The police officer ended his call and handed the phone to Zachary, saying Jared Winthrop was on the line.Zachary took the phone. "Brother!" "Are you alright? Don't be scared," came the calming voice of Jared."Where's Yaritza?" Zachary questioned, his voice unsteady."She's searching for you too," Jared responded. "She's okay for now, although someone from the disciplinary committee did talk to her yesterday. You need to focus on yourself for now. How badly were you hurt? What happened?""I was kidnapped by a group of people pretending to be the disciplinary committee," Zachary confessed, his grip on the phone tight as he trembled. "They tormented me all night. But I'm... I'm not dead yet."After his phone conversation, Zachary was taken to the hospital for an examination. His body was littered with bruises, along with soft tissue injuries and some subcutaneous bruising. Jared Winthrop, alongside Lucy and Yaritza, and a single officer from the Public Security Bureau arrived at the h
Yaritza emerged from her phone call and noticed Zachary, awake and sitting up in bed with the bedside lamp turned on."Why did they leave you here?" Zachary asked. "No more nurses? Leaving you to look after me? What kind of situation is this?"Yaritza smiled and replied, "Consider it an opportunity for me to make amends, okay?""You can't be blamed for this," Zachary reassured her.Yaritza smiled lightly and asked, "Are you hungry? I still have some warm porridge and soup for you.""I'm hungry," Zachary responded.As Yaritza went to get the porridge and soup, she asked, "Which one would you like?""Porridge," Zachary said, getting out of bed and serving himself at the table. After finishing a bowl of porridge, he looked at Yaritza."Tell me what's going on," Zachary said.Yaritza nodded and mentioned a name, "Hezekiah Head!""Who?" Zachary looked confused. "His name isn't on the list of local important figures! Is he just a local troublemaker? But someone like that wouldn't be involve
The men sent by Zachary's grandfather stood in front of him, both of them experienced special forces soldiers, intelligence operatives, and undercover agents. Their capabilities in combat and subterfuge were unquestionable. As they sat down, their official presence made Zachary feel a sense of authority looming over him. With a slight smile, Zachary looked at the two men, feeling quite satisfied. However, in his mind, he couldn't help but complain: "Did my grandfather really have to give me such high-profile support for investigating Hezekiah Head? Now I feel a bit guilty." He then asked, "Did my grandfather provide any specific instructions?" Did dealing with Hezekiah Head require the involvement of such highly skilled professionals? Was it like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Or perhaps Hezekiah Head was more formidable than he initially assumed? Alternatively, did his grandfather want to provide an extra layer of protection for him? Their response was rather cryptic: "If you
At this point, it was evident that Yaritza was equally determined. The truth was that evading challenges on the battlefield often resulted in undesirable outcomes. Yaritza's voice echoed from her office, "Please come in." Zachary pushed the door open and noticed the bouquet of flowers he had sent resting on Yaritza's desk. Closing the door behind him, he approached her desk, holding a movie ticket in his hand. With a shy smile and a hint of nervousness, he stammered, "These flowers... I mean, this flower... I was planning to send it secretly!" Realizing that the flowers might not be to Yaritza's taste at the moment, he decided not to ask if it was a good idea. Yaritza looked up at Zachary and remarked, "Oh, so your secret delivery involves blocking my door with a lot of fanfare and making the whole company aware of it afterward." Zachary chuckled and admitted, "Well, that was a mistake! It was a mistake." Zachary blinked and looked at Yaritza, lost for words. Yaritza asked Zachar
Deon, Zachary's grandfather, spotted him and greeted him with a rare smile. "No more trouble this time, right?" he asked.Zachary replied, "I've been staying at my place, so how could anything happen?" He narrowed his eyes at Deon and added, "Your grandson is tough. If anyone dares to bully me, I'll fight back with full force."Deon glanced at Zachary and said, "So you're still getting into fights?"Zachary chuckled and said, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose; that's just how it goes." Quickly changing the subject, Zachary congratulated his uncle, parents, and cousin, Alani Dickson, on their recent achievements.Alani Dickson laughed lightly and commented, "It's been years, but you're still as smooth-talking as ever."Zachary pursed his lips and replied, "I call it charm, and charming folks get rewarded with candy." He winked at Deon and continued, "Right, Grandpa?" When Zachary was a child, his grandparents used to save candy specifically for him rather than for Alani Dickson an
Zachary pointed towards Alani Dickson's room and exclaimed, "There's a ghost—a woman dressed in white vintage clothes, looking 17 or 18 years old." He led the family into Alani Dickson's house to catch the ghost.Alani Dickson sat at the head of the bed, still covered with a quilt, rubbing her temples due to a headache. She glanced wearily at Zachary, who was standing there, and yawned, saying, "Little brother, can you please stop being so rowdy?"Zachary felt misunderstood and defended himself, saying, "I didn't make a fuss. There was a ghost standing here, wearing all white clothes..." His voice trailed off as he pointed towards the bed, where a hat rack held a large white robe that belonged to Alani Dickson. Zachary abruptly stopped talking, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Uh... never mind. I guess it was just a bad dream!"The whole family stared at Zachary in disbelief, unsure of how to respond. Deon sighed helplessly and turned back to the house. Being a light sleeper, he knew he w
Zachary fell silent. The sadness of the bottom rungs of society had existed since ancient times. It explained why so many people were desperate to climb to the top. He knew all of this, but now he understood it on a much deeper level. In less than half an hour, Alani arrived. Entering the door, he asked, "Did you get hurt?" "No, if I had, I would have gone to the hospital." Zachary had finally made peace with the fact that he couldn't blame his brother for not calling for help sooner. Instead, he had become the subject of mockery. Alani, who was six years older than Zachary, instinctively reached out to pat his head, asking, "Are you hurt?" Zachary pushed his jacket back, lifted the back collar, and said, "Look, there are bruises!" Alani playfully slapped Zachary on the back and said, "You, you're like a monkey. You can't get hurt!" He was relieved to see that Zachary was still alive and well. Zachary retorted, "Grandpa said you're the one who's more like a monkey." Alani walked
At the time of registration, Zachary, the business manager, quickly caught up with the two bodyguards. He noticed that the bodyguards kept staring at him, and there was tension in the air as one of the bodyguards remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the business manager. Zachary's curiosity was piqued, and he took a moment to look around and identify the wealthy individual they were protecting. Taking a seat, he pulled the curtain, placed a magazine over his face, and pretended to sleep. Suddenly, the plane crashed, and Zachary found himself trapped in a corner with one of the bodyguards holding him hostage. He had no choice but to wait for an opportunity to escape once they left. As he observed the situation, Zachary couldn't help but feel amazed. There were indeed many affluent people in the country now. Comparing himself to the two bodyguards, he couldn't help but feel inferior. He walked slowly, giving a stunned look to the bodyguard, before finally making his way out of the plane