Then, Wes turned around to the security captain and his guards and bellowed, “You, and you! You not only failed to escort or welcome Mr. Lee, but you even tried to throw him out? Who gave you the nerve to do that? “Do you know that one word from Mr. Lee and you guys will lose your jobs? Remember, he is and will always be the most honorable guest of the exhibition center!” Wes scolded the security guards fiercely. “Mr. Lee, we are sorry for what happened.” The captain and security guards were shocked and immediately bowed to apologize to Kaze. Wes turned to Kaze with an apologetic smile and said, “Mr. Lee, I will make sure they reflect on their mistakes. Do you need a tour around the exhibition center? “It’s our honor to have you here with us and maybe you can give us some advice on our work so that we can improve even more!” Eddie, Dakota, and his men were all shocked by what Wes said. Why would the person in charge of the exhibition center bow to Kaze as if he were the
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Before we begin the auction today, let me go over the rules first.” Eddie went up to the stage and started to act as the auctioneer. The auction was not really legitimate. It was organized by Rove themselves and they did not seek the professional service of an auction house, so Eddie took the role of auctioneer. “The rule is simple. Rove will be auctioning 20% of our shares and the highest bidder wins!” 20% of the company shares were considered high. Lee Investment only had 5% of shares and they were already the biggest shareholder with the power to hold a shareholder meeting or dismiss the chairman. Rove was a family business, so the Lyfe family held the majority of the shares, which allowed them to still be in power. 20% of shares allowed one to have power in the shareholder meeting and could also make strategic decisions to determine the future of the company. The management of Rove must have been desperate. To acquire large funding,
Then, Dakota shot his frosty gaze at the few individual investors who were not part of his alliance. The individual investors were startled and instantly alarmed. They were reminded that they were just here to fill in the numbers. They struggled internally for a moment but ultimately decided to stomach their grievance when they sensed the dangerous glares from Dakota and his alliance. They sat quietly and decided not to call against South Hill Holdings anymore. Some even got up and left the venue. “With Tulip Corporation behind my back and an alliance of more than ten powerful investors, nothing can stop me today!” Dakota was happy with the result. He had the entire auction under control after he eliminated all the competition. After the little incident, no one dared to call against him anymore. The auctioneer, Eddie, said, “810 million once.” “810 million twice.” “Last call.” Eddie smiled as he raised the mallet high in the air. “810 million thrice…” “Hold
Both Eddie and Dakota were surprised for a moment before their expressions turned heavy. Rove clearly stated that Hudson Investment Firm was not allowed to invest but then Kaze attended and participated in the auction in his own name, as an individual investor. Looking at Eddie’s grim look and pursed lip, Kaze smiled. “Mr. Fork, don’t tell me Rove is not big enough to house another investor in the auction. If you can’t afford that, you can tell your big boss to set up another rule for me alone, and hold an emergency shareholder meeting if you have to. You can ban me from attending or participating in the auction in any form. “But do be careful this time because I am good at exploiting loopholes.” Kaze’s smirk was a punch in their guts. Even Darcy had the urge to slap him for his snarky remarks, let alone the others. They were all frustrated. “Kaze Lee, are you sure you want to oppose us? Do you know what the consequences are?” Dakota bellowed coldly as he glared at Kaze
Kaze was a madman for raising the price against South Hill Holdings. South Hill Holdings could have gotten Rove’s shares with just 810 million, but after Kaze’s interruption, the price went up a billion. “Kaze Lee, are you really doing this?!” Dakota shouted angrily. His eyes were burning with anger. He wished he could skin Kaze alive. He had been in the business for decades and no one had ever embarrassed him so directly. Yet he hit a snag in a supposedly controlled situation because of Kaze and his unexpected actions. A nameless, useless man challenged him repeatedly, provoking him in front of everyone. Dakota really wished he could strangle Kaze with his own hands. Kaze scoffed. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m bidding with what I have. Don’t tell me you can’t accept it. Are you calling? If not, I will be taking the 20% shares of Rove.” He then looked at Eddie on the stage. “Why are you standing there? Start the countdown.” With a bitter look, Eddie started
Eddie sounded generous when he mentioned the rounding up. “Hahaha! Congratulations, Mr. Lee! 20% shares of Rove for 6.3 billion is quite the deal!” As soon as Eddie’s voice subsided, another loud voice came from behind, gloating at Kaze. Dakota, who looked gloomy earlier, came in with loud laughter. Behind him was his investor alliance, all gloating at Kaze. Darcy’s heart skipped a beat. “Eddie Fork! You colluded with South Hill Holdings to trick Kaze?!” She was furious when she finally knew what happened. At first, when Kaze said he wanted to participate in the auction as an individual investor, Eddie refused to accept it. However, after a brief argument, Eddie agreed and even asked Kaze to pay a hundred million deposit. It looked like Eddie and Dakota were trying to give Kaze a hard time but it was a trap to lower his guard. It was to make Kaze and Darcy think that they were cornered and were forced to accept Kaze’s participation. Then, Dakota challenged Kaze
“Young Master Sieg!” The proud and arrogant Eddie instantly turned into a loyal puppy, hopping over to Sieg and bowed like one. “Young Master Sieg, long time no see.” Dakota and the others greeted Sieg as well. “Sieg? Sieg Lyfe?” Kaze scrutinized the young man but he did not seem surprised. As a matter of fact, he came to the auction just to meet with Sieg. “Yes, in the flesh.” Sieg nodded and then smiled. “So, you are Kaze Lee who broke my cousin’s arm and leg, am I right? I have to commend your courage. You already know I have Rove under control and you still dare to show up at the auction today.” “Why wouldn’t I?” Kaze asked. Sieg nodded. “You are indeed bold. Very well. Now that the auction has ended and you’ve gotten 20% of Rove’s shares, you should pay up now. “But I have to say, not even I can fork out 6.3 billion at once. I admire your audacity, Mr. Lee.” Sieg curled his lips into a smile and continued, “If you can’t pay up and decide to turn away from t
“I have named my conditions. Now it’s up to you two to make the decision,” Sieg said with a laugh. He sounded stern and indubitable despite his light tone. In the end, Sieg was after Kaze and Darcy’s companies. Being one of the Geranium Four, he was interested in Sky Ocean Corporation, Shangrila Group, and others. Darcy’s expression turned bitter. “Sieg Lyfe, don’t you cross the line!” “You think it’s too much?” Sieg smiled and continued, “Alright. Since we are on the mainland and not Geranium, I’ll tone it down a bit. If we are in Geranium, your stupid husband is already swimming with the fishes.” He became the embodiment of arrogance and power when he said that. “Kaze Lee, what is your choice?” Sieg asked again and looked at Kaze with a wicked grin. Kaze looked at him and said coldly, “Get out of my face!” “You’re not choosing? It’s not up to you now!” Sieg grinned and said, “No one can take advantage of me and walk away!” “Who do you think you are?” Kaze went
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening
“Tsk. Hold on.” Vexed, the man clicked his tongue and then waved at his colleague. “Come here. Someone fainted. Help me get him out.” The man wanted to take the professor out of the container. Manson’s heart pounded as he listened to the man. He was afraid he might be exposed, but there was no turning back now—he had to play along. Kaze stood behind the door, calming his breath down to lower his presence. “Get back. Stay away from the door. If anyone gets close, don’t blame me for being rough,” said the man as he unlocked the container. He opened the door and saw a number of hostages still sleeping. He then looked at the professor on the floor. He went closer to nudge him but did not get a response. It seemed like the professor needed medical attention. “Come on. Help me get him out.” The other man outside the container was on edge, looking as if he would pull the trigger at the slightest movement. “Why don’t we do it?” Callahan and Miguel volunteered. “You two
“It’s freaking troublesome.” “Boss, don’t worry about it. We’ll get an update tomorrow.” “Yeah. It’s late. Get some rest.” Tiguan’s men told him to get some rest and not worry so much. A few of them were already snoring on the chair. Tiguan sighed and killed the cigarette. He then closed his eyes to get some rest, too. The container that Kaze was in fell into silence once more. No one dared to make any noise but they all looked at Kaze, hoping to find out about his plans. Kaze’s eyes remained fixed on the window and showed no intention of revealing his thoughts. Miguel and Callahan were annoyed by the other hostages. “If you people want to get out of here alive, you better cooperate or come up with your own idea. No one is responsible for saving you.”“Yeah. I don’t want you guys to turn on us after we do all the heavy lifting. It will cost us our lives and you people won’t even be grateful.” Miguel’s tone was sarcastic because he disliked how the others looked at t
Kaze read the hostages’ minds and refused to be used. He wanted to leave but not under such circumstances. “That’s not true. We just don’t have the skills for this kind of situation. You guys are stronger, of course, you should be in the front,” said the man in glasses and a suit. A hint of sharpness gleamed in his eyes. Miguel knew what the man was planning, either. “That’s some plan you have there. You are just trying to use us to escape this place and no matter what happens, you’ll win.” “That’s not it! I just want everyone to stand together and get out of this place. I’ve never thought of using anyone!” the man argued, trying to look innocent. Even a monkey knew what he was planning, yet no one dared to speak up because they would benefit from it too. “Why don’t you guys think of something? If you need our help, we’ll help,” said another middle-aged gentleman who looked more just and fair, as if he could lead the group. “Then what is your plan?” Kaze suddenly wante
The hostages were locked up in the containers. Some of them were elites in their own field while some were ordinary people with average income, yet all of them got into trouble when they boarded the plane. Most of them could not accept their fate. Yet they dared not defy or resist the mercenaries. When things started to calm down, they broke down in tears, weeping in silence as resentment consumed them. Kaze sat down at a clean corner that allowed him to look outside the window. The window was dirty but at least he could see outside. The space inside the container was filled with people sitting closely, offering comfort to one another. They were aware they were just temporarily safe in this container. No one knew what the mercenaries would do to them at the next moment. “My parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I can’t even get in touch,” Barney muttered as he sat beside Kaze. He too looked outside the window, his feelings mixed. He watc
Kaze thought of what he had overheard in the toilet. If he told the hostages about that, they would probably panic. “It’s nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,” he said. He did not want to reveal too much because it would cause panic. Once the hostages knew their lives were on the line, things might spiral out of control. The mercenaries could kill a few of them to make an example, and none of the hostages would dare to cause problems anymore. Kaze kept it a secret because he wanted to protect the people. “That’s it?” “Is there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?” “We want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problem—we just got caught up in it.” The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. “I don’t know either.” No matter how m
“There’s a room there. Get in.” The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. “What do you want?” The mother was nervous. She clutched her son’s hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her son’s mouth to prevent him from doing so. “All women must go into that room. You go in now,” the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. “You people won’t hurt me, right?” the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. “We are not into MILF,” said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. “They told us they were going to separate us, so there’s nothing to worry about,” he said, worried that the mother and son would not cooperate. The mother then carried her son and followed the other mercenary into the room. It was called a room but it was actually ju