Robin did not even look at Collier.Saying nothing, Robin extended his fingers and plucked the harp. “Clang!” A jarring, high-pitched sound wave pierced through everybody’s eardrums. The air was filled with a chilling aura of menace.The serenity on the ninth floor was shattered by the sound of the harp and replaced with malice. Collier and the young group turned pale. Only Robin, Kaze, and Hannah remained unfazed by the attack. “Amid the sweeping wind, the flute’s song echoes in the night. The desert sun descends for the crescent moon above. “To the sound of camel bells, I long for my home. I hold onto my sword, leaving letters where I lay my head.” The wind danced along the melody of General’s Order played by the harp, dropping the temperature down on the ninth floor. Robin’s clothes and hair fluttered against the wind, his face unreadable through it all. His eyes remained cold and distant. General’s Order was a piece known for its unsettling tone. Robin playe
“Get out!” Kaze gave Hannah the look. Hannah quietly turned around and stumbled her way out. Robin glanced at Kaze as his fingers danced around the harp. “I will behead the general, and once it’s over, tears will fall and fade away.” The tempest of sound took over the room by storm. Kaze felt sent back to his time during the war. He watched his comrades fall. Time lost meaning as the war came to an end. The battle cries subsided, replaced by silence. His brothers-in-arms were no more than a pile of unidentified bones. Even Kaze’s faithful steed whined its farewell. Darkness swallowed the last light over the desolate desert, and he was alone. There was nothing left in the world worth fighting for. No one would remember his death in a faraway land. It was better to die with honor than live in shame. The thought filled Kaze’s head, and emotions overcame him. He was better off dead. Life was not worth living anyway. A voice within tempted Kaze. The craz
To the young group’s surprise, Kaze pulled through without a hitch. That was not the only thing. Kaze retaliated against Robin and destroyed his beloved harp. The group speculated that Kaze could be stronger than Hannah. They looked at Kaze in horror. Still, it never once occurred to the group that Kaze was more powerful than Robin. Robin raised his arm. The young group got their act together and saluted Robin before taking two steps back. Robin narrowed his eyes at Kaze before uttering, “Not bad.“I didn’t think I’d meet someone of your caliber in Riverbank. “You have a stronger will than most of my men. “Despite your age, you put even the most experienced to shame with that determination of yours.” The young group felt alarmed and ashamed. The members of the execution hall were the elites in the West State Branch. They were the crème de la crème. However, they swayed under the sound wave attack. Though the group was around Kaze’s age, they did not possess h
While the young group grimaced, Collier tossed the sack onto the floor, and a bloody head rolled out. The head belonged to Boris, whose soul was clearly not at peace. The young group looked at the head before turning to Kaze in disbelief. Just half an hour ago, Robin had a lovely conversation with Boris, and now, Boris was nothing more than a decapitated body. No wonder Kaze was so confident to think he was on par with Robin. It explained Robin’s admiration for him. “You’re committed and ruthless in nature.” Robin stared at Kaze, pleased with his personality. He said indifferently, “The West State Branch needs a good shake-up, and I think the execution hall could use someone like you.“The deputy chief position is yours for the taking, should you choose to join us.” “Eek.” The young group gasped sharply. Though it was a deputy position in the execution hall within the Viper’s Den West State Branch, the rank was similar to that of a deputy chief in other branches.
The young group felt reassured. It explained why Robin did not seem bothered despite knowing that Kaze had massacred the Roads. Kaze grinned. “So the Godfather owes me one since I got rid of a problem for him.” Instead of addressing what Kaze said, Robin uttered, “You can consider what I have offered.” Kaze shook his head with a pretentious smile. “Forget about it. Like you said, power is everything.” “So you’re saying that I’m not good enough to recruit you?” Robin furrowed his brows. Kaze smiled without a word. Suddenly, he pulled a straight face and turned in a direction. Robin frowned too. “It looks like we have a visitor.” The Viper’s Den members lurking in the dark showed up on the other floors. A menacing presence loomed over River Watcher Inn.A towering individual, armed with a knife, appeared outside the building. The middle-aged man gave off raw energy. “Get your ass down here and face your death, Kaze!” His voice shook the building, and the Viper
“Whoosh.” Siberian remained detached in the face of the killings. He charged ahead with his knife. His blade tore through the air. Two members of the Viper’s Den wiped blood from their faces, only to find gaping wounds in their chests. “Swoosh!” Three deadly blades flashed, their points weaving together to block Siberian’s every route to escape. These three Viper’s Den members were on a different level from the first wave of attackers. Their coordination was seamless, and their attack was relentless. Siberian would be struck by the remaining two blades regardless of the direction he would choose to evade. Still, Siberian did not shy away from danger. He struck a blow even at the cost of injuring himself. “Clank!” As sparks flew, three blades broke. “Gash!” The tips of the broken blades stabbed into the three Viper’s Den members. The trio fell dead in disbelief. By now, Siberian had taken at least a dozen lives. The bloodshed occurred on the ground floo
“Kaze, get your ass down here to face your death.” Not sparing another glance at the Viper’s Den members, Siberian looked up and shouted, “Weren’t you cocky when you tortured my sister? Why are you scared now?“Do you think you can hide from me?” Siberian’s angry voice filled the air. Kaze pissed the long-time killer off. Anzu was Siberian’s sister, and Anzu suffered at the hands of Kaze. Siberian wanted to tear Kaze apart, limb by limb. On the ninth floor of River Watcher Inn, Kaze narrowed his eyes dangerously and got up to head down. “Just enjoy your drink.” Robin stopped Kaze, looked at him, and said, “Don’t you want to see if I have what it takes to recruit you? Well, here’s your chance.”He poured Kaze a drink before holding his cup while looking at the situation downstairs. With Robin showing up near the railing, the young group got the message. “Kill him!” The group yelled before charging toward Siberian with the remaining dozens of Viper’s Den members.
Siberian was strong. No one could stop him. Siberian was one ferocious beast. “Siberian, your sister tried to assassinate me. I was kind not to kill her then. “Take your problems up with me,” Kaze said curtly, his presence at the railing upstairs. Kaze could not ignore the killing spree happening right outside River Watcher Inn even though he did not know these Viper’s Den members. The whole thing started because of him anyway. Siberian looked up murderously at Kaze and laughed menacingly. “Don’t worry. You’ll die. They’ll die too. “Anyone linked to you must die. “I will kill your family and your friends to avenge my sister.” Siberian’s voice was brutal. He was known for his cold-bloodedness as a professional killer. Kaze narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Kill us all?” Robin, keeping an emotionless face throughout, grinned. “Aren’t you cocky, Siberian?” “Cocky?” Siberian looked at Robin in defiance and said with a smirk, “Who do you think you are? Who are
As they arrived, they saw a dozen expensive cars parked outside. The customer base was relatively stable as the establishment was targeted at the upper class. The people lining up at the club were young men and women of ordinary background. All were allowed inside Absolute Zero with an entrance fee. Since this would be a chance for ordinary people to meet and interact with the upper-class elites, they cherished it and tried their best to look good. Even movie producers and scriptwriters came to the club, seeking investments or a role in movie production. It was a shortcut to reach out to the upper crust after all. Yet they were just a bunch of fresh graduates with no resources and connections, so the club was their only chance at achieving something great. Dwight would never understand how rare the opportunity was, as he was narrow-sighted. He had never experienced power and wealth before, so he lacked the understanding of how things worked in society. “I never thought
With that in mind, Dwight checked his outfit. His black leather jacket brought out his height and wild side. He then observed Kaze. The latter was dressed casually. Dwight was worried that they would not be allowed into Absolute Zero because of their attire. Nevertheless, he could not let slip that he had never been to Absolute Zero. Without a word, Dwight led Kaze down the apartment building. Kaze could pick up on Dwight’s nerves. While in the elevator, Dwight could not stop straightening out his clothes. It was clear that he was nervous. Even so, Kaze said nothing and pretended not to notice. They got into the car and drove to an alley. The area was not huge, but there were stands selling street food. “The food is great here. Since it’s early, we can grab a bite.” Dwight was not being tight with money. As their destination was a bar, there was no need to get a proper meal. “I’ll get a skewer then.” Kaze did not have much of an appetite anyway. “Okay. I’ll or
“You’re the guest. I should be hosting you, but I don’t seem to be doing a good job.” Dwight knew he had to do better. “It’s okay. I don’t have much to do. It’s just a delivery anyway.” Kaze bought a lot of stuff online. All they had to do was wait for the delivery. Once the items arrived, they could head out. Dwight talked about taking him to a bar under the Viper’s Den’s umbrella. It was a great opportunity for Kaze to check out the scene. He had heard that the Wittersons were tied to all the Viper’s Den’s business operations.Kaze would not meet Edmund and Morris in person, but he would grasp all information related to them. Then, Kaze would stir things up between them and sit back while reaping the benefits. Kaze had it all planned out. He simply had to take his time in playing the long game. Nevertheless, it was important for him to remain discreet. At the very least, he should not show them what he was made of. It was easy to execute his plan when everybody
Kaze rose to his feet and took something out of his bag. Putting on his jacket, he was on his way out. Dwight was out of his room, too. He left his room for a glass of water and waited for Kaze to get out of the room after his nap. Dwight had a drink in the kitchen. He took an apple and chomped on it. Looking at the fruit on the table, Dwight grabbed a plate to arrange it neatly.He took out his phone to pass the time while waiting for Kaze. Kaze emerged from the room and saw Dwight. “You’re up at last. You’ve slept half the day away. Are you still tired? I can wait if you need to catch some sleep.” Dwight kept Herman’s memo to look after Kaze. “A little. I didn’t get any sleep last night. I was waiting to get on the plane.” Kaze took the red-eye flight yesterday. Dwight allowed time for Kaze to rest, knowing his travel schedule. “I know. Did you manage to get some good sleep? If you haven’t, you can go back to bed. I can grab some food for you.” Dwight’s plan
“Your main responsibility is to entertain Kaze. You will be rewarded for good work,” Herman said. Dwight nodded incessantly. “Thank you for thinking of me, Herman. I won’t forget this.” “I’d be grateful so long as you stay out of trouble. “Just focus on what you should do and take good care of Kaze.” Herman worried that Dwight might get ahead of himself and forget his primary duties. Dwight’s priority was Kaze’s well-being. The whole thing would be over if Dwight kept to himself and served Kaze until he was gone. There would be a problem if something were to happen. Without Edmund’s instructions, Herman would never have assigned a job to Dwight. It could be a good thing, though. At least, a job might keep him on the straight and narrow. “Relax. You can count on me,” Dwight said with glee.That was a nice surprise. Dwight did not see it coming. It was just incredible. Herman still could not shake off his worry. However, he had said his piece. It was pointless t
Herman’s smile vanished. His red, irritated skin was playing up. Due to alcohol in his system, Herman could not see straight. He had to grit his teeth to hold back the urge to retch. Herman was not one to drink. Yet, he would have to go through Edmund’s loyalty test every time, and he was reaching a boiling point. However, he understood that he needed to suck it up to gain Edmund’s trust. “You must be Herman. Mr. Witterson. Should I take the things to your car, or should I deliver them to your home?” asked a uniformed server who approached. “Put them in the car and get me a designated driver,” Herman replied. He headed to the lobby while propping himself against the wall. “Okay. There will be a driver out front, ready for your service.” The server tried to help Herman up, but was declined. Herman saw the cartons of alcohol and cigarettes in the lobby. Edmund had always been generous in giving out stuff like this. “These are from Mr. Witterson. You’re lucky to work for
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the