“Did you take me here just to humiliate me, Kaze?” Hannah felt her hot cheek and said curtly, “You can kill me, but you can’t insult me.” Kaze? Playing dead on the ground, Collier found the name familiar. “Insult you? Do you think you’re worth my time?” Kaze sat down opposite Hannah and wiped his hand with a wet wipe. Hannah raised a brow and took a deep breath to fight back the rage. She quickly let out a wry smile. “That’s true. You defeated Magnus and crippled me with one hand after all. “I don’t qualify to fight you. Now that I am nothing, I don’t even deserve any humiliation from you. “You can kill me easily.” Hannah glanced at Collier before meeting Kaze’s gaze. “I heard that you killed Newell’s family. Is that true?” “What? Are you planning to avenge Newell’s family?” Kaze smiled amusedly, not denying that fact. He had no reason to hide anyway. “Uh…” Collier went through a range of emotions. Kaze!Collier’s memory was coming back now. Kaze was th
Kaze shook his head. Even now, Hannah was so full of herself. “Why don’t you tell me how you plan to repay me?” Kaze said amusedly. Hannah grimaced and said coldly, “Why must you insult me, Kaze? “I am just a loser. What can I even do for you? “Power? I’m just the deputy chief by name. No one takes me seriously. Even Collier can corner me.” Collier shuddered and replied, “I was blind, Hannah. I really respect you.” Hannah snapped at him with an angry look and brushed him off. “Money? That’s something I don’t have. “You just want to see a high and mighty woman standing humbly before you. “Maybe you’re after my body just like Collier. “Do as you please. I can’t fight back anyway. “But we’re even after tonight.” With a pale face, Hannah closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate. Hannah could be a virgin for all Kaze knew. Kaze pursed his lips. “Forget it. I prefer the romantic type, not the unwilling ones like you. You just lie there and play dead.“Besides,
“It’s the least I can do.” Hannah narrowed her eyes at Kaze, her body shaking. She never fully appreciated what she had until she lost it all.Hannah experienced the harshness of the world when she lost her combat prowess. The companions, who used to be all over her, now behaved like strangers. The executives at the Viper’s Den West State branch, who protected and adored her, turned their backs and reassigned her to be the deputy chief at the South River State branch. Hannah was constantly picked on at the South River State branch. She dared not imagine what would happen to her if she fell into Collier’s hands today. “What are your terms?” Hannah asked with a struggle. “You work for me willingly. You’ll be my lapdog. “You take orders from me. “When I tell you to bite, you bite,” Kaze said curtly. He wanted to trample on Hannah’s ego. It was the only way to keep her under his thumb. Kaze was not a saint. He was happy to restore Hannah’s powers for his own benefit,
The Nether Viper Sword was Autumn’s weapon, a sacred blade that symbolized the Viper’s Den’s supreme authority. The blade in Kaze’s possession was a replica. Even so, only the Viper’s Den branch leader had the right to possess the sword. Hannah, one of the most promising members out of the 36 Viper’s Den branches, was given one by the Viper Queen. Previously, Hannah arrived at Lilyrose, armed with the Nether Viper Sword. She thought the weapon alone was enough to crush her godfather’s killer. To her dismay, Kaze crippled her and took the Nether Viper Sword away. Later, the blade triggered a series of tumultuous events. Seeing the blade she once possessed stirred a complex mix of emotions in Hannah.More shockingly, Hannah wondered how the Nether Viper Sword ended up with Kaze. There had been a rumor going around the organization. The person who could kill Kaze would become the Viper’s Den West State branch leader. Magnus, Sirius, and Newell’s family were killed and c
Kaze had initially intended to consolidate his control over the West State branch and the South River State branch by eliminating half of their members and co-opting the remaining half. His strategy was going to be a combination of intimidation and reward, allowing him to exert absolute authority.Nevertheless, he changed his mind when he saw Hannah. He needed Hannah’s voluntary compliance to secure her allegiance and leave no room for complications. Hence, Kaze did not attempt to coerce her. He had given her a chance, and now it was up to her whether she would take it. Hannah contemplated for a moment before taking a step forward and kneeling before Kaze. “You’re my leader. “From this moment on, I will only take orders from you.” Once she made up her mind, Hannah no longer hesitated and made a firm statement. She could not refuse Kaze’s offer. Either way, it was an opportunity to restore her strength. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She would not be ab
“Don’t be so quick to thank me. Let’s get down to business.” Kaze waved his arm and sat down on the couch. “Let me be clear. I don’t tolerate incompetence.“So you are going to be the South River State branch chief. “But I won’t appoint you to the job. You need to purge the organization and gain power on your own. “I don’t care if Josiah, Jude, or Camden have a problem with it. They can either submit or go down with Newell. “I’m here for other businesses, so I don’t want to waste too much of my time with the South River State branch. You have two weeks. “Show me what you got, Hannah.” If Hannah proved herself capable, Kaze was open to letting her handle the restructuring of the West State branch or take a more senior role. Kaze would not use her if Hannah did nothing impressive. He could pick other talents anyway. Hannah nodded and said, “I’m willing to take an oath of commitment. “I’ll make sure that in just a week, your voice is the only one that matters in the
Collier understood the need to nip a problem in the bud. Scared stiff, he sprung to hold Kaze’s leg and wailed, “Because you killed my family, I wouldn’t and couldn’t betray you, sir. “My life is in your hands.“Please give me a chance, sir. “I’ll be your lapdog. I’ll bite at command.“That’s right. I’ll prove my loyalty. Josiah is my ally. I can lure him to a meeting under the pretense of business and handle him as you see fit.”Collier resorted to every means possible just to survive. Kaze believed Collier would pull his pants down and eat his shit if he were to ask him to do so. “Wham!” Kaze kicked Collier and said with pursed lips, “Poor Josiah. You have no shame in betraying your ally.” Collier said ingratiatingly, “I’m a dog, not human. Of course, I have no shame, Kaze.“To be honest, I don’t hate you for killing my father. “I just wish I was there to do the dirty work for you.” It was a ridiculous statement to make. Hannah scoffed in disdain. Despite be
Kaze waved his arm, dismissing the ever-grateful Collier. Hannah excused herself and took off. The pair walked out together, and sparks flew when their gazes met. They were beyond reconciliation. Just today, Collier drove Hannah to desperation and nearly violated her. Knowing Hannah, Collier understood that she was too proud to forgive him. Given a chance, they would stab each other without hesitation. Of course, Kaze was not opposed to that. Kaze did not stay long at Conan’s villa once the pair was gone. He returned to the city and stayed in a five-star hotel. After a shower, Kaze was about to rest when he received a text message. The text message was from Hamlin, the secretary of Riverbank’s mayor. Kent expressed his apology now that he had learned about the incident with Raph and Butch at the train station. Hamlin asked Kaze if he had a place to stay in Riverbank. If he did not, Kent would be happy to provide accommodation. He also prepared gifts to apologiz
“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