“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,
“Don’t stress yourself. Joel deserved to die. We have nothing to do with his death anyway.” Rose nodded. “That’s true. Just be careful, Kaze.” Kaze smiled and shuffled her hair. “Don’t worry about me. Conan will take you home.” Soon, Conan arrived and said, “The people assigned to protect Rose haven’t made it here yet, Kaze. Um…” “It’s fine. All eyes are on Joel’s case now that he is dead. No one will get any ideas about Rose. Just assign a couple of your men to watch over her,” Kaze waved his arm and said indifferently. Hannah and Collier stood by Jude on Kaze’s instruction. Kaze suspected that the Gwakes and possibly Bronze Sparrow along with Casius had their hidden agenda regarding the Viper’s Den South River State Branch. He would not allow things to go their way. Kaze pitted the united South River branch against Bronze Sparrow to see if Zoro could take the heat. If Casius had other plans in mind for the South River branch, he would reveal himself when Bronze Spar
The Viper’s Den members, dressed in mourning, were either aloof or angry. Some of them were driven by the desire to kill when they saw Kaze. They were the Viper’s Den members present at the gym when Joel died. These people knew Kaze. Kaze came with Luis before and started the fight by slapping Joel in the face. They took a step forward, ready to attack Kaze. There was chatter among the crowd. The other members of the Viper’s Den were eager to hurt Kaze when they learned the truth. Their intention was either to assess Kaze’s skills or just to pick a fight with him. Instead of keeping the members in check, Serene stepped back without a word. Kaze was met with aloofness and malice. Anyone would cower or break out in a cold sweat when faced with such hostility. Nevertheless, Kaze simply walked ahead, brushing off the looks. His disregard only infuriated the Viper’s Den members further. “Kaze?” Before the members could strike Kaze, a pretty face showed up. The be
Sure enough, Buffy’s remark only egged hundreds of the Viper’s Den members on. Kaze grinned faintly. “We can talk about any issues in private. It’s not proper of you to threaten me in front of outsiders.” Tsk! Outsiders?Kaze acted like he was Buffy’s husband. Buffy heaved heavily, her cheeks flushed. The Viper’s Den members were livid. Kaze managed to ruin the somber mood. Unable to take it anymore, Serene said icily, “Mr. Gwake is waiting for you inside, Mr. Lee.” “Oh. Just lead the way.” With his hand under his chin, Kaze asked Buffy with a smile, “Are you coming with me? I’m a little intimidated by your dad.” Kaze’s expression of meeting the father-in-law nearly drove Buffy crazy. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She said curtly, “I am here because of you. I am worried that my dad will kill you.“I can give you a chance to walk away now since you are still somewhat useful to me.” Seeing that Buffy was trying to get under his skin
“Kaze…” Buffy tipped Kaze the wink, hoping he could do her a favor and put up with her father. Kaze brushed Buffy off and did not even bother to greet Jude. Standing there, he said indifferently, “I guess you must be Mr. Gwake. “Didn’t you send for me? What’s with this expectation from me? “Well, this is certainly a warm welcome. “In that case, I should get going.” Kaze turned on his heel to leave. He was expected to roll the red carpet out for Jude. To be honest, Jude was unworthy. Kaze was the branch leader of the Viper’s Den West State Branch. If they were to go by the rules, Jude should be greeting him on his knees. “Hmph!”Surprised by Kaze’s behavior, Jude let out an angry scoff. Serene narrowed her eyes, her red-manicured hand reaching into her pocket. Jude quickly turned back around and waved at Serene. “Never mind. Kids can be rash. “You must be Kaze. Please sit. Ha. You’re just like me when I was your age.”Serene kept her head down.Buffy let ou