Bob called Miru. When Kaze performed the treatment for Sasha, he went out to make the call. Bob knew it was not easy to deal with someone like Everett. The man was able to reign for decades in Riverbank and it already started a lot of problems. Kaze himself was not Mr. Nice Guy either. Either one of them would fall should they clash, so those who were caught in the crossfire would suffer. Therefore, he called Miru, hoping that her influence could calm both of them down. When the people heard it was Miru who came, they all looked at her curiously. The people were curious about the woman who came to Riverbank with an attitude and made a name for herself through ruthless means. It was not that she did not live up to her reputation, but their image of her was completely different from what they saw. Her looks, body, and demeanor were out of this world, unlike the typical image of a kingpin. “Kaze, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Miru, leading Wolf, Sven, and her men
Kaze nodded frivolously. “Duncan here has gotten what he deserved. If Mr. Techman is okay with it and promised not to come after my friends, then I can just forget it.” Miru came to his aid as soon as she heard something happened, so he had to show her some respect. “Just forget it?” Everett found Kaze’s words amusing. He scoffed. “You broke my son’s leg in front of me and you want me to just forget it?” “What do you propose, Mr. Techman?” Miru frowned. If Everett insisted on holding Kaze responsible, then she, too, did not mind being rough with the old man. “There’s no such thing as who’s older and who’s younger. You can disrespect me all you want, I never took you as a young one either. “I have to admit. You killing Zoro and taking over Bronze Sparrow does give you the power to rival me, but…” Then, Everett’s tone shifted, saying, “If you think you alone can overpower me, forcing me to give up on my son’s revenge, then you are terribly wrong.” He exuded a powerful a
Soon, several men in suits with badges that represented the Riverbank City Council’s inspection department escorted two crestfallen individuals inside with their heads hanging low. The men and women were Simona and Zach, who had left earlier. “Mr. Mayor, Zach Oxborn, police chief of the Aries District Police Department. Simona Lombard, chief of Aries Trade and Industry Department,” said one of the suited men. The scene shocked everyone. Zach and Simona who came to Herbal Spring earlier with a temper were arrested and investigated. How long had it been since they left the establishment? The mayor’s power was indeed not to be underestimated! He was the most powerful man in Riverbank! Kent looked at Everett blankly. “Mr. Techman, I believe you know these two. Based on what I know, these two parasites were called here by your son and tried to give Kaze a hard time. “How dare they? How dare they hurt the special consultant of the Riverbank City Council? This is unacceptable!
On the other hand, Simona was not that bright. Panicked, the woman cried and looked at Everett, begging, “Mr. Techman, please save me. I helped you a lot…” “Bump!” Suddenly, Zach broke free from the suited men behind him and headbutted Simona in the chin. Simona cried in agony as Zach landed on her. The man and woman twisted and twirled on the floor, looking absolutely miserable. “Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!” Zach also cried in pain as he hugged his head. Everett, whose gaze turned sharp when Simona spoke, returned to normal after Zach interrupted her. Kent’s expression darkened. He knew Zach was simply acting but he could not do anything. He raised his hand and said, “Embarrassing fools. Take them away!” Zach and Simona were taken away by the suited men. Their absence ended the little interlude. “Mr. Techman, you are a man of many solutions. I bet it’s because you’ve been here in Riverbank long enough,” Kent said with a darkened expression. Even as the mayor, he
Everett’s grudging eyes fixated on Kent. He never thought Kaze was that important to Kent, to the point that Kent would go to such an extent to protect him. He initially thought of pressuring Kent, hoping that it could scare him off. Yet he was forced to admit that he once again underestimated Kaze and his value to Kent. His expression shifted multiple times and ultimately gave in to the thought. He nodded at Kent and said, “Mr. Mayor, you are just and fair, why would I question your methods? “If you said Kaze Lee is innocent, then he is. Well then, I guess luck is not on my side today. As for my son, I will take him back and give him a proper lecture so that he won’t be a terrible bully and a menace to society in the future.” Upon hearing Everett’s words, most of the people in Herbal Spring breathed a sigh of relief. One of them was a gangster boss who reigned the underworld for decades; the other was the mayor who governed over the city. The confrontation between the
As he regained his composure, Kent spoke with Albert normally. He already saw Ryken, the commander of the Flying Dragons standing up for Kaze before, so Albert was not much of a surprise this time. As for Kaze’s true identity, he had a lot of guesses lately and he just did not want to make it verbal. “Kaze, Everett Techman is more than meets the eye.” Kent looked at Kaze and said, “When I became mayor, I tried to go after the gangster bosses and kingpins of the underworld to prove myself, so I did some research on that man before. “However, among all the gangster bosses and kingpins that I’ve researched, Everett Techman is the only one I cannot figure out. “I know you are focusing on dealing with the affairs of the Viper’s Den, so I don’t want the conflict to escalate between you and him, at least not now and not directly.” His expression looked serious. As the mayor of Riverbank, he must at least have an idea about the power distribution of the underworld. Kent had h
“I’ll go.” When Albert saw Kaze’s eyes, he quickly volunteered himself. “I haven’t been in action for a while now and I’m actually here in Riverbank for some excitement.” Judging from his frivolous reaction, Kaze knew the young man did not take tonight’s match, or rather the opponent, seriously. Kaze said, “If you are volunteering, then I have to remind you that you shouldn’t underestimate your opponent. Jude Gwake has a lot of hidden tricks under his sleeve. Don’t be careless, or else your reputation will go kaput.” “Got it.” Albert trusted Kaze unconditionally. It was Kaze’s advice that made him take the matter seriously. Miru saw the little interaction between them and it surprised her. She knew how proud her cousin could be. He was deployed to the foreign battlefield when he was young and achieved many great deeds. He was promoted to chief commander of the South River Strategic Department in his early thirties. Such achievement was something to boast about for lif
Kaze followed the guide to the boxing ring, where the match was held. The boxing ring was huge, located in a spacious room that resembled an indoor stadium. The audience seats were almost full already. Hundreds of supporters from both sides took up the audience seats, adding up to over a thousand. The atmosphere was loud and noisy as they cursed and shouted at each other. Both sides hoped that the opposite would just surrender or drop dead. The tension in the air built up rapidly, turning the indoor stadium into a powder keg. People who were not used to loud noises might be overwhelmed by the sheer volume. The fiery tension could pull one’s nerve, bringing out all the negative emotions in one. The floor of the boxing ring was covered with blood already. The match started at 7.30 P.M. and a few rounds had already gone by. Two men were fighting each other in the ring at the moment. One of them only had a brass knuckle equipped on his fist, while the other wielded a sw
Dwight approached with a smile. He looked at Edmund earnestly. “I am Dwight McCorney. I have heard good things about you. I finally got to meet the man of the hour. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Witterson.” Dwight was starstruck. Edmund was embarrassed by Dwight’s behavior. He could not believe that Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. Nevertheless, Dwight seemed genuine in expressing his thrill. Edmund became curious about him. He turned around to look at Kaze, who was the polar opposite of Dwight. Kaze stood there, holding his ground. He stood up to greet Edmund and nothing else. He appeared to be refined, unlike Dwight, who was brash. Dwight had no idea that his behavior had upset Edmund. Edmund looked at Dwight in disdain. However, Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. It was best for Edmund to keep his comments to himself. Without a word, Edmund stared at the pair. Ryan stepped in to smooth things over. “What are you doing? We have a guest here.
Since Kaze would not change these people’s minds, he was better off doing what he wanted to do. “This vase must be valuable. I got to give it to Mr. Witterson. A display in the living room is worth so much.” Dwight had never seen so much luxury in one room. He had been to the museum, but the displays were nothing like he had ever seen before. The rich had the means to splurge. “Do you think this is pure gold?” Dwight turned to a gold statue. The design was to die for. The purity of color made it hard to doubt its authenticity. “I’m not too sure, but I guess most of the ornaments here are real.”Kaze watched as Dwight gasped in awe. Nevertheless, his behavior would clear any suspicion on Kaze. It could be a good thing. “I knew Mr. Witterson was rich. His businesses are doing well. “But I didn’t expect this sort of lifestyle. The gold must be worth a million dollars. “If I were this wealthy, I would not spend it on decoration.” Dwight rambled on, his eyes stuck t
“I’m not familiar with the area. We’ll have to look around,” Dwight said behind the wheel. He looked for restaurants while driving. It was early, and many restaurants were not open for business. They circled the block and finally uncovered a small breakfast bar. They ordered some food, filled their bellies, and got back into the car. “Mr. Witterson said that he wouldn’t meet you. Why does he want to see you now?” Dwight was curious. Something must have happened last night. Otherwise, Edmund would not suddenly grant an audience to Kaze. “I don’t know. I had some drinks last night, and now he probably made time.” Kaze felt better after breakfast. He did not think much of the situation. Things would carry on as planned regardless of what the Wittersons or the Siegfrieds had to say.This was exactly what Kaze hoped for. Dwight remained in the dark. He drove to the city’s most exclusive area for the rich. It was all greenery in this part of town. The road was wider, an
After a brief hesitation, Kaze followed Rosie. The room turned out to be Rosie’s. Though not a big room, it was crammed with all kinds of junk. The place looked cluttered. Rosie approached the vanity table and grabbed the comb to comb her hair. She turned to look at Kaze. “You said a lot of stuff last night. Do you remember any of it?” Rosie spoke like they had been friends for years. It was just small talk. “What did I say? I don’t really remember. You made a lovely drink, but man, it really kicked in.” Kaze put a cigarette to his lips, but he did not light it. Instead, he spotted a chair to sit down on. “Well, it’s pointless to talk about it if you can’t remember.” Rosie was pleased to hear that. At least, Kaze had no idea that she had gotten him drunk. “Don’t leave me hanging.” Kaze looked peeved. “Are you off the clock?” Kaze asked. “Yes. I work odd hours. It’s time for me to sleep now.” Rosie stared at Kaze. “I shouldn’t keep you from resting.”
“Can you give me something for the pain?” Clemont had a low tolerance for pain. Standing on the stairway, Morris heard his voice and sighed. Clemont could do no good in his eyes. “Keep an eye on him. He’s not allowed to leave the house for the time being.” Morris believed the incident was more than meets the eye. Yet, Clemont was tricked into going to Absolute Zero and starting shit. There was no telling whether the Wittersons or someone else was behind it. Morris let out a sigh and returned to the study. He sent the butler to the storage room to fetch a few valuable antiques. These items were collected years ago, and they cost a fortune. Morris’ intention was to be on good terms with the Wittersons. There was no need to be at war with them. He had to do it for the interest of the Viper’s Den and his family. Morris was all about looking at the bigger picture. Otherwise, he would not have put up with all the bullshit before. Edmund would not let him off the ho
“Are you trying to kill your son?” Clara intervened. “You’re ruining him by spoiling him. If you want things to continue as they were, you can kiss him goodbye forever,” Morris said. Clara was lost for words. She knew better, but she just could not stop herself. Clemont had her heart. Clara could not stand to see him hurt. She was distressed. However, she knew that Morris would not get over the matter without beating Clemont up. She had to step in. “Hit him!” Morris was too old to do anything laborious. However, the kid would not go anywhere in life without a good beating. Despite starting trouble, he sure was arrogant to admit that he was wrong. “I see the errors of my ways.” Clemont apologized in time to avoid the punishment. He managed to escape all repercussions by doing so. Plus, his mother would plead on his behalf. The whole thing would usually get brushed aside. Though it was more serious in this instance, Clemont still believed that Morris would not hur
Morris was in his study, wiping a plaque of commandments that was covered in dust. Due to his commitment to the Viper’s Den, he had neglected his family for years and left his son in his wife’s care. Morris regretted doing so. Unaware of the impending danger, Clemont enjoyed drinks with his friends. They were having fun, playing drinking games. Losing the game, Clemont downed a glass of liquor. Things could get far and exciting in a game. It was then that the door swung open. Clemont’s driver entered the room. “Young Master Siegfried, the master is waiting for you at home,” the driver said, noting the complexity of the situation. The only thing on his mind was to take Clemont away. Tipsy from the drinks, Clemont waved his arm. “Let him wait. What’s the rush to get home?” Clemont’s friends were shocked. Nothing scared Clemont like his father. However, Clemont toughened up for once. “Young Master Siegfried, why don’t you call it a night?” “Yeah. I’m sur
“What’s that supposed to mean? When have I ever made a mistake?” Morris heard nothing of that sort. It could only mean that his people had done nothing wrong. However, Edmund could not possibly get aggressive on the phone. Something must have happened, and he simply had no idea. Morris felt unsettled like something big was about to happen. “You seem to be lax when managing your people. You don’t seem to know what goes on around your house.“Is your age getting to you? Is that why you can’t handle most of the work? If you can’t get your own house in order, how will you ever manage the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Edmund called to say his piece. It was his way to make Morris step down. Though it was likely that Morris would resign, Edmund could at least make things unpleasant for him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Morris was completely in the dark, but Edmund must hold some secret to act so cocky. Despite his troubled feelings, Morris kept his cool and calmly aske
Since it was a rare opportunity, Edmund had to settle the score with them properly. He knew opportunities like this were hard to come by so he had to seize them well. “I understand. I will take care of the guest,” Rosie said. She was glad that her information was useful to her boss. After Edmund hung up the phone, Rosie then looked at the unconscious Kaze. “You are indeed more useful than I thought. Hardly anyone has ever managed to impress Edmund.” She did not feel sorry for Kaze, believing that everything happened as it was meant to. She knew that to climb higher, she had to please her superior. With the Wittersons on the rise, now was the perfect time for her to pledge her loyalty to Edmund. When the Wittersons truly took over the Westeros Branch, she would become one of the most powerful people in the city, second only to them. She was looking forward to that day. Since Kaze was fast asleep and no arrangements could be made, Rosie went out to call her men and