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Chapter 245

Author: Old Pumpkin
“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
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    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

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    “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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    “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

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    “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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    George said, “Celestial City’s economy is still declining. If a little pollution can help the economy to recover, I don’t think it’s a big issue.”Those words tempted Stephen. After all, the most pressing concern right now was indeed the economy!Despite that, he still decided to consult a professional and asked if building a food hall at the base of the mountain would cause any pollution. If it would, would it affect the mountain?“There won’t be any pollution,” the professional assured. “Food halls are completely safe. They won’t cause any pollution to the environment.”Only then did Stephen relax completely. He tipped the man handsomely and sent him on his way.Outside, the man got into a car.“How did it go?” James asked from beside him.“I told him exactly what you wanted. He’s convinced that building the food hall won’t cause any pollution.”“Excellent.” James smiled in satisfaction.In fact, he knew very well that the food hall would cause pollution. Things like cooking

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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.

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    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

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    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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