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Chapter 520
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 521
Ganter and Austin witnessed the chaos that unfolded in Hill City over the past two weeks. The hospitals were overloaded, and more patients were being admitted. Even they, a psychologist, were asked to help. Ganter shook his head helplessly. He was a doctor in psychology, so there was nothing he could do for those people. All he could do was watch them leave, disheartened and desperate. When he went out on the street, he noticed the people walking around were fewer than before. Every day, he could hear robberies happening and gunshots in the air. The street where his clinic was located used to be a bustling area with merchants selling their goods, but they were all gone. His clinic was the only establishment left in the street. Austin looked worried. “Ganter, we should also think about leaving. Hill City is not safe anymore.” News of robberies, shootings, and outbreaks of sickness were so frequent that the growing fear among the people was palpable. Even Austin was scared too.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 522
A while later, Charles, who was enjoying his spa and massage with several other business owners, got a call from the hospital that his parents had discharged themselves. The delight on his face disappeared. Why would his parents leave the hospital? He quickly called his father but could not get through. The same happened with his mother. Anxious, Charles called the hospital, demanding an explanation. How could the hospital release his parents without informing him first? The nurse explained, “They said there were not enough beds in the hospital because of the current situation and believed other people needed the treatment more than them, so they insisted on leaving. We tried to convince them to stay, but they were adamant.” Charles was stunned. Not enough beds in the hospital? What kind of excuse was that? He had the money to pay for their medical bills! He had more than a million at hand, and if he kept working hard, the money he was making would be enough to last him a l
The Guardian's Return Chapter 523
Was Ethan more important than their own son? Stephen said, “I understand. Please get up. Ethan Rivers has been accused of bribery, and it puts me in a tough spot.” Xavier argued, “He’s not capable of that! He has been fixing roads, as well as repairing hospitals and schools. He even used his own money to send other people’s children to school! Why would he take bribes?” Riveria used to be in chaos, and education was scarce. The adults in the family would rather keep their children at home to work than send them to school for education. Ethan then used his personal money to send every child to school, paying the families a stipend of 500 dollars a month. The children could also enjoy free lunches at schools, which drastically improved both attendance rates and nutrition levels in the region.Stephen said with gritted teeth, “It’s bribery! I don’t need you to tell me what he did!” He dared not look them in the eyes, so he quickly called security to send them off. After they
The Guardian's Return Chapter 524
“No!” Charles’ face paled. He pulled his phone out to call for help, but then his mother, Jessica, said, “You don’t need to call for help.” She had been fighting her illness for years and should have died a long time ago. It was Ethan’s subsidy and health insurance that helped her to stay alive, and after what happened, she believed she was the reason her son became twisted. She felt guilty, not just toward Ethan, but also toward her husband and their son. Years of pain and the burden she placed on her family had worn her down. She could not go on any longer. Maybe, just maybe, her death could help Charles find his way back.“I know what’s going on with my body,” she said, her voice strained and labored. “Son, I’ve hurt you enough. I’m so sorry. I will no longer be your burden. If you can, turn yourself in. You’re on your own now. We will always love you.” Charles teared up, his body shaking. He did not understand. He had worked so hard and taken so many risks, all to make s
The Guardian's Return Chapter 525
Charles ran into his car and suddenly, he spotted a gun in the passenger’s seat. He was consumed by vengeance and did not care how the gun got into his car. He wound down the window and pointed the gun at Nolan. “Please take care of my parents’ funeral for me. Thanks.” He then stepped on the pedal and drove off. Nolan watched calmly as the car drove off. Everything was progressing as he planned. He walked into the house and saw Xavier and Jessica, both dead in each other’s embrace. He sighed helplessly. He may have dragged the two of them into this mess, but he never thought of hurting them or making them take their own lives. He made a call to his men and ordered them to give the elderly couple a proper burial. Meanwhile, Stephen was going through the reports on the recent updates. Even though riot police were deployed to maintain order in the city, things did not improve. Quite the opposite, the dangerous men armed with guns were further stimulated, causing them to be m
The Guardian's Return Chapter 526
Stephen slumped into his chair, boneless. He was really scared out of his wits when he had a gun pointed at him at such close range. He almost died. Only then did he have time to pick up his phone and check who had tried to call him earlier. However, before he could look, Nolan’s call came in. “Stephen, Charles’ parents committed suicide. He has a gun. He injured me and then escaped.”Stephen fell silent for a while before saying, “Got it. I’ve caught Charles. You should head to the hospital and get yourself checked out. You’ve done well.”He was more assured of Nolan, someone willing to risk his life to capture Charles. It looked like he was right in his choice of mayor this time. In fact, he had made an excellent choice!After hanging up, Stephen finally saw that it was Ganter who had tried to call him just now. However, nobody picked up when he returned the call. Seeing that he could not reach Stephen, Ganter had taken to the streets, trying to find someone to send Austin t
The Guardian's Return Chapter 527
Not long after Nolan left, Stephen came with his men to interrogate Charles. “How long have you been embezzling and taking bribes?” Stephen asked bluntly as soon as he entered. “I had such high hopes for you.”Charles looked at him and said, “Half a month.”“Half a month?” Stephen did some quick mental calculations. Hill City plunged into chaos again half a month ago, which matched Charles’ timeline of corruption. “You’re such a fool!” Stephen said coldly, “Who bribed you? You’d better speak.”Charles knew that even if he did not get a death sentence, he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. He had come to terms with his fate, so he named everyone who bribed him with money. After ordering his men to record it, Stephen asked, “Why did you do it? You’ve let me down so much.”Upon hearing that, Charles laughed. “Let you down? If I let you down, then you’ve completely devastated me! You must know my parents died, right? Do you know how they died?”Stephen frowned. Did
The Guardian's Return Chapter 528
Even Ganter himself doubted that he could have endured it. Besides, Austin should not have suffered that fate. It was all his fault. If he had not insisted on saving Stephen back then, he would not have come to Hill City and encountered the armed robbers. Everything was his fault!Ganter fell to the ground helplessly, wallowing in regret. He should not have saved Stephen back then. A few minutes later, he slowly walked out of the hospital ward and booked a flight to Riveria. He wanted to meet Ethan and beg for his forgiveness. Half a day later, Ganter arrived at Ethan’s mansion. Memories of his first visit flashed across his mind. At that time, he was confident, as if victory was already in the bag. Yet now, standing before the mansion again, his face was pale, and he looked significantly older. Ganter slowly walked into the mansion and saw Ethan sitting on the couch, reading a book, just like their first meeting. “Ethan…” Ganter approached him but hesitated. He was a master
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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
