The villagers’ anxiety instantly disappeared as they crowded around Arnold, carefully observing him.Arnold’s determined gaze, righteous demeanor, and his distinct uniform left no doubt that he was one of Ethan’s people. After all, three years ago, Ethan had also led a team wearing similar uniforms to this village.Arnold had stumbled into the village by accident and wanted to leave quickly to avoid dragging the villagers into trouble. However, he was surrounded and could not escape. He looked at the villagers cautiously and said, “Everyone, please step aside. I’m a fugitive. If I don’t leave, you might be in danger too.”The villagers did not understand him until they summoned someone who had lived in Riveria for a while.The person understood Arnold’s language and translated to everyone, “He’s being pursued.”The villagers were shocked. Who would dare to pursue Ethan’s man?“Have you heard of Ethan Rivers?” someone asked.Arnold nodded at the translated question. Although he w
The Spencers’ past flashed in Jared’s mind. The Spencers used to be untouchable until Ethan came along.Whether it was Marcus or the other families in Breeze City, they had proven one thing with their lives—not to provoke Ethan Rivers!Jared took a deep breath, glaring at Arnold with anger and reluctance. “We’re leaving.”Then, he turned to leave.His subordinates considered fleeing the moment they heard Ethan’s name. If Jared had not been there, they might have already run. As soon as they were given the order to withdraw, they quickly left. Their cars swiftly drove away, returning silence to the village.Arnold watched the scene happen in a daze, his expression filled with confusion and disbelief. He could not understand why Jared left with his team when they heard that he was one of Ethan’s men. They had been clearly furious and reluctant to leave.After Jared left, the villagers looked at Arnold. The chief asked in concern, “They’re gone now. Do you need to go to the town cli
The translator shook his head. “We’ve never met him before. We just know that he can lead us to peace, just like how he led Riveria to peace.”Arnold frowned. Ethan could lead everyone to peace? He felt like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.Ethan was a criminal known for serious corruption. It would already be considered benevolent if he did not embezzle all the villagers’ money and push them to the brink of despair. Furthermore, the one who had brought peace to Riveria was Stephen! He was the Grand Marshal’s mentee!“It seems you don’t understand Ethan at all,” Arnold said. “He’s not who you think he is.” He wanted to say more, but a few children peeked curiously at the door, interrupting him.The translator quickly shooed them away, but Arnold smiled and said, “Let them come in.”The children entered, staring up at Arnold with wide eyes. One of the girls asked shyly, “Is Mr. Rivers handsome? Is he married?”The translator relayed the questions to Arnold, making
The next second...Boom!There was a loud explosion.Jared’s tank was hit by a shell, causing it to shake violently.Arnold and the second team captain quickly turned and saw two more tanks slowly emerging from the darkness.Boom!One of the tanks fired again, hitting Jared’s tank dead-on. After taking two shots, the tank was completely incapacitated.“Charge!”A squad rushed out from behind the tank. At the same time, Arnold saw the villagers from before leading a group of unfamiliar men and rushing into the battlefield. He widened his eyes. “Are they here to help us?”He had just been prepared to die under the tank fire, but two tanks suddenly saved his life, and a surge of people came as reinforcements.“Why?” Arnold and the other team captain’s eyes widened in disbelief. They had never met the mysterious team driving the tanks before. Why were they helping?Furthermore, the villagers had only met Arnold once. They did not even know his name, but they were risking their l
Arnold shook his head hard. He must be imagining things due to his fatigue.“What’s wrong?” the second team captain noticed something off and asked in concern.“I’m fine.” Arnold turned to the village chief and said, “We’ll do our best to pass on your message.”“Thank you. Thank you!” The village chief was overwhelmed with emotion and led the villagers to thank him too.Seeing them bow, Arnold and the second team leader remained silent.What kind of power did Ethan have? Why did these villagers trust him so completely to the point of being willing to sacrifice themselves for him?Just then, a member of the second team reported to the captain, “Captain, all the criminals have been captured.” They had apprehended all the members of Jared’s team except for Jared himself.Nolan had informed Jared to retreat quickly when he sent out the second team. The hostages were found, and most of them were uninjured. This time, their mission was a success.However, they paid a hefty price for
If the first team had completed the mission smoothly, he could announce the good news at a press conference, and everyone would praise him.However, the first team was nearly annihilated, and a second team had to clean up the mess. Stephen could not bring himself to announce that. The enemy was just a small foreign faction, but they almost wiped out an elite squad. If Stephen revealed the news, he would only become a laughingstock.The assistant shook his head. He did not know the reason either.His best guess was that Arnold’s team’s actions had been exposed.Stephen took a deep breath to calm himself down, considering how he was supposed to report this to the public.“What if we say that both the first and second teams are from the same squad, but they took different routes?” he suggested.That way, the narrative would shift from ‘the first team was ambushed and almost annihilated’ to ‘the enemy’s fierce resistance caused casualties in the squad’. Stephen felt that the second n
Stephen did not understand where Ethan got so much money from. After all, he had no powerful family backing him. The only person he could rely on was himself!“Thank you.” Arnold sighed in relief, then expressed his wish for Stephen to punish him.Stephen shook his head. “You’re not at fault. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Besides, it’s not my place to decide that.”Arnold was silent for a while, then finally asked his last question. “Where’s Ethan?”Stephen’s eyes instantly narrowed. “Why are you looking for him?”“I want to pass on a message from the villagers outside the border.”“What message?” Stephen was wary.Arnold recited, “The message is: can you come save us?”Stephen’s eyes widened at the words. The villagers wanted Ethan to save them? They knew that Ethan brought peace to Riveria, so they wished that he would bestow peace upon them too!The questions in Stephen’s heart were instantly answered.Why did the villagers help them because of Ethan? It was because they
Arnold thought to himself, ‘I’ve never met Ethan before, and I didn’t even know that he met my instructor. It’s probably because he didn’t pick me.’“Was I eliminated?”Ethan nodded. “You’re indeed talented, but you didn’t meet my standards back then. Even now, you still haven’t changed much.”Those words hit Arnold hard. He was a top-tier soldier who not only worked hard but was exceptionally talented. However, he still did not make an impression on Ethan. “That’s a shame,” he smiled bitterly.Ethan did not continue the topic and asked, “So, what brings you here to see me?”Arnold snapped out of his thoughts and explained his purpose. “I went on a mission outside the borders yesterday. The villagers there asked me to deliver a message: they’ll always wait for you.”Ethan understood what happened. The people beyond the borders hoped that he would intervene and bring peace to them. Previously, Andy had also come to him for the same purpose.Ethan said calmly, “I see. You may leav
After staying up all night, they sat at their desks the next morning. Their screens were lit up, but there was still no internet.Bang, bang!Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.They jumped like they had stepped barefoot on lava, exclaiming, “Who is it?”There was no answer.Bang, bang!The loud knocking continued.The door shook violently, and they were so scared they nearly wet themselves. They quickly grabbed their phones, only to remember that they could not make calls now.Crash! The doorknob fell off.Then, the door was kicked open, and a fully armed team rushed in.“Don’t move!”“Get on the ground with your hands on your head!”They trembled and crouched on the ground, completely pale.One officer stepped forward and punched the guy in the face, knocking him down. Several other officers pinned him down and cuffed his hands.“What’s going on?” The man who was hit was shocked. “What did I do? What are you doing?”The team said nothing. They just received orders
It was like achieving success in business, owning a house and a car, having a young and beautiful girlfriend deeply in love with you, becoming a legend in your circle of friends, family, and even the whole city, only to be told that you had late-stage cancer and that there were a few days left to live.Shock, confusion, and disbelief surged up at once.Stephen snapped back to reality, his voice trembling. “You’re lying to me, right? You must be lying to me.”No one answered.However, from the look on their faces, Stephen saw the answer he did not want to believe: Harrison was truly dead.He collapsed to the ground with a thud, mumbling, “How could this be...”The Quinns were one of the top families. As a member of the Quinns, Harrison had access to the best medical care, diet, and security. Just half a year ago, his physical examination showed that he was in perfect health. He should have lived a long life. How did he suddenly die?“We don’t know,” they replied honestly. “You sh
Simon called the doctor to ask about the cause of Harrison’s death.The doctor explained it truthfully. Harrison was old, sleep-deprived, and suffered an intense psychological blow that his body could not handle.Upon hearing this, Simon suddenly understood.Harrison had not rested properly for a long time because of the Quinn family, especially the night when Stephen revealed the truth. He did not sleep at all that night. Then, he went to beg Ethan, was rejected, and had a mental breakdown. He simply could not hold on anymore.“We were wrong,” Simon cried. “We were really wrong.”They brought this upon themselves. Because they provoked Ethan, everything that followed was inevitable.If they had not been blinded by greed, Harrison would not have died, Stephen would not be in prison, and the Quinns would not fall.What should he do now? What could he do?Stephen had sacrificed himself to give the Quinns a sliver of hope, but Simon failed to protect the family and Harrison. How w
At the Quinns’ residence, Simon had been pacing back and forth anxiously, racking his brain trying to think of a way to save the Quinn family when a maid came to serve him tea. He reached out for it, but as his mind wandered, his grip faltered. “Clang!”The teacup fell and shattered on the spot. The scalding water getting on his hands and feet made him frown. The Quinns were in a crisis, and being scalded by tea caused his frustration to boil. “Get lost!” he yelled at the maid, telling her to leave. Simon sat down, an uneasy feeling still lingering on his mind. At that moment, his phone rang. He picked it up, and seeing that the call was from the federal government, he answered immediately. “Bad news,” said the person on the other end. “Your father has fainted after coughing up a mouthful of blood. Come to Riveria now!”Simon was stunned. Harrison fainted after coughing up blood? How could it be?Without a second to waste, he boarded a plane to Riveria and arrived at 4 p
It was no longer about whether Ethan would forgive them. Even if Ethan forgave the Quinns, would the other families and factions let them off the hook? Obviously not. Harrison’s face went pale. He understood now that getting Ethan’s forgiveness could not save the Quinn family; only getting Ethan on their side could. However, was that possible? There might still be a chance if all they asked for was forgiveness, but to get Ethan on the Quinns’ side? Putting himself in Ethan’s shoes, Harrison knew it was impossible. The Quinns had worked with the Lowes to frame Ethan, imprison Ethan, and steal his achievements, turning the internet against him. Why would Ethan want to be on the Quinns’ side?If it were him, he could not forgive the Quinns either. When he finally pieced everything together, his body went limp. It was over. Things were much more serious than he thought. The Quinns were truly done for. “It looks like you’ve finally figured it out.” Ethan said, “All this time, y
Harrison was choking up. Before Ethan could speak…“Mr. Harrison, what are you doing here?” A shocked exclamation sounded from the doorway. Harrison immediately whipped his head around to see a few people standing at the door. He knew those people. They were from the federal government, many of them the heads of several prominent families. Instantly, the blood drained from his face because he was kneeling before Ethan. Everyone could see him like that—stripped of his dignity and utterly humiliated. How could the Quinns ever show their faces again?Harrison’s first instinct was to stand up. However, he then remembered what he said to Ethan earlier, that he was willing to do anything for Stephen and the Quinn family. Was he going back out just because he was embarrassed? At that thought, Harrison forced himself to suppress the urge to stand up. Looking at Harrison kneeling before Ethan, those who had just arrived gasped collectively. At that moment, no one was thinking abou
Simon hesitated to speak, knowing it was unlikely for Ethan to forgive them. However, he thought, what if? Stephen’s sincere apology and revealing the truth could have moved Ethan, making forgiveness possible. With that sliver of hope, he did not stop Harrison. Harrison immediately took an overnight flight to Riveria. It was seven in the morning when he landed, and without any rest, he headed straight for Drakthorn Ridge. His assistant could not help but advise, “Mr. Harrison, you’ve not rested all night. Why don’t you take a break before going up the mountain?”Harrison shook his head. “Time will wait for no one.”Ethan was about to leave Riveria, and the Quinns were on the brink of survival. He feared that if he slept, he would miss the final chance of saving the Quinn family. “This is nothing,” Harrison said, “I’ve gone three days without sleep before. Now, hurry up and drive up the mountain!”The assistant, exasperated, could only steer towards Drakthorn Ridge. At nine
Already feeling guilty that the Grand Marshal passed away in Riveria, they could not afford to let Ethan down again now. On the other hand, Ethan’s achievements were too monumental—so great that they overshadowed everyone else’s. It was enough to warrant his own chapter in history. None of them had the right or the courage to raise their voices in front of him.Ethan said calmly, “I’ve gotten what I wanted. It’s getting late. You should go.”All of them looked uncomfortable. Before they came, they had imagined every possible reaction, from being yelled at to being beaten, even. At worst, he would blame them and scold them for everything. However, they were wrong. They thought of everything except for Ethan’s indifference. At their level of status, they thought nobody could reject them, but now, they understood that they were not as powerful as they thought. “We’ll take our leave.” They could not help but sigh.Given the current circumstances, they could only return anothe
“Ahem.”The officials did not know how to greet Ethan, so they could only make a noise to signal their arrival.Ethan looked at them calmly.They forced out awkward smiles and said, “Ethan, we found out about what happened to you. We deeply sympathize and understand.”They walked forward together and took out various certificates.“This incident was also related to our negligence and carelessness. To make up for our past mistakes, we've prepared some things for you.”They placed the certificates on the table.Ethan glanced at them.As long as he signed his name, he would join the cabinet and be on equal footing with the Quinn family.However, he was not interested at all. He did not care about Riveria anymore, and the Quinns were finished.When the officials saw Ethan remaining still, they all tensed up nervously. They were afraid because foreign countries were all reaching out to Ethan.The fact that Ethan had not agreed to them meant that their offer was not tempting enoug