Landon could not stand Kaze. He would mock Kaze at any chance he had. Kaze never took his remarks to heart though. Leath and his gang held back from fighting Billy because Kaze said nothing, simply sitting back and watching. Otherwise, the gangsters would not let Billy walk all over them. Leath and his men were familiar with the world of crime. They were capable of doing anything when backed into a corner. Although Billy could fight, Leath and his gang had weapons that could do a fair bit of damage to Billy. Billy was too young and arrogant to see that. He had no idea of the narrow escape from death he had experienced. “Haha! Landon is right!” Gavin, Yaryn, and the others looked over with a smirk. “The loser even tried to get Leath to apologize.” “He only went up against Leath because Billy was near.” The group taunted Kaze. Gavin and his gang pinned the group down and slapped their faces, while Kaze, Landon, and Rose were unharmed. They were humiliated ju
“Thanks to Billy’s timely rescue, the loser didn’t get away with his evil plan.” “He should thank Billy. Otherwise, he would’ve suffered from getting on Leath’s nerves.” The group took turns demeaning Kaze, reducing him to nothing. Kaze’s help to stop Leath and his gang was perceived as a vengeful attack on Gavin’s group. “I can’t believe them, Kaze. I’m fuming!” The group’s ugly behavior caused Rose to shake with rage and tear up.Kaze patted her shoulder and consoled, “Don’t be mad at trash, Rose.“Only the weak will lift themselves by belittling others.“These so-called winners in life are, in fact, the real losers. “The best way to deal with them is to just ignore whatever they say. “Don’t stoop to their level just to win an argument.” Feeling better, Rose looked up at Kaze in admiration. She believed Kaze had a point. A brief silence ensued. Then, the weight of Kaze’s words sunk in. Gavin and his friends were not having it. “Woah! You mooch off your wife
Taz reached out to touch his own face. The realization that he had shown fear to Kaze contorted his face with a grimace. Taz could never forget Kaze beating him up twice in one night during his stay at Mountain Dew Estate.Kaze had the nerve to insult him by bringing up his past trauma. Billy glanced at Taz amusedly. It dawned on him that Taz had suffered at the hands of Kaze before. Billy had asked if Taz had any feud with Kaze, but Taz dodged the question and insisted Billy deal with Kaze. Though it was amusing to Billy, he knew whose side he was on. “Kaze, right? You’re asking for it.” Lifting his chin, Billy said coldly, “Mr. Hobbs’ father is the president of Lee Investment. You’re nothing more than a moocher. You’re out of bounds to insult Mr. Hobbs, so apologize now!” “Woah!” Gasps filled the room. They were in awe of Taz’s privileged upbringing. After the fall of the three major families, Lee Investment asserted itself in the local market and acquired
“Hahaha!” Taz let out a manic laugh. Ever since Samson expressed his desire to break free from the Lees, Taz no longer revered the family. Insulting the former heir of the Lees gave Taz an exhilarating rush. “Hahaha!” The others burst out laughing. Gavin looked at Kaze in disdain. “He is nothing without his family. “That explains why he mooches off his woman and takes his wife’s last name.” The rest sneered and jeered at Kaze, holding him in contempt. After taking multiple digs at Kaze, Taz felt satisfied and recalled his purpose of being there. He poured himself a drink and said, “I’m here today to bring a message from my dad, Kaze. “You have three days to bring Cosmo back to Sunrise City and beg for atonement from the Lee family. “Tomorrow is the last day, but you have not taken any course of action. Are you just going to give up?” Taz’s eyes turned sharp as he narrowed in on Kaze. “Or are you taking my dad’s words lightly?” It dawned on everybody else
“Drinks downstairs? Sure.” Taz took the call and quickly hung up. He told Billy, “I have friends waiting downstairs, so I’m heading there now. “I leave him to you, Billy. You will be rewarded, of course.” Taz pointed at Kaze before heading his way down the stairs. He had witnessed what Billy was capable of, and Billy lived up to his reputation as the son of Tensor Martial Arts School’s principal. Though outnumbered, he defeated the gangsters without breaking a sweat. Surely, it was a piece of cake for Billy to teach Kaze a lesson. “Just do it, Billy. Beat the loser to the ground!” “That’s right. He’s been an eyesore!” Once Taz was gone, Gavin, Yaryn, and the others clamored, eager to see Billy crush Kaze. “Hehe. This can wait.” Billy shook his head with a smile, side-eyed Kaze, and added, “I can give the loser a reality check anytime. He’s not going anywhere anyway.” Judging by his offhanded tone, Billy believed Kaze was a sitting duck. The group was stunned.
Rose flushed with rage. She was unaware of Billy’s intention before. Billy threatened to cripple Kaze unless she slept with him. She would not throw away her self-respect as a woman for him. “Ew. That’s disgusting!” Rose glared at Yaryn and said angrily, “I’m not like you. I won’t sleep with a man to get what I want.” That was a slap in Yaryn’s face. Yaryn’s heavy-painted face contorted into a grimace. “Oh, keep up with your innocent act, and Kaze will get his limbs broken.” Yaryn sneered. “You act like you have your family’s best interests at heart, but the moment the table is turned, your selfishness rears its ugly head.” Unlike Yaryn, Rose was no good at confrontation. She looked up and met Kaze’s gaze in tears. “Kaze…” Her voice was filled with hurt. “Don’t listen to her. I know you have my back.” Kaze wiped away her tears and said with a smile, “You don’t have to give yourself away just to show how much you care. “Some people wish you would do it beca
“Did I say something wrong? You were dragged into Kaze’s mess, Rose. Why are you sticking up for him?” Landon glared at Kaze hatefully. “Did the coward say anything? All he does is hide behind you. “He’s not worth your time and energy.” As the siblings got into a row, Gavin and his friends laughed out loud. “Haha. Now, that’s what I call a drama. Landon wants to sell Kaze out, but his sister comes to Kaze’s defense.” “Kaze stayed out of the fight the whole time. He’s such a loser.” “Hehe. I bet the loser is scared silly.” The group taunted Kaze. “Enough! Shut up!” Annoyed, Billy stopped the group and turned to Rose cheekily. “See that? That’s who you are trying to protect. I am more of a man than he ever is. “I’ll give you another chance to be my girlfriend. I can promise you that no one is a threat to you in Lilyrose. “Haha…” Billy burst out laughing. It was the same speech he had used successfully on many goody-two-shoes. Rose’s red-rimmed eyes bulged. “Dre
“Woah! That was so cool, Kaze!” Rose looked at Kaze with starstruck eyes. She felt safe in Kaze’s presence. “The lo… Was I wrong about Kaze?” Sitting on the ground, Landon rubbed his eyes. He could not believe what he just saw. Gavin and his friends shared Landon’s sentiment. The group widened their eyes at Kaze in shock. They saw Kaze as nothing more than a spineless crowd who talked big. The group called Kaze out for being a wimp because he did not do anything when Rose was bullied. Yet, Kaze turned around and proved them wrong with a slap. They did not expect that of Kaze. He had the nerve to attack Billy. How dare he?After Billy pulverized Leath and his gang, Kaze sure had the audacity to hit Billy. Either Kaze was confident in his combat prowess, or he was naïve enough to dig his own grave.The group would rather believe it was the latter. Hence, Gavin and the others stepped forward to criticize Kaze. “Rose should feel honored that Billy is intereste
“Thud!” The moment the case fell onto the floor, the sniper revealed a black dagger in her right hand. “Swoosh!” She quickly lowered her body and lunged out, thrusting the dagger at Kaze’s neck. The woman was not only skilled with a sniper rifle, but she was also quick and ferocious like a viper with the dagger during close combat. “Zwoo!” Kaze advanced on her instead of moving away. With a slight tilt of his head, he dodged the incoming dagger narrowly but easily. The sniper did not expect Kaze to be this quick. She clenched her teeth and grip before turning her wrist at Kaze, trying to stab him. Kaze did not give her a second chance. He slightly twisted his waist to lift his leg and then kicked forward. “Thump!” A heavy thud sounded. The sniper groaned in pain when the kick landed at her abdomen. She was sent flying back, crashing onto the wall before sliding onto the floor. “As a sniper and a woman, you are skilled not only with the sniper rifle but also in c
The blueprint of the building was quickly presented to Kaze. “Thanks.” Kaze took the blueprints, glanced over it, and said, “I have to go to the 98th floor, please take me there through the fastest route.” Elevators in five-star hotels required access key cards, so it was unlikely that he could go up by himself. “This way please.” The receptionist quickly guided Kaze to the elevator. When he walked past a trash can, he took the “warrant” from the state police department and crumpled it into a ball before throwing it inside, all under the receptionist’s confused gaze. There was no way he could get a warrant from the state police department. The piece of paper with the official stamp on it was just a document of his previous release. He thought he could reuse it once more before throwing it away. …The presidential suite. Soon, the sniper recovered her composure. She removed the black robe on herself and moved away from the table. She actually covered herself with
The sniper could not afford to hesitate anymore! She decided to risk it all with the next shot. She pulled the trigger. As though the man with the umbrella sensed the sniper rifle aiming at him, he suddenly jumped forward and rolled away. “Thump!” The shot was fired. Through the sniper’s scope, the sniper took aim at where the man’s head would pop up under the umbrella at the next moment. However, due to the man’s forward roll before the shot was even fired, the sniper’s bullet missed the target by a fraction of a second. “Damn it! It’s him!” The sniper grunted angrily, her tone furious. Her gut was right. The man with the umbrella and plastic bag was indeed Kaze, her target, and she hesitated to take the shot. Her target was within rage and had she fired, she would have killed Kaze ten times over. Kaze had dodged a bullet once more. She never believed in the superstitious, nothing about sixth sense or clairvoyance. Even if such ability existed, it should not
The moment her second shot, which she believed would end Kaze’s life, missed, the sniper’s blank face suddenly darkened. Kaze was not just bold, but he was also experienced in dealing with a sniper who had secured the vantage point, knowing how to feint a shot. She was forced to look at Kaze differently after missing the second shot. She might not always hit her target on her first shot, but she never needed more than three—and she had never missed. Not only did Kaze escape her deadly shots, but he also disrupted her flow multiple times and messed with her mind. She had gotten used to being a predator, yet Kaze treated her like a prey. More importantly, Kaze was more than capable of hunting her down. However, as a natural-born sniper, she was not afraid. Missing her shots somehow aroused her excitement, fueling her battle intention. After the thoughts flashed in her mind, she returned to her calm self and started to adjust her sniper rifle once more and then pulled the tr
With more than ten meters in distance, Kaze only needed several seconds to run in a disorganized pattern to avoid the bullets. He jumped into the bush at the side of the road. His expression turned cold but he was not provoked by the sniper’s arrogance, nor did he stop. He used the bushes as cover and ran toward the tower, several hundred meters away from his location. …The presidential suite of a five-star hotel was located on the highest floor of the tower. Inside one of the rooms, a table was toppled over against the window, covering a figure covered in a black robe. The figure lay down on the floor with its legs spread. In front of the figure was a black Barret M82 sniper, giving off a frosty luster. The sniper rifle could easily blast a person’s body into pieces. The barrel of the sniper rifle was inserted through a hole in the window, all propped on the table. Beside the rifle was a monocular scope, used for spotting the target. Usually, a sniper was paire
Then came a loud bang. A bullet, charged with rage, pierced the Maserati’s fuel tank.The white Maserati exploded in a fiery blaze. The explosion cast a dark shadow over the area.Lying on the ground, Snow breathed ruggedly with a pale face. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming. If Kaze had not told her to get out of the car and rolled to the greenery, she would have been caught in the explosion. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Snow stayed low and restrained herself from running away. Kaze told her to keep still no matter what happened. “Aiden! Siber!” Kaze, crouching down while running through the hedges, let out a growl. When the Maserati exploded, Kaze was at least sixty feet away. He was unharmed. Kaze looked back at Snow, lying sixty feet away, and sighed in relief. Snow should be safe now. Albert should get her out of here when the time was right. Kaze could focus on handling the sniper instead of worrying about anyone else. It was true that
“Wee-oo!” The police siren’s haunting wail cut through the heavy rain.Someone must have called the emergency line. The pair in the Maserati did not let their guard down, though. Kaze quickly analyzed the impact point of the second bullet on the truck. He pinpointed the sniper’s likely location.Putting Snow behind the wheel, Kaze looked up at a commercial building not too far away. Skyscrapers made excellent places for shooting. “Sir, I spotted the sniper on the third floor of that building at five o’clock. He seemed to have cut a hole in the window and is aiming his weapon right at us.”Albert’s voice came on Snow’s phone. He had been trailing Snow’s car a short distance away. Albert always kept a pair of binoculars handy. Kaze was right to determine that the sniper was on the top floor of the building. The sniper was cunning, not putting himself at risk by being in an open space or rooftop. Instead, he cut a hole in the glass window on a lower floor.The snipe
South was wary when the Ryokanians were involved. The Steelclaw Guild was a fearless bunch, but the Stormborns were a prestigious family in Riverbank. South would think twice before stepping on the Ryokanians’ toes. “Alright. I got it. I owe you one. If I ever wipe out the Steelclaw Guild, I can promise that you will live.” Kaze hung up. On the other end, South held his phone in a daze. Kaze made such a bold statement. He talked about wiping out the Steelclaw Guild. Who did he think he was? For some reason, South felt that Kaze was not kidding. Kaze had the confidence to carry out his promise. Oblivious to South’s mental agony, Kaze ended the call and asked Snow, “Is Albert here?” “He’s following me by car.” The solemn look on Kaze’s face was infectious as Snow’s expression turned grim. “What’s the matter, Chairman Lee?” “Siber’s killer is on his way. I don’t know when to expect them.” Kaze pointed at the curb. “Stop the car and take Albert’s. Go with him. L
“The Krads and the Ryokanians aren’t really getting along, and this can be our opportunity.” Kaze said in contemplation, “The Krads sent Aiden to work together with the Ryokanians in expanding their power in Riverbank, and most importantly, to sort out the Frosts. “I didn’t quite get why the Krads were so confident in eliminating a killer who threatened the very existence of the Frosts. “Well, I have a bit of an idea now. Maybe the Frosts are on the hit list of an assassin organization linked to the Ryokanians. “Heck, the Krads and the Ryokanians probably reached a partnership because of this.” Snow scowled. Through this experience, Snow learned firsthand just how dangerous the Ryokanians were. They had the power to change the economy, extensive networks, and scheming tactics. If the Ryokanians were involved in the Frosts’ troubles, the family would be in deep water. “You mean…” Snow’s head was spinning. It was unusual for Snow to be stumped. However, the situatio