One step, one kill. When Kaze got off the ring, seven to eight bodies were already in his trail, and he was approaching Jude. The stench of blood spread from the center of the ring and filled the entire gym. All the agents were shocked by the gory scene. Their hands felt cold, their scalps numb, and their legs turned to jelly. Serene and the others who died were the experts in the South River Branch. A moment ago, they were furiously criticizing Kaze and shouting arrogantly, but now, they all lay dead because of Kaze’s sword. He killed them with such ease and they could not even resist. Drip drop. Kaze’s shoes were dripping blood as he slowly approached Jude. “Kaze Lee! What are you trying to do?!” Jude instinctively stepped back, glaring at Kaze in fear and anger. Alfonso and the other loyal followers cautiously looked at him as well. Kaze smiled at the pale Jude but surprisingly, he did not snatch the sword or attack. “Deputy Chief Gwake, we’ve been crossi
“I suppose you know the rules of the Viper’s Den clearly state that agents and personnel are forbidden to collude with foreign forces. “Of course, it’s not that I don’t trust you or your position, Deputy Chief Gwake. A spy like Rio Sho would certainly accuse you or frame you for something you did not do, so that he could sow discord between us, am I right?” Hannah’s words made the other agents look at Jude with doubt and suspicion. Right before the match to decide who would become the chief, Hannah was ambushed by the Ryokanians. Saying Jude was not involved or the mastermind behind it would be difficult to believe. The coincidence was uncanny. Even though Hannah took the initiative to defend Jude, it was clear that Rio was most likely the Plan B he had prepared before the match. Jude was left speechless. He took a deep breath, feigned a calm look, and closed the box before giving it to his agent. He forced a smile and said, “Deputy Chief Delmore, I am delighted by the
Then, Kaze took a phone from Hannah, tapped on the screen, and dialed a number. “And I will survive… I, I will survive…” An old-fashioned ringtone broke the silence—it was Jude’s phone ringing. The caller ID displayed on his screen read Casius Weather. Jude was horrified when the words appeared before him. “Huh?! Huh!” He panted heavily, his forehead glistened in sweat. He stared at his phone screen but he did not have the courage to answer it. “Uncle Jude is having difficulties answering a phone? Why don’t I help you with that?” Collier smirked as he picked up the phone from Jude’s hand and slid to answer. Kaze’s voice came from the phone, “Deputy Chief Gwake, is this all you got? You’re disappointing.” The moment the voice reached his ears, Jude felt as though all his energy had been drained. It was as if he had aged a decade in an instant. The confidence and delight vanished from his face, leaving him in a devastated state. Without Casius making the connectio
Jude struggled onto his feet with his jelly arms and legs. He lifted his chest and said with gritted teeth, “Kaze Lee! I will never comply! Not to you, not to Hannah! Regardless of whether you are the branch leader, or she is the chief! “Even if you kill me, the answer is no!” Refusing to submit was his last resort, he decided to protect the last bit of his dignity. “You said it.” Kaze nodded and then walked over to Jude. “What are you trying to do?!” Jude’s remaining followers bellowed and stood in front of him, their hands reaching into their pockets. When Kaze entered Drake Gym, a clear order was given to forbid all firearms, and he was even searched twice. It was the rule set by the organizer and agreed upon by both sides. Yet the moment the rule was set, it was destined that one side would certainly break it. The loyal followers drew their guns. “You’re asking for it.” Kaze’s eyes turned cold as he swept them away with a slap, leaving them no chance to even
A piece of scrap. The sacred weapon of the Viper’s Den, the weapon that represented the power and authority of the organization, albeit a replica, was the symbol of power in the entire West State Viper’s Den. Yet Kaze called it a piece of scrap. He might be the only one brave enough to call the sword a piece of scrap, and no one dared to correct him. They knew exactly what he meant. Power and authority never relied on a symbol or an item; it stemmed from one’s true power, absolute power. Kaze undoubtedly showed them a taste of his incredible power. All of Jude’s loyal followers, twenty of them, were killed and none of them was able to endure a single hit from Kaze. The ex-branch chief of the Butterworth Branch, Alfonso, was one of the strongest in the West State Viper’s Den, who came with experience given his age. Yet he was stomped and kicked away like a ragdoll. The impactful scenes were much more convincing than someone raising the Nether Viper Sword, whining and
Every agent in the gym, be it on Hannah’s side or Jude’s side, knelt immediately. Buffy looked at Kaze, excited and emotional. She was truly happy for him. Many people had looked down on him before, calling him a bumpkin from Lilyrose, a live-in husband and son-in-law, a braggart, but he never changed. Now with his identity revealed, no one would look down on him anymore. Hope and her friends were horrified, their faces ashened. Kaze had become the one person that Hope had to look up to—the branch leader of the West State Viper’s Den. He was more powerful than Casius, or maybe all the Riverbank Seven combined. Hope’s friends were deeply regretful. Given Kaze’s identity, they would surrender their bodies to serve him, let alone marry off their daughters to him. Either way, it would be considered climbing the social ladder. However, their short-sightedness caused them to miss the opportunity to forge a connection with someone of such significance. It felt even more te
Jude looked up at Kaze and Buffy in hesitation for a moment before lamenting, “I have lied to you, Kaze, Buffy. I’m afraid I can’t honor my promise to you.” “How so?” Kaze furrowed his brows. He doubted Jude would carry on playing mind games with him. Jude said with a wry smile, “I have done a lot of terrible things to get ahead in life, but I would never kill my wife.” “Oh, really?”Kaze smiled skeptically. Jude bit the bullet and uttered, “Tulip, Buffy’s mother, came from a powerful family in Midstate. “She was stronger and more talented than me when she joined the Viper’s Den. “There was no way I could’ve put her in a coma. “Besides, Faith and I just met when she fell into a coma. Though we were flirting, I wasn’t sure I was going to marry her. Heck, I haven’t learned that she was part of the Westeros Krads. I couldn’t have possibly been associated with the Krads and harmed Tulip. “Tulip didn’t turn brain-dead because of me. I just happened to find out that Fa
The rusted throwing star could not possibly still carry poison. Kaze held the weapon for a look before saying indifferently, “Since you kept this thing, you must know something about it.” “This meteor dart is the Ryokanian assassins’ typical weapon,” Jude replied with a nod. Kaze sneered. “You suspect that Buffy’s mother’s death is related to the Ryokanians. Yet, you collude with them anyway.” Buffy looked at Jude emotionlessly. She used to think Jude was just playing with fire, but he was clearly embracing the enemy as his own. Jude said embarrassedly, “I haven’t been able to find evidence to prove that Buffy’s mother is related to the Ryokanians.” “You couldn’t or you wouldn’t?” The curt question came from Buffy, stripping Jude of any dignity left. “I was reluctant to probe further.” Jude nodded with a wry smile. “Besides, if the Ryokanians have something to do with your mother, I can’t understand their motive. “I wasn’t even a deputy chief then. I doubt I had
Phoenix instinctively moved the phone away from her ears and was stunned for a few seconds before her expression turned ashen. “Kaze Lee broke Shadow’s arm? Crippled both of you? You piece of trash! You can’t even take care of them? What gives you the idea that you still have the right to call me?” She shouted back at the phone, and her voice echoed across the entire ward. “Uh…” Dark had expected punishment of scolding and even abandonment by her master whom she had served for decades, yet she did not expect it to be this quick. “Smash!” Phoenix smashed the phone on the floor. She remained standing and upset. There was a fierce and resentful aura around her as she clenched her fists. Her frosty gaze could send chills down one’s spine. Even Joan’s face paled and her body trembled. She dared not even talk to Phoenix. “Dark, that useless hag! Kaze Lee, that piece of shit! Darcy and her goddamned family! They are all useless! They all should die!” Her anger erupted like
“Madam Quint, it’s going to be alright now. Madam Dark and Shadow are on their way to the Quints and they will surely bring Darcy back.” At Riverbank Prime Hospital, Joan was consoling Phoenix, who was sulky after the incident. Joan wore a face unmistakable of schadenfreude. She was jealous of Darcy from the moment they both met. Darcy, a girl from a distant Quint family from the small city of Lilyrose, had no right to be in the same position as her, the daughter of a well-known and powerful family in Riverbank. Yet Darcy was better than her in every aspect. Darcy was more beautiful, more capable, and was the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation that was worth billions. She became the branch head of the Quints at a young age, where the other family members had to listen to her. Jealousy had blinded Joan to the point that she believed everything that Darcy owned, except for her stupid useless husband, should be hers. She wanted to snatch everything from Darcy. It explaine
“Aaargh! Kaze Lee, I will kill you!” Suddenly, Shadow shouted and dashed toward Kaze. She thought her mother was caught off guard by Kaze’s slaps and got slightly disoriented, hence unable to fight back. Yet she quickly realized that Kaze could kill her mother with slaps. Therefore, without a doubt, as soon as she engaged Kaze, she, too, was sent flying by the furious slaps, crashing into the wall behind her like her mother. Kaze said, “You hurt the executives of Sky Ocean Corporation and broke their arms and legs. Now I’m breaking one of your arms, rendering you useless. Consider it revenge.” Another one was crushed! Looking at Shadow’s broken arm, the other followers turned pale. “You little bastard! I’ll kill you and your family…” Dark slowly regained her composure and began shouting again. She had roamed unchallenged for years, yet now, not only had she been defeated, but she was also crippled. Her daughter also suffered the same fate. To the merciless Phoenix
“You little shit! You’ve done it this time!” Dark shrieked like a witch as blood spewed from her mouth. Resentment quickly consumed her. She tried to channel her energy to counter Kaze’s slap but the slaps were quicker than her response. As soon as she gathered up enough energy to react, the slap on her face would disperse it. “Slap!” Kaze slapped her once more. “Yeah, I’ve done it. So what?” Pain, resentment, grievance, madness, and all kinds of negative emotions drowned Dark from within, yet she could do nothing about them except being slapped relentlessly by Kaze. She was unable to fight back at all. Agnes gasped in shock. The relentless slaps brought back memories of the slap that Kaze had given her. Instinctively, she clutched her face and suddenly felt grateful because Kaze had obviously held back then. Otherwise, she would have ended up like Dark—her face swollen and blood gushing from her mouth. “That’s enough, Kaze! For our sake, stop it!” Afraid that Kaz
“Madam Dark, please don’t mind him! Everyone knows Kaze is not that bright and he speaks without thinking! We can't even hold him back at times!” Agnes turned on Kaze almost immediately. Kaze was not surprised by Agnes’ “betrayal”. She would not be Agnes if she did not sell Kaze out. Seeing the reverence in Agnes' eyes, Dark's expression twisted further with sheer contempt and scorn. Given his position, Kaze was nothing but a fool to challenge her. She looked at Kaze condescendingly and said coldly, “Young Man, break your own arm and step aside and I won’t hold you responsible for what you just said. Or else, I will take both your hands for the irresponsible words that you—” Before she could finish, Kaze’s expression darkened and he bellowed, “Get out of my face!” “What?!” Dark cried sharply, “Who do you think you are?! How dare you say that in my face! Do you know what you are saying? If I don’t break you today, you won’t know how to respect your elders!” She raise
Agnes nodded repeatedly and anxiously. “Darcy is right! Don’t you mess around here, you’re going to ruin the Quints’ reputation!” She still believed that Phoenix needed their help and would not sever all ties at once. This must be just an intimidation tactic. “Slap!” Dark stepped up and slapped Agnes in the face. “Ruin the family’s reputation? Look in the mirror and see who you really are! You think you are in the position to say that in my face? “I’m warning you. Even if I killed all of you here, it wouldn’t affect the Quints’ reputation at all. Don’t waste my time, I have limited patience. I am just here to break one of Darcy’s legs!” She then pointed at Darcy. “You know what we can do. If you don’t want your family to suffer, get over here and receive your punishment!” Agnes covered her face in resentment but she dared not defy Dark anymore. Dark was not just Phoenix’s loyal servant. Dark and her daughter, Shadow, were martial arts experts. If the two of them lost
The other three experts of the Quints scoffed as they stared at Darcy. Darcy might be more beautiful than them but she would have to lose one of her legs. A beautiful cripple would be an interesting scene for them to enjoy. “What?! One of Darcy’s legs?!” Hector and Agnes were shocked by Dark’s words. Sky stepped up to express his dissatisfaction, saying, “What did Darcy do wrong? Why are you people punishing her? “Even if Darcy did something wrong, breaking one of her legs is too much! Are you people savages? How can you set up such an inhuman punishment in the family—” “Slap!” Before he could finish, Dark darted forward and slapped Sky in the face. “Ignorant boy! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Are you deaf? I have already announced Darcy Quint’s punishment! Do you not understand English? “Savage? Who are you calling savage? As the branch head of the Quints, Darcy colluded with outsiders to harm the head of the family. Breaking one of her legs i
The group of five strode into the living room. Looking at Dark, who exuded the same ominous aura as her daughter, Shadow, Agnes, who had been advising Kaze on how to negotiate with Phoenix, shuddered and shrank back in fear. The anger on her face was quickly replaced by a timid and flattering smile. “Madam Dark? What brings you here? Welcome to our humble abode!” Dark served Phoenix, so every member of the Quints in the South River State showed her the same respect as the elder of the family. After showing a flattering smile at Dark, Agnes turned around to her husband with furrowed brows and bellowed, “Hector, what are you doing there? Go prepare tea for our guests! “Madam Dark basically grew up with Madam Quint, they are as close as sisters! If we don’t serve her properly, we might not be able to make a stand in Riverbank anymore!” She then turned back to Dark and said respectfully, “Madam Dark, ladies, this way, please. Have a seat and we’ll prepare the best tea we have
“You’re finally getting brighter,” Hector said with a soft sigh. When Darcy became the branch head of the Quints, Agnes was the happiest because she thought the family had hit the jackpot. She foolishly thought her family’s status would surge, which fueled her arrogance along the way. Now, after what had happened, she finally woke up and saw the truth. “What else do you know other than mocking me in my face?” Agnes glared at her husband. Hector said helplessly, “I just want you to see things clearer and if your demands are too much, Madam Phoenix might not agree to them. She might even forfeit the negotiation. “After all, Sky Ocean Corporation belongs to Darcy and it’s her blood and sweat, not Madam Quint’s. So, even if the company goes bankrupt, she has nothing to lose.” Agnes pondered for a moment and realized her husband’s words made sense. Fear caught up to her immediately. She quickly said, “Kaze, then let’s not make so many demands. Let’s just appoint Darcy as the