LOGINShare
Chapter 336
Related chapters
The Guardian's Return Chapter 337
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 338
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 339
“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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 340
“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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 341
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 342
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 Guardian's Return Chapter 343
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 344
George looked at Nico’s body and confirmed that he was really dead.At that moment, George felt a mix of tension and relief. He felt tense because Nico had committed suicide to avoid getting trialed, making the situation complicated to handle. However, he also felt relieved that Nico, who had pushed them to the edge, had ultimately chosen to take his own life.News of Nico’s suicide spread quickly. The first to hear were the villagers of Stone Village.Nico was dead, and so was Tommy. The Wyatt family was gone. With no one left to lead them, many villagers felt a sense of urgency, fearing that others might disregard the rules and take all the money for themselves.As a result, many became reckless, openly inciting others and leading people from other villages to raid the orchards and livestock farms. It did not matter if the targets were local or non-local. Everything was up for grabs.Some people also privately produced and sold firearms to local forces. They started mining exces
Latest chapter
The Guardian's Return Chapter 920
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.“We’ve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?”With that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethan’s response.They did not dare to ask for much. All they hoped for was that Ethan would not leave the country.Ethan glanced at them calmly and said, “Send someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.”Hearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.“Of course!” they replied in unison.They understood what Ethan meant. He was staying! Although it was not his complete forgiveness, he was willing to give them another chance.They were all overjoyed. As long as Ethan did not leave, there was plenty of time to slowly make amends.They took out their phones and made arrangements to help Ethan move.After the call ended, they said, “We respectfully
The Guardian's Return Chapter 919
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 918
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 917
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 916
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 915
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 914
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
