Gareth knew he could not beat Kaze in a fair fight. If he really went to Kaze, or Kaze came to him, he would be dead nonetheless. Therefore, he could only try to stall with the idea of fighting Kaze in the ring, fair and square. He wanted to put Kaze in a position where attacking or killing would ruin his future and reputation, making him the despicable villain for the rest of his life. However, Gareth knew he could not afford to lose either. He could not afford to let a useless guy who married into his wife’s family ruin the reputation and status that he spent a decade building. Even if Gareth left Lilyrose, people would still go after him and possibly thrash the Hornberg Manor just to get him. His reputation and wealth that he spent decades accumulating would be flushed down the drain. He knew how harsh the society could be and people would take advantage of him or gloat at him once they got the chance. He had seen it many times. He used the same method when he wa
Kaze had fought on the battlefield for many years. He had encountered a fair portion of weirdness and strange people, so he was not surprised about Sven and Wolf’s condition. He was quite interested in their condition, so he handed them over to the Lilyrose Strategic Department for further studies. It was also the reason why people like Mary Sue could no longer locate them. “Come on, let’s get you home first.” Kaze patted on Daphne’s head. Daphne said, “Kaze, I want to visit the volunteer workers at the hospital.” “Sure.” He drove Daphne to the hospital and told Conan to send some men to watch over her before he left. “Bro, Gareth Hornberg wants to invite you to fight him in the ring, fair and square.” On the way back, Conan told Kaze about the challenge from Gareth. “Fight him fair and square?” Kaze was slightly surprised before he laughed. “The grandmaster wanted to fight me, a nameless guy, fair and square? That explains a lot.” Despite being amused, his gaze
The four titans were four of the strongest disciples Gareth had. They were also reputable figures in Sunrise City. Some even heard about the incident where the four of them caused trouble at Lefteria Group, putting Miru, the local kingpin, in a difficult situation. If Kaze could cripple the four of them, then he must be really strong. Therefore, the fight between Gareth and Kaze might not be entirely one-sided. However, if Gareth wanted to challenge Kaze fair and square, it must mean that he had absolute confidence in his own strength, or else he would not risk his reputation just to fight someone with a lesser reputation. After all, the two of them were from different worlds. Gareth was the grandmaster of the martial arts world. As for Kaze, even though it was proven that he was no longer a useless guy and had two companies under his belt, his status was still incomparable to Gareth’s. It was no surprise if Kaze lost to Gareth. However, if Gareth lost to Kaze, then
“Darcy, you should really stop your stupid husband, don’t send him to die. I don’t want you to be a widow at such a young age.” Miru grunted frustratedly and then left. She knew Kaze was a proud man and would never listen to her. “Kaze, please don’t go. Just let people laugh or say whatever they want, we won’t lose anything.” Darcy started to beg Kaze after Miru left. She even used her googly eyes and sweet voice to convince him. Kaze sighed and nodded. “Fine. I won’t go.” He had to take care of Gareth one way or another. He could allow that old man to continue wreaking havoc in the city, but he did not want Darcy to worry, so he simply patronized her. Darcy’s heart could finally rest. The next morning, Darcy and her parents got up early and prepared to go out. “Darcy, where are you guys going?” Kaze asked. Darcy sighed and said, “Grandfather and the others just came back from Melrose. The Vinlands allowed them to revert to their old names. “After what happened, the
Even the deputy mayors, Caleb and Lou, were there. Since they were government officials, their identities were rather sensitive. Therefore, to stay inconspicuous, they put on disguises and kept a low profile. Caleb nudged Bernard, who was sitting beside him. “Mr. Vikrom, do you think Mr. Lee will win?” Bernard, Peter, and Jack were all in casts. Due to their injuries, their arrival attracted quite a lot of attention. They were hurt last night but they insisted on attending the match. It seemed like the three of them were really supportive of Kaze and wanted him to win. “Mr. Lee can win, right?” Bernard sounded unsure. He knew Kaze’s real identity but the God of War acted like a commander on the battlefield more than a fighter. The death match was something entirely different than fighting enemies on the battlefield. However, they had hopes for Kaze. They wanted Kaze to avenge them and get rid of Gareth. If Kaze lost, being Kaze’s avid supporters, Gareth would ce
It was strange for government officials to attend the match, let alone the two deputy mayors. Caleb and Lou were caught off guard by the sudden attention on themselves. They did not expect Gareth to call them out in front of the audience. It seemed like Gareth’s men had already noticed them when they entered. Was it an exertion of dominance? Caleb took a deep breath and got up. He said, “Grandmaster Hornberg, this kind of underground deathmatch is illegal. The city council believes this match should be a friendly spar. I hope you can hold back a little.” Now that his identity was exposed, the only thing he could do was try to deter Gareth and prevent him from causing more trouble. Unfortunately, Caleb was wrong because Gareth never took him seriously. “Deputy Mayor Leed, are you begging for that useless punk?” Gareth laughed. His laughter ceased all of a sudden and he said coldly, “You two are not powerful enough to tell me what to do, tell your mayor to talk to me
Gareth openly called out to the mayor of Lilyrose and said there was no one in the city who could oppose him. He looked down not only on the mayor but also on the entire city. Unfortunately, no one had the power or the guts to challenge him with actual actions. Some of the local Lilyroseans started to root for Kaze, hoping that he could defeat Gareth. Winning the match would certainly make Lilyrose proud. However, Kaze has yet to appear. Gareth frowned. “Where is Kaze Lee?” Everyone looked around but did not spot Kaze anywhere. “Hahah! That useless bastard is afraid! He’s a no-show!” “I think he used tricks to defeat the four titans, not his own fists!” “He’s just a clown with a loud voice. When he has to fight with his fists, he chickens out!” Dakota and his fellow investors continued to mock Kaze. The Lyfe family members cackled as well. They knew about Gareth’s backup plan and that Kaze would certainly appear. Gareth was simply shouting to undermine the c
Everyone was shocked and suspicious when they heard Kaze accusing Gareth of being a liar. Syed was the first to speak up, saying, “You little bastard! How dare you call Grandmaster Hornberg a liar in front of so many people?” “Yeah! He is the grandmaster of the martial arts world, unlike you, a useless guy who does nothing good!” The other family members mocked Kaze instantly. Gareth a liar? Impossible. They would never believe Kaze. They could not believe Kaze, for if they did, their entire family would be finished. Kaze looked at Gareth, who reacted bitterly to his claims. He smiled and said, “I didn’t say he is not the grandmaster but anyone can be one if they throw enough money. If you know, you know.” The entire room was silenced once again. “Kaze Lee! Shut your mouth! Stop accusing our master!” “Believe me if I say I can beat you to death!” “You cheap ass!” Gareth’s disciples lost their cool and shouted at Kaze. Kaze simply smiled at their threats. “If y
“No! My daughter is still in the hospital!” Katie refused to accept her punishment. She started to regret her decision but it was too late. “Now only you think about your daughter? I guess you are not that foolish, but have you thought about her when you betrayed Chairman Lee? “Don’t worry. Leah knew Chairman Lee personally and we won’t hurt her, but she might not live a good life anymore,” Snow said coldly. She did not want to put the girl in a difficult situation but her life as a princess would come to an end. “You can’t do that!” Katie could not believe Snow would do that. “I bet you never thought of the consequences when you leaked the information. Too bad. You’ve lost.” Snow revealed the truth because she wanted Katie to suffer for the decision she made. Katie would now regret every decision she made because she knew she had jeopardized her daughter’s life. She would feel like a fool. She devoted her life to climbing higher to gain more power but she ignored the
“I went to a bar to have a drink and I bumped into an informant of the Viper’s Den.” Katie looked helpless as she explained as if everything that had happened was planned out for her, pushing her to the edge step by step. It was a lively night at the bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and most of the guests were having a good time. Katie was a single woman. She needed care and love at times. She was alone when she visited the bar. She started off by ordering some drinks at the counter, waiting for a chance to meet a man who shared the same ideals. A drink or two later, maybe she could get herself a company for the night. As a grown-up woman, she had her desires. It was a way to release her stress. Katie entered the bar in a casual outfit but it did not diminish her elegant demeanor. When she sat down at the counter, a few young men approached her but she was not interested in immature boys. She continued drinking. She looked at the dance floor occasionally, searching for a
“Who do you think will believe you?” Arthur frowned. There were too many coincidences that it felt like a giant setup. “I’ve explained what I need to. Don’t interrogate me like I’m a criminal. I am the CEO of the Northborn Group.” Katie left them speechless. She had said the necessary and it was up to them whether they wanted to believe it or not. They did not have the evidence to charge her anyway. “You really think we can’t hold you responsible?” Snow was not really looking for a definite answer. The moment she suspected Katie, whether or not she was truly the traitor, Snow already had the right to hold her accountable. It was necessary to make things clear and it was to find out who Katie leaked Kaze’s information to. “It has come down to this. No matter how you deny it, it’s useless. We already know what you have done and you can’t escape. Even if you don’t want to confess, we can continue the investigation, and we’ll eventually find out the truth. “If you come clean
After Katie sent Leah to the hospital, she went back to work. She had a lot on her plate recently and it made her hesitant. Many decisions must be made at once. Many documents required her attention but she was not in the mood to go through them. Her eyes were watching the news on her computer screen. She seemed to know what had happened yet the headlines were not showing, which made her anxious. “Nothing?” Katie felt strange. According to the scale of the incident, it should be making headlines. Hijacking a plane was no small matter, yet not one article about it was published. She felt strange. “Madam Loren, the Viper’s Den wanted to meet you. They said it is for some documents,” Joey said as she came in. “What documents?” Katie felt strange and instantly became suspicious. “The projects previously under Jet Frost and his family required your signatures. The money has already been transferred but they need one last confirmation on the numbers,” Joey said professiona
Snow could not go to Kaze because she had to stay back to handle the rest of the matter. “You know that person.” Peter dared not lie anymore because he wanted to ask for forgiveness. “You’re still trying to negotiate?” Arthur knew what Peter was targeting since he did not finish the sentence. “I regret what I have done but I want to see if the Viper’s Den could forgive me this once. I’ll make up for what I have done. Can you please let me go?” Peter boldly made his request, albeit knowing that it was unlikely to work, he hoped to gain attention. “Don’t even think about it. You’ll be out of the Viper’s Den after this. We won’t hold you responsible and consider it mercy from us.” Arthur did not want to go after Peter but he could not allow the young man to stay in the organization anymore. People who had betrayed the Viper’s Den could no longer be part of it. “I didn’t know it was this serious. Besides, that person is from the Viper’s Den as well.” Peter regretted hi
“I wonder how Chairman Lee is doing. If he’s alone, he’ll definitely get out of the situation but there’s a whole plane of hostages with him. He must be in a difficult position.” Snow knew Kaze’s personality well enough, thus her worries. Kaze would never escape alone and abandon the people. He would either leave with everyone or stay to find a way to solve the matter. Snow then suddenly sighed a breath of relief because she knew Kaze would never spare the hijackers for what they did. She was no longer overly concerned and focused instead on resolving the matter at hand. A while later, Arthur came back hurriedly. “I’ve checked the records. Only a handful of people know that Mr. Lee left and they are all whom we are familiar with and trusted. The traitor must be among them.” He dared not believe that Kaze’s schedule was leaked from his side. “No one at my side knows about Chairman Lee’s schedule except me,” Snow said confidently. She started to feel more certain about t
Snow had already sent men to where the plane was found. If the passengers were taken away, then they must still be nearby. It was difficult to transport an entire plane of passengers to some place far within such a short time. It was a race against time. Snow did not know who would do such a thing. Kaze took a common flight like everyone else, yet it was hijacked. It was strange. The coincidence was uncanny. Snow believed the hijacking happened because of Kaze but she did not know why. “The only explanation is that there’s a traitor among us…” She finally came to an unlikely conclusion after combing through the details. If there were a traitor, it must be within the Viper’s Den. Kaze had laid a low profile for as long as he was in Butterworth. Not many people knew about his identity and those who wanted to make connections with him were because of Snow. It was unlikely that someone would go after him so suddenly unless this person knew his identity and background.
If they were sent to capture Kaze, then they were severely under-numbered. In addition, they allowed Kaze to be alone with the captives, which proved that they were inexperienced. Or maybe they did not know what he had done in the past as the God of War. Kaze believed that the mercenaries were after him but they did not know his true identity. There must have been some miscommunication between them and their employer, which was good news to Kaze. Tiguan and his men were eating. Since they were unable to identify the target, they were forced to bring everyone back. The plane was huge. It would be an easy target for the law enforcement to locate them. Maybe the outside world had caught wind of the hijacking. “Boss, what should we do now? That man seems like he vanished into thin air.” “We got his boarding information but we can’t identify him on the plane.” “Who are we looking for exactly? Why is he so mysterious?” The men were baffled. “We are looking for the righ
“We are almost there. We have to transfer these people as soon as possible. The plane must take off right away. We cannot leave any traces behind.” They must hurry or they would be caught very soon. They held the pilot hostage and forced him to do an abrupt landing. The sudden descent caught everyone off guard, shocking them. A few of the passengers even hit their heads. Many of them did not get the chance to fasten their seat belts. Kaze grabbed Barney and protected his head from hitting the front seat. “Thank you.” Barney looked at Kaze with gratitude and then looked outside. “Where are we? Have we reached?” He was worried that they would be completely trapped. “They are going to transfer us elsewhere.” Kaze had a similar experience before and he knew what the hijackers would do next. “Transfer us? Are they going to transfer us to somewhere secluded and kill us all?” Barney looked horrified as he stared at Kaze. He somehow felt safe beside Kaze. “They sai