Chapter 4: Countermeasures

Words : 1697 Updated : Aug 7th, 2025

As Evan Gates came down the steps, the guests scrambled back in terror, afraid to get on this demon's bad side. "Everyone, listen up! Any family that took part in the Bell family incident three years ago-however much you took from them, you have one week to pay it back tenfold and kneel at the Bell family's graves for three days and three nights. In a week, I'll be waiting for you there. If you fall short, you'll end up just like Alberto Morgan!" Evan and Rose had already disappeared, but Evan's voice echoed through the wedding hall like a ghost, refusing to fade. Bang! Bang! Many guests, including people from the Collins and Morgan families, collapsed to the ground, their faces drained of color. They had no doubt that if they didn't hand over what they'd taken, they'd end up like Alberto Morgan, writhing on the ground, wishing they were dead. "Dad, kill me! I can't take it anymore! Please, I'm begging you, kill me!" Alberto cried out in pain. Only now did he truly understand what Evan meant by 'a fate worse than death.' All he wanted was to die and end his misery. "Hang in there, son! I'll get you to the hospital right away!" Idris Morgan's heart broke seeing his son in so much pain. He yelled at his family, "What are you standing around for? Call an ambulance!" No one could have imagined that what was supposed to be a joyous wedding would turn into a tragedy. In less than an hour, word would spread all over Chiville. After tonight, Chiville would never know peace again. "Sir, where should we go now?" Rose asked respectfully from the car. "Let's just go back for now. I'm not in the right state to go home. I'll visit my godfather tomorrow," Evan said tiredly. "Yes!" Three hours after what happened at the Phoenix Hotel... "Alright, everyone's heard the news. So what's the plan? Are we really going to pay back the Bell family ten times what we took and apologize in person, or are we going to band together and fight Evan Gates to the end?" In a spacious tearoom at the Simpson family's main house, four people were gathered. Dominic Simpson, the head of the family, sat at the top, joined by the heads of the Anderson, Morgan, and Collins families. All the families that had profited from the Bell family's downfall were now on edge, afraid Evan would come after them. Of the four great families, the Simpsons and Andersons had taken the most, with the Morgans and Collins families close behind. "He's just one guy-what kind of trouble can he really stir up in Chiville? All he has is his martial arts. With enough money, it's not hard to hire someone to take him out," the Anderson patriarch scoffed. "There's no way I'm giving anything back! Are you kidding me? All those benefits are already spread out through our family businesses. If we pull them out now, we might as well go bankrupt. It's no different than killing us!" said a Morgan family elder coldly. "I agree," the Collins family head added. "Once something's in my hands, there's no way I'm giving it back!" Dominic Simpson thought for a moment, then said, "I think we should give it back." "Evan is clearly determined to get revenge for the Bell family. If we don't cooperate, none of our families will be safe!" "Coward!" the Anderson patriarch sneered. "If you were so scared, why did you even get involved three years ago?" "Brantley, give it a rest!" Dominic snapped. "Everyone here knows the Bell family only fell because your Anderson family stabbed them in the back, letting the Lee family and the rest of us swoop in! If anyone Evan hates most, it's you guys. Whether you hand over what you took or not, he's not letting you off. You just want to drag us down with you!" Bang! Brantley Anderson slammed the table and pointed at Dominic. "What's that supposed to mean? If it wasn't for the Andersons, none of you would've gotten a piece of the Bell family's pie. Now that you've eaten your fill, you want to pretend it never happened? And you blame us? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!" "Let's all calm down. We're here to figure out how to get out of this mess, not to fight each other," the Morgan family head said, motioning for everyone to sit back down. The Morgan family was the strongest of the four, so Brantley had no choice but to sit back down. The Morgan family head continued, "Here's where we stand: absolutely no way we're giving anything back. First off, if we give back ten times what we took, our family will be crippled and other families will come after us. I don't need to spell out what that means." Everyone nodded. Chiville's a big city, and there's no shortage of powerful families. If you show any weakness, you're done for-everyone will be out to get you. "Second, are we really going to let some punk kid threaten us into handing everything over? That's just ridiculous. If we back down now, how will we ever show our faces in Chiville's business world again? Evan Gates might be tough, but he can't take us all down by himself." He paused, a little embarrassed at how they'd been forced to back down earlier. "Sure, he's strong, but how tough can he really be at his age? Is he stronger than a Grandmaster or something? If the four of us join forces and spend the money to hire a Grandmaster and some other fighters, we could probably get rid of him for good. What do you all think?" "Your family knows a Grandmaster?" The other three immediately perked up. If they could really bring in a Martial Arts Grandmaster, Evan Gates wouldn't be a problem anymore. Their families would be safe, and Evan would finally be out of the picture!

Chapter 4: Countermeasures

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