The entire Buckridge Lounge was dead silent. Everyone exchanged a puzzled look, wondering how a party turned into a massacre. Genesis did not sound like she was joking either. Everyone looked at Kaze with sympathy, murmuring that he must have bad luck to provoke a mad woman like Genesis. It was obvious that the experts from the Iron Tigers dropped out of the agency at the last minute just to help Genesis with her vengeance over Kaze. With that, after they killed Kaze and the Flying Dragons demanded an explanation, the agency would not be involved. In short, Ryken might have saved Kaze once but if they wanted Kaze dead, they had a lot of ways to overcome the obstacle too. That would be from Genesis’ perspective. After all, she did not know that Kaze never needed the Flying Dragons to protect him. “What’s the matter? Afraid?” Genesis smirked coldly as if she had the situation under control. “Tell me your last words and I’ll make sure they are delivered to your wife.”
Based on what Genesis knew, other than the mysterious Tiger King who was one of the Riverbank Seven, Southern Tiger was also one of the Eight Tigers of the Steelclaw Guild. If even someone of Casius’ status would bow to the Tiger King, one could only imagine how terrifying the Steelclaw Guild was. Genesis remained nervous as she pondered how to settle the problem. The thought agitated her and put murderous intentions on her face. She raised her hand and bellowed, “Stop wasting time with this punk! Get…” Swoosh! Before she could finish, a bottle of beer flew in from behind and hit the back of the head of the man who tried to attack Kaze. “Aaaargh!” The ex-Iron Tigers member cried in pain as he covered the back of his head. He turned around ferociously, trying to spot who ambushed him but then his eyes rolled back and passed out on the spot. “Who was it? Who ambushed my man!? Get the hell out here?!” Looking at the unconscious man on the floor, Genesis shouted furiously
“Hehehe, it’s been a while since someone spoke to me like that.” The long-haired young man chuckled as he stood up. He looked at Genesis coldly and said, “Since you’ve already admitted it, then you and your trashy men can die.” Genesis’ expression darkened. She bellowed, “Kill this son of a bitch!” The ex-Iron Tigers members exchanged a quick, hesitant look. They sensed a tremendous threat from the young man and, unless absolutely necessary, they did not want to engage him. Just as they were hesitating, the young man made a move. Swoosh! As the young man shook the whiskey bottle, amber liquid spilled out, transforming mid-air into a sharp, precise arrow that shot directly into the eyes of the nearest ex-Iron Tigers member. “Aaargh!” The burning sensation forced the man to cover his eyes but he was experienced enough to maintain his calm. Despite being blinded temporarily, he retreated immediately, hoping to find cover behind his colleagues. However, the long-haired yo
South Stormborn. One of the Riverbank Seven, who shared the same status as Casius Weather, Jet Frost, and Hunter Yaphet. He also had another identity—the Southern Tiger, one of the Eight Tigers of the Steelclaw Guild. He was the only one active in public, helping the guild to deal with all kinds of business and connections. He could be considered the deputy minister of the guild. He was able to carry out his activities openly without any scruples because the guild was extremely powerful and terrifying. On top of that, the Steelclaw Guild remained a force to be reckoned with, even the officials could not eliminate them. Therefore, until the guild was taken down, the authorities refrained from pursuing him, fearing retaliation from its members. After all, the guild was mysterious yet extremely well-connected. If they insist on causing trouble, the authorities would be forced into a passive position. Everyone else in the room was stunned. Even Blackie, who got crippled
Patrick’s face paled at South’s words. He knew he could not escape anymore, so he bit the bullet and stepped out. Thump! He knelt before South and spoke in a trembling voice, “S-Southern Tiger, I-I am sorry! I offended you! I am terribly sorry! Please forgive me! Spare my life!” Patrick lost every bit of intention in arguing with South. Genesis’ death was imprinted in his mind and all that was left was a survival instinct.With that in mind, he started to kowtow to South. “Mr. Stormborn, sir! Please give me another chance! It’s Max who started it! We can leave him here and you can punish him however you want! Just let me go! Please!” Max collapsed on the floor when he heard Patrick. His legs grew weak and his body started shaking due to extreme fear. Maxine stood stiff like a statue, her face pale and emotionless. The arrogant brother and sister lost their arrogance and pride. “You’re teaching me how to do things around here?” South tapped Patrick on the face and m
Suddenly, South curled his lips into a wicked smirk. “But, it doesn’t mean I’ll let you go without any punishment. “Someone of yours teased the woman I brought here, so in return, every woman here must stay and accompany me. The guys can walk out now.” All the women at the scene were horrified. If they were ordered to accompany South, they would be more than willing to. He was one of the Riverbank Seven and the four strongest in the Steelclaw Guild. If any woman could curry favors with him, she could rise into a prominent force in the underworld of Riverbank. However, South just murdered Genesis like crushing a chicken. If the women made a mistake while serving him, they might end up like Genesis. The men behind South were simply gangsters and had been eyeing the women in the lobby since they came in. They were drooling over the women’s seductive figures. If they decided to ravage the women, then there would be nothing they could do. The thought of it left the women i
“Since you’ve basically dealt with that mad woman for me, I won’t stop you from going after the other ladies, but if you come after her, you’re dead,” Kaze said indifferently after slapping South in the face. Gasp! Every single soul in the room gasped in shock. Rose was initially nervous and afraid but after Kaze stopped South, she felt an instant relief and hugged Kaze tighter. Before she knew it, Kaze had become her guardian, protecting her from all sorts of trouble. The others looked at Kaze in shock, their jaws dropped. No one expected the bumpkin to slap South in the face. It was just a few minutes ago that South killed Genesis and an expert agent from the Iron Tigers. Even Patrick, Casius’ cousin, was beaten up and curled up into a cooked shrimp on the floor. Yet when South tried to touch Rose, Kaze slapped him in the face without the slightest hesitation. He must have a death wish! A few of the women looked at Kaze with a complicated look. They looked dow
“His wife is the head of the Quint family branch and he’s living off his wife! That’s why he has the nerve to slap you! “This girl is his cousin-in-law and they have been intimate…” Patrick spoke up eagerly. First of all, it was to curry favors with South so when Kaze started bragging and bluffing, the man would not be intimidated and come back for Maxine. Secondly, he got embarrassed in Buckridge Lounge and he wished to drag Kaze down. Only when Kaze had it worse than him could he feel mentally fulfilled. He became the loyal dog serving South and said by pointing at Kaze, “Kaze Lee, how dare you slap Mr. Stormborn! You must have a death wish! “You know why Mr. Stormborn is also a Riverbank Seven? Other than his outstanding capabilities, it’s also because of the Steelclaw Guild. “I believe even a bumpkin like you knows what the Steelclaw Guild is. Mr. Stormborn is one of the four strongest in the guild, holding actual power that could determine someone’s life or death!
Snow had already sent men to where the plane was found. If the passengers were taken away, then they must still be nearby. It was difficult to transport an entire plane of passengers to some place far within such a short time. It was a race against time. Snow did not know who would do such a thing. Kaze took a common flight like everyone else, yet it was hijacked. It was strange. The coincidence was uncanny. Snow believed the hijacking happened because of Kaze but she did not know why. “The only explanation is that there’s a traitor among us…” She finally came to an unlikely conclusion after combing through the details. If there were a traitor, it must be within the Viper’s Den. Kaze had laid a low profile for as long as he was in Butterworth. Not many people knew about his identity and those who wanted to make connections with him were because of Snow. It was unlikely that someone would go after him so suddenly unless this person knew his identity and background.
If they were sent to capture Kaze, then they were severely under-numbered. In addition, they allowed Kaze to be alone with the captives, which proved that they were inexperienced. Or maybe they did not know what he had done in the past as the God of War. Kaze believed that the mercenaries were after him but they did not know his true identity. There must have been some miscommunication between them and their employer, which was good news to Kaze. Tiguan and his men were eating. Since they were unable to identify the target, they were forced to bring everyone back. The plane was huge. It would be an easy target for the law enforcement to locate them. Maybe the outside world had caught wind of the hijacking. “Boss, what should we do now? That man seems like he vanished into thin air.” “We got his boarding information but we can’t identify him on the plane.” “Who are we looking for exactly? Why is he so mysterious?” The men were baffled. “We are looking for the righ
“We are almost there. We have to transfer these people as soon as possible. The plane must take off right away. We cannot leave any traces behind.” They must hurry or they would be caught very soon. They held the pilot hostage and forced him to do an abrupt landing. The sudden descent caught everyone off guard, shocking them. A few of the passengers even hit their heads. Many of them did not get the chance to fasten their seat belts. Kaze grabbed Barney and protected his head from hitting the front seat. “Thank you.” Barney looked at Kaze with gratitude and then looked outside. “Where are we? Have we reached?” He was worried that they would be completely trapped. “They are going to transfer us elsewhere.” Kaze had a similar experience before and he knew what the hijackers would do next. “Transfer us? Are they going to transfer us to somewhere secluded and kill us all?” Barney looked horrified as he stared at Kaze. He somehow felt safe beside Kaze. “They sai
With trains, there was still an option to jump out. However, everybody was sitting ducks in a plane. Kaze had always been sensitive when it came to safety. He had a sinking feeling in his gut as if something was about to happen. He turned his head back to observe the plane’s interior. Several passengers stood up in the business class section. Strangely, these people were seated separately. However, they seemed to know each other. They exchanged glances as if searching for something. Finding the whole thing bizarre, Kaze observed them. Those passengers went straight into the air stewardesses’ compartment and disappeared out of Kaze’s sight. Kaze could not shake off the eerie feeling. Something was off. He looked back, and several more rose to their feet. These individuals were young but toned. They likely underwent some form of specialized training. Kaze had a bad feeling. Trouble was brewing, and the plane was likely being hijacked. “Why are you looking around? Is
“I see. What bad timing.” Katie was a little disappointed to learn that Kaze had left, but in a way, she was relieved. She had gotten on Kaze’s nerves, and he could turn around and make things difficult for her. Now that Kaze was gone, Katie got to keep her job. She did not have to fear Kaze’s retaliation. The news caught Leah off guard. “Why did he leave without saying goodbye? I didn’t even thank him yet.” Leah had a hard time digesting the news. She had been waiting for a chance to show her gratitude to Kaze and see him again. He was out of her life before she could do anything about it. “I’m sorry. Chairman Lee’s departure was unplanned.” Snow put on a professional smile, appearing friendly and distant. “Please present the gifts to him for us if you can. We are grateful for Mr. Lee’s help.” Katie was annoyed that Leah could not spend time with Kaze. The bond could help with her career. Kaze’s departure cost Katie an opportunity, but there was no point in dwel
“Now that’s the spirit. You can’t take every matter into your own hands. You’re a leader now. You should put the right people in the right jobs.” Feeling relieved, May nodded. “Where’s the guy? I have been wanting to meet him. I missed the chance when I was unconscious.” May came over right away just to score a chance to see Kaze. Kaze saved her life, but she did not have the chance to thank him in person. “I set the date. We’re seeing him tomorrow afternoon. Let’s freshen up. I’m taking you home to rest.” With a time in place, Snow had to get ready. May nodded. The pair returned to the mansion where they felt at home. Even though it had been a while since their return, nothing had changed. “Did Jet say anything when he stepped down?” May was clueless on the specifics. “He went mad and ran out. I get this uneasy feeling, but I can’t locate him anywhere.” Snow was concerned. Jet, as witty as he was, likely played up his meltdown. It was a shame that Jet got aw
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but