The Maple Valley villa had once belonged to Blake Noire, but Chris had forcibly taken it from him.
Seraphina happened to live next door to Chris, so the two set off for Maple Valley together. However, Seraphina went ahead to the palace to report to Master William, while Chris stayed behind to unpack his belongings before heading to Panda Networks.
When Chris arrived at the company, he immediately noticed signs of vandalism at the entrance. Inside, the employees looked lifeless and despondent.
Before long, Chris met Candace in the office.
“Candace, what on earth happened here?” he asked.
Candace explained everything that had transpired in his absence.
After Chris had left Middleton, troublemakers frequently came to Panda Networks, causing chaos. They vandalized, looted, and created disturbances, and even calling the police had proven futile. Some employees had received threats, and since no one wanted to risk their lives for a job, many had chosen to resign.
Those who stayed lived in fear, but thanks to Candace’s exceptional leadership, the company had managed to survive-though just barely.
Candace admitted that, unable to find a solution, she had no choice but to call Chris for help.
Hearing this, Chris’s face darkened with rage.
“Candace,” he growled, clenching his teeth, “have you found out who’s behind this? Who’s targeting Panda Networks?”
Candace nodded. “Chris, I had the Nance family investigate. According to their findings, the troublemakers are connected to Middleton’s underworld factions.”
Chris fell silent for a moment before speaking. “These people are just pawns. Someone is pulling the strings from the shadows, too afraid to face me directly. They’ve hired these underworld thugs to stir up trouble.”
“Do you know who’s behind it?” Candace asked curiously.
Chris hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to answer. After all, his list of enemies in Middleton was far too long.
Daniel Williams, Ethan Stone, the Noire family, the Frost family-the list went on. With so many adversaries, how could he pinpoint the mastermind?
“Hmph!” Chris scoffed coldly. “It doesn’t matter who’s behind this. No one messes with me and gets away with it. Candace, make a list of everyone who’s caused trouble for us. I’ll deal with them one by one.”
As he said this, a chilling light flashed in his eyes. Candace knew right then that Middleton was about to descend into chaos once more. Whenever Chris returned, bloodshed followed.
Without wasting time, Chris took the list from Candace and began hunting down his targets.
The very next day, Middleton’s underworld was thrown into disarray. Several key figures were assassinated, their organizations wiped out in a sea of blood. No one was spared.
The news of these killings sent shockwaves through Middleton’s criminal underworld. Investigations quickly revealed that the slain leaders had all been involved in the disturbances at Panda Networks.
Chris made his stance clear: anyone who dared to target Panda Networks would face only one outcome-death.
Word of Chris’s return spread like wildfire across Middleton.
The ten noble families of Middleton were quick to react.
“Horrifying! Absolutely horrifying! That lunatic is back!”
“Spread the word-under no circumstances is anyone to provoke him!”
“Chris! That maniac! Every time he comes back, he drenches Middleton in blood. The underworld will know no peace as long as he’s here!”
The last time Chris had come to Middleton, entire families had been wiped out. Even one of the four great aristocratic families, the Daniels family, had been eradicated.
The time before that, Chris had torn down the Frost family’s estate walls, broken Lysander Frost’s legs, and turned Blake Noire of the Noire family into a eunuch.
Now, Chris had just returned and had already annihilated multiple underworld leaders in one night.
Speculation ran wild. Why had Chris returned this time? Was he planning another blood-soaked campaign?
Fear gripped the city. Many families went into full lockdown, refusing to let anyone leave their estates until Chris was gone.
While Middleton was in turmoil, Chris was resting in his villa.
By the time he had finished eliminating 18 underworld leaders in a single night, even he was exhausted. Yet despite the carnage, he hadn’t found any useful clues. The slain leaders had merely been hired guns who knew nothing about the mastermind behind the attacks.
Chris slept until noon the next day.
Just as he woke up, his phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, he answered. It was Lynx.
“Boss, bad news! I just got word that the Hall of Valerian and Whisperwind Ridge have teamed up. They’ve sent four Paragons to kill you! Each of them is at the peak of Transcendence, and one of them has even reached Crescendence!”
Hearing this, Chris’s expression grew grim.
He had suspected that his return to Middleton wouldn’t be simple, but he hadn’t anticipated that Daniel Williams and Ethan Stone would go so far as to send four Paragons after him. Clearly, they saw him as a thorn in their side.
“Boss, should I send people to protect you?” Lynx asked.
Chris shook his head. “Not yet. Keep an eye on their movements and report to me immediately if anything changes.”
“Yes, sir!” Lynx replied before hanging up.
“Mr. Shelby, guess what I brought for you!”
At that moment, Seraphina walked in holding a tray of food.
Noticing Chris’s troubled expression, she asked, “Mr. Shelby, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Chris took a deep breath. “I just got word. Daniel Williams has sent four Paragons to kill me.”
“Four Paragons?” Seraphina froze, her face paling. “Could it be… them?”
Chris looked at her sharply. “Seraphina, do you know these four Paragons?”