After hurling Albert to the side, Kaze whisked Sam away. The medical students also went to Horizon Mirror Mansion. The director of the orthopedic hospital was also a student of Sam’s. He added a few hospital beds after a call from his mentor. When Albert and his group arrived at the hospital, they occupied four gurneys. Now, the number had gone up to nine. Hudson was still unaware of what transpired at the hospital. He was on the phone with Dane from Dallas Moneylender. “You did not respond to Lefteria Group’s statement, Mr. Rich. That’s unlike you.” Hudson pressed unhappy, the phone in hand. Hudson sent Dallas Moneylender on Darcy’s family’s tail. He hid behind Dallas Moneylender to ensure Darcy’s family faced consequences. Hudson could just stay behind the scenes without lifting a finger. That was Hudson’s favorite approach. Besides, he knew that Dallas Moneylender was happy to do his bidding. Dane could not resist the temptation of getting two billion dol
Miru pulled a long face. Her presence was needed at Lefteria Group. She had to take precautions for any possible dynamic shifts in the underworld. It was then Miru received another call from her men. “What? Dallas Moneylender is the arsonist?” She turned ashen. Dallas Moneylender kept their head down and made no response to her bold statement. Here she thought Dallas Moneylender had backed down, and that was the end of the matter. To her dismay, Dallas Moneylender burned several of Lefteria Group’s executives alive. It appeared they responded with a vengeance. “Miru, Dallas Moneylender openly admitted that they caused the fire. They demand three billion dollars by tomorrow morning. The additional one billion dollars is the punishment for Lefteria Group. “If they don’t see the money, they will make sure Darcy’s family gets it. “One more thing. Dallas Moneylender knows that Darcy’s family is neighbors with the chief commander. “It will not deter Dallas Moneylender
Shane was efficient at his work. He had located Dallas Moneylender’s base when Kaze got into the car. “Mr. Lee, the location of Dallas Moneylender’s offices is no secret because no one dares to cross them. Their offices all across the country are semi-open to the public.” An illegal money-lending organization was detrimental to financial institutions. Despite its illicit nature of business, Dallas Moneylender had some public presence. Their arrogance showed. After the call, Shane sent Kaze detailed information on the members working in the Lilyrose office of Dallas Moneylender. As the business operation was semi-open, Shane could get ahold of the data rather easily. “This is good. They all deserve the death penalty,” Kaze went through the findings and said with a smile. The smile did not reach his eyes, though. Sitting beside Kaze, Draco knew that he was out for blood tonight. Soon, they arrived at Dallas Moneylender’s Lilyrose office. The business name was hung
Dane was not in a hurry to make Kaze return the money. He wanted to see Kaze on his knees first. He believed after Miru’s men were burnt to death, the Quints were frightened and they quickly gathered the money for Kaze to pay him back. “Hudson Vinland sent you?” Kaze did not kneel. He looked around to see if Hudson was around. If the man was around, he would deal with him altogether. “You can stop looking. Mr. Vinland isn’t here.” Dane smiled and added, “And, mind your words. Mr. Vinland isn’t powerful enough to order me around. We are just working together. He pointed out a bright idea for Dallas Moneylender, so I simply returned the favor by standing up for his daughter. That’s it.” Kaze was slightly disappointed that Hudson was not around. He asked, “A bright idea? So, Hudson gave you the idea of extorting money from the companies who got the funding?” It now seemed like Hudson was the mastermind. He was the one who instigated Dallas Moneylender to go after the Qui
“Hey punk, take off those glasses.” The young man went up to Draco with a ferocious grin and waved the knife in front of his face. “Why don’t you try taking it off me?” Draco said with a wide grin. The young man did not expect such a bold reply. Agitated, he shouted, “I’ll take it off you and dig your eyes out for the dogs!” He reached out to the glasses but before he could touch it, Draco seized his wrist. “Hey! Let go!” The strong grip hurt the young man. “Young man, you have one chance to let him go,” Dane said without a slight chance of expression but his tone sounded heavier. He was a man with an abundance of experience. Even when his own nephew was seized, he did not panic because they were in his territory. Kaze and his bodyguard could not possibly do anything to threaten them. “Old dog, quite calm I see.” Draco grinned wider and reached into his pocket with the other hand. Then, he pulled out his gun and pressed it against the young man’s head. “W-What
As though the soldiers came from the void, there was not a single sound before they barged into the room and seized the entire premise. Dane and his men were stunned and frightened. “Freeze!” “Drop your weapons and let me see your hands!” The ferocious thugs instantly turned quiet and timid as the soldiers shouted and pointed their guns at them. Dane realized the leader of the soldiers was a young brigadier general—it was Koga! He strode over to Draco and saluted formally. “Chief Commander, Sir! Garo Spec Ops Team reporting for duty!” “What?! Chief Commander? You are…” Dane widened his eyes in shock at Darco. “You said even if the Quints are my neighbor, you are going to kill all of them right? I'd like to see if you have the nerve to say that in my face again.” Draco took off his glasses. “Dra—” Dane cried when he saw Draco’s face. He sweated profusely and shook violently. The man with the glasses was the chief commander of Lilyrose Strategic Department!
A hard disk and the password was handed over to Kaze. Kaze then tossed the hard disk to Draco. He then smiled at Dane and asked, “Still feeling grateful for Hudson Vinland?” “I wish I could rip him apart with my own hands,” Dane said ferociously. If he did not listen to Hudson and fall into the trap, he would not cross paths with Kaze, let alone kneeling at him and begging for his life. His nephew would still be alive. “Then shouldn’t you inform your brother and tell him to avenge his son?” Kaze said with a subtle grin. “Yes, I will inform my brother and tell him to avenge me and his son!” Dane then immediately texted his brother. However, right after he tapped “send”, his expression froze. He looked at Kaze with a blank look. “Y-You are going to kill me?” Dane finally understood the meaning of Kaze’s words. Why would Kaze ask him to inform his brother to avenge him and his nephew? If Kaze had the thought of sparing him, then he would not have to go through al
“Get out of my face!” Miru glared at the weirdo who wore sunglasses at night. She saw the weirdo before. The man always hung out with Kaze and did not seem to have a proper job. “Woman, don’t you use that tone in my face. If not for Albert, I would have slapped you.” Draco then signaled Kaze. “Boss, get in.” “I think you are quite suitable for her, you can tame her.” “Come on, Boss. Aside from the temper, she’s arrogant and disrespectful.” The words that came out from the window as the car drove off left Miru infuriated. She almost told her men to chase after them and ram their car off the road. Meanwhile, at the hospital’s orthopedic department, Hudson visited Alfred for his broken leg at night. “Kaze, that little bastard! He slapped me and broke my leg in front of so many people. I’m not young anymore yet he did not hold back at all. Master Hudson, you have to do me justice!” Alfred started crying the moment he saw Hudson. Hudson’s expression turned grim. He
“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