The Guardian's Return by Old Pumpkin

Chapter 188

Simon's heart pounded when he heard the phone.

He asked seriously, "What happened?"

George told him what went down in Aqua City.

The number of agritourism farms and hotels had grown out of control. They charged exorbitant prices to maximize profits, taking advantage of tourists and scamming them.

The factories had been dumping waste into the water, and in retaliation, frustrated tourists started littering everywhere.

People were releasing wild aquatic species into the waters, disrupting the local ecosystem and balance, and invasive foreign species overran the local habitat, devastating native populations. Without natural predators to control them, many local species faced the threat of extinction.

Fish, once a hallmark of the region, were dwindling in number, and their quality had dropped so much that even local markets did not want them anymore.

The worst thing would be the influence of illegal criminals sneaking across the borders, bringing in illegal goods, trafficking, scamming people, and even kidnapping. It had gotten so bad that the city's safety was at serious risk Simon's expression darkened when he found out what really happened.

"Where's Stephen?"

George said helplessly, "He's still the same."

table and got up, announcing, "I'll go there right

hold and might be canceled, ultimately moving to another city next time. He could not afford to let Aqua City spiral out of control. Thus, he

Riveria. George and the other government officials welcomed him at

to Stephen," Simon

a Quinn, be defeated by a woman? It was embarrassing, and a

he arrived at George's place and saw Stephen lying down on the bed, half- dead, his blood

up! Look at yourself!"

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Chapter 188

did not budge

half a minute before suddenly, the sharp sound of a slap echoed through the

and

senses.

mess? All this over a woman? You've embarrassed us

you going to stay in bed? Get up and do your job! When you've gotten Riveria back on track and people start to see your success, you can

shaken. Simon's slap and those harsh words finally woke him,

Riveria properly, no one would say anything. Once he showed results, people would

situation in Aqua City now?"

"You're asking now?"

Aqua City made Simon angrier. Nevertheless, he laid out the state of things in Aqua City, and as Stephen learned about