When Lawson returned to his apartment, he noticed the lights were off.
"Guess she's asleep."
Given that it was already 3:00 AM, it was completely normal for Blake to have crashed.
Lawson walked in. Just as he was about to turn on the lights and shut the door, a pair of massive, tree-trunk arms clamped down from behind, completely immobilizing his hands.
"Kid! Don't move!"
Lawson's first thought was a home invasion, but there were zero signs of forced entry on the door.
Moreover, the voice sounded incredibly familiar. Even though the intruder was clearly trying to disguise it, Lawson's Mockingbird Trump Card allowed him to see right through the act.
"Who are you?"
The man didn't answer. Lawson decided to break the hold first, then figure out who he was dealing with.
He went for his signature move: a feint with a headbutt followed by a backward mule kick to the groin. Usually, this combo instantly neutralized most male attackers.
But this time, the attack was completely blocked. The guy seemingly knew exactly what Lawson was going to do.
Lawson instantly realized who was standing behind him.
"Fuck! Ray Gaines, are you out of your fucking mind? How dare you break into my apartment!"
(Ray Gaines: I've combined his character with Luke Hobbs from Fast & Furious into one person)
In America, breaking and entering is a massive felony. In many states, homeowners are legally permitted to blast intruders on sight.
"We haven't even settled the score for you manipulating my daughter yet!"
"When the hell did I manipulate your daughter?"
Lawson tried several different escape techniques, but Ray was highly cautious this time, completely avoiding the mistakes he made during their first encounter.
"Tell me who you really are! Where did you come from, and how the hell did you afford this apartment? Answer me!"
Clearly, Ray Gaines had run a background check on Lawson.
Even though Neal had procured Lawson's new identity, it obviously couldn't withstand serious scrutiny from a professional.
Furthermore, a kid like Lawson suddenly living in a high-end luxury apartment was a massive red flag. Ray's suspicions were entirely justified; Lawson definitely had secrets.
However, no matter how suspicious Lawson was, it didn't give Ray Gaines the right to break in and violently interrogate him.
"Motherfucker!"
Lawson suddenly kicked his leg straight up, delivering a vicious vertical axe kick straight to Ray's head.
Normally, Lawson absolutely couldn't pull off a move like that. It was entirely thanks to the Iron Man Trump Card, which allowed him to execute the maneuver while completely ignoring the biological limits and potential tearing of his own body.
Ray Gaines only heard Lawson yell "Tomato!" before witnessing a martial arts move straight out of an Asian action movie. Completely unable to react in time, he caught a boot straight to the dome.
"Argh!"
The grip on Lawson's arms shattered. He instantly broke free from Ray's control.
"Are you completely psychotic?"
Once free, Lawson didn't immediately counterattack. Instead, he backed away rapidly, frantically rubbing his crotch.
Yeah, the Iron Man card pushed Lawson's stamina and damage resistance to peak human levels, but it didn't mean he couldn't feel pain.
That extreme vertical kick pushed his body way too far. Like the old saying goes: take too big of a step, and you'll rip your balls off!
Lawson's move wasn't just a big step; it was a literal standing split.
Even trained martial artists struggled with that, let alone an untrained civilian like Lawson.
Taking a boot to the head visibly pissed Ray Gaines off. His eyes practically turned red.
"Looks like I need to beat some sense into you before you start answering my questions!"
Ray rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles.
"Go ahead and try! Let's see if your old bones can handle getting tossed around by a young guy!"
When it came to hand-to-hand combat, Ray possessed absolute confidence. He had long realized Lawson had zero formal training; the kid survived purely on street brawling instincts and cheap tricks.
In a straight-up fight, Ray was 100% certain he could brutalize the wild pig trying to steal his cabbage.
But Lawson deployed a fighting style Ray absolutely didn't anticipate: zero defensive guarding of his torso, just pure, head-on brawling.
Empowered by the Iron Man Trump Card, Lawson's striking power was actually highly formidable. His punches caused serious pain; Ray was already wincing and baring his teeth.
Lawson played it incredibly smart. He only protected his face and completely ignored his body, while exclusively targeting Ray's head.
So, while Lawson was likely covered in massive bruises under his clothes, he looked significantly better than Ray, who now sported a bruised face and a bloody nose.
This made the fight incredibly agonizing for Ray. He realized Lawson wasn't a normal opponent. That level of pain tolerance and injury resistance was inhuman.
Even elite black-ops agents couldn't fight like this. The kid felt like a literal machine.
Finally, after Lawson landed a clean straight to Ray's nose, the massive bald man—eyes watering uncontrollably—called a timeout.
"Stop, stop, stop! Fuck! Are you a terminator or something? Do you even feel pain?"
Lawson gritted his teeth. Of course he felt pain. The Iron Man card just completely negated the negative debuffs associated with the injuries.
For example, if Lawson took a heavy blow to the head, he'd feel the impact and the pain, but he wouldn't suffer dizziness or a concussion. That was the power of the Iron Man card.
Lawson wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth and flashed a savage, bloody smile.
"I can do this all day!"
Ray deeply realized Lawson was a completely different breed. A guy like this was either a top-tier covert operative or an elite super-criminal. Either way, he absolutely wasn't a normal civilian.
Right then, Blake burst through the open apartment door.
"Are you two fighting?"
Ray glared at his daughter.
"Blake, didn't I tell you to stay at school?"
"Dad, you confiscated my phone! I knew exactly what you were planning! Good thing I came back, otherwise..."
Blake rushed to Lawson's side, her face completely filled with worry and distress.
Seeing this made Ray intensely jealous. He pulled Blake over to his side, glaring at Lawson like he was a live grenade.
"Blake, stay behind me. This kid is incredibly dangerous. He is absolutely not a normal person!"
"Dad! How can you say that about Lawson!"
"I'm dead serious! This kid just went toe-to-toe with a DSS strike team commander! You think a normal civilian can do that?"
Blake's eyes went wide as she stared at her father.
"DSS? You mean the Diplomatic Security Service? So Lawson was right! You don't work for the Coast Guard at all!"
Ray never expected that in his moment of panic, he would completely blow his own cover.
Now the issue wasn't the fight between Ray and Lawson; it was the fact that Ray had been lying about his career his entire life.
"Wait! Blake, I didn't want to hide it from you, but my work is highly classified!"
"I'm telling Mom!"
"Don't do that, Blake! Actually... your mom already knows..."
Blake glared furiously at her father.
"So you two just decided to lie to me? Give me my phone back!"
After a chaotic, furious argument, Blake finally snatched her phone back.
"Do you have a first aid kit in your car?"
"I do, but..."
"Then go get it right now!"
In that moment, Ray felt his daughter slipping away. His sweet, perfect little girl was now actively rebelling against him.