Chapter 1004: D*mn, It Seems I Missed?
The day before, in a ma.s.sive palace, an old man and a young man were shouting and arguing. A black-haired young man watched them silently.
“Your old ways aren’t working anymore. We’re on the verge of collapse…” said the young man.
“You’re a vain, greedy, and cruel child!” the old man interrupted him with a roar.
“Then you’re an old fool!” the young man immediately shouted back.
The old man fell silent. A moment later, his voice rang out again in the palace. “…You disobeyed the command of your king and brought to the peaceful land and people war and ruin… In the name of my father and his father before, I cast you out!”
A moment later, only the old man and the black-haired young man were left in the palace. The young man who had been arguing with the old man had disappeared.
The black-haired young man couldn’t help but say, “Father, you…”
The old man waved his hand and raised the hammer he was holding to his mouth. He said in a low voice, “Whoever holds this hammer, if he is worthy, will possess the power of a G.o.d!”
Saying that, he threw the hammer.
The hammer instantly pa.s.sed through a dazzling, colorful pa.s.sage, and swiftly fell somewhere in the universe.
At that moment, the old man frowned and mumbled to himself: d.a.m.n, it seems I missed?
Then, he looked at the black-haired young man on the side, and decided not to call the hammer back, only to throw it again.
Forget it. His aim had just been a little off. For his foolish son, it was just a matter of taking a few more steps. Thinking this, he silently turned around and walked into the depths of the palace.
The black-haired young man was left standing there.
After a long while, the corners of the young man’s mouth curled up into a genuine, devilish smile.
…
At the airport in New York, Luke and his family were already on the plane. He had switched seats with another pa.s.senger so that he was next to Robert.
During the flight, they talked in low voices and even took notes on their phones.
Catherine didn’t get involved. She knew that she couldn’t help them with what they were busy with right now. Her most important task was to do the logistics and take care of the people who were about to move to Houston.
At that moment, she was glad that Luke had made a lot of money in the past year.
Otherwise, their family wouldn’t be able to afford an impromptu trip like this, much less Selina’s family.
When the plane reached Fort Worth, Luke called for a Lincoln with a driver. Catherine got into the car with Claire and Joseph and headed east to Houston to make arrangements for their “vacation.”
Luke and Robert, on the other hand, drove their Chevrolet back to Shackelford in the northwest.
In the Lincoln, Joseph turned his head in the direction his father and brother had left in confusion and asked, “Mom, why aren’t Dad and Luke with us?”
Catherine smiled. “Because they’re going to pick up a lot of people for you to play with. Are you happy?”
Joseph nodded and didn’t ask further.
He was smart enough to know that something was going on with the adults.
At a time like this, there was no need for him to cause trouble.
Luke sped up in the Chevrolet.
Robert also took out his phone and called the Shackelford police department to get them ready.
He and Luke had already come up with the excuse that the police department had received a donation, and the donor wanted to test the Shackelford police department’s ability to deal with emergencies, so they would be performing an emergency drill.
Of course, Luke would be the one paying for it. Part of the money would be given to the police officers as bonuses, and the more outstanding officers would get higher bonuses.
Robert specifically explained this to his subordinates so that they would take this matter seriously.
Forget an unknown threat or power – they simply weren’t as good a motivation as a little money.
Hearing the cheers on the other end of the phone, Robert silently hung up. He suddenly sighed. “You probably didn’t think of a situation like this when you made so much money, right?”
“This country runs on money. With money, we can even push that person in D.C. to serve us,” said Luke calmly.
Pausing for a moment, he then continued, “Even if it isn’t now, there’ll be a next time. Even if it isn’t some mysterious incident, it could be an enemy, an idiot, or a lunatic. Most of these dangers can be prevented and resolved with money, so I chose to become rich so that you and Catherine can become rich. This isn’t about indulging ourselves, but ensuring that our lives are a little safer. Money is just a tool for our safety.”
After a long silence, Robert smiled wryly. “You’re much more mature than I was when I was young. Back then, when they tried to rope me into underground dealings, I actually wanted to say yes.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “They? Don’t tell me you’re talking about your old comrades?”
Robert shook his head slightly. “He was my boss for a time, and I was just a transfer. Also, they didn’t know that I already knew why they wanted me to join them. So, as long as I didn’t apply to transfer out, they could only go easy on me.”
Luke was still curious. “What did they do?”
Robert glanced at him. “Use military aircraft to run drugs, at least a ton each time. As long as they bribed the ground crew and the guards at the base, there was no risk for them. You can just say that a box had food and water and it, and take it out of the base.”
Luke was lost for words, but still shook his head. “That isn’t a small amount of money. If you joined them, you would’ve become a millionaire in a year or two, or even a multi-millionaire. You weren’t any worse than me when you were young.”
Robert didn’t look happy at all. He simply continued, “It was also because of this that I suddenly realized that I might not be doing anything for America as a soldier, despite the enlistment slogans. But I saw a lot of bureaucrats. Not only were they corrupt, they also became big traffickers. I couldn’t stand being comrades with people like that anymore. In the end, I got a few old friends to help me out, and I finally retired.”
He paused for a moment before he said, “Frank Castle helped me and had his boss let me go.”
Luke frowned. “Was he involved?”
Robert shook his head. “No, he only knew that I didn’t want to be there anymore, and just helped me out.”
Pondering for a moment, Luke asked, “Who was that boss?”
Robert said, “Ray Schoonover. He’s from the U.S. Marines, but has a lot of connections in the CIA, the FBI, and Homeland Affairs.”
Luke hummed in response, while mulling in his heart: This is too big a favor.
Frank Castle was the person to whom Robert owed the biggest debt; Luke had to pay more attention to his matter.