued washing over Xander in strong waves. By then, his body was already broken and battered from the repeated falls. The ground in the junkyard was littered with glass shards, nails, and cement blocks. The pain was more than enough to drive Xander insane. By then, his eyes were extremely red and bloodshot. He had no idea how much time had passed after he managed to regain his consciousness. The first thing he saw was Atlas smearing healing salve on his injuries. "Ah, you're awake. Excellent." Atlas stowed away the red bottle which contained the healing salve. He was the legendary doctor who donned the sacred robes. So, he was blessed with outstanding healing abilities. Those whom he deemed not worthy of dying would have to experience all the pain this world had to offer. Hence, Atlas dragged Xander up the crane tower once again. Another thud sounded a few seconds after that. Xander was already on the verge of breaking down after crashing into the ground. He was definitely going insane. After that, Atlas smeared more salve on Xander's injuries. The salve's healing properties worked extremely quickly. Xander barely had time to recover from his despair before being thrown into the abyss once again. Many falls later, Xander was on the verge of losing his mind once and for all. Finally, he regained enough senses to beg Atlas pathetically. "Mr. Blackwell, please… please spare my life… Please, I'm begging you! I'll agree to any conditions you name as long as you let me off the hook!" Atlas remained impassive. To think that a heartless devil wanted to negotiate with him! He retorted icily, "Have you ever considered letting my daughter off the hook? Would you spare Tabitha's life if I never returned to this city?" Xander used what little strength he had to continue begging. "Since you don't intend to spare my life, then… can you please just kill me already? Please, I can't take this torture any longer! This is even worse than dying!" Oh? Did Xander want to die that badly? Too bad Atlas would never give him what he wanted! Atlas dug out his phone and called Ian. "Ian, get your ass to the junkyard right now. I have an important mission for you." Ian rushed to the junkyard right away. The sight of the bloodied scene shocked him to the core. "Take him to the top of the crane tower and push him off! Keep this cycle going! Don't ever stop pushing him off!" Xander had to be punished over and over again. He must suffer from endless pain at all times. The punishment would only stop once he formed a decent-sized crater from the amount of falls. Ian gritted his teeth. He had never seen the leader of Aerial Blade looking this furious. It seemed that Newtropolis would be facing a catastrophic disaster soon. At that moment, Atlas made a shocking announcement in a booming voice. He said, "Ian, spread the word to everyone that I'll be holding the celebratory banquet that was supposed to be canceled in Newtropolis. "Tell them that my own daughter almost fell to her death because someone shoved her off a crane tower." Ian shuddered at the command. What was the significance behind a typical celebratory banquet hosted by Aerial Blade? Atlas was the strongest man who made the most contributions to the war in Northern Bronshire. Countless people wished to see him in person, no matter how big the price they had to pay. If the wrath of someone as powerful as Atlas was invoked, the entire world would definitely be endangered. The moment the news was spread, the citizens of Newtropolis weren't the only ones who were shocked. The entire Northern Bronshire was flabbergasted. Even the whole world was astonished. Atlas spent the days of the past roaming the battlefields outside Northern Bronshire. There was once when the Chernean military was in deep trouble. Atlas had spent one whole week traveling to their battlefield without stopping to eat or rest. Atlas almost died a few times protecting Chernea. Despite the ordeals he had been through, he never complained about anything. But Xander, a citizen of Chernea, repaid his efforts by torturing Stacy to that extent. This world was extremely unfair. That was why it needed to suffer from his wrath. … Ian nodded in response. After that, he drafted a message and sent it out. The news was spread from Northern Bronshire. Soon, the entire area received the news. Of course, Aerial Blade's members were the first ones reacting to the news in shock. "According to Thaddeus, we're meant to prepare for the celebratory banquet in Newtropolis!" Thaddeus was Atlas' alias in Northern Bronshire. As long as he donned the sacred coat, he'd be the legendary doctor who was feared by the Grim Reaper. The Imperial Hall of Medicine received the news as well. Numerous miracle doctors left their areas of seclusion immediately. "It seems that Thaddeus didn't cancel the celebratory banquet after all. He's hosting it in Newtropolis instead." An international assassins' guild, Chamber of Dragon Slayers, soon received the news. "Thaddeus has left Northern Bronshire. Let's head to Newtropolis right now." Countless mercenary organizations, mafia families, as well as influential people from various sectors took action immediately. "We've found photos of Stacy. She's an adorable little girl. I can't believe those bastards are heartless enough to do those things to her!" "Quick! We need to go to Newtropolis right away! This might be the best opportunity to seek Thaddeus out and ask for a diagnosis!" "There might still be a chance for Grandpa to recover. Thaddeus has shown up in Newtropolis!" "There must be tons of people heading to Newtropolis right now. Thaddeus originally planned to cancel the celebratory banquet, after all. There must be a reason why he's hosting the banquet there. "Everyone, find out who Thaddeus' enemies are and if any incidents have occurred in Newtropolis recently. We must strike as soon as Thaddeus needs our help." "Don't be scared, Stacy. We, the Warrior Kings, are heading to Newtropolis right now!" "Don't worry, Stacy. We're rushing to Newtropolis as well!" "Hang in there, Stacy!" Many people knew that Atlas' favors were extremely crucial to them. Obtaining a chance to receive Atlas' medical treatment was a chance akin to a second life. Unfortunately, Atlas was always based in Northern Bronshire. He never left the region. … At the same time, the headquarters in Zelland was alerted to the news. "What's up with Thaddeus? Why did he return to Newtropolis all of a sudden?" King Cedric of Western Chernea asked in the meeting room. "I have no idea. He opted not to attend the celebratory banquet in Northern Bronshire. Instead, he returned to Newtropolis abruptly just to throw another one of those banquets." King Vincent of Southern Chernea chided, "This is absolutely ridiculous! Right now, countless people are flooding into Newtropolis as we speak. It's extremely difficult to secure flight tickets for flights that are headed to Newtropolis. Even the cities located around Newtropolis are starting to become congested! "Hurry up and investigate what on earth Thaddeus is up to!" Soon, someone reported back to Vincent, "Our sources indicate that Thaddeus' alias is Atlas Blackwell in Newtropolis. He accidentally had a child with a woman named Tabitha Grayson. "He spent the past five years without knowing that he had hurt Tabitha back then. Today was the first time he met his daughter. But it turned out that his daughter was pushed off a crane tower and almost died." At that moment, the atmosphere in the meeting room became eerily silent.