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Chapter 482
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 483
Ganter gritted his teeth. “Okay. I promise you!”Ethan took out his phone and dialed Andy’s number. “Lord Rivers, what can I do for you?” Andy asked respectfully. The more he knew about Riveria and its foreign borders, the more he realized Ethan’s influence. The name Ethan had even become a symbol of power beyond the borders!“Is Jeremy available?” Ethan said, “Arrange a time for Jeremy and Stephen to get on a video call.”Andy was confused as to why Ethan would suddenly want Jeremy to see Stephen. However, since it was Ethan’s orders, he would do as he was told. “What does Jeremy have to say to Stephen?” Andy asked. “Just have him express his true thoughts. Oh,” Ethan added, “If you’re in need of money, you can use this opportunity to get more from Stephen.”Andy immediately understood Ethan’s intention. “Got it.”After the call ended, Ethan gave Ganter a number. “As you wish. Stephen can have a video call with Jeremy.”Ganter said gratefully, “Thank you.”Ethan smiled.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 484
Simon tried to calm himself. “You hate Stephen, don’t you?”“Yes.” Andy was honest. “He nearly got me killed.”“He didn’t mean to.”“It would have been better if it was!” Andy was enraged. Images of the man getting shot in the chest and the team sacrificing themselves to save him flashed across his mind. There were also those people living in suffering, chanting Ethan’s name, yet Stephen, out of his own selfishness, imprisoned Ethan on Drakthorn Ridge. Simon could see from Andy’s reaction that the man did not plan to forgive Stephen this time. He let out a sigh. He had watched Andy grow up and never expected the day would come when these best friends would become enemies. “Let me see him.” Simon decided to give in and pay. The camera shifted, and he saw Jeremy standing beside Andy. After confirming that Jeremy was alive, he asked, “Did Ethan save him?”“Yes.” Andy said, “Because Jeremy is still alive, Stephen has a chance to overcome this, but the irony is that the person
The Guardian's Return Chapter 485
Nolan was getting anxious. Stephen had recovered and would be back in Hill City in no time. Besides, with Stephen having met with Jeremy, Nolan was worried that Jeremy might’ve said things he should not. Adding to that, the South Regent’s forces were about to return to Hill City, and he also had to rescue the South Regent’s men. He started planning how to rescue them while discreetly finding out what Jeremy and Stephen talked about. However, when he learned that Jeremy did not mention him, he sighed in relief. Two days later, Stephen returned to Hill City, accompanied by Ganter and Austin. Ganter had promised Ethan to become a psychologist in Hill City, and Austin realized that he still had much to learn after this incident, so he decided to tag along with Ganter. Stephen was very grateful to Ganter and Austin as both of them had essentially saved his life. Hence, he arranged accommodations for them and even bought a storefront for Ganter. “If you need anything in the future, j
The Guardian's Return Chapter 486
Since it was Stephen’s order, he could not refuse. Besides, he actually knew how Hill City had achieved stability in the past. While Julius did play a part, Ethan was the one who truly made things work.The Spencers had stood up against Ethan back then, so they knew him very well. Ethan would pit the forces in Riveria against foreign forces, causing them to weaken each other. At the same time, he would get a significant amount of money from the forces in Riveria, like what he had done to the Spencers. He had taken away 90% of the Spencers’ assets. As for the foreign forces, Ethan would have the South Regent deal with them, and then obtain benefits from the South Regent, such as money and people he trusted. With money and manpower, Ethan was able to further eliminate the forces in Riveria, keeping useful ones for the city’s development.After Riveria’s GDP surpassed the 20-trillion mark, he began the final clean-up, sparing those willing to change and arresting those who resisted.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 487
Stephen felt a little awkward. “Hill City still has quite a few problems. These problems were similar to what happened in the past. Julius took care of the problems back then, so we wanted to ask if he ever documented any solutions.”Jane understood. “His laptop is still in the room. You can go through it if you need to. Just don’t damage it.”Although Jane did not like Stephen, he came for Hill City this time, so she did not want to be cold-hearted. When she married Julius, she had already made up her mind. Hill City was more important than her life. After getting permission, Stephen quickly brought his men to turn on the laptop to search for information. Stephen did not know the password, but Jane, who was standing nearby, told him the password. Stephen entered the password and successfully unlocked the laptop. Nobody noticed the faint smile that appeared on Jane’s face. Julius had never told her the password. She guessed it using the initials of their name and their wedding
The Guardian's Return Chapter 488
Dr. Steel had always lived in the capital. Although news about Riveria occasionally appeared online, he rarely paid any attention. Now that he was in Hill City, he could see the raging flames from the distant mountaintop from the roof. “How could a fire break out so suddenly?” Before Dr. Steel could think it through, he saw Austin running back in a panic. “Why are you in such a rush?” he frowned and asked. Austin said nervously, “Something’s happened on the next street. There was an armed robbery.” He quickly closed the door to prevent the robbers from coming here and threatening their safety. “Robbery? And armed?” Dr. Steel was shocked. He found it hard to believe that there were still robbers in the current day, even daring to bring guns! They had no regard for their life!Austin was even more worried. “Hill City doesn’t feel safe at all.” They had encountered the forest fire and armed robbery just after they arrived. Was it a coincidence? Or was it simply the state of H
The Guardian's Return Chapter 489
His hair was gray, his face lined with wrinkles, and his clothes were tattered and shabby.Stephen was stunned. “He’s the culprit?”The assistant nodded. “Yes.”Stephen took a deep breath. “Why did you set the fire?”The old man trembled and stuttered, “I didn’t do it on purpose.”Stephen’s face was cold. “Even if it wasn’t on purpose, you have to explain what’s going on.”Hill City’s mountains were ancient and were home to many precious plants and animals. The economic and environmental damage caused by this fire was immeasurable. The old man lowered his head. “Our orchard was destroyed. The subsidies were too little, and our children all went to find work in other cities. Now, someone wants to lease our village land, so I wanted to expand it a bit.”Stephen understood. The orchard was destroyed, leaving them without a harvest. The youngsters went to work elsewhere as they thought the subsidy was too little. At this juncture, some companies wanted to lease the empty and idle
The Guardian's Return Chapter 490
“Send someone over to negotiate and pressure their officials to release our people. If they refuse, send a squad over.”Nolan nodded. “Got it.”After hanging up the call, Nolan thought Stephen’s idea was decent this time, but unfortunately, it was destined to fail because Stephen did not expect the problem to lie with Nolan himself. The guards escorting the criminals and the hijackers were all Nolan’s subordinates, which meant they were from Riveria. The foreign officials had little control over the matter. Most importantly, the situation outside the borders was chaotic, controlled by various powerful forces such as the South Regent. With Nolan around, the squad assault would never succeed. If Nolan willed it, he could easily wipe the squad out as well. Stephen kept his phone and looked at his assistant. “Bring me to that man’s village chief. At the same time, find out which company wanted to lease the orchard land.”He wanted to investigate how a mere two thousand was all tha
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 878
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 877
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.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 876
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 875
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 874
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 873
Stephen felt that he could come up with a solution that could save both Riveria and protect the Quinns.However, did such a solution really exist? He was not confident.“I’ll go back to my room first.” Stephen walked away.Back in his room, he sat at his desk, deep in thought.“A perfect solution...”Stephen could not think of one. The more he tried, the more his mind uncontrollably drifted back to the past.“No.” He shook his head. “I need to focus.”However, his mind and body had deteriorated from the multiple tragedies. His hair had turned grey, and he struggled to maintain focus.Stephen sighed and planned to think of a solution later. Now, he needed to address Riveria’s current problems.Crops and livestock were falling ill. He sent people to investigate the cause, but research required massive funding. Replacing the crops and animals with new ones would not be easy either.At that moment, foreign corporations suddenly announced that they had the right medicine to cure t
The Guardian's Return Chapter 872
In the past, George also thought that Riveria would not collapse even without Ethan. With himself and the Quinn family, Stephen could still bring Riveria to new heights.Now, he understood.What the former governor, Liam, and the others said was true: Riveria would fall without Ethan.Neither the Lowes, the Quinns, nor even all the families in Metropolis combined, could manage Riveria.Without Ethan, Riveria was doomed.Stephen lowered his head. If it were in the past, he would have laughed if he had heard such words, thinking it was a joke.How was he inferior to Ethan? Whatever Ethan could do, he could do too, and better at that!Now, he could not laugh.He realized the truth too.The first city’s downfall was a coincidence, the second was due to negligence, and the third was an accident, but what about the fourth? The fifth?He could come up with a thousand excuses, but it would not change the truth.The reality was that he was far inferior to Ethan. Only Ethan could save
The Guardian's Return Chapter 871
A large number of people from Riveria poured into their cities. It was already difficult to find a job, but now that a bunch of outsiders were coming to compete for positions, employment was even harder.Furthermore, after arriving in a foreign place, many of those outsiders strayed and turned to robbery and theft. Some even slept on the streets, occupying public facilities and disrupting everyone’s daily lives.People from the surrounding cities of Riveria found it unbearable. They began cursing Riverians on the internet.Meanwhile, in Riveria, people had endured enough grievances in their daily lives. Their living conditions were far from satisfactory, and they held in a lot of frustration.Now, people were scolding them online, calling them beggars and telling them to go back to Riveria and wait for their death.How could they tolerate that?They immediately retaliated online. The arguments escalated, growing more intense by the day.Eventually, people from Riveria even trave
The Guardian's Return Chapter 870
Many crops had fallen sick in Riveria. The corrupted grains in Breeze City and destroyed fertile land had already dealt a huge blow to Riveria. Now, with more crops falling ill on a large scale, grain production had decreased, and fruit yields had dropped drastically. There was a problem with the livestock as well. An unknown disease spread and the affected livestock would basically end up dead, with no way to treat them and unfit for consumption. To everyone in Riveria, it was a huge blow. Prices of all food items began to rise, especially fresh vegetables and fruits. Their prices were comparable to meat. Even a single raw egg was 5 dollars, and boiled eggs for breakfast cost 7 dollars each. After hearing about it, Stephen tried to control the price, but it would cost money. Several cities in Riveria had been ruined under his management. He did not have any money left. He would not have needed to outsource infrastructure projects to other companies and corporates if he had mon
