โMr. Hopkins, are you alright?โ The Hopkins men helped Timothy up from the ground, but before he could answer, Diego snapped at them.
โGet out of the way! Canโt you see he just got stabbed with a needle? Of course, heโs not fine! Use your brain!โ
He glared fiercely at the clueless men before turning back to his son. โTim, how could you take such a heavy hit? With your skill, that shouldnโt have happened!โ
Timothyโs face was pale as he answered nervously, โDad, donโt mess with Andrew. Whatever grudge he has with the Driscoll family, we must stay out of it. We absolutely canโt get involved!โ
Diegoโs tone darkened. โBut he humiliated us, came straight to our door, and hurt you. Tim, do you want revenge? Give me a straight answer.โ
Timothy swallowed hard and shook his head repeatedly. โRevenge? Not a chanceโฆ Not in a million years! Andrew is too strongโฆ Terrifying, even. I couldnโt even see how he moved when he struck me. Dad, the Driscolls have crossed paths with a real monster this time. When titans clash, the little guys die first. We absolutely canโt get involved!โ
The Hopkins family members looked at each other. Truth be told, they had held back earlier because Andrew had Timothy in his grip. Now that he was free, they could have attacked with everything they had. Nonetheless, seeing Timothy, the victim himself, completely deflated and unwilling to even think of revenge, the entire familyโs fighting spirit quietly faded.
Diego took a deep breath and muttered, โWalter is as good as finished. Thank goodness the Hopkinses havenโt made Andrew a mortal enemy yet.โ
Just then, a thunderous crash echoed from the pavilion by the back garden pond, followed by Walterโs furious, desperate roar.
โAndrew, are you really going to push me to the edge?!โ
Andrew gave no reply. Only more deep, rumbling impacts shook the Hopkins residence.
It sounded like two wild beasts locked in a brutal fight.
All the Hopkins family members shuddered, and no one dared to make a sound.
The Driscolls had always been predators, never prey. Yet here was Walter, one of their highโranking leaders, cornered and fighting for his life. The continuous roars indicated that he was already in a desperate struggle, caught in a lifeโorโdeath situation.
โJust exactly how strong is Andrew?โ
This boneโchilling question simultaneously arose in the hearts of all the Hopkins family members.
Eric stood with his arms crossed, calmly watching the fight from inside the waterside gazebo. He noticed a teapot on the table and poured himself a cup, though he did not drink it, wrinkling his nose in distaste.
He was a clean freak, and he was always scented like fine cologne.
He twirled the cup lazily in his hand. Though he looked casual, his eyes were sharp, studying Andrewโs every move. After a while, he shook his head and looked away.
What was the point of watching?
This monster could probably beat him to a pulp even without mastering the Inferno Strike. Eric was a martial arts genius, but for the first time, he understood what a true genius among geniuses looked like.
He doubted even Jerome had imagined that Andrew would one day master the Inferno Strike.