The War God's Homecoming

Chapter 25 A Phone Call From The Capital City

Chapter 25 A Phone Call from the Capital City

A few minutes later, the Land Rover led the way with a box truck following closely behind as they slowly made their way towards the Knight family's neighborhood.

"Commander..." Casey hesitated to speak up after they had driven for a bit.

"I'm not in active duty anymore, don't call me Commander. Just call me Mr Gardner or Billy like Derek does." Billy replied.

"In that case, can I still call you brother? It feels more personal." Casey smiled.

"Sure thing," Billy nodded before asking, "What did you want to say earlier?"

"I got a call from the capital this morning." Casey's tone was heavy.

"As expected," Billy responded nonchalantly. "What did they say?"

"They're not happy about you going off on your own and are giving you three days to return to the western region or else they'll revoke your title as King of the West." Casey took a deep breath before continuing. "I think it's time for us to part ways."

"That works out perfectly." Billy had an indifferent expression on his face.

"Write up my resignation letter and send it over saying that I'm leaving due to personal reasons and resigning from all positions in Army of Bloodshadow."

Casey slammed on the brakes suddenly causing them both to jolt forward in their seats.

"You're joking, right?" he asked incredulously.

"If Azure Dragon and his crew found out you resigned, they'd be here in no time flat ready to follow you wherever you go."

In fact, everyone in Army of Bloodshadow might just quit too."

"They dare!" Billy said in a low voice. "Tell them to stay put in the West without my permission. If they dare to leave their post, they'll have to face the consequences."

"Are you serious, bro?" Casey turned his head towards Billy.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Billy glared at him.

"But... The commander of the capital's army has been semi-retired for two years due to health reasons. It's rumored that they want to choose one of you five lords as his replacement. If you resign now..."

"I've heard about this from my father long ago." Billy interrupted him. "I want to spend more time with Tasha and Harleen, whom I owe so much. And also because I have no interest in that position. Let those four fight over it!"

"For me, being free from official duties is better." He continued with a smile on his face.

"I see." Casey nodded thoughtfully and then spoke again. "It's said that the lord of the central district has been against you all along and has reported against you several times. He even privately contacted two lords from North and South districts who are loyal to him."

"He's just an insignificant person who can't make any difference." Billy chuckled lightly. "Let him do whatever he wants!"

"But he is related by blood with the emperor and many people support him in the capital city... I'm worried if he really wants trouble with you..." Casey trailed off uncertainly.

"There's nothing to worry about!" Billy interrupted him again, his eyes flashing with a hint of anger. "He better be careful, or I won't hesitate to tear down his hideout!"

"Okay."

"By the way, how is Jake Hanson in the East doing?" Billy asked again after thinking for a moment.

"Not good news." Casey shook his head and continued, "After the last battle, he was severely injured by the opponent and his cultivation level plummeted. Coupled with his advanced age, it's unlikely that he'll return to duty."

"If you have time, give him a call and ask if he's in Ozin. If he is, I'll go visit him." Billy said after some thought.

"Got it!" Casey paused before continuing to ask, "Brother, if you resign from your position at camp, what about your position in SHADOW?"

"The same goes for that decision being made by higher-ups. If they're willing to let me continue managing SHADOW then I won't refuse. But if they think I'm not capable of handling it anymore then, I'll step down anytime."

"I see."

"By the way, brother... I heard there are people investigating your background over at the capital!"

"Let them investigate all they want! A bunch of clowns who can't do anything else but cause trouble." Billy frowned slightly.

"That's true, they're just bored out of their minds all day long. They'd go crazy without something to stir up." Casey agreed as they continued chatting for a while longer before driving into an old- fashioned neighborhood.

After entering the community, the two of them noticed that some large words, "TO BE DEMOLISHED" were painted on the exterior walls of all the buildings. In the open space of the area, many elderly people were discussing something in groups of three or five, with sighs and worried expressions.

"Daddy!"

After Casey parked the car at unit 8, they got out of the car. Billy then saw a petite figure running towards him.

"Tasha, did you miss Daddy?" Billy bent down to pick up Tasha and spun around in place.

"Of course! Tasha missed Daddy so much..." Tasha's tears wetted Billy's shirt collar.

"Dad missed you too!" Billy's eyes turned red at once.

Harleen stood not far away watching them with tears streaming down her cheeks. This scene had appeared countless times in her dreams. She hoped that Tasha could have a strong father figure to rely on so she wouldn't be called a bastard by others anymore. She had been dreaming this dream for five years.

"Tasha, Daddy bought you lots of toys! Let's go see them together?" In no time at all, Billy carried Tasha towards the back of his truck.

"Yeah! New toys!" The little one wiped away her tears and smiled through them as she saw all kinds of toys filling up the truck.

"Dad, are all these toys for Tasha?"

"Yeah!" Billy laughed. "Do you like them?"

"Of course!" Tasha danced around and looked at Harleen. "Mommy, come see! Daddy bought me so many toys!"

At that moment, Felicia walked out of the apartment building and quickly made her way to the car.

"Oh my God!" She looked at the entire car full of toys with her mouth wide enough to fit two eggs in it. "Billy, are you a millionaire or something?"

Harleen also walked over to the pile of toys and her mouth twitched several times as she surveyed them all. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

What a father's love!

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps approaching-about ten tattooed men were walking towards them.

"You must be the owners of unit 303? We've been waiting for you." The leader with a bald head glared at Harleen.

"Daddy, are they bad guys? Tasha is scared..." Tasha hugged Billy tightly.

The incident in Cloud City had left her traumatized and now she trembled when she saw people who looked unfriendly.

"Don't be afraid, Tasha. Dad got you, no one will ever bully you again." Billy said softly before turning to Felicia.

"Felicia, take Tasha home first. Harleen and I will come up later."

Felicia nodded and took Tasha from Billy's arms as they walked towards the hallway.

"What do you want?" Billy asked the bald man who had approached them.

"We bought your house. Come with us to handle the paperwork for the property rights." The bald man licked his dry lips.

"What does that mean?" Harleen furrowed in confusion.