George immediately perked up. “Quick, what is it?”“The mayor is in contact with forces beyond the border. He is heading to an abandoned factory three miles before Stone Village to meet up with the other side.”George’s eyes widened. He knew it!He had guessed correctly from the start that Julius was working for the South Regent! Now, Julius had finally slipped up and exposed himself!“You did well!”George hung up the call and immediately reported the news to Stephen. “He’s meeting up with foreign forces?” Stephen said excitedly, “Use this opportunity to catch him red-handed and expose the South Regent’s evil plan!”George immediately called the police, instructing them to head to the factory and arrest Julius. However, worried that Julius would escape in advance, he also rushed to the factory after ending the call. In Stone Village, Nico put down his phone and smiled slyly. “All I need to do next is wait until they wear each other out. Then, I can swoop in and reap the bene
George sneered, refusing to believe what Julius was saying.“I’d suggest you save your energy. Leave your excuses for when you get in prison!”Julius gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew he could not be arrested. He was the only one keeping watch on Nico now, and if he were to be locked up, Nico would be on the loose. When that time came, the orchards and farms would not be the only ones affected!“I can’t go with you,” Julius stated firmly. He could not get caught now that Nico had set his sights on Hill City. He must protect Hill City!Protecting Hill City meant protecting Stephen as well. If anything happened to Hill City, Stephen’s life would be over. “You don’t have a say in that.”George’s expression was cold. He could not back down because Julius worked for the South Regent and was trying to help the South Regent to destroy Hill City, just like all that had happened in the previous few cities. He must protect Hill City, and most importantly, he had to protect Ste
At that moment, he realized that everything Tommy said was true, and Julius was right. Something was going on with Nico!He had been deceived. Nico was not a good guy, and Stone Village was not some hero village. Julius was not a villain either. In fact, he had been investigating the truth the entire time. Yet, they thought Nico was on their side and even awarded Stone Village the title of a hero village while treating Julius as the bad guy and having George lead a team to arrest him!He was totally fooled!“Shit. Nico wanted to use George to get rid of Julius. I must stop him.”Stephen quickly took out his phone and called George, who was fighting with a bloody nose in the factory. He had dropped his phone nearby, so he did not notice Stephen’s call coming through. The only thought in his mind now was to arrest Julius to protect Hill City and Stephen!Seeing that the call was not picked up, Stephen panicked. “Come with me!”He wanted to go to the factory to stop them, hoping
Nico turned around and aimed his gun at George. “Calm down.” George tensed up in fear and subconsciously took a step back. “I’m calm.” Nico was about to pull the trigger when Tommy’s voice suddenly rang out at the door. “Dad, stop!”Startled, Nico turned to see Stephen and Tommy standing at the door. In shock, he immediately grabbed Julius, who was by his feet, and pressed the gun against his head. Seeing that he had a hostage, Stephen gulped and said, “Nico, calm down. Put Julius down.”Nico asked, “Why are you here?”Stephen and Tommy’s arrival was outside of his expectations. “Dad, put down the gun. This place is already surrounded,” Tommy replied.Stephen had brought the police, and George had also called them before coming over, so they were all waiting outside.“You betrayed me?” Nico glared at Tommy, enraged. “You’re my son. How could you betray me?”Tommy choked up, “I’m not betraying you. I just don’t want you to make any more mistakes.”He slowly walked tow
Nico suddenly realized something. He thought that with Ethan imprisoned in Drakthorn Ridge, he was finally safe and could take his revenge on Hill City and Ethan. However, the truth was that he had never escaped Ethan’s grasp. “You will repeat your brother’s path.” Ethan’s words echoed in his ears.At that time, he thought he would be killed by his family, Tommy, like what happened to his brother, but now, he finally understood what Ethan meant. It turned out he would kill his own family again, and this time, it was his son. “Why? Why?”Nico looked down at Tommy’s lifeless body, tears streaming down his face. “Is this karma? Is it because I have blood on my hands? Is it all the crimes I’ve committed that caused my family’s suffering? Could this all be my doing?”His expression turned cold, and he gritted his teeth. “Ethan, you really want to stop me, huh? Do you really want to force me into a corner? Are you not going to let me go?”Stephen heard the aggressive tone in Ni
Just then, Julius struggled, forcing himself to stand up. He knew he could not let Nico escape.With his last breath, he managed to pick up the gun lying on the ground. Although he stumbled around, his eyes were locked onto Nico’s back.He, the mayor of Hill City, had witnessed Hill City’s most difficult times many years ago. Back then, he had vowed never to let the city return to its old days. Yet now, Nico was destroying the city and about to escape while he himself was at death’s door.How could he let the criminal escape?Failing to recognize Nico’s plot was already a lapse in his duty. If he allowed Nico to escape, how could he face the citizens of Hill City and answer to the heroes who had sacrificed themselves for the city?Julius aimed the gun at Nico, his hands trembling. However, he gritted his teeth and ran toward Nico.Meanwhile, Nico walked out the door with his hands raised, looking at the people surrounding him with guns, and sneered disdainfully.So what if they
Stephen sat frozen in place. What Julius said to him about not getting deceived again hit him hard. On his journey of managing Riveria, he had been deceived in every city and tricked by mayors three times.Stephen trembled, his face pale. What did he have to do to know whether someone was tricking him? What was real, and what was fake?“Dad, I can’t tell. I really can’t tell!” He broke down.Stephen believed he had been trying and doing well, having grown from his many mistakes. Yet now, he realized that although he had grown, his enemies were still stronger. Being a Quinn did not mean that people would heed his every word.How many lives had been lost because he was deceived?This time, it even led to the death of the mayor, Julius, who cared for Hill City so deeply and wanted to help him manage the city.Stephen held Julius’ body and felt hopeless for the second time. The first time was when he scolded Snow and then heard news of her death.He started to doubt himself. Could h
Simon felt numb after understanding what had happened.He thought Stephen’s silence meant everything was progressing smoothly in Hill City, but now, it was clear that something big had been brewing behind the scenes. Even he found it difficult to handle the situation.In a hospital in Hill City, Stephen and George watched as a white sheet was draped over Julius.His parents wept beside him, so devastated they almost fainted; a woman lay sobbing over Julius’ body, and a four- or five-year-old girl stood to the side, her wide eyes looking around in confusion.Stephen remained silent. George, on the other hand, was bandaged all over, all minor injuries from his struggle with Julius. However, he did not feel the pain at all.His eyes reddened as he turned away from the scene in front of him. If not for him, Julius would not be dead, and his parents and wife would not be grieving.Julius’ child, a girl, who had no idea what was happening, walked over to Stephen and George. She asked