Reality hit Rose. “So you stirred the pot. You’re not in it to help them, right?” It nearly slipped her mind that Luis and his friends did not call Kaze to Drake Gym with good intentions. Kaze did not owe them anything. He was doing Luis and his friends a favor by not making things worse for them. “Let’s get further away from them. If anything happens, we can make our escape.” Rose pulled Kaze to the door and watched the drama from afar. “Bastard!” Catching Rose and Kaze from the corner of his eye, Luis, who was beaten black and blue, made a sour face. Kaze started the fight, and yet he fled far away. Luis had never met anyone as shameless as Kaze. Dismissing the evil look from Luis, Kaze watched the fight and gave pointers. With Kaze’s help, Luis and his friends rose and fought back. Luis’ party was on the losing end at first. They would probably last three minutes against Joel’s crew. Thanks to Kaze’s guidance, the fight went on for ten minutes with no end i
“Go to hell!” Joel yelled angrily while pouncing on Luis. He pulled a punch, smashing Luis right in the face. The intensity hit Luis before Joel’s fist touched him. Scared stiff, Luis tried to dodge. Kaze’s voice boomed in Luis’ ear. “Step back on your right foot and punch his ribs.” Luis got the message loud and clear. As if a lightbulb went off in his head, Luis followed Kaze’s instructions. “Smack!” Luis stepped back to the left and dodged Joel’s punch. At the same time, he threw his fist and struck Joel on his unprotected ribs. “Ugh!” Joel staggered back and spat out blood. “This isn’t possible.” Barely finding his balance, Joel looked at Luis in disbelief. Luis’ sidekicks paused and stared at him, dumbstruck. Zenika and the other socialites looked up in surprise. What was going on? Luis made Joel bleed. Just six months ago, Joel beat Luis to a pulp. This was beyond anyone’s imagination. “Um…” Luis stared at his hands in a daze, wondering whe
Gritting his teeth, Joel struggled to get off the ground. His expression was menacing. His ribs were his weak spot from a past injury.He had always been cautious to protect his ribs when fighting. However, he underestimated Luis and paid for it. Joel dismissed Luis’ first attack on his ribs as a fluke. However, Luis went for his weak spot the second time due to Kaze’s guidance. “Shut up, bastard! Once I’m done with Luis, I’m going after you!” Joel was out for Luis’ blood. He would not rest until Luis was defeated. “Die!” Joel screamed and jumped on Luis. This time, Joel shielded his ribs with one arm to prevent another attack from Luis. “What an idiot!” Kaze called Joel out before saying indifferently, “Drop your head to the left, jab his right shin, and for added measure, palm strike his left armpit.”Luis followed the instructions to a tee. As the crowd watched on with dropped jaws, Luis swept Joel’s shin and struck Joel’s armpit. Since Joel was occupied
Luis felt like a God. He was all puffed up. The crowd was too distracted by his authority to put a stop to things. “Ugh!” Joel’s throat was slit, and blood quickly spilled.Blood gushed out of his throat. “Uh… You…” Joel let out an inaudible grunt, his half-raised arm going limp. Throwing his head to the back, he breathed his last. Even to his death, he could not believe he lost to Luis. “Argh! Murder!” Zenika and the other women shrieked. Kaze buried Rose’s face in his chest to shield her from the gruesome scene. “Clang!” Luis dropped the knife as he regained composure from his manic episode. He retracted his foot from Joel’s chest and backed away, his eyes fixating on Joel’s dead body. “I-I didn’t kill him.“I didn’t mean to kill you!” Luis raised his trembling hands, his body shaking. He was done for. Luis killed Joel. His plan was to get rid of Joel through Kaze. How did he end up killing Joel instead?Luis turned to Kaze and yelled angrily,
“Thud!”Luis slammed into the corner of the wall, feeling the pain in every inch of his body. The physical pain, however bad, was nothing compared to the fear of death that gripped him.Fighting back the agony, he raised his arms and crawled his way back to Zoro. Luis coughed out copious amounts of blood, his insides churning violently as he stayed on all fours.However, he did not care one bit. Luis understood that he would not live to see another day without Zoro’s help. “I didn’t mean to kill Joel, Zoro. “I was only following through with your plan, but Kaze somehow walked up to Joel and slapped him in the face. “Most importantly, Joel wasn’t as great as rumored. He got upset and swung a knife at me after I beat him down to the ground multiple times. I was only defending myself. “Tell him, guys. That was what happened, right?” Luis snapped an angry look at Zenika and the others. They were all in the same boat now, so they were in it together. Zenika and the ot
“It’s all my fault, Zoro. I’m a fool! I’m a loser!“But Joel is dead, and nothing can change that. Yelling at me won’t solve anything. “Please help me, Zoro!” Luis got down on his knees, his back hunched over. “Given our years of brotherhood, I’m begging you for one last favor.”He was freaked out. It was a good thing Luis rushed to Bronze Sparrow when things went awry. Otherwise, he would be stuck at Drake Gym and killed by the people of the Viper’s Den. Even now, the Viper’s Den members were scattered outside Bronze Sparrow. If Luis were to step outside Bronze Sparrow, he would be drowned in the deep ocean. “Help you? “Are you expecting me to risk my life to save yours?” With a callous look, Zoro kicked Luis away. “Jude called me just now. I should hand over the killer by tonight, or he’ll come straight to Bronze Sparrow for you. “Do you know what that means? “It means he has the means to carry out his promise. “Don’t forget that Joel trained under a senior me
Gillian, a fearsome man in Riverbank, lost his spine in the presence of Zoro. “What now?” Zoro furrowed his brows in annoyance. Despite the fear in his eyes, Gillian got his act together and said solemnly, “I found the diamond seller. “Bring him in.” Gillian turned back to wave at several members of his crew. They escorted a man and a woman into the office. “You are scammers!” Luis sprung to his feet when he saw the man and the woman. He had been cursing them all day. The man was the diamond seller while the older woman with glasses was a renowned diamond appraiser in Riverbank City. They worked together to sell a fake diamond to Luis, embarrassing him at Bronze Sparrow last night. “Thump!” The man and woman fell to their knees before Luis. “That’s not true, Mr. Presley! I would never sell a fake diamond to you. I bought the diamond from a prince of Sandia.” “You know me, Mr. Presley. I’ve been in the jewelry appraisal business for decades. I have never been
Gillian was not quite done with Kaze. He dreamed of the day he would become strong enough to kill Kaze. After learning that Kaze had crushed a real diamond, Gillian gave up on that thought. Gillian knew that not a single bone in his body was more solid than a diamond. “Mr. Weather’s calling, Zoro.” While Zoro was lost in his thoughts, a pretty woman approached and whispered in his ear. Zoro waved his arm for silence in the room before taking the phone from the woman. He put the phone against his ear. “This is Zoro. What can I do for you, sir?” The air hung heavy with tension. Apart from a selected few, Luis and the others never witnessed Zoro behaving so respectfully on the phone. It was Casius, one of the Riverbank Seven. The name struck terror in everybody’s heart. “I heard that Jude is out to get you.” Moments later, a flat tone boomed from the other end of the line. His voice was unreadable. Everybody held their breath and made no sound. “Here’s the thing,
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
“Can you make him stop? If the man comes back, we’ll be done for,” someone said. The kid’s crying made everyone anxious. “What can I do? He’s crying because he’s scared. I can’t just stop him.” The mother was afraid as well, and she did not want her son to be taken advantage of. “Calm down. Just don’t alert the men and we’ll be fine,” Miguel said, hoping to ease the situation. “I’ll fight him if he comes in. I believe I can make it,” someone said. Those with an impulsive nature grew restless from being kept on the bus for too long, feeling like livestock being kept in cages. “Shut it. They are coming,” Barney said after a glance outside the window. The other passengers fell silent, sat back down, lowered their heads, and tried their best not to look out the window. The mother quickly hugged her son and covered his mouth to prevent him from crying. Kaze felt peace and quiet once more, even the air felt smoother. He knew the passengers were merely ordinary people and
Unfortunately, Leah knew she would not get an answer out of Snow since she was refusing to help. Everything seemed to have changed following her mother’s disappearance. She tried to stay for answers but when security came in, she could not resist them anymore. It was the first time she was escorted out by security guards and it impacted her. She used to be the daughter of the CEO of Northborn Group—everyone respected her. She used to enjoy a privileged status. No matter where she went, she was the star of the event. Yet when her mother disappeared, everything changed. She wanted to look for Kaze but she had just lost the chance. Snow turned her down and gazed at her with contempt and irritation. Leah could not accept the changes but some things felt like they were destined to change. She was forced to leave the branch office but then had no idea where else to go. She felt abandoned by the world. Before this, she could still hope for Kaze’s help, but now she had no
Leah went to her mother’s company but did not find her anywhere. Joey was busy working in the CEO’s office. Leah went over and asked, “Joey, where’s my mother? I can’t reach her.” She wanted to know what happened to her mother. “I don’t know about your mother either. We went out together earlier in the day but I don’t know where she went. I can’t get in touch with her.” Joey was so busy that she could not even free herself from the desk to explain to the girl. “Where did she go? How am I supposed to find her?” Leah panicked. If even Joey did not know where her mother went, then something must have happened. A bad feeling rose from her heart. Things just got serious. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask someone else?” Joey did not have time to deal with the girl. Leah was unfamiliar with Joey’s coldness. Joey had always treated her with kindness and flattery, so the sudden coldness caught her off guard. She felt like something had changed. “Who should I be looking f
“No! My daughter is still in the hospital!” Katie refused to accept her punishment. She started to regret her decision but it was too late. “Now only you think about your daughter? I guess you are not that foolish, but have you thought about her when you betrayed Chairman Lee? “Don’t worry. Leah knew Chairman Lee personally and we won’t hurt her, but she might not live a good life anymore,” Snow said coldly. She did not want to put the girl in a difficult situation but her life as a princess would come to an end. “You can’t do that!” Katie could not believe Snow would do that. “I bet you never thought of the consequences when you leaked the information. Too bad. You’ve lost.” Snow revealed the truth because she wanted Katie to suffer for the decision she made. Katie would now regret every decision she made because she knew she had jeopardized her daughter’s life. She would feel like a fool. She devoted her life to climbing higher to gain more power but she ignored the
“I went to a bar to have a drink and I bumped into an informant of the Viper’s Den.” Katie looked helpless as she explained as if everything that had happened was planned out for her, pushing her to the edge step by step. It was a lively night at the bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and most of the guests were having a good time. Katie was a single woman. She needed care and love at times. She was alone when she visited the bar. She started off by ordering some drinks at the counter, waiting for a chance to meet a man who shared the same ideals. A drink or two later, maybe she could get herself a company for the night. As a grown-up woman, she had her desires. It was a way to release her stress. Katie entered the bar in a casual outfit but it did not diminish her elegant demeanor. When she sat down at the counter, a few young men approached her but she was not interested in immature boys. She continued drinking. She looked at the dance floor occasionally, searching for a
“Who do you think will believe you?” Arthur frowned. There were too many coincidences that it felt like a giant setup. “I’ve explained what I need to. Don’t interrogate me like I’m a criminal. I am the CEO of the Northborn Group.” Katie left them speechless. She had said the necessary and it was up to them whether they wanted to believe it or not. They did not have the evidence to charge her anyway. “You really think we can’t hold you responsible?” Snow was not really looking for a definite answer. The moment she suspected Katie, whether or not she was truly the traitor, Snow already had the right to hold her accountable. It was necessary to make things clear and it was to find out who Katie leaked Kaze’s information to. “It has come down to this. No matter how you deny it, it’s useless. We already know what you have done and you can’t escape. Even if you don’t want to confess, we can continue the investigation, and we’ll eventually find out the truth. “If you come clean