Gareth went up to Don and stared at him. โSo you are the chief of police? What are you doing? Why arenโt you arresting the assailant? Why are you shutting down the hospital instead? Is this how you do your job?โ Don knew who Gareth was, but he was known as Ironfist of Justice, the man who upheld the law. He was not afraid of some grandmaster from Sunrise City. โWe received the order to shut down Edinburgh Hospital. As for the assailant you mentioned, we did not receive any order about a fight,โ Don said. โWho gave you the order? Your mayor?โ Gareth pointed at Don and arrogantly bellowed, โGo tell him to stop this foolish operation and arrest Kaze Lee. Sentence him to jail or shoot him to death! Tell him itโs my word!โ He had disciples across the entire state. Even the mayors of different cities would visit him to pay respect, asking him to talk to his disciples in the underworld to keep a low profile. Therefore, the mayor of Lilyrose had no power over Gareth. Don calmly
Kaze had the nerve to do what he did, showing complete disregard for the fact Gareth had arrived in Lilyrose. It was a blatant insult to Gareth. โIโm going to kill you, Kaze!โ Gareth hissed through clenched teeth. His thirst for blood had never been stronger. Mary Sue instigated, โMr. Hornberg, just kill Kaze. He doesnโt take you seriously. You should make an example out of him.โ Smack!Gareth suddenly raised his hand and slapped Mary Sue to the ground. โMr. Hornberg?โ Mary Sue put her hand over her swollen cheek and glared at Gareth angrily. She was a staff member of Madam Hacks. Yet, Gareth attacked him. Thud!Gareth stomped on the woman, and the latter let out a harrowing cry. โDonโt give me that look, bitch.โIf you hadnโt stirred shit, Nevan wouldnโt have been incapacitated. โYou are just a bunch of losers who canโt do anything right.โ Garethโs menacing eyes brushed past Syed and the others. Thump!The Lyfes kneeled on the ground in fright. โWe were
Calebโs expression stiffened. โUmโฆ Gareth might blame his disciples for the rumors. Besides, Gareth has friends in high places in Sunrise City who will defend him and put the squeeze on us.โ โChin up.โ Kaze waved his arm. โDonโt sweat the meaningless stuff. Iโll handle Gareth.โ โYes, sir.โ Caleb excused himself. โฆ Meanwhile, Gareth, not one with the patience to wait at the hospital, followed Syed and the others to the Lyfesโ family residence. Once there, Gareth acted like he owned the place. Syed and the others waited on him hand and foot. โTsk, tsk. The drink is alright.โ Gareth happily sipped his beverage. The way he saw it, the job assigned to Sven and Wolf was as good as done. Seeing that Gareth was relaxed, the Lyfesโ tensed nerves loosened. Mary Sue barged into the place and shouted, โThis is bad, Mr. Hornberg!โ โShut up!โ Garethโs reproach made Mary Sue shudder. โI donโt give a damn about your interactions with Madam Hacks, Mary Sue. But you bette
Gareth was skeptical. โWho are you kidding? Lee isnโt some influential guy. I doubt he has any security on standby.โ He glared at Mary Sue, suspecting that she was only doing the bare minimum because of his earlier abuse. โItโs true, Mr. Hornberg.โ Coming to Mary Sueโs rescue, Syed said, โKaze isnโt someone of power or wealth, but his neighbor is. Chief Commander Lang of the Lilyrose Strategic Department lived in the next-door villa. This is the reason Skylar View District is listed as a restricted area.โThe Lefteria Group once sent two dozen assassins to kill Kaze, but they were shot down at the entrance. โItโs an unspoken consensus among the people of Lilyrose that Kaze could escape danger by hiding there. He would be safe in Skylar View District for sure.โ Gareth was at a loss. โC-Chief Commander Lang?โ Discoloration washed over Mary Sueโs face as realization dawned on her that she had been close to death before. The place turned out to be Dracoโs territory. Even i
โYouโre wise, Mr. Homberg.โ Mary Sue, Syed, and the others sucked up to Gareth in thrill. Tonight would be Kazeโs nightmare. โGet it done.โ Gareth waved his arm. Struck by a thought, he said, โThat reminds me. Give Hart an invitation too. Since he appreciates Kaze a lot, I want him to berate Kaze and reduce him to nothing. I want Hart to embarrass Kaze in front of everybody.โI want to crush him and his spirit.โ Syed and the others were overjoyed. Soon, the heavyweights of Lilyrose received the invitation letter from the Lyfes. The Vikrams, Logmans, and Joestars were on the guest list. Trent, the former mayor, also received the invitation. Miru, a powerhouse in the underworld, had gotten one too. Even investors from out of town like Dakota were invited. Back in Skylar View District, Kaze received a call from Caleb. โMr. Lee, Gareth is hosting an event and invited all the influential figures in the city. โWe have gotten one at the mayorโs office too. Gareth pe
For once, even the unreachable prominent figures were courteous and friendly with the Lyfes. The delight helped the Lyfes grow a spine. Hart finally showed up. Syed sneered, โOh, didnโt you talk about loyalty in the family? Why did you heed Mr. Hornbergโs call then?โ โI bet youโre kicking yourself because you see how great we are doing now, Hart.โ The other Lyfe family members taunted him. Ashen in the face, Hart said nothing. He could not bring himself to ignore Garethโs invitation. The feeling of apprehension had not left Hart as he wondered why Gareth had summoned him. โGet inside. Donโt stick out like a sore thumb at the entrance.โ Syed lashed out at Hart before lifting his chin arrogantly for a scoff. The Lyfes would hit it big time after tonight. They believed the dumbest thing Hart ever did was cut ties with them. Once some heavy hitters entered the scene, the Lyfes stopped attending to guests at the door. The feast began at 7:00 PM. Guests were sea
The air crackled with tension at the start of the feast. To everybodyโs surprise, Gareth demanded the new mayor show his face. Either way, the new mayor ran the city. Yet, Gareth, fresh off the plane, had utter disregard for him. Some who kept in the loops of things were aware of Garethโs motives. Gareth did not come all the way to Lilyrose just to confront Kaze. He had his eye on the upcoming Lilyrose New City project. If Gareth could overpower the new mayor, Gareth would basically be running the city. Anybody who wanted to dip their fingers into the project would have to go through Gareth. The venue was pin-drop silent. Normally, no one dared to break the silence for fear of being caught in the drama. Nevertheless, the crowd was filled with anticipation. The new mayor had been in office for a while now, and he had never made a public appearance, not even on the local news. No one knew what the mysterious mayor looked like. Maybe the identity of the new mayo
The Lyfes consoled Gareth at the front of the hall. โCalm down, Mr. Hornberg. It doesnโt matter whether the mayor comes or not. Youโre the star tonight.โ โThatโs right. No one can take the limelight away from you.โ โPlease take a seat.โ Gareth nodded. He went to the head of the table to sit down. โWerenโt you expecting an answer from the mayorโs office, Gareth? โDonโt bother looking back. Iโll give one to you now.โ A harsh voice cut through. The remark caused a stir among the crowd. It was clear that the speaker held Garethโs threat in contempt. The speakerโs defiant tone was telltale. Gareth paused. As his face fell, he turned his attention to the source of the voice. The crowd looked in the direction of where the voice was coming from too. Many gasped restrainedly when their eyes laid on the face. They recognized who it was. โKaze!โ Mary Sue, Syed, and the others grimaced. They were surprised that Kaze would show up at the Lyfesโ residence. Sur
โHow dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punishedโฆโ Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. โGiven Mr. Leeโs capabilities, he wonโt be hurt.โ The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. โI 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.โ Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. โBut thereโs nothing you can do now. Itโs late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They wonโt do anything yet.โ โItโs because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. Thatโs the only way to solve this matter!โ โBut weโve searched high and low and didnโt find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didnโt see any tracks.โ 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. โGood job.โ โThanks.โ 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. โIโll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you wonโt be charged and you wonโt need to take responsibility,โ Kaze said. Miguelโs pale face looked relieved. โWhat should we do now? Are there more of them?โ Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. โIโve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.โ He then took the gun from Miguelโs hands. โReally? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!โ 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. โDonโt look if you canโt take it! Donโt make things worse!โ โYeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!โ โI have never seen dead bodies like this before!โ he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. โCan we go out now and run away?โ 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. โIf you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, youโll be shot!โ 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
โTsk. Hold on.โ Vexed, the man clicked his tongue and then waved at his colleague. โCome here. Someone fainted. Help me get him out.โ The man wanted to take the professor out of the container. Mansonโs heart pounded as he listened to the man. He was afraid he might be exposed, but there was no turning back nowโhe had to play along. Kaze stood behind the door, calming his breath down to lower his presence. โGet back. Stay away from the door. If anyone gets close, donโt blame me for being rough,โ 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. โCome on. Help me get him out.โ The other man outside the container was on edge, looking as if he would pull the trigger at the slightest movement. โWhy donโt we do it?โ Callahan and Miguel volunteered. โYou two
โItโs freaking troublesome.โ โBoss, donโt worry about it. Weโll get an update tomorrow.โ โYeah. Itโs late. Get some rest.โ Tiguanโs 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. Kazeโs eyes remained fixed on the window and showed no intention of revealing his thoughts. Miguel and Callahan were annoyed by the other hostages. โIf 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.โโYeah. I donโt want you guys to turn on us after we do all the heavy lifting. It will cost us our lives and you people wonโt even be grateful.โ Miguelโs tone was sarcastic because he disliked how the others looked at t
Kaze read the hostagesโ minds and refused to be used. He wanted to leave but not under such circumstances. โThatโs not true. We just donโt have the skills for this kind of situation. You guys are stronger, of course, you should be in the front,โ said the man in glasses and a suit. A hint of sharpness gleamed in his eyes. Miguel knew what the man was planning, either. โThatโs some plan you have there. You are just trying to use us to escape this place and no matter what happens, youโll win.โ โThatโs not it! I just want everyone to stand together and get out of this place. Iโve never thought of using anyone!โ 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. โWhy donโt you guys think of something? If you need our help, weโll help,โ said another middle-aged gentleman who looked more just and fair, as if he could lead the group. โThen what is your plan?โ 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. โMy parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I canโt even get in touch,โ 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. โItโs nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,โ 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. โThatโs it?โ โIs there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?โ โWe want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problemโwe just got caught up in it.โ The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. โI donโt know either.โ No matter how m
โThereโs a room there. Get in.โ The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. โWhat do you want?โ The mother was nervous. She clutched her sonโs hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her sonโs mouth to prevent him from doing so. โAll women must go into that room. You go in now,โ the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. โYou people wonโt hurt me, right?โ the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. โWe are not into MILF,โ said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. โThey told us they were going to separate us, so thereโs nothing to worry about,โ 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