“They say he committed a massacre, killing a family of 36 in one night. He fled overseas and became an international fugitive, landing him on Arcadia’s most wanted list.“I didn’t think he’d be hiding out in Bronze Sparrow and living the high life right under the police’s nose.”Even those who did not know Gillian before turned pale. The massacre years ago was well known in Riverbank. Gillian’s name struck terror in the hearts of the people of Riverbank City and even the most elite. Instead of taking cover overseas, the ruthless killer unexpectedly remained in Bronze Sparrow. Even Buffy grimaced. While she was not naïve enough to believe Bronze Sparrow was squeaky clean, she did not expect it to be so brazen as to harbor a fugitive.It was the Viper’s Den’s job to arrest a fugitive like Gillian. As far as Buffy knew, Gillian was high up on the most-wanted list. “It’s been years. I didn’t expect anyone to remember me.” Gillian nodded at the crowd and turned to Kaze wi
“Tell you what…” Gillian took large strides ahead and flipped over a long table. The wine bottles on the table slammed onto the floor and broke into pieces. The stench of alcohol filled the air. The glass shards on the ground were a terrifying sight. Gillian narrowed his eyes at Kaze and said with a fake smile, “Get down on your knees and crawl across these shards to me. I’ll call it a day when you bow to me. “I can forget you ever claimed to tear down Bronze Sparrow.“How about it?” Gasps echoed across the room. Kaze was expected to crawl across the floor of broken glass. The thought sent shivers down everybody’s spines. Without looking at the shards, Kaze shook his head and replied, “Not for me.” “So you won’t do it?” Gillian scowled and said menacingly, “Help the guy out and make him crawl here, boys.” “Yes, sir!” The dozen trained fighters behind Gillian pounced on Kaze. The light had been dimmed to find the diamond just now, so no one could get a goo
“Ugh!”The short man grunted in agony. He held his chest and looked down in panic. The broken blade penetrated his skin, leaving barely half an inch sticking out.The jagged weapon nearly tore through his flesh completely. “Wham!”Kaze drew close and kicked the short man away. “A fugitive on the most-wanted list and a Ryokanian. Bronze Sparrow sure operates in the shadows.” The short man slammed onto the ground and whimpered. He spoke in his language before lying stiff on the floor, his hand over his chest. His eyes stuck to Kaze wickedly. Kaze did not even look at him. He was confident in his attack. The blade should hit close to the heart arteries. The attack would not kill the Ryokanian, but a tiny bump while on the road in an ambulance could end his life. The short man was aware of that fact. The only thing he could do was lie still and wait for the paramedics. Though the short man refused to admit defeat, there was nothing he could do about the situation.
Gillian looked up in a struggle, his eyes fixating on Kaze and his menacing scar grimacing. His dozen trained fighters and the Ryokanian were a powerful force in the Riverbank underworld. Barely anyone stood a chance as competition.Yet, his ace team fell apart quickly in the face of Kaze. Kaze carried dominance that ended Gillian’s will to call for backup. With that in mind, Gillian said with a rugged breath, “I admit defeat.” Kaze retracted his foot and said callously, “You should know what to do.” Gritting his teeth, Gillian staggered to his feet and summoned his henchmen. “Trash the place now!” “Scarface, the owner…” A subordinate was hesitant. “Wham!” Gillian sent the subordinate flying with a kick and narrowed his eyes at the remaining men. “Trash the place now!” “Thud! Wham! Bang!” Gillian led his crew to destroy the five-story venue in three minutes right before everybody’s eyes. He picked up a dropped knife from the floor and cut each of Eunice, Luis,
Kaze was a bastard. He talked about rights as if Buffy was some tool. Buffy saw red. However, she calmed herself down and grinned while tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. “Yes. I was going to remind you. I always keep to my promises.“How about it? Why don’t I get us a room, and we can talk?” Kaze was taken aback. Buffy was supposed to blow up. Instead, she suggested taking their conversation somewhere private. There was nothing much to talk about when a man and a woman were alone in a room. Kaze took a good look at Buffy until her cheeks turned rosy. She snapped. “What are you looking at? Are you in or not?” She had never been so bold to put herself out to the opposite gender. Buffy was not as composed as she let out to be. She did not intend to take things further with Kaze, though. Buffy needed him around to talk about her father’s treatment. Kaze shook his head. “Forget about it.” “Forget about it?” Buffy was surprised by Kaze’s rejection. She asked, “W
Rose looked up at Kaze pitifully, her concern for him showing. She had encountered trouble with Kaze before, but nothing of this magnitude. Smashing heads with beer bottles was bad enough. However, Rose was scared stiff by the finger cutting and the Ryokanian’s near-fatal encounter. Instead of celebrating Kaze’s fighting prowess, Rose was worried about his safety. Those people Kaze was up against tonight came from powerful families. Kaze tapped his finger on Rose’s head. “Don’t say that.” “I’m just concerned about you.” Rose pouted her lips. Kaze grinned. “Don’t worry. I will avoid trouble from now on, but sometimes, I have no choice but to fight back when people are out to get me.”Rose realized that Kaze had a point. Luis and his friends pushed the envelope tonight, leading to Kaze’s retaliation. It was quite a mental strain for Rose after such a dramatic night. She quickly dozed off against Kaze. Kaze pulled a throw over her and told Conan, who was behind
As a long-standing family, the Queens had extensive connections to find the people Kaze needed. If Conan failed to meet his demands for security, Kaze could also access his resources. His people would be overqualified for the job in Riverbank City, though. Conan gave his word. “I knew a few people, Kaze. They are experts in protection, but they don’t come cheap.” Kaze replied indifferently, “Money is no object so long as their competence lives up to the rates.” It was a quiet night. Kaze slept in the next day. By then, Conan had brought him breakfast. After breakfast with Rose, Kaze got a message from Hannah, saying that Cyan had gone to Golden Scale Corporation to sign the contract. Thanks to Kaze, Golden Scale Corporation offered Cyan the best contract. Streamers signed to Golden Scale Corporation typically earned 20% of their profits.However, the profits were split in half between Cyan and Golden Scale Corporation. After the deduction of the operating cost, Cy
“You don’t need a job?” Lock said angrily, “What’s the meaning of this, Kaze?“I just told you to get up where you fell. Were you listening at all?“What are you going to do if you don’t buckle down and work hard?“Are you going to go through life with no achievements? Are you going to numb yourself in vanity with all the meaningless bragging? “Have you any idea the trouble Cyan had gone through to get you a job? “Don’t let Cyan down, Kaze. I don’t want to be disappointed in you.”Lock was distressed. He was disappointed in Kaze for lying about owning Villa No. 1 in Wyomspring just to impress others. “I may have come off harsh yesterday, Kaze, but it’s all for your own good.” “I have always had high hopes for you. I can’t let you continue on the wrong path. “I wouldn’t bother if you were anyone else.” Kaze’s hands were tied. Since Kaze owned Golden Scale Corporation, there was no need for him to take up an insignificant position in the same company. However, he
Clemont was born with a silver spoon and raised like a prince as he was the youngest in the family. He knew his father’s current situation, which explained why he behaved arrogantly. He thought his actions could help his father but little did he know, they were causing a huge trouble. Kaze made it verbal but the spoiled brat did not appreciate the warning and simply felt annoyed. “What do I mean? I guess you have to ask your father about it.” Kaze looked at Clemont coldly. There was no way a useless trust-fund baby could achieve anything great under the protection of his family. Every action that Clemont took was causing damage to his family. Kaze initially intended to use the Siegfrieds to his advantage, which explained why he did not act immediately. Now that Clemont had come under his radar, Kaze ought to use the chance. He managed to showcase his strength to Rosie earlier and what he said to Clemont would surely raise more suspicion in her. Kaze must come up wit
Rosie was shocked. She almost got kicked by some spoiled brat. She was not happy about it. She revered Clemont’s background and had been tolerant with the brat but he stepped over the line when he decided to be physical. Rosie looked up to Kaze who was hugging her. He was just outside the crowd and decided to step in when he heard the commotion. She did not expect him to save her. It was a surprise but it allowed her to see his capabilities. The man from Butterworth had been hiding his abilities from everyone all along. Rosie smiled at him before getting back up on her feet. “Thank you for your help,” she said softly. “It’s nothing. It’s the right thing to do,” Kaze said. Kaze was the type of person who could never stand seeing the weak being bullied. “Who the hell are you? What do you think you are doing?” Clemont bellowed. He was outraged and needed to vent his emotions. Since Kaze had intervened, it gave Clemont a chance to lash out at him. “Stop causing a
“I told you this is my club! They have to listen to me! Now open the damn door!” Clemont was furious after being questioned. He started to kick the door like a madman. The waiters were worried but they dared not do anything. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside! VIP guests!” the waiter added. He dared not reveal the identity of the guest inside. Zidane informed all employees earlier that no one shall reveal the VIP guest’s identity or even mention that the suite was booked by Edmund. It was to keep things low. Therefore, the waiter dared not speak any of it even to Clemont. Unfortunately, Clemont stubbornly believed the waiter was lying to him. “What guests?! You’re lying to me! You said there were guests inside but even after I kicked the door, there was no answer! Open it up. Don’t be stupid!” he shouted. He cared not about the others when he shouted. He was impulsive at nature. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside. You can’t do this,” the
“Then what should we do?” “What else? Give him a VIP room and try to hold him down.” Rosie was displeased but she had to handle the matter herself. Clemont was a proud man. If he felt embarrassed in any way, he would certainly cause more problems. Rosie was afraid that he would do something rash once provoked. He was a man with a background. Even if he made a mistake, his father could cover up for him. However, if the club’s business was affected, Edmund would hold her responsible. That was why Rosie saw Clemont as a problem. “But they are heading to the suite already,” the bouncer said, looking worried. He had a premonition of something bad happening. “What are you guys doing?!” Rosie glared at the bouncer. They were usually smart and quick-witted so she did not have to worry about many things. Yet they let Clemont through?! “There are too many customers today. All the rooms are booked, so we have to make new arrangements.” “The other bouncer at the entranc
To many youngsters, Absolute Zero was a mysterious place. Young men and women from a better background were forbidden to set foot into the club. It was not because of the environment, but because of the human relationship within the establishment. The club was a gateway to the underworld and once exposed, the youngsters might thread onto the wrong path. Clemont was not allowed to go to Absolute Zero. However, he knew the club belonged to the Wittersons, which was his father’s rival. Therefore, he had been planning to help his father. He often used his father’s name to spend money at the club to annoy them. He brought his friends here today to show off his wealth and power. He wanted to let his friends know that he, too, was capable. “Young Master Siegfried! You’re awesome!” While surrounded by flattery, Clemont walked down the stairs to the entrance with his friends. The bouncers knew Clemont, so when he arrived, they quickly informed the management. They dared no
Kaze finally got some surprising news: Edmund had booked a room at Absolute Zero tomorrow for a business talk. In addition, Morris’ son was a regular at the club. Edmund and Morris were rivals but they looked peaceful in the open. No one knew how fierce the competition was under the table. Morris wanted to put his son in charge of the Viper’s Den but was unsure if his son could handle the matter. According to Zeeny, Morris’ son was a trust fund baby. His only ability was to make friends over alcohol. Maybe the young man liked being surrounded and flattered by people. Due to his father’s position, he was always flooded with friends and people interested in his resources. His so-called friends were just drinking buddies. None of them were any help to his career. It was the reason why Edmund did not take the son seriously. Kaze had a feeling that tomorrow would bring something interesting. They left later than usual tonight and he tipped the girls as usual. Even Dw
Kaze took a glass of beer from the girl and had a sip. “It’s okay that you still haven’t decided on your future.” He suddenly felt like a joke. He came to the club yet he tried to convince them to leave the environment without bothering to know their difficulties. “Let’s play dice!” The girl, Zeeny, smiled brightly and took the dice on the table. She was trained on how to make customers happy. Kaze did not ask the difficult questions anymore. Everyone enjoyed themselves with the games. Those who lost must drink. There were a few who sang while the others played, filling the room with joyous melody. Kaze enjoyed himself as well and slowly got to know each other better. At the same time, he learned more about the girls’ backgrounds, even though most of them were made up. To let customers tip them more, they would fabricate a pitiful background. Kaze’s goal was to fool Rosie, so he just had to enjoy himself now and nothing else. Dwight was overwhelmed by the beer
When Kaze entered the club, he saw that the place was clean and the lights were on. It was indeed not open for business yet. There were no customers inside. He could have a clear look over the entire establishment. “You guys are too early, so we had nothing prepared for you. I’ll bring you guys to the VIP room. When the music starts later, you guys can come out and have some fun, or you can call in some girls to accompany you,” Leeny said. She then pointed at a few girls walking toward her. All of them were in heels and sexy outfits. Their smiles rivaled the brightest sun and each of them had their unique charisma. All the employees of Absolute Zero were carefully handpicked. The way they dressed emphasized their personal charms. One would definitely ask for more after a glance. “Can we ask the girls to come to our room?” Dwight asked. His eyes were gleaming with interest. “Of course. This is your room. The girls will drink with you. We do provide some special service,
“I didn’t get anything from them. They just said Rosie is a dangerous woman.” “I told you to go back to see your colleagues and befriend them. Having no news is actually a good thing,” Kaze said. He might be slightly disappointed but it was expected, so he was not bothered. “Really? I thought I was quite useless.” Dwight thought he could finally get the recognition that he was waiting for but he was turned away by his boss. He was never taken seriously at the Viper’s Den, which was the reason why he disliked his colleagues and his superiors. However, he had to stay with the organization for the sake of staying alive. Ever since he met Kaze, his life changed. He thought he could improve himself but the others still did not take him seriously. Dwight was still willing to trust Kaze. “Don’t be affected by their opinions. You know better than anyone what you can do. Just focus on what you need to do and things will be alright,” Kaze said with a hint of encouragement. “Y