Chapter 3

Lindsay said, "There's no hurry in finding a job. You can leave the house after lunch." "Mom, I'm an adult now," Perseus reasoned. "I need to support this family. I can't let you, Dad, and Vincent suffer." Lindsay sounded touched. "Oh, you really are all grown up. Alright, then. Give me a moment." She briefly disappeared into her room before returning to Perseus' side. Then, she pulled out two crumpled 100-dollar bills from her bag and stuffed them into his hands. "Since you just got released from prison, you need to have some money on you. Our family has been suffering from poverty over the past few years, so this is all the money we have. Take it, Perseus." Sorrow surged into Perseus' heart at that moment. He wanted nothing more than to slap himself on the spot for causing the family so much trouble. He hung his head low, not wanting Lindsay to notice the tears welling up in his eyes. "Mom, I have money. When I was doing manual labor in prison, I got an allowance of 800 dollars per month. Don't worry. It can sustain me. I'm leaving now." Once Perseus was done speaking, he bolted out of the house as quickly as he could. At first, he wanted to show up on Rochelle's doorstep right away to demand an explanation from her. But he recalled how big of a problem Kaz was. His parents were just regular folks who couldn't handle another bad thing that happened in their lives. That was why Perseus decided to seek Kaz's boss out. Said boss was Tom Dawson, the head of Firethrone Organization. That organization had over a thousand gangsters, making it one of the three powerhouses in Neptuna. Firethrone Organization's main business sectors were entertainment, gambling, underground boxing, and loan management. Rochelle had told Perseus all of this in the past. She was a rich socialite, so she had tons of connections. That was how she got her hands on the juicy details. Three years ago, Perseus wouldn't have dreamt of challenging such a daunting character. However, since earning the moniker of Prison King, even individuals like Tom held no sway over Perseus. Perseus might have been serving his sentence in Thistle Isle Prison over the past three years, but he was actually helping his mentor maintain order. At the same time, he practiced his combat skills on the inmates. He'd beat them up to the point they got hurt or disabled before treating their wounds. That was how he mastered both fighting and healing. Thistle Isle Prison might seem like any other prison, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. Within its walls resided a motley crew—murderous lunatics, mafia bosses, business tycoons, peerless fighters, war criminals, and even international smugglers. So why would Perseus, a man who ruled them all, be afraid of a nobody like Tom? That was why he only spat out a sentence right after reaching Firethrone Organization's headquarters. "Tell Tom Dawson to get his sorry ass out here right now." Upon hearing his voice, Kaz and his lackeys rushed out of the HQ instantly. He grinned maliciously when he saw Perseus. "Everyone, grab your weapons! Let's fuck him up!" Kaz had just made his report to Tom and was about to gather a huge army before storming back to the Caitford residence. After all, he had never suffered so much ever since he became Tom's subordinate. To think that someone was bold enough to disrespect Tom in Neptuna! Kaz's order successfully summoned more than 20 people from the HQ. All of them were burly men in black tank tops carrying weapons like metal rods and longswords. Soon, they had Perseus surrounded. "I said, tell Tom to get his fucking ass out here." Perseus folded his hands behind his back, his expression cold and impassive. "Kill him!" Kaz ordered. He took the lead by rushing over with his longsword raised. "You piece of shit!" Perseus' mouth twitched in disdain as he watched the longsword get closer to him. He huffed coldly in response. The energy swimming in his body seemed to react to his fury, for it began circulating around his system in rolling waves. Perseus moved swiftly to intercept the mob's attacks. With every punch and kick, he was able to send someone flying backward as though he was sweeping leaves off his shoulder. It only took him less than three minutes to defeat everyone. Once Perseus was done with the one-sided fight, he lit a cigarette with a casual flick of his lighter. Suddenly, a slow clap echoed from the main entrance, drawing his attention. A tall, lanky man emerged from the building, moving with deliberate poise. "You're pretty skilled! I'll pay you a million dollars per year. In exchange, I want you to work for me. What do you think?" Tom offered smilingly with narrowed eyes. He admired strong people, after all. His seemingly regular butler, Nolan Mackall, was a good example. The outsiders knew that Nolan was Tom's butler, but they didn't know that Nolan was actually his secret weapon. He was an Inner Strength Powerhouse. Nolan was actually listed in the top five most powerful individuals in Neptuna. During the recent years, Tom had been learning martial arts from Nolan. He was starting to develop his own energy at this stage, so he knew very well how powerful certain fighters could become. "You want me to work for you?" Perseus snorted in amusement while raising an eyebrow. "You think you have the right to say that to me?" "Hey punk, don't be cocky now." Tom's expression darkened instantly. "You think you're invincible just because you got some skill, huh? I made that offer because I'm showing you a bit of respect!" "Do I need your respect? Who the fuck do you think you are?" Perseus didn't want to waste his breath any longer. All he wanted to do was beat someone up. He didn't mind killing people, too. He was a member of Eternos, after all. "Nolan, kill him!" Tom turned to look at Nolan before issuing that order. "Yes, sir." Nolan, initially unassuming, underwent an electrifying transformation as raw energy surged through his veins. His once unassuming, short, and stout stature exploded into a chiseled powerhouse, and in a blink, he materialized in front of Perseus before anyone could react. Nolan lunged for Perseus' neck, fingers outstretched in a deadly grip. "You think you're a hot shot just because you're a martial arts practitioner?" Perseus continued to smile coldly as he dodged the attack. At the same time, his hand shot out to grab Nolan's wrist before pulling him forward. Nolan lost control of his body almost immediately because of the pull. A swift kick to the gut followed, and Nolan was sent hurtling backward. He crashed into the courtyard fence with tremendous force, sending a cloud of dust into the air. The headquarters fell into an eerie silence as Tom stood in stunned disbelief, his prized weapon defeated in a single move. "Sir, how should I address you? Please let me know if I've offended you in any way," Tom apologized immediately, his face already devoid of any color. He didn't get to establish his foothold in Neptuna with just brute force. He was also a smart and observant guy. If he couldn't win against his opponent, he'd surrender immediately. To him, there was nothing wrong with that. "My name is Perseus Caitford. Your lackeys have issued a loan to my father, Egbert Caitford. Not only did they exhibit violent tendencies while demanding the payment, but they also threatened and beat up my family! How are you going to deal with this, huh?" Perseus wasn't an irrational man. He wouldn't shirk his family's debt, yet he wouldn't abide by brutality either. "Kaz, did you issue a loan to Mr. Perseus' family?" Tom roared. "Spit out the truth!" Kaz held his stomach in pain because of Perseus' attacks. Yet, the physical agony was nothing compared to the terror coursing through him at the thought of facing Tom. "M-Mr. Dawson, I… I was just trying to boost the income for our organization. But I didn't know that—" "You imbecile!" Tom snatched a longsword and brought it down in a brutal arc. Kaz crumpled instantly—a thin, red line blossoming across his neck, blood erupting in a horrific geyser. Kaz's eyes bulged in terror and disbelief, the light of life fading rapidly. Perseus merely raised an eyebrow at the sight. Tom sure was a brutal man. "Mr. Perseus, I'm deeply sorry for causing you a major inconvenience because of my idiotic subordinate's actions." Tom might be ruthless, but he was also socially adept. He pulled out a bank card from his pocket and said, "Mr. Perseus, there's a total of five million dollars in this bank account. It's my way of compensating your father. Please forgive me." Perseus accepted the card and suppressed his simmering blood lust. "I initially intended to kill you. How about you become my lackey instead?"