“Ha ha ha!”
Howard Sample laughed triumphantly. “Chris, these are the super soldiers developed by the Duke himself. No matter how strong you are, what can you do? In just a moment, you’ll be torn to shreds by them.”
Chris sneered, unimpressed. “A few super soldiers? You think that’s enough to scare me? Back at the Hall of Valerian headquarters, I lost count of how many of these so-called super soldiers I killed.”
“What?”
Howard Sample’s face froze in shock.
He hadn’t expected Chris to have already encountered super soldiers before. The research on super soldiers was strictly confined to the Hall of Valerian’s inner circle-outsiders knew nothing about it.
But Chris wasn’t fazed at all. These super soldiers crawling on the ground like beasts were the lowest tier of their kind. While they might seem formidable to ordinary people, to Chris, they were nothing more than insects.
Howard Sample snorted coldly. “Chris, so what if you destroyed the Hall of Valerian headquarters? You should know the Duke has more than one research facility for super soldiers. There are bases like this one all over the world.”
“Once these super soldiers are mass-produced, the Duke will assemble an army to invade Amerosia. When that time comes, who in Amerosia could possibly stop him?”
Hearing this, Chris’s expression darkened. He had thought that taking down the Hall of Valerian headquarters would have been enough to thwart Daniel Williams’ scheme. But now it seemed far more complicated-there were likely many more research bases.
If he wanted to put an end to the Duke’s plans, Chris would have to locate and destroy every facility.
Chris glared at Howard Sample, his tone icy. “You’re aiding Daniel Williams in this monstrous research, and even capturing your own compatriots for these experiments. You’re no better than a beast. Killing you would be an act of justice!”
As Amerosia’s Primus, Chris could not tolerate anyone using his fellow countrymen as test subjects for such inhumane experiments. Looking at the grotesque forms of the super soldiers, he felt a surge of rage. These were his people-turned into something neither human nor beast.
“Chris,” Howard Sample sneered, “if you want to kill me, let’s see if you have what it takes!” With a wave of his hand, he barked, “Kill him!”
At his command, the super soldiers lunged at Chris with inhuman speed.
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
They growled like wild animals, their eyes fixed on Chris with murderous intent. They wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.
But Chris had dealt with their kind before. Calm and composed, he drew his blade, Dragon Slayer, and swung it with precision.
Boom!
With a single strike, one of the super soldiers was sent flying.
Though their strength was considerable, they were no match for Chris.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One slash after another, Chris tore through them with ease.
A single strike shattered one soldier’s head, leaving it in pieces like a broken watermelon. Another was sent flying into the ocean, where a swarm of sharks eagerly devoured it, reducing it to fragments in seconds.
In just a few minutes, Chris had eliminated all of them.
With the super soldiers dealt with, Chris turned his attention back to Howard Sample. But when he looked up, Howard was nowhere to be seen.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the roar of an engine echoed in the distance.
Chris looked over and spotted Howard fleeing on a speedboat, his face pale with terror.
Howard had never imagined that even the super soldiers would fail against Chris. To him, Chris was a monster-unstoppable and relentless. If he fell into Chris’s hands, there would be no escape.
As Howard attempted to flee, Chris calmly picked up a firearm and took aim.
Bang!
A single shot rang out, and the bullet struck Howard Sample squarely in the head.
Splash!
Howard’s body slumped lifelessly and fell into the water. His wide-open eyes were filled with disbelief, as if he could not comprehend that he had met his end at Chris’s hands.
After killing Howard Sample, Chris began searching the ship. He found that every member of the Hall of Valerian on board had been killed. He then navigated the ship back to the dock and freed all the captives who had been used as test subjects.
Afterward, Chris made a call to Lynx. He instructed Lynx to closely monitor the Noire family-especially Blake Noire’s activities.
Blake Noire had collaborated with Howard Sample to capture Amerosians and send them overseas for super soldier experiments. Chris wasn’t sure if this was Blake acting alone or if the entire Noire family was involved. Either way, he needed answers.
For the next few days, Lynx kept a close watch on the Noire family. News came in that Blake Noire had been severely punished by his father, Honor Noire, who forbade him from leaving the family estate.
Blake’s partnership with Howard Sample had come to the attention of the Noire family. Furious, Honor Noire had lashed out at his son. While the Noire family maintained close ties with Daniel Williams, the super soldier experiments were a line even they wouldn’t cross.
The matter also caught the attention of Master William, who summoned Honor Noire and exerted immense pressure on the family.
Seeing this, Chris concluded that the Noire family as a whole had not been involved-it was solely Blake Noire’s doing.
—
One day, Esther approached Chris with a serious expression.
“Darling,” Chris asked, curious, “what’s on your mind?”
“I…” Esther hesitated, unsure whether to speak.
Chris smiled warmly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready. Everyone has their secrets, even if we’re husband and wife.”
Taking a deep breath, Esther finally said, “Someone delivered a letter to me a few days ago.”
She handed the letter to Chris.
Chris opened it and read its contents. The message requested Esther’s presence at the Jefferson family’s estate during the Young Master Sample’s upcoming visit.
“Jefferson family?” Chris asked, frowning. “Which one? The provincial Jefferson family? The Middleton Jefferson family? Or the overseas Jefferson family? I thought all of them were wiped out. That just leaves the East Coast Jefferson family.”
Pausing, he added, “Unless… there’s another Jefferson family?”
Seeing Chris’s confusion, Esther explained, “Darling, all those Jefferson families-whether provincial, Middleton, overseas, or even Jefferson village-are just minor branches of the true Jefferson family.”