“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
Collier knew exactly who Albert was—the ex-chief commander of the South River Strategic Department. He was certainly powerful. If it was one-on-one, Senji might not even make it through the first round even if he sounded intimidating. Yet there were almost fifty of them and all of them were experts, equipped with a katana. One slash from each of them could easily slice Albert into a thousand pieces. Collier was worried that Albert might be overwhelmed by the numbers. “Calm down.” Kaze explained, “I know better than anyone how powerful Albert is. After going through the lengthy fight at Drake Gym the other day, he’s reaching the point where he could break through to the next stage. “If he could overcome this situation, then he would be able to take the final step to the next stage, thus becoming an expert Warlord. Only then will he be worthy of being the chief commander of the South River Strategic Department.” He ignored the other Ryokanians and focused his gaze on Albe
If nearly fifty elites of the Refined Blade Clan were wiped out in Bronze Sparrow, Reiko would likely have to lay low for a while. “Yes, sir. I’ll open my eyes and watch closely.” Collier put away his messy thoughts and focused on the scene. “Arcadians! You are fools to send one man against us! This is pure disrespect!” Senji was infuriated when Kaze and the others talked about how to wipe them out in his face. He turned to Albert and raised his hand at his men, shouting, “Kill him!” “Rawr!” The two elites closest to Albert drew their swords and jumped at Albert. Albert was not deterred at all. Instead, his eyes showed a strong sense of battle intent. He advanced on his opponent despite being barehanded. Fists and kicks were thrown at the two men, causing a few heavy thuds followed by agonizing cries. The two men were sent flying backward as they groaned in pain. Blood gushed from their mouths as they slid across the floor. Their faces paled rapidly, losing all
Three minutes went by quickly. The last one standing, Senji, fell onto the floor with his hands over his neck, his expression in disbelief. Blood gushed out from the seams of his fingers over his neck. He held his neck tightly, trying to speak but the signs of life faded from his face rapidly. Cough… Senji opened his mouth but blood gushed out uncontrollably before he finally died. The noisy underground level finally returned to silence. Albert was covered in blood, standing on a pile of dead bodies. His bloodshot eyes were closed. Collier looked as pale as paper. He stared at Albert with fear and reverence while he got up on his feet. He then looked at Kaze, but he did not and dared not speak. Kaze remained quiet as he looked at Albert. A while later, Albert finally opened his eyes, which had returned to normal. He then went to one of the cells with the iron door and stood in front of it for a few seconds before he raised his right hand for a punch. Bang! A
Aloysius looked at the business venture at hand with a mix of emotions. Jet was supposed to make a comeback with the project, but the defeat was a huge slap to his face. “Can I ask whether Kaze was behind this?” Aloysius braced himself to ask the question. Even though Aloysius had an inkling, he feared receiving confirmation of his suspicion. “Chairman Lee helped me. If Jet hadn’t hurt my mother, I wouldn’t have rushed back to take his place. “He did this to himself,” Snow said blatantly. “How did you know about the island project? We have been discreet about it.” Aloysius was eager to find out. The question would burn on his mind unless he got some answers. “You can’t keep anything from the Viper’s Den, but this is the end of the matter. If you’re interested in the project, I can put you in charge of it.” Snow could not be bothered to explain herself. Aloysius played it smart. He had been carrying out Snow’s orders without a hitch. Snow was happy to honor her prom
“Tell them that the company is expecting funding, and all the projects will be launched in a few days. Everything will be back on track. It’s a good thing that the higher management is gone. We will be opening the positions for internal employees to apply.” Snow got the right solution to handle the situation. She had to give these employees hope to gain their dedication in return. Aloysius was surprised. “Who would pour money in when our finances are in a mess?” Having worked with Jet, Aloysius had a good understanding of the company’s ins and outs. Several business ventures were up in the air, and the company was bleeding money. Even with a relaunch, these projects would not bring in much of a profit. Most importantly, the relaunch had to be backed up by some funding. The business got a loan from the Viper’s Den. If payment was not made in time, the company’s shares would be used to make up for the loss. The whole thing spelled trouble. Snow just joined the company.
“This is the financial report you submitted today. Any intern can do a better job than you.” Snow mocked Jack. She was disappointed in his performance. A finance director who could not even get his basics right should not be working in finance in the first place. “Who do you think you are, doing this to us?” The others are only out to save their own asses. They did not sympathize with Jack. “I’m sure you are well aware of what you have done.” “You’re on your phone all day at work. You put your daily expenses on the company card, and we’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars a month. You only bought stuff for your personal use. “Let’s not forget about you. Your so-called business trips are to take your mistress out for expensive hotel stays and vacations.” Snow looked at each one of them while detailing their deeds. She shamed them in public, utterly humiliating them. “Why were these allowed before? Why are you stopping these practices now? If you can change
“No, Ms. Frost. I can do it,” Aloysius said right away. He did not want to miss out on a good opportunity. “I gave you a chance. It’s up to you to seize it.” Snow looked at them with a smile. “I’ll get right to it, Ms. Frost.” The HR manager nodded and took off. He had to prepare the paperwork. Those in upper management were on a higher pay grade with a cut of the shares. Following a termination, the HR manager had to calculate the final pay. There had to be a valid reason for the discharge from duties too. Though things were a little complicated, the HR manager was experienced in this aspect. The only issue was that the staff involved were not the low-ranking employees. They held high positions. Despite his unrest, Aloysius did not wear his heart on his sleeve. He had a good read of the situation. Snow was impartial in carrying out business. Those who contributed to the company would stay while the ones who bled the business dry would be sacked. Anyone would p
Sure enough, the mean would gather around the individual at their fall from grace. It was sad to grasp this reality. “I promise you to have everything in order. Don’t worry. You will get a nice promotion.” Snow knew when to give her employee encouragement. Only then would Aloysius feel motivated to work. Aloysius departed in dejection, but Snow did not mind it at all. He served the wrong person. Snow took on the leadership role the same day Jet left. Since she assumed the responsibilities without much experience, the employees did not take her seriously. The people doing the grunt work felt nothing toward the change of leadership. The upper management may experience shifts, but they were still obliged to finish their usual tasks. The only thing they hoped for was to be paid more for their overtime. Following the change of leadership, some leaders may receive a promotion or be transferred out. The employees at the bottom of the pyramid wondered if they could compet
Despite her unease, Snow trusted that Jet would not have the chance to hurt her. Hence, she put the matter aside. The dynamic shift within the Frosts caught the eye of elite families across the business world. They kicked Jet while he was down. Some even tried to get a piece of the pie. However, most of them stayed on the sidelines, observing. A fallen giant was still a giant. Even if these families were greedy, they had to assess the situation before moving in. These businesspeople were skeptical about Snow taking Jet’s place. They did not know what Snow was made of. Consequently, they tried to approach her. Snow had been kept busy in the office, dealing with the problems left behind by Jet. She worked late into the night every day. While being buried deep in paperwork, Snow refused to meet anyone. She had lived in Butterworth before, so she had peers from school and friends around. Snow’s sudden return caught many off guard. Everyone wanted to get close to he
If Jet had detected the problems early on, he could have prevented things from escalating. Yet now, everything was too late. Jet did not regret his actions, though. “Just sign this, Jet. At this rate, the shares will drop beyond the point of redemption,” Talon said. The Frosts were terrified at the stock market’s dropping numbers. They did not have time to lose. “I will sign the papers. I lost.” Jet did not want to give in just yet. However, he had to comply with the family elders’ pleas. Snow was relieved. The contract was quickly drawn up, and Jet signed the papers to give up the proprietorship. “Relax. I won’t do you wrong.” Snow made a promise. At least, Jet would still have a home to go back to. “Don’t get too cocky. I didn’t lose to you. I lost to Kaze.” Jet knew that he would face much resistance if his rival were Snow. It was a shame that he was up against Kaze, a strong and mysterious man. “Just sign the papers. I will take over the family empire, and
“Don’t project your filth on everyone else.” Snow was angry, but she knew that she had to keep her head cool. By jumping straight to defense mode, Snow would give others the wrong idea. She had been there before. Kaze sat still without a word. He furrowed his brows in annoyance when Jet painted his relationship with Snow dirty. “I’m not here for the drama.” Kaze looked at Talon. The senior members of the Frosts should back down before Kaze did something about it. “Who do you think you are? This is a family meeting. Why are you getting involved?“If you are unrelated to Snow, you shouldn’t be here in the first place.” Jet took out his anger on Kaze. Kaze was not part of the family anyway, so Jet did not have to consider his feelings. “Watch yourself, Jet. He’s a visitor.” Talon was smart enough to read the room. Despite the air of mystery shrouding Kaze, he managed to screw with most of Jet’s business ventures. The Frosts stood to lose more by crossing Kaze. Ta
Following Snow’s lead, Kaze entered a big conference room. The centerpiece of the conference room was a long, solid wood table, drawing out an air of solemnity. Various notable and valuable paintings hung on the wall. The expansive floor-to-ceiling window brought light into the room. Sunlight bounced off the window that displayed a picturesque view outside. “There you are.” Jet had been waiting. With the pair slowly making their way in, Jet could not hide the rage in his eyes. “Long time no see, Jet,” Snow greeted him and pulled a chair for Kaze. “It’ll take a bit of time, Chairman Lee. The senior members of my family are on their way.” Snow contacted the family elders while getting to the venue. Jet had not produced much results lately, and the Frosts were utterly humiliated. Since Jet would soon be replaced, the senior members of the family wanted to be kept in the loop. These family members had their own ideas. However, they would be happy to appoint the lea