To no surprise, Gene shook his head in disdain."Yes," he said calmly. "She was my partner, but she was also ruthless… I mean, poisoning me and watching as my health deteriorated by the day until the bugs inside me burst out of my belly? Talk about heinous!""I…" Zorn tried to argue but did not have anything at all.He hung his head in silence but soon looked up again, determined. "The plan was mine all along. I'm at fault—now let Rory go. You can do anything you want with me as long as you spare her.""Too late," Gene said quietly. "Like I said, I'm done with her.""What… Are you serious?!" Zorn gaped, the light of hope in his eyes fading.Then, he started laughing maniacally and was getting louder by the moment until it became deafening."You really are cold, Gene!" he bellowed."I'm not the cold one here. It's you and Rory." Gene remained impassive as he retorted."Hahaha…" Zorn kept laughing. "Yes, I was cold… Hahaha! But I didn't think that you'd actually kill Rory!""
"What?!"The martial artist closest to Zorn could not react in time as Zorn's fist struck him.His head exploded like a watermelon right then, leaving a gory sight of redness."What?! He's Ascendant rank?!"The other martial artist around Zorn could immediately sense that something was wrong.After all, Ascendant ranks were more than superior against Birthright ranks, with their highly condensed pure vigor that they wielded freely.Naturally, there were freaks such as Frank whom that rule did not apply to—he was only full-fledged Birthright rank, but most Ascendant ranks would have a hard time against him.Only peak Ascendant ranks would be able to force Frank to play his trump cards, and that was thanks to his regression three years ago. Thanks to improving up to full-fledged Birthright rank twice, Frank's pure vigor was more abundant and more condensed that even some Ascendant ranks would not compare.And now, Frank himself was hidden on the other end of the hallway, quietly
Zorn's expression contorted as he saw that Gene could face death with such calmness, even treating Zorn as if he was still at his beck and call.He actually felt that he would be losing by killing Gene just like that!And seeing the solemness in Gene's eyes, he actually hesitated."Ah, I remember how you swore to follow me for the rest of your life over a decade ago…"Gene suddenly sighed as he reminisced, smiling as if he was reliving that very moment. "We were the best of friends as children, and though we parted ways for a while, you came to me in desperation… a hunted man. Even so, I trusted you unconditionally."Every word you said back then was so earnest that they're ingrained in my memory… I can remember them even now. You're the one friend I trusted in this life, and yet—"Chuckling bitterly, Gene finished, "Ah, how ironic fate can be."His recollection left Zorn taken aback, and guilt showed on his visage.It was true—Gene had helped him in his most depseprate hour, o
Gene calmly read the situation.Since Frank was young and an accomplished healer, he would definitely not have time to study martial arts extensively.If anything, parrying Zorn's blow earlier must have taken everything out of him—if he stayed any longer, he would die horribly like the martial artists Gene had brought.And since Frank had already saved his life, Gene was reluctant to see Frank throw away his life like this.As such, he said, "Mr. Lawrence, this is between me and Zorn. Please don't interfere—you should leave when you can.""Hehe…" Frank chuckled instead of leaving, even turning to Gene to ask, "Are you sure I won't win, Mr. Pearce?""Oh…" Gene was left stumped by the question.He certainly could not say that he believed Frank, just as he did not want Frank to push himself.And after musing to himself for a long while, Gene shook his head in resignation. "Mr. Lawrence, Zorn and I have been friends since childhood—I won't drag you into our fight. After all, I'm gr
Zorn had no idea how Frank had managed to elude his observation before, though he was still relieved after sensing the true extent of Frank's strength.While a full-fledged Birthright rank was strong, Frank was still no match for him!"Die!!!" Zorn bellowed, putting all his strength behind his strongest strike and not wanting further trouble.Whether he killed Frank banked on this.Naturally, he was only doing this because he saw that Frank was really to die defending Gene.If Frank decided to dodge instead, Zorn's strike would hit Gene instead, and he would definitely be a dead man.As such, if Frank wanted Gene to live, he must take the full brunt of his blow!Black and white pure vigor was projected out of thin air from Zorn's palm, mixing into a grayness that ignited a storm.The entire building was shaking—such was the most powerful blow of an Ascendant rank."Hmph…"Frank had no intention of dodging anyway.He watched as Zorn approached with his violent strike, resolve
When Helen returned to Lanecorp, she found Cindy packing her things and ready to leave, but not before she yapped at every employee nearby."Why don't you take a guess what happened after my cousin listened to her dear husband and went to Drenam Limited? He said that Gene Pearce would yield the five land lots he claimed through the bid, but what happened? The man's valet didn't even know about it! Oh, it was such a slap in the face when we got there! "Tut, tut… You should have seen Helen and Frank's faces… Talk about a long face! Oh, it's killing me! Think about it—Gene Pearce is the richest man on the east coast! Why would he even listen to Frank? Who does he think he is?" "Well I'm going now." She laughed as she packed all her belongings and started to leave. "You can all stay here while Helen and her ex-husband run your company to the ground!"Nonetheless, she ran headlong into Helen, who heard everywhere she said.She remained impassive and silent, though her eyes were fixed
Helen was just about to open her own office door and enter when Cindy yelled, "Hah! Don't get so full of yourself, Helen! All that grandstanding you did is just a distraction—I was right, wasn't I? You and Frank couldn't get those land lots back from Gene Pearce, could you?"Helen stopped in her tracks and turned to level a cool look of contempt at Cindy. "You're wrong. I believe Frank can definitely get the land Lanecorp needs. He promised me, and he won't disappoint me. " "Hah! You said it! Then I'm staying!" Cindy snapped stubbornly. "Let's see what Frank can do… And what are you going to do if he can't?""Then I will step down as Lanecorp's board chairwoman." Helen snorted and headed inside her office."Hahaha! Fine… if you say so!" Cindy laughed, having a rush of blood to the brain.Since Will dumped her, she believed that Helen was adding insult to injury by chasing her back to Riverton, and that she was heartless!It had never crossed Cindy's mind that she had achieved no
Gene was left smiling in wry amusement as he came to his senses. "Such raw talent like you… The head of the health and safety department? That's so…"Reasonably speaking, someone with Frank's abilities would at minimum be a board member, personally involved in company policy.But head of the health and safety department? Basically a glorified security guard?That certainly caught Gene off guard!"Hehe…" Frank simply chuckled, neither upset nor elaborating.While a little emotional, Gene glanced at Frank and made him an earnest offer. "Mr. Lawrence, why not join Pearce Group instead of playing security guard here? I will arrange for a position that suits you, along with a place on the board as a policy maker in Pearce Group. Trust me—you have a brighter future to look forward to with me."Frank shook his head. "I love my freedom a little too much, and I especially dislike the complex internal workings of major companies.""Moreover…" He trailed off, chuckling as he finished, "Lan