Although Jude had come to value Kaze more, he still despised the young man who had slapped him. He created a rift between him and his daughter. Most importantly, he obstructed his path to power.The idea of begging Kaze was simply impossible.“Faith, don’t worry. Just wait a little longer…”Jude avoided her desperate gaze and said softly, “Dr. Wright has already contacted the two renowned doctors. They'll be here as soon as possible…”“Bang!”Just then, one of his men forced open the ward door and hurriedly entered, looking grim. “Chief, Dr. Wright asked me to inform you that he has contacted the two doctors.“However... Dr. Notthingham is unreachable. It seems he's out traveling again.“And Dr. Hardy has agreed to come. But the earliest he can make it is in three days. He also insists that you prepare one hundred million dollars in advance for his consultation fee…”“Bang!”Jude collapsed onto the floor, his face turning ashen.He could afford one hundred million dollars. An
It was ten in the evening, the perfect hour for supper.When Kaze and Buffy arrived at the Highland Lamb House, it had already been reserved entirely for their gathering.The usually bustling hall was silent, with only Jude seated at a central table. In front of him, a copper pot steamed away. There were plates of thinly sliced lambs on the table, arranged meticulously. Jude picked up a slice with his chopsticks and dipped it into the broth.His movements were slow and deliberate. Besides, he looked calm and seemed to be enjoying himself. It was a stark contrast to the anxious demeanor he had shown back in the hospital.Beside him sat a man who looked like a figure out of legend, with a long robe, a goatee, and an air of serene detachment. He, too, took his time with the food, seeming to savor each moment like a wandering sage.Buffy clearly recognized this man and was surprised to see him there. After a brief pause, she regained her composure and approached the man with a res
Jude might be attentive but he had no plans to introduce Kaze to Alfonso. Kaze did not mind either. He dipped the piece of meat into the sauce and then put it inside his mouth. He then said, “I am not a picky eater. As long as it’s cooked, I can put it in my mouth. Deputy Chief Gwake, make yourself at home, eat whatever you want, don’t mind me. It will only make me feel awkward. I feel like I am in debt to you, and I don’t like that. “Why don’t we split the bill for this supper?” Kaze then put a bank card on the table. What he suggested was certainly not a joke. Jude’s expression shifted when he saw the bank card. Alfonso’s expression darkened as well. His gaze at Kaze showed a hint of anger and contempt. Splitting the bill over supper with the deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River Branch? Was it an insult intended for him or Jude? If people heard about this, they would assume that Jude could not even afford supper. Buffy looked rather helpless. She knew her f
Kaze saw through Jude’s hypocrisy with a glance. He did not pick up his glass for the proposed toast and simply scoffed. “Thank you for the high regards, Deputy Chief Gwake. Oh, may I ask about the Nether Viper Sword? “You bought it back a while ago, how did it feel? I think with the sword, you should be able to become chief right?” His mocking remarks left Jude stunned, his smile frozen. Kaze struck Jude at his weakness, rubbing salt in his wound. Alfonso looked at Kaze with narrowed eyes, his expression clearly displeased. After a brief observation, he realized Kaze was rude and impolite, he lacked the EQ to deal with people. Alfonso hated people like Kaze the most. Before Jude could say a word, Kaze skipped to the point and said, “Deputy Chief Gwake, let’s just skip the nonsense. This isn’t our first meeting, just tell me what you want. “If you are here just to eat supper with me, I could have just had supper with your daughter alone.” Buffy blushed at his words.
“Then do you have a way to cure the condition?” Jude asked, his body leaned forward and his eyes showed a sense of hope. “I am a man of my word. If I said I can cure your wife, then I can cure your wife.” Kaze confidently said, “It’s not a difficult issue, and it won’t take long, probably around half an hour. Then, all her health issues can be cured.” Even Hannah, who was completely crippled after her first meeting with Kaze, was cured and recovered to her prime. Faith’s condition was incurable to most of the doctors but to Kaze, it was nothing serious. Pft! Alfonso could not help but chuckle. He found Kaze’s confidence amusing. His tone was frivolous, which felt unconvincing. Jude was skeptical as well. “Half an hour? You’re that confident? I believe you only saw my wife for a very brief time. How are you planning to do that?” “Since this is a condition caused by the old martial arts, of course, I’ll use the ways of the old martial arts. That’s all I can tell you for
Kaze then realized what he said sounded wrong. He laughed and then explained, “What were you thinking? I mean I believe in your capabilities and if you use the money to run a business, you’ll be able to make a hundred times more. You just have to pay me a dividend and I don’t need to worry anymore.” Buffy simply grunted and then kept quiet. Watching Kaze tease and flirt with her daughter right in front of his face, Jude felt disgusted and repulsive. “If you don’t want money, what do you want?” he asked, his expression darkened. Kaze explained, “If you want to know how much I charge for saving Faith, then let me tell you not even all the money in the world. “As for what I want, I have already made it clear the other day. You owed Buffy and her mother an explanation. “As for Faith, she offended me and now I have to save her? Does she even deserve it?” Kaze did not show any courtesy as he explained. Buffy looked at him with a sense of warmth and emotion. Jude felt that h
“And the Krads... I don’t like people knocking at my door with trouble but if they insist on waking up the dragon, I don’t mind burning them all alive, since the dragon is simply slumbering. “As for the deputy chief, branch chief of the South River Branch, I am not interested. To be honest, I think even the position of West State Branch Leader is a burden. “Besides, you are just the deputy chief and you have not even been selected yet. Isn’t it a little too early to jump to conclusions? “Most importantly, you made me these offers because you want me to temporarily choose sides. Given your personality, it’s no big deal that you walk away from the promise. “Can I say that once I treated Faith and at the next second, you two will come after me, trying to slice me into a thousand pieces? Am I right? “So don’t simply make empty offers. I am not interested and I found them funny.” Kaze looked and sounded frivolous. Jude’s expression darkened as he asked gravely, “If you already
“You! How dare you!” Jude slammed the table and bellowed, “Just because you are slightly capable, you think you can disrespect me and treat me like a fool? You’re asking for it!” His eyes were burning with anger, his teeth clenched, and he looked like a vicious beast trying to devour Kaze. As he bellowed, Serene and the agents pulled their guns out, and pointed them at Kaze as they stared at him coldly. One word from Jude and they would rain bullets on him. The atmosphere in the restaurant became tense and heavy. Buffy’s face paled. She looked at Kaze, worried. Despite being surrounded by guns and Jude’s ferocious glare, Kaze remained unfazed. He remained seated, unfazed. “Splash!” Suddenly, Kaze splashed a cup of tea at Jude’s face. He said, “Jude, stop playing mind games with me. Your little gang might scare others but not me. “No one begs people like you do. If you want to ask for a favor, try to show some humility.” Jude’s face was wet, and several pieces of
“Kabaam!” The slap was not just powerful. Its speed was like a fleeting comet, creating a loud explosion in the air as it moved. With an intimidating and destructive force, the slap went straight for Albert. The gale assaulted Albert in the face, messing up his long hair that he had just tied up. “Kapoof!” He had no choice but to raise both fists and throw punches at the incoming slap. “Bang!” Their fists collided forcefully, producing a dull thud of flesh and bone crashing together, sending thrills and exhilaration through the audience’s hearts. It was the clash of muscles and raw strength. There was no fancy technique involved. However, compared to the towering Bruce with superhuman strength, Albert, who was deemed tall among the commons, looked like a child. The audience assumed Albert made the worst choice possible for facing Bruce face to face with his fists. He would eventually lose it. “Yeah!” Even Jude’s loyal followers could not help but cheer on Bruc
“Is he out of his mind?” “Hannah, please stop him! He should prolong the fight and exhaust Bruce Payne’s stamina first!” Collier was nervous. He disagreed with Albert’s decision to settle the fight in one move. It was because Hannah brought Albert in and he had been performing well until now, or else Collier would have shouted at him in the face. “Shut up!” Hannah then looked at Kaze, who remained silent and observant, closely watching the match. She was unaware of Albert’s true identity, but since Kaze was the one who brought him here, he must be closely connected to Kaze. Before the match started, she was able to have a brief conversation with Albert. By instinct, Hannah sensed nobility in Albert’s presence and she knew he was not an ordinary man. It was great to have someone like Albert to take her place. Collier was in no position to criticize him. “Kaze, what do you think about Al beating Bruce? Can he win?” Buffy asked. She knew Kaze was in a league of his o
Kaze was also looking at Bruce with interest. In the north of Arcadia was a less developed country named Barhmans. People from various barbaric tribes there were born with unique physical traits, making them ideal candidates to be trained as killers from a young age. They were sent into the woods for rigorous survival training. They hunted wild beasts, drank their blood, and fought the fiercest of them all. Once they came of age, they would be stronger than other people of the same age and could kill a grown tiger with their bare hands. Kaze met a lot of barbaric mercenaries from Barhmans on the foreign battlefield and all of them shared a similar physique with Bruce. They looked like people with superhuman strength. However, Bruce was also labeled as a genius in martial arts, not just raw strength. Kaze wanted to see how powerful Bruce was. “Then I will kill you and strip that mask off your face.” Bruce curled his lips into a sinister grin and exercised his neck. “
“Deputy Chief Gwake is going to win this! Bruce is here! He’s almighty! Who else can beat him?” “Yeah! Al might be powerful but he looked like a child in front of Bruce!” “Bruce is not just all brawn and no brains, he’s extremely talented and smart, rivaling Hannah Delmore.” “Hannah wasn’t able to fight in the ring because she was hurt, that’s why she got Al in her place while she stayed in hiding. I don’t think this guy can match Bruce at all.” “We are in for a good show.” The audience erupted into a sea of excitement. Those who cheered on Jude were thrilled, gloating at Hannah and her followers. Hannah’s followers and supporters reacted with bitter looks. The match was crucial to decide who the next chief of the South River Branch would be. It was unfortunate that Hannah got hurt and could not participate herself. Given Bruce’s background, even if Hannah was in her prime and healthy, she might or might not be able to overpower Bruce either. With that in mind, a
The dead agent was dragged away. “Bump!” Suddenly, a large figure, at least two meters in height, came out from backstage and jumped into the ring. As he landed, the entire ring trembled as if an elephant had entered the ring. “It’s him!” When the man stepped into the ring, Hannah, who had remained calm and expressionless until now, suddenly appeared afraid. Not only did she not know the man but she was also afraid of him and his strength. If even the prodigy of the West State Viper’s Den feared him, his strength spoke for itself. “Next match, Bruce Payne versus Al!” The emcee announced the next match to the audience. Bruce made a fierce entrance and it captured everyone’s attention. “Bruce Payne? Who is he?” “I have never heard of him.” “I have never heard of him but I know he’s strong. Just look at him!” “That’s right. Jude Gwake is left with the last candidate and he will certainly give his best. This might be his strongest man.” “This Bruce guy might b
Though Kaze could not care less about Hope for now. She had a complicated history of hate and romance with Jude. Kaze was looking forward to her reaction when she learned of Jude’s defeat. Ever since he arrived at Riverbank, Jude and Hope disgusted him the most. He did not mind waiting a little longer for a better show between them. Buffy did not walk with Hope. She stayed and followed Kaze to Hannah’s side. Her action stirred resentment from Jude’s supporters. As Jude’s biological daughter, she chose to side with the opponents at this critical moment. It was embarrassing for the father. Hope saw the scene as she returned to Jude’s side. She raised her brows and sneered. “Jude, your daughter openly stands against you.” Jude was unfazed. He calmly looked at the battle in the ring and said, “Just ignore her.” He was fully concentrated on the match tonight. It was the last step for him to reach the position of chief. Other than that, nothing could steal his focus awa
“I said he cannot be the chief, which means he cannot be the chief. Anyone who wants to be chief must get my permission.” Hope was baffled by Kaze’s words. What shocked her most was that Buffy nodded with agreement as if Kaze spoke the absolute truth. Why would her nominal stepdaughter trust Kaze that much? Was she brainwashed or drugged? Hope could not understand. She looked at Kaze for a moment and then scoffed. “Kaze, you cannot just tell lies like that. “Who do you think you are? The branch leader of the West State Viper’s Den, or the Viper Queen herself? “Your permission? You are full of nonsense! My impression of you changed for the better after everything. I really think you are a capable man but now it seems like you are still the insolent fool who brags. “People like you won’t go far. There’s no way you can achieve anything big, even if you have what it takes.” Hope showed obvious disappointment in her gaze at Kaze. Earlier in the hospital, her impression of
“I can tell you this much, Kaze. From the moment Newell died in Lilyrose, Jude has been preparing for this day. “He has a lot of trump cards prepared and you won’t even see them coming. Even Alfonso Longwind, the ex-deputy chief of the Butterworth Branch, is part of the plan. “You really think Jude spent a fortune to invite him here just to ask him to persuade Buffy to marry Casius? You would be naïve to think that. “You want to stop him from becoming chief? You and what army? You really think that you still can beat Jude just because you escaped Casius’ grasp alive? “Jude is much more experienced than Casius! Since you cured me, I’ll give you a friendly piece of advice: don’t overestimate yourself, you will burn for it. “Don’t be overconfident. I don’t want my savior to die in Drake Gym today.” Hope spoke a lot in a single breath. Rather than saying they were advice for Kaze, she was trying to save face and vent her emotions. She was toyed with earlier in the day and K
“Nevermind. I got used to it anyway. I shouldn’t have unrealistic expectations for a bumpkin like you.” Hope grunted at Kaze’s words, trying to save face. She feared that Kaze might expose the recording of her admitting she wanted Jude dead.Kaze was a wild card and he would do anything as he saw fit. “What’s the matter, Kaze?” Buffy sharply caught the unusual reaction on Hope’s face when she faced Kaze and she asked him what happened. Kaze chuckled. “It’s nothing. If she makes you do whatever thing you don’t like and tries to be the evil stepmother to you, just tell me. A villain needs to be punished by another villain. I am the stronger villain in this instance.” “Kaze, you!” Hope pointed at Kaze, her teeth clenched in frustration. However, under his frosty gaze, she forced herself to swallow her words and slowly withdrew her hand. Seeing the scene, Buffy was more surprised than ever. Hope was an arrogant woman who could even drive Jude mad, yet she behaved like a