Chapter 339 - 338: A Family Must Be Neat and Tidy

Night fell, and a quiet stillness spread.

The night always seemed to arrive faster in the countryside than in the city.

In the deep darkness, only the croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas intertwined, composing a symphony unique to a rural summer night.

That is, until several SUVs appeared, shattering the tranquility of the small southern village.

Felix Knight, sitting in the back of the lead vehicle, curled his lip into a playful smirk.

"Good thing our Great Benefactor Warren didn’t forget his country folk after striking it rich. He even knew to pave the roads in these boonies with cement. He really did a great job protecting my butt!"

He shuddered to think what he would have done if these were rugged, muddy paths. ’The Great Benefactor Warren has really scored big points with this one!’

Tina, who was driving, couldn’t help but twitch her lips. "Chief, you really have a knack for being passive-aggressive."

"Hey now, you’re a foreigner. If you don’t get it, don’t chime in. Aurelian culture is vast and profound. You’ve still got a lot to learn. Just focus on driving, okay?"

Felix Knight said nonchalantly, his hands laced behind his head.

Tina thought, ’...Pot, meet kettle. There isn’t a single Aurelian among us.’

’At least I’m a pureblood, unlike him. He’s a mixed-breed mutt, and not even the kind with Aurelian blood. What’s he got to be so smug about?!’

Not long after Lance Young’s matter was concluded, Kai Preston returned to Apeiron. Before leaving, he and Charles Lowell shared a tearful, drawn-out farewell.

One was upset because he was back to a life without a drinking buddy. The other was upset because his drinking buddy was gone, meaning he could no longer drink freely—and his wife was about to make him face the music.

Meanwhile, Yvonne Lowell had sent most of Moonshadow’s personnel back to Continent N, including Colin. The only ones left in charge were Felix Knight and Tina.

This was to stop them from obsessing over the kiddie rides on the first floor of the mall all day. Every time she passed by, she’d hear them reciting the lyrics: "Who’s your daddy’s daddy? Your daddy’s daddy is... your mommy~"

Mark Ward’s house was at the very end of the village, not far from Ken Ward’s villa.

Additionally, the woman of the house was a neighborhood tyrant who had seized all the surrounding fields long ago, so they had no other houses nearby.

They also didn’t own a dog, so there was no need to worry about being woken by barking. This made things convenient.

The convoy killed its engines in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras at Ken Ward’s villa. The group got out and walked directly toward the two-story, unfinished building nearby.

Years ago, Mark Ward’s family had lived in a single-story bungalow. It was Ken Ward who, to save face, had a new foundation laid for them and a two-story frame erected at the same time he donated money to pave the village roads.

For this, he was praised by the villagers for quite a while, which greatly satisfied his vanity.

Unfortunately, Mark Ward was still a disappointment. After laying the bricks and hastily installing doors and windows himself, he shamelessly moved his family right in.

The whole place screamed "rough on the outside, unrefined on the inside."

After silently scaling the wall around Mark Ward’s property, Felix Knight and his team immediately fanned out, heading for every corner of the house.

As soon as they entered the first-floor living room, they could clearly hear snoring from the bedroom.

Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought some prized pig was being kept in the master bedroom.

Felix Knight gestured with a disgusted tilt of his chin, signaling his subordinates to go drag the person out.

He had no desire to personally handle such small fry. He was content to just direct things from the back.

Upstairs, however, Walter Ward was still wearing headphones, gaming and passionately chatting (or rather, yelling) at his teammates.

"Go! Go, go, go!!"

"Fuck, are you blind?! How many times did I ping? We’re initiating!"

"Bot lane, bot lane!!"

"Argh, are you guys useless?!"

Tina tried the doorknob. It was locked from the inside, but a faint coolness was seeping out from under the door.

’Tsk, just as expected of Walter, the precious son whose birth was so carefully protected. He actually gets the only air-conditioned room, and it’s even equipped with a computer.’

Felix Knight: ’You’ve gotten so sharp with your words. Did you take a class behind my back?!’

Tina waved her hand. A subordinate understood and kicked the door open.

The flimsy little door went CRASH, leaving only the bottom hinge desperately holding on.

The Hinge: ’As long as I draw breath, the honorable Door family shall not fall!!!’

Even with his headphones on, Walter Ward was startled by the loud noise.

He thought his dad was having another fit and turned around, about to fly into a rage, only to see a blonde, blue-eyed foreign beauty and several thugs in suits standing before him.

The profanity on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back down. He instinctively tried to scoot his chair backward.

"Who... who are you people?"

"Shhh."

Tina bent down slightly, pressing a finger to her lips as she took his headphones with her other hand.

Walter Ward’s heart fluttered and his face flushed at her action. But then he remembered that these strangers were probably not good people. Just as he was about to speak, a subordinate clapped a hand over his mouth and hauled him out.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."

The Subordinate: ’Who does this guy think he is, blushing at Tina? Doesn’t he know only Colin is allowed to blush at her?’

’Oh, and us, when we get beaten so hard our faces turn red.’

Walter Ward: ’...Was I supposed to know that? How could I possibly know that? Argh!!’

"Walter, my man, what are you doing just standing there?! And what was that god-awful noise?!"

Hearing the voice from the headset, Tina curled her lips into a smile and spoke into the microphone.

"Sorry, boys. Walter’s got to keep me company now, so he’s going AFK for this match~"

After saying that, she ignored the howls of protest from the other end and simply closed the game.

...

In the first-floor living room, only a single, dim yellow lamp was lit.

Mark Ward and his wife were bound hand and foot, their own smelly socks stuffed in their mouths, and tossed unceremoniously on the floor.

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"

The sharp-chinned woman stared at the group of men in suits before her, her eyes filled with terror.

They had been sleeping soundly when they were suddenly dragged up and manhandled for a good while.

By the time they were fully awake, they had been thrown on the floor just like this, surrounded by a group of burly men dressed in pitch-black.

This was the scene that greeted Walter Ward when he was brought downstairs.

Felix Knight waved his hand. A subordinate understood, released the young man, and shoved him in front of the pair on the floor.

Walter Ward scrambled behind the two, his voice trembling.

"Mom! Dad! What’s going on? Who are these people?!"

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!" The sharp-chinned woman shook her head frantically.

’If I knew, would I be in this mess?!’

"Alright, kiddo. We let you go so you could say hello to your parents," Felix Knight said.

"After all, our ancestors placed the greatest importance on filial piety. So, it’s best for your family to be all together, nice and neat. Don’t you think?"