The Great Ethan Lee

Chapter 38

Eason shouted angrily, "Dad! Are you crazy?! Why did you hit me?!" Eason held his cheek, shocked that Ray had hit him for the first time.

Just then, Freya Bell Peterson rushed in, helping him up from the ground with a concerned look as she scolded Ray, "Ray, what are you doing?! He just killed one person. Is it worth treating your son like this?!"

Ray's eyes, burning with great fury, landed on his wife, "Y-you... it's all your fault! You spoiled this brat!"

Eason suddenly asked, "Dad, how did you know I killed someone?"

Ray angrily replied, "Not only do I know you killed someone, but now all the top powers in the country know. Your actions have caused them great concern!"

Freya dismissed it, "It's just one life, so what? We can just pay to make this problem go away, money is no object to us!"

Ray slumped into a chair, "Do you know who he killed? He killed Ethan, a master respected by tens of thousands."

Freya exclaimed, "What?!" Being a noble from Crownspire, she knew the significance of such a title.

Seeing his parents' reaction, Eason started to panic, "Dad, Mom, I... I didn't know he was so important! What should we do now? Scorpion just called; he’s already dead. I..."

Freya quickly calmed her son, "Don't panic!"

Freya's eyes flashed with determination, "Ray, contact the federal authorities; I will reach out to my family. You are a Governor. If Ethan's disciples retaliate, they would basically be trampling on the dignity of the government. I believe the authorities won't ignore this! I don't believe these accomplished figures would ruin themselves over a dead man!"

***

Meanwhile, in the highest command center of Crownspire, countless top dignitaries of the Federation hurriedly gathered.

The leading elder, with a grim expression, looked at the people sitting around the conference table and said heavily, "Everyone, you must have heard what happened. Sadly, the situation is getting more and more out of control!"

The elder turned to the secretary, "Bear, explain the current situation!"

Secretary Bear immediately began, "According to the latest intelligence report, many special forces and paratroopers are heading to Constant State. Their departure from their defense zones could affect the Federation's border security. Meanwhile, there are significant financial flows among major commercial groups within the Federation, making the situation very dangerous!"

Secretary Bear paused briefly and continued, "Doctors led by Ezra are heading to the incident site. They have also secretly bought prohibited toxic substances. Additionally, international mercenary groups are sneaking across various borders into the country with unclear motives!"

This shocking news made even these seasoned dignitaries react with surprise and concern. They exclaimed.

"What are these guys trying to do?!"

"Do they want to bury Constant State along with Ethan?!"

"Are they all crazy?!"

The room was in an uproar. With a dark expression, the leading elder suddenly slammed the table hard!

Everyone instantly fell silent.

With a deep and profound look, the elder scanned the room and spoke heavily, "Haven't you figured it out yet? His disciples are forcing us to choose a side."

The crowd asked in confusion, "Choose a side? What do you mean?"

The elder loudly said, "Mr. Peterson's plea for help has just come in. Ethan’s disciples are making such a high-profile move to show us that If we dare protect Ray, they will bury all of Constant State for Ethan!"

The elder continued, "We have only two paths before us. One is to protect the Peterson family, and with the power of our Federation, clash with Ethan’s disciples. The other is to abandon the Peterson family and let them avenge Ethan as they see fit."

Everyone fell into a brief silence, followed by mounted arguments.

Some chose to stand with the Petersons, "We must protect the Peterson family! After all, they hold great power in Constant State and is practically the face of our Federation. If we let these disciples act recklessly, what dignity will our Federation have left?!"

Some chose to abandon the Petersons, "Protect? With what? Don't forget, it was Ray's son who had Ethan killed; he made the first move! Isn't it natural for them to avenge Ethan?"

Some wanted to find a middle ground. "We can sentence Eason to death to avenge Ethan. But we cannot let these disciples threaten the safety of our entire state. If we set this precedent, they might become more demanding in the future, and our authority will diminish in the eyes of other state governors!"

Seeing the heated discussion, the leading elder shouted angrily, "Silence! I know what you're thinking. If we abandon Constant State, our authority will forever be challenged."

After a pause, the elder continued, "However, I have a few questions for you all. If we protect the Peterson family, how confident are we in keeping them safe?"

Everyone fell silent. After a long pause, someone spoke bitterly, "If a war does break out, our chances of winning are less than 50%."

The Minister of Finance chimed in, "Even if we win, it will likely cost a lot of resources, affecting even the most basic public services."

"Once conflict breaks out, the entire Federation will face great challenges."

Upon realizing how bad the consequences would be, those who had been clamoring to protect the Peterson family fell silent.

Seeing their reactions, the elder sighed heavily and, after a long pause, slowly spoke, "The Peterson family will face this crisis alone. The federal government will not send them any support."