The woman looked at Sieg with admiration. With just one move, Sieg could play out the plan to his desire. He worked behind the scenes, finishing his opponents from miles away. It was not just flattery. Sieg’s reputation for wisdom in Geranium City was well-deserved.To the woman, Sieg was the perfect man. Sieg smiled broadly. “I hope Kaze doesn’t die so easily. I finally found someone who piqued my interest, so it would be a shame if he died too soon.” … Kaze, Darco, and Albert were having a drink at the military command in Lilyrose Strategic Department. After every battle they fought in the war, Kaze would organize a get-together and drink with his buddies to let loose. Not one to be a snob, Kaze mingled with his men like buddies. His comrades-in-arms would not keep their distance from Kaze because of his senior position in private. They opened up to him. “Drink up! Remember the last time we drank together? Or was it the time before the last?” Albert tipsily r
“That’s exactly why Magnus spread the rumors. He’s dug a hole for you to jump in.“He has a trap laid out for you when you go there. “But it’ll look like you chicken out if you don’t go.” Draco nodded and chimed in, “That’s right. That’s what the bastard wants.” They saw through Magnus’ evil plan. Still, Draco, Albert, and Kaze were relaxed and even disdainful. Magnus was nothing but a buffoon in their eyes. Even if Kaze went to Westeros, crushing the Viper’s Den’s branch there was a piece of cake. Any manipulation was useless in the face of absolute power. “Are you going to Westeros?” Albert asked in anticipation. It had been a long time since Kaze started anything. Albert was desperate for Kaze to head to Westeros and crush the Viper’s Den’s branch. “As if.” Kaze retorted gleefully before uttering indifferently, “Magnus isn’t worth my time to Westeros.“But Magnus can come to me.” Kaze’s eyes turned icy. The Viper’s Den was becoming a constant annoyan
Many knew by now that the Viper’s Den’s Nether Viper Sword was in Kaze’s possession. Hence why the Viper’s Den made a huge fuss, and Magnus, the leader of the branch in the West State demanded Kaze to deliver the sword in three days and apologize on his knees. All eyes were on Kaze. Kaze messed with the wrong people this time. The very name of the Viper’s Den sent shivers down many spines.Many believed that Kaze would head to Westeros and present the Nether Viper Sword to Magnus on his knees before the three days were up. However, news arrived of multiple attempts to sell the Nether Viper Sword through auction houses.One name entered everybody’s mind right away. Kaze. Since Kaze stole the Nether Viper Sword, it could only be him who was planning to auction it off. Kaze had the nerve. He was playing with fire. The news was quite a bombshell. No one expected Kaze to try and sell the Nether Viper Sword. He was definitely getting under the Viper’s Den’s skin.
“Dallas Moneylender isn’t afraid of Viper’s Den? How much are they taking?” Kaze was furious. Dallas Moneylender was an underground money laundering organization and theoretically, they should be afraid of the Viper’s Den, one of the official authorities. Viper’s Den’s main responsibility was to control the underground factions across the country. It was not exaggerating to say that Viper’s Den was Dallas Moneylender’s bane. However, since Dallas Moneylender prioritized profits and money, as long as they could reap sufficient reward from the auction, they might take the risk and hold the auction of the Nether Viper Sword. Kaze was curious how much Dallas Moneylender was taking. Auction houses usually offer a certain percentage of commission from the final auction price. It was not fixed, so the number entirely depended on how high the bidding could go. “Mr. Chairman, Dallas Moneylender has been around for a hundred years, as long as the Viper’s Den. They have people all
“Then do you think Kaze can make it this time?” the woman asked curiously. Even though Kaze was able to force Magnus out of his turf by auctioning the Nether Viper Sword, the man was still the branch leader of the Viper’s Den in the West State. Magnus had access to all resources, connections, and branches in the entire West State. He was a force to be reckoned with. Kaze might be slightly powerful in Lilyrose but his powers and resources were nothing compared to Magnus’. Sieg shook his head. “I can’t tell. Logically, I think Kaze is dead meat. Though a part of me wants him to perform another miracle. “Only then he is worthy to be my opponent, my grinding stone that I can hone my skills with. Let’s just wait and see…” As Sieg’s voice grew softer, the courtyard returned to peace and quiet. …Viper’s Den Westeros branch. Magnus sat on his executive chair, emotionless and silent. “Branch Leader, the representatives from thirty-five branches asked why can’t we deal with a
On the second day, the auction proceeded as planned. After Kaze sent Darcy off to work, he strolled back to the entrance of Skylar View District. “Brother!” Conan, who had been waiting since early in the morning, came over attentively. Kaze glanced at him and asked, “How’s your hand?” “Nothing to worry about.” Conan smiled and waved his hand around to show that he was fine. Kaze nodded. “Come on, let’s go get your revenge.” He had gotten news that Magnus left West State last night and had already arrived at South River State. The upcoming auction would surely be a party. Dallas Moneylender rented the exhibition center for the auction, which was the same place where Rove held their investment auction. Kaze did not grant any backdoor access to Dallas Moneylender to rent the place, nor did he inform the city council about the auction. Even though Dallas Moneylender Lilyrose Branch had been eliminated, their influence in the city remained strong. Given how strong
Kaze did not mind the authenticity of Honey’s words. If Dallas Moneylender had the nerve to come to him for revenge, he would just eliminate them all once more. “Mr. Lee, please wait at the VIP lounge area. I still have to welcome other guests. There are quite a number of VIPs attending the auction today.” Honey told one of her men to lead Kaze to the lounge area before she went off. After Kaze and Conan sat down, more guests were being brought into the VIP lounge. A tall young woman with a hair bun walked in surrounded by people. Conan was surprised to see the young woman. He leaned closer to Kaze and whispered, “Bro, this woman is Ruth Wyrm, one of the leaders of Dragon’s Nest in South River State. Like Hannah Delmore, she’s also one of the young prodigies…” Before he could finish, he realized Kaze was looking behind him with an interesting look. “Bro, what’s the matter?” He instinctively turned around and saw Ruth behind him, staring at him fiercely. He was not a
Kaze put the Nether Viper Sword away and said, “Since Conan started it, I’ll let you off the hook this time. There won’t be a next.” “Hmph!” Ruth grunted coldly but dared not continue the argument with Kaze. She was no idiot. From the moment Kaze successfully ambushed her, she knew she was no match for him. She knew Kaze defeated Hannah and two teams of Viper’s Den’s agents. She was skeptical at first but after the brief encounter, she was forced to accept the fact. Kaze ignored the young woman. He was not trying to be arrogant or overprotective of his followers, but because the auction would be flooded with people from different factions. It was necessary to ensure his and Conan’s safety. Ruth was from the Dragon’s Nest, so it was almost certain that the Wolf’s Den and Tiger’s Cave would also send representatives over. After all, it was uncommon to see Viper’s Den in shame. Based on how fierce and rude Ruth was to Conan, it was no surprise that people from the four
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening
“Tsk. Hold on.” Vexed, the man clicked his tongue and then waved at his colleague. “Come here. Someone fainted. Help me get him out.” The man wanted to take the professor out of the container. Manson’s heart pounded as he listened to the man. He was afraid he might be exposed, but there was no turning back now—he had to play along. Kaze stood behind the door, calming his breath down to lower his presence. “Get back. Stay away from the door. If anyone gets close, don’t blame me for being rough,” said the man as he unlocked the container. He opened the door and saw a number of hostages still sleeping. He then looked at the professor on the floor. He went closer to nudge him but did not get a response. It seemed like the professor needed medical attention. “Come on. Help me get him out.” The other man outside the container was on edge, looking as if he would pull the trigger at the slightest movement. “Why don’t we do it?” Callahan and Miguel volunteered. “You two
“It’s freaking troublesome.” “Boss, don’t worry about it. We’ll get an update tomorrow.” “Yeah. It’s late. Get some rest.” Tiguan’s men told him to get some rest and not worry so much. A few of them were already snoring on the chair. Tiguan sighed and killed the cigarette. He then closed his eyes to get some rest, too. The container that Kaze was in fell into silence once more. No one dared to make any noise but they all looked at Kaze, hoping to find out about his plans. Kaze’s eyes remained fixed on the window and showed no intention of revealing his thoughts. Miguel and Callahan were annoyed by the other hostages. “If you people want to get out of here alive, you better cooperate or come up with your own idea. No one is responsible for saving you.”“Yeah. I don’t want you guys to turn on us after we do all the heavy lifting. It will cost us our lives and you people won’t even be grateful.” Miguel’s tone was sarcastic because he disliked how the others looked at t
Kaze read the hostages’ minds and refused to be used. He wanted to leave but not under such circumstances. “That’s not true. We just don’t have the skills for this kind of situation. You guys are stronger, of course, you should be in the front,” said the man in glasses and a suit. A hint of sharpness gleamed in his eyes. Miguel knew what the man was planning, either. “That’s some plan you have there. You are just trying to use us to escape this place and no matter what happens, you’ll win.” “That’s not it! I just want everyone to stand together and get out of this place. I’ve never thought of using anyone!” the man argued, trying to look innocent. Even a monkey knew what he was planning, yet no one dared to speak up because they would benefit from it too. “Why don’t you guys think of something? If you need our help, we’ll help,” said another middle-aged gentleman who looked more just and fair, as if he could lead the group. “Then what is your plan?” Kaze suddenly wante
The hostages were locked up in the containers. Some of them were elites in their own field while some were ordinary people with average income, yet all of them got into trouble when they boarded the plane. Most of them could not accept their fate. Yet they dared not defy or resist the mercenaries. When things started to calm down, they broke down in tears, weeping in silence as resentment consumed them. Kaze sat down at a clean corner that allowed him to look outside the window. The window was dirty but at least he could see outside. The space inside the container was filled with people sitting closely, offering comfort to one another. They were aware they were just temporarily safe in this container. No one knew what the mercenaries would do to them at the next moment. “My parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I can’t even get in touch,” Barney muttered as he sat beside Kaze. He too looked outside the window, his feelings mixed. He watc
Kaze thought of what he had overheard in the toilet. If he told the hostages about that, they would probably panic. “It’s nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,” he said. He did not want to reveal too much because it would cause panic. Once the hostages knew their lives were on the line, things might spiral out of control. The mercenaries could kill a few of them to make an example, and none of the hostages would dare to cause problems anymore. Kaze kept it a secret because he wanted to protect the people. “That’s it?” “Is there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?” “We want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problem—we just got caught up in it.” The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. “I don’t know either.” No matter how m
“There’s a room there. Get in.” The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. “What do you want?” The mother was nervous. She clutched her son’s hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her son’s mouth to prevent him from doing so. “All women must go into that room. You go in now,” the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. “You people won’t hurt me, right?” the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. “We are not into MILF,” said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. “They told us they were going to separate us, so there’s nothing to worry about,” he said, worried that the mother and son would not cooperate. The mother then carried her son and followed the other mercenary into the room. It was called a room but it was actually ju