“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
Many knew by now that the Viper’s Den’s Nether Viper Sword was in Kaze’s possession. Hence why the Viper’s Den made a huge fuss, and Magnus, the leader of the branch in the West State demanded Kaze to deliver the sword in three days and apologize on his knees. All eyes were on Kaze. Kaze messed with the wrong people this time. The very name of the Viper’s Den sent shivers down many spines.Many believed that Kaze would head to Westeros and present the Nether Viper Sword to Magnus on his knees before the three days were up. However, news arrived of multiple attempts to sell the Nether Viper Sword through auction houses.One name entered everybody’s mind right away. Kaze. Since Kaze stole the Nether Viper Sword, it could only be him who was planning to auction it off. Kaze had the nerve. He was playing with fire. The news was quite a bombshell. No one expected Kaze to try and sell the Nether Viper Sword. He was definitely getting under the Viper’s Den’s skin.
“Dallas Moneylender isn’t afraid of Viper’s Den? How much are they taking?” Kaze was furious. Dallas Moneylender was an underground money laundering organization and theoretically, they should be afraid of the Viper’s Den, one of the official authorities. Viper’s Den’s main responsibility was to control the underground factions across the country. It was not exaggerating to say that Viper’s Den was Dallas Moneylender’s bane. However, since Dallas Moneylender prioritized profits and money, as long as they could reap sufficient reward from the auction, they might take the risk and hold the auction of the Nether Viper Sword. Kaze was curious how much Dallas Moneylender was taking. Auction houses usually offer a certain percentage of commission from the final auction price. It was not fixed, so the number entirely depended on how high the bidding could go. “Mr. Chairman, Dallas Moneylender has been around for a hundred years, as long as the Viper’s Den. They have people all
“Then do you think Kaze can make it this time?” the woman asked curiously. Even though Kaze was able to force Magnus out of his turf by auctioning the Nether Viper Sword, the man was still the branch leader of the Viper’s Den in the West State. Magnus had access to all resources, connections, and branches in the entire West State. He was a force to be reckoned with. Kaze might be slightly powerful in Lilyrose but his powers and resources were nothing compared to Magnus’. Sieg shook his head. “I can’t tell. Logically, I think Kaze is dead meat. Though a part of me wants him to perform another miracle. “Only then he is worthy to be my opponent, my grinding stone that I can hone my skills with. Let’s just wait and see…” As Sieg’s voice grew softer, the courtyard returned to peace and quiet. …Viper’s Den Westeros branch. Magnus sat on his executive chair, emotionless and silent. “Branch Leader, the representatives from thirty-five branches asked why can’t we deal with a
On the second day, the auction proceeded as planned. After Kaze sent Darcy off to work, he strolled back to the entrance of Skylar View District. “Brother!” Conan, who had been waiting since early in the morning, came over attentively. Kaze glanced at him and asked, “How’s your hand?” “Nothing to worry about.” Conan smiled and waved his hand around to show that he was fine. Kaze nodded. “Come on, let’s go get your revenge.” He had gotten news that Magnus left West State last night and had already arrived at South River State. The upcoming auction would surely be a party. Dallas Moneylender rented the exhibition center for the auction, which was the same place where Rove held their investment auction. Kaze did not grant any backdoor access to Dallas Moneylender to rent the place, nor did he inform the city council about the auction. Even though Dallas Moneylender Lilyrose Branch had been eliminated, their influence in the city remained strong. Given how strong
Kaze did not mind the authenticity of Honey’s words. If Dallas Moneylender had the nerve to come to him for revenge, he would just eliminate them all once more. “Mr. Lee, please wait at the VIP lounge area. I still have to welcome other guests. There are quite a number of VIPs attending the auction today.” Honey told one of her men to lead Kaze to the lounge area before she went off. After Kaze and Conan sat down, more guests were being brought into the VIP lounge. A tall young woman with a hair bun walked in surrounded by people. Conan was surprised to see the young woman. He leaned closer to Kaze and whispered, “Bro, this woman is Ruth Wyrm, one of the leaders of Dragon’s Nest in South River State. Like Hannah Delmore, she’s also one of the young prodigies…” Before he could finish, he realized Kaze was looking behind him with an interesting look. “Bro, what’s the matter?” He instinctively turned around and saw Ruth behind him, staring at him fiercely. He was not a
Kaze put the Nether Viper Sword away and said, “Since Conan started it, I’ll let you off the hook this time. There won’t be a next.” “Hmph!” Ruth grunted coldly but dared not continue the argument with Kaze. She was no idiot. From the moment Kaze successfully ambushed her, she knew she was no match for him. She knew Kaze defeated Hannah and two teams of Viper’s Den’s agents. She was skeptical at first but after the brief encounter, she was forced to accept the fact. Kaze ignored the young woman. He was not trying to be arrogant or overprotective of his followers, but because the auction would be flooded with people from different factions. It was necessary to ensure his and Conan’s safety. Ruth was from the Dragon’s Nest, so it was almost certain that the Wolf’s Den and Tiger’s Cave would also send representatives over. After all, it was uncommon to see Viper’s Den in shame. Based on how fierce and rude Ruth was to Conan, it was no surprise that people from the four
Vigar had another glance at Kaze but did not say anything. He simply sat down in the corner as well. Other than the Viper’s Den, the Dragon’s Nest, Tiger’s Cave, and Wolf’s Den had sent their representatives over. More guests arrived. As for the local Lilyroseans, the family heads of the Vikrom, Joestar, and Logman families came to support Kaze right after they were discharged from the hospital. Some influential figures of the city also attended and greeted Kaze when they arrived. However, not everyone respected Kaze. “Kaze Lee, I wonder if you will die today…” Madam Hacks, Christian, and the others attended as well. The one who spoke was Mary Sue. Her words ignited the spark of conflict in the air. Dakota and the other investors from all over the country attended as well. They attended, hopefully, to witness Kaze’s death. They had gotten the news that Magnus would attend the auction. Magnus’ arrival would mean Kaze’s death. Kaze glanced at them and toyed arou
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