The Guardian's Return (Ethan Rivers) novel Chapter 200

Chapter 200 

It was not easy to make money locally, so they decided to take on “part–time jobs,” helping with smuggling, scamming, and even human trafficking. 

Among the towns, some even formed partnerships with foreign forces! Treacherous and dangerous towns started emerging in Aqua City. 

Stephen had ruined the fishing and tourism industry in Aqua City, and now, all anyone cared about was money. They would work for whoever paid them. 

Suddenly, dark currents began to stir in Aqua City. 

Stephen thought things had finally settled down. That was until the fifth day, when he received a troubling message. 

“All the trees on a mountain have been cut down, including Three ancient trees, each over a thousand years old. They are high in tourism value!” 

Stephen’s heart skipped a beat. Illegal logging? 

“Find out who did it! They must be punished severely!” 

“It’s a few towns. Almost a thousand people were involved! Those three trees were sold beyond the border!” 

Stephen was shocked. Anything that involved the border was no trivial matter. 

“Immediately send someone to investigate it!” 

He ordered his men to uncover the truth, but they were all stopped at the town borders. Those who tried to force their way in were beaten up and hospitalized. 

Since they had gravely injured Stephen’s men, the townspeople knew that it was impossible to continue hiding it. 

The town’s mayor raised his hand and roared, “Stephen destroyed Aqua City and gave up on us. Why should we still care about the city? Follow me, and I guarantee everyone will have more money than you could spend!” 

A few dozen towns came together, even receiving weapons and equipment support from foreign forces! 

Many people who used to run hotels and fish farms, those unable to find jobs, and those dissatisfied with low wages joined the movement. Within just a day, more than 20 thousand people appeared in Aqua City! 

They were working for foreign powers, taking advantage of the chaos and mass unemployment in Aqua City by scamming people to traffic them beyond the border. They even robbed others with guns! 

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Chapter 200 

+25 BONUS 

In an instant, Aqua City plunged into real chaos. 

The people’s first target was the factories established in Aqua City. Everyone bore a deep grudge against the factories. After all, if not for them, how would the environment in the city have deteriorated so badly? 

If the city had not faced those environmental issues, would people be pushed to their limits? 

All the factories in Aqua City were looted and destroyed. Businesses that had planned to establish themselves were now terrified by that situation and fled the city in droves. 

In just one night, the direct and indirect economic losses from the destruction and the fleeing businesses soared to a staggering 200 billion dollars. Aqua City’s GDP, which had dropped to 1.6 trillion dollars, had dropped further to 1.4 trillion. 

By dawn, Stephen heard the news of Aqua City’s chaos and found himself dumbfounded. 

“How did it suddenly turn into a mess? Huh? I thought I had done everything right. Why is it still falling apart?” 

He was baffled. He had compensated the people and apologized. Why was the situation still deteriorating? 

He quickly ordered a report on the current situation in Aqua City. 

“The factories that have been established are severely damaged and could not resume normal production. Businesses that had planned to invest have all left. Thousands are missing. Currently, the amount of losses has reached 300 billion dollars. The GDP has dropped to 1.3 trillion from 2.3 trillion dollars.”