Chapter 3

"No!" the crowd screamed, but the suicide operative merely cackled evilly.

Yet, all was silent. There was no explosion.

Even the suicide operative was stumped. He kept spamming the red button, but nothing happened. He had no clue that a silver needle had been shot into the controller, cutting off the circuit.

At the same time, Benny and Derek shot down the two armed operatives, while the bomb-strapped one was hit in all four limbs and fell onto a pool of his blood. The airport police swiftly swarmed in to subdue him.

"Let go of me! This is impossible! Why didn't it explode? Why?" the suicide operative screamed at the top of his lungs.

"This proves that fate favors Dasovia and me," Lavinia declared icily. "Tylland has committed many atrocities and will surely come to a terrible end. Take him away and interrogate him."

Slowly, peace returned to the departure hall. The passengers, who were still reeling from the ordeal, came up to Lavinia with looks of awe and respect.

"It is truly an honor of mine to see you in person, Ms. Mosley. As a war hero of Dasovia, you are indeed a gallant and heroic woman!"

"With the blessing of God, you have protected us all, Ms. Mosley!"

"You're incredible, Ms. Mosley!"

The passengers fervently expressed their gratitude.

Meanwhile, Benny and Derek marched up to Gideon and roared, "Gideon, you coward!"

"Hm?" Gideon hummed with a displeased expression.

"If God hadn't protected Ms. Mosley and the other civilians, a calamity would've befallen this place today!" Derek shouted. "And you would've been responsible for everything—it would've been the result of your cowardice and incompetence!"

Even the chief of the airport police still felt a lingering sense of dread. He was in charge of maintaining security at the airport. If the explosion had occurred, he wouldn't have been able to avoid the blame for it.

"You were indeed too reprehensible. How can a fully grown man be such a coward?" the chief chimed in.

Their outbursts also stirred up the dissatisfaction of the passengers, who joined in to level criticisms at Gideon.

"How detestable! What a coward he is."

"If God hadn't protected us all, he would've been the reason why we all died!"

"That's right! What kind of man is he?"

"A useless one!"

No matter how indifferent Gideon was by nature, the crowd's rebukes angered him.

Sneering, he repeated, "I would've been the reason why you all died? You've got to be kidding me. Why would your deaths have anything to do with me? You're the detestable ones for trying to pin this all on me.

"Also, I'd like to ask you about how you're managing security here at the airport, chief. How did three armed thugs manage to get into the departure hall? Shouldn't you people be checking on your procedures and reflecting on where you went wrong?"

Startled, the airport police chief had nothing to say.

It was now time to board the flight, so Gideon walked off with his suitcase. He couldn't be bothered to waste his breath any further.

Behind him, the crowd continued to curse him out even more harshly.

"Mommy! Mommy! I think I saw what happened. It was that man who saved us," the young girl said, her eyes sparkling.

"Don't be silly. He's just a cowardly man."

"That's not true, Mommy. I really saw him. He threw a silver needle, and then it—"

"Stop being ridiculous, sweetie," the young girl's mother said while patting her on the head. She didn't believe a single word the young girl said.

Meanwhile, Benny and Derek gnashed their teeth in anger as they watched Gideon leave. When they found that he was boarding the flight to Goldspire, they became even more outraged.

"Hah! He claimed he wasn't tailing us, but look! He's heading to Goldspire, too! Please give me the order, Ms. Mosley, and I'll arrest that bastard!"

"There's no law against him going to Goldspire," Lavinia replied with a shake of her head before boarding the plane with her guards.

Soon, Benny and Derek received a report from the airport police.

"Ms. Mosley, the police said that those three weren't the only suicide operatives from Tylland. There are many others who may be targeting you as well. You'll have to be extra cautious."

Lavinia scoffed. "My, my! Tylland must be dying to be wiped off the face of this planet. I can't believe how brazen they're being!"

Benny continued, "There's one other lead, Ms. Mosley. The bomb didn't go off because a silver needle had cut off the circuit."

"A silver needle?"

Lavinia was stunned. Had someone secretly intervened? She subconsciously cast a glance in Gideon's direction. Could it possibly have been him?

That was impossible!

How could a farmer do such a thing? In any case, she didn't notice anything anyway. Figuring she was being ridiculous, she put that thought to rest.

…

Three hours later, the plane touched down at Goldspire International Airport.

"Sir!"

As soon as Gideon stepped out of the airport, a respectful voice rang out behind him. He turned around and saw a muscular man standing behind him with a timid yet servile expression.

"You are?"

"Have you forgotten me, sir? I only left Oasis Vale last year. It's me, Leopold Sullivan!" Leopold said meekly.

Some of the surrounding people who saw this scene were so shocked that their jaws dropped.

"Isn't that Mr. Sullivan, the boss of the criminal underworld in Goldspire? He's said to be a proud man who reigns supreme in Goldspire! Why is he behaving so cautiously in front of that young man?"

"Who is that young man anyway?"

"Who else could it be? I bet it's the scion of some prominent family with a powerful background. Why else would Mr. Sullivan treat him with such respect?"

The crowd eagerly gossiped among themselves.

Meanwhile, Leopold's introduction did the trick. Having recalled who he was, Gideon chuckled and said, "Oh. It's you, Leo."

Despite being addressed in such a casual manner, Leopold wasn't mad at all. On the contrary, he looked thrilled.

"It's my honor that you still remember me, sir. I heard from the buddies back at Oasis Vale that you'll be coming to Goldspire, so I came here to wait for you.

"You don't have a place to stay yet, right, sir? Why don't I make the arrangements for you? Do allow me this chance to serve you, sir."

Gideon pondered briefly before nodding. "Sure."

"Allow me to escort you to the car, sir."

With the utmost respect, Leopold ushered Gideon into his luxurious Rolls-Royce.

At the same time, Lavinia, Benny, and Derek were exiting the airport. Lavinia happened to notice the scene and wondered in slight shock if that was Gideon she had just spotted.

"What's the matter, Ms. Mosley?"

"I thought I just saw Gideon getting into that Rolls-Royce. Was I seeing things?"

Snorting, Derek replied, "The Snows have fallen from grace. You could even say they're impoverished now, so how can they afford to get a Rolls-Royce? In any case, Gideon's no longer a part of the family, either. He's just a farmer living in the remote countryside without a dime to his name."

However, Lavinia's expression remained thoughtful.

"Ms. Mosley, you must've been thinking about the military campaign against Tylland, right? Please don't put too much pressure on yourself. You need to prioritize your health," Benny advised.

Lavinia sighed. She figured the stress must've made her hallucinate.

"Let's go."

"Where are we going, Ms. Mosley?"

"Beaker Island."

…

Beaker Island was located on an inland sea in Goldspire, and its name was inspired by its beaker-like shape. It was said that a terrifying person lived on the island, but no one knew who it was.

The government had issued an official directive forbidding everyone from approaching Beaker Island, thus adding to its mystery.

At the moment, a Rolls-Royce was making its way across the bridge over the sea before entering Beaker Island. Finally, it came to a stop in front of the majestic villa in the center of the island.

"Please disembark here, sir," Leopold said as he opened the door for Gideon.

Gideon's gaze swept across the villa and its surroundings. Clucking his tongue, he remarked, "You must be doing pretty well for yourself, Leo. You're staying in a place like this, huh? You sure know how to enjoy yourself."

"You must be joking, sir," Leopold said awkwardly. "This isn't mine. There's no way I'm qualified to stay on Beaker Island. Someone else offered it to you."

"Who is it?"

"Dominic Zeller, the King of Battle!"