Chapter 10

The junkyard was packed with men. Heavy rain cascaded down on the earth as loud thunder rumbled constantly. The Dawsons' subordinates rushed into the junkyard despite the terrible weather. They were finally able to locate Xander's corpse at the bottom of a crane tower. Alan's knuckles popped from how tightly he clenched his fists the moment he laid his eyes on Xander's corpse. "Where is he?" he roared, causing garbage to roll down their mounds. Everyone shook their heads collectively. "We have no idea, sir. Nobody was present when we arrived here. I think he fled from the junkyard right after killing Mr. Xander out of fear toward you." Alan punched a rock next to him, thus reducing it into nothing but dust and debris. His eyes were completely bloodshot by then. "Find him! Turn this city upside down! You must find him!" Alan's subordinates spread out immediately. Soon, chaos was sowed into Newtropolis because of the search. Even the police department was alerted to the sudden search. Tanner Pennington, the person in charge who was dispatched by Grandview Hall to maintain the law and order in Newtropolis, quickly called Alan on the phone. "Alan, what are you doing? Don't mess around, you hear me?" However, Tanner's words bore no weight before the enraged Alan. Alan replied icily, "We're looking for someone, Tanner." Tanner warned, "You're looking for someone? Alan, Grandview Hall can help you with the search, but the fact that you've dispatched so many people just to look for one person means that you're disrupting the law and order of Newtropolis. Don't force my hand." Alan just grinned. "Force your hand, you say? Who are you to stop me?" Most of the time, Alan was wary of Tanner and the forces behind him. But today, Abyssal Gates was about to make its comeback. The organization couldn't care less about Grandview Hall's Newtropolis branch. Alan hung up on Tanner right away. Then, he climbed up to the top of the crane tower. He bellowed at the top of his lungs just to vent his anger, "Men, we Dawsons are no pushovers! The fact that my son got attacked means that the entire Dawson family got attacked as well! "Abyssal Gates shall make its glorious return today! We'll make the entire city of Newtropolis pay for Xander's death!" Alan's men started chanting loudly at the bottom of the junkyard. "Pay the price! Pay the price!" Alan continued angrily, "Today, I want the mastermind to pay with his life! Those who are involved in this incident shall be slain as well!" All of Alan's subordinates repeated after him loudly. "Pay with his life! Slay everyone who's involved!" Everyone grew bloodthirsty and ferocious with every chant. At that moment, one of the subordinates shouted, "Mr. Dawson, there's a wooden shack here!" Alan turned around to look at the shack. Then, he began approaching the shack. There were broken bowls and freshly collected garbage strewn in the shack. Obviously, there were people living in the shack regularly. A smile appeared on Alan's face. "That wretched mother-daughter pair must have lived here this whole time, right?" He then kicked down the door. Tabitha and Stacy weren't in the shack. Only Paul could be seen cowering in a corner. He was still holding the bowl of cereal, though he was trembling so much that the milk started spilling everywhere. Alan approached Paul immediately before grabbing his skinny arm. "Get the fuck up!" After that, he yanked Paul up to his feet and threw him out of the shack. "Where the fuck are Tabitha and that little brat?" Alan cut to the chase. Paul knew just how terrifying Alan was. Xander's actions over the past five years were proof, after all. Xander was merely toying around with Tabitha, yet his actions were enough to drive her into a corner and kill her. Not to mention, Xander did all of that just because Alan was extremely powerful and influential. Paul shook his head slowly. "What? Tabitha? I… I don't know her. I'm only a garbage collector…" But Alan's patience was running thin. He unsheathed a blade and plunged it into Paul's stomach right away. "Now do you remember who she is?" Blood spurted out of Paul's mouth. Fear overtook his eyes at that moment. His body trembled even more violently after getting attacked. Still, he gritted his teeth before replying stubbornly, "I… I really don't know her!" Alan twisted his neck, thus producing loud cracking noises. A few of his burly subordinates approached him at that moment. All of them wielded metal pipes. "Mr. Dawson, you should rest for now. We'll jog that old man's memory for him." Paul could only hunch over pathetically while crawling away from Alan and his men. He continued backing away from them until he felt his back pressing against the wall. There was nowhere for him to go. The poor old man could only shiver in fear. Still, he refused to give away Tabitha's and Stacy's whereabouts. Soon, sounds of metal pipes hitting Paul could be heard coming from the junkyard. "You really are a stubborn one. I know you've been secretly taking care of those two. Even if you don't tell me anything, I still have other ways to find out where they are!" Alan chuckled darkly before calling Kelly on the phone. It was Kelly's first time receiving a phone call from someone as prestigious as Alan. She knew very well that she shouldn't offend him at all costs. Her lips curling into a smile, Kelly exclaimed, "Mr. Dawson, what a wonderful surprise! Can I help you with anything?" Alan stated, "Kelly, I want you to do all you can to convey a message to Tabitha and her daughter. Tell them that the old geezer is with me right now." Kelly was a smart woman. She knew very well why Alan wanted to find Tabitha and Stacy. The news channels had been reporting on Xander's death the whole day. She simpered while saying, "Don't worry, Mr. Dawson. I'll definitely do my job perfectly." After ending the call, Kelly tracked down a particular number on her contacts list and dialed it. It was a number belonging to Tabitha's old mobile phone from five years ago. The call soon went through. Stacy was the one who answered the call. Kelly's tone shifted immediately. She asked gently, "Stacy, you're a good girl, aren't you? Where are you right now?" Stacy didn't say anything. She might be young, but she knew Kelly wasn't as nice as she seemed. Kelly heaved a sigh before continuing, "My dear niece, don't you know the Graysons are preparing to welcome you and your mother home with open arms? From now on, the both of you don't need to suffer anymore." Stacy's stance began to waver upon hearing Kelly's lies. Did this mean she and Tabitha no longer have to pick up trash to sustain themselves? Still, Stacy remained quiet. Kelly decided to lure Stacy in with a lie. She deliberately said, "I went to the junkyard just now to give you the good news. I even bought you your favorite teddy bear. But when I reached the junkyard just now, I saw an old man getting beaten up." Stacy was a kind-hearted little girl. She knew that Paul had been taking care of her and her mother over the past five years. To them, he was their family member despite not being related by blood. Finally, Stacy spoke up. "What happened to Grandpa?" Seeing as Stacy finally took the bait, Kelly replied, "He suffered from a terrible fall and broke an arm. I think he's dying soon. Where are you right now? I'll come pick you up." Was Paul going to die soon? Paul had raised Stacy as his own since she was young. They were very close to each other. But Stacy was still hospitalized in Leone Hospital, which was a military hospital. That was why Kelly couldn't enter the hospital at all. Then again, it was insanely easy for a grown-up to deal with a naive child like Stacy. Kelly baited, "Whatever. You should just rest in the hospital. That geezer is just a trash collector, after all." After that, Kelly hung up on Stacy right away. Poor Stacy was so sad that she pursed her lips into a thin line. Paul couldn't die. Stacy had boasted to him before, telling him that Atlas would protect them once he returned. She also told him they'd be a full family once Atlas was back. But Paul never took Stacy seriously. He spent five years taking care of Stacy and Tabitha, but he never wanted any repayment. Stacy began to cry. She didn't want Paul to die. She slowly got out of bed despite her weakened state. Then, she started running toward the junkyard while crying out loud, "Grandpa, don't die! I'm coming right now!"