Semua Bab The Guardian's Return: Bab 181 - Bab 190

The tourists and athletes were outraged by the prices. It was not just that everything was expensive, but the service was unacceptable and the food was terrible too.Due to water pollution, the fish farmed locally lacked the freshness they once had. The taste had long since deteriorated, but the prices kept going up. A plate of fishcakes was selling for 200 dollars. Even when consumers reported the restaurant to the authorities, no one really cared. The whole system was rigged, with everyone in on it together. Given the current situation, with an influx of tourists, shutting down hotels, restaurants, or agritourism farms would leave many stranded. It would also hurt the local economy. Therefore, even if a fine was issued, they were nothing much. The local authorities would usually just mediate with the complainants by having the restaurant refund a small portion of their money. Even so, the restaurants and tourist spots were earning big bucks, which fueled their arrogance. “If

Ethan looked at George and Rachel calmly, saying, “Sure, but I have three conditions.” George was delighted that Ethan had finally agreed to help. It seemed like bringing Rachel along was the right choice! He must still have feelings for Rachel! With the Lowes’ and the Quinns’ status, they could easily fulfill his three conditions. George flashed a confident smile. “Go ahead. Tell me what you need.” Ethan said with a smile, “First, give me a reason why I have to help. Second, if it’s related to the Quinns, I’m not helping. Third, anything related to Riveria is off the table.” The smile on George’s face froze. The three conditions were basically another way for Ethan to say he was not going to help. George had come all this way to get Snow’s location so that Stephen could get himself together to take care of the mess in Aqua City. In other words, Ethan had to help the Quinns and Riveria. He frowned and said, “Are you joking?” Ethan shot back, “I don’t need to. Honestly

Simon was rendered speechless for a moment. There was nothing he could do about Ethan, and he could feel his blood pressure hike. “Do you really think we can’t solve this without your help?” “Then why are we having this conversation?” Ethan asked. Simon’s fists clenched tightly. Knowing there was no way he could win an argument against Ethan, he slammed his phone on the table and ended the call. He leaned back on his chair, his face ashened. Just moments ago, he cursed at George for being useless, yet even he could not get through to Ethan, which made him useless too. He felt like he had been slapped in the face—his pride stung with embarrassment. He quickly called for his assistant to get him his blood pressure pills. Meanwhile, George stayed quiet for a while after the call ended. He was shocked that even Simon had failed to convince Ethan. “Ethan, is it necessary to push things far? We know you’re upset, but maybe we can compromise? Everyone gets hurt sometimes. We’r

Simon’s heart pounded when he heard the phone. He asked seriously, “What happened?” George told him what went down in Aqua City. The number of agritourism farms and hotels had grown out of control. They charged exorbitant prices to maximize profits, taking advantage of tourists and scamming them. The factories had been dumping waste into the water, and in retaliation, frustrated tourists started littering everywhere. People were releasing wild aquatic species into the waters, disrupting the local ecosystem and balance, and invasive foreign species overran the local habitat, devastating native populations. Without natural predators to control them, many local species faced the threat of extinction. Fish, once a hallmark of the region, were dwindling in number, and their quality had dropped so much that even local markets did not want them anymore.The worst thing would be the influence of illegal criminals sneaking across the borders, bringing in illegal goods, trafficking,

Simon went silent. He realized they were threatening him. He originally planned to shut down the factories for as long as possible, at least six months. His goal was to get Oliver and the other businessmen to beg him for mercy. Yet now, Oliver was using the people against him. Simon knew he could not shut down the factories for too long. “I will give you an answer soon. While the investigation is going on, just wait patiently,” he explained. “Don’t worry. We have the patience,” Oliver said with a grin. He and his friends had been waiting for three years, and dealing with Ethan back then had honed their patience. Then, a few men came in through the door. One of them announced, “We are from the water company. Is the water of Aqua City still safe? The quality has dropped below drinking standards. If you cannot provide a solution, we will leave Aqua City for another place.” Simon felt a headache coming.The environmental destruction of Aqua City was huge, and it affected m