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Chapter 36

Author: Old Pumpkin
"I'll do an excellent job!" Eric declared, thumping his chest. "Rest assured, Governor Lowe. If I can't solve this case in three days, I'll offer you my head!"

After the call ended, George was in a good mood. Individuals so committed were rare. It was all Ethan's fault for being short-sighted and suppressing such talent.

What kind of trash were the previous commander and deputy commander for resigning when North Hill City needed them most?

"But it's good they left. If they had stayed, they would only have made North Hill City worse," George thought out loud.

Meanwhile, Eric hung up the phone and prepared to take action. He already had some suspicions about who would have brought people in illegally.

From his previous experiences working with the commander and deputy commander, he was familiar with the various forces in North Hill City.

"It's highly likely that Lytton was involved in bringing these people in. If I investigate Lytton, I can wrap up this case in less than half a d
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    "What's going on?" Eric kept staring in the direction Sky had left. He was confused as to why Sky had not returned after so long. In all his previous visits, such poor reception had never happened before. Previously, they would be warmly invited inside, offered air conditioning, and served tea. The tea was top-grade, and the water was from natural springs—all luxuries beyond the reach of ordinary people.If that was the treatment he had received prior to his promotion, Eric was eager to learn how they would treat him post-promotion.He assumed Lytton would receive him with open arms, offering him rare delicacies and precious local specialties… However, in reality, he was left sweltering under a tree."This doesn't seem right," he muttered, straining his eyes. He had hoped to solve the case in half a day, but now he had to revise his plans. He would consider it a success just to see the mayor within that time frame.Meanwhile, the air conditioning in the town council office wa

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    Ethan tossed a list onto the table and continued, "Hand over the people on this list, and then, cease all your operations."Brandon picked up the list, and as he went through it, his face sank.The list included discovered moles and some of the town's most successful “businessmen”. They not only manufactured dangerous weapons but also had close ties with foreign entities, helping with human trafficking and smuggling goods.If Ethan took those people away, they would surely be sentenced to death. More importantly, it would have a massive impact on Lytton’s economic activities."You must be joking." Brandon tried to play dumb. "We don't have such people in Lytton."Ethan calmly replied, "Whether you hand them over or I find them myself makes no difference to me. But for you, the difference will be significant. I assure it."Brandon gritted his teeth.Ethan's message was clear. Whether they cooperated or not would not deter him in the slightest. He could easily find these people an

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    Eric was at a loss for words. The situation was completely different from what he had imagined.With a parched mouth, he watched the passing residents and said to one of his officers, "Quick, go ask if they have any more ice pops."The officer, nearly fainting, replied, "I’m all out of strength."Eric clenched his fist. If his subordinates would not go, who else would? Himself? He was the commander! If he went, would that not mean his rank was just for show?"If no one's going, then we'll all stay thirsty," he declared. "I can endure it."He had plenty of time and resources to outlast them!In the distance, Sky and a few residents were in a house, enjoying the air conditioning and eating ice pops while watching Eric and his team."Those idiots won't wait until someone faints before they go looking for water, will they?" One of them chuckled.Another hour passed, and under the tree, some officers were now lying on the ground.Eric was reaching his limit. "Where are they? Why

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    The other officers, still dazed, followed his lead. Just like that, this officer managed to lead everyone away.At that point, Eric was the only person under the tree shade. He waited and waited, growing increasingly anxious when Sky did not appear, but the thought of ice-cold water to drink soon calmed him down a bit.Unfortunately, after half an hour, not only was Sky nowhere to be seen, but his officers had also disappeared."Huh? Have they gone missing too?" he muttered. "Do they cannibalize people in this town?"He grumbled but remained seated, the thought of searching for his subordinates not once occurring to him.It was not until 4 p.m. that Eric, now barely conscious, saw Sky casually strolling toward him with an ice pop in hand.Sky had reported Eric’s activities, or lack thereof, to Brandon. "This commander is about to faint, and he hasn't called anyone."Brandon nodded. "Bring him to me."They had deliberately left Eric in the heat for so long, yet he did not call f

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    “Oh, now I remember!” Brandon said with a smile. “I forgot about it all after taking a nap.” Eric slammed his hands on the table when he heard Brandon dozing off again. Brandon’s smile remained wide and bright because he was unafraid of Eric. “Commander, calm down. We’re all farmers in the town. It’s normal for us to take naps.” Eric refused to take the excuse for an answer. Even if Brandon did take a nap, he should not have left Eric in the sun for hours. “Make me some tea,” Eric barked, not even trying to be polite. Back when he visited with the old commander, tea would be served automatically, without needing to be requested. Now that he came alone and saw no one taking the initiative to serve him, he had to speak up. Brandon glanced at Sky, who quickly got the message and went off to make tea. Brandon then asked Eric, “Commander, what brings you here alone? Where are the other two? Did they run away because Ethan got arrested?” “Nonsense!” Eric rolled his eyes at Br

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    The shock made Eric forget the scalding pain in his thighs. The town of Lytton respected not the police commander but Ethan, the useless trash who got arrested? “How? How is that useless trash worthy of your respect?” Eric found it difficult to accept. He had dreamt of being the commander day and night, and his dream was finally realized, only for him to find out that it meant nothing unless it was under Ethan’s leadership. Without Ethan, his position as commander was completely worthless. Brandon chuckled. “That’s right. Without Ethan, do you think you’re worthy of Lytton’s respect? It was Ethan who made you people who you are today.” He knew Ethan well because he viewed the man as his rival. He was certain that as long as Ethan was around, Riveria could thrive for another hundred years. To his shock, Ethan did not lose to the enemies who tried to disrupt the order and peace of Riveria but fell to the betrayal of his own people.After finding out what happened to Ethan, B

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    Stephen’s lips into a wicked smile. “To see how miserable he is now, of course. I want to tell him that the men he raised have all been taken out. “Even Eric has become the commander now.” George applauded, saying, “That is an amazing move. I like it! Hahahaha!” “Hahaha!” The two of them laughed wickedly. Later that evening, Stephen arrived at the police station and requested a meeting with Ethan. Liam went to Ethan and informed him of Stephen’s request to meet. He asked, “Mr. Rivers, do you want to see him, or should I tell him to leave?” “Since I have nothing to do here, let’s meet him,” Ethan said.After being locked up, he found himself with a lot of free time. The entire day, twenty-four hours, was now his to spend as he wished. Today, he had chosen to meet Stephen, and it was the only reason Stephen had the chance to see him. If he did not want to, Stephen would be turned away. Since Ethan and Stephen were both of unique status, Liam arranged for them to meet i

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    Thanks to Stephen’s shout out, many tourists came to the town to join the festival. Stephen watched the bustling crowd, lost in thought, when two familiar figures suddenly appeared.Stephen trembled as his eyes widened in disbelief. They were Snow and Lily!He snapped out of his daze and rushed into the crowd. However, when he was standing right where he had seen them, they were gone. He looked around him, but with so many people moving around, he could not look far.“Was it just my imagination?”Stephen calmed himself down. He had been through so much lately that he was starting to hallucinate. How could Snow and Lily be there anyway?Believing he needed some rest, he booked a room and took a nap. When he lay down on the bed, he quickly fell asleep from all the exhaustion.He dreamed about Snow and Lily, as well as Rhys. However, Rhys was surrounded by thick fog that obscured his face.Stephen looked at him and asked, “Did you ever think of giving up?”Rhys said, “There are so

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    “He’s amazing.” Stephen asked excitedly, “Where is he now? I’d like to meet him.”The mayor took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew it out. “You can’t.”“Huh?” Stephen did not understand.The mayor replied, “He’s dead.”Stephen froze. Rhys, the person hailed as the second Ethan Rivers, was dead? “How could that be?”The mayor gazed at the sky outside the door. “It’s been like this since ancient times. Heroes never live long enough to grow old in this world. He got cancer and passed away not long after Riveria achieved peace. We started this festival to honor him and other heroes.”The mayor’s voice was filled with regret.“He was a good kid. It’s such a shame.”Stephen was lost in a daze. Just moments ago, he was thrilled to hear of Rhys’ past, thinking he was saved. If he could find Rhys, the problems in Riveria would be solved easily. However, Rhys was dead. In fact, he had been gone for several years.Stephen’s so-called hope never existed.“How could this be…” He cou

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    The mayor looked out at the blue sky, lost in thought.“Since she chose you, I’ll step aside,” Rhys said as he handed his friend the keepsake his childhood sweetheart had once given him when they swore their love.“Besides, given these chaotic times, love isn’t something I can afford to dwell on. I have to live up to the expectations people have of me. I can’t let them down.” He looked at the girl one last time and took a deep breath before saying, “Goodbye.”His family was destroyed at a young age, so Rhys longed for peace more than anyone. He always wanted to be part of the effort to protect Riveria.The year he graduated from university, the Grand Marshal passed away. All of Riveria was in despair, believing that Riveria was doomed. However, Rhys was determined to join Ethan’s forces.In multiple operations, he displayed excellent skills, strategic thinking, and intelligence, allowing Ethan to take notice of him and guide him. In turn, Rhys learned a lot from Ethan.“Study the

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    The mayor nodded and explained the origin of the festival and its name.“Riveria used to be a chaos-filled land, but many unsung heroes stepped up to make it better. The peace we enjoy today is all thanks to their selfless dedication.“The name Rhys Festival comes from a man named Rhys Estrela. He was once a subordinate of Mr. Rivers, who made great sacrifices for Riveria. There’s a local saying that goes, ‘A single spark can start a prairie fire.’ We always believe that as long as we don’t give up, Riveria will surely thrive.”Those words sent a chill down Stephen’s spine. The mayor mentioned Mr. Rivers, and while others might not know who that was, Stephen knew—it was Ethan! It meant that the festival was related to Ethan. To top it off, the festival was named after Ethan’s subordinate, Rhys Estrela, a name Stephen was unfamiliar with. He had been in Riveria for half a year but had never heard of that name before. He had no idea what Rhys did to leave his name behind like that.

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    Hearing Stephen’s positive response, the people in Riveria calmed down slightly.“I hope they can recover the money soon.”“I took out a loan on my house to invest. If we don’t get it back, my family is done for.”“Let’s believe in Stephen. No matter what, he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee.”“He did a good job running Riveria before. I’m sure he can do it again.”“Yeah. This is just a minor issue compared to before.”Most people expressed their trust in Stephen. They could tell that he was far more worn out than before. His hair, which had shown signs of turning black again, had faded back to white again. Some people even felt sorry for him.However, there were others who doubted his abilities. The scammers had fled abroad. Would Stephen be able to catch them, and even if they were caught, could the money be recovered? What if the scammers had laundered the money by auctioning off artwork?They voiced their concerns online. Some people agreed, understanding why they were worrie

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    Stephen looked at the contract. Other than the high price, there were no other problems.However, the high price was a humiliation for both Stephen and the whole of Riveria.He wanted to refuse and even curse them, but he had no leverage against the other party and was completely passive in this situation. If he did not agree, the crops and livestock in Riveria would be finished.Stephen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even though he knew that many people would hate him, he still signed the contract.“Pleasure doing business with you.” The foreigners took the contract and chuckled. With that, they left.The meeting room was silent, Stephen being the only one left. He slumped into his chair, uncertain if he had made the right decision.Half an hour later, his phone rang, snapping him back to reality. He had more work to do.Many people in Riveria had been scammed into buying virtual currency, losing over ten billion. Stephen had to give the people an answer.“How did the

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    Stephen had no choice but to use a translation device, continuing the discussion while they mocked him.Despite his utmost sincerity and effort, they refused to lower their price at all, confident that they had Stephen cornered.His only option was to take money from the Quinns and pour it into developing the medicine. However, he knew the Quinns well. There was no way they would take out billions at once for something like this, especially when there were other diseases to deal with as well.They were no match for Ethan, but the Quinns were nothing to them, let alone Stephen.“We’ll get to the point.”They spoke in Stephen’s language to make sure that he understood. “You’re not good enough. Only Mr. Rivers can manage Riveria. You can’t even protect the people around you. How do you plan to protect Riveria?”Stephen’s expression soured. He knew that they were telling the truth. He had no way to refute, and being stubborn would only make him look more ridiculous.“I’m not as good

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