A Knight's Journey: A Cultivator's Journey in a Superhuman's Modern World

Chapter 16 - Simple plans are always the best

[Re-edited: 30/11/2024]

Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.

Demian's P.O.V.

As the red SUV drove closer and closer to their penthouse, the three fell silent, worsening the already tense atmosphere, especially when they noticed the progressively shrinking distance between the Gotoya and themselves. 'It's really not as easy as those authors described it.' He thought wryly, recalling those numerous fantasy novels he read in his past life where the main characters met with danger constantly but were always able to effortlessly resolve them and even gain some benefits out of it. In the current situation, however, Demian felt incredibly nervous, realizing that he and his loved ones were in danger and that every single decision he and the two women made would influence the situation's outcome. It was humbling for him who had gathered much more confidence in his fighting skills after two weeks of intense combat training, a month of intense physical training, and all that through the help of his Physiology Perk.

In a sense, it was the perfect illustration of theory versus practice and something he would have had to go through at one point anyway. Taking a deep breath, he commented inwardly. 'I've died once already but I still took that bastard with me and that with neither the training, my Perk, or my current physical prowess... As long as I'm careful, I'm sure I can take on a few thugs by myself.' Despite sounding like he was trying to convince himself, the truth was that his assets were the real deal. From what he remembered, each Athlete in his previous life had specialized fields they trained in which promoted the extreme growth of certain body Attributes, like Stamina or flexibility. Naturally, the rest would also improve, but to a lower degree. As for himself, however, every single Attribute had reached a high level, whether it be his explosive power, strength, reaction time, etc. That meant that as long as he leveraged his balanced prowess, he would be able to contend against those Peak Athletes when it came to a fight, let alone a few random thugs. At least, as long as he did not let his fear take over his mind.

'If only I had one or two more months, I could have reached a much higher level of strength...' Letting out a wistful sigh, he simply decided to let it go since wishing for something impossible was simply wasting his brain power. A much better use of his time and energy would be to focus on the things he could actually influence. His train of thought was suddenly broken when Adeliya remarked. "We're almost there." The anxiousness he was sure she was experiencing was completely absent from her voice and if it was not for her long and delicate fingers turning pale from clenching the steering wheel too strongly, she would have deceived him successfully. 'Let's focus.' He declared inwardly before asking out loud. "Remember the plan? Once we get to the stop light, wait until it turns red and run it."

Nodding her head, the mature woman then focused on the road in front. 'Logically, they shouldn't try too hard to catch us during the daytime and in the middle of the street... But it's better to be safe than sorry. After all, not everyone thinks logically.' He pondered while his gaze moved from the stop light standing at the end of the long street they were driving on to the Gotoya still following behind them. 'We're on a one-way street with two cars on each of the two lanes between them and our car... It's even better than I expected.' He analyzed briefly, noting that they were now only less than a hundred meters from the Stop Light, the latter having just turned orange. "Slow down a bit, Aunty..." He instructed uselessly as the older woman had already done so without needing his instruction. As a former brain surgeon, the woman clearly possessed high intelligence. Unfortunately, intelligence did not always equate to wisdom, and many so-called smart people had no idea how to use that 'superior' brain power of theirs. Fortunately, his Adeliya was in the group of high intelligence and high wisdom, which relieved the young man.