Chapter 44: Counterattack

"Jared, do you know this guy?" Seeing the look on their faces, Jett couldn't help but ask. "Know him? That's an understatement!" Jared replied, touching his swollen cheek. Although the swelling had gone down, the pain still lingered. He could never forget the public humiliation Jackson had subjected him to just the day before. Jared had thought it would take a long time to track down Jackson, but to his surprise, they crossed paths again so soon. A cruel smile crept across his face as he looked at Jackson. "If I'm not mistaken, your name's Jackson, right?" "That's right. I'm flattered you remember," Jackson replied, smirking. "Men, this is the guy who assaulted me yesterday! You all wanted revenge, and now's the perfect time!" Jared shouted. "That's him?" "He dared lay a hand on Jared? He's done for!" "Talk about luck! What a coincidence!" The thugs were buzzing with excitement, their eyes locked on Jackson as if he were a walking corpse. Jared, as a minor leader in the Bold Eagle Gang, had considerable influence over the group. Now that the man who had attacked him was standing right in front of them, they were more than eager to prove their loyalty. Watching the thugs grow more animated, Major looked pale with fear. "Mr. Jackson, are we finished?" "Just focus on yourself," Jackson said coolly before charging forward like a flash of lightning. In an instant, he knocked out four or five thugs, moving with the speed and precision of a predator among prey. The thugs, who had expected Jackson to be easy pickings, were infuriated by his resistance. They swung their clubs at him, but none could even graze his clothes before being kicked aside. Bodies kept falling, and no one could stand against him. In less than three minutes, every thug was on the ground—some groaning, others unconscious. Faces filled with shock and disbelief. They hadn't even seen the kicks that took them down. Major, in particular, was stunned. In under three minutes, Jackson had wiped out… 60 thugs? What kind of strength was this? He knew Jackson had connections, but he never expected him to be this powerful. Major had even thought about sacrificing himself to buy time for Jackson to escape. Now, he realized how foolish that idea had been... "Is he even human?" "Mercy, please, hero!" The thugs, groaning in pain, finally understood the vast difference in power. They had no choice but to admit defeat. Jackson, who had never considered them a real threat, turned his attention to Jared and Jett after dispatching the thugs. Jared and Jett stood frozen in terror. Jett, in particular, was trembling so hard that if it weren't for the wall behind him, he would've collapsed. "Sir, this is all just a big misunderstanding," Jared stammered, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. Jackson casually grabbed a chair and smashed it straight into Jared's face. Bang! Bang! Bang! Each blow reverberated in the hearts of the onlookers. The thugs, powerless against Jackson, could only watch in horror as their leader was pummeled mercilessly. When the chair finally broke apart, Jackson tossed it aside. Jared lay unconscious, his face a bloody mess. Seeing Jared's state, Jett could barely keep himself from collapsing. His legs wobbled as he tried to muster the courage to speak. "Jackson, I—I warn you, assault is illegal..." Before he could finish, Jackson's boot slammed down onto Jett's face. "Ugh..." The dirt and stench of Jackson's boot filled Jett's nose, making him gag. The humiliation was something Jett would never forget. "I'm the chairman's cousin! If you dare hit me, how will my cousin see you in the future? Think carefully!" Jett tried to threaten him through gritted teeth. "Oh, I'm terrified," Jackson mocked, shaking his head. "You still don't understand my relationship with Apollo. You can't scare me with that." Realizing his threats weren't working, Jett switched tactics, his expression turning pleading. "Jackson, please, just give me one more chance! I swear I've learned my lesson. I won't cause you trouble again!" Jackson chuckled coldly. "I already gave you a chance. I wasn't even planning on dealing with the past. But you just had to come after me again. This is your own fault." With that, Jackson stomped hard on Jett's stomach. Thud! Jett vomited a revolting mix of blood, bile, and half-digested food from his previous meal. "Since you're part of the Griffith Family, I'll let you off with this. But next time? I don't care if you're the mayor of Jimstantham—I'll beat you so bad, your own mother won't recognize you." Jackson turned and walked away without another glance. "Mr. Jackson, did we go too far?" Major asked as they sat in a nearby restaurant. "Too far? Hardly," Jackson said, smiling. "Let's eat. If they want more trouble, they'll get it. And if Jett tries to pull anything again, he'll find out what 'too far' really means." After lunch, Jackson returned to the office and resumed his work in the business department as if nothing had happened. But by 2 p.m., a bombshell exploded across the company—Jackson had beaten Jett. The news spread like wildfire, and soon, every department was buzzing. "Did you hear? The new guy, Jackson, beat up HR Manager Jett!" "Yeah, I heard Jett went to apologize, and Jackson lured him somewhere remote and attacked him. Crazy!" "That's unbelievable! Even if Jett was wrong, Jackson went way too far!" All around the company, gossip flew. "Nonsense!" Major, enraged, defended Jackson. "Jett set us up! He brought thugs to attack us! If it weren't for Mr. Jackson, I wouldn't be standing here!" The security team, loyal to Major and Jackson, backed him up immediately. Even their leader, Acaia, chimed in. "Major wouldn't lie. Besides, Jackson isn't the kind of guy to pull something like that. If he wanted to fight Jett, he'd do it openly." While the HR and administrative departments scrambled to investigate, Jackson was back at his desk, calmly playing his game, completely indifferent to the storm brewing around him. "Jackson, how can you just sit there playing games?" Wade asked, panicked. "Jett's making a huge deal of this! He's even gone for a medical exam to stir up more trouble. You need a plan!" "Relax," Jackson said, still focused on his game. "Let me finish this match first. I'm playing ranked, and I've picked a hero as my main. Don't rush me." Wade and the others were speechless. If anyone else were in Jackson's shoes, they'd be panicking. But Jackson seemed completely unfazed. Once Jackson finished his game, he put down his phone, stretched, and headed for the elevator. "Where are you going?" Wade asked, baffled. "To settle things," Jackson said with a calm smile. ... In the HR department, Jett sat in his office, feeling smug as his colleagues assured him Jackson was done for. Just as he was about to make a call to his cousin for backup, there was a knock on his office door. Ignoring it at first, Jett assumed it was just an employee. But the knocking persisted. Annoyed, he snuffed out his cigarette and yelled, "Who is it? Wait outside!" The knocking stopped for a moment, and Jett smiled, satisfied. Then— Bang! The door flew open with a crash, kicked in from the outside.