Chapter 5 Set Them Up

• "Jabez, our family has no money left. We've even mortgaged the million-dollar house we used to live in. That should have covered the debt. Why are you still demanding money from us?"
• "My son is coming home today. Can't you give us a break this time?"
• Elliot pleaded, his face pale.
• He had hoped to share the good news of Nelson's return with Dianne and Thea, but before he could do so, the debt collectors showed up.
• "Your old house wasn't enough to cover the interest. What use is that soldier son of yours? How much is he worth?"
• "I'm telling you, if you don't pay up today, not only will you lose a hand, but your pretty daughter will be taken by the Tiger Clan as well!"
• Jabez snarled.
• He was a low-level boss in the Tiger Clan, responsible for collecting debts from the Kellers. He knew all about their family, including their soldier son and beautiful daughter.
• "Stop it! Let my dad go! If you dare hurt him, I won't let you off!"
• Nelson burst into the house, his battlefield-honed fierceness radiating. His parents had always taken care of him, and he couldn't allow anyone to harm them.
• Fortunately, he arrived just in time; the consequences could have been disastrous.
• "Nel... Nelson, you're finally back!"
• Elliot's eyes reddened at the sight of Nelson. Today was supposed to be a joyful family reunion, but now Nelson had to witness this humiliation.
• "Elliot, is this your soldier son?"
• Jabez glanced at Nelson in his camouflage uniform and scolded his men outside the door. "How could you let someone just walk in? Don't you see I'm handling important business?"
• Two of Jabez's henchmen, whom Nelson had knocked down, staggered inside. One of them glared at Nelson. "Jabez, this kid ambushed us. Otherwise, how could he have gotten in?"
• "He dared to lay hands on the Tiger Clan! I'll cripple him now!"
• He drew a switchblade from his waist.
• "Forget it, I'll handle this!"
• Jabez sneered at Nelson. "You're brave, soldier, daring to fight the Tiger Clan."
• "But your dad owes us a lot of money. Why don't you help him out and cut off a hand for us?"
• "If you don't have the guts, get out of my way. After I deal with him, I'll teach you some manners!"
• Nelson's patience was wearing thin, and he glared at Jabez, eyes filled with menace.
• "I'm telling you again, let my dad go!"
• Jabez, usually ruthless, felt a strange unease under Nelson's icy stare. But soon, anger flared up—how could a gangster like him be intimidated by a mere soldier?
• "You've got some nerve! No one has ever talked to me like that! I'll chop off your dad's finger right now, then knock out all your teeth. Let's see if you still have the nerve to talk back!"
• Jabez raised his knife.
• Nelson moved swiftly. A silver needle shot from his fingers, striking an acupoint on Jabez's arm, rendering it numb and immobile. Nelson then lunged forward, kicking Jabez to the ground, and breaking several of his ribs. Blood spurted from Jabez's mouth.
• "Da*n! Are you rebelling?"
• Clutching his chest, Jabez, full of hatred, shouted at his men, "What are you standing there for? Kill this brat! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"
• The two henchmen drew their switchblades and lunged at Nelson's back.
• But Nelson seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He spun around and kicked them both in the chest, sending them flying and crashing to the ground, unable to get up.
• "Dad! Are you okay?"
• After dealing with the thugs, Nelson quickly helped Elliot up, his face filled with concern.
• "I'm fine! But you shouldn't have fought those Tiger Clan guys. We can't afford to provoke them!" Elliot sighed heavily.
• "He's too strong; we can't beat him!" One of Jabez's sidekicks cried to Jabez.
• "Useless bunch, help me up! We're leaving!" Jabez knew they wouldn't get anything today. As his men helped him limp away, he spat out a threat, "You dared to hit Tiger Clan members. You're done for, just wait!"
• As they tried to leave, a knife, previously dropped by Jabez, flew like an arrow, narrowly missing his face and embedding itself in the door frame, blocking their path.
• Jabez looked at the knife, terrified. If he had moved a bit faster, the knife would have been in his head!
• "Think you can just leave after hitting my dad? Not so easy. Didn't you want my dad's hand? Leave a hand each, and we'll call it even!" Nelson's icy voice came from behind. He had thrown the knife, determined not to let those who threatened his father go unpunished.
• Jabez, who had nearly died, was now completely terrified by Nelson's skills.
• "Nelson, I'm fine, let them go. We can't afford to offend the Tiger Clan!" Elliot urged anxiously.
• "Get out of here!" Nelson, not wanting to worry his father further, decided to let them go for now.
• The three men, relieved, fled in panic.
• Nelson then dispersed the onlookers outside, closed the door, and turned to his father with a serious expression. "Dad, why are the Tiger Clan people bothering us? What's going on?"
• Elliot sighed deeply, a look of defeat in his eyes.
• "Nelson, since you've seen it all, I won't hide it from you anymore. Our family has been targeted. A year ago, someone deliberately set us up, causing my company to go bankrupt and leaving us with over a million in debt!"
• "A year ago, my company, Fenway Pharmaceutical, hit a bottleneck and desperately needed funds. I went to every bank, but none would give me a loan!"
• "In desperation, someone approached me, offering to lend me money if I became the agent for their factory's medicines."
• "I was cautious and didn't agree at first, but they got me drunk and made me sign a contract without realizing it!"
• "Later, their factory's medicines turned out to be faulty, causing severe side effects in many patients. I, as their agent, was sued. The company's reputation was ruined, and we had to declare bankruptcy to compensate the patients!"
• "If it weren't for your mom begging the patients to let me go, I might have ended up in jail!"
• "I reported the factory to the police, but they vanished overnight, leaving us with a mountain of debt that destroyed our happy family!"
• Elliot was crying uncontrollably. He felt he had ruined his family and saw himself as a sinner in their home.
• Nelson looked at his father, whose hair had turned white. In five years, his father seemed to have aged more than ten. Nelson knew that Elliot, who valued his career and family deeply, was the most pained by their current situation. He felt nothing but pity for his father, and never blamed.
• "Nelson, we kept this from you because the people behind it are powerful. It was the Ingrams, a prominent family in Cloudhaven, who set us up. I didn't want to drag you into this or face you with such shame. It's my fault we're in this mess!"
• Elliot was sobbing.
• "The Ingrams! So it was the Ingrams!" Nelson repeated the name, his eyes turning red with hatred for the family that had caused his loved ones so much suffering.
• In these five years, he hadn't been wasting time. He had gained the ability and the responsibility to help his family rise again. He vowed to make the Ingrams pay for what they had done!