A fleet of fancy cars raced at 120 miles an hour along the express lane to Lilyrose airport. Magnus sat in the backseat of a Maybach among the fleet with his eyes closed and face discolored and sweaty. His abdomen burned with excruciating pain. “Sir, we won’t have any place in the Viper’s Den if we flee to Westeros. “We’re better off striking with firearms. So what if he knows the Viper Queen? A dead man has no value.” Magnus’ right-hand man, sitting next to him, yelled with a menacing look. Competition within the organization had always been fierce. Branches in the West State faced the most intense competition. Once word of Magnus’ defeat spread, many would be tempted to replace him. Losing the leadership role was bad enough, but the worst thing was bloodshed. Magnus’ right-hand men could likely be purged. Kaze was the cause of everything. Magnus’ men wanted to tear Kaze apart. “No!” Magnus opened his eyes abruptly and shouted sternly. His right-hand man
“We can’t be sure if it was him.” The young woman knew that Autumn was talking about Kaze. She said, “Kaze let Magnus go after incapacitating him. “A sniper killed Magnus’ driver when he was on his way to Lilyrose airport. The car lost control and caused a big pile-up on the highway.“By the time Magnus’ men got him out of the car, Magnus was long gone.” “The local police force determined through the bullet trajectory that the sniper stayed high a mile and a half away. So far there are no leads.” Autumn said with a straight face, “That’s quite a precision for a sniper to shoot a moving target a mile and a half away. The enemy knows a lot about Magnus. The distance wouldn’t have put him on high alert. “The world-class sniper can be military trained.” The young woman was taken aback, “Are you saying that Albert got rid of Magnus for Kaze?” Autumn shook her head. “You don’t understand that guy in Lilyrose. If he wanted to kill Magnus, he would have killed him there and then
“When I did ever say—” Kaze paused mid-sentence. He might have said it. The Viper Queen seized the opportunity and named him the leader of the West State branch. Kaze glanced at the Nether Viper Sword in Scarlet’s hand and said indifferently, “Autumn wants me to work for her in exchange for this replica. Isn’t that asking for too much?” The chiefs of the Viper’s Den—Dragon’s Nest, Tiger’s Cave, and Wolf’s Den—may be revered, but they were only four people to Kaze. Needless to say, the position meant little to Kaze. Even if Kaze was offered a position as chief, he might not find it worth his while. Scarlet said, “The chief said that you might have deep connections in the military, but it certainly can be inconvenient when you need the resources. “The resources at the West State branch are at your disposal.” Scarlet had no idea that Kaze was the God of War. She was only conveying Autumn’s message. That was what she was supposed to say in the event Kaze was not on b
“Alright then. Go back and tell Autumn that I’ll lead the West State branch for now.” Kaze could not watch as the five strongest nations stirred up trouble in Arcadia. The Viper Queen sure knew him like the back of her hand. Relieved, Scarlet excused herself and left the mayor’s office in Lilyrose. Kaze summoned Caleb and asked, “Does Don have any progress on Gareth’s case?” “Nothing so far.” Caleb said with a wry smile, “The perpetrator covered their tracks well. With Magnus dead too, the police are feeling the strain.” “I have their backs. Just tell Don to keep digging.” Kaze waved his arm. He got up and left the office. “Are you Kaze?” Kaze walked out of the mayor’s office, only to be surrounded by a group. The group, who were dressed in black, looked callous. When Sirius brought his team to block anyone from leaving the mayor’s office, Kaze sliced off the arm of each individual. Kaze did not expect them to lay another siege. He sized up the unwelcome g
Soon, the word went around, saying that Kaze staged the auctioning of the Nether Viper Sword to give the Viper Queen money in seeking forgiveness. It now made sense why the Viper Queen stood by Kaze during the auction. Only, some found that Magnus died in vain. The Viper Queen turned her back on the West State branch leader for over 10 billion dollars. … Putting away the Nether Viper Sword, Kaze returned to Horizon Mirror Mansion. Kaze could hear the cheerful laughter inside before entering. He stepped inside with a smile. “Good news, I hear?” “Kaze, I’m guaranteed an admission spot in college!” Rose rushed over to hold Kaze’s arm, her face blushing with excitement. The family watched gleefully, not finding the affection between Rose and Kaze inappropriate at all. Rose was still a baby to the family. “Oh, congrats. Which college?” Kaze asked with a smile. As far as he knew, Rose was in one of the best high schools in the South River State. The students in th
Nelson served in the military. While he might hold power, the income was not much. Kaze flaunted his money for once just to tick Nelson off. “Thank you, Kaze.” Rose jumped for joy. Nelson grimaced and scoffed without another word. After all, Kaze was helping his daughter. He knew that Kaze was far from the loser he was before. Later, Kaze contacted the owner of Dynasty Hotel to get the best private lounge. The next day soon arrived. Rose’s family and the extended family showed up at the hotel on time. It did not take long for South River University’s admission group to arrive. The group was led by a young, beautiful, and intelligent woman in professional attire. The young woman, Mandy Yipz, was the leader of the admission teams sent by South River University. “Huh? Kaze?” Before Nelson even introduced Kaze, Mandy stared at the latter in shock. She scowled. Though she quickly covered her facial expression, her hostility was apparent. Kaze frowned. “Hell
In Mandy’s opinion, she would not be in the horrible position if Kaze had not turned the tide. Since she did not want to cross her former superiors at Sunrise News, she directed all the hatred and resentment on Kaze. Despite Mandy’s attempt to mask her feelings, everybody could still feel her hostility toward Kaze. Mandy was not friendly to Kaze. Worried about her niece’s future, Agnes smoothed things over with a smile. “You flatter him, Ms. Yipz. My son-in-law can’t beat you. He’s just here to fill a spot and lighten the mood. He was supposed to come with us. “Should I just tell him to leave, Ms. Yipz?” The group regretted letting Kaze come along. They did not know that Mandy would have a problem with Kaze. The observation was just a formality, but Kaze’s presence might just ruin Rose’s chances of getting into the university. Agnes did not care about Kaze and even told him to leave. Mandy hid the glee behind her eyes. As she had reported about Kaze, she did her
Agnes dragged Kaze to the side for a warning. “Think before you talk. I won’t forgive you if you ruin Rose’s chances of university admission.” The group told Kaze not to screw things for Rose before heading outside to wait. The private lounge, which was in fact a suite, was huge. Mandy went to the couch and sat down with her legs crossed before sizing Kaze up. She said amusedly, “I didn’t expect to meet you under such circumstances, Mr. Lee. “I hold the power to enroll Rose into the university. What do you have to say?” Kaze answered indifferently, “I have nothing much to say. Rose has always been an excellent young lady. She demonstrates strong determination in her studies and character. She has no vices.“Just handle this by the book, Ms. Yipz. No need to consider my feelings.” Kaze texted Snow to find out about Mandy during lunch. Snow had already equipped Kaze with information on Mandy. Mandy was the former ace reporter at Sunrise News. After she was fired due to h
“Based on my understanding of the investigation, the witnesses and evidence are against you. Especially when you threatened the victim to cancel her, more than twenty people at the Yemen mansion heard you. “I know it might not mean anything and it’s not enough to cause the series of events that followed, ultimately leading to the victim’s death, but it has gained attention. More and more media caught wind of this and people are watching, including people from foreign affairs. “To be honest, we received many requests from our website to prosecute you so that the family of the deceased can be at peace.” Kaze nodded. He said, “Chief Bale, I heard you used to be an inspector, so I assumed you are a pro in this? “Then can I also assume that you are clear that it is taboo to be prejudiced during an investigation? Have you investigated under what circumstances I threatened the victim to cancel her online?” Morgan was slightly taken aback. He shook his head and said, “No.” “You guy
“Nope.” Kaze shook his head. “Phew!” Just as Donovan and his men breathed a sigh of relief, Kaze pointed at the phone belonging to the officer with the glasses on the table and said, “But you can listen to the recording inside this phone. It’s from a few minutes ago.” His words made Donovan and the other two officers nervous once more. Minutes ago? Minutes ago, the three of them were trying to teach Kaze a lesson. The officer with the glasses widened his eyes in fear. After he put the phone on the table for Kaze to make a call, hoping it would be to the mayor, he forgot to take the phone back. On the second round of questions, Kaze somehow turned on the recording function! “Oh?” Morgan glanced at Donovan and the others as he picked up the phone. He stopped the recording and played it from the top. “Kaze Lee, you have one last chance! If you can call the mayor to save you, you can walk, or else don’t blame us for being rough.” “You should know that we have coun
When Donovan and his officers came to the front lobby, they saw multiple police cruisers parked outside with the sirens glaring. Among the motorcade was a shining Audi A6. When the door opened, Donovan and his officers saw the chief of the state police station, Morgan Bale, coming out in full uniform. The lights in front of the station shed a light over his face that night, and it was not a smiley face. The chief wanted to see Donovan in person and based on the look on his face, he was not in a good mood. Donovan’s heart sank, but he steeled himself and went up to greet the chief. “Chief Bale, good evening sir! I’m Donovan Tenby. You asked to see me, sir?” Morgan walked up to Donovan with a cold grunt and said, “I heard you arrested someone called Kaze Lee earlier in the day.” “Yes—” “Yes? Where is he? Where is Mr. Lee?!” Morgan shouted. Mr. Lee? Frightened, Donovan quickly said, “H-He is in the interrogation room…” Morgan then went off without any explanation.
“You worked for the mayor as his lapdog and probably did a lot of dirty shit. Maybe you can hint at him through the phone and he will come for you,” said the officer with the glasses. It was no longer a hint if Kaze had to say it out loud. Kaze did not expect that the mastermind’s plan was also to drag the mayor into this mess. He said, “Then just you guys wait. Maybe when you guys are transferred to other substations, you can meet the mayor yourself.” “You!” Donovan and his officers were furious. If they were transferred to other stations, which were all sub-branches to the state police station, Kent would be able to reach out to them. Kaze could easily snitch on them to Kent and they would suffer. Soon enough, Donovan scoffed and said, “Hmph. Don’t think about how you are going to take revenge on us, think about how you are going to survive this.” “Cap, this guy says he wants revenge on us. Why don’t we teach him a lesson or two?” the buzz-cut officer said. The of
“Tell me, is it the mayor?” the other officer with a buzz cut asked with an impatient tone. Kaze scrutinized the three of them and said with a smile, “What’s the matter? You guys wanted me to call the mayor?” His words surprised the three of them, making their expressions change for a moment before they returned to normal. Donovan scoffed, “Yes. We want you to call the mayor, but can you do it? You are just the mayor’s dog, not his master. Do you know how bad things are for you? Even the Ryokanians are looking. “You really think the mayor will risk his career for a dog? Face reality! You are just an expendable pawn the mayor will throw away once you have no value!” Listening to Donovan’s provocation, Kaze smiled and said, “You can say whatever you want. I’ve called for help and he’s arriving soon. You guys should be prepared.” “You’re bluffing!” Donovan grunted and mocked Kaze, “The mayor is the most powerful person in Riverbank and he has the same authority as the deputy
“I am actually in some trouble and I am being held up here in South River Police Station. I would like you to send someone over here to give me a little assistance,” Kaze said. “Mr. Lee, you are in the police station? What happened?” Mitchell was surprised. Kaze explained, “According to them, I either forced an influencer to kill herself or I raped her and then killed her, then make it look like she killed herself. “Either one of the charges can put me behind bars for at least five years.” He looked calm as he explained. His opponent meticulously calculated and planned to set him up. Even if he was sentenced with the lightest punishment, he would be away for years. “Though I am certain that I am framed because I have never done any of those things. Someone is taking all means necessary to remove me. Now it depends on you, Mr. Swan, whether you trust me or not.” Kaze then kept quiet. Mitchell also went quiet for a while. As a matter of fact, he was not close with Kaze.
Kaze’s move made Donovan’s intimidation and pressure seem excessive. His words left the three officers speechless, their eyes twitching. Kaze was right and they were trying to bait him into confessing. As for the evidence and testimony Donovan mentioned, nothing they had could actually pin Kaze or allow them to prosecute him. Donovan looked at Kaze for a moment and sighed. He said, “You know your way around the wall, which makes it worse after what you have committed. “I’m telling you now, Kaze Lee! Even if you call Jesus, he won’t save you for what you have done! You are done for!” Kaze chuckled and said, “Then can I get my phone call before I meet Jesus?” Donovan was left speechless once more as his eyes continued to twitch. No matter how much he tried to scare Kaze, it did not work. On top of that, Kaze insisted on making his phone call. Bam! Donovan slammed the table once more, shouting, “Kaze Lee, you are a suspect! Don’t even think about the phone call! You mi
“Great. Just great.” Kaze looked at Donovan with a hint of amazement and praise. “I have to say, you shouldn’t be a police captain and be a scriptwriter instead. The movies you scripted would sell like crazy. “However, since you’ve come up with your own deduction, can I also voice some of my questions?” Donovan looked at Kaze coldly without saying a word. Kaze did not care if he allowed, he said, “First, the same question, I have so many beautiful women around me, why would I be interested in an influencer who is a 3 or 2 to me, and would I even need to rape her? “Second, you said you’ve gotten a hold of all the witnesses and their testimonies, what about Snow Frost? Have you gotten hers? If you talked to her, you’d know that she was there and saw it when Mika tried to seduce me. She got upset, slapped her, and even canceled her on the spot. “I'd like to ask if the baseless claims you are using to press charges on me are the ones you believed to be true, or is this just how
“Not only that, Mika has PR in Ryokan and is a prominent figure in their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When her death made the news, Ryokan sent us inquiries about what happened. “You should know that as long as this case is ongoing, it will only snowball into a bigger mess and you will face a bigger disadvantage. I am giving you a chance to confess because of Draig. “If you don’t seize this chance, then you have no one to blame. When we get to the bottom of this, given the crimes that you have committed, you are likely to be executed right away. “Are you sure you want to throw the chance away?” Donovan got up, leaned forward slightly, and peered down at Kaze condescendingly. It was his usual interrogation method to pressure suspects. Usually, other than the stubborn suspects, the ordinary people would crumble under his intimidation. Kaze smiled. “You want me to confess? At least remind me what I have done. Why don’t you give me a little jolt? Maybe I can remember somethin