“I’m not here to talk about treatment today. I’m just reminding you: if you don’t want to die, stay away from Buffy.“My stepdaughter may be beautiful, but she’s not for just anyone to touch.“If you recklessly involve yourself in the Gwakes’ affairs, you won’t see your death coming.“And you’ll drag your family down with you!”Faith’s voice was cold.Kaze looked at her calmly. “Are you threatening me?”“I’m simply stating a fact.”Faith glared down at him. “But if you insist on taking it as a threat, so be it.“And to be clear, when I say your family, I mean every last one of them.“You should know that chasing beauty can be dangerous.”As a member of the Krads and the matriarch of the Gwakes, Faith could care less about someone like Kaze.The fact that she had even bothered to speak this much felt like she was showing rare patience today.“Chasing beauty is dangerous?“Well, today I’d like to see just how dangerous it can be.” Kaze smiled, and before anyone could react,
Faith's lips twitched as her eyes darkened with anger.She swiftly stepped back to the wall, reaching for a large, double-barreled shotgun disguised as a decorative piece. Though it looked ornamental, it was always loaded, ready to fire.Click, click.Faith adjusted the shotgun and aimed it straight at Kaze.Even though she had not fired yet, the sight alone made Buffy turn pale. “Kaze, get down!” Faith was an avid shooter and frequently visited gun clubs, well-aware of the devastating power of a shotgun, often referred to as a “cannon.”Boom!Kaze did not even blink. Just before Faith pulled the trigger, he kicked a nearby bodyguard, sending him flying in front of the gun’s muzzle. Bang!The deafening sound pierced everyone’s ears.The bodyguard hit by the shot was engulfed in smoke, blood splattering as he was thrown backward.When he landed, his body was riddled with bullet holes.“Damn it!” Seeing that she had killed her own man, Faith went into a frenzy. Her
At that moment, Buffy felt a wave of relief wash over her.“What are you standing around for? Get in the car.” Kaze called out.Faith quickly jumped into the car. Moments later, the vehicle was already turning around. As the sound of the car faded in the distance, Faith finally mustered the courage to stand up inside the villa.“Useless!“Every one of you is absolutely trash!” Her anger flared as she stormed over to the bodyguards, kicking each one with fury.“The Krads have kept you around for years, and you all claim to be among the elite. This one proudly says he can take on ten guys, that one says he can take on twenty.“But when it came down to it, none of you could even handle some random punk off the street! “And because of you, I nearly got killed by that little brat!“What am I even paying you for?“If I had died today, I’d make sure every one of you idiots would be buried with me!” Faith’s face was contorted with rage, cursing like a street shrew. She wa
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time before Jude’s voice returned.“Faith, is that punk you mentioned named Kaze?”Faith gritted her teeth and nodded. “That’s right, it’s that jerk, Kaze!”As soon as she said it, she realized something was off.“Wait, Jude, how do you know his name? Don’t tell me he really...”Faith’s eyes widened.Jude's voice turned cold. “Yeah, I saw him last night at Drake Gym. Not only did he beat up several of my men, but he slapped me in front of everyone and took Buffy away.”Faith’s jaw dropped in disbelief as Jude recounted what had happened.Her expression quickly darkened.It was true Kaze slapped Jude.With Jude’s temper, for Kaze to still be walking around freely after pulling a stunt like that and even show up at her place with Buffy, spoke volumes about Kaze’s capabilities.“Jude, that guy is obviously just someone Buffy brought in as a decoy. You can tell he’s broke just by looking at him!“Does he have some sort
“Kaze, turn around and head to the airport!”They are on their way back from Blossom Creek to Wyomspring.Buffy, sitting in the passenger seat, broke the silence. “I'll book the next flight to Ridgesouth for you. From there, you can head to Geranium or Millstown, or even go abroad if you have your passport.“I’ll transfer ten million to an offshore account for you.“Once the heat dies down, you can return.“Now, give me your ID.”Buffy began searching for flights on her phone.Kaze kept driving, showing no sign of handing over his ID.“You asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend, didn’t you? “Now that we’re done, you’re just going to throw me away?”Kaze smirked. “Ten million? That's my going rate these days?”Buffy felt a surge of frustration. “Are you an idiot or are you just pretending?“You beat up Faith earlier today. She won’t let this go. Do you even know who she is?“She’s the precious daughter of the Krads, one of the wealthiest families in Westeros. Your family
Buffy was beginning to regret her decisions.Maybe she should never have gotten Kaze involved in the first place.Nothing changed, and worse, she got Kaze involved.In the past, she would not have cared much about his fate. However, now, things were different. Kaze was the only man who had ever stepped up to shield her.“Buffy, do you think so little of me?” Kaze smirked. “Do you really think the Krads and Casius are enough to bring me down?“Do they even have the ability?" Buffy had no idea where Kaze got his confidence, but she thought he was being way too cocky.The Krads and Casius were not people to be underestimated. Thinking otherwise would lead to serious consequences.“Don't underestimate Casius,” Buffy said, but Kaze interrupted her.“Relax. After Casius tried to have Zoro kill me, I’d have gone after him anyway, with or without you. “Taking him down is part of why I’m here in Riverbank. Not entirely because of you.“So, don’t blame yourself, and don’t wo
“That night, Faith brought several of her family's elite fighters and severely injured my mother, leaving her in a coma ever since.“My father wasn’t there at the time. But when he got home, he silently called for an ambulance and had my mother taken to the hospital.“Then, he married Faith.”“I was too young to understand everything at the time, and it’s only later that I found out the truth.“Even after I learned the truth, I couldn’t do anything because Faith had taken control of the family’s finances.“My mother’s medical expenses, which amount to millions every year, are entirely dependent on her approval. I had no choice but to pretend nothing happened.“Even so, Faith still hasn’t let go of her plans for me.“You heard her earlier. The only reason she’s paying for my mother’s treatment is to keep me under her control, using me as a pawn to further her agenda.“Not too long ago, Newell Ettinger, the previous leader of the South River Branch, died. Faith pushed my father f
“I didn't expect your stepmom to act so fast. She must have a death wish.”Kaze grinned, but his eyes were cold and threatening. Even his perfect smile seemed a bit sinister.At first, Buffy did not understand. However, when she followed Kaze’s gaze to the rearview mirror, she realized something was wrong.Behind them, two massive Ford Raptors were weaving through traffic, closing in fast.They were almost catching up to them, only a few cars apart. Buffy could even see the expressionless driver of the closest truck, staring straight at them.“Are they coming for us?” Buffy's face paled.One Ford Raptor was intimidating enough on the road, but two? Buffy could practically feel the presence of death creeping up behind them.“Did Faith send them?” Buffy asked, her voice was shaky.They had barely left Blossom Creek, and already someone was tailing them.Like Kaze, Buffy immediately thought of Faith. Sending two trucks to chase them down left little room for doubt about h
“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