"You can name any price," the foreign businessman continued in broken Draconian. "We've heard you mentioning that the effect of the herb is mystical, as it would prolong a person's lifespan. "That's why Mr. Bozad sent me—I'm sure you're aware of his reputation, so I hope you won't try to pull a con, Mr. Droitner.""Of course." Huub looked utterly confident. "Mr. Bozad has my assurance that should the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom not work as intended, Droitner Inc. has no qualms going down as punishment."The foreign businessman nodded in satisfaction, while Huub turned to the other foreign businesspeople. "Esteemed guests, the tour of the exhibition is now over. You may rest at the lodgings I've arranged for you—please look forward to Droitner Inc.'s presentation of our new exhibition items tomorrow."Huub stood in the exhibition hall, watching as the foreign businesspeople left, his eyes flashing coldly."Come here." He snapped his fingers.A goon arrived, bowing respectfully. "Yes,
As soon as Frank and Madfist arrived in Bralog, they were greeted by the billboards and roadside banners. Every single one welcomed the arrival of foreign guests to an exhibition of Draconia's culture, with Droitner Inc. being specified as the chief sponsor.Frank smiled—what a coincidence, as this really spared him from having to search for them.He asked a random pedestrian about the location and headed over right away.In Frank's mind, Huub was a dead man, as Frank would make him pay for all the atrocities he had committed in Zamri.-Meanwhile, Huub was stirring in bed when he received a call from one of his goons. "Mr. Droitner, we've received word from Lanecorp that Frank Lawrence is heading to Bralog with the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom.""What?!" Huub was more delighted than surprised, and he laughed heartily. "I'm actually shocked… he's bringing it straight to me! Oh, what sincerity!"However, his goon was instead concerned. "But don't you think it might be a trap, sir?""A
"What's on your mind, kid?"Meanwhile, both Frank and Madfist had arrived at the exhibition hall.It was not congested, but there was a crowd nonetheless, with many foreigners among them.Droitner Inc.'s goons and bodyguards were on hand to take care of security. One could easily spot them from their uniforms, which all had a large 'D' pin on their lapels.Frank was riding shotgun and thought about it before answering, "Thanks to the information we've gathered, the exhibition lasts a week, and Huub will be present every day. So, I'll stay here and deal with him."Pausing, he turned toward Madfist and added, "As for the hostages… I'm afraid I'd have to trouble you."As a veteran martial artist, Madfist had no arguments against that. However, he was frowning. "I have no problems with splitting up, but do you know where the hostages are?""That's easy."Frank alighted, and as Madfist looked on, he walked straight toward one of the Droitner Inc. bodyguards.He said something to
As the bodyguard slowly stirred, the first thing he saw was Madfist's kindly, if scrawny face."You're…"He was still dazed at first, before he smacked himself in the head.Then, scrambling to whip out his phone, he cried, "Wait! Someone just said they saw Frank Lawrence. I need to tell Mr. Droitner…""Kid."Madfist held up his phone, chuckling. "You suddenly passed out, and you broke your phone when you dropped it.""What?!" The bodyguard stared blankly as he took back his phone and saw the hairline cracks all over the screen."Well, how about this, kiddo?" Madfist smiled. "I'll take you where you'd like to go—although you're paying me a fare."The bodyguard did a double take, but he soon smiled gratefully, almost wondering why Madfist was so oddly nice."Well… Thank you very much! I need to tell Mr. Droitner that Frank Lawrence is at the exhibition hall right away…"He then mused to himself for a moment before looking up and exclaiming, "Why don't you take me to Mr. Droitne
The two bodyguards could immediately tell what Johnny wanted, and one of them pursed his lips. "Just go. I will tell Mr. Droitner that Frank Lawrence showed up—don't worry, no one will steal your reward.""Thanks, bro!" Johnny was delighted and kept bowing at the bodyguard, who only waved him off and said nothing.However, just as he was about to turn and leave, he found himself staring at the old driver's face as he quietly stood behind him."Woah!"Johnny flinched at the sight. "Oh, you scared me, sir! What are you still doing here? Wait, this is good. You can give me a ride back."Madfist merely chuckled and shook his head."What, do you want more money?"Johnny frowned, a little annoyed. "I just gave you two hundred. Isn't that enough for a round trip?""No, kid." Madfist chuckled. "I just don't have the time to drive you because I have other things to do."Johnny was left drawing a blank. "Other things?""Yes. Other things."The old man smiled and slowly walked up to th
When the bodyguard heard the word 'hostages', his pupils dilated, revealing his thoughts.For a veteran martial artist like Madfist, that could well be an admission.He was now clearly stubbornly refusing to speak, and the panic on his face was from fear of reprisals.Hence, Madfist eased his grip around his neck and gently coaxed, "You know about the hostages and where they are, but you can't talk. After all, you'd be made to suffer if you betray Droitner Inc., right?"The bodyguard gulped and nodded slightly, even as Madfist still held his neck."But have you thought about it this way…?"Madfist grinned. "That you'd suffer anyway if you don't talk?""Huh?!"The bodyguard's eyes widened at Madfist's threat, even as Madfist held up two fingers right in front of his eyes.Then, even as Madfist kept laughing, he breathed a sinister threat that would leave anyone flinching. "I will first gouge out your eyes and feed them to you, then crush your groin under my foot. After that, I
For some reason, Johnny stood spacing out for a long while after Madfist entered Huub's coastal mansion.Also, for some reason, he then followed Madfist inside, either to judge or as a spectator to see if Madfist and the youth named Frank Lawrence had what it took to bring down Droitner Inc.For his part, Madfist was not concerned.Even as he entered the mansion, the old man was still grinning broadly—it was a ruse, so that the mansion's security guards would lower their guard.And the instant they did, Madfist would move, swift as lightning and killing with a single strike.Even as the security guards died without knowing what had hit them, Madfist continued to strut, heading right into Huub's study and finding the button under his desk.Beep.The bookshelf behind Madfist opened with a jingle, revealing a staircase leading to the basement.His eyes turned sharp right then, as he sensed the presence of several martial elites.It was clear that Droitner Inc. really had what it
As time passed, Droitner Inc. found out about Tet Boran as well.While they had heard of him before, they were not acquainted with the man, not to mention that they were not important enough to become his close associate.As such, they started making certain alterations so that their replicas appeared even more authentic, though they had only started recently and worked with utmost secrecy. It was why Tet himself had never heard about what Droitner Inc. was up to, or he would have punished them, given his temper.Nonetheless, when Huub pointed out Tet's smartly concealed seal, the foreign businesspeople were all nodding, clearly showing interest.As with the usual trend, they would acquire these treasures from Droitner Inc. and resell them for over double the cost.That was no issue with Tet's seal of approval, and some of the foreign businesspeople were even quietly asking Huub for the price.However, while Huub was grinning broadly and about to announce the price, someone bel