Chapter 2 Eye for an Eye

• "J… Jacob, is that really you? You… You're back!" Franklin was excited to see the young man. However, he still felt that it was very surreal.
• Jacob looked up with remorse-filled eyes and said, "Dad, I'm back! I am a terrible son for letting you suffer all these years!"
• After stabbing the official that tried to assault Naeve, Jacob escaped out of the outland to avoid dragging his family into trouble.
• Life in the outland was not easy even though Jacob had the Secret Record of the War Deity. He had experienced numerous close brushes with death.
• Whenever Jacob was in danger of dying, he would think about his family and his beloved woman waiting for him to return to the Central District.
• Thus, the stubborn will to live and the powers from the Secret Record of the War Deity enabled him to escape death time after time.
• In that six years, Jacob made his mark in various regions of the outland. He defeated all his enemies no matter where he went. It did not matter whether they were from thousand-year-old prominent families or sects with a long history.
• Jacob managed to defeat them and attain prestige.
• Slap!
• A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
• Gerald's brow twitched as he stood at the side. There were only three people who dared to slap Jacob's shoulder throughout the four outer domains. Now, he found another one in Central District.
• "You stinking brat! It has been six years! Why didn't you send any news home?" Franklin's eyes were full of tears as he kept slapping his son's shoulders.
• Jacob looked guilty as he said, "Dad, I am sorry!"
• In the first two years Jacob left, he had to constantly struggle to survive. Thus, he did not have the liberty to consider sending a message home.
• In the third year, Jacob finally managed to gain some standing after training in the Secret Record of the War Deity. Furthermore, he established the Scarlet Dragons. In the next three years, Jacob led a band of men and fought for dominance against various forces and organizations. Therefore, he did not have time to think about communicating with his family.
• Then, he finally completed training from the Secret Record of the War Deity and dominated the four outer domains. Furthermore, he had just won a war seven days ago and firmly established the Scarlet Dragons' authority and rule in the outland. Now, he finally decided to return to Central District with glory.
• Franklin looked at how much more mature his son seemed compared to six years ago. It made his heart ache, yet it also comforted him. "Good! All that matters is that you're back!"
• Then, he glanced at Gerald standing still as a statue at the side and helped Jacob up. "Where have you been in the past six years?"
• "Dad, I will tell you about it once I finish dealing with the matters here." Jacob patted his father's right arm.
• Jacob had heard about his family's situation from Gerald before coming here. His family still suffered the consequences of what Jacob did despite him leaving to protect them. The authorities took his father's shops and ended his businesses. Within four years, his father lost all his wealth and was reduced to working menial jobs at construction sites.
• In the recent two years, his father managed to open a food stall on a pedestrian street in South Precinct. That only barely allowed him to provide for his family of three.
• Jacob noticed his father had aged a lot and had calluses on his hands. The sight saddened Jacob and ignited a burning killing intent in his heart.
• Six years ago, Jacob had no power to fight back and could only escape.
• But now, he was the head of the Scarlet Dragons and commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He ruled over the entire four outer regions!
• Thus, he was no longer powerless as before. Now, for those who oppressed them, he could make them pay an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth for their injustice.
• "Dad, don't worry. No one shall bully our family from now on!" Jacob declared fiercely and smiled at his father's concerned expression.
• Then, he turned around and faced the gang of thugs with an intimidating glare. He pointed to the long-haired man who surrounded himself with other thugs. "You! Step out now!"
• "What… What do you want?" The long-haired man cowered, but he gathered his courage and shouted, "I am warning you! This is Leonard Kingston's territory! You better watch your…"
• "Shut up!" Jacob narrowed his eyes, and one could still see the rage burning in them.
• Swoosh! Jacob dashed into the gang of thugs and dragged the long-haired man out.
• The long-haired man did not even manage to say the word 'back' before he found his feet above the ground. He realized he was hanging in mid-air.
• He looked at the eyes glaring at him, sending a sudden chill down his spine. His face turned pale with fear.
• At the same time, his limbs froze, and he could not do anything other than begging weakly, "Please… Have mercy!"
• The rest of the thugs exchanged glances before looking at their fallen comrades, who lay bloodied on the ground. They cowered and did not dare to speak.
• Jacob had a deathly calm expression as he said, "Did you say you want to kill my father?"
• "I… I…" The long-haired thug's face distorted with horror. "I was only obeying orders. You should look for Leonard Kingston!"
• "Leonard Kingston?" A ferocious gleam flashed across Jacob's eyes. "Is he the one who wants to tear down my house?"
• "Yes, yes!" The long-haired thug nodded quickly. "Leonard desires this area and plans to demolish the whole of Rowan Lane to build a high-end community. I… I am only one of his many subordinates…"
• "An abettor to evil is equally despicable!" Jacob muttered before raising his hand and tapping the long-haired thug's chest several times.
• "You… What have you done to me?" The long-haired thug touched his chest after staggering to the ground.
• Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. He let out a blood-curdling scream before collapsing and twitching his limbs wildly.
• That went on for around a minute. In the end, the long-haired thug looked drenched in sweat as if he had just gotten out of the water.
• Jacob looked down at him gasping for breath and said, "Today is the day of my return, so I do not wish to kill anyone. However, you are to pass my word to Leonard and tell him I will pay a visit tomorrow to repay him for what he has done."
• "Now, scram!"
• The word sent a shockwave among the thugs. They widened their eyes in bewilderment and opened their mouths in shock.
• The long-haired thug replied weakly, "Yes, we will scram now!"
• He felt excruciating pain all over his body as if a swarm of ants biting his body. However, he quickly summoned two of the thugs to support him as they escape.
• Even those fallen thugs were carried away by their comrades. Meanwhile, Jacob turned to his father with a smile.
• Those arrogant thugs had all left with tails between their legs. Franklin blinked in bewilderment and wondered if he was dreaming.
• Then, he turned to his son with a joyful smile. "Let's go home!"
• "Yes, let's go home!" Jacob nodded. He had shed plenty of blood, braced numerous dangers, and killed many strong enemies to finally hear these words again.
• However, the door suddenly burst open as Jacob and his father came near.
• A petite figure appeared and shouted resentfully, "Go home? How can he go home? Has he not made us suffer enough?"
• "Franklin Lynch, are you insane? How can you bring him home? Has he not ruined us enough? Do you want him to kill us all?"
• The petite woman walked out of the house as she scolded. She glared at Jacob furiously.