A young man in simple attire, carrying a plain backpack, slowly walked toward the entrance of the airport.
His name was Gavin Clifford, the eldest son of the once prestigious Clifford family, which was known as the first family in the country.
But this day, no one was there to greet him. He had not informed anyone of his return.
It seemed like he didn't want to make a big fuss. Perhaps he was tired of the complicated life.
However, just as Gavin stepped through the security gate, the previously silent security machines suddenly emitted a piercing alarm.
"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!"
After the piercing alarm sounded, everyone was taken aback.
In the next second, the armed security personnel at the security gate swiftly drew their guns and surrounded Gavin.
Gavin looked at the security personnel, who were on high alert, with an expression that revealed a sense of resignation as if he had long been accustomed to it.
At that moment, a cold voice came from a woman in uniform.
"Sir, hands up. Please cooperate with our inspection."
It was a stunning woman in a uniform.
With a short skirt and a pair of slender legs, she looked very attractive under the lights of the security hall. Coupled with her uniform, she was able to make all men crazy.
However, Gavin remained indifferent, showing little change in his expression. He raised his hands slightly and said in a casual tone of voice, "Actually, I..."
Before Gavin could finish his sentence, the attractive security woman snapped, not giving him a chance to speak, "Sir, please cooperate with our inspection."
"Fine." Gavin helplessly shrugged and then asked, "Alright, what should I do?"
"Please remove your jacket right now."
The beautiful security woman furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes filled with utmost seriousness and determination as she spoke.
"Alright, since you said so," Gavin muttered under his breath. He had intended to return to the country quietly, not making a fuss, so he complied.
After saying that, he took off his jacket and threw it forward.
Immediately, a security guard picked up Gavin's jacket and thoroughly inspected it inside and out with a metal detector. However, he found nothing unusual.
"Sir." On the other side, the attractive security woman still had a serious expression on her pretty face as she loudly said, "Please remove all of your upper garments."
Gavin looked at the woman in front of him, sighing slightly with a hint of helplessness, but he still did as she asked.
But in the next second...
"What the..."
The sound of people gasping in suprise suddenly echoed through the entire airport security hall.
Scars. He was covered in scars. There were all kinds of scars. Knife wounds, gunshot wounds... They snaked and sprawled across Gavin's strong upper body, turning his originally muscular and aesthetically pleasing physique into a somewhat ferocious and terrifying appearance.
Even the attractive security woman couldn't help but swallow, and her face turned pale at the sight.
On the other side, the metal detector once again scanned all the clothes that Gavin had taken off. However, no abnormalities were found.
"What's going on?" The attractive security woman's eyes were filled with deep confusion. She bit her lip as if contemplating something.
Her beautiful eyes then lit up slightly, and she immediately said, "Bring the scanner over and check for any abnormalities inside his body."
This attractive security woman seemed to be some kind of leader in the security hall. The security personnel around her all obeyed her every command. Soon, someone brought over a six-foot-tall scanner.
This scanner could scan a person's entire body from head to toe.
Just as Gavin stood in front of the scanner, the entire security hall fell into silence. In the next second, the security personnel exclaimed, "It... It's shrapnel!"
The security personnel's face turned pale. His pupils filled with an incredulous look, and his voice trembled as he stuttered, "So... so many pieces of shrapnel. How could someone like him still be alive?"
The instant he finished speaking, he covered his mouth with both hands, nervously looking at Gavin standing in front of the machine as if afraid that his words would anger Gavin.
All the security personnel put down their guns at this moment, including the attractive security woman.
They all looked at the image displayed on the infrared scanner screen, and their hearts filled with astonishment.
"How is this possible? How can he have so many pieces of shrapnel in his body?"
"This shouldn't be... Look, there's even a piece of shrapnel next to his heart."
"Is... is this guy really that lucky?"
The surrounding people's astonished voices were met with indifference from Gavin, the man at the center of people's attention. He looked very calm as if the shrapnel inside his body belonged to someone else.
At that moment, a hint of apology appeared on the face of the attractive security woman. She looked somewhat embarrassed. She took the clothes that Gavin had taken off and handed them back to him before speaking up.
"Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't know about you."
"It's alright." Gavin simply waved his hand, clearly not wanting to dwell on this issue.
But Gavin's aloof attitude only piqued the curiosity of this attractive security woman even more. She directly extended her delicate hand toward Gavin and said, "Hello, sir. My name is Violet Jordan. May I know where you were injured so severely?"
Gavin seemed to have completely ignored the fair and tender hand extended by Violet. He put on his jacket. His voice was low and calm as he replied, "During the Sunspire Resistance."
"What?" After Gavin's words fell, a gasp echoed through the entire hall once again.
"The Sunspire Resistance?"
"He's the war hero from 10 years ago?"
"If it weren't for the hero who defended Sunspire back then, we wouldn't have our current kingdom of Blearus."
"He's so young, yet he participated in the Sunspire Resistance."
The surrounding exclamations grew louder, and the gazes directed at Gavin became solemn and respectful.
As for Violet, the attractive security woman, her gaze toward Gavin underwent a drastic change. Even her pupils started to tremble violently.
A complex emotion seemed to appear in her eyes.
In the next second...
Violet saluted Gavin with a standard military salute.
Not only she, but all the security personnel present also treated Gavin with the utmost respect and courtesy.
However, Gavin seemed to ignore everything around him, calmly picking up his backpack and turning to Violet.
"Can I go now?" he asked.
"You can leave anytime." Violet's voice was firm and resolute.
As Gavin left, Violet's beautiful eyes seemed to be glued to him, unable to look away. She kept watching his figure until it disappeared through the airport gates. A hint of surprise then appeared in her eyes, followed by a strong emotion that was a mixture of curiosity and admiration.
At that moment, Gavin had returned to the Clifford Villa, the place he remembered from his past. But...
A loud thud sounded as Gavin dropped his backpack heavily to the ground. The sound echoed through the empty halls of the mansion, a haunting reminder of the life that once thrived within its walls. His pupils trembled. His eyes filled with teary redness as he stared in disbelief at the ruins before him. His trembling pupils darted around, desperately trying to make sense of the devastation before him.
Yes, it was ruins. The once prestigious Clifford family, the greatest family in the country, had become dilapidated. The weight of the realization hit him like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him in despair.
He rushed into the mansion as if possessed. His footsteps echoed through the empty corridors. Each step felt like a stab to his heart as if the very foundation of his identity was crumbling beneath him. His breath came in shallow gasps, and his chest heaved with a mix of anticipation and dread.
What met his eyes were rows and rows of unguarded graves. The names of the Clifford family members were on top of each grave. A faint smell of blood lingered in the air, and the ground of the Clifford Villa was stained dark red as if it had witnessed a river of blood that couldn't fade even after all these years.
Gavin's body trembled violently, and his bloodshot eyes filled with deep sorrow as if what lay before him were piles of corpses and a pool of blood. The weight of the tragedy pressed down upon him. His heartache manifested in every fiber of his being. Tears streamed down his face, carving a path through the dirt and grime that coated his cheeks.
He never expected that after 10 years of absence, when he finally returned to his longed-for home, it had turned into a desolate cemetery. His mind raced with a torrent of emotions, a monologue of grief and disbelief playing out within his thoughts. How could this have happened? The weight of the unanswered questions threatened to suffocate him as he struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the loss before him.
The yellowed leaves gently brushed against Gavin's cheeks in the wind. In that moment, he stood amidst the ruins of his family's legacy, his heart shattered and his spirit crushed. The home he had once cherished had become a painful reminder of the past, a haunting testament to the fragility of life and the depths of sorrow.
"My home... What happened?" Gavin's voice quivered with a mixture of disbelief and anguish, the strain evident in its hoarseness. It was as if he had poured every ounce of his strength into those few words, desperately seeking answers.
But at that moment, a piercing scream suddenly tore through the air.
"Ah! What are you doing? Let me go!"
Upon hearing the voice, a flicker of recognition finally appeared in Gavin's crimson eyes. His pupils trembled, and his lips moved. It was a voice he knew all too well, one that had once brought him comfort and joy.
"Zoe... Zoe?"
Instantly, a loud explosion rang out. The ground beneath Gavin's feet cracked, and he disappeared from the spot immediately.
##Chapter 2 I'm Back
On the other side of a tomb in the Clifford family, a ragged and dirty girl was surrounded by a group of burly men. She sat on the ground in a pitiful state, desperately covering her body with her hands. Tears filled her eyes. Dirt was on her face, giving her a pale and frightened look as she stared at the men in front of her.
The men surrounding the girl all had a ferocious expression on their faces, filled with a sense of wickedness and lasciviousness. Among them, a bald man with a smug smile on his face spoke in a harsh voice to the girl on the ground.
"Well, well, well... So you're the last bastard of the Clifford family, huh? After waiting for so long, we finally found you. Once we're done with you, the Clifford family will be completely wiped out. The young master will definitely reward us greatly for this."
"You're talking nonsense." The girl's face showed a stubborn and determined expression as she loudly retorted to the bald man.
"My brother is still alive. When my brother comes back, he will tear you all apart."
Upon hearing the girl's words, the people around her were momentarily stunned but then burst into laughter in unison.
"Hahaha! Your brother? Are you talking about Gavin Clifford?" The bald man's face showed a mocking and sneering expression as he spoke.
"Gavin Clifford died 10 years ago in the Sunspire Resistance. There's no trace of his goddamn corpse anymore."
"You're lying. My brother didn't die. He didn't die."
Tears continued to flow from the girl's eyes, but her tone remained firm and defiant.
"Boss." At this moment, a skinny man resembling a monkey ran up to the bald man. He first licked his lips while looking at the girl on the ground and then eagerly spoke to the bald man.
"Now that we've caught this little girl, it's simple to kill her. But before we do that, can I... Well, you know what I'm talking about, Boss."
As the skinny man spoke, he touched his belt.
"You little brat." The bald man kicked the skinny man angrily and said, "I'll do it first."
"Alright, Boss, you're definitely the first one."
"Hahaha."
The bald man looked at the girl on the ground, licking his lips with a flushed face as he walked toward her. As he walked, he unfastened his belt.
The girl panicked and asked incoherently, "What... what are you doing? What are you doing?"
But in the next second...
Rip!
The girl struggled. One of the legs of her worn-out jeans was torn off by the bald man, revealing a large area of her legs.
Seeing this scene, the people around couldn't help but salivate.
"Ah! Get away! Don't touch me!"
"Hahaha." The bald man still had that lewd smile on his face as he loudly said, "Serve me well, little sllut."
After saying that, he took off his pants, revealing his grotesque and small member.
With his ugly hands, he grabbed the girl's ankle.
Just at that moment...
Whoosh! A loud sound broke the silence as a huge slab of stone shot toward the bald man.
The stone slab looked extremely heavy, definitely not something an ordinary person could lift.
It was difficult to lift, yet someone managed to send it flying at such a fast speed. It was as if the laws of nature themselves had conspired to unleash this cataclysmic assault. How could anyone muster the strength to wield such an unfathomable object?
In the next second...
"Bang!" The huge stone slab ruthlessly smashed into the bald man, who was exposing his ugly member.
"Poof!"
A crimson tide surged forth. A torrent of blood erupted from the bald man's mouth and nose. His features contorted in agony, and his once formidable countenance was reduced to a mask of pain and despair. The sheer force of the blow catapulted his body backward like a marionette in the hands of an invisible puppeteer.
"Boss!"
The onlookers gasped in disbelief. Their voices trembled with a mixture of horror and concern. The sight before them was an affront to their senses, an assault on their understanding of the natural order.
The first one to take action was, of course, the skinny man who resembled a monkey. He let out a cry and rushed to the side of the bald man, supporting his boss with a panicked expression.
"Boss, are you okay? How are you feeling right now?"
At that moment, the bald man's face contorted in agony, his mouth and nose a macabre canvas of crimson. Half of his body was deeply sunken. The life force within him seemed to wane. His body was sinking into a state of profound vulnerability. It seemed that he would die soon.
But at that moment, the bald man struggled to raise his arm and pointed in a direction, his finger trembling slightly.
Everyone turned their gaze in the direction indicated by the bald man's trembling finger. Their eyes widened in astonishment as they beheld a young man in plain clothes standing amidst the chaos as if he had emerged from the very fabric of the universe itself.
Moreover, the expression on this young man's face was extremely ferocious as if he was filled with intense pain and hatred. The weight of his sorrow seemed to hang heavy in the air. It was a palpable force that permeated the surrounding atmosphere.
His bloodshot eyes mirrored the depths of his torment as if he had traversed the darkest recesses of his own soul. At that moment, he seemed to carry within him a burden too immense for words. His expression spoke volumes, a symphony of anguish and wrath that resonated with their own hidden pain.
Suddenly, someone shouted loudly at him, "Kid! Who the hell are you?"
At that moment, the girl who had previously fallen to the ground somehow gathered her strength to get up from the ground and rushed in the direction of the young man, letting out a fierce roar as if she had used up all her strength.
"Gavin!"
Her voice was so loud that it even cracked.
However, because she was extremely weak, she only took a few steps before she fell straight to the ground again.
But this time, she didn't fall directly onto the ground. Instead, she fell into someone's warm embrace.
"My brother... Gavin..."
Zoe's voice trembled with a mixture of relief and anguish as she buried her head deep into Gavin's chest. Her fragile frame shook with the weight of her emotions. Her two thin arms tightly wrapped around his neck as if afraid to let go.
The sound of her crying reverberated through the ruins of the once majestic Clifford Villa, each sob a cathartic release of the pain that had been suppressed within her heart for the past 10 long years.
Gavin, his own tears mingling with Zoe's, held her tightly in his embrace. His heart ached as he felt the weight of her suffering, the toll of a decade spent apart etched into every tear-streaked line on her face. With gentle strokes, he patted her back. His touch was a soothing balm to her wounded soul.
"Zoe, don't be afraid. I'm back... I'm back," Gavin whispered softly, his voice a tender reassurance in the midst of their shared turmoil. He knew that mere words could not erase the scars that time had carved into his sister's spirit, but he hoped that his presence would serve as a beacon of solace and strength.
Zoe was Gavin's sister.
Upon hearing Gavin say, "I'm back," the sound of her crying intensified.
Zoe's crying and frail body were telling Gavin the immense suffering she had endured over the past 10 years.
"These years... you've suffered a lot."
Gavin's voice choked up, but Zoe shook her head frantically, lifting her tear-filled eyes to look directly at Gavin as she sobbed.
"Gavin... I... I haven't suffered. I knew it. You didn't die. You wouldn't die. Gavin, you've finally come back. The suffering I've endured... The efforts I've made... Everything... everything is worth it."
In the end, Zoe's voice was completely drowned out by her crying, and she couldn't utter a word anymore.
Her sister was in such a sorry state, but she was still stubbornly trying to comfort him, which made Gavin's heart ache.
The reunion of the siblings was a touching scene, but some people didn't want to pay any attention to it.
"Hey! Are you Gavin Clifford? Are you still alive? Why didn't you die in the Sunspire Resistance 10 years ago?"
The person speaking was the skinny man. Clearly, after his boss was no longer around, he became the leader of this group.
When Gavin heard this voice, he suddenly looked up, and his bloodshot eyes immediately locked onto the skinny man.
The skinny man suddenly felt a strange chill coming toward him. He shivered all over, but he didn't think it was because of Gavin's imposing pressure on him. Instead, he pointed his finger provocatively at Gavin.
He shouted, "Kid! Since you're alive, why didn't you just hide and live a miserable life? How dare you come back? Well, you came back at the right moment. Today is just right for killing you two at one shot. I'll kill both of you here! We can then consider our mission accomplished!"
At this point, the tone of the skinny man suddenly changed as he said, "Of course, your sister will definitely die a little later than you. We're gonna have some fun with this young lady."
##Chapter 3 Birthday Celebration
"Of course, your little sister will definitely kick the bucket after you. Now, let us fellows take a moment to revel in our leisure."
As soon as those words left his lips, an eerie silence descended upon the scene.
Several light sounds rang out as these individuals simultaneously drew glistening knives. Their eyes were filled with contempt as they gazed at Gavin.
Observing the grim turn of events, Gavin offered a comforting pat on his sister Zoe's back. He guided her gently behind his protective stance. Maintaining a safe distance, he addressed the group that stood before him.
He asked in a cold tone of voice, "Why do you want to kill the Clifford family?"
"Why?" After hearing what Gavin asked, the thin man across from Gavin, with his lips curling into a mocking smirk, couldn't help but chuckle.
With a sinister tone, he replied, "Hah. The Clifford family is nothing but dirty vermin, wasting air in this world. Of course, you deserve to die.
"You should have seen the spectacle when we wiped out the Clifford family back then. Hearing the desperate screams of the Clifford family was truly satisfying.
"Haha..."
The demise of the Clifford family seemed to bring an inexplicable, sadistic pleasure to these individuals. Obviously, he was enjoying this beautiful moment. At that moment, a man with black-rimmed glasses and a sly expression spoke up with a wicked smile on his face.
He asked, "By the way, isn't today Samuel's birthday?
"We happen to encounter the last two remnants of the Clifford family. If we kill them and bring their heads as a birthday gift to Samuel, he will surely reward us handsomely, won't he?"
This remark earned approval from many people in the group. They all thought that what he said made sense.
But the thin man added, "Let us not rush ahead of ourselves. First, let us kill Gavin. Then, we can savor some amusement with Zoe.
"Haha..."
Their words made it sound like Gavin and Zoe were already helpless victims to be casually butchered.
After Gavin heard their words and saw their mocking smiles, his anger surged uncontrollably.
His fury was so intense that it seemed to manifest physically, causing even his hair to bristle.
Suddenly, there was a deafening explosion resonated through the air.
Zoe's heart raced as she scanned the scene. She noticed Gavin, who had been guarding in front of her, had disappeared. At that moment, he charged swiftly toward the group of people who had gleaming knives.
After observing this sudden turn of events, she cried out with a mixture of fear and concern, "Gavin! Be careful!"
But the next moment, her voice came to an abrupt stop.
She noticed that Gavin surged into the heart of the group, which numbered over a dozen. Her heart skipped a beat. A sense of foreboding crept into her heart because she knew that there might be very severe consequences.
However, instead of being surrounded and beaten by them, he met something entirely unexpected.
At that moment, thudding sounds echoed.
More than a dozen people attacking Gavin were sent flying. They spewed blood from both their mouths and noses.
In the blink of an eye, the entire group lay lifeless on the ground.
After seeing what happened, Zoe was left dumbfounded. She couldn't help but wonder how her brother had become so formidable.
Only one member of the group remained alive. It was the bald man who had suffered severe bone fractures earlier. Though he was not dead yet, his end was near.
At that moment, Gavin approached the bald man step by step. His facial expression remained calm, but his entire being was giving off an intimidating aura.
The bald man looked at Gavin with a terrified expression. His face was pale and covered in blood.
He couldn't hide his fear as he exclaimed, "Please don't kill me!"
The primal instinct to survive drove the bald man to speak, despite his grievous injuries.
As Gavin stood beside the bald man, he looked down at him with cold eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce through the bald man.
However, Gavin remained silent, his expression devoid of any warmth. With difficulty, the bald man continued to speak amid the blood oozing from his mouth and nose.
The bald man said, "The Clifford family's affairs have nothing to do with me. I'm just... following orders. It was Xavier who instructed me to do it. You need to believe me."
Suddenly, a light sound could be heard.
The bald man's voice was cut off abruptly.
When Gavin heard the bald man mention Xavier, he lifted his right foot and brought it down mercilessly upon the man's face.
Instantly, the bald man's head exploded.
As Zoe watched this ghastly scene unfold from a distance, she couldn't help but feel a surge of nausea clawing at her stomach.
She was just a young girl. As she witnessed such a gruesome sight, it naturally triggered her physical reaction.
However, there was no trace of sympathy in her eyes. She understood all too well that these individuals deserved to die.
At that moment, she composed herself and turned her gaze back to her beloved brother, Gavin.
She noticed that he was trembling all over, and his breathing was erratic. After seeing that, she couldn't help but feel worried.
Without hesitation, she took small, hurried steps toward her brother.
Gavin was overwhelmed with rage, and his mind was filled with a single word. It was Xavier.
His desire for vengeance was almost uncontrollable.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle, cold sensation in the palm of his hand.
In the next instant, Gavin's body trembled slightly, and his gaze regained its clarity.
After that, he saw his sister. Her face was filled with concern. After Gavin saw that, warmth welled up in his heart. It was a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long time.
After that, Gavin's heart calmed down.
He turned and embraced his sister. At that moment, the siblings stood there quietly and enjoyed a brief moment of tranquility together.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Gavin realized that Zoe's breathing had become even and tranquil.
He realized that Zoe had actually fallen asleep in his arms.
He gazed down at his slumbering sister. Zoe's delicate features were now adorned with a glistening tear at the corner of her eye. At that moment, she wore a peaceful smile on her face.
Seeing that, Gavin gently touched Zoe's little face with concern.
After a while, he bent down and gently carried Zoe. After that, he began to make his way toward the direction of the Clifford Villa.
However, the place was already a wasteland. Gavin couldn't find a single intact bed or a room without leaks.
In one corner, he found a dirty blanket and some expired canned food.
After Gavin saw that, It dawned on him that his sister had been enduring hardship in this corner of desolation.
After that, his heartache and anger couldn't be contained any longer.
His body trembled slightly, and a tear traced its path down his cheek.
Coincidentally, this tear landed on Zoe's face, stirring her from her slumber. Zoe hastily opened her eyes.
She realized she was lying quietly in her brother's arms.
Zoe was slightly relieved. She then nervously spoke up.
She asked, "Gavin, what's the matter with you?"
After hearing Zoe's voice, Gavin quickly wiped the tears from his face. He took a deep breath and reassured her. He said, "I'm fine."
After that, he gently placed Zoe back on the ground and looked into her eyes with warmth.
He said, "Zoe, just wait here for me. I have to step out for a short while, but I promise I will be back soon."
After hearing what Gavin said, Zoe held Gavin's hand anxiously and pleaded, "Gavin, please don't leave me. Are you going away again?"
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
But Gavin shook his head and said, "No need to worry, Zoe. I won't leave you again."
After hearing that, Zoe continued, "Gavin, can you take me with you? I won't be a bother. I just don't want you to leave me again."
Confronted with the hope shining in Zoe's eyes, Gavin couldn't bear to refuse. He reached out and held Zoe's small hand. He said, "Alright. We will go together."
After Zoe heard her brother's agreement, her face lit up with a smile of happiness.
She asked, "Gavin, where are we going now?"
Once Gavin heard what Zoe said, his gaze slowly darkened with hatred.
In a deep, low voice, he said, "We are going to the Harper family for the birthday celebration."
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