As Burt took a seat, he chugged a bottle of beer and caught his breath before turning to Frank."It's about Ms. Noel York here…" Frank began."Wait, Noel York? As in the actress?" Burt turned toward Noel in shock and confusion. "What, you two know each other?" Frank asked, puzzled."No, we haven't met yet." Noel shook her head."No, we haven't." Burt chuckled. "It's just a coincidence… But the man I was chasing earlier used to be an accountant at your agency, Lycoris Entertainment.""What's that about?" Frank asked, his interest peaked."Actually, it's no big deal." Burt smiled. "The accountant was conspiring with Dylan Hood, the previous CEO, in falsifying company finances leading to the recent company acquisition. Dylan's now on the run, and he left that accountant behind to be his scapegoat.""What?!" Noel sprang to her feet, staring at Frank in disbelief. "O-Officer, are you saying that the Soranos' acquisition is technically invalid? The falsified accounts must mean that
Noel was left stunned by Frank's suggestion, since she never thought that Frank had the confidence to square off against the Soranos.What was more, he was already an enemy of the Lionhearts!Frank, however, paid her stare no attention as he continued planning. "So, I'll be building a biological preserve in the outskirts of Riverton, which can double as a film set with a star actress like you endorsing it. I'll also put money into making a film with you, some of which you could film at my resort. You could be doing stuff like tending to the farm and the like—stuff to make you appear no different from the common man. It's a lot of work, but we'd be drawing in tour groups and tourists with more humble circumstances…"Frank's mind went into overdrive as he elaborated on all the ideas he had.Noel's eyes lit up in turn, and when Frank was done, she had to admit that he had business acumen.A humble farm resort, combined with Draconia's top star actress, somehow did not appear to be a
Although Noel was hopeful for something to happen, it turned out that Frank just wanted to send her home and nothing more.Noel could not help feeling disappointed at that.Then, blushing crimson as she realized why, she threw herself in bed, keeping her face buried in the sheets.-On the other hand, Frank was in a great mood after leaving Noel's mansion.With the Hale Marrow he acquired in Norsedam, he would fulfill the claims he made for the farm resort and then some.And with Noel joining the team, it would be surprising if their promotion efforts actually failed.Still, there were some ideas that he would need his peak form to actually commit.As such, once he left Noel's mansion, he called Helen to tell her that Noel's issue was resolved, hanging up before Helen could ask for the details.He then drove to Flora Hall, and not seeing the Maybach identical to his, he knew Janet was not at work.He headed inside, buying some herbs that would complement the Hale Marrow's med
Plop!Seeming hearing Frank's bellow, a green droplet condensed within Frank's meridian nexus.Frank was shocked—he could not afford to have excess in his meridian nexus, though he soon calmed down.It was just pure vigor, refined down to the last particle.His remaining inner vigor was soon purified too, which would eventually be compressed again into a liquid form as he improved from Birthright rank to Ascendant rank. If pure vigor could kill effectively within ten paces, liquid vigor was beyond comprehension as its range extended over hundreds of meters.Naturally, it went without saying that it was far more devastating as well—even a finger shot of liquid vigor could punch through steel over a hundred meters away, making it more lethal than bullets.At that stage, one would have truly become superhuman—a monster in a man's skin.And as the liquid vigor in Frank's body increased, the pure vigor storm around him slowly subsided.When he was done cultivating and opening his
He then poured the emerald longevity essence into a pot and breathed a sigh of relief when everything was done.He looked outside to see that it was already late into the night.His room was a mess even without that huge hole on the wall, and his furniture was all in pieces.He stepped outside to find the mansion quiet and empty, save for note Helen left.She and everyone else had left. They would be staying at a hotel since she was worried about bothering Frank, but Carol had already cooked something for him and left it in the fridge.Frank chuckled after reading the note, touched by the feeling of familial warmth.Flexing his limbs, which creaked loudly, he headed off for a bath, and then took out the food from the fridge and wolfed down everything.While he ate, he then remembered his phone and found it from the mess of his room.The screen was cracked, but he could see the missed calls. Getting the backup phones around the mansion, he then called Burt. "Is it done?""Yes,
"You're… despicable!" Noel snapped, but she was horrified.She had protected her modesty in her years working in showbiz, and she would rather die than do porn!"Not really. You'll understand when you've had a taste of men… Hahaha!" Willy laughed as he pulled Noel into his arms, ready for some action.That was when the window beside him shattered as a thumb-sized cobblestone shot inside, hitting Willy's wrist with deadly precision."Argh!" Willy screamed like a gutted pig as his bones cracked audibly and clutched his bleeding wrist as he bellowed, "What the fuck?!"His bodyguards stationed outside heard the breaking glass and Willy's cry, and they promptly changed inside.All they found was Willy lying on the floor as he bled and screamed."There!" One of the bodyguards traced the hole to pinpoint the location of the attacker. "Search that location! How dare they attack Mr. Sorano under our noses!"At the same time, a man in a high collar suit strode out from another room in
Bang!Frank kicked a hole into Noel's mansion for the sake of efficiency, and it was still smoking as he strode inside through the debris.Willy and Noel were right there, and Noel screamed as she saw the golden eyes moving through the smoke."It's alright, Ms. York. I'm here to save you."Noel calmed down when she heard the mild voices, her pupils dilating in disbelief when she saw the towering figure striding inside. "M-Mr. Lawrence…""I'm here." Frank strode to her side, shielding her while everyone was still restless to prevent her from being used as a hostage.He studied her a little and breathed a sigh of relief—she only had a bathrobe covering her voluptuous figure, but Willy had yet to do anything to her.He made it just in time.Zam strode up just then, glowering at Frank as he barked, "Who are you?! You're intruding in the Soranos' turf, and you maimed the family heir!""The Soranos' turf?" Frank chuckled coolly as he subtly pulled Noel behind him. "All I know is tha
"I got it, Grandpa Zam!"That was when Willy, still grasping his bleeding wrists, snarled through the pain. "Just this morning, we were told that our acquisition of Lycoris Entertainment was invalidated after someone ratted out the falsified accounts." Glaring at the impassive Frank, he snapped furiously, "And the company that acquired Lycoris Entertainment soon after is a small company called Lane Holdings… and I remember a Frank Lawrence being one of the executives!""Hmm?" Zam frowned as he turned to Frank. "You're the one who interfered with my grandson's acquisition of Lycoris Entertainment?""Three."Frank did not bother wasting his breath, still impassive as he counted down."You bastard!" Zam snapped.It was the first time he was being belittled—he ranked above forty in Skyrank and was a Birthright rank, which was basically a great achievement in itself… only to be belittled in some hick town?!"Frank Lawrence, let me tell you who I am," he bellowed furiously. "People
The hag shook her head repeatedly. "No, this is impossible! Even if you're gifted, you wouldn't be this accomplished without giving blood and sweat!"Frank sighed. "Don't you know that Einstein revolutionized physics in his twenties? Prodigies don't simply possess extraordinary gifts—they can gain twice the success even with less effort than the average person, staying well beyond any of your reach."The hag smirked. "To be honest, I would have been willing to let you join us if not for your arrogance."At her words, the lotus she sat on turned pellucid like Frank's and started flashing in red light too.The crowd who was feeling just disappointed a second ago were once again thrilled, and the middle-aged man even dissed Frank. "And you call yourself a prodigy? You're just a bitch the way I see it—your red light only lasted that long!"The hag sighed. "Such a shame indeed!"The red light shot toward Frank as she finished but faded in an instant, and soon, the hag's lotus faded as
Frank ignored the hag and asked, "How many people do you have?""It doesn't matter," the hag growled coldly. "They're plenty enough to deal with you."Frank nodded and sat cross-legged, closing and resting his eyes while saying, "Go on. Call for them."The hag was curious. "You're only in your twenties—wherever did you get that confidence?"Frank chuckled. "You can identify a horse from a donkey by making it run, as they say."The hag would like to end him right there. But considering that this was an opportunity to train, and they were all safe with her around, she decided to play along and called for everyone.Soon, over a hundred people dressed like the hag arrived. All of them were ugly or had birth defects, which paints quite the amusing picture.A middle-aged man in shades strode up, studying Frank in interest. "Oh, quite the overachiever, aren't you? Reaching the Ascendant rank in your twenties…"Frank shot him a look and asked coolly, "How many people have you killed be
Frank yelled, "Tell me who your boss is, and I might spare your life! Otherwise, the glass shards on the door will be your doom."That certainly showed the woman that Frank was being honest, and that she misjudged men!Chuckling bitterly, she said, "I actually quite liked you, so I'd rather not speed you to your death. Know when to stop if you're really smart, kid."Frank laughed coolly. "If I was going to stop, would I have come after you or Horace at all?"Fear comes from the unknown, which is why people fear the dark and the paranormal. But when they emerge from it, they fear nothing!"The woman gaped at Frank in disbelief, surprised that someone like him existed in such a quiet corner in this world.Terrifying, yet not patient—his existence was way beyond her reach.But when it came to men like him, she was still all too happy to help him die for on reason!"Fine, I'll take you to her—just don't be disappointed in the gap of power. Try to keep your pride as you do now."Fr
"What the fuck do you want?!"It was the first time Horace had ever seen anyone do something like this.Frank was helping out of sheer conscience and clearly would not tolerate anyone who committed evils, even going all out to wipe them out.At the same time, he was also different from the rest. Cunning ploys and fancy tricks were pointless against him, and he did not care about his reputation as long as he achieved his goal.And when it came to personal ability, wit, and influence, Horace simply did not compare in any element. He was also experienced enough to see that compliance was his only chance against a character like Frank. But chance did not even mean surviving but a polite death, because Frank would not let someone like him live!Throwing up his hands, Horace exclaimed, "I-I'll tell you everything! Just kill me—don't throw me in jail, okay?!"Frank said nothing and waited until Horace confessed everything, and once he gathered sufficient information, he snapped his fi
"How did you get in here?"Before this, Horace had arranged a security detail of over a dozen men in case Frank came after him.Even if they were no match for Frank, they could at least buy time, while he would hear the commotion and flee!However, Frank simply appeared without a sound behind him, making it all the more horrific!"Simple, really."Frank smirked. "I knocked them all out quietly! But to be honest, it's your own fault for not hiring martial artists despite being so rich. It's what you deserve.""You can kill me, but what's going to happen to the girl's parents?"Horace smirked, still confident in his own advantage as he waved his phone at Frank.It was a simple gesture to tell him that he was ready to take Aisling's parents down with him.Frank simply ignored him. "The assassin you sent was quite something, to be honest. Pretty face, and that mole under her eye… She's really special."Horace lost all composure right then—that could only mean that Frank had met h
"Got it!"The woman hung up and used her other phone to call Aisling again. "Lady, you will do everything we say. To put it harshly, you're now a slave—you don't get to refuse us!""Is that so?"Just as the woman finished, the window suddenly crashed open, and someone zoomed inside!Even before she could react, she was held firmly in place by the shoulder.Seeing the handsome face and knowing it was the martial elite who took down the dozenish goons sent by the cottage, she exclaimed in shock, "H-How did you find me?""Did you think I can't find you just because you're on the move?"Frank smirked as he pointed outside. "First and foremost, finding your name is simple since I have the means to find your number and therefore personal details. Also, this vehicle is registered under your name—and with the support of the most advanced GPS systems, it'd be shocking if I couldn't find you."In fact, Frank already knew the woman would not hang around in Aisling's home and called Jouri
Other factors aside, pride matters more than anything else when a person gets rich, and Horace absolutely refused to be mocked as a coward."Don't worry about it. I have other arrangements in place," he said. He then told the middle-aged man to leave and called a mysterious number.-An hour later, Frank was speaking with the intern at his homestay cottage when her phone rang.Taking it out and seeing an unfamiliar number, she knew right away that it was from the Mount Statera's management and turned on the speakers despite her curiosity as she answered."Aisling Walls, was it? Your name has a nice ring to it!" A playful, feminine voice giggled eerily from the other end."What's it to you?" Aisling snorted in annoyance. "Mess around, and I'll call the cops on you!"The woman was not intimidated at all, even laughing icily. "Go on, but your parents will die if you do."Aisling was stunned, shaking her head as she cried, "No, that's impossible… How could you know where I live?"
The middle-aged man frowned.He knew that the intern and the chief ranger would take convincing, but they did not even care to listen. "Actually, neither of you have any control over your lives now."And with that, he turned to leave.This was a homestay, after all—a fight would only further complicate the situation, which was why he did not want to do it here.However, just because he could bear with it did not mean that Frank could. "Hold it. Don't you think you're disrespecting me by leaving so quickly?"The middle-aged man stopped and turned, seemingly interested. "And where did you get the confidence to threaten me?"Frank simply smiled.At the very next instant, the middle-aged man and his dozen goons were sent flying.Then, even before they could get up, Frank had already cut up and stamped his foot on the middle-aged man's face."W-Who the hell are you?"He had worked for Horace for a while, but someone as bothersome as Frank was the first.Even if he was stupid, he
The chief ranger sighed. "I can understand being altruistic, kid, but strength doesn't solve all problems."Frank laughed. "Are you sure I'm just good in a fight? The behavior of upper management is definitely terrible—if someone like me would simply let it slide, what would happen to the ordinary folk?"The chief ranger no longer hesitated and told the intern everything he knew.Soon, her article blew up on the internet, with netizens everywhere outraged.Management naturally could not just let it slide.Horace Gagne, the person in charge, promptly sent his people after the intern and the chief ranger, only to find that they were both in Frank's homestay cottage.As both groups convened, they reported to Horace right away despite their surprise.Horace was certainly no fool—he knew that someone was setting this scene.But so what about it? He had plenty of ways to bury his opponent.And with that, his thugs all stormed into the first floor living room to find Frank seated on