CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 402: I’LL BE BACK FOR YOU SOON

Conrad Sterling knew early on that Anna Thornton and the two children had encountered trouble.

Given the recent incident with Scrapper, it was a particularly sensitive time.

Conrad Sterling didn’t want any more threats to Anna Thornton’s safety, so he secretly arranged surveillance.

However, he never expected that within just a day, it would actually happen again.

"President Sterling, we’ve found out! Scrapper is going all out this time to connect with the Europe and America line! And coincidentally, the person causing problems for Miss Thornton today is this very individual!"

Conrad Sterling took the documents from his subordinate’s hand, the topmost photo of a man with red hair and green eyes was particularly striking.

He murmured under his breath, "Emory Smith!"

"This is the new successor of the Smith family, who has made very few public appearances so far. The only photo we could find is this one. It’s said he’s cunning and ruthless, and his whereabouts are unpredictable!"

Since World War II, there have been legends about the Smith family, one of the largest underground syndicates abroad.

Conrad Sterling had heard of them too; he is in the legitimate business, whereas the Smith family specializes in underground dealings. Gambling, obscenity, drugs, and weapons used to generate profits from wars are key pillars of the Smith family’s ventures!

They have stood at the apex of the pyramid by exploiting the world’s impoverished regions, and their cold-bloodedness has been passed down through generations.

Especially reaching Emory Smith’s generation, he has not only infiltrated the family business into Asia but plans to extend his claws further onto Cathayan territory.

A subordinate highlighted during a recent report that Smith’s whereabouts are unpredictable.

Yet now in Cathayan territory, Conrad Sterling easily pinpointed and locked his location on a barren mountain; there might be a trick at play here.

Even if there is a trap, Conrad Sterling is already on his way to the barren mountain.

After all, Anna and the two children are in the hands of the opposite party.

"President Sterling, should we request police assistance for the rescue?" The subordinate asked him.

Conrad Sterling shook his head; under Smith are desperados.

He certainly plans on bringing Anna and the two children safely back home. If an armed conflict is inevitable, he needs no hindrance.

Conrad Sterling was previously injured at Scrapper’s place, so this time he must plan the operation flawlessly.

Therefore, he handed a business card to the subordinate and instructed, "Call this number! I need the finest selection of weapons, and a helicopter!"

...

Smith watched the subordinate’s report through the computer, excitedly viewing the latest deployment from Conrad Sterling’s side.

"That President Sterling is more interesting than I thought! He even wields a force comparable to special ops, and has dealings with weapons dealers in Southeast Asia, so it seems he’s not merely a straightforward businessman as he appears!"

Smith was utterly delighted!

He was eager to test Conrad Sterling’s mettle, and the results did not disappoint.

Whether it was the hidden strength of Conrad Sterling or his regard for Anna Thornton.

Now President Sterling is charging toward us with troops fully armed.

Smith seemed to foresee the imminent scene of flesh and blood flying, life or death!

The stronger the opponent, the more it stimulates the violent impulse in his blood.

The more tragic the casualties later, the better; it has been a long time since he smelled the blood of an evenly matched battle, the thought of it was exhilarating!

As he was thinking about these things, his hands were busy cutting a medium-rare steak.

The knife sliced through the surface of the beef, revealing the hidden crimson veins inside, highlighting the cultural contrast between East and West, causing Anna Thornton to completely disregard the man and the plate of steak before her, focusing instead wholly on finishing a plate of dumplings with Pop and Lola.

The kids liked using spoons to eat, the metal spoons clinking against the ceramic bowls emitting a crisp sound. Lola was quiet while eating, but Pop liked nibbling on the dumpling skin, pouting as she encountered the slightly hot filling and audibly ’blowing’ on it, which made it sound particularly appetizing.

Smith was drawn to them, glancing several times, then back at his own plate of bloody steak: "..."

Which goes to show why Smith favors Cathayan culture, if only for the food, nothing compares!

Smith actually didn’t like steak very much, especially after sampling a myriad of diverse world cuisines.

The reason he ordered a medium-rare steak was primarily to act cool!

No helping it, his eccentric nature even made him want to disgust and frighten others during meals.

However, Anna Thornton, after rigorous training, had a strong psychological fortitude.

Pop was entirely occupied by the food, being just a child, she didn’t comprehend anything dry Daddy was saying.

Lola simply ignored him...

After Smith found himself at a loss, he stealthily had Bobby switch to a plate of dumplings.

Moreover, he specifically requested two heads of garlic and a dish of old Shanxi vinegar!

At the dining table, the steam from the hot dumplings was warm and harmonious, yet outside, the atmosphere was tense.

This was on a barren mountain, where the temperature dropped sharply after sunset, and the winds grew more fierce.

Anna Thornton felt like she heard bullets being loaded, the gusts cut through the window gaps carrying the scent of gunpowder.

She instinctively grabbed the hands of the two children under the table.

Pop was entirely unware of the crisis, still holding the spoon in her tiny fist, bumping her small chin against the edge of the bowl, focusing on finishing the last half of a dumpling in the bowl.

Lola, however, knew what his mom was worried about; he had already cracked the electronic code of this house. If a fight broke out later, he planned to use the chaos to protect his mom and sister and escape, then find a safe spot to wait for Big Bear to pick them up.

As the little one secretly made his plans, Anna Thornton heard the sound of a helicopter.

Smith drank the last sip of vinegar from the small dish and stood up, "It’s the first time someone managed to fly a helicopter into my territory, quite a grand entrance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, gunfire rang out outside!

Anna Thornton’s heart tightened instinctively, and she stood up.

She noticed Smith strapping two more guns onto himself, calculating in her mind how much chance she would have to hold this psycho hostage if she bit the bullet and took the risk with her broken hand.

Probably... just about 0.001 percent!

But how would she know without trying? There might be a miracle!

Smith was a psychopath who easily got excited at the smell of blood. Anna didn’t want her child to suffer at his hands; she just wanted to minimize casualties.

However, just as Anna cautiously moved behind Smith to attempt another reckless ambush,

Bobby got there faster, leaning in to whisper something in Smith’s ear.

Smith furrowed his brow slightly after listening, then clicked his tongue.

"Why is it so unfortunate, right at this moment?"

His game was just about to begin!

"Boss, they’re urging us over there!"

Bobby rarely spoke much, so his additional comment indicated the severity of the situation.

It was really urgent!

"The game was about to start, and now you’re telling me it can’t happen? Such a downer!" Smith sighed with boredom.

He was disappointed, while Anna couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Judging by Smith and Bobby’s expressions and their conversation, something important seemed to have come up, requiring immediate attention.

Anna’s speculation was quickly confirmed!

Smith and his men hastily gathered their things and retreated.

Before leaving, the psycho regretfully expressed to Anna, "I was looking forward to a life-and-death showdown with President Sterling tonight, such a pity!"

Anna: "..."

Pity, my foot!

"But don’t worry, there will be another chance."

Another chance, my foot!

"Anna, I will come back for you soon!"

After all, Smith didn’t feel comfortable leaving his ’pet’ for too long.

Anna: "Come back, my foot! You perverted freak!"

...

And just like that, Smith took his people and retreated.

After he had initially made up his mind, determined to stir things up.

Conrad Sterling, upon learning that Smith was difficult to deal with, had also made thorough preparations.

However, when President Sterling rushed over with his heavily armed bodyguards and personally piloted the helicopter in the lead to rescue,

what he saw was Anna Thornton sitting with Pop and Lola at the quiet and deserted estate on the hilltop, with two bowls of cold dumpling soup in front of them.

Conrad’s first concern was for Anna: "Are you and the kids alright?"

"We’re fine."

Anna said it lightly, but President Sterling wasn’t very reassured.

After his subordinates conducted a thorough search, they found that Smith and his gang retreated very cleanly and quickly.

They left no hidden dangers, nor did they harm Anna or the children.

Oh, by the way! Anna had once broken an arm, but it was reset.

Bobby’s bone-setting skills were exceptional; now you couldn’t tell at all, so Anna didn’t bring it up.

To avoid recalling that ’crack’ sound when the bone broke, which made one’s scalp tingle.

Conrad Sterling unexpectedly and simply took his wife and child back home.

However, after returning to the Sterling Residence, President Sterling locked himself in the study for an hour, smoking through two packs of cigarettes.

The simply decorated study pursued a sense of texture, with the light illuminating only half of the desk’s area. The smell of cigarettes gave Conrad a headache, and the man instinctively rubbed his tightly furrowed brow.

He was never much of a smoker, so even when he lit up, he didn’t smoke much.

Unless he was in a rotten mood.

The man’s gaze fixed tightly on that stack of papers on the desk — not documents, but some newly acquired information and photos.

Some of them were Conrad’s findings about Smith’s background, while others seemed left on purpose by the latter at that estate... for him to find.

Especially when he saw the scene in the photo where Anna and Smith stood together, Conrad’s brow wouldn’t unknit.

He simply extinguished his cigarette, opened the study door, and went to the backyard.

From here, he could see the balcony of Anna Thornton’s bedroom. President Sterling climbed up with ease, but used excessive force, causing some of his wounds to reopen.

Conrad himself didn’t care and climbed in through the window.

Scanning the room and not finding Anna but hearing the shower running in the bathroom, he walked over directly and turned the handle...