Chapter 314
Julius and George finally understood what was going on. The village was engaged in stone quarrying, and the reason for their large population was due to the influx of workers coming here to work.
Nico then asked, “Whose decision was it to build this road? Was it Ethan Rivers?”
Julius shook his head. “No, it wasn’t Ethan. He’s been missing for some time now. It was Stephen Quinn’s decision.”
Hearing that, Nico was momentarily stunned before his heart raced with excitement. From that sentence alone, he picked up two major pieces of information. First, Ethan Rivers was still missing; second, Stephen Quinn had arrived! It meant he could finally put his plans into motion!
Many years ago, his older brother, Lars had made a fortune through pillaging, over- mining, and reckless deforestation. However, since they knew the nearby forests like the back of his hand, no one could catch him.
That was until Ethan Rivers showed up three years ago.
Three years ago, they had received news a few days in advance that Ethan Rivers was heading to Hill City to arrest Lars, the village chief at the time. Lars and some villagers decided to evade capture by hiding in the mountains.
Originally, Nico had wanted to go with them. After all, he had assisted Lars in many of his operations. However, as Nico had never been fully involved in Lars‘ operations, Lars was confident that Nico would be just fine without hiding.
Besides, Nico had elderly parents to care for, and his wife and son could not be without him. As such, Lars insisted that Nico stay behind.
Due to their gathered intelligence informing them of Ethan’s arrival, they managed to prepare ample supplies in advance and headed into the mountains early for the perfect hiding spots.
Three days later, Ethan Rivers arrived. He did not bring many people with him, but on the first day of his arrival, he ordered the village to be locked down. No one was allowed to come or go. After that, the search in the mountains began.
Among those sent to search, only a handful were Ethan’s men. The others were the fugitives‘ parents, wives, and children!
Nico, being Lars’s brother, was among the search group.
Ethan announced, “We’ll keep searching until we find them. I’m not in a hurry, and I’m
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sure all of you are prepared for the long haul, but your loved ones might not be able to hold
out.
The fugitives hiding in the mountains were already living miserably, barely scraping by, but seeing their loved ones dragged into the search was even more agonizing for them. After just two days, some among them were already ready to surrender.
Lars barely managed to keep those people in check through violence. However, on the third day, news spread that some fugitives‘ parents were falling seriously ill from exhaustion. Many fugitives could no longer bear it.
They turned on Dylan, beating him down before fleeing the mountains to turn themselves in. Not only that, but they also revealed Lars’s location.
After getting Lars’s location, Ethan did not head into the mountains himself, nor did he send a team. Instead, he summoned Nico.
“You’re close with your brother, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to see him dragged out of the mountains by force. So, I’m giving you three choices.”
Nico would never forget those words.
“The first option is for you to go into the mountains yourself and bring your brother out. That’s the best choice.
“The second option is for your son to go into the mountains. Your son might be able to bring your brother out, but there’s a good chance that he’ll die at your brother’s hands. This is a semi–risky choice.
“The third option… is also for you to head into the mountains yourself, but this time you can either escape with your brother or let him escape alone. However, the villagers will take their anger out on your son.
“Your son will die at the hands of the villagers, your parents will die of grief from losing two sons and a grandson, and your wife will leave you. You won’t be able to escape the mountain either. That’s the worst choice.”
Despite being provided with three choices, Nico knew deep down that there was only one way forward.
“I’ll head into the mountains,” Nico said, trembling. “I’ll go and find him.‘
