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Chapter 192
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 193
Firstly, many people had been fish farming—some even spent their whole lives doing it. Once the fishing industry was abandoned, many people would lose their source of income, leading to widespread unemployment, which would be bad for the economy and stability of Aqua City. Secondly, due to the booming tourism, there were countless hotels, inns, and farm stays in Aqua City. Not long ago, they had just spent millions on relocating towns, building tourism areas, and developing agritourism. Now, all of that would be scrapped. The money would be wasted just like that, and people were going to have strong opinions about it!Most importantly, Aqua City did not have many factories either. Hence, they did not have enough jobs for all the newly unemployed or ensure everyone could make a living. It was no exaggeration to say that once they announced that decision, the people who took out loans to start fish farms, farm stays, and tourism projects would go bankrupt!Stephen asked, “Do you ha
The Guardian's Return Chapter 194
Everyone surrounded the building where Stephen and Adam were located. “Give us an explanation!” Their voices boomed in unison, so loud that the staff inside the building trembled with fear. They had never seen anything like that. Stephen sneaked a glance through the window and felt a chill run down his spine. “What are they trying to do?”Adam held the latest report he just received and said, “They’re fishermen, hotel owners, staff, and townspeople who built the agritourism farm stays. You cut off their source of income, so they have come for an explanation.”Stephen’s eyes widened. “Just because of that? Isn’t it just a change in career?”Adam, still looking at the report, continued, “Many of them took up massive loans. Once we focus on industrial development, they will not be able to repay their debts.”Their debts were in the millions! Even if they worked a nine-to-five, earning three to five thousand a month, they could not repay their debt their whole life. Besides,
The Guardian's Return Chapter 195
Hearing that, the people finally felt relieved. “Alright, let’s disperse.”“Go grab some food. When there’s progress, I’ll inform all of you.”The crowd gradually dispersed. Adam returned to Stephen, smiling. “It’s settled. I plan to drag this out. When they don’t get paid for too long, they’ll stop thinking about it.”Stephen nodded in satisfaction. “You did well this time. Good job!”Adam chuckled. “Not at all. It’s thanks to your guidance.”“Hahaha!” Stephen laughed smugly. Although Adam promised to compensate the people, the reality was that fishing was no longer feasible and the hotels and farm stays had lost their customers.The people, especially those with debts, were becoming increasingly anxious. Debts amounting to millions weighed down on them like a mountain, crushing them. The next day, someone could not wait any longer and rushed in to ask about the progress. A staff member replied, “The investigation is ongoing. Please wait a little longer.”By noon, ano
The Guardian's Return Chapter 196
Inside the building, Stephen was trembling with fear. The crowd today was even larger than before, and this time, it was not just a protest—eight people had died!Everyone in Aqua City wanted an explanation. They wanted justice. “Get the hell out!”“We did nothing to you. Why did you come here to hurt us?”“You murderer! You killed an entire family. May your family suffer just like ours!”The staff had closed the door. They huddled in the corners, pale and shaking, unsure of what to do. Soon, the security guards arrived, trying to stop the crowd from being reckless and doing something foolish. However, this time was different. Previously, the people might have shown some courtesy, but today, people had died, and who knew who might be next tomorrow? From the crowd, someone shouted the security guard’s name, “If you don’t get out of here now, you’re no longer my son!”Most security guards were locals, so they were caught in a difficult position. “Why do we even care abou
The Guardian's Return Chapter 197
“Kill us if you dare!”“We owe a few hundred thousand in debt. Do you think we’re afraid of dying?”“If you protect that asshole today, he might destroy your entire family tomorrow! Believe it or not!”With a loud crash, the front door splintered under the impact.Stephen panicked, but he knew he could not hide anymore. If he were caught, those people might really beat him to death. At that moment, Stephen realized his mistake! Dragging things out and avoiding confrontation would only make matters worse. The real enemy wasn’t from outside; it was the locals of Aqua City!“I’ll pay!” he stammered as he stepped out. “I’m willing to pay.”As soon as Stephen emerged, the crowd grew more agitated, especially those related to the ones who had committed suicide. Their eyes reddened, and they wanted nothing more than to kill Stephen on the spot. “Everyone, please calm down!” shouted a middle-aged man. He was one of the towns’ mayors and had led the group to confront Stephen. His vo
The Guardian's Return Chapter 198
Adam was terrified. Why was Stephen still hesitating at a time like that? Was it so difficult to admit his mistake?He quickly grabbed the loudspeaker, determined not to let Stephen continue speaking. “We will! We will compensate you! We’ll buy all dead fish at half the market price and live fish at full price! For those who took out loans to lease fish farms in the past year, we will pay half the amount…”Adam was pulling out all the stops he had learned in his career, thinking on his feet. He was prepared to compensate half the losses of the villagers, fishermen, and hotel owners. Faced with that explanation, the people were relatively satisfied. Adam continued, “As for the eight individuals we lost, we deeply regret this tragedy. We will all attend their funeral today.”After finishing his statement, Adam was drenched in sweat. The town’s mayor looked at him for a while before taking the loudspeaker and asking, “Everyone, what do you think of this solution?”“Sounds good
The Guardian's Return Chapter 199
On the Internet, most people criticized Stephen, and a few cursed at Ethan. A small group of people wanted to know the person previously managing Riveria, hoping for them to return to take charge of Riveria. Three cities in Riveria had since had issues. The richest and most developed province, which once boasted a 15 trillion-dollar GDP, could not even maintain 13 trillion!In the government headquarters, a group of people stared furiously at Simon, who kept his head low, saying nothing. “Didn’t you go to Aqua City? How did things turn out like this?”Faced with the questions, Simon wanted to say he had no idea either. He had left Aqua City thinking everything was fine, but in just one day, eight lives were lost! All of them were forced to the point of suicide!He wished he could give Stephen a few more slaps on the face now. Given the current situation in Aqua City, it was understandable to shift the focus from fishing and tourism to industrial development. However, he had t
The Guardian's Return Chapter 200
It was not easy to make money locally, so they decided to take on “part-time jobs,” helping with smuggling, scamming, and even human trafficking. Among the towns, some even formed partnerships with foreign forces! Treacherous and dangerous towns started emerging in Aqua City. Stephen had ruined the fishing and tourism industry in Aqua City, and now, all anyone cared about was money. They would work for whoever paid them. Suddenly, dark currents began to stir in Aqua City. Stephen thought things had finally settled down. That was until the fifth day, when he received a troubling message. “All the trees on a mountain have been cut down, including Three ancient trees, each over a thousand years old. They are high in tourism value!”Stephen’s heart skipped a beat. Illegal logging?“Find out who did it! They must be punished severely!”“It’s a few towns. Almost a thousand people were involved! Those three trees were sold beyond the border!”Stephen was shocked. Anything that i
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 820
They discussed the plan together until the evening. When it was time for dinner, Daniel and Caleb also arrived.“Perfect timing!” The South Regent immediately greeted them.Daniel was surprised. “What a coincidence. You're all here too?”“Yep,” the South Regent said. “We came to wish Lord Rivers a Happy New Year and discuss how to deal with Stephen. You should be here for the same thing, aren’t you?”Daniel and Caleb's families had been doing well before, but Stephen's arrival caused them to lose everything. They ended up being despised by everyone and finally had no choice but to leave Breeze City.They both nodded at the South Regent's words. They already had a grudge against Stephen. Just the fact that he imprisoned Ethan was enough for them to hate him, not to mention how he had thrown Breeze City into chaos.He even allowed the people to consume contaminated food, causing widespread illness with some even suffering permanent complications.In their eyes, Stephen was simply
The Guardian's Return Chapter 819
Boom! The men felt like they were struck by lightning. The fog in their brains instantly disappeared.“We can definitely do that!” Jason exclaimed. “Why didn't I think of that?”The South Regent muttered, “Instead of us providing proof, we force him to provide the evidence. However, he has no substantial evidence, so he has to keep making things up until all his lies are exposed. We go from being passive to being active because he has no idea what we're going to question!”They might not be familiar with Stephen and what he had done before, but they knew that he had been tortured by Ethan for many years.They could ask Stephen anything about the battles they fought and everything that Ethan had done for Riveria. There were plenty of things that Stephen and Simon had no idea about.If they tried to prove Stephen was not the one managing Riveria, Simon could just label their evidence as rumors.Instead, if they could make Simon and Stephen come up with lies full of weaknesses, Simo
The Guardian's Return Chapter 818
Jason frowned. Now, just hearing Stephen's name made him angry. Not only did Stephen fail his sister, but he was even starting to slander Ethan.Sensing the atmosphere, Hugo quickly said, “That was in the past. I'm not his psychologist anymore. I came here today to thank Mr. Rivers.”He looked at Ethan and fell to his knees on the ground.“Mr. Rivers.” Hugo lowered his head, saying sincerely, “Please forgive my past recklessness and ignorance. I really didn't know Stephen was hiding so much. I was wrong for helping him...”Now, he deeply regretted three things. The first was disrespecting Ethan in the past. The second was failing to protect Natalie, and the third was saving Stephen.“Hmph.” Jason snorted coldly. He could also tell that Hugo was a victim of Stephen’s. Everyone around Stephen would end up suffering.Ethan looked at him. “It's not too late to make amends. What do you plan to do next?”Hugo paused for a moment, thought about it, and said, “I'll go to the media and e
The Guardian's Return Chapter 817
Hugo waited until Natalie fell asleep before leaving the hospital ward with the South Regent. He said in a low voice, “Please take me to see Mr. Rivers.”From that moment onward, he also addressed Ethan as Mr. Rivers.Ethan did not only save his life but also Natalie’s. He would repay that debt with his life.“Are you sure?” the South Regent asked. “If you take Natalie and her grandfather back to Metropolis now, you can stay out of all of this.”Natalie’s grandfather’s health had also stabilized after treatment.If Hugo wished, he could take them back to Metropolis, where the medical treatments were better. Furthermore, Hugo had worked as a psychologist for many years and even treated Stephen, so he had saved up over a million dollars.If he managed his finances well, he would not become rich, but it was enough for Natalie to grow up safe and healthy and ensure that her grandfather retired peacefully.Hugo did not hesitate. “I’ve made up my mind.”He played a part in how things
The Guardian's Return Chapter 816
“Stephen has always lived in Riveria. He is the Grand Marshal’s sole mentee and the one who brought three years of peace to Riveria. Ethan is a corrupt criminal.”Scrolling further down, there was also an apology video from Stephen. He claimed that the statement was true and expressed regret that he caused an outcry and wasted public resources.Hugo fell completely silent after watching it.How could this be? Others might not know whether Stephen truly was the Grand Marshal’s mentee or not, but he did.Victor had told him about Ethan’s achievements. Even assassins feared Ethan. Stephen had also admitted in front of him who Ethan really was.Only Ethan could save Riveria.In the past, Hugo thought that Stephen was just being misled and used, which was why he wanted to help him.However, now, Stephen insisted that he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee and that he was the one who had managed Riveria in the past.As a psychologist, Hugo could tell from Stephen’s expressions in the vide
The Guardian's Return Chapter 815
The doctors told Hugo what happened.“Back then, you had already lost too much blood. You’re lucky that there was a young man with the same blood type as you when you were brought in, so he gave you a transfusion. Then, our family head sent us to take care of you. If not for our excellent medical skills, you probably wouldn’t have woken up.”Hugo was confused. “Family head? Did Simon send you?”The two doctors suddenly froze, their expressions turning dark.“Watch what you say. Simon didn’t send us. Ugh!”They were so angry that they stopped the examination.Hugo was stunned at the sudden change in their attitude. They were not sent by Simon? Furthermore, why did they react so strongly to the mention of Simon’s name? If not Simon, who else could be the ‘family head’?“Who sent you?” Hugo asked in confusion.“We’re from the Ledger family,” the doctor said coldly. “Who’s Simon? We don’t know him. Don’t lump us in with that filth.”“Huh?” Hugo was still bewildered. “The Ledger fa
The Guardian's Return Chapter 814
Tyler frowned. “What happened?”“It’s about Riveria.” Nolan handed his phone to Tyler. “Simon and Stephen have completely lost all shame. I can’t believe they said something like this.”After reading the news, Tyler’s expression darkened. “Although I know they’re shameless, I still underestimated them.”In the past, they had slandered Ethan and stole his achievements. Now, after being exposed, they fabricated evidence and worked with headquarters to deceive the public.“Tyler, what should we do?” Nolan asked. “I can’t stand by while they slander Mr. Rivers like this.”Tyler said, “Let me think.”To them, Ethan was their savior. Without Ethan, the Spencers would never have made it out of Riveria alive. It was thanks to Ethan stepping in that they had a chance to start over.However, Simon was shamelessly going further to distort the truth and rewrite history. They could not watch this happen. The truth had to be exposed!A moment later, Tyler said in a low voice, “Let’s go to Ri
The Guardian's Return Chapter 813
The netizens had mostly been deceived by the internet trolls.When they saw Simon and headquarters both speaking out, they fully believed that Stephen was innocent and that everything was part of Leo and Ethan’s schemes. Even the few who had firmly believed in Ethan began to doubt themselves.Online, the uproar gradually died down. At that moment, Simon took the next step! He had someone publish the recording of the gala and instructed the trolls to guide the audience in revisiting the highlights.With that, both he and Stephen were completely safe.When people reviewed the gala recording, it also boosted Riveria’s popularity. It was killing multiple birds with one stone!Simon did not rest. Instead, he took the official statement and the trending discussions online and headed to the jail to meet Leo.“Has he confessed yet?” Simon asked the staff.After Leo was imprisoned, he had been questioned who the mastermind behind this was.“No. He keeps saying there’s no mastermind.”S
The Guardian's Return Chapter 812
“Yeah. I’m from Breeze City. If Stephen is driven away by all your insults, what are we supposed to do?”“All this is part of Ethan’s scheme. He’s deliberately trying to frame Stephen!”This was the next phase of their attack. They accused everyone of being too extreme and then created a victim narrative to gain sympathy. Finally, they flipped the story. Stephen was the pure-hearted and selfless one while Ethan was the true villain!While the internet was being flooded with manipulated narratives, Simon was not idle either. He felt that fabricating transaction records and hiring internet trolls alone was not enough. Ne needed more fabricated evidence.Thus, he had several people in Riveria publicly claim that Stephen had been the one managing Riveria all along.Ethan Rivers? Never heard of him!After a day of work, Simon was drenched in sweat. He felt his heart pound as if it might leap out of his throat.After all, he had not rested properly for days because of the gala. Furthe
