Chapter 164 The Truth From Three Years Ago


    Chapter 164 The Truth from Three Years Ago


    "Back then, when my leader and I, along with six others, pursued the fugitive into that primeval


    forest, we realized we had fallen into a trap. The enemy deliberately exposed themselves to lure us


    in." Spike Arnold said with a pained expression on his face.


    "Inside the primeval forest, there were already two Tier-one Warlords and fourte stage Battle


    Gods waiting for us. Among the six of us, only my leader was at the Warlord level, and just at the


    early stages, so we were no match."


    "In less than three minutes, my leader and four other skilled fighters were killed by them."


    "Why were you the only one who survived?" Judge asked.


    "Shamefully, my leader, after realizing there was no way for us to escape, was determined to have


    at least one person carry the message out. So, when I least expected it, he pushed me off the cliff


    with a single palm. He knew there was a pool of water below the cliff, hoping I could survive by


    falling into it."


    "Later events went as he had hoped. I fell into the pool after being pushed from the cliff, and


    miraculously managed to survive. The enemy''s people searched the vicinity of the pool for three


    days and nights before finally giving up. I stayed in the forest for a few more days before daring to


    leave."


    "Your luck really held out," Judgemented. "But do you know who ambushed you all that day?"


    "I don''t know," Spike Arnold shook his head slightly. "All of them wore Taoist robes and masks,


    concealing their true identities." At this point, a sh of anger crossed his face. He paused briefly


    before continuing, "However, even though I don''t know exactly who it was, I''m sure they were sent


    by the noble families."


    "Why are you so certain?" Billy asked, lifting his teacup to take a sip.


    "For two reasons," Spike Arnold replied after taking a deep breath.


    "First, the SSS-level fugitive we were after was originally from one of the noble families. Naturally,


    they wouldn''t let hime to harm. They also feared that if we caught him, we might uncover other


    sensitive matters."


    "Second, the six of us were blocking the noble families'' path. To keep control of SHADOW, they had


    to eliminate us."


    "Did you choose to hide your identity in order to wait for someone to seek justice?" Judge


    continued.


    "Aftering out of that forest, I did consider going directly to the capital city," Spike Arnold exhaled


    deeply. "But reason told me it was not feasible."


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    "They didn''t find my body at the time, so they probably assumed I wasn''t dead. They would have


    issued a kill order for me. If I went to the capital, it would have been like walking into a trap. My


    leader saved my life by pushing me off that cliff. I couldn''t selfishly throw away his hopes. If I had


    died too, this matter might have remained unsolved."


    "Why did you deny your identity when we went to the vige that day?" Judge continued.


    "The other side has great influence. You were probably worried we couldn''t handle the situation and


    didn''t want SHADOW to get implicated again, right?" Billy nced at Spike Arnold and said lightly.


    "Yes," Spike Arnold nodded solemnly. "If their people hadn''t found me, I wouldn''t havee to find


    Commander Gardner."


    "I''m curious, though. Which noble family was the fugitive from that you were so wary of?" Billy lit a


    cigarette and took a puff.


    "Commander Gardner, have you seen his file?" Spike Arnold looked a bit puzzled.


    "His file was switched shortly after that incident." Judge replied.


    "No wonder! They''re quite crafty!" Spike Arnold took another deep breath and looked at Billy. "The


    Leonard family!"


    "Oh?" Billy squinted slightly. "Specifically?"


    "Alvin Leonard," Spike Arnold responded. "He handles gray industries for the Leonard family and is


    the half-brother of the head of the Leonard family, though not from the same mother."


    "Due to being a bastard, he wasn''t initially recognized by their family. However, he managed to


    make connections and demonstrate his martial prowess, befriending many individuals from different


    walks of life."


    "Later on, they saw his rising influence and wild nature and brought him back into the fold. While


    they didn''t officially acknowledge him, he then became part of their family."


    "Over the years, he handled numerous covert operations and rose in rank within the family. He''s


    now nearly on par with some of the direct heirs of the Leonard family."


    "Really?" Billy''s eyes narrowed. "Was he designated an SSS-level fugitive for a particr crime?"


    "Alvin Leonard is ruthless and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals," Spike Arnold took another


    deep breath before continuing, "Four years ago, he smuggled a batch of highly destructive thermal


    weapons into the country through a port in the eastern district."


    "We went to apprehend him upon receiving the tip-off, but he fought back fiercely, and over twenty


    of our colleagues died."


    "What''s even more horrifying is that, as retribution for the weapons being seized, he massacred


    hundreds of residents in a small town near the port."


    "Hmm?" Hearing this, Billy deeply inhaled from his cigarette, a chilling anger emanating from him.


    "He''s despicable!" Casey and Judge''s expressions soured.


    "Judge, how much time do I have before reaching the capital?" Billy turned to Judge.


    "One month," Judge replied.


    "Looks like I''ll have to pay a visit to the capital," Billy mused.


    Afterward, he pulled out his phone andposed a text message to Night Orchid.


    Given Alvin Leonard''s status within the Leonard family, they wouldn''t give up easily. Considering


    that three years had passed and the incident had mostly blown over, it was likely that Alvin Leonard


    would reemerge.


    "Commander Gardner, think it over carefully!" Spike Arnold advised, taking a deep breath.


    "While the major noble families appear as separate entities, historically they have formed an


    alliance within themselves. Minor skirmishes might happen during normal times, but when ites


    to bigger issues, they will undoubtedly unite. If one family faces a crisis, the others won''t just stand


    by. That''s also why I hesitated to tell you. I was worried you..."


    "I want to see how they have their hands in everything." Billy interrupted him.


    "Commander Gardner..." Spike Arnold looked slightly worried.


    "Ebony Lord, don''t worry. They''re just a few noble families." Judge added dismissively. "If needed,


    we can mobilize tens of thousands of SHADOW guards to the capital."


    "And if that''s not enough, we can have Azure Dragan mobilize hundreds of thousands from the


    Army of Bloodshadow. Let''s see if they can withstand that."