The Old Snake was widely considered one of the most slippery and hardest to deal with opponents in both the Nightingale clan and the martial arts community alike, and it was not without reason.
Although a part of it was due to his skills in espionage, sabotage, and assassination, what really played the biggest part in his reputation was his ruthlessness and wit.
He was someone who could even use his own clansmen as disposable bait when needed, and had even ‘sacrificed’ his wife and children to further his goals at critical junctures in his career.
Naturally, since he had already betrayed the Gray Wolfe and beaten up Alexander in person, he couldn’t do things half-heartedly anymore.
He decided to temporarily ‘team up’ with his ‘assailants’ and agree to all their demands, and even agreed to be placed under strict monitoring while he performed sabotage on his previous ‘allies’.
Although the Nightingale clan and the Gray Wolfe used to have a symbiotic relationship in the past, it had long since started changing to that of a master and their servant.
If the situation continued, it wouldn’t be long till they stopped being just ‘dependent’ and became actual slaves. Thinking about it this way, perhaps this was more of an opportunity than a setback.
Of course, the old snake wouldn’t leave these people without a poisonous bite. He would bide his time, wait for them to let down their guard… and the strike.
But first… it was time to call his ‘boss’ and give him a ‘report’ before there could be any ‘inspection’.
Fortunately, his ‘captors’ were quite cooperative when it came to sabotaging people they didn’t like.
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”What?! Who dared to attack my son?!”
Had his secretary not left moments before to get him a cup of coffee, the extreme reaction from the leader of the Gray Wolfe would surely have set off storms in the office.
Fortunately, the old snake quickly confirmed that Alexander was alright and hadn’t been injured at all, though the old man himself suffered a little.
Sanders couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
Had anything happened to his son… how would he explain things to his wife? It was his own lack of capability that forced his son to take this stupid test as a means to convince everyone, after all.
But after a short moment of relief, the man’s mind was immediately clouded with rage. Who was so restless to get butchered these days that they even dared to lay a hand on his precious son?!
”Did you find out who it was that dared to do it?”
His gaze darkened. ‘If it really is the doing of the twins, then… even if you have some of my blood in your veins, don’t blame me for being ruthless!’
The old man on the other side seemed to hesitate for a while without giving him a clear answer, and it only served to irritate Sanders further. “Even if you’re incompetent, it can’t be to this level, right? Should I reduce the funding to the Nightingale clan, since it doesn’t seem to be working well anyway?”
”N-No, boss, I-I just didn’t know if I should share my conjectures, since they only left a few clues, and it’s mostly based on my own feelings, but—”
Alexander’s father couldn’t help but slam his fist on the table. “Just spit it out, you useless dog!”
Although the Old Snake was already grinning from ear to ear, he still managed to make his voice sound fearful. “I-I suspect it was the Black Tiger’s doing!”
Naturally, the old man would rather frame the White Deer, since his assailants seemed to be on friendlier terms with them. But unfortunately, he was still being monitored right now, and this was the best he could do.
Hearing the expected response, Sanders couldn’t help but laugh angrily. “I should have known! Who else would be so daring in this world other than that man?!”
He had long since known that the Black Tiger had both the ambition and the unrealistic dream of one day taking the top spot in this world, but he didn’t expect that man to be so delusional!
”Heh, does he think that I’m like that idiot from White Deer, and that he can walk all over me? I heard he’s been suffering a few setbacks even from his local rival, so does he think he can set his sights my way and take off a few chunks of meat by threatening me with Alex?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Unfortunately… all he’s managed to do… is invite a calamity his way!”
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When Alexander woke up to the sight of a white, hospital ceiling instead of the one in his room, his first thought was… who the hell did he sleep with last night?
At first, all he could recall was the wrinkly old face of the man who had been sent over to assist him. But after a few minutes of trying his best to wrack his brains, the dark-haired man finally managed to remember what had happened.
His mind was immediately clouded with rage as he slammed his fist against the saline drip stand, not only ripping the IV needle right off his arm, but also alarming the hospital staff.
”T-The patient is awake but unstable, quickly, get the doctor!”
”Hold him down!”
”FUCK! Get your grubby paws off me, you pieces of—!”
No matter how he protested, Alexander was still strapped down to the bed by a few able-bodied nurses. Fortunately, Jake arrived soon enough and managed to calm him down.
After the doctor arrived and fixed his IV drip, Jake quickly made a few excuses to have them remove Alexander’s restraints and leave them alone.
Of course, although he was no longer throwing a tantrum, the dark-haired man was still incensed. “Where the fuck were you?!”
Jake dipped his head in ‘shame’, hiding the annoyance in his eyes. “I-I just went to grab something to eat—”
’This dipshit!’ Alexander couldn’t help but curse in his heart. ‘Is he just pretending, or does he really not understand I meant to ask him where the fuck he was when I was being assaulted?!’
But with his pride, it was naturally impossible for Alexander to just say it out loud, or it would seem like he was expecting help. “Are you still in a mood to eat?!”
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