After Honey’s introductory speech, the auction staff brought the Nether Viper Sword on stage. The auction also arranged for some experts to demonstrate the sharpness of the sword by performing a few moves on stage, cutting wooden planks, iron rods, and whatnot. The crowd was in awe of the sword’s sharpness. As expected of the sacred weapon of the Viper’s Den. Despite it being a replica, it possessed unparalleled sharpness and power. However, only the amateurs were impressed by the demonstrations. People like Ruth, Sol, and the others were calm and quiet, simply waiting for the auction to start. They knew how strong the Nether Viper Sword was. In fact, each organization had their own sacred weapon. They would not attend the auction if they were solely after the sword’s sharpness and power. After the demonstration, Honey officially started the bidding. She said, “Now let us start today’s auction. Allow me to state the rules first. “The starting price for the Nether
Honey looked at Sirius and his men with a gentle smile, speaking in the softest tone. Her words sounded weightless. Sirius glanced at her and nonchalantly said, “An underground organization stepping into the light and auctioning the sacred weapon of the Viper’s Den. Aren’t Dallas Moneylender afraid of being eliminated?” He was overflowing with murderous intent. He disregarded Honey’s words and Dallas Moneylender entirely. Honey remained smiling and said nothing. Then, a large number of Dallas Moneylender’s staff swarmed out from the corner and went straight for Sirius and his men, surrounding them. They were so quick that Sirius and his men were unable to respond in time. Bang! Following another heavy thump, the agent who attacked the staff earlier was kicked out of the hall with blood spewing from his mouth. “You!” Sirius’ men were furious. They glared at the staff members and took a cautious stance. Sirius reacted grimly. Even after he revealed his identity, the
Right after Sirius’ words subsided, everyone looked at Kaze. They heard it was Kaze who cut off Sirius’ arm with the Nether Viper Sword. Now that the rumor had been validated, it explained Sirius’ resentment toward Kaze. He was willing to spend a fortune to bid for the Nether Viper Sword just so he could use it to kill Kaze for revenge. The brief confrontation pressured even Conan, yet Kaze remained nonchalant. He smiled at Sirius and said, “Then it’s going to be costly. You are spending a few billions just to kill me.” Sirius scoffed and said, “I can get it back when I take you and your wife’s company. Their combined assets would be enough to buy a few Nether Viper Swords.” The meaning of his words was self-explanatory. After killing Kaze, Sirius planned to take Kaze and Darcy’s companies to cover the cost of the sword. “We’ll see if you can win the sword,” Kaze said with a hint of fierceness in his eyes. Sirius sat down and then said, “Auctioneer, you may continue
The trustor Honey referred to was Kaze. Sirius glanced at Kaze and scoffed. “Don’t worry about that. It’s just five billion. The Glitters still can afford it. It’s just a matter of cash flow. The money I used today will come back ten folds or even a hundred folds!” His gaze turned fierce. He thought he had won the bid for the Nether Viper Sword. No matter how resourceful or wealthy the other three organizations were, they would never spend a hefty five billion to purchase the Nether Viper Sword. They attended the auction and raised the price because they wanted to make the Viper’s Den look like a fool. They were not here for the sword because it would put them in the opposite position against the entire Viper’s Den. Therefore, the Glitters spending five billion for the Nether Viper Sword was considered a decent deal. They were not losing anything. Sirius wanted to kill Kaze with the sword and seized his and his wife’s assets. The combined value of the companies and as
Even though Sirius could claim ten billion from Kaze and his assets, he could not fork out that much money to get the Nether Viper Sword. Frustrated, he sat down and stared at the woman, saying, “Ten billion? Fine, the sword is yours. But do you even have that much money?” The woman did not care about Sirius’ sarcastic remark. She shot a frosty glance at him and said, “Shut up. Don’t speak if you are poor, you useless trash! The Nether Viper Sword is the sacred weapon of the Viper’s Den. Is ten billion really that much?” The moment Sol, Ruth, and the others heard the woman, they almost burst out in laughter. Sirius flushed, drowning in his own embarrassment and frustration. As a member of the Glitters, he was called useless trash by a nameless woman in public! Kaze did not laugh at him. He focused on the woman instead as thoughts ran through his mind. “Ten billion once.” “Ten billion twice.” “Sold! To the lady in the back!” Following the smack of the mallet, the Net
“My master said he will meet with you in person when you are done with your matters.” The woman then took the sword and left. “‘Hold it right there!” Before the woman could leave, two of Sirius’ men went up to her and blocked her exit. “You pretentious hag, hand over the sword!” One of them tried to snatch the sword away. Upon seeing the situation, many disdainful glances were shot at Sirius. He failed to reclaim the sword through the auction, so he decided to reclaim it through force. How shameless! Sirius stared at the exit nonchalantly as if he was not a part of it. The Dallas Black Card surprised him for a moment but he was not sure if it was still part of Kaze’s plan with Dallas Moneylender to trick him. After all, bringing someone with the Dallas Black Card into the fray might scare the Viper’s Den and Kaze could escape the punishments. Therefore, Sirius wanted to test if the woman was the real deal. The woman frowned. “Move,” she said. “Know your pl
The woman put the Nether Viper Sword away and said, “Fool. A gun is not the most lethal within a short distance. Your gun is meaningless in front of a true expert.” After berating Sirius, the woman shot a meaningful glance at Kaze before she left. Sirius stared at the exit blankly, speechless. Kaze curled his lips into a meaningful grin. It was an interesting exchange. The woman was not mocking Sirius. It would seem more appropriate that she was lecturing him. Kaze had an extra glance at Sirius, whose face was gloomy. He wondered if the fool could grasp the wisdom. After the woman left, all the guests in the auction hall regained their senses. What happened in that brief moment overwhelmed them. Sirius also slowly regained his composure and his mind cleared up. He wiped the blood off his forehead and then looked at Kaze coldly. “Mr. Lee, I don’t care what master she serves, you are going to die today!” The mysterious woman might have shocked everyone at the auct
Albert frowned. Suddenly, a frosty chuckle came from the entrance. The chuckle was not loud but it sounded like thunder, clapping right beside everyone’s ear. Many of the guests were frightened. Everyone turned to the entrance once again. A middle-aged man with a wrinkled face appeared at the entrance. He exuded an aura of authority without even speaking. His bearing, hands clasped behind his back, conveyed a sense of towering grandeur and deep unshakable presence, characteristics of someone in a position of power. No one dared to take him lightly. He scanned across the hall and ultimately landed his frosty gaze on Albert. “Chief Commander Hiden of the State Strategic Department. You have quite the nerve to act like a gangster without your uniform. You beat someone up in front of a crowd. “You said you are not in uniform and you are here as your own entity. Does it mean the Viper’s Den can arrest you?” “Hahaha! Branch Leader, you are just in time! Arrest Chief Com
“Mr. Tenby, I thought you were speaking out for your friend, but you were just looking for an excuse to ask me out.“Try your luck with another girl. Here is not the place for you to pick up chicks.” The crowd gave Draig strange looks. Draig turned red. He glared at Buffy, tempted to lash out. Fuck. He got played. Buffy hit on him, and he simply responded. She turned things around and made it sound like he was picking her up. Unbothered by Draig’s rage, Buffy smiled charmingly. “Besides, a nice gentleman has invited me for dinner.” The crowd made guesses about who would be having dinner with Buffy. Buffy sauntered toward Kaze and sat next to him. As the crowd watched on in disbelief, Buffy hooked her arm around Kaze’s. Um… It was an eye-bulging moment. Nothing more needed to be said. It was unbelievable. Instead of steering clear, Buffy showed her fondness toward Kaze, a dumped divorcée. Buffy would make herself a laughingstock. Besides, Kaze did no
“Should I defend you instead?” Buffy pointed at Cyan. “I heard you mocking Kaze. You better watch it. “Otherwise, you can kiss your career online goodbye. I don’t care whether you’re with Golden Scale Corporation.” Cyan turned pale. She would not doubt Buffy’s words. Buffy’s father was the former deputy chief. Jude still held influence within the organization. She had access to wealth and resources through control over Gwake Corporation. It would not take much for Buffy to get Cyan canceled. All Buffy needed to do was bribe her way to the higher management of Golden Scale Corporation.Cyan held her tongue. Unable to stand Buffy’s arrogance, Draig stepped forward in disgruntlement. “You must be Ms. Gwake. Even if Cyan was a little harsh about Kaze, she was only looking out for Kaze. You are taking things far by assaulting Cyan.“Cyan is my friend. Shouldn’t you answer to me? “Oh, I should introduce myself.” Draig looked at Buffy and said indifferently, “I am Draig
“I’m telling you, Kaze. We won’t stand by and watch you prey on these socialites,” Cyan uttered indignantly as if she stood on the path of justice. Kaze sighed. “I really want to slap you awake if not for your dad, Cyan. “Draig, you’re something else to dig your own grave in your father’s name.” “Tsk!” “Who do you think you are?” Draig and Cyan turned their noses up at Kaze’s remark. Cyan clamored, “Come on. Show me what you got.“You’re a joke. I exposed you for who you are, and you, in turn, want to slap me? “I’d love to see you try—” A woman stormed into the place and raised her hand. “Smack!” The slap echoed through the silent room, and the crowd stirred. “Buffy?” “She’s the only daughter of Jude, the former deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River State Branch. She’s the chairwoman of Gwake Corporation.” “She’s the one rumored to be dating Lee.” Chatters filled the room. The crowd looked at Buffy in shock. Buffy showed up out of nowhere and slappe
Kaze was definitely the only one to show up to Bronze Sparrow on a bicycle. It took guts to do so. Kaze grabbed his carbonated drink from the table and took a sip before turning to Draig. He said indifferently, “I didn’t know there was a rule that a divorcee can’t attend today’s celebration. “Is there a rule that guests can’t attend the party on a bike? “Who makes the rules?” Faced with Kaze’s questioning, Draig and the others were lost for words. The guests exchanged looks. There were no such rules. However, Kaze should know his place. Kaze was asking for a beatdown by crashing a high-profile party when he was just a nobody. Draig nodded furiously. “You never learn, Kaze.”“He’s hopeless now. He’s hit rock bottom, so he’ll stay put no matter what we say.” Cyan gritted her teeth. It was frustrating to deal with someone like Kaze. No one was getting through to him. Without looking at the pair, Kaze said blankly, “Are you done? You can leave if you’re done.”
Since the branch leader would show up, Cyan did not want the branch leader to know that she was associated with Kaze. It would only be damaging to her reputation. While the group sought Kaze out, the latter sat alone in a living room corner, snacking and scrolling on his phone. Kaze was too hungry to care about what anyone else thought of him. His cheeks were full. The rich and powerful furrowed their brows in disdain, keeping their distance from Kaze. For some reason, Cyan saw red. “Kaze!” She angrily yelled and got up in his face, “Why are you eating like you’ve been starving for days? “Why are you stealing food here? “Do you know where you are? You’re an embarrassment!” Cyan’s voice attracted a lot of attention. The crowd gathered and gossiped among themselves about Kaze. Kaze was just chilling on his own, eating, and playing a mobile game. Cyan and her friends came at him out of the blue. He was beyond annoyed. If Cyan was not Lock’s daughter, he would’ve sl
“Mr. Ettinger!” the Viper’s Den members greeted Collier with their heads down. Collier buttoned up his suit and nodded. “Ms. Delmore is still in the office. I came ahead of her to see if there’s anything more to do.” Since Kaze would be attending the celebration, Hannah and Collier wanted to make sure everything was in order. Cyan beamed at the sight of Collier and exclaimed, “Mr. Ettinger!” Recognizing Cyan, Collier greeted her with a smile, “It’s you, Ms. Yemen. Welcome. Why aren’t you heading inside? Are you waiting for someone?” Cyan was delighted by Collier’s warm welcome. She pointed at the head of the Viper’s Den members in charge of gatekeeping. “I want to get in but your people said we can’t enter without an invite. “I guess the other guests who went in didn’t need an invite.” That was the reason why Cyan and Draig seethed in a corner. They realized that no one produced an invitation to get into Bronze Sparrow. In other words, the Viper’s Den members were jus
As the air crackled with deadly intent, Draig’s heart pounded with dread. He was horrified that the Viper’s Den members were just as strong, if not stronger than him. Draig had no idea that these members were Viper’s Den South River State Branch’s key players. They were the elites of the elites in the South River State. “Easy there, gentlemen. Mr. Tenby is from abroad. He doesn’t know the rules of Arcadia. Please cut him some slack.” With Draig caught in a spot, Cyan came to the rescue. Since Cyan was nice about it, the leader of the pack scoffed and waved his arm. His companions quickly put away their weapons. “I don’t care where you came from, but you need to keep to the Arcadian rules since you’re here. You don’t get special favors here.” The leader stared at Draig and said icily, “This should not happen again. Now, get lost!” Draig burned with rage. The people, except for Kaze, had been bending over backward for Draig since his arrival in Arcadia. To think he
The Viper’s Den members yelled at Draig while pulling out their weapons. The air was thick with tension. Draig knew that it was not wise of him to fight during Hannah’s celebration. The Viper’s Den members would not stand by and let the commotion stew. Draig was caught between a rock and a hard place. By throwing the punch, he would be at odds with the Viper’s Den, but he could not turn the other cheek on the matter. “Just forget it, Mr. Tenby. Don’t get into it with a dropped loser. You’re only insulting yourself.” Cyan gave Draig an out. Draig retrieved his arm and scoffed. “Consider yourself lucky, Kaze.” A shadow of regret fleeted across Kaze’s eyes. If Draig were to start a fight, Kaze would have reason to finish him off and get rid of the annoyance. It was a shame that the Viper’s Den members stopped anything from happening. Cyan criticized, “Mr. Tenby is only looking out for you, Kaze. Yet, you stomped on his car key. You went too far. Hurry up and apologiz
“Nevermind. Why are we wasting our time with the likes of him? We don’t belong in the same world anyway.” Draig waved his arm. “Come on. Let’s get inside.” Dumping his car on the side of the road, Draig led Cyan and her friends into Bronze Sparrow. “Huh? How did Kaze get in? Can he get in?” one influencer exclaimed. The crowd watched in shock as Kaze stepped through the door. “Branch Leader!” The members of the Viper’s Den South River State Branch perked up when Kaze showed up. They, Hannah’s trusted aides, knew who Kaze was. Kaze acknowledged the greeting. “Is everybody here?” The head of the pack said in respect, “Many guests have arrived. Ms. Delmore and Mr. Ettinger will be here once they are done with work. Should I inform them to keep you company, sir?” “No, I’ll sit and wait.” Kaze waved his arm and made his way inside. “Hold it right there, Kaze!” Cyan’s angry voice came from behind. “Are you aware of the event at Bronze Sparrow? Do you know who the