The Sormbayan soldiers threw Wallace and Cormac into the back of a vehicle.Immediately after that, they were sent back to the airport and flown to Southrive’s Swallowston, along with a few soldiers as escorts.***That afternoon, Adrian was at the Battle Warrior Department when he received word from Sormbay that Wallace and Cormac had been delivered.Adrian arranged for them to be sent to the hospital as he got up and rushed over there himself. However, before he did this, he sent Reiss a text.“Chubbs has woken up. Come to the hospital if you’re still in Swallowston.’Meanwhile, Reiss was sitting on a long bench in a certain garden in Swallowston. She had no idea where to go since she was now homeless. At the same time, she did not wish to return to Northrive since that place was no different than a graveyard to her.When she read Adrian’s text, she remained silent for a while before she got up and hailed a cab to the hospital. Coincidentally, she ran into him when she arrived
Reiss chuckled. “What does the legate have to do with you? Stop dreaming and focus on recovering. Do you know how terrified I was when I saw you at Prison 14?”“You were there too?” Chuck asked.“I was, I was also the one who told Adrian that you had fallen out of touch two years ago. I doubt he’d remember you if I didn’t. After all, he’s such an important person so he probably forgot about us long ago,” Reiss said, her words seeming to target Adrian.Adrian remained silent.Chucked smiled and said, “Don’t say that, Reiss. He’d never forget about us. He’s just been really busy recently. He came to help me, didn’t he? He’s always been very protective of his friends and that hasn’t changed.”“I see you’re well on his side, but I’m not as forgiving as you.”Chuck smiled at that remark, while someone walked into his ward at that moment. Mya, who was wearing an extremely short pair of pants, walked in and said, “Sir, the Cooks are here.”Anticipation overcame Chuck when he heard this
Their screams of agony echoed throughout the hospital.Their blood and tears mixed together, dripping onto the floor as despair and helplessness filled their minds. Neither of the Cooks ever expected to end up in such a state, especially after how invincible they thought they were over the years.Reiss and Rue were too scared to even watch, while something seemed to have triggered within Chuck’s heart. He recalled how the father and son had treated him worse than an animal. They beat him up whenever they wanted, constantly threatened to end his life, and even pulled strings from behind the scenes to get him thrown into Prison 14.He never thought he would live to see the day Wallace and Cormac would face even greater despair than he did.“Sir, please… Please spare me! I’m sorry, sir… I was wrong… I’m a member of Internal Affairs… You can’t do this to me!” Wallace yelled as fresh wounds continued to be inflicted on him. He was in such immense pain that he had broken down entirely.
A monster!In Reiss’s mind, Adrian was a monster—a merciless and cold-blooded monster.‘Adrian could’ve just killed Wallace and Cormac rather than torture them first, and the way he did it was something no sane person would be capable of. Maybe he did the same to Seth too before killing him…’Reiss felt as though a boulder was pressing against her chest as she looked at her former classmate. The man she was secretly in love with had turned into a monster.Adrian stopped and turned around. He looked at Reiss and asked, “Do you think I’m cruel? That I’m a monster?”“Are you saying you’re not?” Reiss asked in a hoarse voice.She sobbed and took a step back before wiping away her tears. Her eyes were filled with fear when she looked back at Adrian. She was afraid that he might lay his hands on her out of anger, but that was far from the truth.Instead, Adrian smiled and asked, “So, you do think I’m cruel. Then answer me this. Do you know how our men were tortured when the Luposians
Reiss silently stared at Adrian, her eyes brimming with tears.Thus, Adrian answered his own question and said, “Your brother didn’t think he had done anything wrong after killing Simon. Instead, he thought that Simon deserved it. Plus, he tried to cover up the matter, which is why he never realized his mistake and became even worse.“So, why is he allowed to be so cruel when taking someone’s life while I can’t do the same to him after I find out the truth?“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” Adrian asked.Reiss shook her head at first but nodded after some thought.Adrian took a deep breath and wiped the tears off Reiss’ face. “There’s a time and place for when we have to be fair and kind. If we show kindness to our enemies, they’ll only end up taking advantage of us. By being kind to our enemies, we’re exposing ourselves to even greater dangers. This is why I’ve always lived by the code of making criminals understand how much worse I am compared to them.”Reiss finally
Adrian got into his car and headed for the Battle Warrior Department while Reiss stood rooted to the spot, her hands clenching the money he had given her.Adrian’s words were still ringing in her ears.Currently, there were two outcomes for her father. He would survive if the first option was implemented, but he would have to live in prison for the rest of his life. On the other hand, his entire family would be executed should the other option be chosen.‘Adrian’s said that even he can’t control my family’s destiny so I have to consider my options carefully or find another better way!’Reiss took a deep breath and headed back into the hospital, wanting to wait until Chuck recovered before she made plans to leave.In truth, she was no different than an orphan now.***Meanwhile, Adrian took care of the matter regarding the governor the moment he got to the department. After all, Imperial Capital’s Internal Affairs were surely going to send someone over to investigate Wallace’s de
“We should always remember our roots, as people always say. No matter how successful Adrian has become, it doesn’t change the fact that he and Chubbs have known each other since they were little.“Plus, Chubbs values his friendships very much so Adrian helping him also means he’s helping himself.“Also, Adrian’s the legate so how is he supposed to face the entire country if he doesn’t do something that simple?”Joanna let off a wry smile. ‘She’s right.’At that thought, Joanna said, “You’re right. I sincerely hope there aren’t that many Wallaces in the world, or God knows how bad things will get for everyone else.”Samantha nodded and said, “By the way, Adrian, how’s Chubbs? I was planning on visiting him but I was so busy with work. Plus, Mother’s there with him.”“He’s fine now,” Adrian replied.Samantha nodded before she asked, “What exactly happened between Chubbs and Wallace? It doesn’t make sense why Wallace would hurt him this badly for no good reason.”Joanna thought it
Early the next morning, Samantha got ready to visit Chuck since it was the weekend.Just as they were about to depart after having breakfast, Adrian’s cell phone rang. It was Mya.“Sir, we’ve found Laurel Nolan. She’s living at Swallowston’s Urban Village.”Adrian heard this and quickly said, “Okay. Have a few men wait for me there. I’m on my way.”“Yes, sir.”When Adrian hung up the phone, Samantha asked, “What’s the matter?”“We’ve found Laurel. I’m off to go arrest her right now.”Joanna’s interest was piqued when she heard this and said, “Take us with you, Adrian. We want to see what she looks like.”Naturally, Adrian did not reject her request. “Sure, let’s go.”***Adrian first changed into his battle suit before heading to Urban Village with Samantha and Joanna.Urban Village was the most iconic area in Swallowston, known for its blue-collar worker residents. Most chose to live in Urban Village because the rental and living costs here were lower.Swallowston had alwa