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
“I know.” Nico smiled wryly. “Because we’re the same. I want to kill Ethan, and you want to kill me. We’re not so different, after all.”Stephen instantly fell silent. He understood that the shock from Nico killing his son with his own hands had left the man devastated. George gritted his teeth, stating, “You brought this upon yourself. None of this would’ve happened if you had just lived normally after being released from prison.”Nico fell silent. If he had let go of his grudge after his release, he would not have lost everything.“So, he had a plan all along.”If he had followed Ethan’s plan, Tommy would have finished college, started a family, and be taken away from Stone Village for a fresh start in Hill City. However, because Nico chose revenge instead, he ended up killing his son with his own hands, sealing his fate.“I regret it,” Nico said weakly as he looked down at the white sheets. “I finally understand what Ethan was trying to do for me. I’d like to apologize to him
“Are you Julius’ friend?” Stephen grew even more nervous. After all, Julius’ death was partly his fault. How could he face Julius’ friend? The person must surely hate him.Just as Stephen started to back away slowly, wanting to leave…“Since you’re here, why are you leaving without saying a word?” the person said.Stephen shuddered, simply because that voice… belonged to Ethan! He hurriedly walked over, and sure enough, it was Ethan.“What are you doing here?” Stephen asked in surprise. Ethan was supposed to be locked up in Drakthorn Ridge. It was the third time he had seen Ethan outside of Drakthorn Ridge.“I came to see him off,” Ethan replied.Back when he was in Hill City, he had interacted with Julius and thought highly of him. With Julius in Hill City, the city’s GDP could have risen by a trillion within ten years. Unfortunately, Julius did not have those years anymore.Ethan held two bouquets and gently placed one next to Julius’ body. Stephen watched silently, afr
Seeing Ethan about to leave, Stephen quickly asked, “Where are you going?”“To see someone else.”Stephen was confused. Who was that someone else?Julius and Tommy were both there. However, he soon remembered that Nico was also in the hospital!“Are you going to see Nico? What are you planning to do?”Ethan was a high-priority target under strict surveillance, and so was Nico. The thought of them meeting made Stephen uneasy.Were they planning an escape?Ethan said calmly, “I’m not planning anything. He’s the one who wants to meet me.”As the door to the morgue opened, the doctor was stunned to see Ethan walking out.He wondered, ‘Who’s this guy? And why was there someone else in the morgue?’Soon, Stephen also came out, following right behind Ethan as they walked to Nico’s ward.In the ward, Nico lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. At the sound of the door opening, he stirred for the first time in hours.When he saw Ethan come in, he shot up in bed.Nico asked, “Ar
Those answers were not what Stephen wanted to hear.He took a deep breath and asked, “Are you just going to stand by and watch people die?”Ethan slowly turned around. Stephen’s question almost made him laugh.“You can say that, but I have a question for you.” Ethan asked, “How did Julius and Tommy die?”Stephen was confused by the question. He had explained it back in the ward.“They died protecting Hill City.”Ethan said, “That’s too vague. Tell me again. How did they die?”Stephen thought about it for a moment. “Nico was going to shoot George, but Tommy jumped in to take the bullet. He saved George and died for Hill City. Julius died trying to stop Nico.”Ethan repeated, “It’s still too vague. Say it again.”Stephen’s frustration grew, and he repeated what happened again, this time in greater detail.He even recalled Julius’ final words as he died in Stephen’s arms. “Don’t… be deceived again.”Ethan said calmly, “You still don’t get the point. Say it again.”Cold sweat
The next morning, George rushed over as soon as he heard Stephen was in the hospital. When he saw Stephen on the bed in a daze, he knew something was wrong. He had seen Stephen like that before—back when Stephen learned that he would never see Snow again. However, this time, it was worse. His face was ghostly pale, and his eyes were dim and vacant. If not for his breathing, George would have thought he was dead.“What happened? He was fine last night. How did he end up like this in just one night?”George’s head was pounding. There was a boatload of matters to handle today.According to the plan, they were supposed to hold a funeral service for Julius and Tommy. However, judging by Stephen’s condition, George knew there was no choice but to postpone it.After making the call to postpone the service, he tried using Simon’s way to snap Stephen out of it.“Wake up. As long as you rebuild Hill City, the people won’t blame you anymore.”However, Stephen remained motionless. Even