Kait was staring at Frank in terror—the man was too fast!Seeing that he could not run, he began begging, "Please, man—just let me go! It's all my fault… I'll apologize! I'll pay!""I gave you a chance," Frank said icily as he slowly strode up to him, "but you didn't take it.""Y-You can't kill me! There are cameras here… You'll end up in prison!" Kait exclaimed despite his agony.Frank looked up at that and spotted the hallway cameras, which were leveled squarely at them.Seeing that he was law-abiding, Kait breathed a long sigh of relief. "Haha! I'm right, aren't I?"Winter and her friends including Zeb arrived just then.They had followed Kait and Frank upstairs and were not about to stay and wait in their room for no reason."Mr. Lawrence…" Winter murmured, not wanting Frank to end up in jail as well. "Don't stoop to his level. Calling the cops is the best choice here."Frank glanced at her.He was not actually wary about the cameras—he would just rather not have to kill
Kait turned stiffly toward Frank, as if his joint had rusted.He never imagined that the brat would know Kurt. To make things worse, Kurt was respectful—even deferring to him!Who the hell was he?"It's my sister's birthday," Frank said quietly just then. "I came to celebrate with her, but that bastard over there demanded her to be his hostess.""What?!" Kurt was furious—biological connections notwithstanding, if Frank said Winter was her sister, then she was his sister.Kait must have lost his marbles to have asked her to be his hostess!If anything, he really should not have bothered to talk to Kait at all earlier!Glaring murderously at Kait, Kurt promptly shoved his shoe on his face. "Are you fucking with me? Telling Mr. Lawrence's sister to be your hostess?!"Kait was trembling all over in terror, truly horrified just then. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stinson. I'm so sorry… Please have mercy…" Kurt turned toward Frank. "What should we do with him?"Frank remained impassive as he sa
Winter slowly turned toward the old man and found him staring fixedly on her chest.She became nervous and tightened her collar in response—could he be some pervert?Frank turned when he heard the old man's voice, and frowned when he saw what the old man was doing.Kurt hurried back to the old man right then. "Is there a problem, Mr. Looman?"Iker Looman was actually a famous jeweler based in Riverton. It would be bad if word got out, what with the way Iker was staring at Winter.Iker, however, ignored Kurt and hurried to Winter's side. "Miss, may I ask where you got that pendant from?"Winter lowered her eyes in turn to glance at the pendant before her chest. "Mr. Lawrence gave it to me for my birthday," she said, turning toward Frank.Kurt then introduced Iker. "Mr. Lawrence, this is Iker Looman, the second eldest son of Riverton's Loomer family. He's a famous jeweler in this region."In fact, he was just taking shop with Iker, only to be surprised by the geezer's… tastes.
Iker was still staring yearningly at Winter. "So? What do you think, miss?"Winter was pensive for a while but eventually said hesitantly, "T-This is a present from Mr. Lawrence. I-I won't sell it."Sure, she could sell it and get rich in an instant, but that was exactly it—it was too precious to be sold.Moreover, what would Frank think of her if she did sell it?Frank was profoundly pleased with her decision—at the very least, she was not the type who could be bought.Iker shook his head in disappointment in turn. "Oh, terrible shame. No worries—I won't push for you to sell it, though I shall mourn that I missed out on such a masterpiece."Still, he was not one who gave up easily as he turned to Frank. "May I ask where you bought that pendant from, Mr. Lawrence? That's a piece by none other than Carl Weaver—I'd certainly like an introduction."Kurt smiled as well. "Mr. Looman here loves his gems. Do introduce him if you can, Mr. Lawrence. Of course, it goes without saying that
Fred gently patted Winter's head. "Don't worry. She's going to be fine—I've already arranged for a specialist for her."Beside him, the woman wearing extensive makeup spoke up. "It's just her old age showing. Why go through all that trouble? What a waste of money."Frank frowned at those words and turned toward the woman.He immediately recognized her—it was the top sales girl from that dealership he visited before.However, she had been thoroughly dismissive of him and Janet Zimmer…"And you are?" he asked.Fred introduced, "This is my girlfriend, Marian Henley, and this is Frank Lawrence… A friend."Marian did a double take when she glanced at Frank. "It's you…?""Yes. We meet again," Frank said impassively, his tone flat."Oh… You've met before?" Fred asked in curiosity."Yeah, of course," Marian said, quickly getting up and batting her eyelashes endlessly at Frank. "He came to my dealership—you should have said you were Fred's friend. I could've given you a discount.""I
Frank stared at Marian as she flirted at him like a skank, and he sighed. "Get along with Fred, and I'll make your life better—or better than it is now, at least. But if all you can think about is riding men on your way to the top, I'd rather you stay away from him."Marian never expected Frank to be impervious, completely ignoring her advances!"So pretentious…" She snorted. "No one would be the wiser if neither of us talk about it, y'know?"Seeing that she was completely unrepentant, Frank growled, "Get out of my sight.""What?" Marian did not expect that from him either.Nonetheless, Fred arrived at the doorway, and Marian promptly jumped away from Frank."Oh, what are you doing here, Marian? Mr. Summer is here," Fred said.Marian's anger faded from his face right then, replaced by delight as she exclaimed, "Oh, Mr. Summer's here? Well, where is he?"With those words, they both left the staircase.Frank followed them back to Carol's ward and found a middle-aged man in a sui
Brock was completely ingratiating himself as he asked, "Hello, Dr. King? Are there any special care wards available in Riverton City Hospital… What, the last one was just booked? Well, can't you pull some strings for me—"The doctor on the other end hung up on Brock before he could finish, and he was left staring at the blank screen and grumbling, "Fuck! All those goodies I've been giving you… It's all for nothing!"Marian entered the men's room just then. "Mr. Summer…"Brock jumped as he turned. "Oh, it's you, Marian… What's up?""Did you get the special care ward, Mr. Summer?" Marian asked in curiosity.Brock patted his chest confidently. "It's just a room. It's as good as done."Marian smiled and promptly pressed herself against Brock as she grinned. "You're so amazing, Mr. Summer…""What, you have something else to say?" Brock grinned, his eyes watching her with as much glee as lust.Marian winked and giggled. "It's a little noisy here… Why don't we talk someplace quieter?"
Fred was stupefied and confused right then. "Uh… Why?"Frank thought about it. "You and your girlfriend are completely different people."Fred frowned right then. "What are you talking about? My family's business is none of yours—don't even think about meddling." Completely oblivious to Marian's endless duplicity, Fred believed that Marian was kind, caring, and tactful. Moreover, she was always accepting of him despite his modest income—how dare some outsider like Frank criticize her?!Frank was stumped.He hesitated again but insisted, "I don't want to meddle either. It's just a piece of advice.""Enough! Get out of here, you're not needed here!" Fred snapped at him, rolling his eyes.Winter returned just then, and seeing Fred snapping at Frank, she promptly asked, "What's wrong, Fred?""Nothing," Fred told her before turning and bellowing at Frank again, "Don't you ever come looking for your sister again! You have no chance with her!"Frank shook his head exasperatedly. "
Frank snorted. "Alright, I'm hanging up. I'm getting started over here soon.""Yeah. Good luck," Jouri replied.Hanging up, Frank looked up at the waterfall overhead, and then at Skyler, who was standing beside him. "So? Is it time yet?""Almost… Now!" Skyler's eyes were glowing even as she stared at her watch."Alright."Frank looked up just as the skies abruptly darkened. "Ah, there it is—the eclipse."The sun seemed to disappear, and the world was suddenly shrouded in darknesses.And beside him, a stone door imbued with the power of the spiritron vein also rumbled as it parted."Got it!" Frank rushed inside without another word as soon as he saw it."Hmph. I'm surprised that you could reach this place." A cold, wrathful voice resounded inside even before Frank got a hold of his surroundings.Looking up, Frank found a youth in a black cossack and sporting grey-white hair, standing upon a cliff as he looked down on him.Frank chuckled. "Hehe. Like I said, I've come to kill
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?'Crane shrugged. "I don't mind giving it to you straight—members of Torrent are actually… Ahem. A part of Torrent himself."Frank paused. "What's that supposed to mean?""You don't get it, do you?" Crane grinned. "Then let me put it to you this way—every member is a clone of Torrent.""A clone?" Frank gasped in realization."Yes," Crane nodded. "That's why I believe that challenging Crane is just suicide. You have no idea how powerful he is—only death awaits you down that path."Frank smirked. "Oh, but I don't think so."Crane rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever—now listen closely. You will find Torrent in the Mystic Trail, but you would only find that place when the sun and moon coincide, and the entrance is beneath the waterfall south of Horton."As he finished, he snorted coldly. "I have no idea if you can actually do it, but I'm hoping you do kill him… Heh. I'm getting tired of being stuck under his control for so long."Then, waving off
Frank abruptly turned, immediately noticing one of the Cranes crouching, ready to spring forward and blindside him."Got you!" He laughed."Hah! You fell for it!"Just as Frank swung a punch to pulverize that Crane, he suddenly burst into pus that splashed at Frank's face."Damn it!" Frank took a step back, surprised that the clone's presence was identical to the real Crane, and a trap on top of that!"Die!"The Cranes around him each whipped out a dagger, all of them stabbing at Frank at the same time."Get off!" Frank bellowed, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the Cranes flying across all directions."Frank! Above you!" Skyler suddenly shrieked."Yes! I'm right here!" A strange laughter sounded above Frank just as he wiped the pus off his face.Crane was suddenly directly above him, launching an aerial kick straight at Frank's head, and Frank had no time to dodge!"Die!" Crane's smile curled into a twisted angle as he saw that too.He was very confident with this kick
"Disgusting…" Skyler murmured through her hand.Despite being skinned and scalped, the women were all still alive and singing to the music that was playing despite their anguish."Talk about a terrible fetish."Frank was scowling too—why were all the members of Torrent such sick deviants? It seemed like his plan to wipe them out was absolutely correct!"So, you killed my clone?"The lanky man on the couch slowly turned to level his bloodshot eyes at Frank.His lips were wet with bed as they curled upward into an eerie smile."Clone?" Frank narrowed his eyes."Hehe. It's a sage art."Crane shrugged as he stood up and wiped the blood off his lips. "It's only natural that you don't understand… Still, you deserve praise. If you can kill my clone, that means you're not just slightly stronger than Ghost."Naturally, the man was none other than the real Crane.Still, as Skyler studied him from a corner, even she could notice the strange twitch of his fingers, and his veins were pro
Even as Crane ran, he was looking over his shoulder, his heart pounding. "No… I won't win in a one-on-one!"No, as long as I get back to my real body… we can do this together!" He frowned, having seen how Frank sliced off the pinkies of those hood rats. It hence quickly dawned on him that Frank was not just slightly stronger than Ghost, as Torrent had put it!"Almost there!" He gasped when he saw the signboard of Pegasus Showtown in the distance. "As long as I get there and rendezvous with my real body, that brat will lose—"That was when he turned and saw that a shadow had caught up with impossible speed."What?!" Crane's eyes almost popped out in bewilderment. "What speed is that?! Are you kidding—"Even as he spotted the shadow, the shadow turned into a youth with an impassive visage.His fist outstretched, he was clearly punching toward Crane's forehead!"Argh…"Even as Crane looked on, the youth's punch slowed down by tenfold, but his fist kept closing in.Then, whe
Seeing Skyler sigh, the tattooed thug presumed that his extortion worked.He strode up, grabbing Frank's shoulder. "No one's gonna help you, boy. Pay up, or you're not leaving.""Exactly! You're not getting away!" the crowd of hood rats hollered. "Last chance."Frank's eyes were cold and fixed on Dani, however. "Are you going to intervene? If you do, you can keep that check. If you don't…""Ugh. Fuck off! I don't care!" Dani spat, her expression smug as she folded her arms before her chest. "Who do you think you are to threaten me?!""Exactly! Pay up, and you can leave!""Yeah! Ten grand, at least!""You probably don't know my boss Wyvern, but when he's here, you won't get away with just ten grand!"Even as the crowd closed in, Frank shook his head. "Well, you had your chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.""You're giving us a chance?! Hah! Who—argh!"Even before Dani could finish gloating, Frank was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her viciously by the wrist."Arg
"Five grand?! Did you hear that?! He just threw five grand!""Must be a rich kid coming here for a secret rendezvous, out of prying eyes? Those types are the easiest mark!""Fuck! And Dani got one of us… It hurts me more than losing at the races!"Frank could hear the buzz around him but ignored it as he strode past the men flanking him and headed toward the street that stank of blood."Stop!" A big tattooed man grinned sinisterly as he intercepted Frank.As his buddies encircled Frank as well, Frank snorted—it seemed that they took his reaction for a sign of weakness and thought that he could be cowed.The tattooed man rubbed his chin as he leered at Skyler's voluptuous figure, chuckling. "Look, boy. I'm short on cash, so let me take a loan. I'll pay you back some other day, how about that?"His friend laughed. "Exactly! You just gave Dani five grand, and we won't ask for more… just four, how about that?"Skyler scowled in turn and glanced worriedly at Frank beside her—was he
Frank himself had just stepped out of the nightclub when his eyes narrowed."Blood," he murmured, his nostrils twitching."Blood?"Skyler sniffed the air, puzzled. "I can't smell it.""It's from the opposite street… I smell the blood of over a dozen people.""A dozen?!" Skyler did a double take.He could identify the number of people who were killed?! That was just ridiculous!"Come on, let's take a look."Just as Frank led the way toward the source of the stench, a woman suddenly came up, catching Frank off guard and throwing herself into his arms."Hmmm?" He looked down to see that she had thick makeup, average looks, and a rather pudgy belly."Argh! He touched me!" she pointed at Frank and shrieked even before he realized what was happening."What?!" Skyler was staring at the woman too, mystified."Oh, sister! You just didn't see it!"The woman kept hollering, pointing at Frank's face. "Your boyfriend grabbed my ass! Is that how you teach him manners?!""Teach him ma
Wyvern screamed even as he clutched the stump that was his hand, screaming so shrilly one might mistake his voice as inhuman."Oh, just shut up." The lanky man glowered and launched a kick, reducing Wyvern into puddles of blood and pieces of innards, splattering all around the lobby. "Argh!!!" the devilish lady screamed as she watched the carnage unfolded."Another sound, and you'd end up just like him." The lanky man turned and frowned at her impatiently."Hngh…" The devilish lady promptly clasped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she trembled."What the hell?!"Outside, Wyvern's lackeys heard the screams and ran inside, looking for him. "Hey, where's Wyvern?!"However, the lobby was too dimly lit for them to notice the blood and guts scattered around the walls, and they only sensed that terrible stench."Hngh…" The devilish lady was too scared to speak, and tears trickled out of her eyes."Fuck!"One of the lackeys strode up and seized the lanky man