The next day, Richard's desire to sleep on by an unexpected call.Still drowsy, he reached for the phone on the side wardrobe and picked it up to answer.“Hello.”[Richard, you have to come back to Intercity as soon as possible]It was Mr. Vincent Dawson's voice and he didn't sound okay at all.Roused from his stupor, Richard inquired. “What's the matter?”[What else?... It's the Malcolm family. They have begun to show their true colors]“What are you talking about?”[They have unleashed their cultivators on the city, using the pretext of trying to get the city under control after what happened]“I don't understand, what happened?” Richard was left confused as he could hardly understand what was happening.[Your friend, the one you made governor has been arrested on various accounts. Though it's clear he has been framed, no one is daring enough to speak up for him]“You can't be serious, Commissioner Watson just let this happen?”[He couldn't do anything. The ancestor of the Malcolm f
Once he'd made sufficient preparations, Richard took the next available flight to Intercity.Of course, before that, he'd informed Mica, Lucia, and Anna of his return to Zion.Naturally, on hearing about the situation back there, Anna felt obligated to follow him and return but Richard managed to convince her to stay.As it was, the Lopez family was still in dire need of direction right now and Richard didn't trust Anna's father or grandfather to hold the fort in her absence which was why he decided it was best for her to stay.Ensuring that the Golden Band and the Ramirez family would support Anna's plans was enough for him so he could leave without worrying about her safety.It also helped that General Nebuchadnezzar had announced his alliance with the Golden Band, the Lopez family, and the Ramirez family.At least it was assured that no one would dare go after them in any form lest they incur the wrath of the military.So the flight back to Intercity was rather lonely with Richard
Duncan was the name of the security head that Richard had manhandled at the airport and was also a spy working for the Malcolm family.He'd been the one to inform the Malcolm family member of Richard's arrival and now had just gotten a directive from his contact.'Kill him’Though he couldn't help but smile as he hated Richard for what he'd done to him at the airport, even he knew that Richard Smith was above his league.Going as far as to kill him?... He didn't think it was possible.Then another directive came in and he finally let out a relieved sigh.He was well aware of who the Hounds were.They were terrifying members of the Malcolm family who dedicated their lives to cultivating endlessly.Each one was strong enough to take on 20 men alone.Knowing that such people would be the ones to handle the killing, Duncan was finally able to relax.What hero of Intercity?... He was just a fool that didn't know his place.All because the real powers had stayed quiet, he'd been acting like
Richard had always wondered about the mystery behind the origin of the black phone.It had magically entered his life and made him the powerhouse he is today, yet it never once explained where it came from or why it chose him to gift the Trillion Dollar System.He'd always thought to get to solving the mysteries at some point but due to one reason or the other, he'd always ended up pushing it aside for some reason.It got to a point where he began to wonder if all the distractions were intentionally done so he wouldn't investigate the black phone's origin.However, now, an opponent was letting him know he was familiar with it and Richard could hardly contain his curiosity to learn more about it.Rufus smirked as he replied. “You don't expect me to just tell you, right?”Richard's expression turned cold as he remarked. “It would be best to tell me now. I'd like to avoid utilizing other means to get the answer from you.”“Heh and here you were saying that you had nothing planned. You spe
Duncan hadn't expected to be met with such strong opposition when he'd arrived.He expected to find Richard already chained and battered by the Hounds so he'd get a chance to mock him for thinking he could go against the Malcolm family.Alas, how wrong he was.Not only was Richard not alone but his subordinates were enough to deal with the Hounds with terrifying efficiency.Faced with such strength, what was he, a weak security guard supposed to do?Gritting his teeth, he regretted daring to come here unfortunately there was no medicine for regret and now, all he could hope for was that Richard wouldn't end his life immediately.“Who do we have here?... You've got balls of steel…” Richard trailed off as he checked the name tag on his uniform before adding. “Duncan.”“Look, I know it looks bad but I can fix this, just give me a chance to explain myself.” Duncan began frantically, worried that wasting a single second would be the death of him. “The Malcolms threatened me, okay?... They t
Rudiger stood at the manor entrance, grinning wickedly as he stared at Richard.He didn't even consider Richard a man, instead seeing him as a prize to be had.The Hero of Intercity was right there and it was his destiny to bring him down!Just imagining how he would be rewarded left him trembling with excitement.Seeing him react so strangely, Richard addressed Andre. “Check and see if there are any other stragglers. I'll deal with this one.”“Understood.” Though skeptical, Andre turned and left with the guardsmen while Richard remained.“Smart move, wouldn't want mundanes getting in the way of our glorious battle,” Rudiger muttered as he approached with eagerness.Then without warning, he charged forward like a raging bull, intent on bringing down Richard with one move.Unfortunately for him, Richard had dealt with someone even stronger than him rather easily.Richard calmly redirected the blow and made it slam into Rudiger instead, knocking him out instantly.Shaking his head, he
Melinda sat in her room, terrified to leave as she knew what awaited her outside.The Malcolms had cordoned off the entirety of the Dawson family to ensure there was no way to escape which meant she had no choice but to marry that dastardly Malcolm heir.What made it worse were her family members who seemed happy to be rid of her.She'd always known that they disliked her being the heir but to be shameless enough to side with the enemy?... It was unbelievable, to say the least.Her grandfather who was always her pillar of support was also under house arrest, living like a prisoner in his own house.He'd have done something but he knew he couldn't defeat Luther in a battle and so could only stay still to avoid his family getting wiped out as a result of his stubbornness.She wept at her helplessness with the whole situation, asking why she didn't have the strength to do something.Of course, her tears brought no respite as she found herself thinking about Richard.Usually, she'd have c
“You have become quite bold since I last saw you, tell me, what gives you the audacity to stand before me so casually?” Luther inquired as he stood beside the groom with Melinda on his right.Richard remained calm despite the invisible pressure being sent his way as he replied. “Is there a reason to be scared of you?... You not only unfairly captured and tortured my friend, but you tried to marry another friend and even confiscated my property. I didn't know this was how things are done in the Empire now.”“The law of the Empire is simple, Mr. Smith, it is he who has the biggest fists that gets to make the rules. It doesn't matter how much money you have, without the power to ensure it, you are nothing but a fancy glass cannon. No amount of money can save you when a powerhouse comes knocking.”“So that's why you did this?... To teach me a lesson?... Well then, lesson learned, let them go and we can start over on a clean slate.”Luther scoffed as he remarked. “You are aware of the trut