The Master Programmer

Jason stood still, his piercing gaze locked on the man before him, the chaos of the room settling into an uneasy silence. He didn't ask twice. "Where is my girl?" The man smirked, a cruel, knowing smile curling across his face. "Your girl?" He chuckled, the sound grating like a knife dragged against a stone. "So, that's what this is about. The little slut? You have no idea… you almost jeopardised the business of my new business partner. Now you want to take something I got, something fresh and beautiful?" Jason's jaw tightened, but his face remained calm, impassive. This wasn't the time for rage; it was the time for precision. Anyway, emotional states were nothing more than drives for action. Jason was feeling angry because he wanted certain results but he was getting nothing. That was why he wanted to take action. Anyway, now that he understood his emotions, and where they were coming from, he couldn't help but calm down. There was no reason to be irrational. He just had to calm himself down. That was all he needed to do. Anything else was unnecessary. The man gestured toward his business partner, an older man in an impeccable suit, sipping a glass of amber liquid. "You'll have to excuse me," the man said with a grin, his eyes cold. The partner, who looked like an Asian man with a grin on his face and a few girls following him, nodded. "Handle it quickly. Business doesn't wait." The smirking man, who was old with silver grey hair, and who Jason now understood as Mr Grey, turned back to Jason. "Follow me," he said, motioning with two fingers. As he did, a subtle hand signal summoned his bodyguards. They moved quickly, some taking up positions at the exits, others trailing behind Jason and his companions, Marcus and the two goons, Mousa and Marek. Jason glanced back at his team, noting the slight tremor in Marcus's hands and the anxious darting of Mousa's eyes. They were afraid, and they had every reason to be. But why be afraid when he was there? Why be afraid when he was someone who had them on their side? Jason nodded at them, his voice steady and reassuring. "It's okay. We'll get through this. Just trust me. I'll take you to the place you need to go." Jason said this calmly, without wavering and as he did he took his first steps, following after Mr Grey and his goons, and when the three saw him, they felt their hearts skip a beat. The calm authority in his tone settled them, their fear replaced with determination. Jason's words weren't just encouragement; they were layered with intent. And he wasn't done. "Look, I know things feel intense right now, but I want you to remember something. Every fight you have ever faced has brought you here. And every time, you've had the strength to stand up and keep going. It's the same today." Jason said without turning to them. "When you step into the place we are going, just focus on one thing. Me. I will give it everything I've got, and therefore you will follow in my footsteps, giving it everything you've got. Forget about doubt. As you follow after me, you will feel it getting ripped off your body and staying behind you like some ghost that was trying to possess you. Now come." Jason said this with an unwavering confidence that even the Goons couldn't help but frown. This guy. He was confident. What did he have in his pocket? Did he have a gun or something? Meanwhile, the three, Marcus, Marke, and Mousa, couldn't help but feel a rush. They had been going ahead and doing something amazing. As they took the first step, they couldn't help but feel more confident. They had no idea why but the more steps they took following after Jason, they felt ever more confident and then when they finally arrived next to him, they walked with complete confidence. Jason had spoken directly to their subconscious, implanting confidence and obedience using a subtle command. The group was led upstairs to a dimly lit boardroom. The stench of stale cigarettes spilt alcohol, and something far more rancid assaulted Jason's senses. At the head of the table sat the smirking man, Mr Grey, leaning back in his chair like a king holding court. Jason could not care less though. He was just posturing. He couldn't help but be taken aback. It was at that moment that he managed to get to the place he needed to go. "Take a seat," the man said, gesturing to the chair across from him. Jason ignored the offer. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. Every one of the guards turned to Jason, now radiating even more of their anger. Jason could care less though. The man laughed, lighting a cigarette with deliberate slowness. "Patience. First, let's talk business." Jason's eyes narrowed. "Business?" The man leaned forward, his grin widening. "That's right. We spoke before, didn't we? If you were going to come here, I needed you to bring Ten million dollars." Jason's expression didn't falter, but his mind raced. "Ten million? I thought you wanted one million." The man shrugged. "Your face gave you away. You're not just anyone. You're Jason Cross. The Cross family is... special. Wealthy. Important. If you want her back, it's ten million. Call it a family discount. It's okay if you can't pay… We'll just take you down with her and make your family pay." Jason heard this, and in all honesty, he wanted to laugh. Would his family event pay for him? That was impossible. His family would probably want front-row seats to him dying or getting humiliated. Anyway, Jason was sure that he could not say it to this man. If the man knew giving Jason back to the Cross family was not going to be useful, he would never be able to take him seriously. It meant that he would be something he could not manage to get to. Jason's silence was deliberate. He let the tension build, his lack of reaction unsettling the man. Then, with a slow exhale, he said, "Stop wasting time. Bring her out. Didn't you want to use your tiny cock to humiliate her in front of me?" His blatant disrespect of the man was something he was doing on purpose. To force him to action. Jason had been observing him. The gold watches the chains. All of it was to project a certain image... Because he cared about his reputation. And since he did, then it meant that he was pretty weak to being looked at in the wrong way. The man raised a hand, signalling his guards. "Take him down. We'll ask the Cross family for ransom once he's properly subdued." The guards stepped forward, weapons glinting in the dim light. There were at least thirty of them, all armed with blunt weapons, their movements coordinated and confident. But somehow, Jason did not care. It seemed the [Fighting God Methods] had given him way more than he had anticipated. It had given him an incredible sense of his body, and then a muscle memory that was not replicable by anyone on any side, along with a mentality that was looking for a fight even in a situation where he was being forced into it. Thinking this far, Jason smirked. "You've made a mistake." The man's smile faltered but he had no time to investigate why. Anyway, he would soon find out. As the first guard lunged, Jason moved with fluid precision. A swift sidestep, a hard elbow strike, and the guard crumpled to the floor. Jason grabbed another by the wrist, twisting until the man screamed, then used him as a shield to block an incoming blow. Mousa and Marek hesitated, but Jason's voice cut through the chaos. "Handle a few, and we'll handle them all. Focus on what's in front of you. Take care of each other. I'll take care of all of you." The command was more than motivational. Jason's words activated their survival instincts, breaking down the overwhelming situation into manageable tasks. They sprang into action, emboldened by his calm leadership and his skills. As he said that he pounced, taking down three more people. And then, he began to take down several people effortlessly. The man observed the unfolding events in disbelief. What was this? Jason was formidable! What on earth had the Cross family done to their children? Jason moved like a force of nature. Punches kicks, and throws flowed seamlessly, each movement a calculated response to the chaos around him. He didn't just fight, he controlled the fight, using the environment and his enemies against each other. As he slammed another enemy on the wall, before using the momentum to hop up and over another man and kick him in the face, using his knee to make him bleed before knocking him on the chin and making him fall unconscious, Jason moved on to another part of the field, being surrounded by five people, that he carefully and easily took down. The presence of weapons was irrelevant. The crucial point was that Jason commanded the situation. He tirelessly worked at it, and by its end, he had subdued slightly more than 30 guards. In less than three minutes, the floor was littered with groaning bodies. The smirking man at the head of the table was no longer smirking. Mr Grey was frowning and his face was more disgusting than ever. His hands trembled as he reached for a button under the desk. Jason saw it and was on him in an instant, grabbing and slamming his hand down before he could press the button. "Gah!!!!"