“Your mom and dad are in our hands. You’ve got three days to pay back the three million they owe. If you don’t, don’t blame us for getting brutal.”

The voice on the phone was cold and vicious, the kind that made a person’s skin crawl.

Ethan Mercer froze for a second.

He was Huaxia’s Guardian God of War, the man who held command over a million troops. Under him stood twelve elite guardians, each one terrifying in their own right. He had entered the military at eighteen, and eight full years had passed since then. In those eight years, he had fought until enemy nations trembled at the mere mention of his name.

And back when he first enlisted, the people below had promised him one thing clearly: his family would be placed under special protection.

Maybe not rolling in money, sure. But living without worry over food or clothes? That was the bare minimum.

So debt?

Three million, no less?

That was straight-up nonsense.

“You’ve got the wrong number,” Ethan said flatly, more helpless than angry at first. “Or maybe try scamming someone else?”

The man on the other end let out a dark little laugh.

“Heh. Your parents owed Young Master Chen three million from gambling and couldn’t pay it back. Three days. If the money doesn’t show up, we’ll chop them up piece by piece and feed them to the dogs.”

Before Ethan could say another word, the call ended.

Then a photo came through.

In the picture, two white-haired elders were huddled in a filthy corner. Their clothes were already torn to rags. Through the shredded fabric, brutal whip marks could be seen across their bodies. Blood had nearly soaked through everything they wore. Their faces were drained of all color.

They were skin and bones, frail like candles flickering in the wind, like they could go out at any moment.

At first, Ethan had opened the photo with a trace of suspicion, almost thinking he was about to see some cheap fake.

But the instant his eyes landed on those two aged faces, the faint expression on his face stiffened.

Then it slowly disappeared.

Eight years had gone by.

But those faces—

there was no way he could ever forget them.

His adoptive parents were plain, honest people. They had no children of their own, so they took in an orphan like him without hesitation. Ethan never knew who his biological parents were, never knew where he had truly come from.

But for all these years, his adoptive parents had never wronged him. Not once.

Before joining the military, Ethan had made only one request.

He wanted his adoptive parents to live without hardship, without ever worrying about food, clothing, or survival.

That day, the people who came to bring him in had agreed without the slightest pause.

They had promised it easily.

And now, looking at the blood-stained photo in his hand, that promise felt like a slap across the face.

A year after he enlisted, a hostile nation started poking at Huaxia’s authority again and again. Ethan Mercer answered the call and went to war.

At first, everyone thought it would be a clean sweep, the kind of fight that would be over before the dust even settled.

No one expected that once it started, it would drag on for a full seven years.

It wasn’t until half a month ago that the war finally hit its end.

Ethan Mercer led his twelve personal guards and, by sheer force, wiped out thirty-seven of the enemy nation’s top figures in one strike. Only then did this endless battle finally come to a stop.

When the enemy’s new ruler raised a white flag and came all the way to Huaxia in surrender, kneeling and kowtowing for three hundred miles step by step, Ethan returned to Huaxia territory at once.

Eight years.

For eight whole years, those two aging faces had never once left his mind.

His adoptive parents.

The people he had been thinking about day and night.

Today, the capital had sent the leader of Huaxia’s General Military Headquarters to the northern border. Once the final agreements were signed, the war would officially be over for good.

But before Ethan could even set out, this news hit him like a thunderbolt.

In an instant, fury surged through his chest like wildfire.

That anger kept climbing, burning hotter and hotter, until it turned into a killing intent so dense it felt like it could rip through the sky itself.

The gale screamed across the land. Yellow sand rose and churned wildly through the air. An indescribable pressure spread outward, pressing down on the hearts of tens of thousands of soldiers nearby until it was hard to breathe.

Everyone looked toward the same person.

The tall figure standing in the dead center of the storm.

“Prep the aircraft. Destination: Changyi City.”

“I want the exact location of this number in three minutes.”

“Evander Yorke, Draven Montague, you’re coming with me. Everyone else stays and holds the line.”

Ethan’s voice was calm.

Too calm.

But underneath that calm was a rage vast enough to drown the world.

The moment they heard him speak, everyone’s hearts jolted.

Back then, when the enemy had used dirty tricks and nearly gotten Ethan killed, they still had never seen him this furious.

But now...

As he spoke, Ethan had already stepped out of the command tent and headed straight for the helipad.

The moment he walked outside, several people moved up and blocked his path.

“Marshal Ethan, you can’t leave right now.”

The man speaking wore a military green overcoat. His tone was respectful, but his posture was firm.

“Get out.”

Ethan Mercer’s voice was flat, but the cold in it cut sharper than a blade. It sounded like the dead of winter—dry, bitter, and packed with naked killing intent.

The moment those two words dropped, everyone present went stiff.

Their expressions changed all at once.

That pressure… it was terrifying.

None of them had ever felt anything like it before. It was like a mountain crashing down on their shoulders, so heavy it made it hard to breathe.

“But—”

“We’ll settle our score later, Conrad Rudd,” Ethan said in a low, dangerous voice.

The second that name left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room turned even uglier.

Conrad Rudd.

Supreme Commander of the Huaxia military.

By rank, he was Ethan’s direct superior.

And yet now, Ethan had called him by name to his face—no title, no respect, nothing held back. More than that, he had openly said they would “settle accounts.”

That wasn’t just anger.

That was rage already at the breaking point.

Conrad’s face darkened instantly.

He knew Ethan better than most. Ethan was never the type to throw his weight around for no reason, never some arrogant hothead who lost control over nothing.

Which only made this more chilling.

If Ethan was speaking like this now, then the fury inside him had already burned to a horrifying level.

And the worst part?

He wasn’t alone.

Evander Yorke and Draven Montague were with him.

Those two stood there like silent blades pulled halfway from the sheath, their presence alone enough to make the room feel colder. Either one of them could crush ten thousand enemies on a battlefield. If they really made a move here, then Huaxia would not just be shaken—it would be turned upside down.

Conrad clenched his jaw so hard the muscles at the sides of his face twitched.

“Evander. Draven. Stop Commander Ethan. Now.”

His words came out through gritted teeth.

But the next second, the two men stepped forward in perfect sync and took position at Ethan’s side.

Guarding him.

Their faces were expressionless, almost numb, but their voices were icy enough to freeze the air.

“Commander Ethan has given his order,” Evander said.

“Anyone who blocks the way—dies,” Draven finished.

No hesitation. No extra talk. No room for negotiation.

The message was brutally clear.

Ethan didn’t stop walking.

Not even for a second.

He kept moving forward, step by step, his long stride steady and ruthless. The murderous aura around him was so dense it almost felt physical, as if black storm clouds were curling around his body.

Conrad felt it.

If he stepped forward now—if he really tried to block Ethan—

he might actually die on the spot.

At that very same moment, orders were transmitted across all of Huaxia.

Every aviation authority received the same top-priority command.

All flight routes headed for Changyi City were to be sealed off immediately.

No one was allowed to interfere.

No exceptions.

No excuses.

At the same time, Huaxia’s central information and communications department moved at full speed and locked onto an unfamiliar number as fast as possible.

“Run every machine at full load,” Conrad Rudd barked, his voice sharp enough to cut steel. “Use the fastest method we have. Track where that number was dialed from. I want the location exact—no mistakes, not even by an inch.”

Ethan Mercer had already stepped onto the warplane.

The moment he boarded, twelve fighter jets behind him lifted off at the same time, falling into formation like unsheathed blades, escorting him straight into the sky.

Flames burst from the tail sections, dazzling and fierce. The aircraft carved a hard, clean arc through the air before shooting upward, leaving behind only a thunderous roar that hammered against the ground and rattled the heart.

Conrad Rudd stood there watching the formation disappear into the distance.

But he couldn’t stop it.

Couldn’t stop Ethan Mercer.

Couldn’t hold him back.

And right now, no one in all of Huaxia could.

A few moments passed before Conrad Rudd finally snapped out of it. His face darkened, and he spun around with a cold, urgent look.

“Move, now!” he shouted. “Find out where Commander Mercer is going—and why he left!”

He didn’t pause for even half a second before adding another order.

“And report this to Shangjing immediately. Right now. This instant!”

The air around him turned deadly still.

Then Conrad Rudd said, word by word, with killing intent in his tone, “Classify this as top secret. If anyone leaks so much as a single word…”

“They die.”