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Chapter 220

Author: Old Pumpkin
Stephen clenched his teeth and unwillingly stepped on the brake. The car was less than a hundred meters away from the police station.

The man in the rear seat chuckled. “It seems like you’ve lost.”

He pulled out a smoke grenade and detonated it in the car.

Bang!

Smoke billowed inside the car, forcing Stephen to leap out, coughing and gasping for air.

The pedestrians were shocked, thinking that the car had caught on fire.

Stephen made his way to the back of the car to open the door, but the kidnapper was long gone.

“Fuck!” he cursed. He felt defeated and aggrieved. He was less than a hundred meters away from sending the kidnapper to jail, yet he was forced to let the man go.

On top of that, he was held up for a full five minutes at the truck, which was more than enough time for the kidnappers to transfer Richard somewhere else.

He pulled his phone out to call for help. He ordered his men to seal all the possible routes out of the city and set up roadblocks to inspect t
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  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 221

    Stephen pulled out his phone to call the mayor, James. The call got through immediately. “Do you know what happened?” James knew exactly what had happened because he had ordered his assistant, Tommy, to abduct Richard. As a matter of fact, Tommy simply carried out his task without understanding its essence. It was the mayor who had told him to meet the factory owner. Then, the South Regent’s men shoved Richard into the trunk without Tommy’s knowledge. The mayor had simply told the assistant to drive out of the city. With that, Richard was whisked out of the city without any hassle. James feigned ignorance and asked, “What?” “Your assistant, Tommy… He kidnapped Richard!” “What?! How? Why would he do something like that? We must go after him right away!” James said in a shocked tone. When Tommy came back in another car, he had driven straight into the surveillance zone and roadblocks, hence his immediate apprehension. He was still confused when the police took him.

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 222

    The South Regent did not plan to explain himself either. He said, “In three days, I want to see a hundred billion. If there’s no money, you can take his body back.” The phone call ended. George fell on the couch, feeling drained and exhausted. The South Regent had joined the fray and was demanding a hundred billion, which was an astronomical figure. On top of that, Celestial City was facing another crisis as well—the departure of the major companies. The city’s GDP would decline with their absence, and following the abduction of Richard, fewer people would want to expand their businesses locally. George originally planned for foreign companies to fill in the positions of those who departed, but the South Regent had taken Richard. If the news got out, no other companies would come and the remaining local companies would be terrified. No one wanted to be abducted by the South Regent! George did not see this coming at all. “What should we do now?” His forehead was glisteni

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    “I am not familiar with Riveria from three years ago. I should ask someone who knows better.” Stephen thought of George who had been living in Riveria and should know the truth about the South Regent’s defeat. He went looking for George immediately. “Three years ago, who defeated the South Regent?” The question made George ponder for a moment. “To be honest, I don’t really know. I just know that the South Regent left overnight. I also know that it is related to Ethan.” With the Grand Marshal in power, George never really cared about Riveria back then. After the Grand Marshal passed away, Ethan took over, so he continued his carefree life. He lived happily and peacefully for three years. As for why the South Regent retreated overnight, he only heard rumors about it. Stephen frowned. “Is this also related to Ethan?” Three years ago, Ethan was the one who had brought peace to Riveria. “Could Ethan be the Grand Marshal’s student?” However, Stephen quickly shook his head t

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    Stephen looked around but did not spot a third person. He ultimately pulled his attention back to Ethan. “Don’t tell me you are the one who brought peace to Riveria three years ago. Hahaha, your tricks won’t work on me anymore. Go find someone else. I’ve already figured out the truth.” Stephen sat down on the opposite couch. “After the Grand Marshal passed away, his student took over his duties and brought peace to Riveria. But he got tired of everything and decided to step down. Then he saw you, an orphan with nothing. He took pity on you and gave you all the credit, allowing you to join the Quinns and have a new identity. Am I right?” He looked at Ethan, hoping to spot shock or other expression, but all he saw was a smile. No shock, no surprise, only a smile meant for idiots. “Your story is much more interesting than life. Too bad it’s fictional. The student that you are looking for and the orphan is the same person—me,” Ethan said. “Impossible!” Stephen refused to be

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    Samuel was in Metropolis! Three years ago, he got hurt on the battlefield and was forced to retire to recover. “He’s in Metropolis. Why are you looking for him? I’ll meet him instead,” Simon said. Stephen said, “I want to ask him about the student’s location… the student of the Grand Marshal.” Simon immediately understood the assignment. He hung up the phone and went looking for Samuel. In a massive courtyard house, Simon met Samuel who had silver hair and a scrawny figure. Many years of war had taken a toll on his body, leaving him with countless scars and illnesses. He was only in his early 60s but looked twice as old. Samuel was surprised to see Simon. He got up and said, “I didn’t know you were coming. Please forgive me for not welcoming you properly.” “It’s totally fine.” Even Simon dared not ask the man to officially welcome him. Samuel was one of the Grand Marshal’s right-hand men and a general himself. He had three sons, two of whom had died on the battlefield

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 226

    Stephen could not help but laugh. Meanwhile, Ethan picked up a pen and paper and wrote a letter. The content was simple. He did not ask the South Regent to release the hostage. Instead, it said, “I will no longer intervene with the affairs of Riveria.”He said he would not care about Riveria anymore, and he meant it. He had managed Riveria for three years, turning it from a poor province to one of the richest in the country. He had done more than enough. Whether Riveria prospered or declined in the future had nothing to do with him. It was all in fate’s hands now. Before long, Stephen arrived.“Where is it?” He walked in and slammed his hands on Ethan’s table, saying, “Where’s the letter my senior gave you?”Ethan tossed the letter in front of Stephen. “Hmph.” Stephen held the letter smugly. “You didn’t expect it, huh? Even without your help, we managed to contact that senior. Now that I have the letter from him agreeing to help us, what are your thoughts?“Are you regret

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 227

    The South Regent was frozen with fear, and his legs turned to jelly. The mistakes Ethan pointed out were things he did not even consider. His face was drenched in cold sweat. At that moment, he was utterly convinced of his defeat!… The memory of it still sent chills down the South Regent’s back. He quickly grabbed Richard and rushed to the foot of Sky Peak. Half a day later, the South Regent finally met with Stephen. “Release the hostage!” Stephen said. The South Regent’s voice was low. “Let me see the letter first. I will only release the hostage after confirming it’s from him.”“Fine!”Fearless, Stephen handed the letter to the South Regent. After all, it was a letter that Samuel had begged the Grand Marshal’s mentee to write. Why would the mentee betray him?The South Regent took the letter and read the one sentence on the envelope: To the South Regent. He knew that handwriting all too well. It was unmistakably Ethan’s!The South Regent’s ears rang. Could it be tha

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 228

    “There’s only one letter, and it’s in your hands.”“Bullshit!” Stephen could not take it anymore. “We’re trying to rescue someone! How could you give me a fake letter at this crucial moment? “Are you trying to get us killed? I know you’re angry with us, but I didn’t think you’d be so despicable and evil. Not only are you trying to kill me and Richard, but you also want to destroy Celestial City and Riveria! “You’ve betrayed the Grand Marshal’s mentee’s trust! It’s ridiculous. How could you even think of doing this?” Stephen’s fury only grew as he demanded answers. Ethan listened quietly, waiting for Stephen to finish before asking, “Do you have anything else to add?”“How can you be so calm now? You’re worse than scum!”Ethan said calmly, “Of course, I’m calm. That’s because I am the mentee you’re talking about.”“Ha! Yeah, right. You? You’re nothing but a fraud! I’ll give you one last chance. Give me the letter!”Stephen was boiling with rage. Richard was kidnapped under hi

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    The day of Rachel and George’s trial came.The livestream began at 10 a.m., and hundreds of thousands of viewers joined instantly.Rachel and George slowly walked into the courtroom in handcuffs.Bang! The judge’s gavel fell, and the room went silent.It was not a lawsuit. It was a trial to expose the sins of Rachel and George.The judge read out their crimes one by one, until Rachel and George’s faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.“So that’s it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!”“They deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?”“The death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!”They were all furious.Many people had lost their families as a result of supporting Stephen and scolding Ethan. After watching the livestream, they realized just how deeply they had been wrong.They were accomplices to the Quinns and the Lowes' crimes in framing Ethan!Their current

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    They suppressed their disgust and returned home, only to see their parents and wives’ panicked expressions.“What did you do out there?”“So many people came today, asking for you by name.”How were they supposed to answer those questions? They could not just say that they had insulted Ethan online.If they did, their parents would beat them to death before anyone else could.“It’s nothing,” they replied stiffly. They had no choice but to hide the truth. After all, they could not say that they had insulted Ethan, or that they had lost their jobs.However, the next second, their parents received text messages. After their parents glanced at their phones, their expressions instantly changed.It was a message from the bank, stating that their child had been listed as a defaulter and urging them to repay the loan immediately.“What have you done?” Their parents’ voices trembled.Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, they had no choice but to confess the truth.They los

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    Seeing that message, they immediately felt as if their world had ended.Because they had insulted Ethan, they lost their jobs, were blacklisted, and could not find work again.“How could this be?”No one expected this outcome. They thought, ‘So what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They can’t possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, I’ll post a public apology and promise that I’ll never do it again.’However, now they were all fired. Everyone who had insulted Ethan had been dismissed from their jobs.It seemed like there were several tens of thousands of people involved! It was hard to imagine just how many people had lost their jobs in real life.“Why are they going this far? Aren’t they afraid of causing unrest?”Of course, HQ had considered that. However, they knew what was more serious.If Ethan went abroad and cooperated with foreign countries, the consequences would not be limited to a few pe

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    George thought that Rachel had already escaped abroad, so he was not afraid when he arrived.Now, when he saw Rachel there as well, he completely panicked.This was not what he had expected!“Where else would she be?” someone from HQ asked.George looked nervous and stammered, unable to say a word.With Rachel caught and him being brought here, it was clear that HQ already knew the truth. Coupled with his fear of Ethan and his helplessness in the face of reality, he no longer had the strength to make up any excuses.He had resigned himself to fate.“You really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. “You fooled us all completely.”“You’ve been hiding Ethan’s contributions all this time, haven’t you?”“You two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.”George kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. “I was wrongfully accused!”“Shut up! Are you still trying to fool us at a time like this? You were wrongfully accused? By who? Sim

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    They brought this on themselves, forcing themselves into a corner with no way out. “Ah!”Simon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. “Don’t be reckless! Think about Stephen. You’re all he has now!”That sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each other’s support and burden. Simon slumped on the ground weakly. Right now, they both wanted to die, but neither of them had the courage to follow through. All they could do was live on in pain. After a long silence, Simon said, “I’d like to file a report on someone.”To obtain some kind of reward and survive a little longer, Simon decided to turn in George and Rachel. When the officials heard him, they were stunned. They did not expect Rachel to be involved in framing Ethan. “Shit!” Someone exclaimed. “I heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?”The room was filled with dread. If Rachel ra

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    Seeing that Stephen was awake, the others rushed to get the doctor. The doctor was astonished as well. Stephen’s sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctor’s expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.“He can’t move,” the doctor said. “As of now, he’s paralyzed.”Stephen could open his eyes, but the rest of his body was unresponsive. He could not move his limbs or his neck and mouth. The only part he could move freely was his eye. Even his breathing was dependent entirely on medical equipment. “He might never be able to leave the bed again.”Upon hearing that, Stephen closed his eyes in despair, tears continuously rolling down his cheeks. He had fought so hard to wake up, only to realize he had missed his final chance to meet Snow and Lily. Worse yet, he also lost the ability to move. From now on, he would be confined to the bed and hooked up to machines just to stay alive.

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 913

    His father died a miserable death, his son was in a coma, and the Quinn family was shattered, leaving only Simon behind to finally realize all his mistakes. However, it was too late. Harrison could not come back to life, the Quinn family could not be whole again, and Stephen could not recover. Simon would forever be haunted by pain, despair, and regret for the rest of his life. At that moment, in complete darkness, Stephen heard Simon’s voice. He was conscious but failed to open his eyes or speak; he could not move a muscle. He wanted so badly to sit up and tell Simon that it was not solely his fault. They were all wrong, and this was their retribution!Just then, two women walked into the ward. When the officials saw them, their eyes widened in shock. For a second, no one even breathed. They were Snow and Lily!The officials thought they were seeing ghosts. Those women were supposed to be dead. Why were they there? Snow and Lily noticed their shocked gazes and offered them

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 912

    Due to Harrison’s previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephen’s life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, “How is he?”“The situation isn’t looking good,” the doctor said grimly. “His body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.“He’s still in a coma, and we can’t say for sure when he’ll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.”The officials drew a sharp breath. “Do you mean he might end up in a coma forever?”The doctor nodded. No one saw coming that Stephen would fall into a coma, with little chance of ever waking up again. However, it also meant he did not have to die anymore. He would be alive but confined to a bed. Suddenly, they thought of Harrison’s desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. “I’m willing to trade my life fo

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