Ch. 381..390
Chapter 381
However, he was currently in a precarious situation. There was no way he could keep Henry alive on his own.
“I’ll avenge you, Henry.
” Wearing a grim expression, James clenched his fists. “I’ll never forgive the person behind this. Rest well here. I’m going to divert the enemies’ attention. You must hold on. Reinforcements will arrive at daybreak. When the time comes, I’ll bring you back to Cansington.” James lifted Henry and walked toward the deepest parts of the cave. Finally, he found a secluded spot and hid Henry there.
After that, he removed any lingering scents and traces that were there.
James knew that the enemy would have military dogs. If they happened to detect them, Henry would be as good as doomed. Removing Henry’s scent would prevent them from sensing his presence.
After ensuring everything was set up the best it could be, he quickly left.
He left the stone cave and headed straight into the thick foliage. His experience staying in the Southern Plains for a decade armed him with the geographical knowledge he needed. The main concern was to attract the enemy’s attention. Otherwise, Henry would be in mortal danger if he were found.
The light from the torchlights pierced the dense foliage. James concealed himself while pressing forward. After walking a couple of miles, he emerged from the foliage and promptly eliminated a squad, seizing a gun, some bullets, and a military bag. “Squad five from Xanadu was ambushed. All members were killed.”
In central command at the top of Mt. Thunder…
After receiving the intelligence report, the commander-in-chief of the twenty-eight-nation alliance gave the order, “Locate the area. All members! Head immediately toward the area where squad five from Xanadu was ambushed. Conduct a blanket search. Don’t let even a mosquito pass through you.” “Commander-in-chief, the squad was ambushed at area C.”
“Head toward area C now. Cordon off the area.” After receiving orders, the army swiftly made its way toward area C. Meanwhile, James used his plundered equipment from the squad he ambushed to plant a few land mines and pressed forward.
Soon, he could see light in the distance. Helicopters were circling with their sweeping spotlights, scanning the areas below them. James lay on the ground in the bushes and kept very still.
After the helicopters had finally left, he got up and hurriedly left the area. Not long after, he saw a few squads coming his way. He climbed onto a tree and hid in the dense foliage.
Then, he readied a grenade. The squad below approached slowly while scanning their surroundings.
Boom!
There was an explosion, and one of the squads was eliminated instantly.
James leaped toward another tree. As he moved through the branches, he opened fire at the other squad below and killed them in an instant.
After finishing them off, he went back into hiding. “Reporting! Squad thirty-four, eighty-nine, and a hundred and fifty from Geosenge were ambushed. The coordinates are zone 45, area C.”
Central command at Mt. Thunder received the intelligence report.
The commander-in-chief gave more orders, “Everyone nearby head toward the area. Surround the whole area. You’ll be court-martialed if the Black Dragon escapes.” Hearing the orders, the squads nearby immediately made haste toward the specified location. James struck again and his actions attracted a brigade this time.
There were at least ten helicopters in the area searching for him.
James knew he had to break through the enemy ranks and leave immediately. If the brigade arrived and surrounded the area, his escape routes would have been blocked off.
He hid amidst the leaf cover and waited for the helicopters to leave. Like an agile monkey, he leaped a distance of five to six meters and landed on another tree.
He moved with determination.
Soon, he was out of the encirclement.
He hid beneath a big rock by the cliff. A few helicopters took turns scanning the area with their spotlight from afar. James lay there motionless. He was contemplating.
How could he break out of the encirclement?
He believed it was near impossible. There were barely any hiding spots he could use for a prolonged period. He had no choice but to constantly change locations and lead his pursuers on a wild goose chase. Only certain death awaited him if he ended up getting surrounded.
Chapter 382 James hid beneath a rock by the cliff. His entire body was hidden in the cracks of the rock, and only his head was left exposed. He used various kinds of plants to quickly fashion a makeshift covering for his head. Even if someone passed by him, it was unlikely that they would notice him as long as he remained silent.
Below the cliff, a brigade was searching for him with torchlights. After his position had been blasted over the radio, more and more of his enemies gathered around the area. There were at least three thousand of them below.
Seeing the light below, James made a small smirk. He quietly got up. Then, he placed the explosives he had just crafted between the cracks of a rock that was on the verge of falling He perched atop a rock and quickly readied his sniper rifle.
Bang!
One of the men below was shot dead and crumpled to the ground.
“Enemy alert!”
Realizing that they were compromised, the men panicked. “Twelve o’clock! On that cliff!”
“Reporting to headquarters. We have found the Black Dragon. Request for backup. Line 182, Area C.”
As James emerged from hiding, countless torchlights illuminated the night sky. They were all pointed at the cliff before them.
After opening fire, James grabbed the gun and leaped several meters in the air. In the blink of an eye, he was at the top of the cliff.
Rat-tat-tat!
The machine gun on the helicopters sprayed the area around the cliff. Their bullets never found their target as James was already gone.
After he left, a few thousand men began to climb the mountain.
However, James had planted explosives on the cliff beforehand.
The men climbing the mountain unwittingly set them off.
Boom!
The sound of a loud blast rang through the air.
The cliff came crashing down.
Many below were crushed, and their bodies were mangled beyond recognition. “Retreat! Retreat! There’s a bomb!”
The brigade quickly retreated. At central command at Mt. Thunder, the commander-in-chief in his black overcoat cursed,” Useless! All these idiots are useless! There are a hundred thousand of them and they can’t even capture a single guy after taking so long? Relay my orders. Send in the bombers and flatten the entire place.” “We shouldn’t, sir!”
A general hurriedly explained, “This isn’t a game. The Black Dragon army will be alerted if we send in the bombers. Once they mobilize, this could spark a war. Our nations aren’t capable of withstanding the wrath of the Black Dragon army.” “He’s right! We cannot do this.”
“Commander-in-chief, we have placed our sentinels in every area. We’re slowly closing in on the Black Dragon. Before daybreak, he will be trapped in the encirclement. There’ll no place left for him to run.”
The generals from different countries tried their best to dissuade the commander.
The commander-in-chief was called Ferdinand McDonald.
He was a general of Yanville. A year ago, his brother was killed by the Black Dragon at Mt. Thunder Pass. He’d sworn to get vengeance for his brother since that day. Now that the opportunity had arisen, he was not going to allow the Black Dragon to escape so easily. “It’s night-time now. That’s why the Black Dragon’s able to stay hidden. Once the sun rises, he’ll have nowhere no hide. His hours are numbered.”
Only upon hearing this did Ferdinand manage to reign himself back.
James had planned to make his escape once he killed a few more of his enemies.
He had been on the run constantly in the mountain.
Gradually, he noticed more and more people gathering around the area. There were also sentinels guarding every critical spot. He felt like he saw them every other step he took He was slowly getting trapped in the encirclement. Once surrounded, the enemy would work swiftly to close in on him. He was in dire straits. James hid in a big tree.
He grimly scanned his surroundings. He never once lost his cool. Instead, he constantly assessed the situation and kept thinking of ways to break through the encirclement.
As long as he could break through it, he could buy time until daybreak. Once the sun has risen and the Black Dragon army mobilizes, this mountain would turn into a graveyard for his enemies. After serious contemplation, he took a deep breath. He could no longer conceal himself. He had no other choice than to take a head-on approach. After coming to that decision, he kept himself hidden while he waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. Soon, a squad appeared.
Another squad trailed close behind them, with many more drawing in from the distance.
Chapter 383 He had to end this quickly.
With a leap, he descended upon them.
Rat-tat-tat!
The squad opened fire even before he had landed. However, they were instantly taken out. James rushed forward and began plundering their supplies,guns, bullets, grenades, and tool kits.
“Over there!”
“Quick!” “It’s the Black Dragon!”
Everyone opened fire. More people began to draw closer to the sound of the commotion. Then, the helicopters arrived.
The machine guns were fired with reckless abandon around the area in an effort to take James down.
After seizing the supplies, James nimbly dodged the bullets. He leaped high up the air onto a tree and hopped through the dense brush.
He then concealed himself atop a thirty-meter-high tree. Combat aircrafts hovered menacingly in the sky.
James narrowed his eyes at the sight. He didn’t have a chance to break through the encirclement as long as they were around. A combat aircraft was headed towards him and was only about thirty meters away. James took a grenade out and threw it forcefully into the air.
At the same time, he jumped onto another tree and opened fire at the sky. Bang! The grenade exploded.
The combat aircraft had been hit and instantly lit up in flames. Like a stringless kite, it crashed from the sky and exploded into a ball of burning metal debris.
The crash also took out many unsuspecting men on the ground. As the combat aircraft crashed to the ground, bombs fell from the sky and detonated in the area James was in. Even the trees were uprooted by the blast. Fortunately, none were able to hit him as he had already quickly moved on from the area.
He was already a kilometer away.
He hid once more in a tree, breathing heavily from the exertion. His body was having a hard time keeping up with his intense mental concentration and extreme physical movements.
His energy was almost completely spent. He needed to eat and restore his energy soon. If he did not, he would lose his ability to fight very soon.
It was at this very moment that his tobacco addiction kicked in. He needed to have a smoke. He saw the hollow of a tree in a distance. Like a snake, he descended the tree at an astonishing speed. He entered the hollow with a fluid dive.
He took a cigarette out and lit it.
He took a deep, long drag. All his fatigue was instantly washed away.
From his bag, he took out a few fortified biscuits and a bottle of mineral water.
It did not take long for his small moment of respite to be broken again. James peeked through the crevice of the tree and noticed fully-armed soldiers heading toward the area he was in. He quietly planted a few land mines and disappeared into the night. A few minutes later… Boom!
There was an explosion, and many were killed in the blast. James kept disappearing and re-emerging as if he was able to blend into shadows themselves.
Even so, a hundred-thousand-strong army was assembled in this area. James’ movements were slowly but surely getting more and more restricted.
James looked at the watch on his wrist. It was only two o’clock in the morning. There were still many hours until daybreak. In the mean time, the area James’ was able to move around in had gotten so small that any movement he made was extremely risky.
“Where’s the central command?” James wracked his brain for answers.
He tried his best to pinpoint the location of the enemy’s central command. If he wiped out the central command, the forces of the twenty-eight-nation alliance would be leaderless and thus, a lot less coordinated.
“Mt. Thunder?”
James came upon a possible area for the base-the top of Mt. Thunder. After he left, that was the first place his enemies had appeared in.
As such, the central command was likely at the top of Mt. Thunder. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in James’ head. He had a daring idea. He thought of a way to return to Mt. Thunder and destroy the brains of the enemy’s operation.
hapter 384 There only were a few hours left until daybreak.
He would not be able to last until then if he did not come up with a plan.
He was not a hundred percent sure that the central command was at the top of Mt. Thunder either.
However, the top of Mt. Thunder was logically a very strategic location. If he was the commander, he too would choose to construct a temporary command center there.
That was because it was surrounded by cliffs on all sides. Not only that, it had a vantage point that was easily defensible.
After getting a grasp of the situation, James began formulating his plan.
He closed his eyes, trying to remember the routes he had taken to deduce his current location and distance relative to the top of Mt. Thunder.
Relying on memory alone was not a very reliable measure, but it was close enough.
His main conundrum now was that the enemy’s main forces were slowly cornering him. He needed to think of a way to break the encirclement and he needed to do it fast. It was no longer possible for him to sneak away unnoticed. On the flip side, getting to the top in his condition would be quite the task if he showed himself now.
He chose to remain hidden. Meanwhile, the sky filled with more combat aircraft. Their bright spotlights pierced the night sky like sweeping lasers.
James knew he was running out of time.
The area he was in was already in everyone’s crosshairs. If he did not leave in time, an army of a hundred thousand men would be there to confront him in battle. Once the enemy launched a pincer attack from all sides, there would be no escape for him. The moment the spotlight disappeared, he swiftly leaped down the tree. Just as he landed, the spotlight once again returned to light up the trees. He got on the ground in the bushes and lay motionless. Only after the spotlight had left the area did he continue moving forward.
He slowly sneaked in the direction of the army and then attempted to go around them.
He eventually reached an area with many men surrounding him.
These fully-armed men wearing LED flashlights on their heads were conducting a blanket search of the area. They systematically moved forward and shrunk the encirclement. James could tell from just the lights that there were at least a thousand men there.
Finishing them off would not have been too difficult a task. The problem he faced was the helicopter circling in the sky searching for the slightest hint of his whereabouts. Once the battle commenced, he’d be immediately exposed to the relentless bombardment and machine gun fire of the helicopters. He lifted his head and squinted the sky. There were at least ten helicopters.
“Tch, how annoying.”
James clicked his tongue under his breath. With the sniper rifle on his back, he surreptitiously made his way to a cliff and hid in the bushes near a rock.
Then, he pulled out the rifle and set it up. It had a range of a thousand meters. Concealed, Jarnes aimed at a helicopter in the sky. It was moving in the air lazily. He worked out the wind force, the drag, and the helicopter’s speed in his mind. As the helicopter flew into his range, he opened fire.
The bullet pierced through the helicopter’s window and killed the pilot instantly. The helicopter spun out of control and crashed to the ground.
Boom!
Upon impact with the ground, the helicopter exploded into a ball of flames. The surrounding dry grass caught fire.
The fast-spreading flames lit up the pitch-black surroundings. At the sight James, who had been hidden atop a cliff the entire time, smiled slightly. He quickly went back into hiding and continued searching for more opportunities.
Soon, he found another one.
He opened fire once more and killed another helicopter pilot. That helicopter went down just as quickly as the first.
The commotion attracted the attention of the nearby soldiers. They all knew the Black Dragon was in this area and they hastily made their way there. In just a short amount of time, ten thousand men had gathered there. Seeing this, James scowled.
He decided against remaining at the same spot for too long. He loaded up the rifle on his back again and swiftly moved through the brush. At the top of Mt. Thunder, Ferdinand cursed upon receiving the intelligence reports,” Worthless! All these men are worthless! How did he take down the helicopter by himself?!” “General, this is the Black Dragon we’re talking about. Worry not, he might have the advantage of blending into the terrain at night, but once the sun rises, he’ll be trapped like a rat.”
“That’s right. The twenty-eight-nation alliance has mobilized a hundred thousand men. There’s no way the Black Dragon’s getting out of here alive.” “He’s as good as dead.”
“We just need to wait until daybreak.” Generals from the twenty-eight nations gathered in the central command. As they had been defeated by James in the past, they were well aware of his strength. That was why they remained composed. Once the sun rose, James would have nowhere else to hide. Within this time, James had already exterminated a few sentinels in the area and managed to
obtain a rocket launcher.
He stood on a tree with a rocket launcher on his shoulder and aimed at a helicopter in the sky.
Boom!
He fired the rocket launcher.
It was a direct hit.
Another helicopter crashed to the ground.
Previous Chapter
Chapter 385
James was constantly on the lookout for windows of opportunities to strike his enemy down. In just an hour, he had taken down thirty helicopters.
At the moment, there was only a handful of them left.
Without the spotlight threatening to expose his location, James found it easier to move around. He was able to rush through the encampments and slowly made his way toward Mt. Thunder.
At five o’clock in the morning, James reached the top of the mountain.
The central command was guarded by only a few hundred men. The main force was in the mountains looking for James.
James pulled out a machine gun with a silencer and opened fire.
The men dropped like flies. At the same time, in central command…
The generals from the twenty-eight nations were in a heated discussion. “General McDonald, we’ve lost the Black Dragon’s trail.” “He hasn’t shown himself for over an hour.” “Where is he hiding?” The room was abuzz with discussion about the Black Dragon’s whereabouts.
“There’s no way he has left the Mt. Thunder Pass.” “He should still be hidden in this area. We should stay on our guard and wait until daybreak.” All of a sudden, there was a blackout in the central command. “What’s going on?”
Ferdinand ordered, “Quick, go have a look!”
At that moment, the door was pushed open. A man in a camouflage uniform walked in. His face was colored with dye, and he held a machine gun in his hands. “Sorry to keep you waiting, good sirs.”
His voice was cold and callous.
“B-Black Dragon!?” The pitch-black room was filled with the sound of surprised exclamations and chairs being knocked over.
The Black Dragon was here in the central command at the top of Mt. Thunder. Wasn’t he surrounded? How did he break through it and make his way here? James reached for the back of his waist and grabbed a handful of silver needles. Then, he threw them with great force.
Everyone in the room was incapacitated. They collapsed to the floor and lay motionless. After subduing them, James walked out and switched on the generator. Light immediately filled the room.
He walked back in.
Around twenty men lay in the room.
They all wore horrified expressions. They wanted to move. Yet, their bodies refused to cooperate. James walked in, grabbed a chair, and sat on it. Then he lit the cigar on the table and smoked it while fixing his gaze on the generals.
“Oh, wow!”
James chuckled at the sight of all these familiar faces. “How bold of you! I guess I was being too lenient back then.” He let out a loud, hearty, laugh. The generals’ faces went pale.
They had lost. It was a complete and devastating loss.
All twenty-eight fighters from twenty-eight different nations were killed even as they barraged the Black Dragon all at once.
Most of the hundred-thousand soldiers pursuing the Black Dragon were killed. Finally, he broke through their encirclement and headed straight toward the central command.
Now, only death awaited the ones left in the room.
Smoking his cigar, James looked at the generals and interrogated them with a steely voice,“ I’ll you guys a chance to live if you give me the information I want. Who’s the one behind the scenes? Who’s targeting me?” “Just cut to the chase and kill us already.” Ferdinand replied defiantly.
James looked at him.
“Ferdinand, it was your brother’s fault for ambushing the Black Dragon army and causing the death of many of my comrades-in-arms. I didn’t expect you to repeat the same mistake.”
James approached him and lifted Ferdinand by his collar.
“Do you really think I won’t kill you?” “H-Have mercy, Black Dragon! The border is at peace, and you’re no longer the Black Dragon General. If you kill him, a war could break out.”
“Is that so?”, James sneered.
Immediately, his face darkened. He grabbed Ferdinand’s neck and curled his fingers around it forcefully.
Ferdinand’s neck let out a sharp snap, and he died before he could say anything else.
He then tossed Ferdinand’s body aside like a rag doll. He looked at the generals who were shivering in fear and said coldly, “Even if I have resigned, that doesn’t mean I’m going to let myself be pushed around by a bunch of nobodies like you. Since you’ve decided to mobilize your army, you should have prepared yourselves for the aftermath.”
“I’ll ask again. Who’s the one giving you your orders?”
James’ roar reverberated throughout the room.
His roar sapped whatever courage the generals had left.
Chapter 386 Though Ferdinand did not fear death, the other generals did.
With James’ threat looming over them, they decided to concede. “I-It was Willy. He told us to send the twenty-eight fighters to fight you at Mt. Thunder. If they lose, then we were supposed to mobilize our armies.”
“That’s right! It was Willy who planned all this.”
“He instructed us to capture the Black Shadow General of the Southern Plains to use as leverage against you. We only mobilized because he said he needed our help.” Everyone clamored at once.
James clenched his fists.
Henry’s life was hanging by a thread because of them. He wanted all of them dead, right there and then. The atmosphere in the room chilled over. The generals lying on the floor could sense his lethal intent. They quivered in fear as if they were face-to-face with a ferocious beast.
James took a deep breath.
He unclenched his fists.
Against his personal desires, he chose not to kill them. After all, killing them might make it harder for him to leave the mountain alive.
“Reporting to central command. We’ve lost the Black Dragon’s trail. Please give further instructions.”
“No Black Dragon sighted in Area C.”
Intelligence reports began flooding in. James grabbed a general and hissed, “Order the army to head toward Area D.” The general did not dare disobey him.
“This is central command. We have received news that the Black Dragon has escaped to Area D. Head toward the area immediately.”
After the general relayed his orders, James smashed the communications equipment to pieces.
With that, central command lost all contact with the outside world.
Now, all James needed to do was wait for dawn. Henry’s grave condition occupied the back of his mind. He had no idea if he was still alive. After tying everyone in the room up, James speedily left the room and headed for the cave where he had hidden Henry.
Using his great agility, he traversed through the dense forest in the blink of an eye. Soon, he reached the cave and found Henry. Carrying Henry on his back, he quickly returned to the top of Mt. Thunder.
The sun’s rays peeked through the horizon.
James inspected Henry’s condition. He pulled a silver needle out and stimulated Henry’s organs to keep him alive.
At the same time, in the military region of the Southern Plains… Levi was awake the whole night.
He felt anxious ever since seeing James off. In his office, his eyes were glued to his clock the whole time. It was six o’clock in the morning. The sun was slowly rising above the horizon.
James had not returned.
He stood up and gave the order, “Attention!” “Air force regiment reporting for duty!” “Special forces brigade reporting for duty!” “Infantry battalion reporting for duty!” “Missile regiment reporting for duty!”
As Levi delegated the orders, all buildings in the military region lighted up. All the commanders of different brigades and regiments reported for duty.
Levi looked at the time once again and shouted, “Attention! We’ll leave camp at seven o’clock in the morning. Our destination’s Mt. Thunder Pass. Our mission? Flatten it!”
The sound of the war trumpet could be heard throughout the entire military region. Everyone was ready for combat.
All combat aircraft were prepared for take-off at any moment. All armored vehicles, tanks, and missile launching vehicles stood on standby.
Hundreds of thousands of the Black Dragon army boarded the vehicles. After Levi gave his directives, all his generals headed to his office.
“General Levi, what’s going on?” “Why are we blowing the war trumpet?” “Is the enemy attacking?” “The Black Dragon General has resigned. Have you asked the higher-ups for permission?” Faced with their questions, Levi replied, “Though the Black Dragon has resigned from his post, he’ll always be the commander in my heart. Yesterday, he appeared at the Southern Plains and headed toward Mt. Thunder Pass. Before he left, he ordered us to mobilize the army and flatten the Mt. Thunder Pass if he didn’t return by daybreak.”
Chapter 387 “What?! The General was here in the Southern Plains?” “When was this?” “Why wasn’t I informed?” However, Levi offered no explanations.
He stood by the window and waited silently.
The sun slowly rose above the horizon, illuminating the pitch-black sky.
He glanced at his clock.
It was seven o’clock in the morning.
With a walkie-talkie in his hand, he gave his order, “Attack!”
The sound of the war trumpet reverberated throughout the military region.
Thousands of combat aircraft took off.
Following that, column after column of tanks, armored vehicles, and convoys proceeded in an intimidating formation toward Mt. Thunder Pass.
At the same time, James was outside the central command at the top of Mt. Thunder. It was daybreak. If everything went as planned, Levi should have mobilized the army.
He returned to the room. Looking at the generals, he addressed them tersely, “The Mt. Thunder Pass will be the final resting place of the hundred-thousand men belonging to the armies of the twenty-eight-nation alliance.”
Boom!
Just as James finished his sentence, the muffled din of an explosion could be heard outside.
The general’s faces lost their color. “T-The Black Dragon army has mobilized?”
“Are you trying to instigate a war, Black Dragon?! Sol has signed an agreement with the other nations that its army wouldn’t cross into the Mt. Thunder Pass for no reason.”
“This is preposterous! Just you wait! The twenty-eight nations will have their revenge!” The generals gave a defiant outcry.
James sat emotionlessly on a chair, “Yes, we agreed not to cross into the Pass for no reason. However, this is under the condition that we weren’t under attack. It’s true that I’ve already resigned from my post. He, however…”
James pointed at Henry, who was lying on the bed, still unconscious. “He’s still a general of the Southern Plains. How brazen of the twenty-eight nations to kidnap our general. Now I hope you’re prepared to suffer the wrath of the Black Dragon army!” As he said that, he retrieved the silver needles from their body. The generals were finally able
to move again
“Contact your supreme commander immediately. Tell them if they want you back alive, they should be prepared to pay the ransom. According to international norms-a million dollars for a common soldier and ten billion for a general.
James looked at them.
“Since you’ve decided to mobilize your armies, you should have prepared for the possibility that you would fail.”
“You should have foreseen defeat.”
The sound of gunfire and explosion came from outside. Upon seeing the Black Dragon army being mobilized, the allied forces of the twenty-eight nations wavered. They lost the courage to continue fighting and chose to surrender. The Black Dragon army’s bombers continued their bombardment in spite of this, and the massive battalion suffered devastating losses.
The rest were taken prisoner.
After reconnecting communications to central command, James took the landline phone and called Levi.
“I’m at the top of Mt. Thunder.”
After hanging up the call, he waited patiently.
Soon, a few combat aircraft landed at the top of the mountain.
“Levi, vice-commander of the Black Dragon army, reporting for duty! My sincerest apologies for being late!” Levi knelt on one knee after getting off the helicopter.
The others followed suit.
“Sorry for being late, sir!”
Their voices rang in unison. Carrying the still unconscious Henry, James walked out of the building under their gaze. Bodies were sprawled all over the top of the mountain. James made his way toward Levi carefully stepping over the bodies and ordered, “Send me to the military hospital of the Southern Plains. I need to treat the Black Shadow’s wounds. The generals of the twenty-eight nations are inside. Take all of them prisoner and bring them back. According to international norms, we’ll be demanding a ransom from their respective countries.”
“Bring all prisoners of war back too.”
After delivering his instructions, James got on the helicopter with Henry in his arms. The helicopter took off and left the mountain. Levi and the other generals stood up and saw the corpses littered all over the mountaintop. He drew a heavy breath.
How Intense must the battle have been to have caused so much death and agony?
Chapter 388 At the military hospital of the Southern Plains… Henry was immediately wheeled into the operation room.
James personally conducted a comprehensive examination on him.
His bones throughout his body were shattered. In addition to that, the tendons on his arms and legs were barely hanging on. He also suffered a heavy blow to his head and had a severe case of cerebral concussion as well as serious cranial nerve damage. To make things worse, there was also a gunshot wound.
He was only alive because of James’ silver needle. Otherwise, he’d have been long dead.
His current prognosis was extremely grim. Even if James was a genius doctor, patching up his wounds would be no simple task.
At least that was all he had to deal with now…
Now that James was in a safe environment, he would be fully able to concentrate on treating Henry.
As long as he was still breathing, it was still possible to save his life.
“Prep for surgery!”
James began the operation by addressing Henry’s shattered bones.
As Henry’s injuries were grave, the operation took a long time. The operation lasted more than twenty hours. It began in the morning and was only completed by nighttime the next day.
Although the operation was complete, Henry was not out of the woods just yet. James would have to stay by Henry’s side to provide acupuncture treatment, inspect his body condition, and prescribe medicine for him for the next ten days
He walked out of the operation room.
Since the incident at Mt. Thunder Pass up to this point, he had been awake for two days so far. Having to be constantly on high alert and in combat mode on Mt. Thunder, James was running on fumes. After completing the operation, he was exhausted. Many generals of the Southern Plains gathered outside the operation room. “General…” Upon seeing James, they saluted him. James lightly waved and said weakly, “These are extraordinary times. Save the formalities for later.”
Levi said, “We’ve taken the enemy generals prisoner and brought them back here. Their respective nations are now applying pressure to Sol, demanding that we release them.”
“Release them?”
James narrowed his eyebrows and scowled. “Not a chance in hell! In accordance with past agreements, demand them to pay the ransom. By the way, increase the ransom tenfold.”
“News of the battle of Mt. Thunder Pass has spread throughout the world, and the international community’s currently in a heated discussion. Will the enemy even agree to pay ten times the ransom?”
“Just do as I say.” James sat on a chair in the corridor outside the operation room. He reflexively reached for his cigarettes but found nothing. Levi promptly handed James a cigarette and lit it. He asked, “By the way, how’s the Black Shadow General?” James leaned on the chair and took a deep breath, “He won’t die as long as I’m here. By the way, with all that commotion at Mt. Thunder Pass, did you not receive any word from the higher-ups?”
Levi shook his head, “Nope.”
“Huh…”
James nodded and said, “That’s good then. Just do as I say and demand ten times the usual amount of ransom. Hand the original sum over to the National Treasury and transfer the rest to my bank account. I’m tired now. I’m going to rest for a bit. Watch Henry’s condition closely. Wake me up if anything happens.” Levi nodded, “Understood.” James stood up and headed toward the military hospital’s lounge. He stopped after walking a few steps and looked back, “Buy me a new phone too and get me a new SIM card while you’re at it.”
He turned to leave after he said that.
He was dead tired. All he wanted now was rest. As Henry was still in an unstable condition, the next ten days would be critical. James would have to perform acupuncture treatment on Henry regularly to keep him alive. Then, he’d have to prescribe medicine and use them to accelerate the repair of his shattered bones and restore the normal functions of his organs.
News of the battle of Mt. Thunder Pass in the Southern Plains had spread throughout the world.
The internet was full of posts about the battle.
“‘The Black Dragon fought the twenty-eight fighters of the twenty-eight nation Alliance at Mt. Thunder Pass in the Southern Plains!”
“The twenty-eight fighters met their doom at Mt. Thunder Pass!” “The twenty-eight nation Alliance mobilized a hundred-thousand-strong army and pursued the Black Dragon at Mt. Thunder Pass!” “They fought for a whole night. Breaking through the encirclement of the hundred-thousand strong army, the Black Dragon made his way into the enemy’s central command and took all the enemy’s generals prisoner!”
“The Black Dragon of the Southern Plains is the sole guardian of Sol!” “Though the Black Dragon’s no longer a general, he’ll always be the God of War of Sol and the hero in my heart!”
Posts covering the battle emerged in an endless stream. Meanwhile, at the Callahans… Thea remained home for the past two days.
She was very concerned about all things regarding the Black Dragon. She had been to military forums but found nothing but rumors. No one had real-life footage of the battle. As such, she began to doubt that the battle had taken place.
“Why would he return to the Southern Plains?” “David?”
Thea turned to look at David.
Chapter 389 “Huh?”
David, who was sitting on the sofa spacing out, jumped up in surprise. His body was tense, and his forehead gleamed with sweat.
Thea had wanted to ask him about the rumors on the internet.
Seeing his weird reaction, she frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve not been yourself these past two days.”
“I-It’s nothing.”
David hurriedly sat back down.
He was not able to muster the courage to speak even after two days had passed.
He was reluctant to tell Thea the fact that he had transferred five hundred million from her bank account, or about how he also borrowed eight hundred million worth in loans from loan sharks.
No one had come knocking on the door for the past two days. He thought he had gotten away with it.
Thea didn’t suspect a thing at all.
She stood and sat beside David. She then asked him, “Rumors about the Black Dragon are going viral on the Internet. They said that he went to the Southern Plains and fought twenty eight professional fighters skilled in martial arts. Mt. Thunder Pass was apparently littered with bodies. Are the rumors true?”
“I-I don’t know anything about this.”
David replied inattentively. “Fine then.”
His disinterested attitude stopped Thea from asking more.
She stood up and left the house. Outside, she attempted to dial the number of the mysterious Mr. Caden, a.k.a. the Black Dragon. “Sorry, the number you have called is unavailable.” The call was not able to get through. She ruminated for a while and called Quincy.
It was eight in the morning, and Quincy had just arrived at her office. She answered Thea’s call.
“Yes, Thea?”
Despite her slight irritation at the early call, Quincy answered her best friend’s call in a friendly tone.
“Quincy, are the rumors on the internet true? Did the Black Dragon really go to the Southern Plains? Did he have a fierce battle at Mt. Thunder Pass and was he under attack by a massive army?”
Quincy had heard of these rumors yesterday.
However, she did not have any inside information.
“How would I know?”
Thea continued to ask, “By the way, have you seen James over the past two days? I tried calling him, but his phone was off. None of my calls got through.”
Quincy replied, “How would I have the time to see him? That good-for-nothing should have forgotten all about me. I’m really busy at work lately. I’ve been working overtime until midnight every single day. When I reach home, I just collapse on the bed. I don’t have time to contact him. Anyway, I’m still busy at the moment, so I’m hanging up now. I’ll call you later at lunchtime.”
The busy Quincy ended the call almost immediately.
Thea called a taxi and headed to Majestic Corporation.
She wanted to see James.
However, Newton told her James was not around.
Meanwhile, back at the Callahans’ residence…
A gang of thugs had smashed through the front door. David was bleeding from the head. He collapsed on the floor and cried out in pain. A middle-aged obese man sat on the sofa. Wearing a black vest and a golden necklace, he smoked his cigar. “It’s the third day, David. Your interest is now 600 million. Add that to the original amount, and you owe me 1.4 billion. When am I getting my money back?” The middle-aged obese man had a nasty look. David groaned in pain on the floor. He begged repeatedly. “P-Please, Maximus. Have mercy on me. I don’t have money.”
“What?!”
Maximus was enraged. He stood up and stomped on David with his foot. “Why did you gamble then? What were you doing borrowing from us?” David was in excruciating pain.
Thea went to Majestic Corporation but did not manage to see James. Disappointed, she returned home. Before she even entered the house, she heard someone wailing in pain inside.
She hurriedly made her way inside.
She saw a bunch of strangers in her house. Not only that, her brother was lying on the floor with a man’s foot on him,
She was furious.
“Who are you?! What do you think you’re doing?! Did you guys break in?!”
Everyone’s head turned in the direction of Thea’s voice.
Maximus looked at Thea, scanning her from head to toe. He had heard so much about Thea, the most beautiful woman in Cansington. Now that he had seen her in person, she was even more gorgeous and alluring than the rumors said.
Back then, when she had the protection of the Black Dragon, no one dared offend her. Now that the Black Dragon had met his downfall, she had lost her protector.
Maximus looked at Thea and gave her a thin smile, “Thea Callahan, your brother borrowed 800 million from me. The interest is 200 million per day. Today’s the third day, so he now owes me 1.4 billion in total. I’ll give you another day to gather the money, and I’ll come and collect the next day. There’ll be repercussions if you don’t pay up tomorrow.”
Maximus and his men withdrew after leaving that threat.
Meanwhile, Thea was petrified.
“8-800 million?”
“A total of 1.4 billion with interest!?”
Chapter 390 Thea was shocked speechless.
She could not believe that David had borrowed 800 million dollars from the loan sharks.
Maximus left with his men in tow.
Maximus Leviticus was originally a small-time gang leader.
During this period, the truly powerful and influential men of the underworld in Cansington lived in seclusion and distanced themselves from worldly affairs.
After the likes of Dawson and Nine Fingers went into hiding, Maximus seized the opportunity and rose to prominence in the underworld. He was now a loan shark. His gambling dens and businesses in the entertainment districts had been going swimmingly. He was close to being the new king of the underworld.
An underling of his asked, “Maximus, why didn’t you capture David? We could have forced the Callahans to pay up.”
Maximus snorted maliciously.
“You think it’s gonna be over after they pay up? I’m not letting them off the hook that easily.” “What do you mean?” His underling stared at him. Wearing a smug look, Maximus said, “I’ve looked into the Callahans’ background. The most powerful of them is the Black Dragon. His downfall is a pity. He’s no longer the general of the Southern Plains. I also hear that many powerful people want him dead.”
Saying that, he paused momentarily. “Aren’t rumors about the Black Dragon appearing in the Southern Plains spreading on the internet? This must have been the work of some powerful figures. There’s also news that the Black Dragon has died on the battlefield at Mt. Thunder Pass in the Southern Plains.” “Without her backer, Thea Callahan is nothing more than a lamb going to the slaughter.” “She’s a beautiful woman. I want her on my bed. I want the Callahans to fall.” “You’ve really thought it all out, boss!” “Ha ha…”
Maximus laughed darkly.
At the Callahans, David was lying on the floor. He was bleeding from the head and groaning in pain.
Thea walked toward him in disbelief and anger. “David, what have you done?!” “Sob…”
David wept.
He was devastated.
At that moment, he had nothing else to live for. He stood up and rushed toward the windows. He wanted to open the window and end it all. Thea stopped him in time and reprimanded him, “Will dying solve your problems? Calm down for now.”
“Just let me die! Just let me get it over with.”
Slap!
Thea slapped him across the face. Her slap allowed David to regain some composure. David sat on the sofa and cried his eyes out. Wearing a solemn expression, Thea asked, “What’s going on?” “I’m sorry, Thea. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have… I regret it so much…” David was inconsolable. “I-I know you had money on your card. I made a plan with Alyssa to transfer 500 million to us. I went to the underground casino to try my luck but I was too caught up with everything. I lost all the money. I-I even… I even borrowed 800 million from the loan sharks.” “I didn’t know what I was doing! My head was spinning, and I was so sure I’d win it all back.”
David told the whole truth.
“You…”
Vasso
Hearing this, Thea was so enraged she almost passed out. Panting with rage, she held David as her knuckles turned white. “Thea, I know you have enough money. Help me pay back my debt. I don’t want to die. Plus, Alyssa’s pregnant. I’ll be a father soon. I don’t want my child to be fatherless.”
David continued to cry uncontrollably.
Things had snowballed rapidly and were now crashing down.
He lost 500 million and borrowed an additional 800 million. The interest rate was exorbitantly high.
Thea was at a loss for what to do. After sitting in stunned silence for a while, she pulled out her phone and called her parents. “Mom, something bad happened. Come back, quick.” She then called Alyssa who had returned to the Myers household. “Alyssa, come back right now.”
Soon, the whole family was gathered. After learning that David had stolen 500 million and borrowed an additional 800 million from loan sharks, Gladys was so exasperated that she started to feel woozy. Benjamin hurriedly wiped her face with a cool cloth and gently stroked her back.
Gladys gradually felt her faculties return to her.
The moment she was able to think properly again, she grabbed a broom and began furiously hitting David. “You useless ingrate! Why did you gamble? I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!” “Stop hitting me, mom… Please…” Alyssa pleaded with her family.
“Thea has 1.5 million left on her card. Ask her to pay back the debt. I’m pregnant, and David’s gonna be a father soon. I don’t want my child to be fatherless.” She knelt on the floor and appealed to everyone sympathetically. Thea’s face darkened.
They had stolen 500 million from her. Not only that, but now they also wanted her to help them repay more than a billion dollars worth in loans. No way in hell.