Chapter 101
+25 BONUS
Without Dennis and Howard keeping things in check, Seaside City had become even more chaotic, with all the entities and organizations in Seaside City leaderless.
At the same time, Stephen was enjoying a gourmet meal in his office. He had been under a lot of stress lately and felt like it had been a while since he had something nice to eat.
Now that Howard, his trusted right–hand man was handling most of the difficult matters, he finally had the time to relax and indulge himself. Anything stressful or complicated he just handed it off to Howard.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a loud explosion went off, and the entire building trembled for a moment. Stephen’s tea and fruits fell off the table, making a mess on the floor.
The piercing sound of the alarm then filled the air, followed by several security guards rushing into the office and dragging Stephen to the corner of the room.
“What’s going on?” Stephen asked, still trying to wrap his head around the situation.
“Someone just attacked the building with a homemade bomb.”
Stephen’s face turned pale.
Someone bombed the building? Had things in Seaside City really gotten that bad?
“This shouldn’t be happening! I’ve given Howard that much money and ammunition. How is the city still so messed up?”
He had a nagging feeling something was not right. Hence, once the danger in the building was cleared and he was transferred to a safer place, he pulled his phone out to call Howard.
“Sorry. The number you have dialed is not in service…”
His heart sank.
Not in service? Why would Howard’s phone not be in service? Howard should be at Crestwood, which was located in Seaside City.
Knowing something must have gone wrong, he tried dialing the number a few more times but still could not get through.
“Find out what happened to Howard Green!”
Soon, his men came back with a video clip. In the clip, he saw Howard leaving in a car, not to Crestwood but to the border.
Stephen gulped nervously and started to panic.
1/2
Chapter 101
*25 BONUS
Why would Howard be heading to the border? Was he trying to run?
“Impossible!”
He had sung praises of Howard many times to Simon, claiming that the man could never escape his grasp. He even got the federal government to clear Howard’s name and turn him into a hero.
Now, the internet praised Howard for his heroic acts, and the man had run away. Not only did he flee, but he also took the money and equipment Stephen gave him, plus a whole crew of people with him.
How should Stephen explain the situation to his father? He could only pin his hope on the possibility that Howard had not actually fled.
“He must be going after Dennis! It must be! He said he will complete the mission before he leaves! He won’t just run away like that!”
Then, he received another video clip. When he clicked play, his heart nearly stopped because the video showed Dennis heading to the border in his car, and the time gap between the two video clips was three hours apart.
With Howard driving to the border and Dennis doing the same three years later, it could only mean that Howard had fled. He did not request for money and weapons to go after Dennis but to escape the city!
“Thud!”
Stephen’s phone fell on the floor. His entire body felt weak as he slumped back onto the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, his gaze empty.
Howard had run off with the money and weapons Stephen gave him, and Dennis had also fled with the money he scoured during this time. Seaside City’s problems were worse than ever. Not only had the problem not been solved, but the chaos had also escalated even further.
In just a short time, Stephen felt like he had witnessed years of upheaval. He was truly exhausted.
“Why did he run?”
