“These Islanders deserve to die! How dare they disrespect me like this?! I’ll settle scores with them sooner or later!” Rhodes growled. Rhodes’s face was gloomy as he looked at the chaos in front of them. He was lucky he wasn’t killed or hurt during the attack; he would’ve been very embarrassed if that happened.“How ignorant can these people be?!” Julie exclaimed with pursed lips. “They’ll pay a huge price for what they did today!”Mandy frowned. “Where did these people come from…?”Harvey narrowed his eyes for a moment.“Judging from their skills, they must be from the Six Schools of Martial Arts.“However, their swordsmanship doesn’t come from any specific school at all… It’s as if all Six Schools of Martial Arts are involved in training these people…”Harvey was reminded of Takai; that man’s fighting style seemed quite similar to the enemies around them. On top of his extensive foundation, he had managed to create his own killer move. Ordinary ninjas wouldn’t be able to rep
Bam!A loud sound was heard when the figure landed on the ground. The floor cracked instantly, and rubble flew out in every direction.Lennon and the others were sure that someone who did that would be badly injured, but that wasn’t the case at all.After standing still, the person raised his hand at Lennon.“I’m telling you this one time: hand over the beads, or die,” he said hoarsely. His horrible voice sounded as if he had a knife stuck in his throat, and it was grating to the ears.Everyone finally looked at his face. It was a middle-aged man whose age was unclear. Scars crisscrossed his entire face, and he looked very ugly indeed. Because of his messy hair, his eyes and mouth were the only visible features.Studying him from a corner, Harvey could tell that the man seemed familiar—but he just didn’t recall where.Lennon was struck by a sudden thought.“A genetically enhanced Islander warrior?!” he exclaimed. “That’s not a human at all! Kill him! Quickly!”The guards quick
“Who are you?”Lennon waved his hand, signaling for Ernie and Aria to stay away. He looked grimly at the expert.“Since you’ve become so powerful after you were genetically enhanced, you’re not just an ordinary person! If you want the beads, then at least give me your name. If not, you won’t get them even if you kill me!”Lennon pulled out the three beads, ready to snap them all in half.He had learned this trick from Harvey. Since the enemy was after the beads, then he’d simply make sure nobody could get them.As expected, the warrior stopped in his tracks after seeing Lennon’s movements. He then raised his head, and sighed.“You better know what’s good for yourself, Lennon. Hand over the beads, and I’ll let everyone here go.“If you destroy them, I’ll make sure I strangle everyone here to death, then break your limbs so you have no choice but to beg for food. I’ll make sure that the rest of your life is a living hell!”The warrior slowly exhaled; an unspeakably fierce and col
After seeing the warrior’s expression, Rhodes raised his head smugly.“Now you’re scared? After hearing my name?”The warrior ignored Rhodes, and kept looking at Harvey.After a long time, he finally said, “Consider me unlucky this time… I admit defeat! We’re leaving!”The warrior waved his hand, planning to leave with the remaining ninjas.“Admit defeat? Leave?” Rhodes chuckled coldly. “You people come all the way here to cause us trouble and steal our beads! You think you can just leave without even an apology?!”The warrior looked at Lennon, though he continued to ignore Rhodes.“I apologize for what happened today, Mr. Lennon. I’ll get someone to compensate for the damages as well,” he said. These words were actually meant for Harvey.Lennon looked puzzled, before finally speaking up.“No need for that,” he said. “However, I do want an explanation for this mess.”“That’s right! If you don’t give that, then don’t even think of getting out of here unscathed!” Rhodes butte
“Right, Mandy! Get your so-called bodyguard to thank Young Master Rhodes already!”Julie was reminded of something, and glared at Harvey.“Look at Young Master Rhodes, then at your bodyguard!“It’s already bad enough that he wasn’t keeping you safe. He didn’t even have the courage to stand up against our enemy!“If it weren’t for Young Master Rhodes, he would’ve been dead already! He wouldn’t even have the chance to protect you!”Naturally, Julie didn’t mind putting Harvey down just to praise Rhodes.“You want me to thank him?” Harvey said calmly while he sent a text on his phone. “What’s there to thank about? I don’t owe him anything. He didn’t do me any favors, either.”Julie sized up Harvey with disdain.“If it weren’t for him, you would’ve been killed by the warrior by now! He saved you! Have some gratitude!”Harvey’s phone vibrated; after seeing the text Dutch sent him, his lips instantly curved into a smile.“That warrior really was Takai…“After getting crippled a few
Clack!In a temporary camp a few miles away from the Mandrake Residence, the warrior who snapped off his own arm casually reattached it before injecting something into himself.The skin of his arm started wriggling intensely before becoming normal again. He gripped his fist, and felt incredible power surge in his arm.It was clear that a broken arm meant nothing to this man.Clap, clap, clap!A string of light claps was heard. A figure came out of the forest, his arms crossed. Dozens more followed him, their heads raised up high; they were all expert martial artists.The man leading the group had a square face with quite a dignified look.It was none other than Stefan. He smiled faintly when looking at the warrior in front of him.“This feels a little different compared to what we agreed on, Master Takai. I help you recover and improve your strength…and you take the beads back for me.“We’ve both acknowledged this.“And yet, you were scared witless as soon as you bumped int
At the same time, on top of a mountain far away, Salem put his telescope down. He looked curious.“Interesting. Truly interesting…“I didn’t think I’d be able to see a genetically enhanced warrior in the outskirts… I wonder which financial group in America finally decided to get their hands here.”Salem sent a few texts, a profound look on his face.“Isn’t that a good thing for us, Salem?” Conrad asked with a small smile.“After all, us from Chinatown have a good relationship with the eight financial groups—Master Henrik included. Maybe we’d even have a chance to work together.”Salem glanced at Conrad.“The waters here are deep. The outskirts won’t allow this many people together.“Master Henrik’s main mission is to get his forces here and use this place as a bridgehead. That way, he’d be able to conquer the country’s northwest side. He’d be furious if the financial groups decide to get involved.Conrad fell into deep thought. “So what do we do now?”Salem chuckled.“We’ll
Seeing such a grand sight, Harvey sighed quietly. Aside from him and the Surrey family, not a lot of people were willing to see the beads sent to the Aenar Temple.If that were to actually happen, the sect would become everyone’s target. For the rest, acquiring the beads would be near-impossible.After all, the Great Wall’s strength was incredibly terrifying.An expert martial artist who had secluded himself for his training whenever he wanted was naturally no easy target.Besides, the Aenar Temple’s power was almost on par with the other two great temples.It’d be normal for the Aenar Temple to ask them for assistance in escorting the Eyed Beads. Many sects would get involved in the conflict; even a prominent figure like Stefan would get a headache about it.Outsiders wouldn’t care; all they knew was that it’d be very hard to deliver the beads.Harvey fully understood. Other than him and the Surrey family, nobody else wished for the beads to arrive safely.Of course, many wo
Sky Plane's countryside, Clover Hotel.In the Clover Hotel's VIP area, a mansion at the edge of the hotel, Mandy was looking outside with a deep frown. At this time, someone gently knocked at her door from the outside."Come in," Mandy said.The leader of the security team, Seven Jean of the Jeans of Mordu, came in. He bowed to Mandy with respect before saying calmly, "Ms. Mandy, according to the information I've received, the women you've saved have been sent out of Sky Plane. I've also confirmed the people we came into conflict with. He's Yamamoto Sora, scion of the Origin Sword Style."The school's status is very high in Sky Plane. While we managed to get some protection for the time being, I believe we won't be able to make this disappear so quickly. Our visa only has an effective duration of seven days. Once the time is up, Sky Plane will have an excuse to remove all the security here. We'll be in danger when that happens."I think we should leave Sky Plane immediately whil
Mandy reacted very quickly, as if she understood something. She quickly said to Harvey through the phone, "I'm on the sixth floor of a hotel! I…"Before she could even finish, Daichi had already hung up the call with a tap. He then gave Harvey a meaningful look. "There are some rules you should keep, Mr. Harvey. Otherwise, if the people from Sky Plane's side have a misunderstanding, I can't tell what will happen next."Alright. Let's get into the main topic. Ms. Mandy is very safe right now, but I believe that her safety can only be maintained for two to three days. My men can't continue protecting her without a good reason, right? "Once it has been confirmed that there's nothing here that I want, my people who maintain her protection will be pulled back immediately. No one can tell what will happen after that."Daichi gave Harvey a dry smile. "That's why you'll be in control of Ms. Mandy's life and death. We are people who keep our side of the deals. We hope you can maintai
Harvey's expression was calm as he said coldly to Daichi, "No matter how good and logical you make it sound, the truth is, you're threatening me. Rather than being threatened by the Sky Plane, why don't you stick around and be my hostage for an exchange?"As soon as Harvey had finished saying that, he slammed his hand on the table. A piece of wood immediately fired out from the table and pierced into the chair's backrest, just next to Daichi's ear.However, Harvey was in for a surprise. Even in a situation like this, Daichi was still able to maintain his calmness as he continued to enjoy his meal. It was as if the one about to die here wasn't him.Once Daichi had chewed his food slowly and swallowed it, only then did he smile at Harvey. "Mr. Harvey, or Mr. Representative. Do you really think fighting can solve everything? It's true I'm from the branch family of the Ruling Royal Family and the blood of royalty flows in my veins, but there are too many like me. So many that I am eas
"Most importantly, this matter with Ms. Mandy happened in Sky Plane—which means outsiders can't enter quietly and save her," Daichi said to Harvey with a smile. "But don't worry, Harvey. We know Ms. Mandy is yours, so we'll find a way to keep protecting her. How to protect her and for how long would depend on your sincerity, though."Harvey's expression was cold as he said slowly, "And here I thought you'd tell me you'd do everything to protect Mandy, making a show despite how shameless you are. I didn't expect you to be so direct—in threatening me! If I refuse your request, Mandy will immediately fall into Sora's hand, right?"Daichi smiled faintly. "You're indeed a perceptive and decisive man. It makes things easier for me to work with someone like you. I will tell you what you need to do—or perhaps, it's easier for me to say what price you need to pay for Mandy's return."Daichi took a final bite of his fish and said with a smug smile, "It's simple. Give me the Chapter of Ascensi
Daichi smiled faintly and said, "I know very well that in the eyes of people like you, Islanders like us are detestable. Speaking with us, working with us, and even eating a meal with us is quite disgusting, right?"However, we must all learn to be patient. It has already happened for quite some time. Is there a point in rushing through these few minutes? It's better for us to share a good meal and have a chat afterward."Daichi slowly partook in the meal, putting a piece of fish into his mouth and chewing slowly. At the same time, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at Harvey, his eyes filled with subtle amusement.Daichi found the meal before him quite enjoyable. He also found himself quite satisfied looking at Harvey showing a hint of irritation."Looks like you really think that you have me under control," Harvey said coldly. "But I can tell you that by just sitting here, my patience is already at its limit. I have a habit, too. Rather than being threatened by someone, I prefer t
Harvey looked at Daichi coldly. "I don't think there's anything between you and me that we need to talk about."However, Daichi said passionately, "But I believe we do. This is not a place for us to speak of such things, though. I have prepared a table for us at the best restaurant serving Island Nation cuisine in Grand City. I invite you to dine with us. How does that sound?"Not only can we talk about what's happening at the Island Nation, Sky Plane's scenery, the Seven Families of Grand City…as well as what's currently going on with Ms. Mandy of the Jeans of Mordu!"Clack!Harvey immediately grabbed Daichi by the throat. "I dare you to say it one more time. Are you threatening me?"Daichi smiled faintly. "Threaten? You must be joking! Someone like me doesn't threaten anyone. However, Sky Plane does have a deal with the Jeans of Mordu. They will be sending out a representative, who turns out to be Ms. Mandy."However, Ms. Mandy doesn't know much about the situation in Sky Plane
Hearing the conversation between Harvey and Clarion, Hale wasn't sure what to say. He let out a long sigh and said, "Thank you, Mr. Harvey, Mr. Clarion. I won't waste my breath, then. Since you're willing to protect a cripple like me, I'll be in your care from now on."He took out a paper and pen from the bedside table and quickly drew a picture, then put it in front of him. "Mr. Harvey, this is the real location of the Chapter of Ascension. I know you're sincere in helping me. I can't repay you, so I can only offer you this. Please don't refuse it. This thing will only get me killed if I have it with me."However, if it's with you, you should be able to put it to good use. Consider it my goodwill. I… I hope you can accept this and give me a chance to repay your kindness."Hale then made a gesture and swore, "I swear, this is the real location where the Chapter of Ascension is hidden. This is not a death trap. Please trust me. Other than the Chapter of Ascension, there's also some
It was obvious that Hale's anger and sorrow had pushed him to the limit. He was already blaming Sky Plane for everything. Sky Plane had just earned him as a mortal enemy."My condolences, Hale." Harvey extended his hand and tapped Hale's shoulder. "The dead can't be brought back, so the most important thing now is to recover. Sky Plane is a difficult enemy."Clarion nodded as well. "Now that Susan is dead, Sky Plane will not let this slide. However, we'll need to get you a new identity after you recover. Only when you're safe and when you can live for yourself will you have the chance to have your revenge."I've just received news that everyone in Grand City knows who you are. All the other Sacred Lands will find out very quickly. In a short while, there will be countless people looking for you, for us. That's why you need to get ready. We're running out of time."When Clarion said that, the frigid light in his eyes glinted. He didn't need to send anyone to find out what was go
"No matter what happened, she treated me well all these years. Even if I were to kill her, I want her to die with some dignity. As for the trouble from Sky Plan and her… I'll give you an explanation you'll be happy with. Please permit me," Hale said, not caring for the wounds on his body even when he was kneeling on the floor.Clarion looked stern. If he were to bring in a spy like Susan, it would help him immensely in his career. If they got her into the interrogation room and asked her proper questions, they could get valuable answers from her. That was the only value she had left.However, Clarion also knew why Hale framed it that way. She was still his wife, even when she had already betrayed him. Rather than letting someone like Clarion take her away right now and live a torturous life that she wouldn't be able to tell day by night, he'd prefer to kill her right now. That way, Susan would be able to die peacefully.But how should he choose? Clarion was having a headache rig