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Chapter 579
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 580
“Not yet.” Stephen frowned. “Is she important?”“That’s none of your concern. Just hurry up and find her.”A few minutes later, Stephen’s phone rang. Theo immediately answered it on speakerphone. It was a staff reporting that they found a girl who fit the description.Her name was Noelle Harlow, and she had just turned twelve. She was a very lovable little girl.Upon hearing this, Theo’s eyes instantly reddened. He finally found her!Stephen noticed his reaction and connected the dots with the girl’s last name. A bold idea formed in his head. “She’s your sister.”Theo immediately denied it, “No.” He did not dare to admit their relationship. He was afraid that his actions would implicate the girl.Theo said, “Call a doctor. Have them take a sample of my blood and perform a DNA match with hers.”Since both Rachel and Stephen were being held hostage, the staff had no choice but to listen. Soon, a doctor entered nervously with his equipment.Theo did not make things difficult for
The Guardian's Return Chapter 581
Stephen was truly at a loss as to what to do. His head was throbbing. He thought that after everything he had been through, he had done well enough this time. Yet, here he was, with another person dying right in front of him."What else am I doing wrong?"Stephen sat there for a while before regaining his composure. He instructed the doctors to treat the little girl as soon as possible and issued a gag order to the media, prohibiting them from mentioning anything about her.Though he was unsure of the exact relationship between Noelle and Theo Harlow, based on Theo's reaction and their names, Stephen had pieced together the truth. He worried that if the media reported on Noelle's situation, she might face retaliation.After giving his orders, Stephen felt exhausted and wanted to rest. However, he knew that many matters still needed his attention, such as the contaminated grain incident. People were also upset about the destruction of the protected areas and the theft of black soil,
The Guardian's Return Chapter 582
Someone suggested, "We could use the money from both businesses and Theo's assets for compensation. They must have considerable funds."Stephen found that idea rather reasonable.Another person said, "Our immediate priority is ensuring people have access to healthy grain. We need them to dispose of their contaminated grain and purchase safe alternatives.""You want them to spend more money on grains?" Stephen asked.Such a move would definitely trigger massive public outrage."We could plan an exchange to collect the contaminated grain and exchange it at a certain ratio."Stephen considered the suggestion and thought it reasonable as well."As for the destroyed protected areas, we must make arrests. Detain the ringleaders, make them pay compensation for their crimes, and recover the black soil."Stephen nodded. At that point, that was their only option.The meeting ended quickly. Afterward, Stephen finalized the plan and got to work, but he hit a snag right away.Daniel and C
The Guardian's Return Chapter 583
Seeing the online messages hoping for the Fords and Lanes to return, Stephen could only pretend not to notice. Instead, he moved on to the next phase of his plan to fix that catastrophic mistake.Based on estimates of contaminated grain, Stephen allocated a certain amount of reserve grain and began exchanging it proportionally for the contaminated grain in people’s possessions. Although that initiative initially somewhat calmed people, new problems quickly cropped up.Wealthy people were buying large quantities of contaminated grain to exchange for clean grain, and as a result, the supplies ran out quickly. Very few regular people actually managed to get clean grain through the exchange.To make things worse, their only way of getting clean grain was to buy it from stores owned by the wealthy. In other words, they had to pay for the contaminated grain and then pay again for clean grain without receiving any compensation. They spent twice the money but only got a single portion of cl
The Guardian's Return Chapter 584
The moment the interview aired, the people of Breeze City fell into despair. The Fords and Lanes really were not coming back. Some, still refusing to give up, went looking for the two families. However, they could not even get past the gates.In the past, they would throw firecrackers at the Fords and Lanes’ homes, thinking they were in the right. Now, without that justification and with the two families having moved out of Breeze City, any attempt to intrude upon or vandalize their property would result in immediate arrest.Both families harbored deep resentment toward those people. After three years of hard work, not only did they receive no thanks, but they were forced to leave their home.Now that trouble had struck and the same people had realized their mistake, were they expected to return and suffer for it? No chance.They had held family meetings and decided that not only would they not help, but returning to Breeze City was strictly forbidden. The suffering of Breeze Cit
The Guardian's Return Chapter 585
Due to the grain contamination, many people chose to leave Breeze City. The city was experiencing population loss, and many farmlands were being abandoned.When Stephen learned they could not locate those who destroyed the protected area and stole the black soil, he was furious. However, upon hearing that many farmers were threatening to quit and work elsewhere, his anger quickly turned to anxiety."Why are there so many problems popping up?"He quickly called for a meeting. They had to find a way to keep people in Breeze City.Once population loss started, the city's economy would certainly decline. Breeze City was the source of Riveria's grain, and they could not afford to let it slip away. However, with the many problems that plagued them, no one could think of good solutions. The mayor, Desmond, added, "The federal government knows about everything that’s happening here. They're trying to work it out too."Hearing that, Stephen's face paled. His worst fear had come true—the
The Guardian's Return Chapter 586
He wanted to object to it, but no words came out of his mouth. Stephen’s track record was clear—he had failed too many times. Unless he could succeed once, there was little hope. The meeting concluded, and it was decided that Victor would head to Breeze City to help clean up the mess there. “Dad?” Stephen’s voice snapped Simon out of his thoughts. Simon said, “The decision has been made. Tomorrow, Victor will head over to help you manage Breeze City’s issues.”“Victor?” Stephen frowned, remembering the name. “Is he from the Hughes family?”“Yes.” Simon nodded, “He’s from the Hughes family. He furthered his studies abroad three years ago and returned half a year ago. You really need to step it up. The federal government has little confidence in you. Victor is also here to compete with you. If you fail again, you might be forced to return to the capital.”Stephen fell silent. Although he had expected that day to come, he did not expect it to happen so soon. Would he really have
The Guardian's Return Chapter 587
Edward and Tyler were stunned. Even the Hugheses knew about Ethan and saw Ethan as an enemy? “We don’t understand what you mean,” Edward spoke. He did not understand why the Hugheses would see Ethan as an enemy. Could it be that they wanted to take control of Riveria like the Quinns? Victor’s eyes held a trace of nostalgia. “It’s not something I need to hide anymore. Four years ago, we were already in Riveria.”When he said that, both Edward and Tyler appeared shocked. They even seemed terrified. That single sentence carried an enormous amount of information.The Hugheses came to Riveria four years ago, at a time when the region was far from peaceful, chaotic, and full of dangerous characters. Afterward, the Hugheses disappeared without a trace. Now, connecting that with what Victor had just said about Ethan being an enemy, a terrifying thought emerged in their minds. The Hugheses had also tried to seize Riveria back then but was driven out by Ethan. Now that Ethan had fall
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 880
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 879
“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
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
