"Your small city money is worthless in this capital."Felix Vance leaned back in his plush leather chair. He sneered at the couple standing in his office."You think you can walk into the Provincial Reserve Bank and make demands?" Felix asked.Ryker Zhao did not move a muscle. Chloe stood close to his side.They had driven north through the night. The Provincial Capital was a sprawling fortress of glass and corruption. The Maeda Syndicate controlled every single street in the massive city.Ryker’s sister was trapped somewhere in this concrete nightmare. The thought made Chloe sick to her stomach."I am not asking for a withdrawal," Ryker stated. "I am demanding the human collateral ledgers."Felix laughed a harsh barking laugh."You southern peasants are arrogant," Felix mocked them. "You broke a few local street gangs. Now you think you can challenge the provincial lords."Felix tapped his manicured fingernails against his expensive mahogany desk."Your family ran the southern logist

"We are the untouchable gods of the eastern seaboard."The lead Grandmaster shouted the boast over the roaring ocean wind. He cracked his thick knuckles and glared at the tall soldier."My martial arts lineage spans four centuries," the champion declared loudly. "We govern the underground fighting rings for the Maeda family. We decide who lives and who dies in this province."Ryker Zhao did not shift his stance. He stood on the dark steel deck of his warship."Your lineage ends today," Ryker stated.Millions of citizens watched the live broadcast from the charity regatta. The news helicopters circled overhead. The people expected the arrogant billionaire on the warship to die a brutal death.They had lived in terror of the Maeda enforcers for decades. Nobody dared to challenge the syndicate champions."Tear his head off," Brecken Maeda screamed through his yacht microphone.The lead Grandmaster lunged forward. He threw a devastating right hook aimed directly at Ryker. The strike carri

"Sit down before you fall down."Chloe pushed Ryker gently backward until he sat on the edge of the plush velvet sofa.The heavy reinforced doors of the Dragon's Roost penthouse were triple locked. Vanguard operatives secured every single floor of the high rise building.The violent adrenaline of the superyacht raid was finally fading.Ryker leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked down at his bruised hands. The knuckles on his right hand were split and bleeding from shattering the Grandmaster's ribs.He was the supreme military commander of the world. He had just brought a provincial billionaire to his knees on live television.Right now he just felt like a terrible older brother.Chloe walked out of the master bathroom holding a warm damp towel. She knelt on the thick wool rug directly in front of him.She gently took his massive bruised hand in both of hers. She began to carefully wipe the dried blood from his knuckles."You did not have to watch that," Ryker sa

"You just signed your own death warrant."Governor Kade Lau lay crumpled on the ruined marble floor of his grand foyer. He clutched his bruised throat and stared up at the tall soldier."You assaulted a supreme political leader," Lau screamed. Spit flew from his mouth. "You committed high treason against the federal government. You are a dead man."Ryker Zhao stood perfectly still. The shattered pieces of the transfer deeds rested near his heavy combat boots."The federal government does not protect human traffickers," Ryker stated coldly.He reached into his tactical vest and pulled out a thick heavy dossier. It was bound in dark leather and stamped with the Vanguard seal.Ryker tossed the heavy file onto the marble floor. It landed right next to the Governor's trembling hands."Those are the financial ledgers from the provincial reserve," Ryker told him. "And the shipping manifests from the Maeda syndicate."Lau looked at the leather folder. The color completely drained from his fac

"Do not let this southern peasant humiliate our province."Patriarch Vance stood up from his plush velvet balcony seat. He pointed a heavy gold cane down at Ryker Zhao.The initial shock of the fifty million dollar sword purchase faded quickly. The provincial elite rallied their bruised egos. They were billionaires who ruled the mountain territories. They refused to lose face to a stranger in a blue tuxedo.Lord Kal stepped up beside Vance. Kal controlled the vast coastal shipping syndicates. He glared down at the amphitheater floor with raw aristocratic disgust."Lord Aris is a weak fool," Lord Kal declared loudly to the crowd. "He folded because he lacks true generational wealth. We will not be intimidated by flashy new money."Ryker stood on the red velvet carpet. He did not look up at the shouting men. He kept his eyes locked on the terrified auctioneer standing on the stage.Chloe stood close to Ryker. She felt the hostile gaze of hundreds of wealthy predators bearing down on the