Chapter 300: Living Up to the Name
A shocked Tommy slammed on the brakes as Josephine's eyes widened in disbelief. They had witnessed the horrific event.
"Save me! Save meโฆ"
Of the four passengers, only the middle-aged man in the front passenger seat was still alive, weakly calling for help. His leg was trapped, and the sight of gasoline leaking from the car fueled his panic.
Jared approached, lit a cigarette, and watched the terrified man. The man, drenched in blood, trembled and pleaded, "Have mercy! Please, have mercy!"
Jared crouched slowly, his gaze indifferent. "Who sent you?"
The man hesitated, unwilling to betray Kane and endanger his family in Summerbank.
Seeing his reluctance, Jared remained silent and turned to leave. As he walked away, the man gritted his teeth, "We work for the Whitaker family. Mr. Whitaker ordered it! Please, let me go!"
Jared stopped, unsurprised; he'd already suspected Kane's involvement. After a moment, he continued walking, casually tossing his cigarette behind him. The burning ember ignited the gasoline, creating a raging inferno.
The man's screams were agonizing, chilling everyone to the bone. Jared felt numb, his ruthlessness born from past experiences where compassion had backfired.
With a deafening boom, the car exploded, the assassins' bodies consumed by flames.
"Drive!" Jared ordered Tommy, returning to the car.
Tommy sped toward Yeringham as Josephine stared at Jared, fear etched on her face. The murderous intent had left him; seeing her expression, he smiled. "Is something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Jaredโฆ were you possessed? How did you do that?" she stammered, still reeling from witnessing his power.
"Nonsense! You haven't seen the extent of my might. Once we're married, you'll find out," he said with a cheeky smile.
Josephine blushed, glaring at him. "Stop being shameless! I haven't agreed to marry you yet!"
A few hours later, they arrived in Yeringham. The city was awash in the strong scent of drying herbs piled on either side of the streets. The locals were unfazed, accustomed to the aroma, but Josephine quickly covered her nose.
"What is that smell? It stinks!"
"That's the scent of drying herbs; it's incredibly nourishing," Jared explained, impressed by Yeringham's reputation as the City of Herbs. Almost every family cultivated herbs, and herbalists regularly gathered them from the nearby mountains. Regardless of rarity, any herb could be foundโfor a priceโin the numerous traditional medicine shops, each vying for customers with their unique wares.
"Tommy, let's get the car repaired first. We're attracting too much attention," Jared said, noticing the dragging rear bumper. They needed to fix it before continuing their journey.
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