Chapter 14 Time's Up

• Gosh! I can definitely sense this man's dominant and intimidating aura. It's as if he is afraid of nothing at all even if the whole world is up against him. At the thought of that, Raymond shivered with Daniel's words reverberating in his head again and again, feeling both stunned and amazed.
• Not knowing anything about Daniel, he had no idea that the former was actually the Tenth General in Freyna. Therefore, he couldn't imagine the power that Daniel possessed, thinking the entire Goldshore or even Southland should fear him for that.
• It seems that my drill instructor is far scarier than I thought. Raymond gulped and said, "In that case, I don't know why you're here, sergeant."
• "You're after Flynn, aren't you?" Daniel asked.
• Upon hearing Daniel's words, Raymond trembled from head to toe as he looked up with a strong murderous intent filling his eyes. He then behaved as if he had become another person and clenched his jaw. "How did you know that, sergeant?"
• "Just answer me."
• In fact, Daniel had instructed Phantom to learn more about Raymond's background, for he wanted to know why a warrior like him would choose to go down a path like that. Three years ago when Raymond was still serving in the military, he returned home on a vacation to reunite with his wife who had been unknowingly eyed by the grandson of Easton's Rory Draconia—Flynn Lowell.
• While Flynn was an influential kingpin in Goldshore's underworld, his father was the patriarch of the Lowell Family, Asher. Because of that, no one could stop Flynn from getting anything he wanted around Goldshore.
• Nevertheless, Raymond was unaware of what Flynn was capable of, so he confronted the latter and beat him up to teach him a lesson. Not long after he returned to his troop, he received the tragic news of his wife's death and was told that she died from falling off a building.
• Furthermore, he was informed that she had been sexually assaulted before her death. At that moment, Raymond put everything he was doing aside and rushed back to Goldshore, fighting his way into Easton City so that he could kill Flynn.
• However, he was ambushed by Rory's elite fighters and sustained serious injuries despite managing to escape. Later on, Rory and the Lowell Family caused an uproar across town by spreading rumors of how Raymond had abused his powers as a soldier to attack civilians.
• The overwhelming criticism and uproar later put the troops in a difficult position, and they had no choice but to punish Raymond for what he did. On the other hand, Raymond, who didn't want to become a liability for his troop, volunteered to resign from his position and returned to Goldshore after that, planning revenge for his late wife step by step.
• …
• …
• A few moments later, Raymond was seen with his eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry, sergeant. I'm a disgrace and disappointment to you."
• Daniel replied coldly, "Indeed, you have failed me." When Raymond heard that, he kept his head down while clenching his fists tightly in silence.
• "You're among the elite soldiers in The Sabretooth Squad, yet you couldn't take down a rich toff. Don't you find this embarrassing?" Noticing the glacial look on Daniel's face, Raymond gritted his teeth as his face was written with guilt and remorse.
• At that moment, Daniel suddenly stood up and said, "Let's go."
• Stunned, Raymond asked, "Where are we going?"
• "To avenge you, of course. Those few old fellas from your troop are too scared to step up because they don't want to get into trouble, but I'm not! Anyway, it's about time to clean up the mess in Goldshore." Daniel was seen with a calm yet intimidating look on his face. While his eyes seemed emotionless, he radiated a menacing aura so oppressive that no one could really look him in the eye.
• If Phantom had been around, she would have pointed out Hades' wrath. In fact, Daniel was indeed rageful with the way Raymond was treated. After all, he was a warrior who put his life on the line for his country, yet the people from his troop were too timid to stand by him.
• What a shame! Similarly, Daniel was angry with what the Lowell Family and Rory had done. How dare they make such a sneaky move against a warrior! This is unforgivable! Totally unforgivable!
• When Daniel finished speaking, Raymond shook from head to toe in disbelief, looking at the former in a trance. Soon, tears began to well up in his eyes as he clenched his jaw. "S-Sergeant, you…"
• "Cut the crap and move on. Let's go." Daniel walked away before Raymond could finish his sentence. In the meantime, the latter wiped his tears and quickly caught up to the former.
• Later that afternoon, the conference hall of Four Waves Chamber of Commerce was crowded with reporters even though there were still ten minutes until the press conference started. After all, the news involved multiple figures with powerful backgrounds, which made the press conference seem like a platform for everyone to uncover more of the mystery.
• While there was still no one else on the stage, the audience seats were occupied with people, among which was a man and a lady whispering with each other—Tia and Aidan.
• As a reporter, Tia was required to be there when something like this happened. In the meantime, Aidan was present because most of the reporters had been bribed and asked to close both eyes about their discovery.
• Nonetheless, the two of them were seen with different expressions on their faces. While Aidan's face darkened gloomily, Tia appeared to feel guilty and apologetic for the former. When the news was released, they were able to instantly recognize Raymond because they had seen the conflict between Fletcher and Daniel.
• Thinking Daniel had made things worse instead of learning from his lesson, Tia couldn't help but feel disappointed with her brother. Does this guy really think he can kill anyone he wants with Raymond on his side? Are you sure Raymond is really helping you, Daniel? Come on! Aren't you afraid of giving Mom and Dad a heart attack?!
• Overwhelmed by her dislike for Daniel, Tia reckoned her brother was incorrigible. It's your problem that you want to get yourself into trouble, but why do you have to drag Aidan down with you, Daniel?
• After all, she thought it was Aidan who got Raymond's help to rescue Daniel, whom everyone in Goldshore subsequently thought was one of Raymond's henchmen. Because of that, she was worried that Aidan and his family would be caught in the collateral damage should Raymond and Jacko from the Northside ever get into a conflict.
• Man, I shouldn't have let Raymond save Daniel. I should have just let him die from the beating back then. Tia grew angrier with every second she spent thinking about Daniel. She then turned her attention to Aidan and apologized. "I'm so sorry, Aidan. Perhaps you could apologize to Mr. Tigre and tell him to explain that Daniel is not one of his men."
• Aidan took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. "How do you expect him to explain that? Considering the position he was put in, he had no choice but to stand up for Daniel. Otherwise, people would probably think he is afraid of Jacko. Didn't I tell you not to help that rapist earlier? Look at what you've gotten me and my family into! This is all because you took the liberty to help him!" The man made his point in an annoyed manner.
• Seeing Aidan's attitude, Tia couldn't help but feel unhappy, but deep down, she knew she was at fault and could only direct her frustration at Daniel as she hated him even more.
• On the other hand, Ingrid was sitting in the room, discussing the announcement to be made during the press conference later with three other men, among which was Cameron, who was sitting in the corner like a mindless creature with a pale face.
• At the same time, he was clenching his fists so hard that his nails were piercing through his skin, but despite the pain, he remained calm without any changes in his facial expression at all. However, if one took a closer look at him, he would notice that the man was actually shaking like a leaf.
• "Mr. Doyle, can you remember what you're going to announce later?" Ingrid's cold voice was heard as she spoke with a smile.
• In the meantime, Cameron, who noticed her sinister smile, felt goosebumps running all over his skin. He then kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with her as he spoke in a shivering voice. "Y-Yes. Everything is ready."
• Meanwhile, the other two patriarchs were fearful of Ingrid despite being full of admiration for her. After all, they were aware of what she was capable of, knowing she was backed by someone else bigger and mysterious.
• Nonetheless, both of them were stunned when she managed to make Cameron kill his own son, but despite her cold-blooded wickedness, they reckoned that was exactly the quality that made her the capable leader of the Four Waves Chamber of Commerce.
• "Very well." Ingrid nodded satisfactorily and began to put away her documents, ready to let everyone else get on stage. Suddenly, she paused and turned her attention to Asher. "Mr. Lowell, is your son planning to come back anytime soon? It's been three years since the last time he left."
• Asher paused for a second as he was reminded of his son. In fact, after Flynn killed Raymond's wife back then, he was immediately sent away from the country. Although he colluded with Rory to pressure Raymond into resigning from the military by disseminating untrue rumors, the veterans in The Sabretooth Squad refused to let them harm Raymond.
• After all, if Raymond was killed not long after he left the military, The Sabretooth Squad would inevitably be suspected of helping the Lowell Family in the murder. By then, the squad would find it hard to explain their innocence.
• Furthermore, The Sabretooth Squad refrained from harming Raymond as they warned the Lowell Family and Rory not to act against him until the heat cooled off in three years. Otherwise, they would be left with no choice but to make the Lowell Family and Rory obey them by force.
• That was exactly why Raymond had been safe and sound over the years because the Lowell Family was prohibited from doing Raymond any harm the entire time. Therefore, they were forced to send Flynn away from the country until then to prevent any assassination attempts from Raymond. When three years were over, Flynn's maternal grandfather, Rory, would be sure to kill the man.
• Asher took a few seconds to ponder and said, "From what I remember, there's seven more days left."
• Ingrid nodded and said, "By then, Jacko and Tigre will no longer be useful anymore."