It was actually quite normal. Arcadia was no longer a weak country that was scared of global rivals. Most of the time, the officials would just ignore such comments or demands, turning a deaf ear or a blind eye at them. Why would the cabinet request the governor of the South River State to turn a blind eye to the matter? What exactly happened? Gunter could not figure it out. “Maybe the cabinet did not respond directly because they wanted to save face. They still pressured the South River State Governor’s Office to stay out of my way…” Gunter muttered to himself. With that, he laughed hysterically. “It seems like the stars have aligned! Kaze Lee will die for sure this time!” Gunter got up and looked at everyone in the hall. He raised his hand and said loudly, “Tomorrow, we will march to Lilyrose and take Kaze Lee’s life!” “Aye!”” Starting with Morgana and Neegan, all of them got up and bowed at Gunter. Gunter then asked Luis, “What are the replies from the Vikrom
Lou and Caleb knew Kaze’s plans, they had confidence in him. However, the plans were confidential, so many were doubtful if Kaze could survive this. The deputy mayors felt bad for him. Kaze was calm. He said, “I did my best while I was mayor. I really don’t care about people attending the send-off party or not. Let’s just get on with it. After this, I still have some other things to take care of.” …Compared to the empty send-off party, Jade Estate was much more crowded and lively. A grand mourning hall was established at the estate, beside the lake. Sad music was being played and priests were praying. People in black suits filled the mourning hall. There were even multiple buff and tall men holding umbrellas around the premises, watching guards with a blank look. From a bird’s eye view, the place was painted in black as more than ten thousand people attended in suits. They were lining up to pay respect to the deceased. Only a number of them were from Lilyrose as
The mourners were talking about the Powells. The family’s strength shocked and scared many people at the scene. Before this funeral, the Glowmoss Powells were just a foreign faction with noble roots. They might be powerful and hold a prestigious status but they did not have a strong foundation in Arcadia. A faraway enemy was not as terrifying as the local families. The threats they used to pose were near to nothing. Now, they were all proven wrong by the sheer display of strength. When Gunter stepped up and gathered all the scattered Powells in Arcadia, they immediately became a powerful force that should be reckoned with. Their combined strength could easily crush even the strongest family in Arcadia, yet they gathered because of Kaze. Even if Kaze was the mayor of Lilyrose and his wife had a few sizable companies, it was still an overkill. Some even said they were squashing an ant with the elephant’s foot. Many knew the display of strength was not just to target
“I, Gunter Powell, represent the Powell family of Glowmoss and all the other family branches in Arcadia, hereby declaring war! “If the city council stands in my way, I will run them down; if the South River State Governor’s Office stands in my way, I will tear them down!” Gunter’s fierce declaration shocked everyone at the scene. He was ready to run down the city council and tear down the governor’s office! No one else but him had the nerve and audacity to speak so boldly. Both the governors of different states, Morgana and Neegan, looked at Gunter with an enthusiastic gaze. They were governors themselves and knew better than anyone what the position of governor meant. Gunter had the audacity to disregard the governor’s office. His boldness and confidence convinced Morgana and Neegan that following their distant relatives from another country was the right choice. With his lead, the Powells and their career would welcome a bright future. In short, their personal gains
The Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families came to the funeral. Behind them was a group of eighteen men, carrying an expensive and large casket. What was the casket for? Was it an act of provocation? As the attendees pondered, Gunter, at the forefront, said coldly, “Vikrom, Logman, Joestar, you are late, but since you’ve prepared an expensive casket for Sonny, I’ll spare your lives. “Now, come up here and get on your knees!” Gunter had known since yesterday that the three families bought an expensive gilded agar wood casket. He simply thought the three families were late because of the delivery of the casket. Despite that, he insisted that they kneel and pay respect to Sonny in front of the other attendees because they were Kaze’s loyal followers. With them on their knees, it would send a message to the others, thus deterring and scaring them. As Gunter spoke, the other participants were struck with realization. The three families were late due to the delivery of th
As soon as Bernard’s voice subsided, the air became so heavy that it felt like the air molecules froze. What followed were the shouts from the Powell family. “Vikrom, you are going to die today!” “Where is Kaze Lee?! I will kill him!” …Even Morgana and Neegan, who were more esteemed than the others and could maintain calm in the worst situation possible, could not help but be infuriated by Bernard’s disrespectful words. Kaze asked the three families to prepare the casket for Gunter and demand him to bury himself? How ridiculous! No one believed Kaze had the capability to make it happen, so they could not understand what gave him the confidence to say such bold words. Even if they were just empty words, they were provocatively infuriating. All members of the Powells were fuming with anger. “Master Powell, this is too much! Not only did Kaze Lee refuse to show up and beg for his life, but he continued to challenge you!” “We should not wait any longer! We shall go
“You think you can challenge the Powells just because Kaze Lee is on your side?” As the shouting continued, the killers from the Powells stepped forward, planning to take action. “Step down!” Gunter bellowed all of a sudden. “Master Powell…” One of the gangsters was unhappy that Gunter had stopped them. However, before he could finish his sentence, Mosiah stepped forward from the back and struck the man on the chest with a palm strike. Baam! The gangster was one of the stronger ones from the north, yet he did not even react to the attack in time. The palm strike sent him flying. Blood spurted from his mouth as he crashed to the ground far away. A few tremors later, he died. The air went silent. Gunter’s strongest Legatus was ridiculously powerful! “I said step down!” Gunter did not even spare a glance at the body on the ground. He simply looked at the other killers. All the killers shuddered in fear and decided to comply without saying a word. “Vikrom, Logma
Everyone shuddered in fear when they heard Gunter’s words. Gunter was infuriated by Kaze’s doings. Therefore, he came up with the most wicked and vicious way to get revenge, which was to bury Kaze’s wife together with Sonny and make him watch so that he could never rest in peace. “That is a great idea, Master Powell! We will bury Kaze Lee together!” The killers from the other Powell family branches echoed loudly and agreed with Gunter’s idea. They were stimulated by his speech. The urge to kill Kaze got stronger. “Master Powell, we will be taking our leave now.” The other attendees and mourners dared not linger for long and decided to leave. Even a blind man could tell a war was imminent, or more accurately, a massacre, a one-sided massacre. The Glowmoss Powells were considered a foreign faction, so they were not afraid of the local laws. The locals, however, wished not to be involved. “Let’s go. We will go after Kaze Lee and his family. Also, we will capture ever
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
“Kaze, I heard that your wife dumped your ass. Are you pinching pennies now? “You had a fancy car and a beautiful lady by your side just a couple of days ago, and now, you’re riding a bike.“I guess you want to do more than just a valet service.” Draig pulled out more cash to give to Kaze. “You can get my car washed too.“I’ll give you another twenty bucks. The money should be enough for you to get fried chicken or something for lunch.”“Hahaha!”Cyan and her friends laughed out loud. Twenty bucks for a fried chicken. That kind of life seemed far away for these people. Cyan suddenly scowled. “I’m warning you, Kaze. My family will not take pity on you just because your wife kicked you out.“Don’t try to leech off my family.” Cyan thought Kaze was so alpha at Emerald Bull Palace two days ago. The mayor was Kaze’s backing, and Juan was his apprentice. Yet now, Kaze was divorced and kicked out. It meant one thing. If Kaze was indeed badass, Darcy, who knew and love
Sucking up to Cyan, the influencers offered her words of comfort. Though Cyan did not have an invitation, she was close with Draig. The influencers could attend the event through Draig with Cyan’s help. Despite having other thoughts, the influencers knew better than to put Cyan down. A Mercedes G-wagon pulled up by the road. The car door opened, and Draig jumped out. He took off his sunglasses and said with a smile, “Why aren’t you going in, Cyan?” Cyan replied with a grin, “We don’t have an invite, Mr. Tenby. We’re waiting for you to take us in.“Oh, where’s your invite, Mr. Tenby?” She was confused as Draig did not seem to be holding anything. “An invite? It’s just a party for Hannah. You don’t need an invitation card.” Draig smiled confidently. “My name is basically our pass into the place. You can just say that you’re with me.” “Wow! You’re the man, Mr. Tenby.” “Mr. Tenby is so badass. You are total boyfriend material.” The influencers drooled over Draig, a
The influencers dropped their jaws in shock and looked at Cyan enviously. “Oh, my gawd! Marrying the branch leader is your gateway to super fame.” “Is it true, Cyan? Really?” The influencers hounded Cyan. Cyan rolled her eyes at Sweetpea. “Don’t take it from Sweetpea. “The VIPs from the South River State Branch did make a subtle mention. “I’m not sure whether Sponge is the branch leader since I’ve never met him before. “Just keep this between yourselves. Don’t spread the word. I’d be embarrassed if the whole thing was all a misunderstanding. “The branch leader keeps a low profile, and no one has met him in person before. “I doubt he likes to be put in the spotlight, so I’m playing it discreetly too.” Cyan spoke and acted reservedly. However, her smug look revealed her true thoughts. “Haha. Wouldn’t you meet the branch leader today?” “I see why you are so sure to take us to the celebration. We’d never get into a place like this on our own.” The influencers l
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