“Leeway for the future?” Kaze pondered for a moment before slapping Duncan’s face once more. “A piece of trash like you talks about leaving leeway for the future? You want me to respect your father? Who do you think your father is to me? So what if I want to beat you up?” He threw a reverse slap at Duncan and said coldly, “If you still want to keep your face, you better kneel right now.” He did not hold back at all with the slaps, and neither did he bother trying to curry favors with Duncan or his father. If he was not around today, Sasha would be ravaged and her future ruined. Even Dr. Wright, a reputable doctor who saved countless lives, was disrespected and insulted. Those were clear indications of just how terrible Duncan’s character was. Duncan saw Kaze’s fierce and frosty gaze and the expression on his face changed. He knew he messed with the wrong person. No matter Kaze's background, his ruthlessness made it clear that Duncan would wound up badly if he remained
Kaze went to the phone that Duncan slammed on the floor and slid it over to him with a kick. He said, “Let’s see how your father has been teaching you. Call him, tell him to come here in person, and make a public announcement that he will not go after everyone here in Herbal Spring. “Then, I will let him take you back.” He knew Duncan was a spoiled coward and could not do anything on his own.However, his father was one of the four kingpins in Riverbank. With that identity, Everett did not need to lift a finger yet have ten thousand ways to take revenge against Sasha and Herbal Spring. Therefore, Kaze wanted Everett, the man himself, to take a stance. “What? You want me to call my father?” Duncan’s expression turned bitter. He bit his lips and said, “Kaze, isn’t this a little too much? I have my own dignity.” If his father found out that he had taken a few elite fighters out, only to get beaten up because he flirted with and teased a young girl, and was then forced to
“You can make three phone calls. I don’t care who you call, I can crush all of them. Take note that my patience is limited. “Let me make this straight before you begin. For each call you make and if the person you called cannot overpower or suppress me anyhow, I will break one of your arms or legs. “Now, let’s begin.” Kaze kicked the phone to Duncan. Duncan looked at Kaze vengefully as he picked up the phone with shaking hands. He dialed a number. “Kaze, is this a little too much? You should have mitigated the risk instead of exacerbating the situation,” Dr. Wright said after Kaze came back. Even he was shocked by Kaze’s ruthlessness when he slapped Duncan. He was afraid of Kaze going overboard and unable to contain the situation. “Dr. Wright, I am indeed trying to mitigate future risks. If I don’t bring Everett Techman here and deal with him in person, this doesn’t bode well in the future. “I don’t mind him coming after me, but what about you guys, and Herbal Spring?
“What? There’s no such thing! Madam, if you are here on official business, please investigate properly and learn the truth before you do anything!” The employee of Herbal Spring got nervous. He was working outside in the lobby and did not know what happened in the consultation room. “Truth? What I say is the truth!” Simona grunted and said to a uniformed man beside her, “Zach, take the team inside, or else Duncan Techman will be mad at us again.” The middle-aged man in police uniform was the police chief of the Aries District Police Department—Zach Oxborn. Zach’s expression slightly shifted, showing a hint of nervousness, before he and Simona hurried in. When they arrived in the main lobby, they saw Duncan kneeling in the center. Both of them were petrified on the spot by the scene. Their expressions went from shock to disbelief. When Zach received Duncan’s call and learned that the arrogant young man had been beaten up at Herbal Spring, he quickly gathered his men, c
It was Kaze who spoke. Simona glared at Kaze and bellowed, “You little shit. Who do you think you are, using that tone on me?” The woman had the Techman family as her support, which fueled her arrogance. Even the district leader had no power over her, yet someone mocked her right to her face. She felt challenged. “It’s him! Simona, it’s him! He was the one who beat me up and made me kneel!” Duncan finally regained his senses and pointed at Kaze. He bellowed, “He’s Kaze Lee! And he’s close with that useless doctor! “I want him dead by today!” Dead? Both Simona and Zach looked afraid. Simona said with a timid smile, “Zach, we are both government officials. We can’t just kill him like that, but don’t you worry. We have ways to torture him to death!” Zach nodded in agreement. “Even if we can’t get rid of him, we’ll skin him alive!” Simona then scrutinized Kaze as she strode to him, bearing an intimidating aura. “You little bastard! Who gave you the nerve to beat up
The people at Herbal Spring looked at Kaze, wide-eyed. It was shocking enough that Duncan had to kneel, but Kaze got the chief of Aries Trade and Industry Department on her knees too. The image was too intense to watch. Everything happened so quickly, and the crowd was caught off guard. Snapping back to reality, Zach blew up. “It’s an act of defiance to assault Simona, young man!“Don’t just stand there! Arrest him! “Just open fire if he resists arrest.” At the wave of Zach’s arm, his team of police officers had Kaze surrounded. Kaze whipped out his phone and dialed a number. Before the call was connected, Kaze tossed the phone to Zach. Zach caught the phone and said angrily, “What’s the meaning of this, boy?” “I’d suggest that you take the call before you talk about an arrest, Zach,” Kaze said indifferently. Skeptically, Zach put the phone against his ear. He knew that Kaze must have his reasons to do so. Unlike Duncan and Simona, Zach was a cautious man.
Welson did not even try to hide his favoritism. Zach’s blood ran cold. “Chief Yaphet, Kaze committed an assault in public. He nearly beat Duncan to death. “If Mr. Techman finds out that his son—” “So what if Everett finds out?” Welson interrupted Zach once more and said curtly, “Do you know that Kaze is a VIP to Mayor Synder’s family? He has saved Mayor Synder and his daughter’s lives. “Do you know that Kaze captured Bengali and Caspian from the Steelclaw Guild? We, the city’s police department, should thank him. “Do you know that Mayor Synder and the Tiger’s Cave and the Flying Dragon’s team bailed Kaze out when the Tiger’s Cave members came to arrest him? “Everett means squat!” “What?” Zach’s mind went blank. Kaze was Kent’s lifesaver. He captured two of the Steelclaw Guild’s Eight Tigers. The Flying Dragon’s team even went head-to-head with the Tiger’s Cave, one of the four special institutions, to defend Kaze. Each of these incidents should have served as
Kaze took the phone and smiled pretentiously. “Do you have the full story now?” “I do.” Zach nodded heavily. “Duncan started it. You tried to stop Duncan and accidentally hurt him while trying to defend Dr. Wright.” He was a real piece of work. Zach managed to twist the story right there and then. “Fuck you, Zach!” Furious, Duncan yelled, “You’re lying through your teeth! Lee assaulted me, and I was defenseless against him.” Despite the will to fight back, Duncan never stood a chance. He was livid. Duncan had always been the one to pay Zach off and twist the facts in his favor. Yet, the joke was on Duncan today. Zach had a change of attitude after taking a phone call. It was bad enough that Zach was no longer on Duncan’s side, but Zach even turned the tables on him. Duncan could not wrap his head around it. “Since you are clear on the matter, you can leave now.” Kaze waved his arm and pointed at Simona, who was still running her mouth on the ground. “Oh, a
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.
Eli dined offhandedly as if he had taken hold of the group. His words were layered with threat. “What? Are you trying to replace us?” Knox asked in disbelief. “I don’t have that power, but the investor does. I heard that he enjoyed dinner with your superiors. I’m sure the project will get the green light in no time. “Even if you didn’t approach me today, my team and I would have invited you out for a get-together.” Eli knew when to back down, easing the tension in the air. It was another type of reconciliation. Eli needed to go through the review board to get the rights to air the films. The carrot-and-stick approach was the best way forward. Kaze was surprised by the sophistication of Eli’s tactics. Still, he believed he had come to the right place. Sure enough, Jet would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Surely, he was bound to leave loose ends. Nevertheless, he probably did not care. Arthur cocked his head back to look at Kaze. Kaze grinned, unbothered
The purpose of the visit was to inform Rising Sun that the films did not make the cut. Since Rising Sun would not make the necessary amendments, the project would come to a halt. “Please, don’t. Since we are all here, we should talk it out.” It took Eli quite some effort to get the group to the hotel. Eli had plans to please the crowd, so he could not let them leave just yet. This went beyond getting the green light for the films. Eli needed to make the group happy. “There is nothing more to talk about. We can’t proceed unless you make the changes.” There was no way around it. Since Rising Sun refused to make the right amendments, and Knox had orders about putting a hold on Rising Sun’s films, that was one less problem for Knox to deal with. Eli could not let the group walk out on him. Hence, he quickly sent people in. Several thinly clad women entered, each holding a small bag. Despite the weightlessness, the bag appeared to be carrying something of substance. “You
For that reason, Rising Sun’s film productions were not cleared to be aired. “I told you the reason. The investor supplied us with the scripts, and we were told to base our productions on the scripts. Our hands are tied.”Eli would have made the amendments if he could. He knew where the problem lay. However, the company had to take the investor’s perspective into consideration. In the end, the films were yet to be approved for release. “I guess you won’t get the permission to air them then.” Knox was surprised that Rising Sun would not budge on the matter. Nevertheless, Knox and his team were not there to give the all-clear or talk some sense into Rising Sun. Knox and his team could care less about what Eli had to say. “We’re serious about getting the approval. “I’m sorry that we aren’t a better host for your visit today. Why don’t we move to the nearby hotel for a talk?” With the review board making an appearance, Eli knew there was still hope. If Eli did not grab
Arthur chuckled, his smile carrying a touch of sleaziness. “Oh, I see.” A realization dawned on Kaze. “Are you with quality control?” Several individuals in dark blue suits approached. The men and women carried files and documents. Kaze nodded without a word. “We are just here to announce the results. We shouldn’t be long.” Arthur came forward to engage with them. The group was likely given the heads-up as they had the right number of people. They swaggered into Rising Sun’s building. The general manager straightened up his tie in a fluster and walked out. None of the film productions made the cut yet, and the delay was costing the company money by the day. At this rate, the project would go down under. Eli, the general manager, rushed to the entrance upon learning the news. The review team was there to do one final check. The films would get the green light if the board found that everything was up to par. The head office would stop putting pressure on
Given Kaze’s status, Alfonso knew better than to have him waiting under the hot sun. Of course, he would send his people to be on standby for Kaze’s arrival. Peter only came to the rescue when Kaze was pestered by some street gang. Alfonso’s omission of Kaze’s identity led to this hiccup. Kaze did not care one bit about the incident. Heck, he did not even bring it up. Arthur straightened his back nervously, becoming even more cautious behind the wheel. “You knew, but why didn’t you say anything, Mr. Lee? You didn’t even tell on us.” Arthur could not understand why. However, he had more respect for the man. “I didn’t see a point. You’ll learn what happens when you displease me, so I won’t bother telling you now.” Kaze was mild-mannered as ever. He spoke softly without a hint of anger. All the more Arthur revered him. “Mr. Lee, we didn’t do our jobs right. We didn’t know who you were.“But my duty is to protect you in the dark. “We saw you getting out of the train
“Rising Sun is a media company. Several of their films are about to be released. They are trying to get them approved to air due to some censorship issues.” Arthur took out a document. “Are there any issues with the films? Why aren’t they approved yet?” Kaze asked curiously. Kaze had no idea. “There are some issues. They aren’t fit to be aired. “Typically, there aren’t a lot of restrictions for film productions so long as the themes aren’t sensitive topics. “But these films featured altered history. The company has been asked multiple times to make revisions, but the films still don’t make the cut.” The Viper’s Den’s members were not privy to the information. The Frosts were insignificant. Kaze was after the Frosts. Otherwise, the Viper’s Den would not waste its resources on a mere film production company. Jet’s investment of nearly ten million bucks in Rising Sun caught the Viper’s Den’s attention. The delayed approval of the films would be catastrophic to the in