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Chapter 601
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 602
After handing Rachel the document, Victor was about to leave when Rachel said to him, “Thank you for telling me this.”Victor paused but did not turn around, hiding a smile on his face. He felt that Stephen was truly unfortunate to have married such a woman. However, it all worked in his favor.“No need to thank me. I’m just doing my part,” Victor said before making his way out.At night, Stephen finally came home after working the whole day, completely exhausted. All he wanted was to have a few bites, take a shower, and go to sleep.Rachel’s eyes flickered coldly when she saw him return. It was Stephen’s fault that Theo was dead!She suppressed her anger, stood up, and said to Stephen, “I have something to discuss with you.”Stephen was surprised. Since their marriage, Rachel had rarely initiated a conversation with him. Even after the scandal, she barely spoke to him, but her attitude toward him had improved vastly.“What is it?”Rachel walked over and handed him the document
The Guardian's Return Chapter 603
Meanwhile, Victor was secretly laughing to himself. The plan was his idea, but he let Stephen implement it. That way, he could push all the blame onto Stephen in the future.Seeing that no one had any objections and even seemed to admire him, Stephen felt pleased with himself. He could finally show off and be proud!He immediately scrapped the original plan to reforest the area and implemented his own plan, handing over the land to developers. The space available for development was huge, and with Victor’s arrival, many people saw that as a golden opportunity, so the land was quickly snapped up. Stephen easily earned billions of dollars from that. However, the money was not his but Breeze City’s. Although it seemed like a large amount of money, it could only be used to fill the deficit caused by previous incidents. To make a real profit, he would have to wait until people began buying the homes.Even so, Stephen was satisfied. Since the river water was already polluted, he decided
The Guardian's Return Chapter 604
If they had not chosen to relocate, they would also have gotten millions in compensation!The frustration and despair among the people were growing.“Breeze City is the grain capital of Riveria. This place grows crops and animals but not humans.”Everyone hoped that the developers would pick their land so they did not have to farm anymore, especially the people near the reserves.When Stephen heard the news, he immediately clarified that no one had received such compensation, but no one believed him.If Victor had not come from Metropolis to save them, the grain contamination crisis would still be unresolved. Even now, plenty of people still had to receive treatment regularly at the hospital.Seeing his plan working, Victor continued to spread the news. He told everyone that the land near the river would be developed into factories, which would impact farmland near the area. In the future, clean grain would be a rarity, and grain prices would continue to drop.The moment the new
The Guardian's Return Chapter 605
Once the meeting ended, Stephen loosened his control over Edward’s company, letting the latter take full responsibility for the enterprise.After receiving the news, Edward let out a heavy sigh of relief. Lifting the restrictions on him meant that Victor and he could act even more recklessly.Not long after, orders from Victor arrived, telling Edward to use the expanded authority to bring in more investors while also launching the ‘healthy and safe grain’ brand. The grain was no different from ordinary grain, but they would advertise it as having undergone strict selection to ensure no problems with it.The slogan ‘absolutely safe’ would tempt the people of Breeze City since they had been deceived before and were terrified of eating contaminated grain again. Most importantly, the healthy grain brand was not priced that much higher than ordinary grain, so it fell within an acceptable range for most people.As soon as the brand hit the market, people immediately went into a frenzy, a
The Guardian's Return Chapter 606
After saying that, Victor walked away.In reality, he was not helping Stephen or the people of Breeze City. His only goal was to make money and ruin Stephen’s reputation.The proposal was the final step of his plan. As long as Stephen classified all the farmland as developmental zones, Victor’s plan would be complete.It would be suicide for Stephen!That night, Stephen returned home to Rachel approaching him with the document and saying, “I thought of another plan.”“What plan?” Stephen’s eyes lit up.The previous plan to develop the riverside areas had received unanimous praise. Only several foolish and ignorant people kept causing trouble, trying to get rich without effort.Rachel handed him the document. As he read it, he immediately frowned. The proposal was to convert all the farmland into development zones and establish industrial and residential areas.The plan stated that Breeze City was no longer suitable for farming and urgently needed to change. Industrialization wa
The Guardian's Return Chapter 607
That night, Desmond went home to find Victor already there, chatting with his wife.“Mr. Hughes!” Desmond was very shocked. He never thought that Victor would show up in his house.When Desmond came back, his wife excused herself, knowing she was not privy to their conversation later.“Sit, Desmond.” Victor smiled.Desmond sat down, confused. It was his home, yet someone else was offering him a seat.“What brings you here, Mr. Hughes?” Desmond asked.He could not think of any reason why Victor would approach him.Victor asked, “What are your thoughts on the future of Breeze City?”Desmond frowned. “What kind of question is that?”“Just tell me honestly,” said Victor. “After Stephen’s arrival and all that’s happened in Breeze City, do you have any confidence in the city’s future?”Desmond hesitated. He wanted to say he was confident, but everyone knew what Stephen had done.No city had escaped Stephen’s clutches, and Riveria’s GDP had plummeted from 15 trillion to less than
The Guardian's Return Chapter 608
Stephen had no idea that his authority was being undermined. As he looked over the reports handed to him by Desmond and Rachel, everything seemed perfect. It eased the tension that had been gnawing at him for a while.As he read the fabricated reports, he felt optimistic about Breeze City’s future. He had failed too many times, but Breeze City would be the critical point to turn everything around. He would bring it to new heights, and not just here—every city he had touched before would feel the ripple effects of his success.“Riveria will collapse without Ethan? I don’t think so!”Two weeks later, Stephen noticed something off. Although the reports looked good, the construction in the development zone had not started yet. Furthermore, occasional complaints online stated that they had only received a hundred thousand as compensation for five acres of land.He called Desmond in for questioning.“Work in the development zone is already starting. We just finalized the negotiations wi
The Guardian's Return Chapter 609
It was early evening when he got the call.“There are indeed many discrepancies in the accounts. The news about farmers receiving only several hundred thousand dollars for a few acres of land is also true…”The report continued, but at that moment, Stephen could not hear any of it. From the moment he heard the first statement, it felt like he had been struck by lightning.There were discrepancies in the accounts, and the data he read was falsified?Stephen quickly rushed home and ordered Desmond’s arrest.When he arrived home, he saw Rachel sitting on the sofa on the phone with someone. He immediately grabbed the phone to see who she was talking to. However, it was just an ordinary friend of Rachel’s.“What are you doing?” Rachel asked furiously, startled by him suddenly snatching her phone.Stephen held back the urge to slap her.“Why did you falsify the data?”Rachel was confused. “What data? What did I falsify?”“There are serious discrepancies in the data of all the repor
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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
