Could it be Hellblazer pulling the strings behind all this?
How could Liam possibly have a woman by his side? It must be Hellblazer, scheming to break down his Zodiac Generals one by one.
Flood, with his indomitable will and unshakable resolve, had no visible weaknesses. They couldn’t break him, so they killed him instead!
But Wood and Liam were different. They had weaknesses. Thus, they had Wood’s memory erased and sent to the Henderson family, giving her a whole new identity. As for Liam, they had his mind manipulated. Who knows what other evil deeds Liam had been coerced into committing?
Liam’s heart was filled with resentment and hatred for the John family.
That woman must have exploited his bitterness, prying open his vulnerability, and turning him into a pawn under her control.
If not for that, Liam would never have pawned that pendant. It wasn’t just an object-it was his treasure, his mother’s only keepsake. He’d sooner die than willingly give it up.
“The goddamn Hellblazer!” Kayden cursed in his heart, “What the hell was their true purpose? Could their goal be to utterly break me? If so, then let them come!” He was ready to face them, no matter the cost.
As that thought took root, his fists tightened. He took in a deep breath to calm himself down. Finally, he exhaled and said, “Alright, I got it.”
With those words, he turned sharply, striding to the door. Just as he twisted the doorknob, Memphis’s voice rang out urgently, “Defender, I have a request!”
Kayden stopped mid-step, signaling silently for him to continue.
“Will Liam be alright?” Memphis blurted out.
Kayden raised an eyebrow. His voice was brimming with confidence as he said, “He’s been fine all these years on Battlefield. Now, nothing’s going to happen to him.”
“Then… when you find him, could you bring him back, even if just for a moment? I want to apologize to him face-to-face. I know he might never forgive me, but before I die, I want him to hear my apology personally.”
Kayden gave a curt response. “We’ll see.” Without another word, he turned and walked away.
As he approached the spot where he had clashed with Lucy yesterday, he saw her slowly approaching him.
“Dr. Scott, please wait!” Lucy called, her voice trembling.
Kayden frowned, “What now? Are you looking for another round?”
Lucy’s face drained of all color. Bowing her head low, she stammered, “I wouldn’t dare! Dr. Scott, your skills are unparalleled in this era. I could never hope to be your equal. This…” She extended a hand, revealing a sleek black bank card. “This is a token of gratitude from Mr. John for saving his son.”
Kayden cast a brief glance at the card, then heard Memphis’s voice from behind him. “It contains two billion dollars. Please, Dr. Scott, accept it. It’s a gesture of our utmost thanks.”
Kayden gave a slight nod, reaching out to take the card. “I accept it,” he said before continuing on his way.
As his figure receded into the distance, Daphne stood frozen, blinking rapidly. Anxiety gnawed at her. Did he just forget something? Why didn’t he say anything about their kiss? Yet the thought of asking him such questions made her hesitate.
But hesitation wasn’t in her nature. With a burst of resolve, she bit her lip and dashed after Kayden.
“Dr. Scott!” Daphne’s voice rang out just as Kayden reached the door.
“Yes?” he asked, turning back, his gaze resting calmly on her flushed face.
Daphne’s heart raced as she blurted, “Seriously? Are you leaving just like that?”
“What else would I do?” Kayden replied, his tone as indifferent as ever.
“That was my first kiss! And with so many people saw us kissing. Can you imagine the rumors they’ll spread about me?” she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing even deeper as she frowned.
Kayden gave her a measured glance and said flatly, “Weren’t you the one who kissed me?”
“You-!” Daphne stamped her foot in frustration, her embarrassment turning into indignation. But before she could say something more, Kayden had already turned around and walked away without a second thought.
She gazed after him until he vanished from sight. “How can you just leave like that? Aren’t you even the least bit responsible? Ugh, this is infuriating!” she muttered.
She let out a frustrated huff and stormed back inside the house.
The moment she saw Memphis, she flung herself at him. “Grandpa, he just left like that! He doesn’t have any sense of responsibility at all!”
Memphis froze for a moment, then let out a wry chuckle. Shaking his head, he said, “Daphne, he’s not someone we should mess with. You kissed him; let it be. A little gossip connecting you to him will only do us good.”
“What?!” Daphne’s eyes widened in disbelief as if she’d misheard him. “He’s just a doctor! How can he possibly be someone our family can’t mess with?”
A helpless sigh escaped Memphis. His gaze shifted toward the courtyard outside. With a look that seemed to carry the weight of unspoken truths, he murmured, “If he were just a doctor, it would be so much simpler.”
After leaving the John family, Kayden received a call from Greedy Wolf. “Defender, I recently came across a very weird person during my investigation.”
“Say it!”
“Do you remember the person I was investigating in Oriaville? The one who was impersonating you?”
“Just get to the point.” Kayden interrupted impatiently, unwilling to indulge in unnecessary details.
“That person has reemerged. Still, they’re back to cozying up to powerful figures, but this time it’s worse. They’ve crossed the line!”
“They went to the Western Frontier and wiped out two prestigious families there. Only one child from each family was left alive. Those children were so terrified they could barely speak. After some time, we managed to coax their memories out. They both described the killer as a masked figure. This person slaughtered their elders but spared all the children under twelve.”
“But then… they forced those children into a twisted fight for survival. Only one child from each family was allowed to live-by killing all the others.”
“Monsters!” Kayden roared, his fury erupting like an inferno. The sheer cruelty of it made his blood boil.
“There’s more,” Greedy Wolf hesitated, his voice growing somber. “Before the massacre, the children overheard the others addressing the masked figure. They called him… General Liam John.”
Boom! The name hit Kayden on the head like a hammer. For a moment, the world seemed to tilt, and all he could feel was the weight of shock.
“No way!” That was Kayden’s immediate reaction. The idea that his subordinates would stoop to such actions was unthinkable. Even if Liam had fallen under someone’s control, it was utterly inconceivable for him to behave in this way.
Greedy Wolf agreed. “I thought the same. After all, those people are impersonating you. If they’ve gone to such lengths, it stands to reason they’d also plant someone to pose as General Liam.”
“Then why didn’t you stop them once you found out?”
“Defender, we tried,” Greedy Wolf said grimly. “But they’re slippery. They exploit even the smallest lapses in our vigilance. Every time we close in, they vanish into thin air-like ghosts, leaving no trace behind. It’s eerie, really. The more I think about it, the more I wonder… while we were watching them, were they also secretly watching us?”
Kayden drew a slow, deliberate breath. He clenched his teeth tightly. “So they believe they can pull the strings, bend the world to their will, and control my every move? Fine. Track them down. When we find them, we’ll give them a ‘surprise’ they’ll never forget! Let them understand that we are no one’s puppets, and nothing they do can derail our plans.”
He ended the call with a sharp click.
Inside him, a tempest churned. It was an unrelenting wave of fury and resolve.
An unprecedented battle was looming on the horizon…
And it was about to ignite!