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
Then, Morgana stepped up and stared at Kaze. Her face was emotionless. She said strongly, “On your knees, repent your crimes! Following her strong voice, the unique aura of superiority was blasted at Kaze, attempting to scare and pressure him. Kaze was not just anyone, he was not afraid of the woman. “Who are you?” Since Gunter simply smiled and did not feel like talking, Kaze glanced at Morgana. “How dare you!” Morgana was furious. Her eyes were burning with rage as she bellowed, “I am Morgana Powell, the governor of West Hill of the North State! How dare a mayor of a city speak to me like that?! On your knees!” Kaze was not moved. “Neegan Powell, governor of South Ashmore of the South State.” Neegan stepped up and stood beside Morgana. With a smirk, he said, “Mayor Lee, shouldn’t you be on your knees when you see me? “Oh wait, I just remembered. The send-off party was held at the city council earlier and you are no longer the mayor. You are just a commoner now,
There were nine provinces and eighty-one states in Arcadia. The number of cities in each state varied, ranging from a dozen to as many as thirty. Other than the mega cities under the direct rule of the federal government, which also granted the officers their outstanding authority, a mayor in a rural city was certainly not powerful enough to challenge the top brass. Morgana looked at Kaze condescendingly and said coldly, “Kneel if you know who you are dealing with. You are dead either way, but at least I can ask Master Powell to grant you a swift death.” However, Kaze did not react as the others expected. Instead of kneeling on the ground in terror, he remained composed. “Why is the world filled with stupid idiots like you?” Kaze sighed and shook his head. He said without looking back, “Sven, Wolf, can you two silence our honorable governors? A slap on their faces would do just the job.” He came for Gunter, not the governors whom he did not even bother to remember their nam
The carrot came after the stick. Snow rose to her feet and approached Ebi, looking at her from high. “Don’t worry. If you hand over the evidence, we can guarantee that the Ryokanians wouldn’t suspect you of treason. “I can also transfer 100 million dollars into a Uleanian bank account. The Ryokanians can’t touch your money in Uleania. “You can remove yourself from the Ryokanians’ control with the money and sort yourself out for the rest of your life. “Don’t you want to have it all?“You have a minute to think it through. The choice is yours.” The tables turned. Snow was in control now. Ebi’s mind spun. In the end, she squeezed a smile. There was desperation in her smile. “Please give me a moment, Ms. Frost.” Ebi got up and kicked everybody out of the villa before returning to her mourning hall. As Snow watched on in surprise, Ebi picked up her daughter’s urn and smashed it to the ground. “Bam!” The urn broke to pieces. Snow backed away and covered her nose, n
Ebi played hardball. She dug her heels in, refusing to budge no matter what Snow said. Still, Snow did not give up. She saw right through Ebi.Snow said calmly, “Do you really want to go there, ma’am? “You hired those elderly people to protest without a permit. “Don’t you know that an authorized protest is against the law?“Do you know that the management of the Viper’s Den is on this now? “If I expose you as the organizer of the protest, the government might want to speak with you.” Ebi scoffed. “I was wondering who would be so dumb to scatter money all across the street. So you’re the idiot, Ms. Frost. “Fair play. You stopped my plan from going forward. “But all you did was ruin my plan. So what? “What have I lost? “Once I sort out my daughter's affairs, I will return to live my life in Ryokan.“I don’t give a damn whether Kaze gets the death penalty or life in prison.“What are you going to do about it?” With nothing getting through to Ebi, Snow shook her
Snow said, “I obtained the documents through illegal means. “My source will never admit that the documents came from them. “So, it cannot be used as evidence.” Ebi smirked. “Since these documents are worthless, you can leave now. Don’t waste your breath with me.” “These documents are worthless.” Snow fixated on Ebi and said solemnly, “But you have something that will get Chairman Lee out.” Ebi said coldly, “What do you mean, Ms. Frost? “My daughter is dead, and I have evidence to prove Kaze’s innocence? “Who would believe you?” Snow said indifferently, “I don’t need anyone else to believe. I just want the government to believe.“Given that you exploited your daughter’s death for personal gain, I have no doubt that you would have made the best out of this situation.“You knew you were dealing with dangerous people, so you needed something to fall back on in case these people threw you under the bus.“I trust that you are a clever woman.“You must have hidden the evid
“You and your daughter got what you wanted. After moving to Ryokan, you thrived in business thanks to connections made through the Suka political family. Your daughter even became the goddaughter of the senior Suka member. “But your greed knows no bounds. “You later realized that despite acquiring the Ryokanian citizenship, you are still known as an Arcadian. “You could do business in Ryokan, but you will never mingle with the upper crust.“So, with the Sukas’ help, you sent your daughter to entertain powerful men. “You were lucky. Your business in Ryokan has thrived due to these newfound connections. You could have been even more successful if it weren’t for your gambling addiction.“Your daughter’s career as a social media influencer took off with the help of a Ryokanian entertainment company.“But you don’t realize one thing. “You reap what you sow. “Your daughter contracted AIDS. “I’m sure you are familiar with this medical report from Cousbank University Hospital.
Snow’s sarcastic remark did not get to Ebi. The latter smirked. “If that’s all you have, I doubt a deal can be made.” Ebi did not mind doing business with Snow. This was despite her resenting Kaze for killing her daughter. “If your husband’s murder doesn’t bother you, I’ll talk about other things that might.” Snow retrieved some documents that showed bank transaction records. “These are bank statements of several corporate accounts you have registered overseas.” Ebi grimaced. Snow nodded and said, “I did my homework. Before your daughter killed herself, a number of funds were transferred to these accounts through overseas channels, disguised as legitimate business transactions.“My investigation revealed these transactions to be fraudulent. “The money was laundered and transferred to your accounts. “The amount is 50 million dollars altogether. “Here’s where I was confused. Was your daughter’s life only worth 50 million dollars? “Mika was an influencer, and she co
“Do you hear what you’re saying?“Kaze, the bastard, is the reason my daughter is dead. Yet, you expect me to prove his innocence. “You have some nerve. “What? Are you supposed to be above all because you’re a member of the Frosts?” Emotions ran high, and Ebi pulled her claws out. Snow was not surprised by her menace. She did a background check on Ebi, and the latter was always known for her hellish behavior. However, her nasty act was all for show. “Ma’am, you can drop it.” Without looking up, Snow said indifferently, “You were known to be tough back in Riverbank. You’ve got way more experience than I do. I wouldn’t tell you what to do.” Snow pulled out a few photos and printed documents from her briefcase and handed them to Ebi. Ebi glanced at the photo, her heart sinking. She said curtly, “What the hell is—” “You sure love to play dumb, ma’am.” Snow said, “These are the crime scene photos taken by the Cousbank police, showing where your ex-husband was poiso
Picking up on Lock’s worry, Snow said indifferently, “Don’t worry, Mr. Yemen. I’m not here to make her pay.“I want to make a deal with her if you could pass the message along.“She will meet with me.” … Minutes later, Snow went into Villa No. 13 on her own. The bright and cheerful villa was now a dark and gloomy funeral hall. Mika’s black-and-white portrait was placed right in the center. As her death was unexpected, an old photo was used for the memorial. Mika’s radiant smile in the photo appeared eerie against the somber atmosphere. A large flower wreath was placed beneath the portrait, and a woman in mourning kneeled next to the picture. Snow could tell that the woman was relatively young, probably in her forties from her side profile. Even without makeup, the woman was nicely put together. She had taken good care of herself. The woman was Mika’s mother, Ebi. Ebi migrated to Cousbank and became a Ryokanian citizen. Upon learning of her daughter’s death, Ebi
“The first villa I ever own. I haven’t stayed here for long, and now it’s a place of mourning.” Cyan had no words. Mika’s mother was Ebi Wise. She was so unreasonable and made such a scene that the Yemens had no choice but to comply.As always, Cyan shifted the blame on Kaze. “Why hasn’t Kaze admitted to his crimes? Does he think that by denying the truth, he can escape from the law?“He should just confess and conduct the funeral at his Villa No. 9.“Only then can Mika rest easy.” The police condoned Villa No. 9 off to collect evidence. Cyan believed that Kaze’s refusal to admit his crimes was why Villa No. 9 was still closed off. Hence, Ebi used the Yemens’ place to mourn instead. Ryna glared at her husband. “It’s all your fault, Lock. Cyan and I disapproved of the bastard coming to the house, but you had to uphold your duty as a mentor. “What did that get you? Look what your student did to us in return.” Annoyed, Lock shouted, “That’s enough. I won’t ever bring hi
Collier knew Buffy had a point. Still, he said in frustration, “Fuck! I can’t just let these people make up stories about the branch leader.” Buffy sighed helplessly, not knowing what to say. Ever since Kaze’s arrest, Buffy had been keeping an eye on things. She wanted to pay a visit to the state police department. However, she dropped that thought upon learning that Darcy was there. Nothing was going on between Buffy and Kaze. However, Buffy would not face Darcy with a clear conscience. “Wow! Where did the money come from?” While the pair strategized, a cry burst out of the crowd. Collier and Buffy looked over to find some individuals clenching bags. The zippers of these bags came undone, and cash fell out as these people moved through the crowd. The banknotes were scattered far and wide. “Oh, my gawd! Uleanian dollars!” “Wow! Look at all the Uleanian dollars!” Somebody bent over to pick the money up. After a good look, the person turned flushed with thrill.