Charlie nodded. “Good. Thanks for your hard work.”Porter asked, “By the way, Mr. Wade. There were four martial artists inside. What’s their rank? How did they die so tragically?” Charlie replied indifferently, “One six-star martial artist, two seven-star martial artists, and one eight-star martial artist.”“One eight-star martial artist?!” Porter’s jaw dropped from the shock.As everyone knew, the highest rank as a martial artist would be eight stars, which correspond to the eight meridian channel. Those with all eight meridian channels connected would be known as eight-star martial artists.Porter’s current strength was just a little stronger than an eight-star martial artist. He didn’t expect to see another eight-star martial artist die so tragically, so seeing it first hand was an incredible shock to him.Charlie saw Porter’s surprised look and asked, “You didn’t expect it, right? How could an eight-star martial artist die so tragically? Even his meridians were broken.”“
“Mr. Wade... A-Are you asking me to freeze Chief Lammy?!”Kathleen was stunned by Charlie’s words. They were so shocking, she didn’t know how to respond to it. Charlie, however, replied with a matter-of-fact look, “Don’t you have a freezing center? Bringing his body back and freezing him is just a small matter for you, isn’t it?”Charlie made it sound like it was a very simple task. Having heard that, Kathleen had to remind him, “Mr. Wade, the human body freezing technology is just a scientific concept. Although scientists had proposed this decades ago, there are no success stories yet…”She then stole a glance at Merlin, who was lying on the ground, before continuing, “Mr. Wade, I’ll be frank. To put it bluntly, no one can return to life if you freeze the body with the current technology…”Charlie waved his hand in dismissal. “You don’t have to worry about it. Just freeze him first.” Charlie had his reason for sending Merlin to the freezing center. With Charlie’s current stren
At Kathleen’s orders, her men removed all the carpets and packed them in sealed bags for incineration. While the men were cleaning up the carpet, another wave of men rushed in with lightning equipment, building materials, cleaning supplies, and water pumps.After that, those specialized in mechanical and electric systems began to repair the damaged spotlights and fixed the lighting. The rest implemented the construction-use water barrier and styrofoam to surround the entire corridor, forming an impermeable pool of about ten centimeters.After that, they used the fire-fighter-use high-pressure water gun and powerful detergent to clean the blood in the corridor. The group washed out the blood stains in the corridor vigorously, and then pumped the dirty water into the washroom drain.Soon, the corridor lights were completely restored. The blood concentration in the pool of water was also visibly getting lighter. By then, the bloody stench in the corridor had mostly faded.Meanwhile,
Soon, Kathleen’s men brought the agitated Dorothy. Dorothy was nervous and tense. The appearance of the strange men who had taken over the entire VIP area without a sound took her by complete surprise. She did not know what they were doing, and who they were.Her staff had all disappeared without a trace. That gave her a bad feeling, too.However, her nervousness eased slightly the moment she saw Charlie. She asked him in a hurry, “Mr. Wade, what’s going on here? Are these your men?” Charlie glanced at Kathleen and said indifferently, “There are Miss Fox’s men. I requested their help.”Dorothy was puzzled. “Did something happen?” Charlie didn’t answer her question. Instead, he asked tentatively, “Is there anyone else who knows about the Acker family’s presence tonight?”“No,” Dorothy replied. “Only Quinn and I know. No one else is aware.”Then, she added nervously, “What’s wrong?! Something happened, didn’t it?!” Charlie said coldly, “There was an attack on the Acker famil
Dorothy added, “You’re suspecting a mole to be helping the enemy, but I doubt the mole is from our team. Our staff might know the Acker family’s whereabouts, but that was only after their arrival. Besides, the Acker family arrived here just not long ago.”Charlie thought of the blocked signal and asked, “Did any staff come to this floor during the day? Could they have snuck in a small shielding device?”Dorothy frowned. “We only paid attention to the stage and backstage in the morning. We didn’t pay much attention to the VIP area. I can’t be sure, but you can check the surveillance video of the VIP area.”Then she added, “As I said earlier, Quinn and I didn’t tell anyone about this. Even if someone came in the day to install the shielding device, they wouldn’t know which room to install it. Besides, there are more than twenty rooms here. Did they install it in every room?”Charlie walked into several rooms near the corridor with his phone and found that the signal in these rooms wa
At the same time, the Acker family that had survived the tragedy were sitting on the sofa in silence. The air in the room was tense. The younger generation and grandchildren were still recovering from the shock. The adults were also in a depressed mood.While Kathleen’s men were cleaning the crime scene outside the room, Charlie’s three uncles were busy analyzing the events with Keith. They even got into a heated argument during the discussion.They wanted to know what went wrong, so much that it almost cost the Acker family’s life.In the beginning, Kaeden suspected Charlie’s uncle-in-law, Lulu’s husband, to be the most suspicious person. Everyone was here tonight, but he was absent.This whole incident pertained to the whole family’s safety. While Kaeden was discussing his suspicions, he did not refrain from speaking in Lulu’s presence.Jaxson and his second brother Kaeden shared a similar personality. They frequently collaborated in work. Therefore, Jaxson firmly expressed his
Jarvis paid close attention to everyone in the room as he announced, “To ensure everyone’s safety, I would like to request everyone to hand me your personal belongings. We are going to perform a safety check for safety reasons.”Christian asked, “What do we need to turn in?”“Everything.” Jarvis stopped beating around the bush and cut to the case. He added with a serious look, “Please turn in all your personal belongings. For the men, please stand to the left. For the ladies, please stand to the right. Open your hands and put them on your chest. We will arrange for someone of the same gender to search you.”Keith frowned upon hearing that. “Sir, are you suspecting that this is an insider job? That the mole is among us?”Jarvis put his hand together and replied sternly, “Sir, I’m acting under orders. Everyone, please cooperate. Please forgive me if I have offended you.”Kaeden was annoyed. Disgruntled, he grumbled, “Sir, you’re suspecting us for no reason and demanded a search out
The sudden death of Adrienne caught everyone off guard. Her sixteen-year-old daughter nearly collapsed on the spot from sheer shock. She hugged her mother’s body and shook the latter desperately, crying, “Mom…? What’s wrong…? Don’t scare me…!” Jaxson, too, was on the verge of collapse. He wanted to step forward to investigate, but his second brother Kaeden stopped him. Jaxson looked back at Kaeden with a shocked look. Instantly, he growled, “Kaeden, why are you stopping me? Something’s happened to Adrienne!”Kaeden roared with a dark face, “Look at how she died! Do you remember how that assailant’s leader committed suicide by taking poison?!”“Suicide...” Jaxson was horrified. He blurted out in a tone of shock, “Y-You… Are you saying that Adrienne committed suicide by taking poison?”Kaeden pointed to the corpse and demanded coldly, “Is there any other possibilities other than suicide?!”Jarvis immediately rushed forward and picked up Charlie’s third aunt. He said to everyone,
However, Jimmy realized something important even as he sighed in relief. "Wait, Mr. Wade… I know I should settle things in the family Stateside, but won't I be arrested upon arrival?""That's Julien's department," Charlie chuckled and turned toward the man. "Tell your butler not to send the evidence to the feds. If it has reached them already, ask to have it back and tell the feds they saw nothing."Julien promptly nodded. "I'll text him right now. You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Wade."Jimmy remained worried. "But sir, I think Nate's not going to let this slide. The man is cunning—he deliberately dug a pit so we'd fall into it, and he gathered all the dirt he could on us to be used as leverage when necessary."Charlie shook his head. "That's no big deal. Julien can make sure that you're fine even if the feds get the evidence."Julien nodded nearby. "Don't worry, Mr. Wade. The decision remains in your hands, either way. Just say the word, and it's 25 to life… otherwise, not e
The fact that Jimmy was a partner in Ares LLP already meant he had skill, while Matilda had herself been retired for years and definitely had lost her touch a little. So, having someone like Jimmy who had stayed on the frontlines all this while would definitely be no issue.And in turn, it was a good thing for Jimmy as it was better than the kennels either way.Charlie then asked Jimmy pointedly, "You say you're interested, but are you sincere about it?"Jimmy nodded without hesitation. "Yes, absolutely!""No regrets? We're talking about ten years here.""None, absolutely none!""Do you know what to say if anyone asks?""Yes, of course! I chose to further my career here in Oskia, and it was absolutely voluntary! That's what I'd say even if my family asked!"Charlie nodded. "Good. Then, you will have two weeks. Go home and set your affairs in order and report in for work afterward.""No problem!" Jimmy nodded repeatedly, actually surprised and grateful that Charlie would let hi
And yet, Julien was suddenly clapping his hands, and exclaiming excitedly, "Yes, right! We should get his wife and son over too for a happy reunion!"He then paused and quickly corrected himself, "Wait, no! I mean, they should each be caged with one empty cage separating each of their cages. They can see each other and talk, but there will be no touching. How dare he flex on me—I gotta teach him a lesson to remember!"Jimmy dropped limply on his rump, and Matilda beckoned for Paul to help him up while turning toward Julien as she pursed her lips. "Please, Mr. Rothschild… Even if you don't accept his apology, don't bring his family into this. It's against Oskian tradition—you'd insult your family's name!"Julien shrugged, not hesitating to retort, "What do your traditions have to do with me? If I mean to hurt him, forget his family—I'll drag his dogs over too!"Seeing that Julien was so furious, Charlie decided to stop him, or he might actually go through with it."That's enough, J
Holding up a thumb at Charlie, Julien exclaimed in approval, "You're right, my friend! That's far more exciting than having him jailed!"Just hearing that he would be sent to a kennel, Jimmy knew nothing would come of it—even if he didn't know the details, it was so obvious that Julien was thrilled by the very idea!Turning nervously toward Charlie, he was sobbing as he asked, "Mr. Wade…? What's this about a kennel…?"Julien chuckled coolly even before Charlie said a word. "A kennel is where you keep dogs, of course. Though there are literal dogs and metaphorical dogs, and you are the latter."Oh, don't worry. It's a really nice place where you get your own cage, and you'll be fed every day. You don't even have to work, so just sit tight and keep eating until the day you die."Jimmy's soul left his body in that instant.He was going to be locked in a cage?! That was way worse than being locked up and sent to jail! Where was the humanity around here?!Even as the thought struck h
Matilda was actually caught off guard by Jimmy's pleas, and even Paul found it hard to watch.Turning to Charlie, he said, "Please, Mr. Wade—my uncle can be a little despicable, but he is my father's brother. Please, let him have a chance to turn over a new leaf, seeing that he's earnestly repenting."While Paul spoke with Charlie, Jimmy was still confused and wondered why Paul would plead his case with Charlie instead of Julien. If there was anyone Paul should ask, it was Yolden since he was Julien's friend. So, why would he ask some young man instead of Yolden?That was when Charlie asked in curiosity, "You want to let him off? After he tried to take away your parents' legacy?"Paul smiled awkwardly. "I mean, I know the guy. He made sure to travel all this way to make a scene because he had nothing legal that could help him claim Smith Group Corporate Law from us. Otherwise, he'd have already filed the lawsuit in the States. Sure, it's a dirty move, but that's basically a des
As Julien finished, he realized something was wrong and turned toward Charlie before he knew it.Charlie held his gaze in turn, his expression quizzical and amused.Julien cleared his throat right then. "See, there are people who can order me around, but they have my utmost respect. However, a third-rate lawyer like you? Who do you think you are?"That was when Julien's butler called, and he reported respectfully as soon as the call was answered, "Sir, I've spoken with Nate Ellis, the owner of Ares LLC. He has since agreed to fire Jimmy Smith right away as well as disbar him nationwide."Julien asked, "Good. Anything else?""Well, Mr. Ellis also delivered some documents that can be used as evidence against Jimmy Smith, which he claims is enough for a lifetime sentence. If you deem it necessary, we can have it sent to the FBI.""Yes, let's go with that!" Julien replied, his tone satisfied. "And ask the director to handle it personally—I want this prick to never set foot stateside
Jimmy was sweating profusely in fear, but he argued back before he knew it, "That's impossible! Everything you say is bullshit! Gaiman simply thought he had a fair chance of winning and didn't want to pay Ares that much, and I have no idea who he partnered with, and I'm certainly not involved. Don't you try to slander me!"Nate chuckled. "Come on, Jimmy. We're all adults here, so there are things we shouldn't have to be so direct about. Mills Gaiman and your old classmate met in private many times, not to mention the private conferences you three had in secret, discussing your overall strategy and decisive points. Just so you know, Gaiman recorded every conversation, and I have the tapes with me."Jimmy's heart was left pounding as he blurted, "B-Bullshit! That's impossible!""Grow up, Jimmy," Mr.Goodman chuckled. "Every partner in every law firm always strives to rise higher, so I'm going to need as much leverage as I can. Otherwise, I'm not about to let them advance any further, e
Although the ringtone and vibration frequency were the ones Jimmy always used, this call somehow felt more urgent, leaving him exceedingly uneasy.When it abruptly stopped and left a missed call on his log, Nate Ellis soon sent a text: [Answer your damn phone this instant!]Just seeing the text left Jimmy feeling like his throat had gone dry, and as he gulped, it felt like his throat was being ripped, leaving him hurting.Still, he couldn't care less as his boss called again.Having seen the text, Jimmy didn't hesitate this time and promptly answered, watching Julien's smug face as he started tentatively, "Y-Yes, boss...?"Nate immediately yelled at him hysterically, "What the hell did you do?! Why did the Rothschilds call to complain about you?! And the complaint was from their heir apparent, at that! I worked hard for them and always toed the line for years, and I still haven't gotten a chance to meet the man, so how the fuck did you upset him?!"Jimmy's heart sank to rock bott
Fuming, Jimmy snapped at Julien, "If you insist on playing it like that, I will call my boss, and you can talk to him yourself!"Julien chuckled. "That's unnecessary. I've never met him. He would never recognize my voice."Jimmy laughed and nodded despite himself. "Impressive—you can really come up with anything! You don't have his number because he's beneath you, you refuse to call him because he's beneath you, and when I say I'll call him for you, you say he won't recognize your voice. Well, how do you suppose we should sort this out? At least prove you're a Rothschild, or anyone could claim that they are—"Julien held up a hand to stop him. "Then, how about this? I'll ask my butler to talk to your boss."Jimmy laughed even more loudly as if it were the best joke ever. "Hahaha!!! Butler, you say?! You really know how to talk! Alright, I'll wait and see what your 'butler' can do… I mean, what you can do. We'll see whether my boss calls me!"Julien ignored him and whipped out his