“What?” The sudden accusation took Dustin aback. “Dominic is dead?”
“That’s right. It’s all your fault, you murderer!” Gianna shouted angrily. “Don’t be stupid. What does his death have to do with me? Don’t pin the blame on me,” Dustin replied.
“Stop lying! Dominic wouldn’t have died if it weren’t for your tricks!” Gianna shouted.
“Did you think we won’t discover that you intentionally kept the lever at the max so you could trick Dominic into entering the pressure machine. The moment the door closed, Dominic exploded!” Devon growled.
Dustin was speechless by their stupid accusations. He had merely forgotten to return the lever to its initial position. 1
How could he have known that someone would be stupid enough to start the machine without looking at the lever?
He had never met such a dumb bunch. It was ridiculous that he was blamed for such an ignorant incident.
“First of all, I didn’t plan anything, so I had nothing to do with Dominic’s death. He died because of his actions alone.” Dustin held his hand open.
“Yeah, right! I know you did it on purpose!” Gianna didn’t believe a word he said.
“I’ve already explained myself. You can decide whether to believe me.” Dustin couldn’t be bothered to continue talking to those idiots.
“You’ve got guts, kid. How dare you walk away like nothing happened after killing someone?” Just then, a man in black emerged from the crowd.
Although the man looked ordinary, the sword he was holding gave off an imposing air. This man was the first disciple of Steeljaws Fellowship, Jared Yancy.
“And where did you come from?” Dustin raised an eyebrow.
“How rude! This is Jared. He’s one of the five martial artists competing today!” Devon shouted.
“So what?” Dustin shrugged.
“You might have some skills, kid, but that’s far from enough if you want to challenge me. Dominic’s death can’t be in vain, so you’ll have to pay up!” Jared retorted icily.
“What kind of payment do you want?” Dustin put on a fake smile.
“If you break both arms, I’ll let you live,” Jared demanded.
“Are all Boulderthorn people crazy or something? First, you randomly accuse me of something I didn’t do. Then demand I break my hands. Did you think I’ll do it?” Dustin shot them a disdainful look.
“I’m giving you a chance right now. You won’t just be breaking two arms if I have to do it myself.”
Jared threatened.
He drew his sword lightly, exposing the razor-sharp blade as a warning.
“You better not cross the line!” Abigail snapped, unable to control her anger. She stepped forward and put herself in front of Dustin.
“Shut up! You have no right to talk!” Gianna slapped Abigail hard, leaving a visible palm print.
Dustin’s face darkened, and his blood boiled. But before he could do anything, there was a shadow as something flew toward Gianna’s arm.
It was a black venomous snake!
“Aargh!” Startled, Gianna flung the snake to the ground and crushed it to death.
The spot where the snake had bitten her had already turned black. It was easy to tell that the snake was incredibly venomous.
“Who was it? Who snuck up on us?”
The Steeljaws Fellowship disciples looked around furiously. They couldn’t believe someone had used such a dirty move!
“I did it.” Azalea stepped out from behind Dustin, a cold smile on her face. “She should pay the price for slapping my sister.”
“Give us the antidote!” Jared ordered.
The venom had already spread to the rest of Gianna’s arm. It would spread to the rest of her organs in another three minutes.
“There is no antidote. The only way to save her is to slice off her arm to stop the venom from spreading.” Azalea grinned.
An eye for an eye, a slap for an arm. It was a good deal.
“You’re dead meat!” Furious, Jared drew his blade, about to attack.
“Stop!”
Patrick stepped forward and took out the Hill family emblem. “Today’s the Knighthood Society Tournament! Participants are not allowed to engage in personal fights!”
Jared gritted his teeth but eventually lowered his sword. He didn’t have a choice since this was the Knighthood Society Tournament, and he was afraid of Patrick.
“Save me, Jared! I don’t want to die!”
