Humbleism – Part 2

Section 1: Humbleism Inc.

Brian stepped forward and squeezed one of Pastor Simon’s pecs. His fingers barely sank in—the thing was almost solid muscle.

“Hey, Simon. Long time no see.” Brian grinned. “Your boobs are as humongous as ever.”

Pastor Simon wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I thought my throat was gone for good. But turns out I’m still at full HP. Not even a scratch. Good thing you guys showed up in time.”

Dinello walked toward them, his eyes burning with confusion.

“You owe me some answers. Why is this cult—this Humbleism—linked to your Humble Organization? And who the hell is this Pastor Semen guy?”

Brian crossed his arms. “Humbleism has been one of our key revenue-generating operations for several years. As of this fiscal year, it accounts for roughly twenty percent of the Humble Organization’s total revenue.”

He nodded toward Simon. “He’s the pastor. And also the CEO.”

Dinello’s jaw dropped. “…Huh? Say what?”

Brian smirked. “Come on, Dinello. Humbleism and Humble Organization? You really didn’t connect the dots? A normal person figures that out in under a second.”

Brian gave him a dismissive look.

“I’ve known you for years. Your strength and speed are formidable, I’ll give you that. But your IQ? Strictly—lower tier.”

Dinello clenched his fists.

“You son of a—”

Brian continued.

“We’ve been watching you from the tree above. Based on the latest assessment from my Golden Eyes, your projected probability of victory against us today is…”

He paused.

“Negative zero percent.”

A vein bulged on Dinello’s temple.

“What the hell does ‘negative zero’ even mean?! You could’ve just said zero!”

Brian didn’t bother answering.

Michael stepped forward and calmly removed his golden-rimmed glasses.

“What Brian is trying to convey,” he said, wiping one lens with his sleeve, “is that your intellectual capacity leaves much to be desired.”

Dinello stared at him blankly. He could clearly tell Michael was speaking English, but somehow, he hadn’t understood a single word.

“…What?”

Michael slipped his glasses back on.

“In simpler terms, he means you’re stupid.”

Section 2: Captain Lam with Human Shield

Michael calmly set down his briefcase and stepped forward. He casually gave Brian and Pastor Simon a hand signal.

“Please, step back. I can handle him myself. Just sit back and enjoy the show.”

The two walked off and stopped under the shade of a large tree.

Michael turned his attention to Dinello and slowly cracked his knuckles. “I used to fight this idiot quite a lot back in the day. My win rate against him was around 70–75%. But today…”

Michael walked over to Pastor Simon and took Kyle from him. He gripped Kyle tightly around the neck and lifted him off the ground without the slightest concern for his comfort, completely dehumanizing him.

Kyle’s face tightened subtly from the pressure around his throat, but he remained completely stiff and unresponsive.

Michael raised him in front of himself like a shield.

“I’d say my chance of victory is 200%.”

Brian immediately started clapping. “Oh yeah, baby.” He chuckled. “Now that’s what I call style. Captain Lam at it again!”

Pastor Simon watched Michael’s tight grip around Kyle’s neck with slight concern. “Hey, be careful with my beloved shield. Don’t break it.”

Dinello stared at them in disbelief. His old friend was hanging from Michael’s hand by the neck, reduced to nothing more than a weapon. Kyle simply hung there, showing no resistance, no anger, and no fear.

A cold fury surged through Dinello.

Without hesitation, he combined the second and third forms of Total Concentration Breathing. In a flash, he zigzagged across the ground and vanished from Michael’s sight, appearing directly behind him.

Dinello drove his fist forward like a Shadow Strike, aiming straight for Michael’s back.

At the last instant, Michael spun around and deliberately drove Kyle straight into Dinello’s incoming fist, showing not the slightest concern for the shield’s well-being.

BAM!

Dinello’s fist slammed directly into Kyle’s abdomen.

Kyle remained completely stiff. His face twitched slightly from the impact as white foam burst from the corner of his mouth.

Dinello’s eyes widened.

“Oh, fuck! You’re gonna kill Kyle!”

That moment of distraction was all Michael needed.

Michael pulled Kyle aside and immediately stepped into the opening, slamming his fist into Dinello’s jaw with tremendous force.

CRACK!

Dinello’s jaw broke instantly. His mouth dropped open as his entire body was blasted backward and crashed onto the ground. He skidded across the dirt for more than thirty meters before finally grinding to a stop.

Blood covered his face, and his Zhongshan suit had been badly torn and shredded from the violent slide. Dinello struggled back to his feet, already badly injured.

Michael calmly adjusted his golden-rimmed glasses.

“Your emotions dictate your every move, Dinello. As long as sentiment clouds your judgment, you will never become a true warrior.”

He looked at him coldly.

“And that is why you will never defeat me.”

Section 3: C-Cup Pecs

About twenty meters ahead, the battle between Michael and Dinello continued, with Michael clearly holding the upper hand.

Brian and Pastor Simon stood beneath the shade of the large tree, watching from a distance.

Brian suddenly reached over and slid his hand down the opening of Simon’s shirt, feeling his broad chest.

“Huh…” Brian gave one of his pecs a thoughtful squeeze. “Last time I checked, they were like B-cups. Now you’re getting into C-cup territory.”

He squeezed again.

“But they’re hard and bouncy, completely lacking the softness of a woman’s breast.”

Brian’s Golden Eyes flashed for a moment.

“Hmm. Based on my calculations, those massive pecs provide tremendous defensive power.”

Pastor Simon calmly pulled Brian’s hand out of his shirt.

“They’re pure muscle. I do a thousand push-ups every day and consume a massive amount of protein. I put a lot of time and effort into building these.”

Brian chuckled. Of course, he already knew that.

But those massive pecs weren’t built for defense alone.

Together with Simon’s powerful shoulders and triceps, they could generate tremendous explosive force through his arms. That physical strength, combined with his extraordinary precision, had once made Pastor Simon one of the Humble Organization’s most dangerous ranged combatants.

In his hands, even an ordinary stone could become a deadly projectile.

Brian glanced at Simon.

“You ever think about coming back? Boss Colin still talks about you sometimes. You were one of our top Executioners. He still thinks highly of your specialty—long-range precision throwing.”

Simon shook his head.

“Nah. I’m done with killing people. These days, I’d rather stay in one place, get worshiped and adored, and brainwash my flock.”

Brian stared at him for a moment.

“Humble as always, Pastor.”

Simon turned his attention back to the fight.

Michael was still controlling the battle, while Dinello was clearly getting more exhausted and injured with every exchange.

Brian watched for a few seconds, then glanced down at the ground. Several stones were scattered around the base of the tree.

He crouched down, examined a few of them, then selected one about the size of an apple.

“This one should do.”

Brian tossed it over.

Simon caught the stone with one hand. He rolled it between his fingers, then bounced it lightly in his palm a few times, testing its weight and balance.

Brian watched him with a slight grin.

“Still got that familiar feeling?”

Simon looked down at the stone, slowly turning it between his fingers.

“Never lost it.”

Section 4: The Flawless Execution

As Simon slowly turned the stone between his fingers, an old memory returned.

Many years ago, back when Simon still worked as an Executioner for the Humble Organization, he and Brian had been assigned an assassination mission.

Neither of them could even remember why the man had been marked for execution.

But they remembered the mission.

The target had gone to extreme lengths to stay alive, pouring enormous amounts of money and manpower into his protection. He was hidden inside a heavily fortified safe house with no windows, thick reinforced-concrete walls, and layers of fencing around the property.

Armed guards surrounded the entire block, while highly skilled fighters were stationed both inside and outside the safe house around the clock.

A direct assault was nearly impossible, so Boss Colin assigned Brian and Simon to eliminate the target from extreme range.

They climbed to the fifteenth floor of an unfinished building nearly one kilometer away.

From there, the safe house looked tiny.

Brian studied it through a pair of binoculars, his Golden Eyes analyzing the distance, wind speed and direction, and the thickness of the concrete walls.

After several minutes, he knelt down and spread a large sheet of paper across the floor, filling it with a rough diagram, numbers, angles, and calculations.

“According to the intelligence from the Humble Organization, the target should be right here.”

Brian marked a point on the diagram. Once he finished, he casually tossed the pen aside and handed the paper to Simon.

“There you go.”

Simon studied it.

“Thanks. From this distance, hitting the exact spot would be difficult. But with the data from your Golden Eyes, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Brian handed him an apple-sized stone.

Simon turned it over in his hand.

“By the way, we have long-range weapons, don’t we? Why exactly are we doing this with a rock?”

Brian pointed toward the safe house.

“Those walls are thick reinforced concrete. Our conventional weapons can’t penetrate them. Boss Colin believes you’re the only one who can break through this flawless defense.”

“So basically, you want me to throw this through that wall from a kilometer away and hit a man I can’t even see?”

“Exactly.”

Simon’s expression turned serious.

“Well, this isn’t gonna be easy. I’m gonna have to give it everything I’ve got.”

He stepped toward the edge and planted his feet. His grip tightened around the stone as he pulled his throwing arm back. His massive pecs hardened beneath his shirt, while his shoulder and triceps swelled with power.

RRRIP!

The sleeve around his throwing arm split open, followed by the front of his shirt as his massive chest expanded against the fabric.

Brian took a few steps back.

Simon glanced at the diagram one last time, locked his eyes on the distant safe house, and threw.

BOOM!

The air exploded around his arm. Spiderweb cracks instantly spread across the concrete beneath his feet.

The stone shot across the sky like a miniature meteor, trailing a long stream of sparks behind it. A deep, thunderous roar rolled through the air as the entire building trembled from the force of the throw.

Nearly one kilometer away—

BOOM!

The stone blasted straight through the reinforced-concrete wall.

Inside the safe house, it tore directly through the target’s heart before smashing through the opposite wall.

BOOM!

The stone burst back into the open air and continued flying until it finally slammed into the ground far beyond the safe house.

KABOOOM!

The impact erupted across an area nearly the size of a basketball court. Dirt, broken pavement, and debris exploded into the air as a massive cloud of dust rose above the impact site.

This time, the entire city seemed to shake like an earthquake.

Brian checked the safe house through his binoculars. His Golden Eyes flashed.

“Direct hit.”

He gave Simon a thumbs-up.

“Flawless execution.”

Section 5: Breaking the Kneecap

Simon looked down at the stone in his hand as the old memory faded.

Then he raised his eyes toward the fight. Michael was still dominating Dinello. Captain Lam remained completely unharmed, while Dinello was breathing heavily, his body covered in blood and injuries.

Simon glanced at Brian. “So, how’s it looking?”

Brian’s Golden Eyes flashed as he watched the battle. “Captain Lam is still in complete control. Dinello’s getting slower, his injuries are piling up, and his chances of turning this around are basically zero.”

Brian yawned. “But damn, this is taking forever.”

He watched the fight for a few more seconds, then pointed at the stone in Simon’s hand.

“Why don’t you just end this?”

Simon raised an eyebrow. “Throw this at Dinello? You want me to end his miserable life?”

Brian waved a hand. “No, no, relax. Nobody said anything about killing him. Just aim for his kneecap.”

Simon looked at Dinello’s legs in the distance. “Just the kneecap?”

Brian nodded casually. “Yep. We don’t need him dead. Besides, killing Dinello would cause unnecessary trouble with the Frugal Organization.”

Simon nodded. “Fair enough.”

He rolled the stone between his fingers once, then shifted his stance and locked his eyes onto Dinello’s knee. This time, there was no massive buildup. Simon simply pulled his arm back—

and threw.

WHOOSH!

The stone shot through the air, but it didn’t travel in a straight line. It swept into a wide curve, bent sharply back in the opposite direction, and carved an S-shaped path through the air like a snake.

It curved around Michael’s body by only a few inches before suddenly changing direction again toward Dinello.

Michael remained completely unfazed.

Dinello didn’t even notice the stone—

CRACK!

It tore straight through his kneecap, shattering it on impact.

Dinello immediately dropped to his knees, clutching his shattered leg.

“ARGHHH!”

For a moment, his vision blurred. He remained kneeling on the ground, completely wide open.

Dinello was now in grave danger.

Section 6: The Frugal Ace

Michael calmly walked toward Dinello and stopped in front of him. He adjusted his golden-rimmed glasses.

“You’ve always been stubborn, Dinello. I’m giving you a warning this time. Never interfere with the Humble Organization’s business again. Otherwise, next time, I’ll break your other kneecap.”

Before Dinello could respond, a blur suddenly flashed between them.

Michael’s eyes widened. He immediately jumped backward—

SWISH!

Five razor-sharp claws swept past him. Michael managed to avoid the full strike, but the tips still raked across his arm, tearing through his sleeve and leaving five bloody claw marks across his skin.

He landed several meters away. Even Brian’s Golden Eyes had barely caught the movement.

Michael glanced at the bloody scratches on his arm, then raised his eyes toward the attacker. A tall woman now stood beside Dinello. Her medium-short hair framed an angular, almost beast-like face, while her Zhongshan suit hung open over the familiar pink bra. Five long claws extended from her fingertips.

It was Lindsay.

Lindsay glanced down at Dinello’s shattered knee. Without saying a word, she grabbed him with one arm and lifted him off the ground, then turned toward Michael and snapped her leg forward in a powerful kick.

Michael immediately raised Kyle in front of himself.

BAM!

Lindsay’s foot slammed directly into Kyle’s back. The impact caved his back inward, and blood burst from his mouth, spraying across Michael’s face and golden-rimmed glasses. Kyle’s eyes rolled upward as his entire body went limp.

Using the force of the kick, Lindsay launched herself backward with Dinello under one arm. In only a few seconds, she had already carried him nearly fifty meters away.

Simon’s eyes narrowed. He bent down and picked up another stone, but before he could throw it, Brian reached out and stopped his arm.

“That’s enough. Our job here is done. There’s no reason to escalate this any further.”

Brian looked toward Lindsay and Dinello in the distance. “Besides, that woman is the current Ace of the Frugal Organization. If she comes back looking for a real fight, even the three of us might have trouble dealing with her.”

Michael looked down at Kyle, who was still hanging limply from his hand. Blood covered Kyle’s mouth, and his body gave a faint twitch.

“Oh, this thing is broken.”

He casually tossed Kyle aside.

THUD.

Kyle hit the ground, his entire body twitching uncontrollably.

Brian walked over and glanced down at him. “Should we call an ambulance?”

Michael adjusted his golden-rimmed glasses. “No need. He’s expendable. Let’s go.”

Michael turned and walked away, and Brian followed him. Pastor Simon remained where he was, looking down at Kyle as his body continued to twitch on the ground.

After a brief silence, Simon pulled out his phone.

“I’ll call an ambulance.”

Brian glanced back at him, slightly confused.

Simon looked down at Kyle again. “After all… I did make him. He was my best brainwashing masterpiece.”

He dialed 911.