Without a word, Kaze looked at Blake like he was a dead man. Blake was infuriated by the brush-off from Kaze. He wanted to say something about it. That was when Trafford, the administration minister at the governor’s office, entered the room with several stern-looking individuals. “Why waste your breath on a prisoner, Blake? Just begin the interrogation. I need to get back to Sunrise after this.”Trafford glanced at Kaze indifferently, his voice reflecting contempt. Kaze was insignificant in his books. “Alright. Let’s just interrogate him.” Blake waved at his men. “Take him into the room.” The men restrained Kaze. Since Kaze had no idea what they wanted to grill him about, he planned to see what they were up to. Kaze let them force him into a makeshift interrogation room. There was an existing interview room next to the makeshift one, and two police officers stood guard at the door. When Kaze was brought in, a staff member in a suit walked out of the room. The st
The interrogation room was filled with Kaze’s laughter. His chuckles were annoying. His offhand remark stung more, though. Blake, Trafford, and Felix grimaced. “What are you laughing about?” Felix was furious because he could sense Kaze’s disdain. “I find you amusing,” Kaze replied indifferently. To think someone would try to extract a confession out of him through trickery. The individual attempted to break him and make him confess something that never happened. Besides, counter-reconnaissance and counter-interrogation were part of the core military program. The God of War Palace acquired talents to perfect these skills. Before joining the army, Kaze had used these techniques to his advantage countless times. When he was banished to Lilyrose and faced death threats, he had to play it smart by playing dumb. The best experts in interrogation and psychology were invited to confirm if he was just acting crazy. All were unsuccessful in proving he was faking it.
The room was hot and stuffy as if the heater was turned on. Johnson lay weakly on the ground, soaked all over. Yet, his lips were dry and cracked, a sign of severe dehydration. “I didn’t betray you, Mr. Lee,” Johnson said strugglingly. He could barely open his eyes but managed a sad smile for Kaze. “You’re playing with fire, Blake, Trafford!” Kaze shouted angrily. At this rate, Johnson would die of dehydration. Hiss! A staff member carried a bucket of water into the room and ladled some water onto the nearby coals. White steam filled the room. The room became a hot furnace. “Enjoy your sauna, Kaze. Take Johnson out. Don’t let him die,” Blake said with a sinister smile. He could not stop wiping his sweat the moment he stepped into the room. Sauna was beneficial to health when used in moderation. In moments of excess, it could be deadly. It was a form of torture to extract information. “Okay. I’ll enjoy the sauna before the person I’m expecting arrives. I coul
“The governor has a lot on his plate. Why would he pay extra attention to something so small?” Blake was confused. Trafford replied, “That’s not the only thing. The governor specifically asked about Kaze and sent his secretary-general to get a detailed report on Kaze’s case.” “Huh? Did Kaze get through to the governor to plead his case?” Blake was apprehensive. He had something to hide, to begin with. The case had not made any progress so far, and the governor’s involvement might push things in the wrong direction. “Kaze has some connections to get the governor’s attention, but the governor isn’t on his side.” Trafford chuckled. “How so?” Blake asked. “Do you know what Kaze did?” Trafford laughed out loud. “The idiot bribed the governor openly by giving him real estate, cars, and companies. The governor is livid, to say the least. Haha. Isn’t that funny?” His close associate in the governor’s office told him so. “Woah. I can’t believe the idiot did that. Hahaha
The governor had arrived in Lilyrose. Blake and Trafford were taken aback. They did not expect the matter to be so severe that the governor would come all the way to Lilyrose just to grill Kaze. “You’re finished, Kaze now that the governor’s involved. No one can save you and your wife now.” Blake was thrilled. “Don’t waste your breath on the loser. We should go and welcome the governor.” Trafford scoffed and pulled Blake out of the interrogation room. Two vehicles were parked outside the mayor’s office. Blake could not determine the governor’s ride because both cars were inconspicuous. “Hello there, Governor.” As Loid stepped out of the car, the pair went up to greet him. “Where is Kaze?” Loid asked with a wry look, not even pausing for a second as he headed inside the building. “Come with me, Governor Farland. Kaze refused to admit to his crimes and interfered with the interrogation. He’s in the interview room.” Blake took quick paces to the interrogation ro
Blake and Trafford were stunned. Loid somehow turned around and lashed out at them instead. Although they were suspicious of Loid’s attitude toward Kaze, reality had not kicked in yet. Trafford uttered, “Governor, Kaze tried to bribe you, but he refused to admit to it. Mayor Bowman merely went to extreme lengths to protect your pride.” He thought his remark would spark Loid’s fury. The governor came all the way to Lilyrose, clearly out to get Kaze. “Bribe me? He was insulting me because of what you both have done.” Loid glared at Trafford. “Tell me. What did Blake give you for your trip to Lilyrose?” Color washed off Trafford’s and Blake’s faces.By bringing the matter to light, Loid clearly intended for them to answer for their crimes.Pale-faced, Trafford tried to think of an excuse and said calmly, “I didn’t get anything out of it, Governor. The Vinlands and the Lees came to me to promote Blake. I agreed to it because I believe we need to be on good terms with the
Trafford kneeled next to Kaze’s feet and slammed his forehead on the ground repeatedly until his skin broke. He was a wise man, knowing words could not help him now. His fate lay in the hands of Kaze. “I was wrong, Kaze. The two prominent families wanted me to go after your family. If I knew you were the God of War, I wouldn’t do it.” Following suit, Blake kneeled before Kaze and clung to his leg in tears. The previously high and mighty mayor spinelessly begged Kaze. Thud! Disgusted, Kaze kicked him away. Blake sprung back on his feet and drew close to Kaze. “You must forgive me, Kaze. You threw my son out of the window. He’s still in the emergency room. I have paid the price.” Smack! Kaze gave him another kick and smirked. “Don’t speak to me like I owe you. If I were to arrive late, my wife would be the one in the hospital.” “I won’t be the mayor anymore. I’ll do anything you ask!” Blake whimpered and wanted to approach Kaze again. Loid said chillingly, “You h
Everybody outside the mayor’s office was stunned. It never occurred to anybody that Kaze, who was held captive for questioning, would walk out a free man. Blake the mayor was now under arrest. As the public watched, Blake was dejectedly escorted into the police car in handcuffs. More surprisingly, Kaze was sharing a pleasant talk with Loid, the governor. “What the hell is going on? The governor came all the way to Lilyrose to deal with the mayor instead of punishing Kaze.” “Maybe Kaze’s gifts worked. Seriously, Governor?” These people were disappointed, and they could not figure out why. They mocked Kaze for doing a foolish thing by bribing the governor openly. To their surprise, Kaze’s gift-giving was well received. Not only did the governor save him, but Blake was also ruined in the process. Loid saw Kaze off the building and even gave him a ride home. These people had no idea who Kaze was. They assumed that Loid was materialistic and did not carry shame for t
Kaze watched as the senior citizens took off. The place was quiet as usual, and many things in the unit were left uncollected. “Mr. Lee, does this arrangement work?” Arthur awaited Kaze’s orders. “It will do for now.” After being out for the day, Kaze had seen some stuff. Business was all about making money, but some lines should not be crossed. As long as things remained within reason, there would not be scrutiny or blame. It was astounding the lengths Jet would go to. “The area will be demolished after a while. I want all of the Frosts’ projects on hold. Don’t approve any of them.” One word from Kaze could shake the very foundation of the Frosts’ business. “Alright. My team is on it. “But the Frosts will ask questions and find out who is behind this.” Arthur looked at Kaze worriedly. “They can’t find anything.” No one would know who Kaze was without his permission. It probably never crossed Jet’s mind that Snow had a powerful friend. Otherwise, he woul
Kaze was confused. Surely, the authorities would not disregard human lives and demolish the place by force. “Well, we tried to relocate them, but they refused our services. If they are still not on board, they will be sent to the retirement home tonight.” That was all Pax knew. The retirement home was just another place for the senior citizens to await death. “Is there nothing else you can do? So you signed the contract without thinking about the consequences? Karma will get back at you.” Pax’s shamelessness shocked Arthur. Pax mentioned that he would put the demolition on hold. It had not been long, and now the rights to the land were handed over. “It’s out of my hands. Jet went to my superiors to seal the deal. We are not allowed to intervene. “We had been figuring out ways to reach reconciliation for these senior citizens, but Jet was determined to make them pay.” It was the best Pax could do. He was just an employee, working to make a living. He did not have a say
“I want to see the person in charge of the demolition project now.” It was not a matter of time before the area was bulldozed, but Kaze hoped to delay it. Generally, it would take a large amount of capital to launch a project. Any delay would cause massive losses. Jet had several projects that had been put on hold, and it was a heavy blow to him. If Jet could not fix things quickly enough, all his money tied to the projects would be gone. He would be forced to ditch some projects to cut his losses. “I’ll get him here right now.” Arthur went out to make phone calls. He believed Kaze did the right thing as the senior citizens had nowhere to turn to. The senior citizens could only survive with some help. “Thank you, young man. Why are you helping us?” The senior citizens were old, but they could tell that Kaze genuinely wanted them to be okay. “I don’t think it’s right to bully you.” Kaze looked at the senior citizens earnestly, feeling sorry for them. Jet lack
“We agreed on relocation because we would get a place to stay. “But these people were unreasonable. We were offered only one-third of what everyone else got.” The senior citizens were going to swallow their losses. They just needed the money to live their last days, and they did not have family, to begin with. Later, the same people had their eyes on their money and tried to put them up at an old folks’ home. The senior citizens refused to relocate and finally chose to protect themselves by contacting the media. These people sure left the senior citizens to die. Kaze was sympathetic to the senior citizens. He went back with them to a unit on the ground floor. The place was bare, with several beds placed together. The senior citizens must be sleeping in the same room. There was little to eat, only some water and dry provisions.The old residents did not have much savings. It was good enough that they had something to eat. “Have a cup of water, boy. We don’t have any
“Are you one of those people from the pier? Are you trying to get us to leave?” A grizzled-haired man looked at Kaze warily. “I was just passing by when I saw you struggling with the buckets. I came to help you.” Kaze explained patiently. He could understand why their guards were up. They must have been lied to many times before. “Are you here to help?” “Yes, I am. My companion has gone to get you some water. He’ll be back soon. There’s no need for you to fetch water,” Kaze said kindly. “We’ll pay you.” The senior citizens exchanged glances before accepting Kaze’s gesture. They could not handle the weight of the heavy buckets. “The building here is about to be demolished. Why are you still living here?” Pretending to be in the dark, Kaze asked. “This is our home. Someone is trying to take this land away.” The grizzled-haired man was upset. “What? I thought no one could demolish the building unless they had the residents’ permission.” “You’re right, but there
“Jet sure is bold to ensure business. Isn’t he afraid of shooting himself in the foot?” Kaze had never met a man like Jet. “He has done a lot to get to the top. His ruthless methods got him a lot of money. A lot of people are happy to support him.” Arthur was impressed with Jet’s tactics. However, his approach was too cruel for his liking. “Let’s head to the residential building.” Kaze just wanted to check out the area. He was happy to help when needed. The flashy, red sports car was eye-catching. However, the flamboyant car was uncommon in these places. Most workers would express their amazement, but they would not ask questions. The car pulled up outside a soon-to-be abandoned building. It looked desolate. The power lines and infrastructure were not visible either. Kaze knew that was one of the Frosts’ methods. Sometimes, nothing, not even demolition, was required. The goal was to get the residents out. All Jet needed to do was cut the water and electricity.
“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.