Top Notch War God

Chapter 100

"Did you hear everything?" The calm male voice came through the phone again.

"Yes... yes, I heard it." Pete was scared out of his wits.

In just twenty minutes, his entire family—thirty-two people—had been captured. If they wanted to capture him, it would be a piece of cake.

"Who the hell are you? Why did you take my whole family?" Pete tried to calm himself down, but his voice trembled as he asked.

"I am Flamestrike, acting commander of the Dragon Nest unit. It's normal if you haven't heard of me. Now you have ten minutes to go downstairs, apologize to our general and his wife, and gain their forgiveness."

Flamestrike's voice sounded merciless. "If you refuse, I will start killing. Every minute, one person will die until all are dead. The clock starts now."

"Wait!" Pete shouted in panic. 'You didn't even tell me who the general and his wife are—how am I supposed to apologize?'

"Downstairs... that's Ariya!" Jessica muttered, having overheard Flamestrike's words.

"What? But..." Pete was on the verge of tears. The only reason he hadn't believed Ariya earlier was because Talon had promised him six hundred million dollars. Now it was all slipping away.

Downstairs, Talon had finished two cups of Arcanis' finest coffee, while Ariya was browsing her phone with great interest. The news was all about Pete, with some articles clearly fabricated, but she found it all quite amusing.

"Well, it looks like your plan might not work after all. It seems they won't be coming down. Honestly, I never thought this tactic would work. Their whole business is built on peddling negative stories—why would they be afraid of this?"

Ariya smiled. "But on the bright side, the whole internet is now focused on Pete, and nobody's paying attention to me anymore. Should we leave?"

Talon chuckled. "Leave? And walk away without getting the money? You're the CEO of Arilon Group—you deal with millions in minutes. After wasting half a day, don't you think he should cough up some cash? Besides, he had the nerve to fantasize about you... How should I settle that score?"

"You're seriously thinking of collecting money from him? Be happy he's not trying to blackmail you!" Ariya shook her head. She had never considered that Pete would actually pay up.

"Look over there—here they come." Talon nodded toward the entrance, smiling.

Ariya turned around and saw Pete approaching, looking like a beaten dog, with Jessica trailing behind him.

"Please, have mercy! Let my family go, I'm begging you!" Pete sobbed as soon as he opened his mouth. He couldn't take the risk—if he lost this gamble, it would cost the lives of his entire family of thirty-two.

Talon checked his watch. "Mr. Norman, you're quite punctual, dragging it out to the last minute. As I see it, this matter has little to do with me. You should be begging my wife for forgiveness. You've got five minutes left."

"Please, let my family go! I was foolish to let others trick me into posting that fake news about you. I deserve to die—I really do! I've already taken down all the fake stories and posted an apology! I'll apologize every day for seven days! Please, spare them!" Pete panicked even more, slapping himself as he pleaded.

Ariya watched Pete bow repeatedly and apologize. She thought to herself, 'So that's why Talon was so calm—he captured his family to threaten him!' As she watched Pete grovel, her anger evaporated.

Ariya spoke up, deciding to let Pete off the hook. "You run a media company, and yet you didn't even bother to verify the sources. Do you know how much trouble you've caused?"

"I promise, I will verify every source from now on! I'll never do this kind of business again! Please, believe me!" Pete bowed over and over.

"Alright, I forgive you," Ariya said with a faint smile, lifting a great weight off Pete's chest.

Pete sighed in relief and asked Ariya, "Could you let Flamestrike know?"

"Mr. Norman, my wife is merciful and has forgiven you, but I haven't. My wife had to drop her work and waste time dealing with this. By the way, remember I mentioned six hundred million? I'm still willing to give that to you—do you want it?" Talon said casually as he poured himself some more tea.

Pete's head was spinning. He hurriedly replied, "No, no, absolutely not! Whatever you want, just name it. I'll give you whatever I have, right now! I'll give you one hundred million as compensation!"

"One hundred million? That's not nearly enough," Talon remarked, glancing at his watch. There was only one minute left.

"If you think that's too little, just name your price. I'm running out of time!" Pete was on the verge of losing his mind, knowing every second counted for his family's lives.

"I offered you six hundred million, but since you don't want it, why don't you give six hundred million to my wife? Does that sound fair?" Talon said with a grin.

"What?" Pete nearly jumped out of his seat. Six hundred million was half of his entire fortune! If he gave it up, it would mean all the money he had earned from his business over the years would go straight into Talon's pocket.

"You have thirty seconds," Talon said coolly, checking his watch again.

"Please, can't it be... a little less?" Pete asked hesitantly. Talon said nothing, merely watching the seconds tick by. At five seconds, Talon shook his head and began dialing Flamestrike's number.

Pete suddenly shouted, stopping Talon. He collapsed, trembling. "No! I'll give you the six hundred million! I'll wire it right now. Please, I beg you, ensure my family's safety!" As the reality of losing six hundred million sank in, Pete broke down, kneeling and sobbing uncontrollably.

"If you don't want to give it, don't force yourself," Talon said calmly as he continued dialing Flamestrike.

"No, no, I want to give it! I really want to!" Pete wiped his tears, feeling utterly defeated. Six hundred million was nothing compared to the lives of his parents, wife, and children. What would be the point of surviving alone?

"Transfer the funds to Arilon Group's account within thirty minutes. And by the way, you mentioned my wife's name when you were having s*x with that woman!" Talon sneered as he pulled Pete closer. Without warning, Talon kicked Pete square in the groin.