Heeding Gunter’s call, the Powells and Zion Mercenaries swarmed to Lilyrose, and the numbers rose to tens of thousands. The South River State felt the tremors of impending conflict. Lilyrose, where everything would come together, became the center of attention. All eyes were on that piece of land. Chatter and rumors flared. It was said that the Powells and Zion Mercenaries contacted their friends in high places to put pressure on the South River State’s governor against bailing Kaze out. Based on past incidents, Kaze seemed close to Loid. At least, Kaze likely became the mayor because of Loid’s approval. … A conversation went on in the mayor’s office of Lilyrose. “Are you really stepping down, Mr. Lee? Lilyrose is developing fast, and the city needs you more than ever.” Caleb, Lou, and the others stood before Kaze, reluctant to say goodbye. They were not putting on a show. The feelings were genuine. Kaze was not a mayor for long, but he had achieved many great
Gunter was no fool. He approved of the local Powells’ behavior. Once Kaze was dead, they could split the pie. Gunter would have to reward the family with the Lilyrose New City project. Hence, the Powells from Arcadia pressured Loid to give up on Kaze. They wanted one of them to become the next mayor. While those working for the government put the squeeze on Loid, other family members used their connections in the underworld to intimidate enterprises. “The Lilyrose New City project sure attracted a lot of greed. Gunter came long after Gareth. If we don’t get rid of them quick enough, we will face many more threats.” Kaze said aloofly, “This will be the one last thing I can do for Lilyrose before I step down from office.” Caleb and the others were moved with emotions. They understood what Kaze meant. Simply stopping the Glowmoss Powells would not be enough. They needed to rip out the entire system, eradicating the family from both overseas and local branches.The p
“But I know why. “There is no shred of human nature left in you. All you have is a thirst to kill. “You’re born to kill. War is your game. “I’ve been holding you back because I know there will be a bloodbath in Glowmoss if I don’t.“Now it’s time for you to unleash your potential and kill to your heart’s content. “Kill everyone in your path,” Gunter uttered flatly. He spoke as if he was talking about the weather.His tone, casual and detached, only heightened the eerie feeling of horror.Attending to Gunter’s needs, Luis felt his blood run cold. Despite his years of service to Gunter, he was mostly responsible for his employer’s daily necessities. He was exposed to Gunter’s scary side for the first time. “Alright.” Mosiah, standing by the wall, remained composed. He expressed his stance in the same emotionless manner. The conversation between the pair only drained Luis’ face of color. He was aware that blood would spill on the upcoming trip to Lilyrose. Gu
“Mr. Lee, Gunter Powell is from Glowmoss, he doesn’t care about the life and death of Arcadians. If he goes on a killing spree, the people of Lilyrose will suffer!” Starting with Bernard, all the family heads looked at Kaze with deep concern as they poured out their grievances. They worried the most when almost ten thousand thugs and gangsters from the underworld swarmed the city. The tsunami of gangsters could easily overrun the city’s order, turning everything upside down. As for the families and their businesses, they would be the biggest victims. Kaze frowned. He looked at Bernard and the others and asked, “He got to you guys as well? What did he say?” “He came to us to deliver Gunter Powell’s message. He said if the three of us don't want to get annihilated, then we must bring our families to the funeral tomorrow and kneel before Sonny Sonne!” Bernard explained, his face flushed with emotions. It was an unprecedented insult to the three families. Sonny died at the
“Mr. Lee, Gunter Powell’s men even said after the funeral tomorrow, they would remove James White’s cenotaph and make it the forever resting place for Sonny Sonne,” Bernard said timidly, his forehead covered in sweat. The atmosphere in the office became tense. The air became heavier, so heavy that it felt suffocating. The others dared not make a noise because they knew Kaze was angry. It was no secret that Kaze and James were best friends, close as brothers. He wiped out the top three families a while back just to avenge his friend. Yet Gunter announced that he would remove James’ cenotaph for his disciple. It was an act of war! Fortunately, the atmosphere in the office quickly returned to normal. Kaze calmly waved his hand and said, “You three can go back for now. Just do as I told you.” “Yes, sir!” Bernard and the others bowed and then walked out together. Kaze sat in silence for a moment and then pulled the left drawer of his desk to take out a burner phone.
Kaze knew the elder asked him to take over the position for the sake of the people and the country, not his personal desire. He did not want to disappoint the man, so he said, “I’ll be honest with you, Elder Eins. I talked to the Viper Queen and decided to take up the position of branch leader of the West State Viper’s Den. “After spending some time in Lilyrose, I think rather than putting me at the highest position of the Strategic Department, it’s better to have me in the field where I can do more, such as cleaning up the forces infiltrating Arcadia.” The moment Isaac heard Kaze, he asked in a serious tone, “Foreign forces are infiltrating Arcadia? What is going on there?” Kaze then briefed the man about Zion Mercenaries infiltrating Arcadia. “Those bastards! They just don’t know when to give up!” Isaac was furious after learning what happened. His age did not tone down his feisty temper at all, but he learned to control himself since he rose to the highest position wit
If the Guardians were the sturdiest shield in the country, then the Dragon’s Edge would be the sharpest sword. The members of the Dragon’s Edge were veterans who got baptized by blood and gunpowder on the battlefield, surviving countless ruthless battles. They were the sword Arcadia wielded against her enemy, a deterrent force to other countries. In terms of solo combatants, they were the strongest of them all. They were always sent to other countries to participate in national military competitions and won countless awards. The latest members who joined the Dragon’s Edge graduated from Kaze’s special training camp, similar to Albert Hiden. After the war, the graduates scattered and pursued their own careers. Some got into the Dragon’s Edge, and some joined the God of War Palace and became Kaze’s private security force—the Guards of War. Some with a better background, like Albert, got into a different path to further their careers. “Sure. It’s been a while since I saw
The woman’s voice was not fierce by any means but it felt pressuring. Her name was Morgana Powell, the governor of a certain state in the North State, sharing the same rank as Loid. Despite being a woman, she too was a regional commander in her own state, which was considered rare. Other than her outstanding capabilities, her family also played a big role in helping her advance her career. She was from the Powell family of the North State, which was one of the most powerful families there. The North State Powells were considered the strongest among all the other branches across Arcadia. Then, the middle-aged man beside Morgana said in a strong voice, “Loid, as colleagues, we do not want to force you against your will, but the mayor of Lilyrose has crossed the line. He practically enraged every Powell family branch in Arcadia, which led to the wrath of the foreign branch in Glowmoss. “When it comes to foreign affairs, it’s always serious. If Glowmoss’ side voices out their
It never occurred to Kaze that Cyan and her influencer friends would attend Hannah’s celebration too. Before Cyan said anything, one influencer put her hand over her lips and said with a smile, “Get with the times, Anna. Cyan’s family isn’t just close with the senior members of the Viper’s Den. She’s going to be part of the organization soon.” “Huh?” Stunned, the other influencers asked, “What’s going on? Just tell us, Sweetpea!” Sweetpea was the influencer who just spilled the beans. She was Cyan’s closest friend and biggest ass-kisser. Taking Cyan by the shoulder, Sweetpea said, “Remember Cyan’s number one fan?” “Yeah!”“Sponge has been a fan of Cyan even before she signed with Golden Scale Corporation. Sponge tipped her tens of millions.”“That was how Cyan caught the eye of Golden Scale Corporation, and she became a hit.” The influencers chattered among themselves, all familiar with Sponge. They came from nothing and clawed their way up online.Their beginnings
The next afternoon, Kaze arrived at the parking lot outside Bronze Sparrow. It was packed with fancy cars. Needless to say, the underground garage must be filled with cars too. Hannah’s celebration was held in Bronze Sparrow. Just a few days ago, Siberian infiltrated Bronze Sparrow and abducted Anzu. The incident caused quite a stir in the upper crust of Riverbank. At the same time, the underground powerhouses were eager to get involved. As Miru, the up-and-coming underworld boss, seemed to be all bark and no bite, they wanted to see what she was made of. Bronze Sparrow, a place where troublemakers once ceased to exist, had to deal with incidents daily. Despite Miru getting tough on these troublemakers, business at Bronze Sparrow took a nosedive anyway. Miru was frustrated with the situation. Siberian had been a threat to the Viper’s Den for many years. It was no surprise that Miru’s crew could not defeat him. This time, Siberian’s death at the hands of the Viper’s
Kaze was taken aback. “How did you know?” “How?” June’s lips curled. “It’s all over town by now. Darcy is the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Have you any idea how many eyes are on a rich and beautiful girl like her? “Her divorce has caught the attention of men, and they are going to try their luck with her.” It did not take Kaze much to know that the Quint family members had nothing better to do. Agnes had been hoping to marry her daughter up. However, Darcy had the power, money, and connections to be playing with the big leagues herself. Agnes’ expectations for her future son-in-law would only go higher. Despite her lack of brain cells, Agnes would not do something degrading like circulating the news of her daughter’s divorce. “Hey! Why do you seem indifferent about this?” June elbowed Kaze. “How do you think I should react?” Kaze found June baffling. June looked disappointed. “You don’t seem upset that you were dumped.” “Get a life.” Kaze did not hav
Sasha regained consciousness through sheer willpower. She had made a full recovery from her external injuries, but she simply could not wake up from her mental trauma. However, Sasha seemed to be in a better place than before the incident. Before, Sasha would avert her gaze, not meeting the eyes of the person she was talking to. Yet now, Kaze realized that Sasha looked at him straight in the eyes. There had to be some sort of experience to bring about the change in her. “Did something bad happen, Kaze?” Sasha asked, her eyes reflecting concern. Kaze pulled himself together and reached out to shuffle her hair. “No. Let’s not get into it. You just got up. You should rest well.” “No, I’ve been awake for a while now.” Sasha, one to be meek in Kaze’s presence, refuted him for once. She shook her head and said, “I was just afraid. I was scared that the nightmare would come back when I opened my eyes, so I pretended to be asleep. “But now that you’re here, I have no reason
Agnes settled down. “That’s right. We are better off without the parasite. “We will live comfortably thanks to our precious daughter—” “Darcy! Darcy!” Before Agnes could finish, an individual barged into the villa. Maxine, her hair disheveled and her body in bruises, rushed into the living room and grabbed hold of Darcy while wailing, “Darcy! I was wrong! I was a snob to target you! It’s all my fault. I’m the worst!” She gave herself a couple of slaps before pleading, “Darcy, I need Kaze’s help. Please, can you get him to tell Patrick to get back together with me?“Ever since I broke up with Patrick, he befriended Kaze and became successful. He calls the shots in his family now.“I’m being made fun of for not cherishing him. My parents, brother, and grandmother are on my case, telling me off for missing out on a good catch. “Darcy, we’re family. Please, can you talk to Kaze for me? Patrick doesn’t listen to anyone else but him.” Maxine, who always fancied herself to be
The Quint quickly realized they were so close to digging their own grave. Thankfully, they did not upset Darcy too much. They had a lot of ass-kissing to make up for now. Smug, Agnes went up and said, “Thank you for working together with Darcy. I know that you put the project on pause because you were tight with Kaze. “But my daughter and Kaze have separated. Don’t listen to him if he tries to get involved with Sky Ocean Corporation. “Kaze gets nothing out of the divorce, so he can’t offer you anything. You are free to collaborate with my daughter.” Perfect World Group and the Riverbank council were responsive to put the project on hold because of Kaze. However, Agnes was not the least bit grateful. In fact, she tried to acquire Kaze’s network. In her opinion, Kaze had lost everything. A wise person would choose to make the most out of the situation and make a business deal with Darcy. Blue from Perfect World Group put on a straight face. “Mrs. Quint, I have one more th
It took a lot of effort for Agnes to break her daughter up with Kaze. There was no way she would allow Kaze to have a second shot with Darcy. The way Agnes saw it, her daughter was the head of the Quints in the South River State and the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Darcy was beautiful and a great catch. Kaze did not mean squat. While Agnes danced with joy, several vehicles turned up outside the villa. These cars belonged to two different parties. The first group was in fancy cars while the other group was much more discreet. Still, nobody would dismiss government vehicles. Though surprised, Darcy quickly went up to greet the people. “Chief Yaphet, Mr. Jayne, what brings you here?” The alphas of both groups were not some big VIP to Darcy’s family. However, they had control over Sky Ocean Corporation’s future. More accurately, the entities that these people worked for held the fate of Sky Ocean Corporation in their hands. Welson, a middle-ranking official in the
“No way! Madam Quint had no reason to kill Madam Dark.” There was a bustle at Villa No. 1. Despite the statement coming from the police, the crowd was skeptical that Phoenix would kill anyone. Agnes and Darcy found the truth hard to swallow. If Phoenix were behind the evil assassination, they would be wrong about Kaze. The police officer said, “We learned that the dump truck driver received 1.2 million dollars before the accident. We tracked the money to one of Phoenix’s people in Ridgesouth. “We looked into Phoenix’s phone records and discovered that she contacted the Steelclaw Guild through the dark web. “She had no idea that we have eyes on the dark web. Though we don’t know the specifics of her deal with the Steelclaw Guild, she would only have one reason to contact an assassination organization.“The Steelclaw Guild’s killer then showed up at the funeral parlor.“We are linking these two incidents, and our prime suspect is Phoenix, who is now deceased.“We didn’t de
“Kaze, do you know how unfamiliar and frightened you’re making me feel right now?“Why was the Steelclaw Guild’s killer after you? If today didn’t happen, I wouldn’t know that you had gotten yourself in deep trouble. “I don’t know what else you are hiding from me. I even wonder if you were behind Madam Dark’s car accident. “My feelings toward you have been true, but family is equally important to me. “I’m afraid that one day, you will get my parents and brother killed.” Darcy let everything out. The storm in Kaze’s eyes quelled.He grabbed a pen and signed his name before taking his copy. Kaze placed the other copy on the table before walking away. As the people in the villa watched on in shock, Agnes dropped her jaw in joy. Agnes thought that it would take a lot of talking and crying to push Darcy in the right direction. To her surprise, Darcy filed for divorce right away. Nevertheless, she was quick to complain. “You are silly, Darcy. You should have asked for V