"Young man, we will need your help again," Spring said."Treating your father and saving his life is not a problem, but I hope you Hills can uphold your promise and pay me the full amount of money instead of resorting to coercion, intimidation, and taking advantage of your position," Dustin said calmly. "Coercion, intimidation, taking advantage of our position? What are you talking about, young man?" Spring was puzzled. "Perhaps you should ask the two people next to you what they have done," Dustin hinted."Autumn, what's going on?" Spring frowned."Well ..." Autumn hesitated to speak. He couldn't openly bring up such embezzlement of funds."Uncle Spring, I know what's going on. Uncle Autumn and the others took it upon themselves to change Dustin's 300 million remunerations into three million without permission and even went so far as to threaten him!" Patrick said seriously."Autumn! Have you lost your mind?" Spring's face darkened. "Dustin saved our father's life. He is the
It was evening, and Dustin was sitting in the living room of Enchanting Villa, engrossed in a book, when Abigail suddenly rushed down the stairs. "Uncle! I need your help with something urgent! Will you accompany me somewhere?" Abigail leaned in, acting secretive. "Where do you want to go?" Dustin's curiosity was piqued."It's a secret. You'll find out once we get there." Abigail playfully dodged the question."If you don't tell me, I won't go." Dustin firmly declined."Well, will you come with me if I tell you?" Abigail frowned."It depends on the situation." Dustin shrugged."Alright, I'll tell you. My friend is celebrating her birthday tonight, and we've planned to have some fun together," Abigail revealed with a mischievous smile."What does your friend's birthday have to do with me? I'm not going." Dustin rolled his eyes."Hey! You're not keeping your word! You just promised me earlier!" Abigail became a bit anxious. "I said it depends on the situation. I didn't promi
Since he was quite free, he thought he could use some time to relax.Twenty minutes later, Dustin and Abigail exited the car in front of a music bar. Compared to the lively and noisy atmosphere of a karaoke bar, the music bar was quieter. Friends could sit together, drink, chat, and listen to music. It was relaxing and comfortable. "Abigail! Over here!"Right after they entered the music bar, a short-haired girl stood up and waved at Abigail. Dustin followed the direction of the sound and recognized several familiar faces.The short-haired girl was Nina Sharp. Another one was a popular guy in school, Mike Horton. Dustin thought the rest looked quite familiar but couldn't recall their names. The only person he couldn't recognize was a girl in a school uniform. She looked young and pretty. The girl had a delicate oval face with exquisite features. She looked pure and innocent, like a fairy. With just a glance, she could capture a person's attention."Sorry, we're late."Abigail ap
"Hey! What the fuck are you talking about?" Mike sprung up and yelled, feeling a burst of righteousness after seeing the sleazy man pester Ruby. "My friend already told you she can't sing the song! Why the hell do you keep pressing her?" "Exactly! How can you force people to sing songs they don't know? Aren't you being too unreasonable?" Nina chimed in. The others who had remained silent wore similar indignant expressions. "A show-off, huh?" The chubby man sneered. "She should follow the rules since she walked onto the stage. I've already paid, so she has to sing!" "So what if you paid? That measly sum is barely enough to buy coffee!" Mike scoffed disdainfully. "You want to talk about rules? Let me humor you. Hey, I'll give you 100 roses. Sing whatever you like for the first song!" he said and paid ten thousand dollars on the spot. "Damn! He sure is easygoing with his money. He spent ten thousand without hesitation." "He's probably some rich kid. Let's see what happens." Th
"Ten million?" The crowd exchanged astonished glances when they heard him. Ordinary citizens couldn't even dream of earning that much money in their lifetime. How could Dustin make such a bold statement? "Do you even have that kind of money?" Abigail asked, shocked and anxious. "Come on, don't show off when you don't even have that much money. You'll only end up embarrassing yourself," Mike said scornfully, giving Dustin a disdainful look. Although he dared not challenge the chubby man again, he still had the audacity to look down on Dustin. There was no way he believed a shabby-looking country bumpkin could win against someone as wealthy as Chubster. "You're just spouting nonsense to show off, right? Well, let's see how this ends!" Nina snorted, not believing that someone like Dustin would have ten million dollars. "Who the fuck said that?" Surprised, Chubster glanced around the room frostily. "It was me." Dustin stood up slowly, his stare icy. "Are you challenging me?" Ch
Despite how plainly dressed Dustin was, his confident and collected demeanor made people think twice about their opinions of him. They began to believe that he was either a regular braggart or someone who actually had ten million dollars. As everyone waited silently for the results, the restaurant owner walked over and said, "My apologies, sir, but the PIN was wrong, and the transaction failed." "Wrong?" Dustin was surprised. Wasn't his PIN 666666? Did he remember wrongly? "What about the ten million you were talking about?" Chubster burst out laughing. "Why bother pretending if you're poor? Did you think you could get away with it by acting? What a joke!" "Tsk. Turns out he's just a braggart. I nearly believed him." "I know, right? And it must be embarrassing to get your lie exposed like that." Everyone cast their mocking and disdainful gazes at him, believing that the wrong PIN was his excuse to escape from paying. There was no way they'd allow him to get the attention
The crowd was stunned to see the owner frantically apologizing to Dustin. They all gaped at Dustin, jaws dropped in disbelief. Ten million dollars had accidentally turned into 100 million dollars, and the transaction was successful? How much money was on that card? No one could laugh anymore. Instead, their eyes were full of shock and envy as they stared at Dustin, who had easily paid what ordinary families couldn't even earn after generations. He was the true tycoon! "T-that's impossible!" After getting over his shock, Mike's reaction turned into disbelief. "Did you make a mistake, sir? There's no way this guy could have so much money!" How could such a shabbily dressed man have 100 million dollars? "He's right. It has to be fake. There's no way anyone would carry 100 million dollars around!" Nina voiced her suspicions as well. Although none of the others spoke, they obviously doubted it as well. "Look closely, you ignorant fools!" The owner humphed and slapped the bil
In terms of power, Terry was potentially Tyler Grant's rival since they both liked doing things however they wanted."So what if you're rich? You still have to submit to the Doyle family." Mike goaded secretly. As a martial arts family, the Doyle family has always acted however they liked, so they would never take this matter lightly."The Doyle family is incredibly powerful. I guess it's over for this guy." Nina shook her head, pleased with the show.Being rich was different from being powerful. Some rich families were nothing but ants to powerful families. "You scared now?" Duncan smirked. "Since you know who I am now, you should know what to do next, right?"He may not be able to withdraw 100 million dollars, but he had a powerful brother. As long as he used his brother's name, most people would let him have his way."So what? Don't be a sore loser. You've lost the bet, so you should keep your side of the bargain," Dustin responded bluntly. "Huh?" Duncan frowned. "Do you
Axel had no time to hesitate. He lunged forward and grabbed the overturned Dragon-Binding Net. Then, he used every ounce of his strength to pin Warrick down again."Get over here! We have to keep him restrained."As the net strained under Warrick's sheer power, Axel let out a roar and pushed his cultivation to the limit. His veins bulged and blood pounded in his ears. He threw every last bit of strength into holding Warrick down.For now, he managed to pin Warrick down, but the elite enforcement unit on the other side wasn't faring well. Warrick thrashed wildly, sending more than a dozen men swinging through the air. Some slammed into trees, while others crashed into walls. Within moments, the Dragon-Binding Net flipped over again.Several elite enforcement units tried to rush in and help, but they barely got close before getting hit by their own airborne comrades and sent flying.Against Warrick's Divine Strength, they were utterly outmatched. The regular guards didn't stand a
If Warrick had been at his peak, Axel might have been more cautious. But with Tranqurin coursing through his vein, Warrick had barely a fraction of his usual strength left. His power was still fading, and Axel wasn't about to waste the opportunity. He had to capture Warrick while he had the chance."Get the hell out of my way!"As the enforcers closed in, Warrick let out a furious roar and slammed his massive fist into the floor.With a loud explosion, the earth shook violently. The ground within dozens of yards cracked and caved in, splitting apart like a spiderweb. A powerful shockwave tore through the air, sending dirt flying and walls shattering. The entire meeting room collapsed into ruins.The elite enforcers, caught in the blast, were flung backward like ragdolls. They crashed to the ground, disoriented and battered. Even Axel was thrown back more than ten yards.Warrick panted heavily, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Forcing his internal energy into action had only
Austin's words were strong and commanding, each one landing like a thunderclap.Warrick felt the weight of his presence. His brow furrowed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He glanced at the so-called evidence on the floor, showing no sign of panic or guilt. Instead, he said indifferently, "Your Highness, these dead men were nothing more than ants. Is this really worth making such a fuss over? I doubt you haven't killed anyone before."As the old saying went, the higher one climbed, the heavier one's purse. Warrick had clawed his way up, risking his life at every step for the sake of rising above the masses. Everyone had their own desires—some sought fame, others fortune. Some were greedy for money, some for power, and others reveled in the adoration of the masses. To achieve those things, one inevitably had to engage in shady dealings. It was an unspoken rule among officials, and Warrick saw nothing wrong with it."Ants?" Austin sneered. "Without these 'ant
The ashen-faced Huxley was dragged away. With his crimes exposed, his fate was sealed. His entire family would be implicated, and their assets would be seized.Those guilty would be punished, and even those who had merely benefited from his corruption would be held accountable. To put it bluntly, Huxley's entire family was about to be annihilated.Austin issued his next order once the bloodstains were cleaned up. "Axel, it's time to bring in the mastermind."With Huxley dealt with, the next step was to confront Warrick. Unlike Huxley, Warrick wouldn't be easy to deal with. After all, he commanded a large number of troops. If backed into a corner, he could become a major threat."Understood!" Axel responded respectfully, then turned to his subordinates. "Gather more men and come with me."Warrick had earned his prestigious position through years of fierce battles. On the battlefield, he was a one-man army, a warrior capable of taking on thousands. His strength was beyond what mos
"You bastard! With all this evidence in front of you, what do you have to say for yourself?" Austin barked."Your Highness, please let me explain…" Huxley broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling with panic."This is a lie. Someone's trying to frame me! I've always followed the law—how could I possibly be involved in something so vile?""The evidence is right in front of you, and you're still trying to weasel out of it?" Austin shot back. "Looks like you won't confess until death is knocking at your door."He raised his hand and ordered, "Guards, throw him into Grimhold Keep. Use whatever means necessary—let's see how long he keeps up this act.""Yes, Your Highness."A squad of enforcement team members rushed in and surrounded Huxley.Cornered, Huxley finally lost his nerve. He dropped to his knees with a thud and begged, "Your Highness, I admit I made a grave mistake."His voice cracked as he continued, "I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. Please, for the sake of my y
Night had fallen. Austin sat in the meeting room, quietly reading a book as he waited for the results of the investigation.After successfully turning Percival against his allies, it was only a matter of time before they uncovered solid evidence of Warrick and Huxley's crimes.For years, the castle had turned a blind eye to their shady dealings. After all, corruption among officials was nothing new.But this time was different. The two had secretly orchestrated Jovian's murder, a direct challenge to the authority and dignity of the royal family. Such defiance couldn't be ignored. If Austin didn't set an example, others would surely follow."Your Highness!"Axel burst into the meeting room, panting heavily. He had clearly run the whole way to avoid any delay.Austin set his book aside and asked calmly, "Well? How did it go?""Your Highness, we've completely shut down all of Warrick and Huxley's illicit operations. Every hidden network they had built over the years has also been d
At that moment, Percival truly panicked. Earlier, he had only worried about being implicated. But now, faced with such a serious accusation, he was completely caught off guard."Hmph! The evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare deny it? Do you want me to torture the truth out of you?" Austin barked."Your Highness, I'm innocent!" Percival was so terrified he was on the verge of tears. He raised his hand and swore, "If I had anything to do with Jovian's death, may I be damned for eternity.""If swearing oaths proved innocence, we wouldn't need an enforcement team," Austin said coldly. "Out of respect for your years of service to West Lucozia, I'll give you a chance to come clean and receive a lighter sentence. Tell the truth now, or I'll throw you into Grimhold Keep."At the mention of Grimhold Keep, Percival began to shake uncontrollably. Tears and snot ran down his face as he wailed, "Your Highness, I swear I didn't do anything. Who's the bastard making up these accusations?
Ten minutes later, Warrick was escorted out of Room A1 again.Axel's demeanor had completely changed since their first meeting, and he had become unusually warm."Sir Prescott, Lord Austin has concluded the investigation. It turns out this matter has nothing to do with you. We made a mistake earlier, and I apologize for any offense caused." He smiled apologetically and spoke with a humble tone."Hm?" Seeing the fawning expression on Axel's face, Warrick raised an eyebrow and looked surprised. Just moments ago, the two sides had been at each other's throats. What had caused such a sudden change?"Did you really investigate it thoroughly?" Warrick asked tentatively."Of course! According to our findings, Jovian's disappearance was the result of a personal vendetta from his enemies in Oakvale," Axel said with a straight face.He continued, "He was a tyrant and always stirring up trouble everywhere he went. He got what was coming to him. Lord Austin only launched the investigation
"After you, Sir Prescott." With one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, Axel's other hand gestured toward the door."Hmph!" Warrick shot a cold glance at Axel's subtle movement and then turned to leave the meeting room.Even if Austin had his suspicions, Warrick knew he couldn't do anything to him without concrete evidence.Axel escorted Warrick back to Room A1. After closing the door, he went to Room A2 and led Huxley to the meeting room."Your Highness, it is my privilege to stand before you." Huxley entered the meeting room with a respectful salute."Mr. Thatcher, please take a seat." Austin's face remained neutral as he gestured for Huxley to sit, then motioned for Axel to pour him a cup of tea."Do you know why I've summoned you here today?" Austin spoke calmly, and his words carried the same probing tone as earlier."Is it about Jovian's disappearance?" Huxley asked in return."Oh? It seems you're quick on the uptake." Austin raised an eyebrow. "In that case, g