“Who are you to challenge the Viper’s Den’s authority, lowlife?” While Madam Hacks appeared to be mocking Kaze, she was actually stirring the pot.She would love it if Kaze and the Viper’s Den could be at each other’s throats. Madam Hacks hated Kaze’s guts. Kaze, the loser, not only got Kingston arrested, but he also got his nose in her business. Today, Albert slapped her because of Kaze, and the legality of her marriage was challenged too. Madam Hacks would rather die than be humiliated. Since she could not do anything to Albert, she took out her anger on Kaze. As Sirius said, Albert could not always be there for Kaze. “Lowlife?” Kaze narrowed his eyes at Madam Hacks. “You still don’t seem to have a clue who the lowlife is here.” He was enraged moments ago. If Albert had not shown up out of the blue, corpses would have piled up outside the mayor’s office. The fifth wife of the Hacks family head was no threat to Kaze. He could easily kill her. Not getting th
“Since you got a beating from Albert, I’ll only use one hand on you. Two hands and I’m out. I can forget about today’s incident too. “How about that?” Kaze’s nonchalant suggestion only enraged Sirius. “You’re cocky, Mr. Lee. Don’t you care about your life?” Sirius hissed through clenched teeth. Sirius was aware that Kaze had defeated Hannah with his palm. The news traveled across the Viper’s Den’s branch in the West State. However, Sirius believed Hannah only lost due to her carelessness. He knew Hannah too well. Hannah was arrogant and condescending. She would not take a nobody like Kaze seriously. For that reason, Hannah failed miserably. She became a joke within the organization. Sirius trusted that he was as strong, if not better than Hannah. His rapid rise through the ranks was proof, especially in the Viper’s Den where competence mattered more than family background. Hannah was a beautiful woman which were two qualities that sparked a lot of interest. Th
Madam Hacks, Christian, and the others sneered as Kaze stood still as if he was too stunned to fight back. They called Kaze on his bluff. The outcome of the fight would ultimately reveal the real champion.“Die, loser!” Sirius let out a menacing smile. He did not mistake Kaze’s moment of daze for an opportunity to show mercy.The way Sirius saw it, Kaze was a dead man since the moment he got on his nerves. “Die?” Kaze moved at last. Staying true to his word, he only used one arm. Kaze raised his arm and slapped Sirius’ clawing hand away. “Crack!” Then came a series of splintering noises. As Sirius’ arm hung limp, he made a face of agony and disbelief. That was impossible. Kaze shattered his entire arm. The joints in his wrist and elbow shattered into several pieces. “No!” Sirius looked up at Kaze in rage. Not stopping there, Kaze landed his hand on his cheek with sheer force. “Smack!” Sirius coughed up blood and collapsed to the floor.“Argh!”
Sirius was in disbelief. He had encountered many great fighters in the Viper’s Den, but nothing and no one ever stunned him. It took just one slap. Sirius was incapacitated. The sheer force of the slap was great. That was all it took to shatter the joints in his wrist, elbow, and shoulder. The rest of his body did not suffer as much damage. Sirius finally sensed the disparity of strength between him and Kaze. Kaze slapped his pride and ego away, and Sirius still could not believe it. Maybe only Magnus in the West State could put up a fight against Kaze. Sirius’ lips quivered as he spoke with difficulty, “I represent the Viper’s Den, Lee. I came to Lilyrose on Mr. Fuller’s orders. If you kill me, the Viper’s Den will make you pay.” Madam Hacks and the others widened their eyes. Sirius was too proud to even acknowledge Astral as the family successor. He even stuck his neck out to refute Albert the chief commander. Yet now, his threat carried no weight. The c
Albert smiled wryly without another word. He knew Kaze meant what he said. For anything Kaze deemed unacceptable, nothing and no one could stop him from fixing it.It was Kaze’s very nature that won the strategic department over. Slaughtering the Viper’s Den was no big deal. Kaze’s statement shocked many. The crowd could not understand where Kaze got his confidence from. Did he know what he was saying? Ignoring everybody else, Kaze patted Sirius’ face with the tip of the bloody sword. “I can spare your life. Get your ass back to the West State and tell Magnus to find me in Lilyrose. Don’t send his little minions to annoy me. “I’ve sliced off your arm, but the next time, it’s your throat I’m after.” Sirius did not make a peep. He struggled to get on his feet and grabbed his arm from the ground. Sirius and the other Viper’s Den agents departed without looking back. The team aggressively surrounded the mayor’s office when they arrived. However, they left with thei
Sirius detailed the earlier incident. Magnus made a face upon learning that a slap was all it took for Kaze to defeat Sirius. Even though Magnus had an idea about Kaze’s strength, he was still horrified. “Our branch suffered a massive loss, sir. No one can restrain Kaze. Only you can kill him and retrieve the Nether Viper Sword.“Besides, Kaze made it clear that unless you make the trip, he will start killing the next group of people you send,” Sirius summoned up the courage and said solemnly. Sirius could not wait for Magnus to finish Kaze off. Kaze was his enemy and nightmare. He might never step foot into Lilyrose so long as Kaze lived. Magnus scoffed, waved his arm, and said, “It’s time you step back. I’ll sort this out.” He had not recovered since spitting out blood from reading the scroll from Kaze. How could he possibly go to Kaze now? Sirius said resentfully, “But sir, the news about Kaze stealing the Nether Viper Sword and destroying the Viper’s Den in the Wes
The woman looked at Sieg with admiration. With just one move, Sieg could play out the plan to his desire. He worked behind the scenes, finishing his opponents from miles away. It was not just flattery. Sieg’s reputation for wisdom in Geranium City was well-deserved.To the woman, Sieg was the perfect man. Sieg smiled broadly. “I hope Kaze doesn’t die so easily. I finally found someone who piqued my interest, so it would be a shame if he died too soon.” … Kaze, Darco, and Albert were having a drink at the military command in Lilyrose Strategic Department. After every battle they fought in the war, Kaze would organize a get-together and drink with his buddies to let loose. Not one to be a snob, Kaze mingled with his men like buddies. His comrades-in-arms would not keep their distance from Kaze because of his senior position in private. They opened up to him. “Drink up! Remember the last time we drank together? Or was it the time before the last?” Albert tipsily r
“That’s exactly why Magnus spread the rumors. He’s dug a hole for you to jump in.“He has a trap laid out for you when you go there. “But it’ll look like you chicken out if you don’t go.” Draco nodded and chimed in, “That’s right. That’s what the bastard wants.” They saw through Magnus’ evil plan. Still, Draco, Albert, and Kaze were relaxed and even disdainful. Magnus was nothing but a buffoon in their eyes. Even if Kaze went to Westeros, crushing the Viper’s Den’s branch there was a piece of cake. Any manipulation was useless in the face of absolute power. “Are you going to Westeros?” Albert asked in anticipation. It had been a long time since Kaze started anything. Albert was desperate for Kaze to head to Westeros and crush the Viper’s Den’s branch. “As if.” Kaze retorted gleefully before uttering indifferently, “Magnus isn’t worth my time to Westeros.“But Magnus can come to me.” Kaze’s eyes turned icy. The Viper’s Den was becoming a constant annoyan
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
“Can you make him stop? If the man comes back, we’ll be done for,” someone said. The kid’s crying made everyone anxious. “What can I do? He’s crying because he’s scared. I can’t just stop him.” The mother was afraid as well, and she did not want her son to be taken advantage of. “Calm down. Just don’t alert the men and we’ll be fine,” Miguel said, hoping to ease the situation. “I’ll fight him if he comes in. I believe I can make it,” someone said. Those with an impulsive nature grew restless from being kept on the bus for too long, feeling like livestock being kept in cages. “Shut it. They are coming,” Barney said after a glance outside the window. The other passengers fell silent, sat back down, lowered their heads, and tried their best not to look out the window. The mother quickly hugged her son and covered his mouth to prevent him from crying. Kaze felt peace and quiet once more, even the air felt smoother. He knew the passengers were merely ordinary people and
Unfortunately, Leah knew she would not get an answer out of Snow since she was refusing to help. Everything seemed to have changed following her mother’s disappearance. She tried to stay for answers but when security came in, she could not resist them anymore. It was the first time she was escorted out by security guards and it impacted her. She used to be the daughter of the CEO of Northborn Group—everyone respected her. She used to enjoy a privileged status. No matter where she went, she was the star of the event. Yet when her mother disappeared, everything changed. She wanted to look for Kaze but she had just lost the chance. Snow turned her down and gazed at her with contempt and irritation. Leah could not accept the changes but some things felt like they were destined to change. She was forced to leave the branch office but then had no idea where else to go. She felt abandoned by the world. Before this, she could still hope for Kaze’s help, but now she had no
Leah went to her mother’s company but did not find her anywhere. Joey was busy working in the CEO’s office. Leah went over and asked, “Joey, where’s my mother? I can’t reach her.” She wanted to know what happened to her mother. “I don’t know about your mother either. We went out together earlier in the day but I don’t know where she went. I can’t get in touch with her.” Joey was so busy that she could not even free herself from the desk to explain to the girl. “Where did she go? How am I supposed to find her?” Leah panicked. If even Joey did not know where her mother went, then something must have happened. A bad feeling rose from her heart. Things just got serious. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask someone else?” Joey did not have time to deal with the girl. Leah was unfamiliar with Joey’s coldness. Joey had always treated her with kindness and flattery, so the sudden coldness caught her off guard. She felt like something had changed. “Who should I be looking f
“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