BXBX NOVEL Chapter 124: Kean's Malevolent Intent
The fact that both Howard and Benjamin had joined forces to thwart him indicated a clear disapproval from the higher echelons of the Federation regarding his current actions.
Kean understood that it was highly probable the federal authorities had already dispatched a formidable squad to support Moonlight City.
Thus, his vendetta needed to be executed before the reinforcements arrived.
Relying on the intelligence he had previously gathered, Kean quickly pinpointed the residence of Jeremy's friends. The first person he targeted was Ritchie.
At this moment, Ritchie was still engrossed in his video games at home.
He was so absorbed that he didn't even hear the ringtone of his phone, thereby missing the chance to prepare himself in advance.
Kean forcefully kicked down the door and stormed into Ritchie's room.
"You must be Ritchie, right? I've finally found you!" he declared.
Faced with Kean's sudden intrusion, Ritchie was utterly panic-stricken.
However, despite his fear, he managed to muster some degree of defense. He immediately summoned his shadows, combining them to form a sturdy barrier.
Under normal circumstances, Ritchie's shadow barrier would have been sufficient to fend off an opponent's attack.
However, Ritchie had clearly underestimated Kean's prowess.
With a single punch, Kean shattered the shadow barrier effortlessly. The sheer force of his punch was so overwhelming that, even after demolishing the barrier, the residual shockwave sent Ritchie hurtling across the room.
He only came to a stop after crashing into the wall.
"It seems your abilities are quite lacking. How did you even become friends with Jeremy? Could it be that your role has always been to sing his praises?" Kean sneered.
In Kean's view, only those with comparable strength to his own were worthy of being his friends. Naturally, he assumed that Jeremy shared a similar perspective. Initially, he believed that Jeremy's friends would possess abilities close to Jeremy's level.
However, after encountering Ritchie, he began to realize that his judgment might have been flawed. "If the rest of Jeremy's friends are as weak as you, it appears I have little to worry about. My timeline seems to be quite ample after all." he mused, a cold smile spreading across his face.
Ritchie's abilities posed no threat to Kean whatsoever, they couldn't even slow him down.
If the rest of Jeremy's friends were on par with Ritchie's level of strength, Kean's mission would face no obstacles. Consequently, he wouldn't have to worry about the reinforcements dispatched by the federal authorities.
As his vengeance would be complete before they even arrived.
"Where are Jeremy's other friends? You must know Emma and Claire, right?"
Kean pinned Ritchie against the wall, beginning to interrogate him about the whereabouts of the other two.
Although Ritchie had no idea what was happening, he understood that divulging Emma and Claire's locations to this man would be disastrous.
Thus, he simply glared at Kean, refusing to utter a single word.
"Do you seriously think your silence will help you? Do you believe that if you don't tell me where they are, I won't find them?" Kean sneered.
With those words, Kean placed his right hand on Ritchie's head and began to utilize a skill he had acquired from a bizarre instance.
[Memory Extraction Technique]
The [Memory Extraction Technique] was an exceptionally challenging skill, one that required an immense amount of mental strength to execute. Fortunately for Kean, he possessed a formidable mind, making him more than capable of wielding such a technique.
As Kean employed the [Memory Extraction Technique], Ritchie felt as if all the information stored in his mind was being forcibly drawn out. This caused him to experience excruciating headaches.
It was only after an indeterminate amount of time that Kean finally ceased the use of the technique.
"I now know exactly where Emma and Claire are. You're coming with me to find them!" Kean declared, before promptly placing Ritchie into a specially-prepared miniature prison.
The miniature prison was a small, palm-sized box capable of shrinking humans and confining them within its confines.
Kean had no intention of killing Ritchie outright, as he believed that such an action would fail to satiate his thirst for vengeance. His plan was to locate all of Jeremy's friends and exact his revenge on them methodically.
Although Ritchie attempted to utilize his shadow manipulation skills to counterattack, his efforts were in vain and achieved no success.
"The fact that you can control shadows is somewhat surprising. However, these skills are nothing more than trivial tricks. They pose no threat to me whatsoever."
Kean remarked coldly before imprisoning Ritchie in the miniature prison.
Meanwhile, as Kean advanced towards the location of Emma and Claire, the two of them were anxiously discussing their next course of action.
Prior to this moment, both Emma and Claire had already received a phone call from Benjamin.
They were acutely aware that Kean was en route to their residence. In terms of combat abilities, neither of them stood a chance against Kean.
"Emma, what do you think we should do now? Should we find a place to hide?" Claire's expression was one of sheer panic.
Although she was a psychiatrist, she had never encountered a situation as dire as this.
In contrast, Emma had spent considerably more time with Jeremy and had collaborated with him extensively, especially after the apocalypse had descended.
Emma possessed the capability to handle such unexpected crises.
Despite Claire's frantic inquiry, Emma herself appeared somewhat flustered.
However, she managed to suppress her inner turmoil and responded, "Leaving the Flip-Flop Community is not an option for us now. Kean is already within the community, and if we recklessly try to leave, he will undoubtedly find us.
Therefore, we must locate a secure hiding place within the community. I know of a safe spot—the library nearby. Kean is unlikely to search there."
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's hurry!" Claire exclaimed.
Both Claire and Emma headed towards what they believed to be the safest location at the fastest pace possible.
However, midway through their journey, they unexpectedly encountered Kean.
While Claire did not recognize Kean's face, Emma certainly did. Upon seeing him, Emma immediately shouted to Claire, "I'll hold him off. You run!"
After uttering those words, Emma immediately cast an offensive spell towards Kean.
However, her attack proved utterly ineffective, as the disparity in power between her and Kean was overwhelmingly vast. With minimal effort, Kean swiftly defeated Emma.
At this point, Claire had not managed to get very far. Kean effortlessly caught up with her as well. "Your combined strength is truly underwhelming. However, I must admit, both of you possess extraordinary beauty."
Kean remarked, gazing at their delicate features with a tinge of admiration after subduing them.
Initially, Kean's intent was merely to punish Jeremy's friends. He had never anticipated that among them would be individuals of such striking appearance.
A malevolent thought suddenly crossed Kean's mind.
He reasoned that if he could possess these two women, it would be an even greater victory in his vendetta against Jeremy.
Kean slowly approached Emma and, with a suggestive tone, whispered to her.
"You are indeed a very beautiful woman. Why align yourself with Jeremy? You could align yourself with me instead. Not only can I enhance your abilities further, but I can also provide you with other benefits."
As Kean spoke, his tone was laden with insinuation.
Sensing Kean's intentions, Emma loudly retorted.
"I will never cooperate with you! Besides, you are nowhere near Jeremy's league, you pale in comparison to him!"
Emma's defiant words successfully incensed Kean.
In a fit of rage, he slapped Emma across the face and then turned his gaze towards Claire.
"Regarding you, I have gathered quite a bit more information. You are Jeremy's psychiatrist, correct? Besides offering him psychiatric help, do you also collaborate with him in other ways?"
Kean inquired, his voice dripping with curiosity. Claire, however, remained silent, her eyes glaring at Kean with fierce intensity.
"It seems you both are indeed fiercely loyal to Jeremy. Since you refuse to cooperate with me, I see no reason to show you any mercy!"
With that, Kean decided to bind Emma and Claire together.
"I'll take you both back with me. I have all the time in the world to persuade you to switch allegiances and abandon Jeremy." he declared with a sinister grin.
Emma and Claire found themselves engulfed in a wave of despair, unsure of how to react or what actions to take. It seemed unlikely that any rescue would come their way.
Just then, a loud explosion erupted from the miniature prison device Kean carried.
In the midst of the ensuing darkness, Ritchie finally broke free from the miniature prison, followed closely by a legion of his allies.
"Kean, your arrogance will be your downfall! The only reason you defeated me before was because you ambushed me. In a fair fight, I assure you, I won't lose."
Ritchie proclaimed, his eyes locked onto Kean with unwavering determination and his tone resolute.