World Domination Begins With Getting a System in a Modern World-Chapter 39: Clashing With The Past (2) [Edited]

James chuckled and said nothing in reply, but the look on his face told Brian all needed to be said.

The air around them grew heavier, and now, the crowd in the mall had started to take notice of the rising tension between the two of them.

Brian’s expression darkened, with his fingers twitching at his side.

"You know what?" Brian hissed, stepping closer until their faces were merely inches apart.

"You know, I just wanted to have a little fun today, maybe take that fancy, cheap new car of yours for a spin. But you’re making this difficult, James. Just let me have the damn keys, and we won’t have any problems," Brian said, with an intimidating voice, but he didn’t get the reaction he wanted, as James stared at him, utterly unimpressed.

"Brian, I would rather set my car on fire and watch it burn to the ground before I let you so much as touch the door handle," James said, with a calm voice, before turning to look away.

To Brian, James’ expression was like he was tired of paying attention to a fly that had been buzzing around him, and it infuriated him to no end.

His expression twisted in anger. The laughter from his lackeys died down, realizing that their leader was getting more pissed by the second.

"You really think you’re some kind of badass, huh?" Brian said, voice low with barely contained aggression. "You think just because you’re dressed nice, riding in a nice car, that you’re better than me?"

"Why do I have to ’think’ it when I already know it?" James replied coolly.

Brian couldn’t control himself anymore and he snapped. His hand shot out, grabbing James by the collar, yanking him forward roughly.

"You better watch your mouth, you little—"

The second Brian’s fingers curled around James’ collar, everything in James’ mind went blank.

There was no hesitation. No pause

And with just pure, instinctive reaction, James slapped Brian’s hand away with force, knocking his grip loose so aggressively that Brian stumbled a step back.

A flicker of surprise crossed Brian’s face, then, it quickly turned into anger.

"You little sh*t!" Brian snarled, as he swung his fist.

James’ eyes darkened the next moment and the world around him slowed. The distant sounds in the mall, the murmurs of the gathered crowd, even the flickering advertisements on the store walls — all of it faded into the background.

Brian had made a mistake.

A serious one and James didn’t hesitate to teach him a lesson.

He moved like a viper, his fist slamming into Brian’s face with brutal and unrestrained force.

The sickening crunch of cartilage breaking filled the air as Brian stumbled back, blood splattering onto the tiled floor.

A strangled grunt escaped his lips as he clutched his nose, his eyes wide in shock.

Before Brian could even process what had happened, James closed the distance again.

A second punch and this time, straight to his gut.

Brian doubled over, gasping for air, his knees buckling beneath him.

But James didn’t stop as he grabbed Brian by the hair and yanked him up, his knee colliding with his jaw in a devastating strike.

Brian hit the floor like a sack of bricks.

And then the screams started.

"Boss!" One of Brian’s lackeys shouted, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Get him!" Another yelled.

The moment Brian’s boys realized what had happened, they charged at James.

James smirked. With the amount of adrenaline that was currently rushing through his body, Brian’s lackeys movements were too slow.

The first one swung his fist wildly. A very stupid mistake.

James ducked under the punch, driving his elbow into the idiot’s ribs with enough force to send him crumpling to the ground, gasping for air.

Another rushed him from the side, aiming to tackle him but James sidestepped easily, grabbing the back of the guy’s neck and slamming his face into a nearby bench.

The sickening thud of flesh against metal made a few onlookers gasp in horror.

Two down.

The third and fourth hesitated for a fraction of a second, but James was already on them.

He kicked the nearest one in the knee, sending him collapsing with a pained scream.

The last one attempted to throw a punch, but James caught his wrist mid-air and twisted it hard.

The snap of the bone was loud, followed by an ear-piercing scream.

Bodies littered the floor around him, groaning in pain. James stood among them, with heavy breathing and bloodied knuckles.

The entire mall had gone silent but the tension was suffocating.

Shoppers stood frozen, employees peered from behind counters, and even the security guards seemed momentarily too stunned to react.

And then, all at once, chaos erupted.

Security guards rushed forward, yelling as they struggled to contain the situation. Two of them grabbed James by the arms, trying to restrain him, but he barely even resisted.

More security personnel hurried to check on Brian and his battered lackeys, some of whom were still writhing on the floor.

"Let me go," James muttered, but the guards held him firm.

"Sir, you need to calm down," one of them said sternly, tightening his grip.

Before James could reply, he heard familiar voices cutting through the noise.

"James!"

His head snapped to the side, and there they were — Patty and Leslie, pushing through the crowd, eyes filled with shock and worry.

They reached him just as the security guards held him firmly in place.

Leslie’s eyes darted around, taking in the scene. The blood on the floor. The groaning bodies, Brian, barely able to sit up, wiping the blood dripping from his mouth.

Her expression darkened when she saw Brian, as she immediately understood what had happened.

Patty’s expression also shifted from shock to anger, when she saw Brian.

Brian lifted his head to look at the owners of the two familiar voices.

Despite the damage he had taken, he still had that same arrogant, twisted smirk.

He wiped his bloody lips with the back of his hand, then looked at Patty and Leslie. And then, his smirk widened.

"Ohhh," he sneered, his voice hoarse but filled with mocking amusement. "I get it now."

Brian chuckled, ignoring the pain in his ribs as he tilted his head.

"You were acting all tough and manly because you were out with your little... hoes."

Silence.

The entire mall froze.

Patty’s breath hitched immediately and Leslie stiffened beside her, her hands balling into tight fists.

The air turned ice-cold and James’ vision blurred.

The only thing in his mind, the only thought that consumed every part of his being, was the desire to kill this bastard.

To rip him apart.

To end him.

The security guards holding James must have felt the shift in his body, because their grips tightened immediately, sensing what was about to happen.

James barely even registered them.

His entire focus was on Brian.

His fingers twitched and his breathing slowed.

And then, in a voice so quiet, so deathly cold, that it sent a bone-chilling shudder through everyone in earshot, James spoke.

"I will kill him."

The way he said it. The sheer, undiluted rage in his tone.

Even Brian — the cocky, arrogant Brian — felt it.

And for the first time that day, fear flickered in his eyes.

James didn’t need to raise his voice. He didn’t need to make threats.

Because everyone who heard those words — every single person in that mall — knew that it wasn’t a bluff.

It was a promise.

Brian swallowed thickly, the smirk twitching on his lips.

He quickly masked his hesitation with a scoff, forcing out a laugh.

"Yeah, whatever, man," he muttered, standing up with effort, clutching his ribs. "You’re not worth my time."

But his voice wasn’t as steady as before.

James didn’t say anything as he just watched.

Brian turned, motioning for his remaining lackeys — who were still groaning on the floor — to follow him.

The crowd slowly parted as they limped away.

The security guards finally loosened their hold on James, sensing that, for now, the storm had passed.

But has it actually passed? James’ expression says otherwise.

James’ fists trembled at his sides, his nails digging into his palms.

Leslie touched his arm gently. "Come on, James. Let’s just finish shopping."

For a long time, James didn’t move.

Then, finally, he inhaled deeply, exhaled, and nodded.

"...Yeah. Let’s go."

But in his mind, one thing was clear: This was far from over and Brian will pay.