“I think a part of you still loves Miru. You don’t look like the kind who sells their niece for personal gains.” If not for this reason, Kaze would not waste so much time with Fanny. “Hmph! You don’t need to care about my relationship with Miru.” Fanny grunted coldly and continued, “Kaze, I have said many times that you are narrow-minded. You really have no idea what you are doing. “Just the mayor of Lilyrose? You think the mayor of Lilyrose is just a mayor, like when you are in office? Lilyrose is getting an upgrade and the mayor will have the same rank as the vice governor! “This is just the start! Using this as a stepping stone, the mayor might be the regional commander or even the ruler of the entire state! Do you know how many people are fighting for the position? “Aside from my household, all the other competitors have powerful backgrounds. You have no idea how powerful the Fowlers are in the West State. Whoever they support, that person will be the mayor! “If I can
Not to mention the relationship between Kaze and Albert. When Magnus came looking for trouble and Albert got involved to help, he inexplicably became a suspect and had been under investigation ever since Magnus was murdered. Kaze could not ignore Albert’s request. Therefore, he looked at Fanny and said, “Ms. Hiden, I do not allow others to force my friend to do something against her will…” “Enough!” Fanny grew tired of his nonsense and stopped him. “Cut the crap! Just get straight to the point.” Kaze said, “What if I make your husband the mayor of Lilyrose? Would you still force Miru to marry Jerome?” “You? Making Jared mayor of Lilyrose?” Fanny was slightly surprised before she curled her lips and scoffed. “Kaze, I know you are close with the governor, Loid Farland, but do you think just by speaking to him, you can decide who becomes mayor? “Don’t be so naїve. I told you, all the candidates for mayor are backed by powerful families. You think a mere governor has the ri
“Kaze, you were just the acting mayor for some time and all you did was initiate the Lilyrose New City project. “To be honest, if you say the candidates have to take suggestions from Trent Fuller, the other ex-mayor, it would sound more plausible, but it’s impossible. “Like I said, the big families are fighting and if you get involved, you are just going to be cannon fodder.” Fanny lost interest in continuing the conversation. She simply saw him as an ignorant fool. Kaze smiled. He was not concerned about Fanny’s mocks and sneers. A few moments later, he said, “How about we have a bet, Ms. Hiden? “If I can make your husband mayor, then you will stop forcing Miru to marry Jerome and let her make her own decision. Deal?” He had actually seen the candidates’ resumes. Jared, Fanny’s husband, was considered a capable one during his term. He had an ambitious plan and was willing to take calculated risks without jeopardizing other plans or people. He was a decent candidate t
“Kaze Lee, you!” Sirius got so mad that he scoffed. He reached out to his holster. Slap! Before he could pull his gun out, Kaze slapped him in the face. Sirius did not have the time to react. His nose bled and his face swelled immediately. Thump! The slap sent him to the floor and left him dizzy. He did not expect Kaze to slap him all of a sudden. “Mr. Glitter!” At the same time, a gunshot was heard from the back. A Viper's Den’s agent who had just aimed his weapon at Kaze had his arm burst into pieces. “Aaaargh!” The agent screamed in pain as the gun fell off his remaining arm, followed by him falling to the ground. The sudden twist of events shocked the other agents. Alarmed, they quickly looked around, trying to identify the shooter. Then, they looked at each other in fear, or more precisely, the red laser dot on each other’s forehead. No one moved an inch. They finally realized they were aimed by multiple shooters from afar. “Seize them!” Follo
“Ms. Hiden, they seemed to be soldiers,” Agar said softly while standing behind Fanny. Fanny took a deep breath and muttered, “Are they sent here by Albert?” Agar shook his head. He said with a heavy look, “I don’t know but the South River Strategic Department doesn’t have a special operation team whose soldiers are masked in black. “And, the South River Strategic Department doesn’t have the authority to intervene with Viper’s Den’s investigation.” Agar had served the Hidens for many years, yet even he did not know where the masked men were from. In other words, this team of masked men must belong to a higher power. Fanny’s expression turned heavy after listening to Agar’s explanation. “Not bad for the reaction time. It’s quick enough.” Kaze smiled at the team captain. The masked men were the Guardians who were sent to protect Kaze and his family during Niko’s wedding by Isaac Eins. Kaze requested them to stay in Lilyrose for a while to help him with some favors.
The captain of the Guardians grabbed Sirius by the hair and dragged him away like a ragdoll. The other Viper’s Den’s agents were taken away as well. Kaze did not administer any punishment. He simply instructed the Guardians to send the agents to the local police department for minor disciplinary action before releasing them. After all, even though Sirius came to him with allegations, it was nothing serious. Even if Kaze wanted to be strict, he could not formally punish Sirius over this. However, the agents of Viper’s Den were under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction. Being arrested by the local police by the Guardians was a significant embarrassment. When the news got out, the agents would face the public humiliation they deserved.Soon, only Kaze, Fanny, and the rest remained at the scene. “K-Kaze, who were those men?” Fanny asked, her eyes fixated on him. Kaze looked at Fanny indifferently. He smirked and said, “I can’t tell you that.” He then got into the car an
“Fanny, everyone now knows that to become Lilyrose’s mayor, Kaze Lee must give his approval. I believe it’s because he is related to the Lilyrose New City project. “This project is huge and it is sustainable with a bright future. That’s why the cabinet wanted the successor to align with the path that Kaze Lee had determined beforehand...” “I… I…” Fanny’s jaw dropped as she listened to her husband’s explanation. She did not listen to what Jared said after that because her mind only had one thought: the candidate for the new mayor must get Kaze’s approval. Was it purely coincidence, or did Kaze know it beforehand, hence the bet? “Fanny, are you listening to me? I remember you saying you are going to Lilyrose looking for trouble with him. Have you met him yet? Please tell me you haven’t! “I’m telling you, he’s the key to me becoming the mayor of Lilyrose. You cannot offend him in any way…” Jared sounded nervous and excited on the phone but Fanny was at a loss of words. …
“Uh…” The family members responded with a complicated look, mixed with jealousy and other emotions. They used to look down on Kaze but had since become a prominent figure who could decide the next mayor, who held the same authority as a vice governor. Even Mason, who was supported by the Ridgesouth Quints, had his appointment revoked because it had to get Kaze’s approval. No one saw that coming. “Hmph! There’s nothing to be jealous of. He’s just being lucky.” Only Deborah reacted with disdain. Her hatred for Kaze was brazen and it was no secret. Master Quint looked at Hector and Agnes. “Hector, you should talk to Kaze and tell him to approve Mason as the new mayor. Do not make any mistakes this time. “Mason is supported by the Ridgesouth Quints. If they are unhappy with us, not only us, but even your family will suffer!” Hector and Agnes felt intensely pressured when they heard about the Ridgesouth Quints. Despite originating from the same roots, they dared not mess
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening
“Tsk. Hold on.” Vexed, the man clicked his tongue and then waved at his colleague. “Come here. Someone fainted. Help me get him out.” The man wanted to take the professor out of the container. Manson’s heart pounded as he listened to the man. He was afraid he might be exposed, but there was no turning back now—he had to play along. Kaze stood behind the door, calming his breath down to lower his presence. “Get back. Stay away from the door. If anyone gets close, don’t blame me for being rough,” said the man as he unlocked the container. He opened the door and saw a number of hostages still sleeping. He then looked at the professor on the floor. He went closer to nudge him but did not get a response. It seemed like the professor needed medical attention. “Come on. Help me get him out.” The other man outside the container was on edge, looking as if he would pull the trigger at the slightest movement. “Why don’t we do it?” Callahan and Miguel volunteered. “You two
“It’s freaking troublesome.” “Boss, don’t worry about it. We’ll get an update tomorrow.” “Yeah. It’s late. Get some rest.” Tiguan’s men told him to get some rest and not worry so much. A few of them were already snoring on the chair. Tiguan sighed and killed the cigarette. He then closed his eyes to get some rest, too. The container that Kaze was in fell into silence once more. No one dared to make any noise but they all looked at Kaze, hoping to find out about his plans. Kaze’s eyes remained fixed on the window and showed no intention of revealing his thoughts. Miguel and Callahan were annoyed by the other hostages. “If you people want to get out of here alive, you better cooperate or come up with your own idea. No one is responsible for saving you.”“Yeah. I don’t want you guys to turn on us after we do all the heavy lifting. It will cost us our lives and you people won’t even be grateful.” Miguel’s tone was sarcastic because he disliked how the others looked at t
Kaze read the hostages’ minds and refused to be used. He wanted to leave but not under such circumstances. “That’s not true. We just don’t have the skills for this kind of situation. You guys are stronger, of course, you should be in the front,” said the man in glasses and a suit. A hint of sharpness gleamed in his eyes. Miguel knew what the man was planning, either. “That’s some plan you have there. You are just trying to use us to escape this place and no matter what happens, you’ll win.” “That’s not it! I just want everyone to stand together and get out of this place. I’ve never thought of using anyone!” the man argued, trying to look innocent. Even a monkey knew what he was planning, yet no one dared to speak up because they would benefit from it too. “Why don’t you guys think of something? If you need our help, we’ll help,” said another middle-aged gentleman who looked more just and fair, as if he could lead the group. “Then what is your plan?” Kaze suddenly wante
The hostages were locked up in the containers. Some of them were elites in their own field while some were ordinary people with average income, yet all of them got into trouble when they boarded the plane. Most of them could not accept their fate. Yet they dared not defy or resist the mercenaries. When things started to calm down, they broke down in tears, weeping in silence as resentment consumed them. Kaze sat down at a clean corner that allowed him to look outside the window. The window was dirty but at least he could see outside. The space inside the container was filled with people sitting closely, offering comfort to one another. They were aware they were just temporarily safe in this container. No one knew what the mercenaries would do to them at the next moment. “My parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I can’t even get in touch,” Barney muttered as he sat beside Kaze. He too looked outside the window, his feelings mixed. He watc
Kaze thought of what he had overheard in the toilet. If he told the hostages about that, they would probably panic. “It’s nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,” he said. He did not want to reveal too much because it would cause panic. Once the hostages knew their lives were on the line, things might spiral out of control. The mercenaries could kill a few of them to make an example, and none of the hostages would dare to cause problems anymore. Kaze kept it a secret because he wanted to protect the people. “That’s it?” “Is there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?” “We want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problem—we just got caught up in it.” The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. “I don’t know either.” No matter how m
“There’s a room there. Get in.” The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. “What do you want?” The mother was nervous. She clutched her son’s hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her son’s mouth to prevent him from doing so. “All women must go into that room. You go in now,” the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. “You people won’t hurt me, right?” the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. “We are not into MILF,” said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. “They told us they were going to separate us, so there’s nothing to worry about,” he said, worried that the mother and son would not cooperate. The mother then carried her son and followed the other mercenary into the room. It was called a room but it was actually ju