They Mocked the Homeless Veteran Until He Fought Back

Chapter 004

Andrew Allen dusted off his hands, picked up his woven sack, slung it over one shoulder, and walked away as if nothing had happened.

No one tried to stop him.

The reason was simple.

They were too afraid.

Several minutes later, police cars sped in from different directions. More than a dozen officers got out in an orderly formation and quickly sealed off the area.

Scarlett Spears was among them.

The moment she learned who the attacker was, her temper flared all over again. She jumped back into a patrol car and began searching the surrounding streets for him.

By then, Andrew was already sitting in a taxi on his way to The Riverstone Residences.

The sun gradually sank beneath the horizon.

Its fading golden light blanketed Riverside City, making the entire city look breathtaking.

By the time the streetlights came on, Andrew was standing outside The Riverstone Residences, hesitating.

It was one of Riverside City’s most prestigious gated communities. Nearly everyone who lived there was wealthy or influential.

“Craig really married well,” Andrew sighed. “He had such a good life waiting for him, but he still insisted on joining that mission.”

Andrew knew exactly what kind of money his former comrade had made. Craig could never have afforded a home in a place like this.

The apartment had been purchased by his wife before their marriage.

After gathering his resolve, Andrew walked to the security booth.

“Hey, could you help me contact Ms. Bonnie Hunt in Building A, Unit 606?”

The security guard glanced at him.

“Sorry. We don’t contact residents on behalf of visitors. Call her yourself.”

“I don’t have a phone,” Andrew admitted. “Could you make an exception and let me in?”

“That makes it even less likely.” The guard frowned. “What if you’re a thief? If anything goes missing after I let you in, I’ll lose my job. Come on. Move along.”

He waved Andrew away and slammed the window shut.

Andrew could only stare helplessly at the luxurious residential complex before turning away.

He remained outside until midnight.

Once the neighborhood fell silent, he quietly circled around to an unguarded section of the perimeter. With a running start, he climbed over a wall more than ten feet high and entered the complex.

“Ah... ah...”

Andrew had not gone far when he heard indecent noises coming from a thick patch of bushes.

Curiosity got the better of him.

He crept closer and slowly poked half his head through the leaves.

Two figures were tangled together on the grass, their clothes scattered all around them.

“A security guard and a rich older woman?”

Andrew’s eye twitched when he finally got a clear look at them.

The man was still wearing the security cap issued by The Riverstone Residences. He looked to be in his forties, with a fairly muscular build.

The woman beneath him, however, appeared to be in her fifties and had several thick rolls around her waist.

At least her skin was pale and well maintained.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

A security alarm suddenly sounded not far behind Andrew.

Several agile figures were rushing toward him at full speed.

The noise startled not only Andrew but also the couple in the bushes. They sprang apart and frantically began grabbing their clothes.

“He’s over here! Hurry!”

Andrew shamelessly shouted before diving straight into the bushes.

The couple nearly jumped out of their skin. The security guard almost lost whatever enthusiasm he had left.

After briefly coming face-to-face with them, Andrew slipped out through the other side of the bushes and sprinted away.

He soon arrived beneath Building A.

“Damn it. There’s another electronic door.”

Andrew stared at the advanced keypad-secured entrance and exhaled sharply through his nose.

With no other choice, he strapped the woven sack securely to his body and began climbing the exterior wall with his bare hands.

One advantage of modern apartment buildings was that their outer structures were complicated enough to provide plenty of footholds.

Without much difficulty, Andrew reached a stairwell window and leaped inside.

He quickly found Unit 606.

Ding-dong!

He pressed the doorbell.

Several minutes passed before the door finally opened a crack.

A pleasant female voice came from inside.

“Who is it?”

“Hello. My name is Andrew Allen. I served with Craig Hernandez.”

Andrew straightened into a formal military posture as he spoke.

“You served with my brother-in-law? Do you have any proof?”

Andrew paused.

So the person behind the door was not Bonnie Hunt, but her younger sister.

He removed the jade pendant from around his neck and pushed it through the narrow opening.

Craig had worn it constantly. Bonnie had given it to him, so the woman inside should recognize it.

Sure enough, several minutes later, the door was suddenly pulled open.

A beautiful woman in pink pajamas rushed out, clutching the jade pendant tightly in both pale hands.

“Mrs. Hernandez!”

Andrew immediately saluted and stared straight ahead.

“Where is he? Why didn’t he come back?”

Bonnie ran into the hallway barefoot. Her eyes were already red as she looked frantically in both directions, searching for Craig.

Andrew sighed.

He opened the woven sack and carefully removed an urn. Holding it solemnly in both hands, he said, “Craig Hernandez was killed in the line of duty during a special mission. I brought him home.”

Thud.

All the color drained from Bonnie’s face.

Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor, staring in disbelief at the urn bearing Craig’s photograph.

A beautiful young woman hurried out and caught her, repeatedly trying to comfort her.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Hernandez,” Andrew said heavily. “Please accept my condolences.”

His own heart ached, but he had to suppress his grief.

If he broke down now, Bonnie would collapse completely.

She and Craig had been married for less than six months.

Craig had spent less than a single day at home before leaving for the mission.

And now, after all that time, he had returned in a small urn.

Before Andrew left the military, Craig had once confessed that he and Bonnie were husband and wife in name only. They had never even had the chance to live as a real married couple.

The guilt had weighed heavily on him.

“Bonnie, let’s go inside,” the younger woman whispered. “Please stop crying. Come on.”

She helped Bonnie back into the apartment.

Andrew remained standing rigidly outside the door.

More than half an hour passed before the younger woman came out again, her face filled with sorrow.

She carefully accepted the urn from Andrew.

“Would you like to come inside for a while?”

“Thank you for the invitation, but I should leave now.” Andrew saluted again. “Please take care of yourselves. I’ll come back to visit.”

He picked up his woven sack and started toward the stairwell window.

The young woman hurried after him and grabbed the back of his shirt.

“Please come inside for a little while,” she said softly. “Could you tell my sister exactly how my brother-in-law died?”

Andrew considered it for a moment, then nodded.

“All right. I’m sorry to intrude.”

Relief appeared on her face.

“My name is Joan Hunt. You can just call me Joan.”

“Okay.”

Andrew nodded firmly.

As he looked at Joan’s delicate, doll-like features, his face unexpectedly grew warm.

He followed her into the apartment.

The lavish interior nearly overwhelmed him.

Crystal chandeliers of every size hung from the ceiling, scattering rainbow-colored light across the room.

The entire home was decorated in warm tones. Every corner had been carefully designed, without a single visible flaw.