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Chapter 567
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 568
“Thanks to your support Mr. Rivers, not only have our lives improved, but the people in Breeze City are doing well too. But…” Daniel and Caleb lowered their heads, saying, “Something went wrong recently.” “I know. This video call is to resolve the problems,” Ethan said. The Fords and Lanes had always been loyal, dedicated, and doing their best to carry out Ethan’s orders. Breeze City’s current prosperity owed much to their contributions, and Ethan believed they should not end their lives behind bars. “Your best choice is to leave Breeze City. You’ll still retain enough assets to rebuild your fortunes later or live a quiet, ordinary life.” Ethan said. Daniel, Caleb, and their sons were stunned by that suggestion. Why was Ethan advising them to leave Breeze City? Had Ethan lost trust in them? Did he think they were involved in something shady? “What did we do wrong?” Daniel and Caleb were so close to passing out from the shock. Others blamed them for selling contaminated
The Guardian's Return Chapter 569
Daniel and Caleb hung up the video call with a heavy heart. Their sons, Timothy and William took their phones back, still struggling to accept the harsh reality unfolding before them. Ethan had contributed a lot to Riveria, yet someone else was reaping the rewards of his hard work, leaving him locked up in Drakthorn Ridge. “Mr. Rivers, are you sure you don’t want to leave with us?” The two young men wanted to persuade Ethan to change his mind. Ethan smiled. “I like it here.” There, he was free to do anything. He could plant, relax, watch the sunrise and sunset, listen to the birds, and write a novel. When it rained, he could just lay on the rocking chair in front of the door with a pot of tea beside him, enjoying the sounds of nature. He could also watch as Stephen slowly ruined Riveria. Timothy and William sighed helplessly. “Mr. Rivers, we have one last question.” They knew that would be the last meeting with Ethan, so they had to ask every question they had in mind
The Guardian's Return Chapter 570
Ethan calmly said, “Money? You know what the Spencers did and you have proof. Just go to them for the money. As for how they’ll give you the money, it’s their problem to figure it out.” Timothy and William were stunned as a sudden realization dawned on them. They could get money from the Spencers.It was a solution they had never considered, but the more they thought about it, the more sense it made. After all, the Spencers had taken money from their businesses—it seemed only fair to ask for it back.“We understand!” They thanked Ethan once more for enlightening them. After asking all the questions that bothered them, they left with a heavy heart.“Goodbye, Mr. Rivers.” As they walked out of the mansion, they saw the city further away. Three years had passed, and the once-rural city became a modern one filled with skyscrapers. The changes were drastic, and the one who made the changes was locked up in the mansion behind them. Their thoughts returned to their own predicamen
The Guardian's Return Chapter 571
The wild animals would often damage the crops in front of the farmers. The farmers were driven crazy, but they could not do anything to the protected animals. They had to come up with ways to drive the wild animals away without hurting them. “This isn’t going to last.” After driving another wave of animals away, one of the farmers lay sprawled down on the ground. His body was covered in mud, but he was more worried about the future. “Maybe this will happen once or twice only. It shouldn’t last forever. We can’t hurt the animals. What else can we do?” The others sighed helplessly, feeling aggrieved and angry but they could not do anything. In order to minimize the damage to the crops, some farmers started to move their farms further away. Some of them reported the incident to the authorities, hoping to get a solution. When Rachel learned about the news, she said, “Let them be. This is their problem, not ours. I am not here to clean up their mess.” She decided not to help and d
The Guardian's Return Chapter 572
Rachel had been spending so much time with Theo lately that she barely had ten minutes with Stephen in a single day. Stephen looked at the feast on the table but felt lonely. He got emotional, wondering if his house was still his home. He missed his carefree days, especially when he was living with Snow. He could do whatever he wanted in the past, unlike now as he felt restrained. “Sigh.” He sat down and had dinner himself. The next morning, when Stephen came out of the room, Rachel was already prepared to go out. “You’re early,” he said, his tone surprised. Rachel usually woke up around noon, so this was unusual for her. She scoffed, “Do you think I’m as lazy as you?” She then strode out the door, leaving Stephen alone and baffled. Stephen had doubts. Had he ever been lazy? Now that Rachel mentioned it, ever since he came to Riveria, he barely had enough sleep. He worked hard whenever he opened his eyes but had never done anything big. “Whatever.” Stephen shook his hea
The Guardian's Return Chapter 573
Those who could not afford the branded grains or were not interested were forced to purchase the normal quality produced, which were actually the contaminated ones. The farmers saw their incomes shrink while facing challenges such as water shortages and animal damage. These issues deepened their grievances and made them less meticulous in cultivating their crops. As the quality of the crops went down, the water in the reserve was being drained even more. Farmers started to look for other jobs to feed their families. Foreign companies came into play and started to acquire chernozem. There was a lot of chernozem, or black soil that was extremely fertile and productive, in the reserve area, so people started to sneak in, smuggle the soil out, and sell it to the companies. Rachel and Stephen were unaware of these activities. Stephen was pleased that Breeze City’s GDP was going up. “It’s finally going up.” His eyes teared up. Before this, each city he took over went down in ru
The Guardian's Return Chapter 574
Several hospitals were overloaded with patients, and some of them even had to stand outside by the road. The incident started trending online. “A massive cold! Is there a plague coming?” Stephen noticed this, so he sent his men to investigate further. While waiting for an update, he felt strange while reading the comments online. Why would so many people get sick all of a sudden? Could it be a widespread disease? Soon, his men came back with an update. There was no outbreak of disease, but those who fell ill experienced a significant weakening of their immune systems. Stephen frowned. He did not notice anything strange as he assumed it was normal that one’s immune system would weaken during a cold. He told his men to release a statement online: “The cold that everyone is experiencing is not a disease or a plague. Don’t worry and carry on with your daily activities.” Stephen even said, “I swear on my name that it is just a coincidence. People around me are not sick at al
The Guardian's Return Chapter 575
Stephen was stunned. She said that he accused Theo out of jealousy, exactly like how he accused Ethan? The moment the words entered his ears, a realization struck. When Daniel and Caleb were locked up and Theo quickly took over the two companies, he already felt a sense of familiarity. Now with Ethan in the mix, he finally knew why it felt so familiar. It was the exact method he had used against Ethan. He had accused Ethan, framed him for something he did not do, and then locked him up so that he could take over everything. His body was shaking as the thought rose in his mind. Even though the investigation of the crops and grains was still going on, he already had the answer. Theo must be the problem. He must have sold the contaminated crops and grains! Daniel and Caleb were clean; they were framed! “Nothing to say for yourself?” Rachel scoffed, “Did I expose you and leave you speechless? Others don’t know you but I do.” “Shut up!” Stephen’s head was in a mess. He refused
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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
