Chapter 106: The Bloodline Attacks! When Max said the two of them, he meant himself and Jay. Before slipping out of school, they’d both stopped by their lockers to grab their hoodie jackets. Max had planned ahead, for exactly this kind of situation. The jackets had Billion Bloodline scrawled across the back, with a bold logo: a blood drop fused with a dollar sign. Hard to miss. They were thin and light, easy to move in. The hoods weren’t perfect disguises, but if needed, they could at least cover their heads. Now they were walking side by side, heading down the street toward Clapton Street. Getting out of school had been a breeze. Max had even texted the principal, just a quick message to make sure they’d still be marked present in the system. "Why didn’t you want to bring Joe with us?" Jay asked. "Because I need people I can count on," Max said. "Joe’s getting better, but he’s not strong enough yet. I’ve got a good sense of your strength." That wasn’t the full truth. Part of this was a test, Max wanted to see just how strong Jay really was. He needed to know. Things were coming, and he had to be sure. Up ahead, they could see the open gate. The school had a massive playground out front. Kids were everywhere, some playing baseball, others kicking around a football, some just hanging out and talking like it was any normal lunch break. And it was lunch break. So yeah, normal. "So what’s the plan?" Jay asked. "Plan?" Max repeated. "The plan is to let them know we’re here." Max stepped forward, Jay a few feet behind. He pulled his hood over his head, and Jay followed his lead. The two of them walking side by side caught attention fast. A bunch of kids looked over, watching. Eventually, one of them stepped out from the crowd, hands in his pockets, heading straight toward them. His shirt was untucked, and his hair looked like it hadn’t seen a brush all day. "Hey! I’ve seen those clothes before!" the student shouted. "That’s what the kids from that stupid school have been wearing lately... So what, you came here to mess with us?" He glanced behind him, spotting more students heading over. But when he turned back around, bam, a fist was already flying at his face. It connected clean, sending him straight to the ground. "If you’re gonna run your mouth, maybe don’t keep your hands in your pockets!" Max shouted. He looked up at the crowd gathering, most of them frozen, stunned by what just happened. "We’re the Billion Bloodline," Max announced, voice sharp. "We took down Dipter and his crew. And now you clowns think just ’cause Dipter’s gone, you’ve got a shot? Alright then, let’s see what you’ve got!" A group of about twenty students broke into a run, charging at Max and Jay. It was two against twenty. No room for mistakes. Max didn’t hesitate, he sprinted toward them, jumped, and drove a kick straight into one guy’s stomach. Before the student could recover, Max nailed him with an uppercut. More fists came flying, but Max weaved through them, ducking, sidestepping, slipping through the chaos. He spun, kicked low, and swept another student’s legs out from under him. They hit the ground hard. Jay was right, Max thought, moving through the madness. These kids are throwing punches in the middle of lunch like it’s normal. These schools are rotten to the core. Meanwhile, Jay was handling his side. The students coming at him were more cautious. The first one to strike made a mistake, he telegraphed it. Jay stepped aside, grabbed the kid’s wrist mid-swing, slammed his hip in, and tossed him straight to the ground. There was a heavy thud. No one was sure if they heard a crack or not, but the guy wasn’t getting back up anytime soon. Jay seems fine on his own, Max thought. I don’t need to worry about him too much. Several students rushed at Max, but he didn’t hold back. He was ruthless, hit one straight in the throat, then spun around and slammed a powerful kick into another’s stomach. He kept going, fists flying, hammering them hard and fast without letting up. I can feel it, Max thought, adrenaline pumping. My strength... it’s coming back. Bit by bit. Every fight, it’s like the old me is waking up again. Even as he moved through the chaos, Max didn’t look over at Jay. He didn’t have to. Even when Max took a hit, he didn’t flinch, just used it as momentum, grabbing people, throwing them, slamming them down like rag dolls. Someone like that was under Dipter? Max wondered. In some ways, he might be even stronger. Makes me question why he was working for Dipter at all. He thought back to his old gang days. On the street, the strongest ruled. But higher up, in more organized groups, it was different. The leader wasn’t always the strongest, they were usually the smartest. As Max and Jay kept fighting, something changed. They started to notice more students showing up. Some were coming out of classrooms, crowding around the playground. One kid, with thick, bushy eyebrows, stood frozen at the front window of his class, watching it all unfold. "What the hell is going on out there?!" Rick shouted from inside. "How are two guys taking down all of our people?! We’re getting humiliated out here! Send everyone, drag them into the classroom if you have to!" Rick, the head of Clapton School, had finally given the order. His people didn’t hesitate. A wave of students rushed out to follow it. Max backed up toward Jay. "Alright," he said, eyes scanning the mob coming their way, "looks like this is getting too big, even for us." "But you knew this would happen, right?" Jay said, still catching his breath. "I mean, we’re attacking the whole school. You didn’t really think we could take on everyone, did you?" Before Max could answer, another student came charging at full speed. Max stepped forward, pivoted on one foot, and whipped his body around. His side kick landed deep into the student’s gut, knocking the wind out of him and launching him backward. That kick... Jay blinked. Was that Dipter’s move? It looked almost exactly the same. "What do we do now?" Jay asked, eyes darting to the crowd that was closing in fast. "We did what we came to do," Max said. "Now we run!" Without wasting another second, he turned and bolted. Jay didn’t hesitate, he sprinted after him. As they ran, Jay glanced over at Max. Even now, mid-sprint, the guy didn’t look tired. If anything, he looked more fired up than before. Am I losing it... or is Max actually stronger than he used to be? Why is he so good at fighting...and what is his plan in doing all of this?