The group of five not only represents the pinnacle of contemporary hero strength but also boasts strikingly attractive appearances.
Even with such exaggerated hair colors, the man before her carried it effortlessly, his handsomeness exuding an almost anachronistic sense of grandeur.
This hero's name was Thunderbolt, and his abilities were as obvious as his name suggested, placing him among the upper echelons of the five in terms of power.
At the moment, he was smiling as he eyed the plate in front of Shen Ying, his words carrying not a hint of jest.
Shen Ying didn’t even pause in cutting her steak. Instead, under his gaze, she brought a perfectly sized piece to her mouth.
After chewing thoroughly and swallowing, she finally asked, "Oh? Where did you see that?"
Thunderbolt could tell from her reaction that she didn’t believe him at all—not even a shred of hesitation.
A sense of frustration, like punching cotton, rose in him, but his expression remained unwavering as he declared, "When I passed by the kitchen."
"I’m fast. They didn’t even notice me when I went by, so they didn’t hold back—they poured poison right into the food in front of me."
Shen Ying glanced in the direction he claimed to have come from and shrugged. "Oh, from over there? Then you must’ve heard something even more important."
Thunderbolt: "What?"
Shen Ying: "You don’t know? Mr. Pierce found out you slept with his wife and ordered Adam to hunt you down and beat you to death."
Thunderbolt’s face instantly stiffened. Any thought of mischief vanished.
He’d only heard that Adam and Storm had suffered a setback at the hands of some ordinary woman today. When he asked Storm about it, the other had vaguely hinted that the real issue was a major company secret being exposed.
Now, learning that this woman had come to extort them and was still casually enjoying dinner in the restaurant, his heroic arrogance had made him want to test her.
But clearly, he’d underestimated her. Thunderbolt muttered reflexively, "How—? No! That old man couldn’t possibly—"
Shen Ying: "Couldn’t possibly find out you were sneaking around with his wife? True, with your abilities, avoiding his notice would’ve been easy."
One of Thunderbolt’s powers was freely manipulating electronic devices, coupled with speed second only to Adam’s.
Whether from a technological or human standpoint, his actions should’ve been untraceable.
Shen Ying: "But he knows now. He’s furious—didn’t you notice he left me, his important guest, to dine alone?"
Pierce was currently scrambling to gather an enormous sum of liquid funds, busy coordinating on all fronts.
So yes, he was occupied.
But how could Thunderbolt be sure what the man was actually busy with?
All his earlier bravado gone, Thunderbolt stared at Shen Ying with uneasy suspicion.
Shen Ying cut another piece of steak, glancing up at him. "How is it that you saw Mr. Pierce poisoning me but missed all this?"
Just then, the restaurant doors swung open, and Adam’s figure appeared at the entrance.
As one of the few who truly understood his nature, Thunderbolt knew all too well the terror lurking beneath Adam’s angelic exterior.
Right now, Adam was clearly in a foul mood—not a trace of a smile on his face, his aggression so palpable it made sensitive souls want to flee.
The moment he saw Adam, Thunderbolt didn’t hesitate to fold. "Bro, I know I messed up."
"I shouldn’t have slept with Pierce’s wife, but it’s not entirely my fault. You know I’ve got a thing for mature, passionate women. His wife invited me six times before I caved."
"This is Pierce’s fault. He left his unsatisfied wife right in front of me. If he hadn’t kept sending me to his house for errands, we’d never have crossed paths."
"I even tried to refuse. I hinted I didn’t want to run his pointless errands anymore, but what did he do?"
"He flaunted his authority, forcing me to do his grunt work just to assert his dominance over us."
"Adam, my brother, you know I’m not like you—I can’t just outright refuse Pierce."
"So how is this my fault? Help me out this once. Don’t come after me. As long as you don’t intervene, I’m confident I can handle anyone else."
Adam had originally come for the woman, eager to watch this arrogant fool get a brutal lesson from the ruthless Pierce.
But now Pierce was scrambling to gather funds in a panic.
And the moment he stepped into the restaurant, this idiot Thunderbolt had dumped a massive secret on him without even a greeting.
The look Adam gave Thunderbolt could only be described as three parts contempt, six parts disdain, and one part sheer bewilderment.
He cut straight to the point, voice dripping with impatience. "You slept with Pierce’s wife? What’s that got to do with me?"
Thunderbolt: "But isn’t he—"
Halfway through his sentence, Thunderbolt’s gaze sharpened like a blade as he turned to Shen Ying.
Adam, seeing his reaction, immediately realized the fool had been played.
His smile grew even more malicious as he stepped in front of Shen Ying, looking down at her. "Seems you know quite a few secrets."
"The company’s. Pierce’s personal ones. Storm’s. Thunderbolt’s."
"There must be others, right?"
Before Shen Ying could answer, Thunderbolt, now furious, cut in. "So Pierce doesn’t actually know?"
Shen Ying smiled. "He might not have before, but he definitely will now."
She glanced meaningfully at Adam.
Thunderbolt wouldn’t dare try to silence Adam even if he had ten lives. Thankfully, Adam had no interest in his affairs—for now.
But that wouldn’t last. Thunderbolt knew how sadistic Adam could be—he’d undoubtedly use this as leverage to torment and humiliate him later.
So, determined not to go down alone, Thunderbolt picked up Adam’s thread. "Yeah, whose else do you know?"
"Blaze’s? Frost’s? Or Adam’s?"
Shen Ying: "No need to worry. Your boss has already bought my silence—a cool five billion dollars. I’ll keep all your secrets to myself."
"Not a word to anyone."
Thunderbolt: "Bullshit! You just spilled mine!"
Shen Ying: "Didn’t you out yourself? I only mentioned it to you—that doesn’t count as leaking, does it?"
Thunderbolt was left speechless. Adam, annoyed by the idiot’s constant interruptions, grabbed him by the collar and, with speed surpassing a bullet’s, hauled him to the window.
Then, without hesitation, he hurled Thunderbolt out from the 80th floor.
By the time he returned to Shen Ying, less than a second had passed.
Shen Ying, now finished with her meal, signaled for the waiter to clear the plates.
She then turned leisurely to Adam. "Something you needed?"
Adam suddenly smiled. "Nothing urgent. Just thought it’d be ungentlemanly to let a beautiful woman go home alone at night."
Shen Ying: "No need. Five billion beats chivalry any day."
Even though it wasn’t his money, Adam stiffened slightly. Then, with a mix of charm and coercion, he took Shen Ying’s hand and placed it on his arm.
"Care to join me for a drink?"
