South gave Kaze the death stare. He grimaced hard without saying a word. As the head of external relations for the Steelclaw Guild, South handled all of the organization’s business dealings.Karina got through the organization through South. All she provided was a photo and limited information about Kaze being disowned by the Sunrise Lees. The inaccurate intelligence resulted in the death of Stripes and Bali. Subsequently, Bengla and Caspian did not take Kaze lightly during their assassination attempt. They brought along reinforcements. Still, Kaze killed them all. Initially, South could not remember or recognize who Kaze was.However, Kaze jogged his memory with the phone call. South knew that Kaze was not lying. The members of the Steelclaw Guild died at his hands. That was not the point, though.The implication behind the deaths of four Steelclaw Guild members showcased the extent of Kaze’s power.Now, South no longer believed the beatings from Kaze were not the re
“I’m not close with Bengla and the others anyway. Though they are part of the Eight Tigers, they could easily be replaced.“Don’t worry about me going after you, Kaze. I can give you my word that if you let me walk today, I won’t seek revenge or harm your family in any way. “Besides, I am also a member of the Stormborns, and my title as one of the Riverbank Seven can come to good use in Riverbank. “It’s best not to burn bridges. You don’t need when you need a friend, don’t you—” “Wham!” Before South could finish, Kaze grabbed a bottle and smashed it on his head. As South groaned in pain, alcohol streamed down his face and drenched him.Though South staggered at his feet, he managed to hold himself together. “A friend?” Kaze tossed the broken bottle aside and said indifferently, “What makes you think you can be my friend? “Is it because you’re one of the Riverbank Seven or one of the Steelclaw Guild leaders? “The Steelclaw Guild members and Casius’ men were no threa
A wise man would always avoid danger, and it was a timeless truth. South, a man raised with the finest education, had always lived by the saying. Though Kaze killed four of his comrades, South could not fight Kaze to the death. Sure, South was strong, and Kaze may not be as powerful as he put out to be. South stood a chance to win the fight. Still, South valued his life enough not to take a gamble on it. There was a time and place for everything. It was better to live and fight another day, even if it meant groveling and buttering Kaze up to reach a peaceful resolution. “Do you think I was kidding?” Kaze raised his hand to slap South.“Smack!” South staggered back from the blow, his face swelling up. With a hand over his face, South bent over and said humbly, “I know that you weren’t kidding, but I can’t bring myself to fight you. I’m unworthy to be your opponent. “Go ahead and slap me. I won’t complain.” Kaze smiled as South made himself small. “This is inter
South’s best shot did not even frazzle Kaze one bit. Kaze rendered South defenseless with just one slap. Despite the chance for a fair fight, South knew that he had nothing on Kaze. The diabolical man had the power to kill him, and South was just a helpless lamb to the slaughter. South’s companions were shocked. Though South may not be on Kaze’s level, they expected him to put up a fight at least for a while. All it took was one slap. Kaze defeated South with one blow. Extending his arm, Kaze grabbed South by the neck and lifted him off his neck to hurl him far. South collapsed to the ground and coughed out blood. With an ashen look, he struggled to get on his feet. “I’ve lost. “Just kill me,” South said dejectedly and closed his eyes.He knew how easy it was for Kaze to finish him off. Since nothing could change Kaze’s mind about killing him, South was better than dying with dignity. Kaze was about to speak when his phone buzzed. He took out his phone. His
It was ten o’clock at night. Buckridge Lounge was cleared. Since Blackie, the general manager, was incapacitated, Buckridge Lounge would not be open for business for the rest of the night. While most customers and regular staff were asked to leave, a select group of people remained. These people had attended the Otters’ get-together. Patrick, Max, Maxine, and more were asked to stay. Though South did not send his people to watch over them, the staff of Buckridge Lounge kept an eye on them. The whole thing started because of the Otters tonight. Though the situation was chaotic, and the details were unclear, Blackie’s subordinates could not let them leave until they got to the bottom of the matter. Blackie was not just the general manager of Buckridge Lounge. He was also a confidante to Everett, a criminal boss. With Blackie seriously injured, the incident was far from over. Everett might think twice before retaliating against South due to his power, but he would not
Panic drove Rose to tears. Out of the lounge, Rose called the cops right away. The police station took the report, but nothing happened since. They had not sent any officers over. Rose later recalled that the officer on the call sounded funny when she mentioned the Buckridge Lounge. It was possible that the police would not dispatch officers to the location due to Buckridge Lounge’s influence. As time went on, Rose’s heart sank. Out of the swiveling staircase, a figure emerged. “Huh? Kaze?” “You’re alive!” The crowd was stunned as Kaze descended the steps. Patrick, Maxine, and the others were surprised. They ran their eyes on Kaze from head to toe, the shock growing more apparent. They quickly realized that Kaze was unharmed. There was not even a scratch on him. Heck, his clothes were not wrinkled. “Are you alright, Kaze? “Did they hit you?” Rose rushed to Kaze and examined him worriedly. Picking up on her worry, Kaze reached out to dry her tears and sai
Folding his arms, Patrick acted like he was above all. He believed everybody would be dead if not for him. “Maybe you should just thank Patrick, Kaze.”As Maxine and the others cornered Kaze, demanding his thanks, Rose had no choice but to tug at Kaze’s arm. “It’s not over with just a thank-you. My cousin’s help is worth more than that.” Patrick pouted and looked at Kaze haughtily. He said, “I can’t stand your arrogance. I didn’t even want to save you, Kaze. “You somehow got lucky and were spared along with us. “I don’t need you to get on your knees. “You can show your gratitude by giving me a thirty to fifty percent stake in Sky Ocean Corporation,” Patrick said matter-of-factly. At last, his true motive came to light.Patrick had been running the business for Casius. He oversaw the operation of Feliner Corporation, one of Casius’ businesses. Casius had other plans when Patrick called to ask for help. It would be great if Patrick could coerce Kaze into giving up s
“Hurry up. Hit your wife up to get me the shares.“Otherwise, you’re dead meat!” Patrick said impatiently. His tone was intimidating.Patrick needed to get everything sorted before Neely arrived. That way, he could hog all the credit. Kaze glanced at Patrick and said, “Come here. I’m borrowing your phone. I left mine upstairs.” “Did you get so scared that you lost your phone?”Patrick assumed Kaze had given in to his demands and smiled smugly. He took out his phone and gave it to Kaze. “Wise choice. Go on and dial the number.”“Smack!” Kaze knocked Patrick off his feet, sending him flying with a bloody mouth. Patrick’s expensive phone was damaged from the blow too. Silence befell the place. Maxine and the others were stunned. What was going on? “Bastard! What the hell, Kaze? How dare you hit me!” Lying on the floor, Patrick picked his dizzy head up and yelled at Kaze. Kaze looked at him in confusion. “Didn’t you ask me to dial you up?”“Hahaha!” Rose was the fi
“No! My daughter is still in the hospital!” Katie refused to accept her punishment. She started to regret her decision but it was too late. “Now only you think about your daughter? I guess you are not that foolish, but have you thought about her when you betrayed Chairman Lee? “Don’t worry. Leah knew Chairman Lee personally and we won’t hurt her, but she might not live a good life anymore,” Snow said coldly. She did not want to put the girl in a difficult situation but her life as a princess would come to an end. “You can’t do that!” Katie could not believe Snow would do that. “I bet you never thought of the consequences when you leaked the information. Too bad. You’ve lost.” Snow revealed the truth because she wanted Katie to suffer for the decision she made. Katie would now regret every decision she made because she knew she had jeopardized her daughter’s life. She would feel like a fool. She devoted her life to climbing higher to gain more power but she ignored the
“I went to a bar to have a drink and I bumped into an informant of the Viper’s Den.” Katie looked helpless as she explained as if everything that had happened was planned out for her, pushing her to the edge step by step. It was a lively night at the bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and most of the guests were having a good time. Katie was a single woman. She needed care and love at times. She was alone when she visited the bar. She started off by ordering some drinks at the counter, waiting for a chance to meet a man who shared the same ideals. A drink or two later, maybe she could get herself a company for the night. As a grown-up woman, she had her desires. It was a way to release her stress. Katie entered the bar in a casual outfit but it did not diminish her elegant demeanor. When she sat down at the counter, a few young men approached her but she was not interested in immature boys. She continued drinking. She looked at the dance floor occasionally, searching for a
“Who do you think will believe you?” Arthur frowned. There were too many coincidences that it felt like a giant setup. “I’ve explained what I need to. Don’t interrogate me like I’m a criminal. I am the CEO of the Northborn Group.” Katie left them speechless. She had said the necessary and it was up to them whether they wanted to believe it or not. They did not have the evidence to charge her anyway. “You really think we can’t hold you responsible?” Snow was not really looking for a definite answer. The moment she suspected Katie, whether or not she was truly the traitor, Snow already had the right to hold her accountable. It was necessary to make things clear and it was to find out who Katie leaked Kaze’s information to. “It has come down to this. No matter how you deny it, it’s useless. We already know what you have done and you can’t escape. Even if you don’t want to confess, we can continue the investigation, and we’ll eventually find out the truth. “If you come clean
After Katie sent Leah to the hospital, she went back to work. She had a lot on her plate recently and it made her hesitant. Many decisions must be made at once. Many documents required her attention but she was not in the mood to go through them. Her eyes were watching the news on her computer screen. She seemed to know what had happened yet the headlines were not showing, which made her anxious. “Nothing?” Katie felt strange. According to the scale of the incident, it should be making headlines. Hijacking a plane was no small matter, yet not one article about it was published. She felt strange. “Madam Loren, the Viper’s Den wanted to meet you. They said it is for some documents,” Joey said as she came in. “What documents?” Katie felt strange and instantly became suspicious. “The projects previously under Jet Frost and his family required your signatures. The money has already been transferred but they need one last confirmation on the numbers,” Joey said professiona
Snow could not go to Kaze because she had to stay back to handle the rest of the matter. “You know that person.” Peter dared not lie anymore because he wanted to ask for forgiveness. “You’re still trying to negotiate?” Arthur knew what Peter was targeting since he did not finish the sentence. “I regret what I have done but I want to see if the Viper’s Den could forgive me this once. I’ll make up for what I have done. Can you please let me go?” Peter boldly made his request, albeit knowing that it was unlikely to work, he hoped to gain attention. “Don’t even think about it. You’ll be out of the Viper’s Den after this. We won’t hold you responsible and consider it mercy from us.” Arthur did not want to go after Peter but he could not allow the young man to stay in the organization anymore. People who had betrayed the Viper’s Den could no longer be part of it. “I didn’t know it was this serious. Besides, that person is from the Viper’s Den as well.” Peter regretted hi
“I wonder how Chairman Lee is doing. If he’s alone, he’ll definitely get out of the situation but there’s a whole plane of hostages with him. He must be in a difficult position.” Snow knew Kaze’s personality well enough, thus her worries. Kaze would never escape alone and abandon the people. He would either leave with everyone or stay to find a way to solve the matter. Snow then suddenly sighed a breath of relief because she knew Kaze would never spare the hijackers for what they did. She was no longer overly concerned and focused instead on resolving the matter at hand. A while later, Arthur came back hurriedly. “I’ve checked the records. Only a handful of people know that Mr. Lee left and they are all whom we are familiar with and trusted. The traitor must be among them.” He dared not believe that Kaze’s schedule was leaked from his side. “No one at my side knows about Chairman Lee’s schedule except me,” Snow said confidently. She started to feel more certain about t
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