The moment her second shot, which she believed would end Kaze’s life, missed, the sniper’s blank face suddenly darkened. Kaze was not just bold, but he was also experienced in dealing with a sniper who had secured the vantage point, knowing how to feint a shot. She was forced to look at Kaze differently after missing the second shot. She might not always hit her target on her first shot, but she never needed more than three—and she had never missed. Not only did Kaze escape her deadly shots, but he also disrupted her flow multiple times and messed with her mind. She had gotten used to being a predator, yet Kaze treated her like a prey. More importantly, Kaze was more than capable of hunting her down. However, as a natural-born sniper, she was not afraid. Missing her shots somehow aroused her excitement, fueling her battle intention. After the thoughts flashed in her mind, she returned to her calm self and started to adjust her sniper rifle once more and then pulled the tr
The sniper could not afford to hesitate anymore! She decided to risk it all with the next shot. She pulled the trigger. As though the man with the umbrella sensed the sniper rifle aiming at him, he suddenly jumped forward and rolled away. “Thump!” The shot was fired. Through the sniper’s scope, the sniper took aim at where the man’s head would pop up under the umbrella at the next moment. However, due to the man’s forward roll before the shot was even fired, the sniper’s bullet missed the target by a fraction of a second. “Damn it! It’s him!” The sniper grunted angrily, her tone furious. Her gut was right. The man with the umbrella and plastic bag was indeed Kaze, her target, and she hesitated to take the shot. Her target was within rage and had she fired, she would have killed Kaze ten times over. Kaze had dodged a bullet once more. She never believed in the superstitious, nothing about sixth sense or clairvoyance. Even if such ability existed, it should not
The blueprint of the building was quickly presented to Kaze. “Thanks.” Kaze took the blueprints, glanced over it, and said, “I have to go to the 98th floor, please take me there through the fastest route.” Elevators in five-star hotels required access key cards, so it was unlikely that he could go up by himself. “This way please.” The receptionist quickly guided Kaze to the elevator. When he walked past a trash can, he took the “warrant” from the state police department and crumpled it into a ball before throwing it inside, all under the receptionist’s confused gaze. There was no way he could get a warrant from the state police department. The piece of paper with the official stamp on it was just a document of his previous release. He thought he could reuse it once more before throwing it away. …The presidential suite. Soon, the sniper recovered her composure. She removed the black robe on herself and moved away from the table. She actually covered herself with
“Thud!” The moment the case fell onto the floor, the sniper revealed a black dagger in her right hand. “Swoosh!” She quickly lowered her body and lunged out, thrusting the dagger at Kaze’s neck. The woman was not only skilled with a sniper rifle, but she was also quick and ferocious like a viper with the dagger during close combat. “Zwoo!” Kaze advanced on her instead of moving away. With a slight tilt of his head, he dodged the incoming dagger narrowly but easily. The sniper did not expect Kaze to be this quick. She clenched her teeth and grip before turning her wrist at Kaze, trying to stab him. Kaze did not give her a second chance. He slightly twisted his waist to lift his leg and then kicked forward. “Thump!” A heavy thud sounded. The sniper groaned in pain when the kick landed at her abdomen. She was sent flying back, crashing onto the wall before sliding onto the floor. “As a sniper and a woman, you are skilled not only with the sniper rifle but also in c
“Whip!” Kaze twirled the cloth in his hand and used it as a whip, smacking the sniper in the left cheek. The force of the whip sent her sprawling to the floor again, breaking a tooth in the process and making her spit it out along with blood. “Hiding a poison capsule behind your tooth?” Kaze stepped forward and stomped on the tooth-like capsule to break it. He then said coldly, “So you were trained by Siber and are ready to die for him?” The sniper tried to kill herself with the poison behind her tooth but Kaze just stopped her. Lying down on the floor, the sniper looked at Kaze in fear. She finally had a taste of despair. She could not even kill herself in front of him. Without sparing a glance at the woman lying on the floor, Kaze pulled out his phone, which had been buzzing incessantly moments ago. “Kaze, Albert and I are at Bronze Sparrow now. How’s your side doing?” It was from Snow and her voice sounded concerned. Kaze smiled. “You are calling me. Doesn’t
Siber’s secret killer? No wonder not even South, the so-called diplomat of the Steelclaw Guild, had no idea of her existence. The sniper, Samantha, was even sent to Ryokan to train as a ninja. “Interesting.” Noticing the pondering look on Kaze, Collier lowered his head and said, “I am sorry, Branch Leader. The woman is only a killer. I thought I could make her tell me who contacted Siber and contracted him to kill you, but she had no idea.” “It’s normal that she doesn’t know. If she does, then the mastermind is being unprofessional and careless,” Kaze said. He waved his hand and said, “There’s nothing much to get out from her anyway. As soon as I walked out of the state police department, she came for me. So, there are only two people who eagerly want me dead. “It’s either Reiko Hara, or Aiden Krad, but I tend to lean more toward the latter. Reiko is much more difficult to deal with and the Ryokanians are powerful here in Riverbank. If I can walk out of the state police d
The men spread out and quickly surrounded Kaze and Collier. One of them, in a black uniform and a headband over his forehead, stepped up and said coldly, “Kaze Lee, I am Senji Kadota from the Refined Blade Clan. I heard you have taken Anzu Okita. You have one minute to hand her over and I will take her away, or else I will level Bronze Sparrow to the ground and make this place your grave!” Senji peered down at Kaze condescendingly as if he were looking at a dead man. He did not take Kaze seriously at all. Kaze did not even look back at Senji. He grumbled, “What is Miru doing? I put her in charge of Bronze Sparrow and this is how she does things? Some random people came down here and she told me this is a safe spot?” Miru had become the kingpin of Riverbank’s underworld. With her connection to Kaze, she was able to secure a tight relationship with the Viper’s Den South River Branch as well. Collier knew Kaze was annoyed and not necessarily criticizing her like a mere employee.
“Pft!” Even Kaze could not hold back his laughter. Collier was amusing at times. “You bastard!” Senji was infuriated by Collier’s words, but he was on a mission to retrieve someone important, so he suppressed his erupting anger and said coldly, “Anzu Okita has another name here in Arcadia—Samantha Oakland. “She might be an Arcadian but the martial artists here are all show and no power, charlatans if you may. She studied under a famous teacher in Ryokan and was given a new name.” Kaze was not concerned by Senji’s insult but he glanced at Collier. Collier tacitly understood Kaze’s glance and quickly lowered his head, with his forehead glistening with sweat. He said timidly, “I am sorry, but my men did whatever they could to make the woman talk. “We thought she had spilled everything but it seems like she still kept something from us.” It was a serious mistake for not being able to extract all the information from Samantha. Initially, Kaze thought she was just a kille
Kaze pursed his lips nonchalantly. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. You’re just a member of the Krads. “I can crush you along with your family. “If you think I’m going to give up on the Golden Toad because of what you said, you are highly mistaken.” It was never Kaze’s intention to let Aiden bring back the Golden Toad to the Westeros Krads. Ever since Sasha had an adverse reaction to the Golden Toad at Marlboro, Kaze decided to keep the gem close. Kaze believed the Golden Toad must be somehow linked to the Nine Phantom Lotus within Sasha. Coincidently, like Sasha, the Golden Toad came from Megisto. The Golden Toad was possibly key to eliminating the Nine Phantom Lotus within her. Of course, the gem might worsen Sasha’s symptoms instead. Either way, Kaze needed to study the gem. Back from dragging Draig away, Juan stood at the door and said, “The state police chief, Morgan, contacted the palace. The police will be here to launch an investigation, and I am
Gritting his teeth, Aiden said, “Stop your demands, Kaze. You scammed me out of ten billion dollars at the auction. I’m still trying to recover some money. I can’t give you more than I have offered.” “Hm… Now that you mentioned…” Kaze said with a smile, “You bought the Golden Toad for ten billion dollars, so you believe the gem is worth that much. “I think ten billion dollars is a good price for your life.” Taken aback, Aiden said, “What are you trying to say?” “It’s simple, really.” Kaze said with an amused look, “I want the Golden Toad, and you keep your life in return. How does that sound?” “No! Dream on!” Aiden shouted in rage. He would never give up the Golden Toad to Kaze. If the Krads were to find that Aiden spent ten billion dollars to acquire the Golden Toad, only for Kaze to reclaim it, Sean would kill him. Aiden would never live it down. The Golden Toad was linked to his future within the family and his career. Aiden could not possibly hand the Golden T
It was true that Ali died at the hands of Albert. Still, Draig was only injured because Ali snuck up on him. Draig did not think Albert was strong. The only reason Kaze and Albert could turn the situation in their favor was due to Juan’s timely help. Furrowing his brows, Albert approached Draig and kicked him in the face. Draig passed out right away.“Make him leave.” Albert waved at Juan. While others may not know Albert, Juan, the chairman of the Riverbank Feng Shui Society, had been a fixture in the city’s high society for years. Juan knew who Albert was. After nodding at Albert, Juan grabbed Draig and took off. “I’ll leave everything to you, my mentor. I’ll be back to clean the place up,” Juan told Kaze with a smile before leaving.“You’re a mentor to Juan?” Despite the pain, Aiden was stunned.Kaze constantly surprised Aiden. Here Aiden had another newfound understanding of him. “Bam!” Wasting no breath, Kaze walked to the steps and knocked Aiden against a
Aiden could feel as if his guts were spilling out while retching. Juan and Albert watched in silence. Draig played dead. While feeling vindicated, he felt a mix of emotions. Kaze sure was daring to attack anybody. It took a moment for Aiden to catch his breath. He picked his head up with a struggle and hissed through clenched teeth, “You have gone too far, Kaze! I have done nothing. What do you want from me?” “You have done nothing?” Kaze came closer to him and said chillingly, “I came because you have done nothing. “Do you think I have no idea what you intended to do to Snow?” Aiden said angrily, “It was just an intention. I have done nothing, haven’t I? Even the cops have to work based on evidence.” “The cops?” Kaze grinned. “Fine. I can drop that for now. Let’s talk about what you have done to me in the past few days. We can get it all out today.” Aiden grimaced without a peep. He was fully aware of his behavior. “Why aren’t you saying anything now?” Ka
The Refined Blade Slash was never about grace. The attack came on fast and strong. Even Kaze had to admit that Ali was impressive. She could execute the cut with precision. The speed was to die for. Still, she could not beat Albert, who had been through war and back. Before Ali’s sword could reach Albert’s throat, he stepped aside, and Ali missed. Albert struck back, and then came a clang. The blade cut through the air. It was quite a stunt. Ali was in disbelief. She could not dodge the attack. “Gash!” Blood shot out of her throat. Ali’s head rolled off her body. Her head was covered in dust and blood. It was an immediate elimination. That was all there was to the Haras’ servant and highly skilled practitioner of the Refined Blade. “Eek!” Gasps filled the quiet air. Aiden, blood staining his face, was dumbfounded. One minute ago, Ali was alive and well. Now, she was a headless corpse. It was quite a blow to Aiden. He started trembling. “A
Ali wanted to put the incident behind her, but Aiden wanted more. Aiden tried to solicit Juan to kill Kaze. Kaze smiled and said indifferently, “Is my life worth that much, Juan?” Lying on the floor, Draig shouted, “No, Mr. Kawasky! I am Draig Tenby. My father is Birch, a famous martial artist in Uleania. You’ve met me before.“Kill the Ryokanian woman and Aiden Krad. I’ll make it worth your while!” Draig was not dumb. Though he did not like Kaze, he was certain he and Kaze were allies. If Kaze was dead, Snow would die too. To cover up the truth, Aiden and the others would silence Draig. “Hahaha.” Juan looked at Aiden and Ali before uttering indignantly, “Do you think you can bribe me? “I hate morons like you. “Just because you belong to the Krads, you think you have the right to kill in Emerald Bull Palace. “Do I look like I need money? “I’m committed to the law, the righteous justice of the world. “I should start with you.” Juan waved his stick righte
“You bunch of idiots have some nerve to run amok here in my place. “Die!” Juan flicked his stick, and steel wires spread out, striking the four women between the eyes. They breathed their last. “Spare me, sir!” The young practitioner, who brought Snow to the place, peed his pants as Juan ditched his kind heart to be a mass murderer. Dropping to his knees, the young practitioner begged for mercy. “You deserve to die for colluding with the enemy.” Juan shot another round of steel wires. The wires snagged around the young practitioner’s neck and strangled him to death. The public watched in disbelief as Juan walked ahead to shield Kaze. No one expected the usually friendly owner of Emerald Bull Palace to be so horrifying. His decorative stick turned out to be a weapon. Ali, Aiden, and Draig were dumbstruck. “Not bad.” Kaze nodded in approval. Due to his decision to go to Juan upon arrival in Emerald Bull Palace, Kaze was able to find the remote courtyard in ti
What was going on? The Ryokanians executed their plan covertly with Reiko planning every detail. According to their plan, they would leak the information to Kaze. However, their business in Emerald Bull Palace would be over before Kaze could get there. Kaze would only come across Snow’s body. However, Snow was not dead yet, and the Ryokanians had not evacuated. Yet, Kaze had arrived. Even the best-laid plans could go awry. Reiko accounted for everything but one thing. Snow was absolutely loyal to Kaze. Even though she decided to come alone to Emerald Bull Palace and was told not to tell anyone, she left a note. The note saved her life. It seemed like fate had a hand in this. Ali looked Kaze dead in the eye and snickered. “Kaze, huh? Do you think you have everything under control? “We are only bait for Ms. Hara. The intention is to get you here. “I’m guessing that the security isn’t very tight at Bronze Sparrow right now. “It’s a shame that the signal is ja
“No! “My dad is Birch! We represent Arcadia in Uleania. You can’t kill me!” With Aiden having thoughts about silencing him, Draig was horrified. Draig was young. He had a lot to live for. For once, he felt fear. Aiden looked malicious. “Idiot! We are only killing you because your father is Birch, and your family holds influence in Uleania. “Mr. Tenby, you can be with your loved one in the afterlife. “Heck, you get your wish to spend eternity with her.” Aiden crackled, delighted by the control over another’s life. Over the past couple of days, he went from acting superior to groveling at Reiko’s feet. The rollercoaster-like shift in his mental state got him twisted. Waving his arm in annoyance, Aiden said to Ali, “Do it and get out of here. Don’t wait until Kaze gets here.”Ali pulled the sword out of Draig’s leg. She cleaned her blade with a silk cloth while gesturing toward Aiden with a smile. She said, “Please indulge as you wish, Mr. Krad. We will ensure you