“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
Vroom!As Kaze’s foot hit the gas pedal, the engine roared to life, and the car sped forward like a dark horse weaving through traffic.In a flash, Kaze executed several swift lane changes, overtaking other cars. The sudden moves caused chaos, with screeching brakes and blaring horns echoing around him.However, the two Ford Raptors tailing him were unfazed. Now that Kaze had spotted them, they stopped holding back, accelerating and weaving through the traffic in pursuit.Kaze was not surprised. If the drivers could be shaken off this easily, it would be a joke, whether they were sent by Faith or Casius.Vroom!Kaze hit the gas again, yanking the steering wheel. The car swerved to the right and shot off the main road toward a side road leading to the South Hill Dam. South Hill Dam is Riverbank City’s suburban area. He planned to deal with the problem there.The Ford Raptors quickly followed, mimicking his moves. Both trucks were clearly modified and kept pace with hi
Twenty minutes later, Kaze had covered a distance that would normally take an hour, arriving at the edge of South Hill Dam.The drivers of the two Ford Raptors chasing him were clearly skilled. Despite constantly having to track Kaze's movements and attempt overtakes, they managed to keep the gap between them under 300 meters.Barely an accelerator's push away.“There’s barely any traffic ahead. They’ll catch up soon!” Buffy warned.She was familiar with the roads in the area. Ahead was a quiet route leading to the county. It was an old highway, mostly used for practice by driving school.As if in sync with Buffy's concern, the two Ford Raptors behind them suddenly accelerated, closing the distance.Vroom!Kaze turned left sharply.The Phaeton swerved across the dotted line into the opposite lane, darting onto the asphalt road skirting the South Hill Dam.The Ford Raptors assumed Kaze was getting desperate, and without hesitation, they followed, like predators closing in on
Until the water was completely still, with no chance of anyone surviving, Kaze finally tossed his cigarette aside and returned to the car. He started the engine and began driving back along the same road. The car was shaking slightly due to damage from the earlier sharp turn, but he did not care. As long as he drove slower, it would hold up until they reached the city.In the passenger seat, the rattling of the car snapped Buffy out of her daze.“They’re really dead?” she asked, glancing back as if wanting Kaze to stop the car.Kaze knew this woman, no matter how much trauma she had suffered from her family’s problems, had still grown up surrounded by wealth. She lived a much better life than most people. Her reaction now was a typical spoiled rich girl nonsense.Without slowing down, Kaze responded coldly, “Buffy, your parents are people from the Viper’s Den and are no saints. Even if you didn’t witness it, you should’ve known how the world works. “If our car had been hi
“Kaze, you're right. My dad won't care about me as long as he gets what he wants,” said Buffy with a hint of sadness.Kaze responded casually, “So, what are you going to do now?”“I don't know.” She shook her head, her eyes filled with uncertainty. Knowing the truth did not change anything. She was powerless to change her situation. Even her mother was still held captive, leaving her no ability to fight back.“If you want justice for your mother, why not join me? We can ruin Jude's dreams and make Faith and Casius pay for what they did today.” Kaze suggested.Initially, Kaze did not mind Buffy approaching him since he had planned to use her to resolve the Viper Den’s South River Branch problem. However, after learning more about her struggles, he could not help but feel some sympathy. Beneath her polished exterior, she hid a pain no one else could see.Kaze did not mind helping her out while dealing with the Viper’s Den. Helping her seek justice and reclaim what was
Buffy was shocked when she heard Kaze. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking defensive. All she could do was a kiss from Kaze. As for anything more intimate than that, she was not prepared to lower her standards. Looking at Buffy’s defensive reaction, afraid that he would devour her alive, Kaze shook his head and continued driving. “Mind your words.” He knew why Buffy said that. She was isolated, helpless, and lacked a sense of security, so she instinctively saw him as a support and hoped that he could do her justice. However, Kaze refused to take advantage of someone inferior. Besides, Agatha and Nelson had mistaken him and Buffy together, so when the words got to his mother-in-law, Agnes, things would only be more distorted. In addition, Darcy and her parents were coming to Riverbank and things might only snowball out of control from that point. Kaze had a headache trying to figure it out, so there was no way he would cross the line with Buffy. …
Kaze quickly picked up his phone to check the call history. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw May’s name. “This is the mother of my assistant in Lilyrose. I wonder why she’s calling me.” He was baffled too. Why would Snow’s mother call him out of the blue? He went back to his room to call back. “Aunt May, I’m Kaze…” The call got through but he was rudely cut off before he could finish. “Don’t call me Aunt May!” May scoffed. “Kaze Lee, you abandoned my daughter and had a woman in Riverbank? What’s the matter? My daughter is not beautiful and not good enough for you? Or is it because of our family? Are the Frosts not up to your standard, Mr. Big Shot?” A while back, Kaze called Venom Kanon, the killer ranked second on the Killer Leaderboard, and helped the Frosts deal with Midas King. Since then, May saw him as her future son-in-law albeit knowing he was married. She encouraged her daughter to snatch Kaze away. To her surprise, Snow made no progress at all, and
“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