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Chapter 127

Author: Old Pumpkin
“Third time's the charm. I won’t fail again.”

Simon nodded and agreed with his son. Besides, how could someone fail at the same job three times in a row?

After the call, Stephen wrote a proposal for his plans. The next day, he took a plane to Aqua City, but this time, he came prepared.

The mayor welcomed him at the airport and brought him to the hotel.

On the way to the hotel, Stephen asked, “How much longer until the sports games?”

“One month.”

“One month? Hm, it’s short but should be enough,” Stephen muttered to himself. “This is the proposal that I’ve come up with. Have a look.”

He handed the mayor the proposal.

After going through the details, the mayor frowned.

The proposal focused on heavily promoting tourism, building more resorts, opening more bed-and-breakfasts, and even launching some trendy spots. It also included plans to introduce more freshwater species to diversify the local aquatic life and attract more seafood companies to set up shop. Lastly, it sugg
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    Stephen still could not fully understand Ethan’s plan. The city’s development? They were meant to highlight the city’s beautiful aquatic sceneries and also prevent the landscape from being ruined. After all, if the environment gets destroyed, what good would hotels and resorts be if no tourists came? Limiting the types of aquatic life farmed? It was because the water in the city was only suitable for farming local species. If non-native species were introduced, it would also destroy the local ecosystem, resulting in poor quality and quantity of seafood. Due to that, Ethan also forbade people to release non-native species into the waters of Aqua City. As to limiting other companies from expanding locally? It was because he wanted to protect the forest of the city. Many companies saw the potential in the area’s hydroelectric resources and population. They wanted to set up factories there, where they could dump untreated waste into the rivers and offer jobs to the people. A lot

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    Stephen noticed the unusual gazes at him and knew the people in the meeting room had opinions about his previous work. Hence, he stood up and said, “I know some of you have a different opinion about me. I totally understand it. I might not be the main cause of the downfall of North Hill City and Seaside City, but I was still involved, and I admit that I didn’t do a good job. “But I ask you to trust me one more time.” The people in the meeting room were shocked. They thought the young man from Metropolis would be an arrogant one, but he spoke politely and seemed to be a rational one. He also sounded sincere, as if he truly wanted to make up for the losses. His tone and attitude made them look at him differently. Maybe Stephen was not all useless; maybe he truly wanted to serve the people and develop the city’s economy. “Alright! We’re at your service!” “I believe you will lead us to new heights!” Stephen’s lips curled into a smile as he announced, “This meeting is held to

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    Everyone applauded Stephen. His plans seemed perfect. If they followed Stephen’s plan, Aqua City’s GDP would surely rise. Then, someone in the room asked, “There’s still one more month left before the launch, and our construction for the venue is almost done. Are we really moving it to the beach?” Stephen stood firm on his stance. “It has to be on the beach. As for the current construction, we can just tear it down. “With destruction comes creation, right? I’m sure you’ve all heard it before. This sports game is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for us. We cannot afford to miss it. If we capitalize on this, the city’s GDP will rise to four trillion in one year!” Everyone’s eyes lit up. Four trillion was nearly twice the current GDP! If they could make it, Aqua City could be one of the megacities of the country. They could not contain their excitement, fully supporting Stephen’s decision. “Your plan is great!” “Yeah! It’s way better than Ethan’s plans!” “I can already pic

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    They had never met Ethan, yet he had orchestrated the deaths of eight people. Among the eight, five were forced to take their own lives, while the remaining three fled the country, severely injured. Even the CEOs lost contact with the three of them. It was as though they had vanished into thin air. No one could find them.However, just a few days later, the CEOs learned about their mysterious deaths. They were killed in another country, and their families had been wiped out. The group of bosses got so afraid that they ran, but no matter what, they could not accept their fates. With them dead, all their money and assets were transferred to a mysterious account. After that, Aqua City received huge funding to accelerate its development. That was when they knew Ethan was the person behind their mysterious and gruesome deaths. “This is Ethan Rivers. It’s best to expect the worst. One misstep and we will be joining the rest in hell.” The one who spoke was Thomas Youngman, the owne

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    “It shouldn't be a problem. He’s not Ethan Rivers, after all.” As long as Ethan was not their opponent, they were not afraid. Meanwhile, Stephen had just concluded the mapping out for the city. “Let’s call it a day. I’ll visit the marked sites tomorrow.” The next day, he and the mayor visited the sites. Along the way, he was captivated by Aqua City’s stunning scenery, and it made him emotional. “This place is beautiful.” The mayor replied with a smile, “It will only become more beautiful under your leadership.” Pleased with the response, Stephen let out a hearty laugh. Soon, they arrived at the first site—a residential area with a river flowing in the center. After surveying the place, Stephen said, “This is the perfect place for some farms and bed-and-breakfasts. And if we build more hotels by the side, I bet they’d be fully booked in no time.” The mayor’s assistant wrote down every detail Stephen mentioned. After another round of inspection, they wrapped up the

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    “Don’t worry, I’m not Ellen. She must’ve developed feelings for her target. That was why Ethan Rivers used her. I won’t make such a stupid mistake,” Snow said. Oliver was happy with the reply. He did not want one of his women to die on an assignment either. “I will arrange for your next meeting with Stephen. Now, you can satisfy me first.” With that, the Mercedes drove off. Stephen and the mayor, on the other hand, went around the city and completed his mapping for future developments. The mayor then handed him a set of documents. “These are the selected locations for the sports games. You can pick one out, and we will move the venue there.” Stephen went through the list and chose a spacious location, one where multiple rivers intersected so that it could fit a massive stadium. The mayor took the document back and said, “Very well. I’ll tell the men to start working on it.” The reconstruction of the new stadium must be carried out immediately as the event was only a m

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    While others criticized Stephen for his incompetence, the young woman before him defended him, despite not knowing his name yet. “Thank you.” Stephen thanked the girl in his heart. “Let’s forget about that. We actually haven’t introduced ourselves. I’m Snow, and you are?” the girl asked nervously. “Stephen Quinn.” Snow covered her mouth, feigning surprise.Stephen, finding her reaction amusing, said, “Thank you for defending me.” Snow snapped out of it and shook her head softly. “I’m just stating the truth. People say you’re evil, but I think they’re wrong. You’re quite handsome.” She was good with her words, especially with a man. With just a few comments, she had Stephen on cloud nine. Snow and her fellow ‘sisters’ were trained to capture men’s hearts, and the best among them was her predecessor, Ellen. However, even Ellen died at Ethan's hands, and here was Stephen, already wrapped around Snow’s finger after just a couple of comments.“Thanks again.” Stephen like he

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    Stephen had thought about it during the planning phase. Although blocking the streams might disrupt the water flow and traffic and cause minor economic losses, the gains and profits surpassed the losses. “Just do as I say.” However, the head contractor shook his head. “It can’t be done. It really can’t. If you insist, you can find another company to take over.” The man might take up the challenge if the stadium had to be completed within a year, but a month was ridiculous. He was afraid to take on the project because if anything went wrong, he might be charged or prosecuted. Stephen lowered his voice, saying. “Let me think about it.” Only that particular construction company was capable of handling the job at the moment. If they dropped out, the construction progress would be disrupted. “Alright, but you better think it through. A decision like this can’t be made on impulse,” the head contractor left Stephen with one last advice. After that, Stephen and the mayor left.

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    The number of viewers in the livestream skyrocketed.Everyone wanted to know if Stephen’s skills really came from the Grand Marshal. Would the Grand Marshal really have trained a student like him?All eyes were on Stephen.Now, it was Stephen’s turn to be silent. He had not expected this question, and he instinctively wanted to lie.However, just as he was about to speak, Ethan’s words from today flashed through his mind.“You don’t even dare to tell the truth. What right do you have to apologize?”Maintaining a lie often meant weaving an even bigger one, over and over, until the truth was inevitably exposed.Should he admit the truth?Stephen hesitated. If he revealed the truth here, everything would end. He would not have to be so exhausted anymore.“What are you waiting for?” Suddenly, Simon’s voice rang in his earpiece, “Hurry up and answer. You are the Grand Marshal’s student. The gala is our only hope. Nothing can go wrong!”Stephen’s heart instantly sank. He wanted to

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