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Chapter 244
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 245
“Well... We definitely didn’t think this through properly.”Simon thought about it, realizing it might be part of Ethan’s scheme. Ethan could be using the Quinns to cut ties with Riveria once and for all!If there was a crisis in Riveria, they could use the Grand Marshal’s influence to make Ethan step in. However, now that everyone knew he was not the Grand Marshal’s mentee, he would have nothing to do with Riveria anymore!Simon’s face darkened. When did Ethan start planning all of that?“I’ll have someone prepare a speech for you. Go and get ready.”He then hung up the call, feeling a headache coming. He thought they had won, but now he realized they had lost again. All the pressure was falling on Stephen’s shoulders.In Celestial City, Stephen immediately ordered a stage to be built for the speech after hanging up the call. He chose to speak in the streets to seem more approachable to the public. That way, the online criticism of him would lighten up. It would also prove tha
The Guardian's Return Chapter 246
Since a young age, he was taught that if anyone pointed a gun to his head, he would blow their entire family’s heads off; and if someone forced him to kneel, he would break their people’s legs!That was why, when it happened, the South Regent was more enraged than afraid. How could he possibly meet Ethan unarmed or speak humbly to him? He was kind to have let Ethan off without carving him into a thousand pieces.He fled because of something else Ethan did.“Thus, rest assured!”Stephen’s words snapped the South Regent back to reality.“With me around, Celestial City is extremely safe.”Upon hearing that, the South Regent slowly picked up his second phone. “Do it.”In the crowd, several of his men nodded and quietly put their phones away. Then, they pulled out pistols and shotguns from their bags.“Bang!” A gunshot echoed through the livestream.The bullet tore through the billboard behind Stephen, obliterating his face on the board.Stephen was stunned, and the crowd below
The Guardian's Return Chapter 247
“That’s right. He fought against all of Riveria’s enemies by himself three years ago. Why is he fleeing from two assassins?”“Fleeing is one thing. What’s more important is that he didn’t arrest the two shooters.”“He’s a disgrace to the Grand Marshal.”“He’s not just a disgrace. If he really brought peace to Riveria three years ago, those two gunmen wouldn’t have shown up. They would’ve been dealt with long before they made a move.”“It’s strange. The way Stephen acted doesn’t match General Kenning’s description.”“Yeah. If he really brought peace to Riveria three years ago, why are North Hill City, Seaside City, and Aqua City in a mess?”“Do you think Stephen is faking his identity as the Grand Marshal’s mentee?”Online, many people began doubting Stephen’s identity.“Does anyone know what happened in Riveria three years ago?”“I don’t think Stephen was capable of pulling off those feats.”“Yeah. Someone explain it, please.”Many people were curious about the truth. Was St
The Guardian's Return Chapter 248
The shooters had not been found, many businesses were leaving, and no new companies wanted to come in. If they did not act quickly to stabilize Celestial City’s economy, the city would be done for. Any problem in that financial hub would have a serious impact on Riveria.Stephen slumped on the sofa, wondering what he could do. His mind was a mess now, and his heart even more so. He could not think of any solution.Meanwhile, George was not idle either. He racked his brain trying to recall if Ethan had faced such a problem. If he had, how did he deal with it?After thinking for a while, George came up empty. He was too focused on his good life to pay attention to what Ethan was actually doing.“I’m taking a trip back to Riveria.”He planned to meet Ethan in person to seek the man’s help, and maybe he could offer Ethan something in return.Half a day later, George met Ethan, who was lounging in the courtyard, looking relaxed.George grumbled to himself, ‘Ethan never used to have s
The Guardian's Return Chapter 249
Ethan took off his sunglasses and finally looked at George. Even though his gaze was calm, George felt a shiver run down his spine. It was as if those eyes could see right straight through his soul!While no one online knew Ethan’s true identity, he did. Ethan was the person who brought peace to Riveria three years ago. Even the South Regent had knelt before him.For a moment, George did not dare to meet Ethan’s gaze.“What I want is simple,” Ethan said slowly.George quickly looked up. “How simple? What is it?”“I want you all dead.”Silence fell over the courtyard.George stood frozen, his eyes wide. He could not believe what he just heard. With a panicked stumble, he backed away several feet, afraid that Ethan would pull out a gun and kill him on the spot.“You want to kill us?”Ethan replied, “Wrong. It’s not me who’s going to kill you.”Since Ethan had made his move, he had never personally killed anyone. He had countless ways to ensure someone’s death, just like with St
The Guardian's Return Chapter 250
Those three cities had stained his record. Unless he could manage Riveria and restore order in those cities, it would remain a black mark on his name. Clenching his jaw, Stephen said, “Everyone has failed before. It’s just three failures. So what? Just wait. I’ll make those three cities better than ever!”He then turned to George and said, “Let’s go.”Together, the two left the mountain. Along the way, George was filled with worry.“We haven’t thought of a solution. Celestial City is running out of time.”Stephen said in a low voice, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We’ll find it as long as we keep trying. I refuse to believe that everything went smoothly for him either. If we stay calm, we’ll come up with a better solution than him!”George stared at Stephen for a while, surprised.Stephen was confused. “What’s that look for? Is there something on my face?”George shook his head and sighed. “You’ve matured a lot. In the past, you used to be impulsive and couldn’t hand
The Guardian's Return Chapter 251
“That’s a good point. We can consider it.”Stephen stood up and said, “Let’s go to Azure Cloud Mountain now and take a look. We’ll only know if it’s suitable for developing into a tourist area if we check it out in person.”He did not want any tragedies happening under his watch again.Recently, he had been waking up in terror from the same nightmare, where eight people with pale faces questioned him, “Why did you cause our deaths?”James led the way, and soon, George and Stephen arrived at the foot of Azure Cloud Mountain.“The mountain is 700 meters tall,” James explained. “Although it’s not the tallest mountain in Riveria, it’s well known. There are two churches on the mountain. One was built 300 years ago and has been abandoned. Now, it’s just a tourist attraction and a historical landmark. The other was built twenty years ago and is still active. You’ll see worshipers going up the mountain to pray every day.“And that’s not all. There’s also a karst cave on the mountain. Onc
The Guardian's Return Chapter 252
“Now, let’s check out the surrounding area. The last thing I want is to develop a tourist spot and end up ruining someone's livelihood, driving them to suicide.”Stephen started by walking around Azure Cloud Mountain. The villages nearby mostly relied on farming for their livelihood and did not seem too concerned about the mountain or the lake. Stephen felt a little relieved.Then, he decided to climb the mountain to experience the scenery James described. One quick hike, and he had to admit that the scenery was impressive. Finally, he arrived at the church. The newly built church housed 81 clergy.Stephen chatted with the minister and learned about the church’s history and rules for recruiting members.“This church’s history is a bit too shallow. You’ll want to add to it. You can market yourselves better by throwing in some backstory, like a strange childhood experience or visions you’ve had in dreams.“As for the requirements to join, they're a bit too strict. Not only do you
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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
