Mag-log inShare
Chapter 182
Kaugnay na kabanata
The Guardian's Return Chapter 183
Simon asked, “Why is the water black?” Adam answered shakily, “The factories are releasing pollutants into the water, and people are throwing rubbish into the river. “The location of the stadium is also problematic. It obstructs the lower stream, causing pollutants and trash to accumulate.” The factories, owned by Oliver and the others, produced steel, concrete, and paper—industries notorious for their environmental impact, and the pollutants they discharged were foul-smelling and filthy. The nearby residents had lodged many complaints, but due to the status of Oliver and his leverage over Stephen, no one could stop them. Until now, Stephen still had to provide Oliver and the others compensation fees. Simon was baffled when he heard the explanation. The magnitude of the problems was too overwhelming for him to comprehend at once. “And Stephen just has to drop the ball at this moment! Damn it!” Why did Stephen have to leave now, right when the sports game was happening and
The Guardian's Return Chapter 184
Ethan looked at George and Rachel calmly, saying, “Sure, but I have three conditions.” George was delighted that Ethan had finally agreed to help. It seemed like bringing Rachel along was the right choice! He must still have feelings for Rachel! With the Lowes’ and the Quinns’ status, they could easily fulfill his three conditions. George flashed a confident smile. “Go ahead. Tell me what you need.” Ethan said with a smile, “First, give me a reason why I have to help. Second, if it’s related to the Quinns, I’m not helping. Third, anything related to Riveria is off the table.” The smile on George’s face froze. The three conditions were basically another way for Ethan to say he was not going to help. George had come all this way to get Snow’s location so that Stephen could get himself together to take care of the mess in Aqua City. In other words, Ethan had to help the Quinns and Riveria. He frowned and said, “Are you joking?” Ethan shot back, “I don’t need to. Honestly
The Guardian's Return Chapter 185
“Rachel, calm down! He’s trying to deceive you!” George said nervously. Ethan smiled. “You must have assumed that I still love Rachel. If you think I still love her, why would I try to deceive her?” George’s eyes widened in shock. He was rattled. Ethan did not just see through his thoughts but was even using it against them, and it was terrifying! Shaken, Rachel looked at her father and said, “Dad, he’s right. We can’t let Snow come back! If he’s back, Stephen won’t even look at me! And it’ll be even harder for our family to move to Metropolis!” George was left speechless. It was over the moment Rachel started siding with Ethan. At that moment, he realized he had severely underestimated Ethan. In fact, not just him, but everyone else had underestimated Ethan. Trying to stay composed, George looked at Ethan and asked, “Do you know what is going on in Aqua City right now? The city needs Stephen there! “Ethan, for the sake of the people, please help Stephen just this once!
The Guardian's Return Chapter 186
Simon was rendered speechless for a moment. There was nothing he could do about Ethan, and he could feel his blood pressure hike. “Do you really think we can’t solve this without your help?” “Then why are we having this conversation?” Ethan asked. Simon’s fists clenched tightly. Knowing there was no way he could win an argument against Ethan, he slammed his phone on the table and ended the call. He leaned back on his chair, his face ashened. Just moments ago, he cursed at George for being useless, yet even he could not get through to Ethan, which made him useless too. He felt like he had been slapped in the face—his pride stung with embarrassment. He quickly called for his assistant to get him his blood pressure pills. Meanwhile, George stayed quiet for a while after the call ended. He was shocked that even Simon had failed to convince Ethan. “Ethan, is it necessary to push things far? We know you’re upset, but maybe we can compromise? Everyone gets hurt sometimes. We’r
The Guardian's Return Chapter 187
Before Adam could address the issue, something serious happened at the sports game. A poisonous snake bit a member of the audience and slithered across the audience seat, disrupting the sports game. Worst of all, everything was broadcast live to viewers worldwide, and the international viewers wasted no time mocking the situation.“Do they live in a cave? They are like savages!” “They must sleep with snakes every day.” “I wouldn’t go there if you paid me. It’s like going into a tribe with no modern civilization!” “Look at trash in the water and the snakes slithering around. The people there are living like cavemen!” Even people back home were no kinder, criticizing the city’s poor management. “They’ve embarrassed us on the world stage!” “What’s going on here?” “Where is Stephen Quinn? Why isn’t he doing anything?” Soon, Aqua City was trending on social media. Companies planning to invest were now reconsidering, and tourists who had booked trips were canceling their
The Guardian's Return Chapter 188
Simon’s heart pounded when he heard the phone. He asked seriously, “What happened?” George told him what went down in Aqua City. The number of agritourism farms and hotels had grown out of control. They charged exorbitant prices to maximize profits, taking advantage of tourists and scamming them. The factories had been dumping waste into the water, and in retaliation, frustrated tourists started littering everywhere. People were releasing wild aquatic species into the waters, disrupting the local ecosystem and balance, and invasive foreign species overran the local habitat, devastating native populations. Without natural predators to control them, many local species faced the threat of extinction. Fish, once a hallmark of the region, were dwindling in number, and their quality had dropped so much that even local markets did not want them anymore.The worst thing would be the influence of illegal criminals sneaking across the borders, bringing in illegal goods, trafficking,
The Guardian's Return Chapter 189
Between environment and industrial development, Ethan chose environment and focused on developing local tourism, aquaculture, and logistics. He denied Oliver and the others set up factories in Aqua City, not because he was short-sighted but because he knew their arrival would destroy the city’s environment. Stephen, on the other hand, allowed Oliver and others to set up factories the moment he arrived, destroying aquaculture and tourism. The construction of the stadium on water also affected the logistics industry. One wrong step set off a chain reaction of cascading mistakes. With a pale face, Stephen asked nervously, “What should we do now?” North Hill City and Seaside City were already in ruins. If Aqua City followed their footsteps, he would not be able to shift the blame again. If his right to govern Riveria was taken away, he would not be able to find Snow for the rest of his life. “Calm down. Get yourself together and think of a way. Your priority now is to stabili
The Guardian's Return Chapter 190
Simon went silent. He realized they were threatening him. He originally planned to shut down the factories for as long as possible, at least six months. His goal was to get Oliver and the other businessmen to beg him for mercy. Yet now, Oliver was using the people against him. Simon knew he could not shut down the factories for too long. “I will give you an answer soon. While the investigation is going on, just wait patiently,” he explained. “Don’t worry. We have the patience,” Oliver said with a grin. He and his friends had been waiting for three years, and dealing with Ethan back then had honed their patience. Then, a few men came in through the door. One of them announced, “We are from the water company. Is the water of Aqua City still safe? The quality has dropped below drinking standards. If you cannot provide a solution, we will leave Aqua City for another place.” Simon felt a headache coming.The environmental destruction of Aqua City was huge, and it affected m
Pinakabagong kabanata
The Guardian's Return Chapter 876
Hearing Stephen’s positive response, the people in Riveria calmed down slightly.“I hope they can recover the money soon.”“I took out a loan on my house to invest. If we don’t get it back, my family is done for.”“Let’s believe in Stephen. No matter what, he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee.”“He did a good job running Riveria before. I’m sure he can do it again.”“Yeah. This is just a minor issue compared to before.”Most people expressed their trust in Stephen. They could tell that he was far more worn out than before. His hair, which had shown signs of turning black again, had faded back to white again. Some people even felt sorry for him.However, there were others who doubted his abilities. The scammers had fled abroad. Would Stephen be able to catch them, and even if they were caught, could the money be recovered? What if the scammers had laundered the money by auctioning off artwork?They voiced their concerns online. Some people agreed, understanding why they were worrie
The Guardian's Return Chapter 875
Stephen looked at the contract. Other than the high price, there were no other problems.However, the high price was a humiliation for both Stephen and the whole of Riveria.He wanted to refuse and even curse them, but he had no leverage against the other party and was completely passive in this situation. If he did not agree, the crops and livestock in Riveria would be finished.Stephen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even though he knew that many people would hate him, he still signed the contract.“Pleasure doing business with you.” The foreigners took the contract and chuckled. With that, they left.The meeting room was silent, Stephen being the only one left. He slumped into his chair, uncertain if he had made the right decision.Half an hour later, his phone rang, snapping him back to reality. He had more work to do.Many people in Riveria had been scammed into buying virtual currency, losing over ten billion. Stephen had to give the people an answer.“How did the
The Guardian's Return Chapter 874
Stephen had no choice but to use a translation device, continuing the discussion while they mocked him.Despite his utmost sincerity and effort, they refused to lower their price at all, confident that they had Stephen cornered.His only option was to take money from the Quinns and pour it into developing the medicine. However, he knew the Quinns well. There was no way they would take out billions at once for something like this, especially when there were other diseases to deal with as well.They were no match for Ethan, but the Quinns were nothing to them, let alone Stephen.“We’ll get to the point.”They spoke in Stephen’s language to make sure that he understood. “You’re not good enough. Only Mr. Rivers can manage Riveria. You can’t even protect the people around you. How do you plan to protect Riveria?”Stephen’s expression soured. He knew that they were telling the truth. He had no way to refute, and being stubborn would only make him look more ridiculous.“I’m not as good
The Guardian's Return Chapter 873
Stephen felt that he could come up with a solution that could save both Riveria and protect the Quinns.However, did such a solution really exist? He was not confident.“I’ll go back to my room first.” Stephen walked away.Back in his room, he sat at his desk, deep in thought.“A perfect solution...”Stephen could not think of one. The more he tried, the more his mind uncontrollably drifted back to the past.“No.” He shook his head. “I need to focus.”However, his mind and body had deteriorated from the multiple tragedies. His hair had turned grey, and he struggled to maintain focus.Stephen sighed and planned to think of a solution later. Now, he needed to address Riveria’s current problems.Crops and livestock were falling ill. He sent people to investigate the cause, but research required massive funding. Replacing the crops and animals with new ones would not be easy either.At that moment, foreign corporations suddenly announced that they had the right medicine to cure t
The Guardian's Return Chapter 872
In the past, George also thought that Riveria would not collapse even without Ethan. With himself and the Quinn family, Stephen could still bring Riveria to new heights.Now, he understood.What the former governor, Liam, and the others said was true: Riveria would fall without Ethan.Neither the Lowes, the Quinns, nor even all the families in Metropolis combined, could manage Riveria.Without Ethan, Riveria was doomed.Stephen lowered his head. If it were in the past, he would have laughed if he had heard such words, thinking it was a joke.How was he inferior to Ethan? Whatever Ethan could do, he could do too, and better at that!Now, he could not laugh.He realized the truth too.The first city’s downfall was a coincidence, the second was due to negligence, and the third was an accident, but what about the fourth? The fifth?He could come up with a thousand excuses, but it would not change the truth.The reality was that he was far inferior to Ethan. Only Ethan could save
The Guardian's Return Chapter 871
A large number of people from Riveria poured into their cities. It was already difficult to find a job, but now that a bunch of outsiders were coming to compete for positions, employment was even harder.Furthermore, after arriving in a foreign place, many of those outsiders strayed and turned to robbery and theft. Some even slept on the streets, occupying public facilities and disrupting everyone’s daily lives.People from the surrounding cities of Riveria found it unbearable. They began cursing Riverians on the internet.Meanwhile, in Riveria, people had endured enough grievances in their daily lives. Their living conditions were far from satisfactory, and they held in a lot of frustration.Now, people were scolding them online, calling them beggars and telling them to go back to Riveria and wait for their death.How could they tolerate that?They immediately retaliated online. The arguments escalated, growing more intense by the day.Eventually, people from Riveria even trave
The Guardian's Return Chapter 870
Many crops had fallen sick in Riveria. The corrupted grains in Breeze City and destroyed fertile land had already dealt a huge blow to Riveria. Now, with more crops falling ill on a large scale, grain production had decreased, and fruit yields had dropped drastically. There was a problem with the livestock as well. An unknown disease spread and the affected livestock would basically end up dead, with no way to treat them and unfit for consumption. To everyone in Riveria, it was a huge blow. Prices of all food items began to rise, especially fresh vegetables and fruits. Their prices were comparable to meat. Even a single raw egg was 5 dollars, and boiled eggs for breakfast cost 7 dollars each. After hearing about it, Stephen tried to control the price, but it would cost money. Several cities in Riveria had been ruined under his management. He did not have any money left. He would not have needed to outsource infrastructure projects to other companies and corporates if he had mon
The Guardian's Return Chapter 869
The two walked over to Stephen and glanced at him. His limbs were intact, and he was unharmed. Rachel looked at him with disdain. “You’re a man. Why are you suddenly crying?”George was dissatisfied too. “How embarrassing. You don’t have any dignity.”Stephen heard it all. He did not want to cry either, but he could not hold it in. The moment the fridge door would not close, he thought of everything he experienced in the past six months and broke down instantly. Although the Quinns always taught him how to act as a young master, they never told him that he was also just an ordinary man. “What a disgrace.” Rachel turned around and went up the stairs. George could not be bothered either and returned to his room. A few minutes later, Stephen calmed down. He wiped his tears, adjusted his mindset, stood up from the ground, and ordered takeout from his phone. He thought he could finally eat something, but half an hour later, the delivery guy called him, asking him to get the fo
The Guardian's Return Chapter 868
Stephen felt as if the sky had collapsed when he heard this. He still held onto a sliver of hope the previous day, thinking that since he was found by the roadside, Ethan must have at least brought him down the mountain. However, the truth was that the South Regent had carried him down. If not for the South Regent, Ethan would not spare him a glance even if he knelt to his death!The South Regent looked at the table beside him. “Your table is too clean. There’s no fruit basket or flowers. Did you really have no visitors the whole of yesterday?”Stephen did not speak. He knew the South Regent was mocking him, but he was unable to retort. He had been an absolute failure over the past six months and had nothing to boast of. In fact, Stephen was starting to think he somehow deserved it. “Tsk tsk,” the South Regent looked at Stephen and said, “You’re a completely different person compared to when you just got here.”When Stephen first arrived in Riveria, he was full of himself, a
