There were many soldiers on the streets of Beldora. Almost every ten steps, a soldier stood guard with a gun. These soldiers had very fair skin—so white that you could see the veins on their faces.

  These were soldiers from the North!

  As expected, the Central Army had taken over the border military district.

  Even though they were of the same ethnicity and had the same features, Sienna could tell the difference between Northerners and Southerners at a glance.

  Northerners were tall, fair, and looked honest, without many schemes.

  Her adoptive father was a man like that.

  Sienna used to play him like a fiddle all the time.

  Walking through the "forest" of soldiers and into the temporary hospital built after the fire, Elias told the doctor how he got beaten up. He actually told the whole story, without leaving anything out: how a girl played two men against each other and intentionally started a fight between them.

  The doctor listened like he was watching a play, completely stunned.

  Sienna: "..."

  So this man wasn't stupid after all!

  Then why did he insist on me coming out here with him? Sienna was fuming!

  The doctor also applied some topical medicine for Sienna. It wasn't the kind of iodine that turns black. Since it was just a tiny amount, it actually didn't cost any money.

  Damn it!

  Sienna felt a sharp pang in her heart again. If she had known, she would have just taken a bullock cart to the hospital herself; there was no need to owe this man a favor.

  Coming out of the hospital, Elias wanted to go to a photo studio. His face was swollen like that, yet he still wanted to take photos?

  Just now, Elias had complained to the doctor that he was harmed by a scheming woman.

  Since she was the "bad woman" now, Sienna didn't want to talk to Elias anymore.

  Wherever Elias went, she just followed. Anyway, the man had to pay for her bullock cart ride home.

  Elias took a solo photo first. He had the studio focus on his face, specifically capturing the redness and swelling.

  Then, he wanted Sienna to take a photo with him.

  Sienna didn't want to take a photo with him at first. Elias was definitely going to use the photo to ask his family for money, basically saying: "Look, I got beaten up, it’s so miserable. I have a new girlfriend. I need money."

  But weren't Elias and Elena from the same place?

  Taking a photo with him and letting biological parents see it—wouldn't that be interesting? Even if biological parents didn't see it, wouldn't Elias's parents run around saying their son got a new girlfriend who looked just like Elena?

  How interesting!

  Thinking of this, Sienna now insisted on taking photos with Elias.

  Not only take them, but take many—take them until Elias went broke... One photo cost 8 Pesos...

  Hahaha.

  This was Elena's fiancé.

  Sienna laughed uncontrollably in her heart.

  After waiting two hours for the photos to develop, Elias sent a thick stack of them back home.

  It was only then that she realized things were bad. Being late for the afternoon shift meant a pay cut.

  The two of them went to the intersection to find a bullock cart back to Solana, but the driver was already gone.

  Normally, the driver who brought people to Beldora would be responsible for taking them back to Solana.

  But now, the driver had actually left?

  On purpose, right?

  Sienna was beyond frustrated today. Why did it feel like the whole world was against her?

  A van came driving slowly from a distance.

  Sienna intentionally stood in the middle of the road, pretending to have sprained her ankle.

  The driver indeed stopped to ask:

  "What's going on?"

  "Big brother, we have no ride back. Can we hitch a ride with you?"

  Mateo was also looking to ask for directions. There were no road signs here, and he had gone to two wrong places already. He couldn't find where Solana was at all.

  He was worried he wouldn't be able to wait for Roan until dark, so he drove here himself.

  "Then, do you know where Solana is?"

  Sienna was overjoyed. Oh God, you've finally let something go my way.

  “We are from Solana. If you drop us off, it’s exactly on your way.”

  The two happily got into the car. But seeing two men sitting in the back holding axes, they were terrified.

  Her voice trembled when she spoke.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "Big brother, what are you guys doing?"

  "Cutting trees. Don't be scared, little sister!" Mateo laughed loudly after saying that, and the two men with axes laughed along.

  But their laughter was mechanical, not genuine.

  Sienna: "..."

  She regretted it a bit. She shouldn't have gotten into a stranger's car.

  Now she felt Elias was her backup again and leaned toward him.

  Elias, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it. Having a 19-year-old leaning on his shoulder made him feel like a big man, right?

  Sienna guessed Elias's little thought and really wanted to strangle him.

  When they were almost at Solana, Sienna plucked up her courage to test them: "Big brother, are you looking for someone? Tell me, maybe I know them."

  "Roan. Do you know him?"

  "Yes!" Sienna and Elias answered in unison.

  More than just knowing him—they knew him too well!

  Sienna had a hunch that lately, anything involving Roan turned out to be beneficial for Elena.

  "Big brother, what are you looking for him for? I can take you straight to him. I’m very close with Roan."

  "That's great," Mateo replied casually.

  "So, what are you looking for him for?"

  Mateo didn't answer. Instead, one of the men with axes glared fiercely at Sienna.

  Sienna could already tell these were underworld people.

  But the car had already entered the Solana camp area. Would the mob dare to act up in a military zone?

  Sienna braced herself and insisted on continuing.

  "Big brother, I'm just asking. Don't be like that. Look, our battalion commander is teaching Roan how to stand."

  These words were indeed effective.

  The man who had glared at Sienna looked away. He probably knew that people in a military camp were not to be messed with.

  Mateo saw the two men in military uniforms not far away. One of them was indeed Roan. His tone toward Sienna softened.

  "Little sister, it's nothing big. We are his friends."

  "Oh? Friends..."

  The car stopped. Sienna opened the door and got out. She intentionally stood near Roan, wanting to see what these strangers would say to him.

  But to her surprise, after Sienna got out, the car actually drove off again, as if it had specifically made the trip just to return them to Solana.

  ...

  But Roan was different.

  His eyes lit up.

  Roan recognized Mateo's car and had already seen that it was Mateo opening the door.

  He knew Mateo was showing his face on purpose so he would be recognized.

  Coming for the jam, right? That meant the jam was selling well?

  However, Roan was also a bit worried. It wasn't good for Mateo to know he had younger siblings. Siblings were Roan's weakness.

  "Commander, I want to find Elena for a moment. Lucy works too."

  Roan gave a military salute and reported honestly.

  The afternoon training had just started. Ryker was going to refuse, but then he changed his mind and agreed.

  He shouted at the late-arriving man and woman:

  "Hey, the one who got beaten yesterday, called Elias? You, come here!"

  Elias didn't know why the commander was calling him. He hurriedly imitated Roan's salute, though it was an amateur move.

  "Go get Elena. Lucy works too."

  "Yes, sir!"

  After Elias ran off, Roan began to regret it. Elena hated her fiancé so much, and he had sent that man to find her? She was going to scold him to death!

  Fortunately, after a while, the person who came was Lucy, not Elena.

  "Coach, you were looking for me?" Lucy wasn't short at around 165cm, but standing in front of Ryker, who was nearly 190cm, she was a whole head shorter. She had to look up to speak.

  "Uh..." Ryker froze for a moment.

  Roan didn't know why Ryker froze. He blurted out, "Quick, take Marco and Sofia to Bob's house. Someone is coming to cause trouble for me."

  Lucy understood instantly and bolted.

  Ryker’s face turned fierce: "You mean, the people in that car just now are looking for trouble? They dare to come here to mess with you?"

  Roan: "Oh, well, with you here, they won't dare. Heh."

  As soon as Roan said this, he regretted it. He saw Ryker pull out a pistol, take a whistle, and give a long blast.

  This was the signal for an emergency assembly.

  In less than five minutes, all the support soldiers who heard the whistle gathered in front of Ryker, forming a square. Everyone was carrying a gun.

  "Move! Come fight with me! The enemy has come to our doorstep."

  Ryker spoke as he led the team on a run toward Solana village.

  Hearing Ryker speak like this, Roan was frantic. But he couldn't explain that these people were here to do business.

  Doing business was "capitalism," and following the capitalist road meant going to prison!

  What to do?

  What to do?

  Roan thought of a plan while running. He was about to explain that these people were his friends, but then he suddenly felt it might be good to scare Mateo—it would save them from bothering his siblings.

  Over twenty soldiers ran to the entrance of the village and simultaneously drew their guns, aiming at the van parked at the front. Was this even reasonable?

  Was the village off-limits to outsiders now?

  Could people not park and wait anymore?

  Mateo was now scared out of his wits.

  Roan didn't care about the chain of command anymore. He leaned into Ryker's ear and whispered:

  "Sir, just say they trespassed into a military camp and can be shot on sight according to regulations. Don't say I recognized them."

  Ryker indeed followed Roan’s lead and shouted:

  "Anyone who trespasses into a military camp dies!"

  Roan, hiding in the crowd, was worried sick. Who shouts like that? What's the difference between this and an ancient Emperor's execution order? It could scare someone to death.

  "Everyone, get out of the car!"

  "Hands up!"

  Ryker’s shouts got fiercer and fiercer! The three men did exactly as told: got out of the car, raised their hands, and bowed their heads.

  They didn't even dare to fart.

  Ryker went to search their car and found three axes! He immediately kicked Mateo in the crotch.

  "Agh!" Mateo rolled on the ground in pain. That kick was truly ruthless, the kind that could end a man's lineage.

  He even suspected his "junk" was broken, but he didn't dare show a hint of resistance.

  Mateo had seen border soldiers kill people. Those people doing smuggling on the other side were ordered to "stop" by soldiers, but they actually dared to run.

  As a result, one shot meant one death.

  The soldiers would later display the bodies for the media to photograph, saying they had killed drug traffickers!

  "Sir, the axes... are for cutting trees..." Mateo’s forehead veins bulged from the pain. He felt like every word he spoke made his lower body feel like it was being struck by lightning.

  "Who are you kidding?" Ryker grabbed Mateo by the neck and threw another punch into his stomach.

  The new commander was too violent!

  Not only were Mateo's two lackeys trembling with fear, but even the support soldiers were stunned.

  Ryker beat Mateo until he was rolling all over the ground, then he started on the two lackeys.

  Similarly, a direct kick to the crotch and a punch to the stomach.

  In a short while, these three mobsters were face-down on the ground in front of him, crawling like worms. One of them had even been beaten to the point of peeing himself; his crotch and a large patch of the ground were soaked.

  "Sir, stop hitting us. I beg you, we're going to die," Mateo pleaded, terrified by the beating.

  "Afraid to die?"

  "You brought weapons into a military camp and you're afraid to die? I could have shot you directly just now, you understand?"

  "Now, tell the truth. Where are you from? Who else is in your family? What business are you in? What are you doing here?"

  Roan was terrified when he heard this.

  If Mateo confessed that he was smuggling, that would be the end of it.

  Just then, Elena arrived.

  Elena had also heard Ryker’s questioning and saw Roan's anxiety. She rushed over and shouted at Mateo.

  "Oh my, why did you guys chase us all the way here? Didn't I say? I'll pay you back as soon as I get my salary. How can you be so impatient? It’s just some money Leo owed you, really. Who told you to lend money to a mental patient anyway?"

  Mateo’s feelings were complicated now. He hated Roan for not speaking up for him, but he was grateful to Elena for standing up for him.

  Enduring the massive pain, he said to Elena, "Little girl, I’ll remember your kindness. If you ever need anything, as long as I can do it, I will."

  "Fine, fine! You guys better leave quickly. Now the Central Army is in charge of the Beldora district. According to regulations, coming into the village with axes like this will get you shot." Elena continued to scare him.

  Mateo saw it now.

  Roan didn't have a high status in front of the commander, but this little girl’s status was very high. The commander just let her help him up and tell him to leave without showing any opposition.

  This little girl... has a background...

  That’s what Mateo thought. He climbed back into the car, not even daring to pick up the axes. He slammed on the gas and took his two subordinates away from the military camp.