“No thanks. It’s solved.” Darcy rejected Tao immediately. She did not want anything to do with the man, let alone owe him a debt of gratitude. However, now that Tao mentioned it, she was more or less worried about Kaze. Kaze said he wanted to reason with Leigh about her car being thrashed and he had not come back for a while. Could something have gone wrong? “It’s solved?” Tao chuckled and added, “I don’t think so. You guys called the police to arrest Leigh Glitter. Although he was released soon after, he and his family won’t just let his slip. I heard that Leigh Glitter is an infamous bully back at Sunrise City. He will come for you and your family.” Tao emphasized the severity of the situation, trying to scare Darcy. Darcy’s expression turned heavy. She knew Leigh would not just let this slip so easily. That was why her car was thrashed. People like Leigh acted however they wanted without abiding by any law or rules and they would not just rest so easily. Noticing
“What are your terms, Tao?” Darcy sat opposite Tao with her hands around the cup of coffee. “There’s no rush about that. Why don’t we talk about Kaze?” Tao lifted his coffee with a smile and continued, “I heard he was originally from the Lee family but was kicked out and has a history of mental illness. “He’s incapable of anything but somehow got lucky and became the chairman of Shangrila Group. He likes to bluff and because of that, your family got into trouble multiple times.” Tao did not have any qualms about counting Kaze’s embarrassing history in front of Darcy. He continued, “I don’t understand. What do you see in him?” Darcy was extremely unhappy that Tao criticized her husband in front of her. “This is none of your business. My relationship with Kaze is my personal affair. We are not that familiar to have this discussion.” If she was not worried about Kaze and wanted to reach an agreement with Tao, she would have walked away the moment Tao spoke. Tao smiled an
“I’m not afraid of you being mad at me, so I just made it clear to you. With Kaze’s status and identity, he’s no match for Leigh. “He’s childish, immature, and always puts you and your family at risk. He’s a ticking time bomb. He never considered you and your family’s safety or how much pressure you are facing…” Tao suppressed his eagerness to shorten the distance with Darcy and chose to diminish Kaze’s value instead. Darcy listened without making a noise. Tao was right. When Leigh forced her into the tight situation, it was Kaze who saved her but undeniably, it was also Kaze’s actions that escalated the situation. “Darcy, Leigh is mad at Kaze. You and your family will be collateral damage. If you divorce him now and cut him off, with my help, plus a little compensation, Leigh and the Glitter family will spare you.” Tao was confident. He met Kaze twice and both meetings ended on a bitter note with him embarrassed and humiliated. He resented Kaze. He instigated Darcy
“Kaze!” Tao looked up and saw Kaze coming over to Darcy as well. The surprise on his face lasted for a split second before he grinned coldly. He said, “You messed with Leigh but you chose to stay in Lilyrose instead of running away? Do you have a death wish?” Tao assumed Kaze would want to run away after calling the police to arrest Leigh. However, it was meaningless because Leigh could find him no matter where he ran. However, Kaze walked on the street in broad daylight and entered the coffee shop without any scruples. He must not know catastrophe had befallen. Kaze did not even spare a glance at Tao. He went up to Darcy and then stroked her soft cheek. “Darcy, how many times have I told you? You are too beautiful and there are too many horny men in this world. You shouldn’t meet with a stranger alone. “Even if it’s business talk, you are the chairwoman of two companies. People who want to meet you must go through your assistant or at least make an appointment. Not a
“I told your wife that you were kicked out of the Lee family and you bluffed your way into becoming the chairman of Shangrila Group. “A piece of trash like you won’t stand a chance against Leigh. Your wife and her family can only escape this when she divorces you. But your wife is too kind to abandon you, so I told her the only way out of this is if you kneel to Leigh and let him beat you up.” Tao spewed everything he told Darcy earlier. In the end, he scoffed. “Kaze, your wife did so many things for you, what do you have to say for yourself?” “Kaze, don’t listen to him! I don’t care about what he said…” Darcy was afraid that Kaze could not take it, so she quickly consoled him. “Don’t worry, Darcy. I won’t listen to nonsense from some John Doe.” Kaze smiled and said to Tao, “Thank you. I know my wife is good to me but after listening to what you said, I realized even if the sky falls, the love she has for me remains strong. “If you want to use this to provoke me or ask
“Now that you are practically asking for it, shouldn’t I grant your wish?” Kaze said condescendingly as he pressed his foot on Tao’s chest. Even the other customers in the coffee shop believed that Tao had it coming after what he said. “He’s the one who started it by harassing someone’s wife and he trash-talks like a whiny ass. Cheap.” “He dresses properly but he behaves like shit.” “He really had it coming.” Tao was drowned in his own anger and embarrassment when even the customers commented on his actions. He came from a prestigious background, was successful, and had a bright future. He had never been humiliated like this before, especially by someone he deemed trash. “Aaaaaa! Waiter? Anyone?! Get this fuck out of the coffee shop! Where’s the security? I’m friends with Jun Joestar, the hotel manager of Starocean Hotel, your boss! If anything happens to me, all of you will be fired!” The waiter and the manager, who refused to be involved at first, were afraid. The c
Tao grinned when Kaze successfully made Jun angry. He had to admit that Kaze had some influence in Lilyrose. As an outsider, Tao could not gain any advantage over Kaze, so he had to seek help. Jun was a member of the first-tier family in Lilyrose, the Joestar family. Ever since the top three families were taken down, the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families were the strongest. Jun’s status saw an upgrade following the fall of the top three families. Given the Joestar family’s history and roots in Lilyrose, it would not be too difficult for them to crush Kaze. “Kaze Lee, if you don’t kneel and apologize, this won’t end well for you. Jun is my bro, and he has a bad temper. If you know what’s good for you, you should be on your knees now.” “Jun Joestar? Never heard of you. I do know a few people from the Joestar family,” Kaze said with a smile. Jun was a proud man. Kaze’s nonchalance made his expression turn gloomy. He pushed his glasses slightly and said with an evil gr
Jun looked at Kaze with interest but did not take him seriously. Deep down, he was angry. The nonchalance and the frivolous attitude were subtle but Jun was able to sense them. He was no idiot. If Kaze was able to stand before him casually and with such calmness, it must mean that Kaze had a strong support. Jun said strongly, “Punk, this is your last warning. There are only less than a handful of people in Lilyrose who I am afraid of. “If you apologize to my friend and compensate twenty million for the two slaps, this will be over; if you insist on opposing me, then you will pay more than twenty million.” Darcy had been observing Jun from the moment he came in. She saw his brazen arrogance and absolute confidence, which were signs of him having a powerful background. Kaze had just offended Leigh and it was already pressuring enough. Darcy wanted to settle this dispute before the matter escalated further. However, she could not accept the terms listed by Jun. She said,
“That’s amazing, Chief Hill!” The execution hall members cheered Robin on with admiration. Ignoring his crew’s praises, Robin disappeared at the moment of landing. Before everybody knew it, Robin appeared before Siberian. Siberian scowled at the menacing aura coming from Robin. He felt as though he was in the depths of hell. “Swoosh!” Siberian dodged to the side while swiping his knife multiple times. The air crackled with tension as Siberian’s attack headed toward Robin. Robin reached out his hand and snapped his fingers. Siberian’s knife that took the lives of dozens of Viper’s Den members broke.The broken blade boomeranged and shot toward Siberian’s chest. Siberian managed to shy away from a direct hit, but the broken blade took his arm off. As blood spurted, Siberian grimaced hard. In fact, Siberian had not taken Robin lightly. Siberian was a prominent killer in the South River State. He knew better than anyone that it took more than guts to be a leade
Siberian was strong. No one could stop him. Siberian was one ferocious beast. “Siberian, your sister tried to assassinate me. I was kind not to kill her then. “Take your problems up with me,” Kaze said curtly, his presence at the railing upstairs. Kaze could not ignore the killing spree happening right outside River Watcher Inn even though he did not know these Viper’s Den members. The whole thing started because of him anyway. Siberian looked up murderously at Kaze and laughed menacingly. “Don’t worry. You’ll die. They’ll die too. “Anyone linked to you must die. “I will kill your family and your friends to avenge my sister.” Siberian’s voice was brutal. He was known for his cold-bloodedness as a professional killer. Kaze narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Kill us all?” Robin, keeping an emotionless face throughout, grinned. “Aren’t you cocky, Siberian?” “Cocky?” Siberian looked at Robin in defiance and said with a smirk, “Who do you think you are? Who are
“Kaze, get your ass down here to face your death.” Not sparing another glance at the Viper’s Den members, Siberian looked up and shouted, “Weren’t you cocky when you tortured my sister? Why are you scared now?“Do you think you can hide from me?” Siberian’s angry voice filled the air. Kaze pissed the long-time killer off. Anzu was Siberian’s sister, and Anzu suffered at the hands of Kaze. Siberian wanted to tear Kaze apart, limb by limb. On the ninth floor of River Watcher Inn, Kaze narrowed his eyes dangerously and got up to head down. “Just enjoy your drink.” Robin stopped Kaze, looked at him, and said, “Don’t you want to see if I have what it takes to recruit you? Well, here’s your chance.”He poured Kaze a drink before holding his cup while looking at the situation downstairs. With Robin showing up near the railing, the young group got the message. “Kill him!” The group yelled before charging toward Siberian with the remaining dozens of Viper’s Den members.
“Whoosh.” Siberian remained detached in the face of the killings. He charged ahead with his knife. His blade tore through the air. Two members of the Viper’s Den wiped blood from their faces, only to find gaping wounds in their chests. “Swoosh!” Three deadly blades flashed, their points weaving together to block Siberian’s every route to escape. These three Viper’s Den members were on a different level from the first wave of attackers. Their coordination was seamless, and their attack was relentless. Siberian would be struck by the remaining two blades regardless of the direction he would choose to evade. Still, Siberian did not shy away from danger. He struck a blow even at the cost of injuring himself. “Clank!” As sparks flew, three blades broke. “Gash!” The tips of the broken blades stabbed into the three Viper’s Den members. The trio fell dead in disbelief. By now, Siberian had taken at least a dozen lives. The bloodshed occurred on the ground floo
The young group felt reassured. It explained why Robin did not seem bothered despite knowing that Kaze had massacred the Roads. Kaze grinned. “So the Godfather owes me one since I got rid of a problem for him.” Instead of addressing what Kaze said, Robin uttered, “You can consider what I have offered.” Kaze shook his head with a pretentious smile. “Forget about it. Like you said, power is everything.” “So you’re saying that I’m not good enough to recruit you?” Robin furrowed his brows. Kaze smiled without a word. Suddenly, he pulled a straight face and turned in a direction. Robin frowned too. “It looks like we have a visitor.” The Viper’s Den members lurking in the dark showed up on the other floors. A menacing presence loomed over River Watcher Inn.A towering individual, armed with a knife, appeared outside the building. The middle-aged man gave off raw energy. “Get your ass down here and face your death, Kaze!” His voice shook the building, and the Viper
While the young group grimaced, Collier tossed the sack onto the floor, and a bloody head rolled out. The head belonged to Boris, whose soul was clearly not at peace. The young group looked at the head before turning to Kaze in disbelief. Just half an hour ago, Robin had a lovely conversation with Boris, and now, Boris was nothing more than a decapitated body. No wonder Kaze was so confident to think he was on par with Robin. It explained Robin’s admiration for him. “You’re committed and ruthless in nature.” Robin stared at Kaze, pleased with his personality. He said indifferently, “The West State Branch needs a good shake-up, and I think the execution hall could use someone like you.“The deputy chief position is yours for the taking, should you choose to join us.” “Eek.” The young group gasped sharply. Though it was a deputy position in the execution hall within the Viper’s Den West State Branch, the rank was similar to that of a deputy chief in other branches.
To the young group’s surprise, Kaze pulled through without a hitch. That was not the only thing. Kaze retaliated against Robin and destroyed his beloved harp. The group speculated that Kaze could be stronger than Hannah. They looked at Kaze in horror. Still, it never once occurred to the group that Kaze was more powerful than Robin. Robin raised his arm. The young group got their act together and saluted Robin before taking two steps back. Robin narrowed his eyes at Kaze before uttering, “Not bad.“I didn’t think I’d meet someone of your caliber in Riverbank. “You have a stronger will than most of my men. “Despite your age, you put even the most experienced to shame with that determination of yours.” The young group felt alarmed and ashamed. The members of the execution hall were the elites in the West State Branch. They were the crème de la crème. However, they swayed under the sound wave attack. Though the group was around Kaze’s age, they did not possess h
“Get out!” Kaze gave Hannah the look. Hannah quietly turned around and stumbled her way out. Robin glanced at Kaze as his fingers danced around the harp. “I will behead the general, and once it’s over, tears will fall and fade away.” The tempest of sound took over the room by storm. Kaze felt sent back to his time during the war. He watched his comrades fall. Time lost meaning as the war came to an end. The battle cries subsided, replaced by silence. His brothers-in-arms were no more than a pile of unidentified bones. Even Kaze’s faithful steed whined its farewell. Darkness swallowed the last light over the desolate desert, and he was alone. There was nothing left in the world worth fighting for. No one would remember his death in a faraway land. It was better to die with honor than live in shame. The thought filled Kaze’s head, and emotions overcame him. He was better off dead. Life was not worth living anyway. A voice within tempted Kaze. The craz
Robin did not even look at Collier.Saying nothing, Robin extended his fingers and plucked the harp. “Clang!” A jarring, high-pitched sound wave pierced through everybody’s eardrums. The air was filled with a chilling aura of menace.The serenity on the ninth floor was shattered by the sound of the harp and replaced with malice. Collier and the young group turned pale. Only Robin, Kaze, and Hannah remained unfazed by the attack. “Amid the sweeping wind, the flute’s song echoes in the night. The desert sun descends for the crescent moon above. “To the sound of camel bells, I long for my home. I hold onto my sword, leaving letters where I lay my head.” The wind danced along the melody of General’s Order played by the harp, dropping the temperature down on the ninth floor. Robin’s clothes and hair fluttered against the wind, his face unreadable through it all. His eyes remained cold and distant. General’s Order was a piece known for its unsettling tone. Robin playe