Cold disappointment gripped Helen's heart when she stood at the edge of the land lot, surveying it.Forget an office building—even factories were impractical when this land lot is so far from the main road!While there were projects within the area, every block was starting to lean to one side. Cracks were showing on the walls too—they were obvious signs of disrepair."Frank… 500 million… For this land! We've really taken the fall here." Helen sighed dejectedly—in her point of view, the land was worthless!The projects were mostly empty too, and most units were unoccupied."Well, you'd never know." Frank smiled just then and headed toward the projects before Helen did.They did not make it too far when they found a group of thugs huddling together, playing poker at a rundown lobby. They all looked very young but were dressed ridiculously.One of them, who was facing the entrance, spotted Helen and Frank entering and was at once stunned."Hey! It's your call, Blackie!""What,
"Hahaha…"Frank was suddenly laughing out loud after looking around at the place, which left the approached thugs stunned."What's wrong?" Helen turned worriedly toward Frank—did he snap mentally because he spent 500 million on a useless plot of land?As various possibilities came to mind, Helen was left staring as Frank turned to smile at her and winked. "If my hunch is right, your mom really dropped the ball here.""What?" Helen's eyes widened in confusion, increasingly worried that Frank had really snapped.Frank, however, looked pointedly around him at the land. "This plot of land and everything built on it is due for demolition in two weeks. Zamri City Hall is ready to build a highway through this land.""Do you know what that means?" He grinned at Helen, and finished before she could answer. "The value of this land lot will increase more than tenfold! Hahaha… We've really hit the jackpot here, Helen!"Helen frowned suspiciously at his words. "How would you know? The city
The thugs were all clearly armed with baseball bats and machetes, cutting off Frank and Helen's escape.In an instant, the quiet rundown building was suddenly lively.Vroom!Bike engines roared and catcalls followed as over a dozen biking thugs sped down the road, their tyres screeching as they came to a halt beside Frank and Helen.Now, they were really surrounded."It's too late to leave now!" Terry gloated and laughed out loud.The other thugs started laughing too—with over a hundred of them doing it at the same time, one could almost feel the building rumble."What do you want?!" Helen snapped, even as she realized in dismay that they had entered the literal wolves' den.While she was absolutely confident in Frank's abilities, she was still worried since there were too many of them in the Blood Wolves."What do I want, you asked?!" Ted suddenly spat on the floor and glared at Frank threateningly, sneering, "I should be the one asking what you want! Buying this land?! Did
At Terry 'Ted' Cotton's orders, the thugs would charge at Frank and cut him into pieces!Still, Ted was narrowing his eyes at the immeasurably arrogant man, feeling just a hint of wariness.Could he be a member of some important family or the apprentice of one of the South Sea Sects?"You have balls, kid," he said. "Where are you from?""Nowhere. I'm just Frank Lawrence, head of Lanecorp's health and security department," Frank replied confidently.Ted actually did a double take.Lanecorp? As in the company?And the head of Lanecorp's health and security department… It actually took Ted a while to come to a realization, though he felt humiliated when he understood what Frank was saying. Head of Lanecorp's health and security department?! That just meant he was some glorified security guard!And a security guard had the balls to threaten him?!Incensed, Ted bellowed while pointing at Frank right then, "Go! Break every bone in his body! Spare that woman—I will have her warm
Seeing that the Blood Wolves were ready to run away, Frank moved to stop their leader, Terry 'Ted' Cotton, from doing the same.He had to admit that he appreciated the man, especially since he had been overly dramatic with that punch earlier.And yet, Ted quickly recognized from that single strike that he and his gang would never win against Frank, and he surrendered unconditionally.That alone made him a decisive person."Trying to run? Well, too late." Frank returned Terry's threat word for word but soon smiled. "Anyway, this isn't everyone in your gang, is it?""What…?" Terry was sweating bullets at Frank's question—was he going to attack the Blood Wolves now?!Still, he gulped and braced himself to answer. "You're right, sir. We're just a small cell of the Blood Wolves… there has been some disagreements in the gang, and I had no choice but to move here with my boys…""Disagreements? Really?" Frank moved closer, rubbing his chin.Seeing that Frank was curious, Ted could not
After some thought, Frank said "In that case, I have an offer if you'd like to hear me out.""An offer?" Ted did a double take, but his eyes showed hope as he looked at Frank.They certainly would not leave Zamri if they did not have to!Frank nodded. "I'll help you bring down the other two gangs so that you can return to Zamri. The condition for that is that you serve Lanecorp. In other words…"Then, pointing at Helen with a smile, he finished, "You answer to her, Lanecorp's board chairwoman.""What?!" Helen was left gaping.On the other hand, Frank deliberately scowled when he saw Ted and his thugs gaping at him too. "What, are you saying no?""Of course not!" Ted exclaimed. "We'd never leave Zamri unless we really have to, since our friends and family are there. But…"As Ted trailed off awkwardly, Frank pressed, "But what?""But…"Ted was left staring at Frank, unable to say it.After all, Frank was just one man. Could he really defeat the ten martial artists among the ra
"Wait, don't pay your respects." Frank waved the Blue Fangs off. "I'm not interested in becoming a gang leader. Just watch yourselves and stay out of trouble."Then, handily grabbing Ted's mohawk and shaking it, Frank said, "Also, clean up your act. I will make arrangements for everyone to be given a set of uniform—starting today, you are all employees of Lanecorp's health and security department!""What?" Ted exclaimed, not quite understanding what was happening."What do you mean, 'what'?! Do you have something to say about that?" Frank demanded, glaring pointedly at the thugs.Most of them were quickly kneeling out of gratitude. The thug life was not at all their dream, since most of them were just scraping by. They simply had the poor fortune of an unfortunate birth, lack of education, and skill.As such, while some were resistant to the idea of being recruited by a major company, most of them appeared hopeful.One of them even mustered his courage and asked, "Excuse me, Mr.
After recruiting the Blue Fangs and arranging for them to keep watch over the projects just then, Frank had a weird troubled look on his face as soon as he got into his car."What's wrong, Frank?" Helen quickly asked."No…" Frank leveled a conflicted look at her but eventually resigned himself and sighed. "Well, I'll be frank—Your client Ms. Clarity is an assassin topping Blackrank.""What?!"Helen was stunned—she could tell from Clarity's presence that she was someone special, but a top assassin was still a stretch from what she expected.Stunned into silence, her throat was parched as she turned toward Frank, having trouble speaking. "Are you saying that Lanecorp should revoke her client status?""No, I don't mean that." Frank shook his head and explained thoughtfully, "She told me plainly who she was and didn't even hide her identity.""Well, what is she after?"Helen wheezed. "You?""Maybe." Frank nodded in somber agreement."Quit messing around, Frank!" Helen snorted. "I
Frank's tone was calm, as if he was merely stating a fact. "What's there to deny? Even if I spilled my guts, do you stand a chance against me? See, no one does!"The man was furious—he had met plenty of conceited individuals, but Frank definitely took the crown!And seeing that Frank was not even in his thirties and was definitely small fry, he did not hesitate to slam his palm on the ground, which promptly started to move! "Interesting!"Frank stood his ground instead of leaping away, staring cooly at the molehills that streaked toward him. Even as the molehills were reaching Frank's feet, the man was left wondering why Frank did not dodge when the unexpected happened.The molehills struck the brat, but he remained unscathed!Earthbending was their cabal's signature technique, capable of causing seismic tremors—even if it was no match for real earthquakes, most people would still have trouble dealing with it.They were either torn into pieces by the shockwave, though the mor
Frank waited for a taxi and headed to his destination. Soon, the taxi stopped outside a dilapidated apartment.As Frank alighted and stared at the cracks on every block or the shaky foundations, even he could tell that it was in such a bad state it must be demolished. Shaking his head, he sighed in exasperation and entered the fifth unit on the sixth floor of Block D.He knocked on the door, and a smiling geezer opened it as he studied him. "What can I do for you, sir?"Able to tell right away that he was special, Frank asked, "Let's just call it a visit. I heard you could craft mystic items?"The geezer laughed right then. "I knew it. The nail that sticks out really gets hammered! I just want to keep my head down and live out my days, but you found me anyway.""Please don't misunderstand, sir," Frank quickly said. "I'm no robber, and I'm not going to steal from you. As long as you assist me, I can do anything for you.""Let's talk inside." The geezer stepped aside to let Fr
The motel owner thought Frank was trustworthy and told him everything he knew."Good. Thanks for cooperation—now do it yourself."Frank snapped his fingers again, and the mystic gun returned, lying quietly beside the motel owner as if it never disappeared."What? You're a martial elite! Don't you think people would talk behind your back about our deceit?!"The motel owner thought Frank was joking, but his expression was not.As such he pinned his hopes on emotional blackmail, but Frank was impervious to that too, even chuckling. "What's there to worry about? It'd just be hearsay, and they would be gone a couple of centuries later."Also, everyone would only find out if I spared you instead of avenging your victims. Now that's proper evil. You're naive if you think that I'm not the scourge of injustice. You won't be getting any chances from me."Even as reality sank in for the motel owner, he cried, "Y-You can't do this! We had an agreement!"Frank shrugged. "First of all, I onl
The motel owner snorted. "You're all so ignorant! It's true that most guns are pointless against Ascendant ranks, but this is no ordinary gun—it's a mystical item refined by a master craftsman."Not only are the bullets much faster, the gun's penetration power is even more formidable. I used it to bury many while I was young—even martial elites like you!"Everyone became restless at those.However, while Drunken Moon and the others were worried, Frank was actually excited.Mystic items were a quintessential part of high fantasy, and he might reach a treasure trove through the master craftsman whom the motel owner spoke of."Aren't you scared?" the motel owner asked just then, puzzled seeing that Frank was fearless, even smiling.Frank chuckled. "Why should I worry about a mere toy? Start shooting if you want—I'm sure everyone's busy and has better things to do."The middle-aged man snapped, "You're getting too full of yourself, brat! That thing has clearly seen plenty of action
Drunken Moon was definitely not going to tolerate that, and she snapped, "What are you going to do if I don't apologize?"The motel owner growled coolly, "I've already shown you what I can do, and I don't mind showing it again. Don't take me for some angel—push me too far, and I'll even make you my slave."Drunken Moon was simply amused. "Then show me what you've got to grow as conceited as you are!"The middle-aged man was snapping at Drunken Moon even before the motel owner could. "Bitch, you can't even win against my friends! What, do you think you can challenge me just because you have your boy toy?"He's quick, but so what?! Speed is pointless against absolute power!"The motel owner certainly felt buoyed by the flattery. After all, one would never look a gift horse in the mouth, and there was no one who despised being praised.Spreading his arms, he laughed. "Come on—seeing those pretty cheeks of yours, let me give you a nice hug.""Go fuck yourself!" Drunken Moon snapped,
Frank gestured at the door with his chin, and everyone turned to see a diminutive man.Despite his small frame, his eyes made it clear he was no average Joe. There was also a spring in his step—clearly having treated himself physically."Hello, everyone. I'm the owner of this premises!"The owner was clearly not inclined for matters to escalate, which was why he never intervened.That was until the manager accidentally touched the pendant!It was a family heirloom that, according to the owner's forebears, had the power to eat through everything—it just had yet to be proven.Horrified, the manager told the owner everything, and he came over to check out the situation. He would deal with Frank and the rest of the troublemakers, only to run into the troublemakers first."You're no slouch yourself!"Cyclops was delighted and lunged straight at the owner without hesitation, his hands outstretched like talons.The owner did not even seem to move, but Cyclops somehow missed."Fall."
Drunken Moon laughed coolly. "You're the one who kept bragging so much at first, saying that the strong decide on justice. And now that I've beaten you, it makes everything I said right, no?"The middle-aged man smirked. "Really? You're good, but not that good—if you're that brave, let me go, and I will call in my boys so we can have a rematch!"Drunken Moon laughed. "Why would I be afraid of that? Though I'm sure you're just going to bail and never come back."The middle-aged man snapped, "Do you think everyone's like you?! If you're afraid, just say it out loud!""Fine, then go. Why are you still here?"Drunken Moon shrugged, even moving aside for him.The middle-aged man smirked as he pushed himself to his feet and fled—the bitch chose this, and she would only have herself to blame for it!The bellgirl was concerned and came over to Drunken Moon. "Priestess, are you sure this is going to be alright?"Drunken Moon laughed. "Don't worry—even if you doubt me, know that the boy
Her skin and fingers were rotting where the motel manager touched the pendant, as if being corroded by acid at a visible rate. Worst of all, she could not even feel any pain from it!"W-What's going on here?!"Horrified, the motel manager turned and ran.Drunken Moon was ready to give chase, but Frank stopped her. "She's not going to have it easy without her fingers. Let her go."Drunken Moon nodded and pointed at the pendant on the floor. "What the heck is that?"Frank then told her about Reverend Quietus, to which Drunken Room exclaimed, "You meant to say that there are bodies of energy that are basically identical to the paranormal that people speak of?"Frank nodded. "I'm sure it's not just rumors, with the way it remained over a thousand years—things like that do exist. But in the end, it's no different from a spell, and you can handle it if you're strong enough."Drunken Moon smiled. "That only applies to you. I don't know about anyone else, but I really can't deal with th
After she calmed down, the bellgirl took an interest in Frank. "Is he the one who could beat you?"It was the new age—ladies were not shy, and the bellgirl actually liked lookers like him."Hello." Frank greeted her, and she smiled in turn. "Sorry for having to bother you, handsome."She would really have asked for his number if circumstances allowed.That was when footsteps could be heard, and Frank glanced sideways outside as he told Drunken Moon, "Now's your chance for revenge. Don't hold back now.""You don't need to worry about that!" Drunken Moon exclaimed as she flexed her muscles—she was waiting for this moment.The motel manager led several burly men inside, standing at the center proudly like she owned the place. "That's for insulting me, bitch! Go! Show her who she was messing with!"Though the motel manager did not hesitate to send her men after Drunken Moon, Drunken Moon smirked, waiting until the bouncers were about to reach before punching them.Soon, they wer