Once again, Rory looked at Kaze with surprise. “Young Man, I must admit that I’ve underestimated you again.” The deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River Branch was certainly an officer with a higher rank than him. However, Rory was merely surprised, not deterred or scared as if he was not afraid of Kaze who brought Collier into the conflict. Kaze smiled. “You’ve underestimated a whole bunch as well.” Rory grunted heavily and then turned to Collier and his men walking into the lobby. Without even standing up, he curled his lips into a fake smile and said, “Mr. Ettinger, of what do I owe the visit? You and your men are here to see the doctor? Too bad. You are one step late. Scorpion and his men had already thrashed the…” Scorpion simply smiled awkwardly, afraid to make a noise. He could not afford to mess with the deputy chief. ‘I’ll thrash your skull if I can!’—if it was some other time, Collier would certainly argue with Rory and scold him in the face. However, his
“Swoosh!” The knife hit Collier in the shoulder, pushing him back against the wall. He tried to move his body but when he felt the pain in his shoulder, his face paled. He was shocked that the knife perforated his shoulder and pinned him onto the wall, like how Kaze pinned the Execution Hall’s agent to the wall earlier. Rory did it as payback to Kaze for what he had done earlier. Collier did not want to look bad in front of Kaze. He steeled himself up as he held the knife. With his teeth clenched, he pulled it out from his shoulder, drawing an arch of blood in the air. “Deputy Chief!” It was only then Collier’s men reacted to the situation and drew their weapons. “Hmph!” Collier grunted without looking at his men. “Clank!” The agents from the Execution Hall armed themselves as well and dashed forward. “Thump! Thud! Sheen!” The two groups of agents engaged in a fight with cries and clanks sounding ceaseless. Amid the painful cries, Collier’s men were struck
No one cared about the thoughts in Collier’s head. Rory looked at Hannah and said heavily, “I wonder what you mean by that, Chief Delmore.” Hannah nodded at Kaze and then said coldly, “Cut the crap. Take your men and leave!” Rory furrowed his brows, his lips still curled. “Chief Delmore, that doesn’t sound right. I am here on legal Execution Hall’s business. Even if you are the chief of the South River Branch, you have no right to stop me. Or is the South River Branch no longer under the West State Viper’s Den jurisdiction?” Hannah did not even flinch when Rory tried to accuse her. She said, “I said, cut the crap. Come on, show me what you got. I’ll let you go first.” Rory’s lips twitched helplessly. He knew Hannah was known for her quick sword stance in the West State Viper’s Den. According to the agents who once went on a mission with her, many experienced fighters and experts could not even see her moves before they were killed on the spot. Now that Hannah had recove
Like how Rory attacked Collier earlier, the knives did not slow down after striking his shoulder. The momentum dragged his body backward and ultimately pinned him against the wall. The pain from both his shoulders caused his body to tremble but the pain was not Rory’s main concern. He could not accept that he ended up exactly like Collier when he faced Hannah. He endured the pain as he stared at her, his expression turned ashen. Collier and the others might not see how Hannah countered the attack but Rory saw everything clearly. It was simple. When Rory launched his knives at Hannah, before the blade could even touch her, she swung her sword forward. It was just one simple swing of the sword and she deflected his strongest attack, using it to hit him on the shoulders. It was at that moment, Rory realized how ridiculously powerful Hannah was. She lived up to the name of one of the top ten prodigies of West State Viper’s Den. Looking at Rory being pinned on the wall
Rory never took Kaze seriously. He believed if not for Hannah’s intervention, he would have taken Kaze away and tortured him. Yet Kaze spoke to him in such arrogance—making him nothing more than a clown using borrowed powers. “You!” Seeing the disrespect toward Kaze, Hannah’s expression darkened, and wanted to teach him another lesson. Kaze raised his hand to stop her. He then walked over to the two knives coated with blood on the floor. Rory was alarmed. Recalling how Kaze defeated one of his men earlier, he quickly got into a battle stance. His shoulders might be hurt but his legs were fine. With his speed, he might not be able to dodge a hit from Hannah but he was confident that Kaze could not lay a finger on him. At the next moment, Kaze swiftly extended his right foot and tapped twice in succession. “Swoosh! Swoosh!” The two knives seemed to come alive as they flew toward Rory, slicing the air with a sharp, whirling shriek. Although surprised that Kaze did
Hearing Kaze, the agents of the Execution Hall stopped abruptly, looking at him in horror. Rory’s face twitched in pain. He shouted, “What do you want?!” He knew Kaze was not planning to kill him, but if death was not the goal, then why was he being pushed to the brink of it? He had no idea what Kaze was trying to do. The helplessness made him terribly aggrieved. Kaze pointed at the doctor on duty at Herbal Spring and said, “Ask the doctor to use acupuncture to stop the blood flow and you can pull the knives out.” It was the reason why he said Rory could not go to a common hospital. The doctor nodded. “Mr. Lee is right. If we don’t stop the blood flow, it’s going to get dangerous.” Rory was being tormented by the pain and his patience was running low. He shouted, “Then get on with it!” The doctor grunted, his brows furrowed. He had never seen such a rude demand to save a life. However, his duty and responsibility as a doctor drove him to his needle box. “There’s no
Poking a few needles into Rory’s body and it cost him ten million! Bastard! Rory was deeply aggrieved, but he could not do anything. He should be grateful that Kaze did not choose to kill him. “Go.” Kaze finally allowed them to leave. He then said to Rory as the man was walking out, “I am letting you live because I want you to deliver a message to your master. “If he wants to live a good life, then be a good person. Don’t get himself in trouble just because he wants to repay some debt of gratitude.” Rory was sent on this mission by Marcus because Boris made a request. The man known as the Godfather did not bother to find out who was wrong and simply sent the captain of the Execution Hall to carry out private business. Kaze only said this out of respect for his reputable status in the West State Viper’s Den, and it would be the final piece of advice. With that, his duty of kindness would be fulfilled. After Rory and his men left, everyone back at Herbal Spring breath
“Captain Blunick, was it?” Kaze looked at Thomas with slight confusion. If he had not taken the initiative to speak, Kaze would have forgotten about him. Too many things happened at once and too many people were at the scene. “Just Thomas is okay!” His face was swollen due to the slap and coupled with his curled-up lips that were supposed to resemble a smile, he looked funny. In addition, he was in his 40s. His age somehow became a subject of ridicule to the other South River Branch agents, all looking at him scornfully. “No need to be nervous.” Kaze tapped his shoulders and said, “Herbal Spring’s safety is in your hands now and they are relying on you. The least you can do is prevent something like this from happening again.” He did not look down on Thomas because everyone had their own way of surviving the harsh world. As long as they were friendly and harbored no malicious intentions, he would never judge others based on their looks. Thomas was the security capta
Morris was in his study, wiping a plaque of commandments that was covered in dust. Due to his commitment to the Viper’s Den, he had neglected his family for years and left his son in his wife’s care. Morris regretted doing so. Unaware of the impending danger, Clemont enjoyed drinks with his friends. They were having fun, playing drinking games. Losing the game, Clemont downed a glass of liquor. Things could get far and exciting in a game. It was then that the door swung open. Clemont’s driver entered the room. “Young Master Siegfried, the master is waiting for you at home,” the driver said, noting the complexity of the situation. The only thing on his mind was to take Clemont away. Tipsy from the drinks, Clemont waved his arm. “Let him wait. What’s the rush to get home?” Clemont’s friends were shocked. Nothing scared Clemont like his father. However, Clemont toughened up for once. “Young Master Siegfried, why don’t you call it a night?” “Yeah. I’m sur
“What’s that supposed to mean? When have I ever made a mistake?” Morris heard nothing of that sort. It could only mean that his people had done nothing wrong. However, Edmund could not possibly get aggressive on the phone. Something must have happened, and he simply had no idea. Morris felt unsettled like something big was about to happen. “You seem to be lax when managing your people. You don’t seem to know what goes on around your house.“Is your age getting to you? Is that why you can’t handle most of the work? If you can’t get your own house in order, how will you ever manage the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Edmund called to say his piece. It was his way to make Morris step down. Though it was likely that Morris would resign, Edmund could at least make things unpleasant for him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Morris was completely in the dark, but Edmund must hold some secret to act so cocky. Despite his troubled feelings, Morris kept his cool and calmly aske
Since it was a rare opportunity, Edmund had to settle the score with them properly. He knew opportunities like this were hard to come by so he had to seize them well. “I understand. I will take care of the guest,” Rosie said. She was glad that her information was useful to her boss. After Edmund hung up the phone, Rosie then looked at the unconscious Kaze. “You are indeed more useful than I thought. Hardly anyone has ever managed to impress Edmund.” She did not feel sorry for Kaze, believing that everything happened as it was meant to. She knew that to climb higher, she had to please her superior. With the Wittersons on the rise, now was the perfect time for her to pledge her loyalty to Edmund. When the Wittersons truly took over the Westeros Branch, she would become one of the most powerful people in the city, second only to them. She was looking forward to that day. Since Kaze was fast asleep and no arrangements could be made, Rosie went out to call her men and
“If you are not here to have fun, then why did you come to Westeros?” Rosie asked. Kaze looked like he had one glass too many and could barely keep himself awake. When he looked up at Rosie, he felt lightheaded and could not keep his balance. “I am here to c-complete my mission.” Kaze could not even speak clearly, seemingly already drunk. Rosie let out a breath of relief. She then took his glass away. Kaze fell onto the couch lazily and adjusted himself into a comfortable position. He even had a hiccup. Rosie did not mind Kaze passing out in front of her. She got up and then squatted in front of him. “What is your mission here in Westeros?” She did not expect to fish out useful information from Kaze, but now she could bring this information to Edmund and exchange it for a reward. “I am here to solve the problem. Something happened here in the Viper’s Den and I am here to find out more. After that, someone else will take over,” Kaze muttered as he closed his eyes.
Rosie’s charm and beauty were reasons why she was able to run the club smoothly. No matter what happened, she possessed the capabilities to solve it without exacerbating it. All those aspects made Edmund choose her. A qualified employee trusted to run a business did not need to be a genius. One only needed to carefully operate the business and not cause trouble for the employer. That alone would be enough. “There’s indeed someone powerful who gave me a chance but I want to use my own strength to win their recognition.” Rosie was well aware that due to her beauty, many often looked down and underestimated her. She had to stay sharp and clear-headed to avoid unnecessary trouble. “That might be a little difficult but I believe you got what it takes,” Kaze said with a serious tone as if he knew Rosie well. “Thank you for your kind words. I hope everything turns out as expected.” She did not have to worry about that because Edmund fully trusted her and put her in charge of m
Clemont let out a breath of relief when he saw that his friends were not saying anything more. He brought them somewhere else to party. He spent a lot in a single night but he finally gained the respect that he longed for. Back at the club, after Clemont and his friends left, the corridor to the VIP section finally quieted down. The waiters cleaned up the place and then returned to their work. Kaze stayed back and looked at Rosie, waiting for her response. “Thank you for today. I would be hurt if not for you,” she said, expressing her gratitude. She was surprised that Kaze intervened but she was truly grateful for his help. “It’s nothing.” Kaze waved his hand nonchalantly and then wanted to return to his own room. “Why don’t I take care of the bill for you tonight? Consider it as a token of gratitude since you saved me from getting hurt,” Rosie said. Her interest in Kaze was piqued, wondering who he really was. She knew he was from Butterworth and had heard that
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