There were also many young men and women around. They must be the group’s subordinates. These people, with noticeably bulging waistlines, stared at Kaze with malice. “Mr. Ettinger, Kaze Lee is here.” An individual glared at Kaze and cocked his head back to shout at the crowd. “Creak!” The sound of rolling wheels emerged from the crowd, followed by the appearance of a wheelchair being pushed forward.The person in the wheelchair was Brad, whose leg Kaze broke the night before. Brad’s leg was heavily bandaged, and his expression was grim. Nevertheless, he looked up at Kaze with bitter rage in his eyes. Brad’s gaze fleeted past Conan before falling on Kaze. “I didn’t expect you to show up with just one friend.“You’re asking for it. “In that case, I’ll grant you the wish to die. “Even God can’t save you now.” Brad had never resented someone so badly in his entire life. “Don’t worry, Mr. Ettinger. No one can save him from us.” Behind Brad, Griffin of the Wood br
Brad was tempted to have Kaze torn into pieces. In the end, he held himself back. The Viper Queen’s agents were in the yard. Brad knew that Scarlet called Kaze over. It would be disrespectful to Scarlet if he were to kill Kaze. Unless… Conan walked forward and said angrily with his finger up Brad’s nose, “Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth? “Get out of the way before you get another broken leg.” Conan, the heir of the Butterworth Queens, had no reason to fear Brad. He should not wuss out when it mattered if he wanted to work for Kaze. Though outnumbered, Conan should not back down. Brad grimaced, his eyes flickering maliciously. He scoffed and murmured through clenched teeth, “You asked for it, Kaze.” Brad then tipped Griffin the wink. Getting the message, Griffin sent two of his men to destroy the surveillance cameras in the front yard. “Thud!” Brad’s wheelchair flipped over, and he crashed to the ground. “Thump, thump, thump.” Brad sl
“Be a man. Don’t play games, Brad,” Conan hissed through clenched teeth. He flipped out. It never occurred to Conan that the son of the Viper’s Den South River Branch Leader would pull such a tacky stunt. However, Brad turned a deaf ear to Conan and threw himself deeper into his acting. Livid, Conan wanted to pull Brad to his feet, but Kaze said indifferently, “Ignore him, Conan. Let him put on a show.“The son of the Viper’s Den South River Branch Leader is rolling on the ground. You can’t even pay to see a show like this. “It’s the chance of a lifetime. Enjoy the show.” Kaze watched Brad in intrigue, his eyes bearing mockery and sarcasm. He did not count on Brad to pull a fast one on him. Nevertheless, it was all child’s play and a joke to Kaze. The commotion outside startled the people in the chalet. Another group of Viper’s Den agents surged into the yard. Dressed in fine clothes, these people exuded an air of superiority, their noses hung up in arrogance as
Brad knew that Malova set up the meeting between his father, Newell, and the Viper Queens’ direct successor, Scarlet, before Kaze. Grimacing at the sound of Brad’s cries, Malova elbowed her way through the crowd. She scowled when she saw Brad in a state of blood and grime. “What happened to you, Brad? “Who hit you? “Who has the audacity to hit my family?” Malova exploded in rage. Brad was the sole heir to the Ettinger lineage. Hence, Malova doted on her nephew, giving him whatever he wanted. She would not stand by to see her nephew wounded. “Who hit you, Brad? “Identify the person, so I can kill them for you,” Malova said heart-wrenchingly, her expression menacing. Brad pointed at Kaze with a quick smirk. “Lee attacked me, Aunt Malova. “He was the one who broke my leg yesterday too. “He hurled insults at me and threatened to break another of my legs when he arrived. “You can ask Mr. Mangold, Griffin, and the others if you don’t believe me.“Lee is an a
However, Malova and her people read Brad’s performance differently. Malova made a face. Her loyal subordinates glared at Kaze murderously. Kaze was asking for it. The Ettingers had always been a dominant player in Riverbank City. Yet, the sole heir of the Ettingers had just been humiliated. The insult would follow the Ettingers and mar their leadership unless they killed Kaze.“Get him, ma’am!” “Kaze Lee is too cocky. We must make him pay!” “How dare he challenge the Ettingers! We’ll show him!” “Even if we kill him right under the chief delegate’s nose, she won’t say anything.” Malova’s confidantes clamored aggressively. They would not hesitate to kill at Malova’s order. Sitting on the ground, Brad let out a smug and wicked grin. That was the end of his performance. The next thing to do was wait and see who would strike Kaze. Brad had it in the bag. There was no way he could lose. “You…” With everybody going against Kaze, Conan needed to say something.
“Don’t just stand there, Lee. Kneel!” “Why don’t you take a good look at yourself? What makes you think you can go against the Ettingers?” “He doesn’t know his place.” The Ettingers’ minions mocked Kaze. To them, Kaze was a sitting duck. There was no escape for Kaze. He wanted to humiliate Kaze and strip him of his pride. Malova let out an assertive smirk. “This is what you get for hurting Brad, bastard.“Maybe you should stop messing with the wrong people in your next life if there is one.” “In my next life?” Kaze grinned. “Is this what you’re after, Malova? Your nephew put on a show by crying, rolling on the ground, and throwing a fit. “Is it all to give you an excuse to kill me?” Malova sneered in disdain. “Say whatever you want, bastard. Nothing will change the outcome today. “What good will it do you to explain? When you’re dead, no one will stick up for you.” Kaze shook his head. “No, you got the wrong idea. “All I’m trying to say is you didn’t have to
“Kaze is up to his old tricks again. He’s holding me hostage to get away. He won’t do anything to me. “The incident last night won’t happen again. “Don’t hesitate, Aunt Malova. Just open fire.” Conan’s blood ran cold. He did not expect Brad to risk it all. “What makes you think I won’t do anything to you?” Kaze suddenly spoke. His voice bore a chilling aloofness. Brad smirked. “Try me—” Kaze lifted his foot and landed it on Brad’s throat. “Crack!” Brad’s defiant face went stiff. His eyes flickered in disbelief, confusion, resentment, and bitterness until the lights finally went out. Brad died in disbelief that Kaze would murder him in front of his aunt and family.He belonged to the Ettinger family. His father was the Viper’s Den South River Branch Leader, his uncle was the Viper’s Den West State Branch Deputy, and his aunt rubbed shoulders with many highly ranked members. Brad’s family held sway in the South River State. Yet, Kaze killed him with a si
Malova shook at Kaze’s offhanded remark. Her eyes burned with rage. “You’re asking for it, bastard! You’re asking for it! Ah!” Malova looked up, her vicious eyes meeting Kaze’s as she let out a deranged scream. Brad’s death propelled her into a breakdown. “Kill him!“Cut him to pieces!“I don’t care how you do it. I want him dead in a minute.” Malova screamed manically while pointing at Kaze. Gun was not the choice of weapon since Malova wanted Kaze chopped up. Malova’s confidantes pulled out their blades and charged toward Kaze. “Swish!” A flurry of deadly swords rained down on Kaze. The blades sliced through the air. The Ettingers’ minions backed away, the horror evident in their pale faces. Even they had to keep their distance from the conflict, let alone Kaze and Conan who were in the thick of it.“Watch out, Kaze!” Conan reminded Kaze, nearly falling to the ground on his bottom. However, Kaze kept a blank face. Instead of moving back, he advanced
“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