If the first team had completed the mission smoothly, he could announce the good news at a press conference,
and everyone would praise him.
However, the first team was nearly annihilated, and a second team had to clean up the mess. Stephen could not
bring himself to announce that. The enemy was just a small foreign faction, but they almost wiped out an elite
squad. If Stephen revealed the news, he would only beca laughingstock.
The assistant shook his head. He did not know the reason either.
His best guess was that Arnold's team's actions had been exposed.
Stephen took a deep breath to calm himself down, considering how he was supposed to report this to the public.
"What if we say that both the first and second teams are from the ssquad, but they took different routes?"
he suggested.
That way, the narrative would shift from 'the first team was ambushed and almost annihilated’ to 'the enemy's
fierce resistance caused casualties in the squad’. Stephen felt that the second narrative sounded better.
"There's one more thing." The assistant continued, "During the operation, many villagers and a unit from the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSouth Regent also cto assist.”
"Huh? Why would he help?" Stephen was stunned. He did not understand it.
"According to the report, it was because of Ethan Rivers," the assistant said. "They thought Ethan sent our team,
so they cto help."
Stephen's mouth fell open, but he could not say a single word. The South Regent and many villagers cto
help because of Ethan. The narrative that he cup with was instantly shattered.
The South Regent coming to help was already something ridiculous, let alone him intervening for Ethan's sake. If
people found out about this, what would they think about Stephen?
Casualties occurred due to his poor leadership, but the South Regent and many villagers cto help because
they still looked up to Ethan. With their support, they managed to eliminate the enemy and rescue the hostages.
Stephen thought that with the operation succeeding, he could tell the world that they were not to be trifled with.
It was something that even Ethan could not achieve.
However, what was the reality?
Even without Ethan saying a word, the South Regent sent his men to deal with the criminals, and many villagers
joined in to help. The entire operation was completed without needing a single soldier from Riveria!
Stephen's face turned pale, and his body started trembling. At that moment, he realized the enormous gap
between himself and Ethan, His previous thought seemed like a joke. It was a slap in his face that made his
cheeks burn. He wished that he could find a hole to bury into.
Before he could calm down, the assistant continued, "Arnold is outside now. He
has something to discuss with you."
Stephen felt exhausted. "Let him in."
Arnold pushed the door and entered. He also looked weary. The loss of his
teammates had been a significant blow to him.
He was here for three reasons. First,
he hoped that Stephen would take care of his teammates’ families. Second, he wanted Stephen to punish him so
that he could ease his guilt. Third, he wanted to know Ethan's location.
Stephen looked at him and could not help but sigh. "What brings you here?"
Arnold said, "My teammates were all heroes. | hope that their families will..." Hearing this, Stephen understood
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmwhat Arnold wanted to say.
"Okay, I'll take care of their families." He felt a bit pained. There were more than a dozen families. It would cost a
lot to look after all of them.
Stephen did not want to use his money on matters like this, but the next instant, he thought of Ethan. How did
Ethan treat the families of fallen heroes?
He gave them the best houses, let their children receive good education, and even visited them during holidays.
If anyone bullied the children, he would personally confront the school headmaster.
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