In the game world, Jake had been granted a noble title and a luxurious estate, receiving a series of good news. However, in the real world, Jake was still living in a rented house and had received some bad news from Dirk.
"Jake, Carlton is back again. I'm going to meet him for lunch today to try and mediate the situation between you two," Dirk said over the phone.
"Thank you, Dirk," Jake replied.
Jake didn't hold high hopes for Dirk's efforts. He had some understanding of Carlton, even though their interactions had been limited. Carlton was not the type to easily let things go.
As expected, Jake received a response from Dirk in the afternoon. Carlton was not willing to let the matter go, and he intended to make Jake pay.
"Jake, be careful. I noticed that Carlton has more bodyguards around him now, and they seem stronger," Dirk warned Jake.
"Yes, I'll be careful," Jake assured him.
Carlton's reaction was entirely within Jake's expectations. He had initially thought that Carlton would seek revenge shortly after he had crippled Wade. However, he hadn't expected Carlton to delay it for so long. It seemed that even for a member of the younger generation of the Carlton family, mobilizing additional resources wasn't an easy task. With Dirk's warning in mind, Jake became more cautious.
Carlton's retaliation came swiftly. On his way back from the StarMoon Archery Club, Jake was intercepted by a group of people who clearly weren't ordinary. Most likely, they were Carlton's men.
"They're in quite a hurry," Jake murmured to himself while sitting in his car.
While Dirk had just finished his conversation with Carlton, Carlton's men had already arrived to confront Jake. They didn't want to waste any time. Four individuals blocked Jake's car, and their presence was just as imposing as Wade's had been.
Knocking on the car window, one of them gestured for Jake to roll it down. However, Jake remained calmly seated in the car as if he hadn't heard anything.
"Get out of the car!" The man's face soured when Jake didn't comply.
"Are you capable of opening the car door for me?" Jake replied casually. "A simple car door can't stop me."
The man's expression grew colder, and he reached for the door handle, attempting to open it. However, despite his best efforts, the door didn't budge. His face turned even more grim.
As a Dark Energy Master, he should have easily been able to unlock a car door, even if it was locked from the inside. However, he was unable to open it, and his frustration grew. He applied even more force, but the car door remained firmly shut. How was this possible? What kind of car was this? He had never encountered such a situation before.
"Nick, what are you doing? You can't even open a car door?" A nearby companion of his seemed irritated by Nick's inability to get Jake out of the car.
"Come try it if you're so capable!" Nick, who was struggling with the car door, was now angry not only because he couldn't open it but also because he was being mocked by his companion.
"I'll handle it," one of them said confidently. However, when he tried to open the car door, he found it equally impossible. His face turned awkward. "Thump!" Frustrated, he attempted to break the car window with a punch to drag Jake out. However, not only did he fail to shatter the window, but he didn't even leave a scratch, making the situation extremely awkward.
"Are you done? If you're done, I'll be on my way," Jake said to the people outside the car.
The individuals outside grew even more irritated by Jake's words, but they found themselves powerless.
"I don't believe you'll stay in the car forever. We know where you live, where you work; you can't run away!" Nick sneered, his hostility deepening. This time, Carlton seemed determined not only to disable Jake but to kill him.
Jake furrowed his brows. He was growing increasingly disgusted with these people. However, he also understood that they were correct. Dirk had been able to investigate his information, so there was no doubt Carlton could do the same. These individuals knew where he lived and worked; it wasn't surprising. With that in mind, Jake decided to open the car door and step out.
"You came out willingly?" Nick sneered. "So, how do you want to die?" It was clear that Carlton's hatred for Jake had intensified. Last time, Carlton had only aimed to disable him, but this time, he seemed intent on killing him.
"Did Carlton send you?" Jake asked. He needed a clear answer.
"That's right," one of the men replied without any hesitation or attempt to deny it.
"Alright, stop talking to him. Finish the task quickly, and we'll leave," another person said impatiently.
In their view, sending four people to deal with Jake was already overkill. They didn't see the point in prolonging the encounter. Jake's car might be unusual, but he was just a regular person with above-average strength. Killing him shouldn't be a significant challenge.
This was what Wade had told them. Despite being injured by Jake last time, Wade was still not convinced. He believed that Jake was merely stronger due to his physical attributes, and without any enhancements or equipment, Jake's true strength was nothing special.
To some extent, Wade's assessment wasn't entirely wrong. At level four, Jake couldn't compare to a Dark Energy Master without equipment. However, Jake was far from an ordinary person. He had gear and treasures from the game world!
The four individuals sent by Carlton didn't want to waste any more time with Jake. Since he had willingly come out of the car, there was no need to waste any more time. The person nearest to Jake took a step forward, his right hand clenched into a fist with a metallic glint on the surface. His aura was fierce and aggressive, and it seemed like he was about to smash Jake's head.
Jake noticed that the person's fist seemed to be enveloped in a metallic sheen, and it was coming at him with brutal force, as if it could shatter his head in an instant.
Stepping back slightly, Jake had already equipped himself before getting out of the car. With his high agility and the element of surprise on his side, evading this attack should be no problem.
"You want to gang up on me?" Jake looked at the group and said, then he retrieved a token from his backpack. "I have backup too!"
"The Summons Token (Bronze): Summons five Demon World Warriors to fight for you. Each summon lasts for five minutes, with a cooldown of two hours."
Jake used this token for the first time. When he activated it, five figures appeared beside him, which startled Carlton's guards. Despite being powerful, they couldn't figure out where these newcomers had come from. They didn't make the connection between Jake and the summoning token.
Jake's expression, however, soured when he saw them. They looked... pathetic. Jake had battled Demon World Warriors before and knew they were formidable opponents. Yet, these five newly summoned warriors were far from impressive. They wore ragged clothes, looking like beggars, and held no weapons. Their eyes were vacant, making them seem like wooden dolls.
"Are these really the fierce Demon World Warriors? Or are they just five idiots?" Jake thought to himself. He unconsciously took a step back towards the car door, ready to escape if necessary. He had only gotten out of the car because he had the summoning token. If these warriors proved ineffective, he would have no choice but to run. He didn't think he could take on four Dark Energy Masters alone.
"Humph, what a charade!" Nick and the others were initially wary of the sudden appearance of the five figures. They didn't know where they came from and were on alert. However, seeing the condition of these five figures, they couldn't help but feel deceived. They weren't dressed as fierce warriors; they were practically wearing rags. Moreover, they just stood there, vacant expressions on their faces, making them seem like fools.
These couldn't possibly be experts; true experts wouldn't act this way. Feeling cheated, the four of them grew even angrier. They unleashed their full power, ready to engage.
Jake sensed their rising hostility and immediately gave a command to the five figures in ragged attire, "Protect me and defeat them!"
Hearing Jake's order, the five Demon World Warriors' vacant eyes seemed to flash with a faint red light, brimming with a sinister and bloodthirsty aura.
However, the Dark Energy Masters didn't notice this change. They had decided to attack the seemingly foolish figures standing in their way, attempting to push them aside or even kill them.
"Bang!" Four simultaneous impacts echoed. The Dark Energy Masters struck the figures they intended to move aside or eliminate. To their astonishment, the figures didn't budge, nor did they get thrown away as expected. It was like punching into four solid walls. Instead of breaking through, their fists were met with a powerful rebound force that left their bones sore.
Perplexed, the four men stared at their targets. Only now did they realize that these seemingly "wooden poles" had changed somewhat. While still appearing somewhat vacant, their eyes now emitted a bloodthirsty aura that sent shivers down their spines.
During their moment of confusion, the five Demon World Warriors launched simultaneous attacks. Their fists aimed at the chests of the four Dark Energy Masters, surging with overwhelming energy.
Five sounds almost simultaneously reverberated through the air, accompanied by the sounds of fists striking flesh and bones breaking. Then, the four Dark Energy Masters were involuntarily sent flying, some even vomiting blood as they soared through the air.
Despite both sides using fists, the results were entirely different.
The punches of the four Dark Energy Masters, when striking the Demon World Warriors, didn't inflict any harm. Those Demon World Warriors didn't even flinch; it seemed they couldn't feel pain at all. Or perhaps, they didn't react to pain.
Conversely, when the five Demon World Warriors punched the four Dark Energy Masters, one punch was all it took to injure them significantly. Especially for the one who had been targeted by two Demon World Warriors simultaneously, he was severely wounded and coughing up blood. Even if he survived this encounter, his cultivation would be reduced by more than half, requiring at least six months of recuperation to recover fully. It was a simple punch, but its effects were horrifying.
Jake was left stunned by the spectacle, while the four Dark Energy Masters were bewildered. Weren't these five individuals idiots? How could they be so powerful? A single punch, so effortlessly, had injured Dark Energy Masters like them? Did they think so lowly of Dark Energy Masters?
What was more bewildering was that they couldn't sense the strength of these five individuals at all. They gave off an impression of ordinary people, or perhaps even weaker than that. At the very least, ordinary people wouldn't have such vacant, lifeless eyes. Of course, this was considering their strange, crimson irises.
While the four men were still in shock, the five Demon World Warriors continued their attack, charging at them. While Demon World Warriors weren't known for their speed, they were by no means slow. Plus, the four men had already been injured by the Demon World Warriors, so they couldn't evade their attacks.
Once the battle commenced, the Demon World Warriors quickly gained the upper hand. They were already on par with these Dark Energy Masters, and with the four men injured and one severely wounded, the odds were stacked against them, even in a three-versus-five fight.
One Demon World Warrior landed a palm strike on one of the Dark Energy Masters' foreheads. The man froze in shock, his eyes widening before he collapsed lifelessly to the ground, devoid of breath.
Dead! The death of their comrade filled the remaining Dark Energy Masters with panic, and they attempted to flee. However, at this moment, the Demon World Warriors had firmly ensnared them, preventing them from breaking free.
"Don't..." Jake tried to intervene as he saw someone being killed. This was the real world, not a game, and he couldn't condone wanton killing.
However, he was a step too slow. By the time he spoke, the five Demon World Warriors had already dispatched the remaining Dark Energy Masters one by one. The four Dark Energy Masters, who had come to assassinate Jake, hadn't even managed to touch his clothes before being slaughtered by Jake's five protectors. Even in death, they still didn't know the true identities of these five individuals.