Chapter 54

Avalonia.

The night remained bustling, but for Vernon, these past few days had been nothing but nightmares.

Over these days, Vernon felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat, making it hard to breathe.

Day one.

One of the three largest underground casinos he ran in Avalonia's capital was raided and shut down by the police overnight, leaving him no time to move the account books and resulting in losses of tens of millions of dollars.

Right after that, several import-export companies under his name that he used for money laundering were suddenly subjected to a joint investigation by the Tax Bureau and the Financial Services Agency, causing his entire cash flow to collapse almost overnight.

And today.

An important overseas smuggling route for The Viper Crew had lost all contact the day before.

Word was that patrol boats from Marigoldia's fleet had carried out a "routine inspection" and detained all vessels and crew.

"Shit! What the hell is going on?!"

Vernon locked himself in his office, surrounded by piles of grim reports.

His eyes bloodshot, he screamed hysterically, "Police, tax authorities, even Marigoldia's military? Why is everything happening all at once?"

His trusted subordinate knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to lift his head. "Mr. Ford, word on the street is... this was all done by Marigoldia's military stationed in Avalonia..."

"Marigoldia's military?"

At those words, Vernon's body trembled slightly, and the teacup in his hand crashed to the floor with a "crack," shattering into pieces.

He finally realized the severity of the situation.

This was no coincidence—this was a deliberate crushing blow from above.

Someone was deliberately retaliating against him.

Vernon's face turned very ugly.

The Viper Crew had considerable power, but compared to Marigoldia's military stationed in Avalonia, they were nothing.

For them to deal with him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

But the problem was that the Viper Crew had no grudges or conflicts with them—why would they do this to him?

"Mr. Ford."

Just then, the heavy wooden door of the office was pushed open.

A subordinate rushed in hurriedly.

"Someone wants to see you."

Vernon was already furious and immediately shouted, "Who? Get out! I'm not seeing anyone..."

But the subordinate seemed hesitant.

He looked at Vernon and said carefully, "But he claims to be Harry Gibson, the top commander of Marigoldia's military stationed in Avalonia."

"...Harry?"

Vernon froze completely, his mind going blank. Harry wanted to see him?

This was hard to believe. He was just a manager in an Avalonian gang—dealing with corrupt low-level police officers was one thing, but how could he possibly have any connection to high-ranking Marigoldian military officers?

"Did he... did he say what he's here for?" Vernon's voice trembled, an extremely ominous feeling rising in his heart.

The subordinate swallowed and didn't dare look at him. "No... no."

"Show him in."

After taking a deep breath, Vernon spoke.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a crisp Marigoldian military uniform and looking arrogant strode in. It was Harry.

"Mr. Gibson."

Vernon immediately greeted him respectfully.

But the latter didn't even glance at Vernon, walking straight to the sofa and sitting down. Crossing his legs, he looked at Vernon coldly and said, "Mr. Ford, how have these past few days been?"

At these words, Vernon was certain that Harry was behind everything that had happened these days.

"Mr. Gibson, what... what's going on? The Viper Crew has never offended you, so why are you targeting me? Please tell me."

"No rush."

"Let me show you something first."

Harry's lips curved slightly upward as he pulled out a stack of documents and tossed them on the table.

Vernon frowned slightly, walked forward to pick up the documents, and look through them. But when he saw what was inside, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

The documents contained detailed records of all his illegal activities, including some top-secret transactions that even his closest confidants didn't know about.

If this got out.

He, and even the entire Viper Crew, would be destroyed.

"Mr. Gibson, this..."

Vernon's face showed fear, cold sweat already forming on his forehead.

"This is a gift from Mr. Carter, sent through me." Harry looked at Vernon as he spoke.

At these words, Vernon understood immediately.

Three days ago, Freya had come back and told him the mission had failed.

She also said she would never work for him again.

At the time, he had found it strange that there was a man in this world that Freya couldn't kill, and why Freya would break their agreement.

After all, she hadn't completed the ten tasks for him yet.

Now.

He understood.

It turned out he had provoked a man he shouldn't have.

Vernon never imagined that this man, Jack, could even mobilize someone like Harry.

This was the commander of Marigoldia's military stationed in Avalonia.

Even Avalonia's Prime Minister would have to be polite in front of him.

How could he, a small manager of The Viper Crew, afford to provoke such a person?

"Mr. Gibson, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I had no idea Mr. Carter was your friend. Otherwise, even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare provoke him."

Vernon's voice trembled badly.

In ordinary people's eyes, he was a manager of The Viper Crew, high and mighty, an untouchable gang boss.

But Vernon understood that in front of someone like Harry, he was nothing.

If they wanted to move against him, it would be easier than crushing an ant.

The strict rule.

That was the law of this world.

"Shut up."

Harry suddenly said coldly, his face showing a hint of coldness. "I'm not worthy of being Mr. Carter's friend."

Just that one sentence carried enough information to make Vernon's heart clench sharply.

Even Harry didn't dare call himself the other person's friend? Then what kind of powerful background did this Jack have?

Vernon instantly felt dizzy, his back already soaked with cold sweat. He finally realized what kind of figure he had provoked.

"Listen carefully."

Harry said, turning his gaze to Vernon. "I'm giving you two choices now. First, I hand these documents over to your country's police department and Interpol. Second..."

At this point, Harry deliberately paused, his lips curving into a cruel arc. "You transfer all your businesses and funds to Mr. Carter's designated representative, free of charge. In exchange, I'll give you the originals of these documents."

Hearing this, Vernon's face instantly turned very ugly.

This wasn't a choice at all.

This was blatant robbery, and they wanted to swallow him whole, skin and bones.

But.

Did he have the capital to refuse?

Never mind, Jack.

Even Harry alone was someone he couldn't afford to provoke.

"I... agree."

"A wise choice."

Harry stood up, satisfied, lightly patted Vernon's shoulder, then left without looking back.

After he left, Vernon collapsed completely in his chair, his face ashen. His decades of effort and struggle had completely turned to nothing from this moment on.

And all of this was because he had provoked a man he couldn't afford to provoke.