Then, he even deliberately cracked his whip twice so that it made a sharp noise. At this point, Celena was so frail that she felt like she could pass out at any moment. She stared at the soldier brandishing his whip and mustered all the remaining strength she had to shake her head. "I have no idea. I'm not a spy, and I've never betrayed my country… nor has my husband!"There must be a mistake… I'm innocent, and so is my husband… This has all been a mistake…""You asked for it, b*tch!" the soldier roared. He wanted to continue whipping her, but there was not a single square inch of her flesh that was left untouched at this point. She was covered in blood and truly a terrible sight to behold.The soldier glanced at the bucket of water, a devious idea beginning to form in his mind. The next moment, he scooped up some water in his palms and splashed Celena with it. "Ahhhhh!" The sudden burning pain that shot through her body was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She curled h
The stench of blood hung nauseatingly in the air. Celena gritted her teeth in an effort to stop herself from screaming. She bore the pain silently, but there were times she wanted to give up. Not even a full-grown man could handle such torment, but Celena had proved her perseverance once more. Now that she was awake, the soldier removed her handcuffs and pinned her against the table. Another soldier approached, clutching a red-hot iron.Celena's entire body shook at the sight of the iron. Terrified beyond measure, she sputtered, "Please… Please have mercy on me… I really have no idea what you're talking about… Please… I'm not a spy… I never betrayed my country, and nor has my husband…"The soldier brandished the iron before her and said, scoffing, "You better play smart this time, b*tch! You're suffering at your own hands. If you refuse to admit the truth, I'll press this burning iron against your skin. If you insist on defying us, then I'll break all your fingers one by one and pu
The sergeant snapped impatiently, "Wake her up!""Yes, sir!" The soldier repeated what he had done previously and emptied another bucket of salt water all over Celena's body."Ahhhh!" Celena was jolted awake once more, but this time, she was considerably frailer than the first. Her eyes were vacant and unfocused, as though she were on the brink of passing out again.The soldier grabbed her by her hair and roared, "Do you still insist on lying?"Celena stared at him blankly, then forced out a weak but derisive chuckle. She replied feebly, "You—you're slandering me… My husband was the former commander-in-chief… He served and protected this country fiercely, yet this is how you treat your innocent civilians…"I—I will never admit to those crimes you accused me of… I have never done anything wrong… I will never admit it…"The sergeant's patience had worn out at this point. He barked, "Enough! Let's not waste our time convincing her! Pluck out all her nails!"The soldier picked up a
Celena's whole body shook without control, drained of all strength, sprawled across the table like a shattered doll. Blood dripped steadily from her fingertips, pooling on the cold surface beneath her.Her wounds, savagely exposed by the relentless saltwater, were a gruesome sight—the edges of her skin turned ghostly white while the centers bled out without pause.Lying there, Celena was a ghastly sight, a figure drenched in her own blood, so still that she might have been mistaken for dead if not for the weak flutter in her chest.However, she could not hold on any longer and slipped into a deep unconsciousness beyond the reach of the soldier's saltwater splashes.The soldier, thinking she had passed, checked her pulse and, finding a faint sign of life, reported to the squad leader, "Captain, I think she's at her limit. She won't wake up, even with the saltwater."The squad leader scowled, pondered for a moment, and then commanded with a chilling voice, "If water won't do the tri
The squad leader reeled from the blow, seeing stars as blood burst from his lips. His gaze was seething with fury at Timothy. However, when he recognized the man before him, his bravado vanished, replaced by a deep, seething anger."Mr... Mr. Norton..."Timothy towered over the squad leader, his eyes red with unbridled fury as if he were a tempest ready to tear the world."Get a doctor for this girl, now! She's barely hanging on."Timothy was on the brink of finishing off the squad leader when Geoffrey's voice, tense and livid, cut through the tension. Timothy's gaze snapped to Celena, lying on the table, her breathing faint and fragile. His eyes softened with concern yet still blazed with anger. He ordered the handcuffs removed from her wrists and ankles without delay.She was then carefully lifted and taken out of the interrogation room.Timothy shot a chilling look at the squad leader sprawled on the floor and the soldiers nearby. "Take them all into custody. No one touches
Michael's face was creased as he weighed in, "Easier said than done. You all know Liam's fuse is short. Are we really going to pretend otherwise?"Geoffrey was nodding along. "He's right. We shouldn't keep this from Liam. Better he hears it from us than finding out some other way. If he thinks we're keeping secrets, we'll be on his bad side too.""The smart move is to tell him and tell him fast. That way, maybe he'll see we're on his side. Then we can work things out with him without the whole sky falling down on us."The room went quiet as everyone was lost in thought. After a long pause, Timothy took a deep breath, as if bracing himself, and said, "Alright! Let's do it your way. However, first, we've got to get Celena some help."Just as they were about to move out, a convoy of military trucks rolled up to the gates of the Fourth Military District.The moment the truck screeched to a halt, a flood of soldiers poured out, swiftly encircling Timothy and his group. From the sea
The major general shuddered, fear of Timothy evident, yet he stood his ground."Mr. Norton, I wouldn't dare! However, I serve Prince Faber, and he's ordered us to keep a tight watch on the Fourth Military District. There's a high-value prisoner locked up, and no one's allowed out."If I let someone slip away, I'd be failing in my duties. So, I'm sorry, but I can't follow your order."Sweat beaded on the major general's forehead, a clear sign of his fear, yet he stood his ground, refusing to let anyone leave. Timothy's face twisted into an ugly sneer, his anger bubbling into a bitter chuckle. "Oh, so you're all about following orders, huh? Yet, you will ignore the Grand Pendragon Department's commands?" His voice boomed, sending a shiver down the major general's spine. The poor guy was stuck between a rock and a hard place: his head Prince Faber on one side, the formidable Four Elders on the other. He could not afford to cross either. Prince Faber's orders were crystal clear:
In a blink, the major general who had been furiously issuing orders was hurled through the air, crashing into and flipping over a dozen soldiers before hitting the ground and coughing up blood.Everyone froze, shocked.The shadowy figure then stood before Timothy and the rest as they struggled to shake off their disbelief.Clad in a sharp navy outfit, the newcomer radiated a bone-chilling menace, a pistol and an old dagger at his waist.His expression was stone-cold, his brows like drawn swords full of menace, his eyes icy and devoid of feeling, as he glared at the major general sprawled on the ground.Timothy's eyes narrowed as he spotted the stranger, his voice icy as he demanded, "Who are you? What's your business here?" Meanwhile, Geoffrey and the rest quickly formed a protective circle around Celena, wary of any threat the newcomer might pose. The man in black, radiating an aura of menace, turned to face them. His gaze landed on Celena, her body smeared with blood, and hi
However, Andy was a smooth talker, so the eldest member of the Drayton family liked him. Because of that, the head of the family tolerated him. That was why Andy, who was just a member of the branch family, dared to be so cocky.Andy saw Howard standing at the side from the corner of his eye as he spoke. He thought of what Howard said earlier, and that made his blood boil.He pointed at Howard and bellowed, "Uncle Derrick, this Howard is trash as well. You have no idea. I told him I was a member of the Drayton family, yet he did not take our family seriously at all."Not only did he have his men capture me, but he said cockily that he wanted to lock me up forever, and nobody could stop him."Weren't you very cocky before this, Mr. Mosier? Go on. Continue acting cocky in front of my uncle now. Detain me and lock me up forever."Andy took a couple of steps closer to Howard as he said that. He extended his hands arrogantly and said, "Come on. I have my hands stretched out for you. Hu
Soon, Andy and the thugs from the nightclub yesterday were released.Andy saw Derrick standing at the entrance of the police headquarters at a glance. He got so excited that he shouted, "Uncle Derrick! Uncle Derrick!"Fletcher's subordinates were incredibly excited to see Derrick as well. All of them shouted, "Mr. Derrick Drayton!"One of the subordinates was in Drunham City because Derrick arranged for him to be there. After he was brought to Derrick's side, he smiled apologetically and said, "Thank you for saving me, sir. Don't worry. Fletcher's faction and properties are all here. I'll be able to rebuild the faction here very soon."In other words, even if Fletcher was out of the picture, he would be able to thrive in Drunham City and replace Fletcher.However, Derrick shot an icy glare at him and sneered. "Hmph! How shameless of you to say that? There are so many of you, yet you can't deal with a small loser who only married into the Stone family."If it wasn't because this w
Howard did not expect that the Drayton family would have a connection with the Carter family. They could even produce a token from the Carter family."Mr. Derrick Drayton, I didn't expect that your family and the Carters go way back. You even got the Carter family's token out," said Howard.Derrick sneered and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Howard, my family did the Carter family a favor back then, that's why the general of the Carter family gave this token to us. He promised us that we could take out this token if we were ever in a bind in the future, and they would help us!"I'm taking out this token today to tell you that I'm going to bail Andy out of here. I'd like to see who in Drunham City has the guts to stop me!"Howard was stunned, and then he fell silent.He did not think that Derrick would take out a token from the Carter family.The Carter family was the top family in Mirstone. Nobody in Mirstone would dare to go against the Carter family. Derrick became even more
Meanwhile, Derrick and his men were already at the entrance of the police headquarters.Derrick's eyes were burning with rage as he looked at the door that was shut tightly. A sneer appeared on his lips as he said, "Hmph. Looks like they already know I'm coming, so they are deliberately trying to assert dominance."Then, he asked his driver next to him, "Where are our men? Have they all arrived?"The driver nodded and said, "They're here, Mr. Derrick. They are all waiting at the side. We'll tear down the main door to the police headquarters once you give the command."Derrick nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shouted at the police headquarters, "Howard! You're just the chief of the police headquarters! How dare you lock me outside?""I'd like to see how powerful you are today, Howard! Come on, guys. Take it down!"At his command, a group of burly men rushed out of the black van next to him. They were all holding thick bats, and they rushed up to the door ferociously.Right at t
At first, Yafe and the rest of the Stone family were stunned after they heard what Liam said. Then, they all burst out laughing.Yafe looked at Liam with a mocking gaze and said, "Are you kidding me, Liam? You're going to get the Draytons to come and apologize in person? Come on, that's the Drayton family we're talking about! Do you think they are just some nobody?"Right now, I don't want to waste my breath anymore. As long as you're able to stop the Drayton family from targeting us, I'm more than grateful. Don't you forget that you're the one who wanted to leave the Stone family? So, stop dragging us into your mess."Liam shot the crowd with an icy glare and brought Celena out of the Stone Mansion.Celena was still in a slight daze after they got into the car. Liam put on her safety belt for her and asked, "What's the matter, dear? Are you still worried about the Draytons?"Celena nodded and replied, "Yes. After all, all these were caused by the conflict between Andy and us. Jus
Liam wanted to ask what the family heirloom was, but he had no choice but to let it be after he heard what Yonatan said.However, Liam heard Yonatan's voice again, saying, "I've never seen that thing, but I heard from the Drayton family members that it was from a big shot in the military."The military?Liam's eyebrows furrowed once he heard it had something to do with the military. Then, he kicked Yonatan away, making him land next to the thugs.Yonatan passed out because of that kick.Once the thugs saw their leader was out cold, they took a couple of steps back in fear.However, Liam did not care about them at all. He looked at Yafe and the others instead.Once the Stone family members saw that they were out of the woods, they became cocky again.Yafe and Sherah, in particular, were so cocky that they ran up to Liam and condemned him, "Look what you've done! You're bad luck! What else can you do other than cause us trouble? Do you know who that is? He is from the Drayton fam
Yonatan was infuriated and bellowed, "So this is how you're going to play! Alright! I'm not going to stop until I kill you today!"Yonatan was radiating an intense desire to battle. That was the air exuded by a fighter of Fourth Order War King caliber.The Stone family was so frightened by the air he exuded that their faces turned pale. All of them took more than ten steps back in fear, afraid they would be injured by mistake.Yonatan clenched his fist and charged at Liam like a ferocious beast. His fist was packing so much power that it created a sonic boom, cutting through the air and going for Liam's face.The punch was so powerful that it could kill a bull right away.The Stone family thought Liam was going to die. Nobody would be able to survive a punch like that.Yonatan thought the same. He was very confident in his ability. He looked into Liam and knew he used to be a soldier, as well as a good fighter. However, so what?No matter how skilled Liam was in combat, could he
The moment Liam stepped into view, the Stone family members lit up as if they had spotted their guardian angel. They pointed at him, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and accusation. "Mr. Yonatan, look over here! It's Liam! I said they weren't with us!""Exactly! Mr. Yonatan, see for yourself, Liam's not part of our family!""Mr. Yonatan, now that Liam's here, if you're looking to pin the blame on someone, he's your man!""Liam, you actually showed up. If you hadn't crossed the Drayton family, would we, the Stones, have ever been dragged into this mess?""Liam, Celena, you two are nothing but trouble. You've left the family, so why keep stirring the pot for us?"...The air crackled with the Stone family's collective outrage, their faces twisted in anger as if they were ready to rip Liam and Celena to shreds.Celena and Liam's arrival was pure happenstance. They were just in the neighborhood to check in on an old friend when they overheard Yonatan's boastful taunts.Lia
Yonatan did not even bother to look at him. He checked his watch with a chilling laugh and said, "You've got ten minutes for Liam to show up. Don't say I didn't warn you."The words sent a wave of shock through Yafe and the rest of the Stone family, who stared at Yonatan, panic-stricken.Yafe was a mess, desperate to explain, but the sight of Yonatan's henchmen, eager and ready for a fight, stopped him dead in his tracks."Mr. Yonatan, I swear it's the truth. Liam has nothing to do with the Stone family anymore. You've made a mistake!"Yafe's face was flushed with urgency as he tried to convince the unmoved man."It's true, Mr. Yonatan! Liam and Celena were kicked out of the Stone family ages ago.""That's right! He's got nothing to do with us anymore. If you're after Liam, go to the villa at Emerald Lake. He's there, not here with us.""Mr. Yonatan, if you head over to Drunham City and ask anyone, they'll tell you the same thing: Liam and Celena have no ties to us Stones anymor