Exactly one hour after Thom left. The wooden hut fell silent again. Only the sound of crickets outside and the whisper of the night wind slipping through the cracks in the walls remained. The fire in the stove was almost dead, leaving behind only flickering red embers that occasionally crackled softly. Elias was still sitting on the dirt floor. His left leg, wrapped in black wool cloth, was stretched out in front of him, while his right leg was bent to support part of his weight. Thom’s black business card was still clenched in his hand, already crumpled from being squeezed and unfolded over and over again. He did not know what to think. Brother. The word still felt foreign in his head. For twenty years of living in this isolated village, all he had ever known was Grandpa, Rom, and Pear--whose whereabouts were unknown. Elias was almost asleep when the hut door slammed open violently. Bam! Elias jolted. His hand instinctively reached for the machete still lying on the floo

While waiting for Red Dragon to return, Thom did not stay idle. He was not the kind of man who could sit quietly and let time pass while the people around him were starving. He stepped outside, his black longcoat, already wrinkled and torn at the edges, still hanging on his body. Two Delta Force members followed behind him, not too close, not too far. Close enough to protect him if something happened, but not close enough to intimidate anyone.Thom walked through the village. House after house. Hut after hut. He stopped in front of an open door, greeting an old woman sitting on the dirt floor while holding a child who no longer cried because he was too weak. He knelt in front of children playing in the mud because they had no other toys, looked into their empty eyes, and spoke softly.“Food is coming. Very soon.”They did not believe him.“You are just like the other people from the city,” an old man said, his voice hoarse and his eyes dull. “You come, make promises, then leave. Never

Rom fell silent. The hand gripping his machete slowly loosened.“Then stop,” Thom said. “Before I regret my decision.”Rom released the machete’s handle.The blade dropped to the ground.Above their heads, the sound of helicopter rotors began to echo. Three massive helicopters descended low, the wind from their spinning blades sending dust and dry leaves flying everywhere. The villagers, who had been trembling in fear moments ago, slowly looked up.Large crates were pushed out from the helicopter doors. One after another, they crashed onto the open field near the river.The villagers screamed. Not screams of fear. But screams of joy.“Food!” “There’s food!” “God bless us!”They ran toward the crates.An old woman fell face-first onto the dirt, yet she kept crawling forward, her hands reaching for one of the boxes. She hugged it tightly, kissed it, then burst into tears.Children ran around with biscuits in their hands, smiling and laughing for the first time in days.Red Dragon step

Viktor Lang glanced at Jasmine with a lewd, vulgar grin. His eyes lingered on Jasmine’s chest and waist. “So beautiful… what a waste. Thom Haye, you got yourself a fresh rose like this, but I doubt your skills in bed can satisfy her. If you want, I can—”“That’s enough,” Thom cut him off coldly.But Viktor became even more excited after noticing several guests giving cynical smiles in support. “Hahaha! King of War? Don’t make me laugh. You’re just a lucky mercenary. In our eyes, you’re nothing more than a newcomer who doesn’t understand the rules of high society.”Jasmine tightened her grip on Thom’s arm, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.“Viktor Lang. Your company’s debt has already reached 180 million dollars. Three harassment cases buried with money. Even your offshore accounts are already under surveillance by the authorities. And you still dare flirt with my girlfriend in public?” Thom said.Viktor’s face turned crimson. “You—”Before he could continue, Viktor stepp

Three days later.Lanster Group’s headquarters felt like a silent battlefield. The large meeting room was filled with tension. Several directors sat with pale faces, documents scattered across the table.“Mr. Thom… we’ve already lost seven major contracts in three days,” the Finance Director said with a trembling voice. “The major banks have frozen all of our credit lines. The port tenders have been temporarily suspended by the Ministry. The corruption rumors have spread throughout the media and business circles. Lanster’s stock has dropped nearly 38% since yesterday.”The Operations Director added in a desperate tone, “If this continues, we could be declared bankrupt within two weeks. Our liquidity is almost gone.”Jasmine stood beside Thom, her face pale and her hands cold. She had been working without sleep for the past two days. Her eyes were red from worry and exhaustion.All eyes were fixed on Thom, who sat at the end of the table. The man looked completely out of place compared