Besides, it was the holiday season and I did not want to waste my time arguing with him.

“Guess it’s just my bad luck today. Let’s fix our own car and move on,” I said, swallowing my anger.

However, Gabriel’s woman thought I was backing down. She pointed at my face and scolded, “You little bastard! The last guy who crossed my man ended up dead! Are you still thinking about going home for the holidays? You are so dead!”

She rushed to help Gabriel up to his feet, her face filled with concern.

Once he was steady, he gave me a sinister smirk and made a call.

“Get everyone to come over to Jacksboro City’s expressway now!”

The people around them were stunned.

A few truck drivers quickly came over to warn me.

“Kid, you don’t know how powerful Mr. Jenkins is. You’d better apologize or you really might not leave this place alive.”

“Yeah. Don’t ruin your future just because you care about your reputation. You won’t be able to run away once you’re surrounded!”

It was Gabriel’s fault, so why should I be the one apologizing?

Just because that person had money and power, they could bend the law, blame others, and trample over their dignity?

If that was the case…

I shot Gabriel a cold stare. “I would love to see how you plan to destroy me.”

His face turned pale with rage, then flushed red. Grinding his teeth, he shouted, “So you’re going to keep acting tough, huh? Just you wait!”

With that, he stormed back to his car in fury.

I ignored his threats. I got back in my car and texted my dad, letting him know I would be late getting home.

However, not even a minute later, my whole car jolted violently. I turned around and saw Gabriel’s Maybach pressed up against the side of my car. He was stomping on the gas, teeth clenched, eyes filled with hatred.

The power of his engine shoved my car forward several meters, grinding it against the highway guardrail. On the other side of that rail was a cliff, and one of my wheels was already hanging in midair.

He rolled down his window. “You piece of shit! You like getting in my way, huh? Let’s see how much you like dying!”

My face darkened. I immediately started the car engine, trying to accelerate and escape.

Seeing that, Gabriel slammed even harder on the gas. The force of his car pushed into my car with a screeching sound, so hard that the guardrail began to bend, groaning with strain.

“Gabriel, are you insane?! This is attempted murder!”

“Murder?” Gabriel sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.

“You’d better watch your mouth. That’s slander and I could sue you for that. That happened just because my brakes failed, and you were the one who blocked my way.

“But hey, don’t worry. Once you’re dead, to thank you for sacrificing your life to save me, I’ll send your family ten grand as a token of appreciation. Oh wait! Ten grand’s a bit too much for a worthless life like yours. I think three thousand dollars should cover it.”

Clang!

The railing shook violently. It was bending and on the verge of breaking.

Just as disaster loomed, my engine finally roared to life. I slammed the gas pedal, and the car dashed forward, breaking free from the crushing pressure.

Upon seeing this, Gabriel’s face twisted with panic. He stomped the brake repeatedly before finally managing to stop his car.

However, as his wheels screeched to a halt, he ran over a shard of broken glass that flew up and embedded itself deep in my thigh. I gritted my teeth as pain shot through me.

Gabriel stormed over, cursing loudly, “I was trying to crash into your car and you dodged? You almost got me killed!”

I nearly scoffed.

He rammed into me but didn’t want me to avoid him?

“Did you think I was going to sit there and get pushed off the cliff?”

“This is how it works in Jacksboro City. If I want someone to live, they live. If I want someone to die, they die.”

Hearing him talk like some thug, I pressed my hand over the bleeding wound on my thigh. My expression was icy cold.

He glanced down and mocked, “Tsk tsk tsk… that must hurt. Unfortunately, I prefer things to be even. Maybe I should stab the other leg.”

I lifted my head. My eyes were calm but sharp. “Gabriel, people are watching. There are surveillance cameras above us. Everything you’re doing is being recorded. Are you sure you want to keep going?”

He laughed as if I had told him a joke.

“Heh! Do you think any of these people would dare to report me? Go ahead and ask them!”

I turned and looked around.

Immediately, the onlookers averted their eyes. Some even crushed their phones, grinning nervously like they had seen nothing.

Gabriel was pleased and laughed.

“And those cameras you mentioned? Please. Half of Jacksboro City, including this entire stretch of highway, was built by my company. If I want those cameras on, they will be on. If I want them off, they will be off.

“In Jacksboro City, the Jenkins family is the law.”

With that, he pulled his woman into his arms, gave me a mocking glance and took out his phone.

“This is Gabriel from Jenkins Construction. In three seconds, I want every traffic surveillance camera and traffic light in Jacksboro City to be shut down.”

Snap!

In less than two seconds, the entire highway’s surveillance system shut down.

Someone nearby, still clutching their phone, gasped.

“Oh my god… I was watching a live stream. All of Jacksboro City’s traffic lights just went black!”

Gabriel puffed out his chest smugly as he wrapped his arm around his woman.

“You hear that, you little bastard? You can’t afford to offend upper-class people like us!”

“Upper-class people?” I sneered. “You think driving a Maybach makes you a member of the upper class? If that’s the case, my Passat must make me royalty.”

Gabriel and his woman both burst into laughter.

“You mean that piece of crap? That garbage costs what? Twenty, thirty grand? Royalty my ass! My dog wouldn’t even sit in it, let alone drive it!”

I just shook my head.

A Passat would not cost much, but what about the license plate and the special clearance pass on this car?

That would make it priceless.

It’s because this car was one of my dad’s official transportation vehicles.

And my dad?

He was the governor of the Hagen Province.

Gabriel could turn off highway surveillance cameras and shut down Jacksboro City’s traffic lights with a single call.

However, with one word from my father, the entire province would light up like fireworks.

This time, they were messing with the wrong person.

My expression was cold as ice as I pulled out my phone and dialed my father’s secretary’s number.

The moment he heard that someone had shut down not just the highway systems, but every single traffic light in Jacksboro City — just because they could — he responded without hesitation that he would dispatch the armed police immediately.

Before the call even ended, Gabriel lunged forward and snatched my phone.

“I’m talking to you and you’re over there chatting on the phone?!”

He stomped my phone under his heel until it cracked into pieces.

My eye twitched, rage burning inside me, but I held it down. The armed police would be here soon.

At that moment, two traffic police officers arrived. They greeted Gabriel politely, then walked over to me with stern expressions on their faces.

One of them lowered his voice.

“Just apologize to him. We’ll talk to him to smooth things over for you. Let’s not make this any bigger than it already is.”

I stared at them in disbelief, fury creeping into my voice. “He’s the one who is at fault. Why the hell should I apologize?”

Their expressions darkened and one of them muttered, “Sometimes… right or wrong isn’t what decides how things end.”

Before I could reply, the sound of screeching tires tore through the air. Dozens of vans came barreling down the emergency lane, ignoring traffic entirely. One by one, their doors flew open, and out came hundreds of street thugs armed with knives, bats and metal rods.

They all greeted Gabriel with respect.

“Boss!”

Gabriel puffed out his chest like an arrogant rooster, soaking up the admiration as he mocked, “Listen up, you little punk! Here in Jacksboro City, my family is the law!

“Surround him!”

At his command, the gang closed in around me. Tension was in the air.

I swept my gaze across the crowd and said calmly, “Gabriel, blocking a public highway with hundreds of armed men? This is no longer a traffic dispute. This is organized criminal activity. If you call your men off now, things might still be salvageable.”

He snarled like a dog off its leash, spitting furiously.

“Drop the act! I’ll do whatever the hell I want in Jacksboro City! You like to fight, don’t you? Well, I’ve got hundreds of guys who’ll gladly entertain you.

“And not just you! Your whole family’s going to pay for this! I’ll bury the men in the mines. As for the women? I’ll sell them off to brothels in the countryside. It’s all because of you, you little bastard!

“Hit him!”

Gabriel’s words were still echoing when the horde surged forward, weapons raised, their eyes glinting with violence.

Thwop! Thwop! Thwop! Suddenly, a deafening roar split the sky.

Several armed police helicopters thundered overhead. Their blinding white searchlights enveloped the highway, lighting up the darkness like it was broad daylight.