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Chapter 16 June 9th, 2032 | Restrained Revenge
Chapter 16 June 9th, 2032 | Restrained Revenge
Evalyn led Kaze to the Lockheed University administration building, which she had just returned from after giving her testimony.
He walked into the main room and addressed the secretary.
"Hello, miss. My name is Kaze Lexicon." Kaze said with an alluring smile, "I hear Lockheed University wishes to speak to me for the safe-environment lawsuit I'm filing."
The secretary blinked twice. She planned to tell Kaze they weren't ready for his testimony yet, but she froze when he said [lawsuit].
"P-Please give me a moment." She requested while picking up the phone.
"Of course, miss. Please take your time." He said with a courteous smile.
Evalyn blinked twice in disbelief. She wanted to ask if Kaze planned for this strategy, but a man in a grey suit rushed out into the room.
"Roger Whitfield." The man said while reaching out his hand, "I'm the head of Security and Student Safety on campus."
"Kaze Lexicon," The emperor replied coldly, accepting the man's hand.
The man froze, and his dark brown eyes trembled. Just moments before, they were considering disciplinary action against Kaze, depending on the testimony of others.
Now, they faced a lawsuit when there was clear evidence a court would deem sufficient. Kaze's eyes told the man he wasn't playing around.
Roger panned his gaze to Evalyn, who was with Kaze. She planned to leave immediately, but everything happened too fast.
"Why are you still here?" He asked.
"She came and got me out of concern when she learned that the school was interviewing people, seeking disciplinary action instead of directly punishing violent actors on campus." Kaze interjected coldly.
"I faced two illegal acts of violence in one day, on video, once while asleep, and no one has been punished.
Additionally, a man harassed this woman, announcing that she was his property nonconsensually before trying to strike me. Surely you don't [also] ignore harassment, do you?"
Evalyn's eyes shook violently. She didn't want to get involved in the case. It was bad enough she was involved, but getting her friends involved was another story.
Roger's face was painfully tense. "Mr. Lexicon, please do not misunderstand. The interviewing is part of the arbitrary investigation process for the school."
"Is that so?" Kaze asked mockingly, "So you wait three days without contacting the victim in concern, and then interview everyone before contacting them?"
The man's face froze, and he took a sharp breath. "Mr. Lexicon, once again. Due to the public nature of your case, it's important that we—"
"On April 15th, I was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a woman with cat ears." Kaze interjected with a ruthless gaze.
"Collin Finch, Peter Rhodes, and Quinn Laybolt threw me against a wall and forced me to say I was into bestiality on video. They posted it on Yanko. That's also a public event, is it not?"
Roger's eyes widened in shock, and so did Evalyn's. Kaze was so charming, strong, and arrogant that she forgot who he used to be.
"March 22nd, three weeks after school began, I was thrown into the lake at Lamers Park." Kaze continued with a vicious gaze.
"That was also posted on Yanko. Tell me, Roger Whitfield, where was your investigation then?"
Evalyn held her breath. Her sadness was replaced with light fear from Kaze's aura. He had true killing intent in his eyes. The more he remembered his past life, the angrier he got.
While a person with a hyperthymestic memory can remember every detail of what they see, that doesn't imply they have instant recall memory. (1)
He, like most people, didn't remember things before they came up unless he searched for them on purpose. Now that he recalled the memories, he had to exhibit excessive self-control not to act.
Kaze hadn't known such disgrace in almost five millennia and ruthlessly killed everyone that mocked him. Now he was face to face with the events that pushed him to be who he was.
"Mr. Lexicon…." Roger said while swallowing, "We apologize and will seek to rectify the situation."
"Apologize?" Kaze scoffed in disgust. In his mind, the man deserved death.
If it weren't for his desire to let Evalyn retain happiness for two more weeks, he would seal the man's meridians, forcing Qi sickness on him in days. It would drive him crazy, solve Kaze's problem, and eventually kill the man.
"Your job is to prevent violence." He asserted, "Yet you're actively seeking to find fault in a chronic victim's self-defense because your failure to do your job is going viral."
Roger turned away with an indignant expression. "Mr. Lexicon, you are currently interfering in an investigation. I'll ask you to leave now so I can do my job."
Kaze laughed in disbelief. "Your job? I have neither the time nor the words to label such arrogance, Roger Whitfield."
The man turned to Kaze but froze at his murderous gaze.
"If you're not fired by the end of the day, I'll have a full legal team file an internationally publicized lawsuit and use my newfound fame to highlight your name." Kaze declared.
"I'll give you thirty seconds to call the president of this school and resign before this goes on your public and professional record."
"Are you threatening me?" Roger asked with trembling eyes.
Kaze pulled out his phone and searched for the number one law team in the field.
"Never confuse threats with generosity." The emperor chuckled maliciously, "The first is a showcase of spineless indecisiveness, the second is a [right] only afforded to those able and willing to take action."
He stared into Roger Whitfield's eyes as he hit the call button and put it on speaker phone.
"Phillip and Lemond." A legal assistant on the other end of the phone called out.
"Yes, my name is Kaze Lexicon. I'm the recent viral self-defense victim in the Scrawn Fu videos; I'm currently under a physical assault investigation and am considering filing a lawsuit against Lockheed University." Kaze said.
Roger scoffed at his arrogance; there was no way that he could afford—
"I can wire a million dollar deposit down in five minutes—"
p
"Okay. To verify, are you speaking of the Geek Thrashes Jocks in Self-Defense to Protect a Woman's Honor?" The legal assistant asked.
Kaze forcefully pulled the phone away from Roger's hand.
"That's right, miss. I suffered two actions of violence in one day, and have video evidence of two other incidents." He said, "So if I seek action, it will be open and shut."
"I-I see. I'll have Mr. Lemond give you a call for a consultation." She said, "If you present ample evidence, there's a chance we could provide it pro bono."
"Thank you, miss. I look forward to it. Please use this number in the future." Kaze said in a charming voice.
"Of course, expect a phone call shortly." She replied.
Kaze hung up and sent a murderous glare at Roger, who was staring at the air with a face that showcased his forced acceptance that his professional career, pension, and general life were about to grind to a halt.
"Tell me, Roger Whitfield. Do you want to send in your resignation, or do you want to be in the room when you face an investigation?" Kaze asked coldly.
"I…." Roger said.
"You have ten seconds. Nine… Eight… Seven… Six… Five… Four… Three…."
"W-Wait! I'll file my resignation, but can we discuss terms?" The man asked in desperation.
"You can't negotiate terms when your life hinges on the [generosity] of the other party." The emperor scoffed in vexation.
The insinuation was that his callous terms paled in comparison to how thoroughly he'd mangle the man's life if he refused. Roger understood that and turned away with a broken expression.
Kaze gave a sidelong glance to Evalyn, who stared at him with a pained expression. She was still weak and naive at this point in her life, and her expression made the emperor close his eyes.
He wasn't softening for Evalyn. All he wanted was to give her a brief moment of carefree living before the hell broke loose in thirteen days, robbing her of her blissful idealism forever.
The thought of stealing the last two weeks of her carefree life away when the man would die in a few weeks was too much for him to bare.
However, the emperor wouldn't let the man walk free; he would ensure he'd suffer in the remaining days till the apocalypse. That way, the man's existence would worsen by the day, without improvement, for the rest of his short and inconsequential life.
"But rejoice! I don't want to spend the peak of my youth locked in legal matters." Kaze announced, "So there's slight hope for you yet."
Roger looked at Kaze with pleading eyes, and so did Evalyn, who was shocked to see his bloodlust dissipate after looking at her.
"I'll let you keep your post until the end of the month if you force close this farce by the end of the day." The emperor said, "You can explain the precarious legal situation you and the other seven students face to accomplish that."
The man held his breath. It was a generous deal in comparison to what he was facing.
"If you do, I'll let you disclose that I won't pursue criminal charges against my attackers as the reason. If you can't do that much, you're less than worthless, and I'll ensure you never work at a University again." Kaze declared coldly.
Roger looked at the secretary, who watched the proceeding. She witnessed an under-the-table deal, and she looked conflicted about what to do.
Kaze turned to her. "You needn't concern yourself, miss. The president will understand this full situation, and I'll go through the right process."
Her eyes widened in surprise at his reassuring tone.
"Our arrangement is only to discuss the level of magnanimity I will show this man while I resolve the issue." Kaze said while giving Roger a glance that burrowed into his soul.
The secretary nodded, and Roger Whitfield pulled out his phone and made a call to the University's President.