Chapter 262 - 260: Special Operation to Crack Down on Gangs and Eliminate Evil

"To... to Lorcain?"

The next day, at Yvonne Sterling’s house, her eyes widened in shock when she heard the news. "Why so sudden?"

Jasmine Sterling, however, had already come to terms with it. She had gone to the school that day to apply for a transfer. Since academic records can’t be officially transferred so close to the college entrance exams, Ethan’s would remain at his current school. He was a star pupil, so the administration was happy to approve the transfer. The whole process went very smoothly.

"It was Cecilia’s idea. Ever since school started after the New Year, the Fultons have been showing up at school to find Ethan every few days. It’s really been making me uneasy. Ethan is getting so annoyed and distracted by it all. Getting to and from school has become like guerrilla warfare for him."

At the mention of the Fultons, Yvonne’s face filled with disgust. "What kind of trash are they? They have the nerve to come looking for Ethan."

Brendan Harris, who was standing by, added, "Don’t worry too much, Jasmine. Ethan’s a sensible kid. I’m sure he knows exactly what the Fulton Family is after. He won’t do anything foolish."

Jasmine Sterling nodded. "Yes, I trust my own son, of course. Ultimately, what I’m worried about is his studies. They’re completely distracting him."

The main issue was that the Fultons were being relentless this time, with the uncles and aunts taking turns showing up at the school. It was like they were possessed or something.

"Alright, go then. Since it’s Cecilia’s idea, I’m sure she has everything arranged," Yvonne Sterling said, looking at her sister. "Don’t you worry about things here. I’ll let you know if there’s any news about the house."

Cecilia Sterling, who had just finished a call on the balcony, happened to overhear this.

"News about the house?" she asked, looking at her aunt in surprise. "Auntie, what’s wrong with my mom’s house?"

Yvonne chuckled. "You haven’t heard? Your neighborhood is slated for demolition. They’ll probably start work in the second half of the year."

Jasmine Sterling said with a hint of reluctance, "Sigh, I was considering selling it before. It was Cecilia who said we should keep it, so we’d have a place to stay whenever we came back to Veridia. We’ve lived there for so many years, after all. I never expected it would be demolished."

Cecilia didn’t feel any major emotional swings upon hearing the news, just a sense of pity. That house held so many of their family’s memories; they were truly attached to it.

"It’s okay, Mom. If you want to come back and visit from time to time, we can just buy a new house in Veridia," Cecilia said, patting her mother’s shoulder reassuringly. She knew her mother must be the most wistful about it.

Jasmine Sterling took her daughter’s hand and smiled.

Hearing this, Yvonne quickly chimed in, "Hey, I’m still in Veridia! Are you saying you won’t come back?"

"Auntie, my offer to bring you and Uncle to Lorcain will always stand. First, I’ll get Ethan and my mom settled before his exams. Once I have some free time, I’ll make plans for you two," Cecilia said with a serious expression.

Yvonne’s reaction was the same as always. "Oh, honey, your uncle and I aren’t going to move. We’re perfectly fine here."

Then Brendan Harris suddenly spoke up. "Maybe we’ll have a chance to visit you in Lorcain in the future. Sarah’s got a boyfriend, says he’s from Lorcain."

"Sarah’s dating someone?"

Yvonne shot Brendan a look. "It’s not even a sure thing yet. Why are you bringing it up?"

Then she turned to her sister and Cecilia to explain, "She says they’re dating, but you know how it is with young people these days. Nothing’s certain. They might break up in a little while."

"Is he a classmate?" Cecilia asked.

Yvonne shook her head. "No. Her major has early internships. She’s been interning with an airline for a while, flying. They met on a plane."

As they were chatting, Cecilia got a WhatsApp message. It was from Mr. Young.

"Cecilia, I’ve sorted out the school. Lorcain Second Middle School, senior year, Class One—the advanced class. He can report directly the morning after tomorrow. It’s very close to your house."

Cecilia’s face lit up as she read the message and replied, "Thank you, Mr. Young. I’ll be sure to thank you properly when I get back."

"Don’t be so formal with me. It was just a small favor."

Cecilia looked up at her mother. "Mom, Ethan’s school is all arranged. He’ll attend his last day of class here tomorrow, then we’ll fly to Lorcain tomorrow night. He can report directly to the new school the morning after, so he won’t even miss a single day of class!"

Yvonne was taken aback. "Good grief, would it kill him to rest for a day? You’re working Ethan like a spinning top."

Jasmine Sterling was also stunned by her daughter’s efficiency. "That fast?"

"Why drag it out? It’s best to deal with this kind of thing quickly and decisively. The faster, the better!" Cecilia said.

Jasmine came back to her senses and nodded lightly. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, you take Ethan to Lorcain tomorrow first. I need to pack things up here at home and get some affairs in order. I can’t leave in such a rush. I’ll follow in a few days."

Cecilia didn’t insist. Her own classes were about to start soon, and she knew her mother wouldn’t be at ease with Ethan living alone in Lorcain anyway, so she would definitely follow them soon.

「The next day, Cecilia took her brother back to Lorcain on an evening flight.」

At the Veridia airport, several of Ethan Sterling’s classmates came to see him off. He fought back the tears, refusing to let them fall. As the plane taxied and took off, the vast city of Veridia below transformed into a glittering, star-like expanse.

"Sis, I was actually pretty happy about going to Lorcain, but now that the moment is here, I feel surprisingly reluctant to leave."

Ethan Sterling gazed down at Veridia below, his voice tinged with sadness and longing.

Cecilia patted her brother’s back. "Saying goodbye is a part of life everyone goes through. You’ll have to experience these things sooner or later. If you want to come back in the future, I’ll bring you back anytime."

Ethan Sterling nodded. Then, a smile returned to his face as he turned to look at his sister. "Sis, is your boyfriend picking us up from the airport?"

He was full of curiosity about his sister’s police officer boyfriend. After all, in his mind, his sister was the most beautiful girl in the world, so her boyfriend must be a perfect man to match.

"You won’t get to see him today. He has an important meeting tonight."

At the Lorcain Public Security Bureau, a vast conference room was packed to the brim. Everyone present was in uniform, sitting perfectly straight.

Projected onto the screen at the front of the room was the title of the day’s meeting: "City of Lorcain Special Campaign Against Organized Crime"!

The leader seated in the center spoke into the microphone, issuing directives: "For this special campaign against organized crime, all police forces in the City of Lorcain will coordinate by district. We must uproot and completely eliminate these forces. We will take down the city’s deeply entrenched criminal underworld in one fell swoop. We must especially target the most prominent figures: Patrick Hughes’s crew in the Outer District, Chase Dalton’s crew in the Sunstone District, and the largest, most widespread organization with the most members—Wesley Yates’s crew operating Downtown."

"This operation will be divided into two phases: preliminary investigation and evidence collection, followed by arrests. We cannot let a single fish slip through the net. The deadline for this operation is one year. We must return a clean and safe land to the people of Lorcain and to our country!"

"Yes, sir!"