A day ago, in a spacious palace somewhere, two men, one old and one young, were shouting and arguing while a black-haired young man watched them quietly.
"Your old tricks aren't working anymore. We're on the verge of collapse …" the young man said.
"You're a vain, greedy, and cruel child!" the old man interrupted him and roared.
"Then you're a stupid old thing!" the young man immediately roared back.
The old man was silent. A moment later, his voice rang out in the palace again. "… You've disobeyed the king's orders and brought war and destruction to the people of a peaceful country … In the name of my father and my ancestors, I banish you!"
A moment later, the old man and the black-haired young man were the only ones left in the palace. The young man who had been arguing with the old man had already disappeared.
The black-haired young man couldn't help but say, "Father, you …"
The old man waved his hand and raised the hammer to his mouth, before he said softly, "Whoever holds this hammer, and deserves it, will definitely possess the power of a god!"
As he spoke, he threw the hammer hard.
The hammer instantly pierced through a dazzling seven-colored passageway, rapidly descending somewhere in the universe.
The old man, however, frowned and mumbled to himself, Damn it. Did I throw it off?
Then, he looked at the black-haired young man and gave up on the idea of taking the hammer back and throwing it again.
Forget it. In any case, it was just a little off. For that silly son of his, it was just a few more steps. Thinking that, he silently turned around and walked into the depths of the palace.
The black-haired young man was left standing there.
After a long time, the young man's lips curled into a genuinely evil smile.
…
At the airport in New York, Luke's family had already boarded the plane. He switched seats with another passenger and sat next to Robert and Selina.
During the flight, the two of them kept discussing in low voices, each of them holding a mobile phone in their hands and scribbling on it.
Catherine did not get involved. She knew that she could not help with what the two of them were busy with. Her most important task was to work hard on logistics after arriving in Dallas and take care of the large group of people who were about to be transferred to Houston.
At that moment, she was a little glad that Luke had made a lot of money in the past year.
Otherwise, her family wouldn't be able to afford such a "trip", let alone Selina's family.
When the plane landed in Fort Worth, Luke called for a Lincoln Stretch Limousine with a driver. Catherine, Claire, and Joseph got into the car and headed east to Houston to arrange for their "vacation."
Luke and Robert, on the other hand, drove the Chevrolet that the family had left in the parking lot next to the airport back to Shackelford.
In the Lincoln, Joseph turned his head in confusion and looked in the direction his father and brother had left. He asked, "Mom, why aren't dad and Luke with us?"
Catherine smiled. "Because they're going to pick up a lot of people to play with. Are you happy?"
Joseph nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
He was very smart. Looking at everyone's behavior, he knew that something must have happened to the adults.
At a time like this, he didn't want to cause more trouble.
On the other side, Luke sped up in the driver's seat of the Chevrolet.
Robert took out his phone and called his subordinates at the Shackelford Police Department, asking them to make preparations.
He and Luke had already come up with an excuse. They would claim that the police department had received a donation, and that the donor was going to test the department's ability to respond to emergencies, so they were going to conduct an emergency drill.
Naturally, Luke would pay for the money, and part of it would be given to the officers as bonuses. The officers who performed well would be rewarded even more.
Robert specifically explained this to his subordinates, so that they wouldn't skimp on the job.
Unknown dangers and power weren't as simple and effective as a little money incentive.
Hearing the cheers on the other end of the line, Robert quietly hung up and suddenly sighed. "You're making so much money. Don't tell me you've thought of something like this before?"
"This is a country of money. The rich can even make anyone work for us," said Luke calmly.
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Even if it wasn't this time, there will be a next time. Even if it wasn't a mysterious incident, it could be an enemy, an idiot, or a lunatic. Most of these dangers can be prevented and resolved with money. That's why I chose to be rich so that you and Catherine can be rich too. It's not to indulge in debauchery, but just so that we can live a safer life. Money is just a tool to keep us safe. "
After a long silence, Robert smiled bitterly. "You're much more mature than I was when I was young. Back then, when they asked me to join them to make money, I actually really wanted to say yes."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "Them? It can't be your old comrade, right? "
Robert shook his head. "I was their boss for a while, but I was only seconded. Also, they didn't know that I knew what they wanted to do when they asked me to join them. So, as long as I didn't apply for a transfer, they would let me go. "
Luke was still a little curious. "What do they want?"
Robert glanced at him. "Illegal drugs. Take at least a ton of them on a military plane. As long as they bribe the base's ground crew and guards, they won't be in any danger. They can just take out a big box and say that it's food and water. "
Luke was speechless, but still shook his head. "This isn't a small amount of money. If you follow them, you'll at least become a millionaire in a year or two, and it's not impossible for you to become a multimillionaire. To be able to resist this temptation, you weren't any worse than I was when you were young. "
Robert didn't look happy. He simply continued, "It was also because of this that I suddenly realized that I might not be doing anything for America when I joined the army, even though that's what the recruitment ads always say. But I've seen a lot of bureaucrats who are not only corrupt, but also big traffickers themselves. I couldn't stand being comrades with these people anymore. In the end, I asked a few old friends for help and finally retired. "
At this point, he paused. "Frank Castle helped me and got his boss to let me go."
Luke frowned. "Was he involved too?"
Robert shook his head. "No, he just knew that I didn't want to stay there anymore, so he helped me."
Luke pondered for a moment. "Who's your boss?"
Robert said, "Ray Schoonover. He's from the Marines, but he has a lot of connections. He has connections in the CIA, the FBI, and the Homeland Security Administration."
Luke hummed in acknowledgment, but he thought to himself, This is too much of a favor.
Frank Castle was Robert's biggest creditor, and Luke had to pay more attention to him.
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