The Guardian's Oath

At a luxurious villa in Granville's affluent neighborhood, the Olson's villa was bustleing with joy as a birthday banquet was in full swing. A retarded man, drooling slightly from the corner of his mouth was following closely behind a stunning young woman dressed in a light red gown. They made their way toward the Olson family's banquet hall. The retard was Josh Parker, and the woman, his wife, was Lizzie Parker. Four years ago, they had been banished from the family by her grandfather, Monte Olson. Now, they returned to present a birthday gift to him. In the banquet hall, a young woman in a black dress proudly stepped forward from the lively crowd. She held up an exquisitely wrapped gift box. "Grandpa, I present a Rolex watch, valued at six hundred thousand dollars!" Alani Olson said. Not to be outdone, a man dressed in a black tailcoat with slicked-back hair also stepped forward, holding up his gift box. Erick Olson said, "Grandpa, I present a bottle of vintage wine, valued at five hundred thousand dollars." The guests continued to offer their gifts, none of which were valued at less than a hundred thousand dollars. Monte's face lit up with delight as he admired the expensive presents. When it was Lizzie's turn, she nervously held up a modestly wrapped box, her voice trembling as she spoke, "Grandpa I present a batch of homemade cookies, valued at... two bucks." The lively atmosphere came to an abrupt halt as everyone stared at the box in her hands, their expressions strange and disbelieving. No one had expected someone to present a gift worth just two bucks. Monte's face hardened instantly. "B*stard! How dare you bring such a cheap gift?" Amidst the murmurs and mocking laughter, Lizzie lowered her head, her cheeks burning with shame. At that moment, Josh, his mouth smeared with grease, crawled out from under a long table, his tall figure shielding Lizzie. "Bad guy! Don't yell at my wife!" Alani emerged from the crowd, glaring at the greasy corner of Josh's mouth with a cold sneer. "How dare you sneak food from the Olson family's banquet? Do you wanna die?" Lizzie trembled and quickly tried to explain, "Alani, Josh is sick. He didn't mean to." Four years ago, Josh disappeared on their wedding day. This brought shame to the Olson family. Monte was furious and expelled Lizzie from the family. Two months ago, Josh reappeared, but he had suffered severe brain damage. Now, his mind was inferior to a five-year-old child. Hearing Lizzie's words, Josh grinned foolishly. He pulled out half a chewed steak from his pocket and tried to feed it to Lizzie. "I saved this for you, honey. It's delicious!" Tears well up in Lizzie's eyes as she gently pushed the steak back. "You eat it, dear. I'm not hungry." "Okay..." Seeing her eyes welling up with tears, Josh put the steak back in his pocket, staring down at the hem of his clothes like a child who made mistakes. "Lizzie, four years ago, you embarrassed the Olson family, but Grandpa didn't blame you." With a smile, Erick took off his white gloves elegantly and picked up a bottle of red wine. He walked slowly toward them. "But why haven't you learned your lesson?" WIth that, the smile on Erick's face disappeared, replaced by a sneer. Bang! Suddenly, Erick smashed the wine bottle against Josh's head with no warning, making a crimson stain spread across the carpet, a blend of wine and blood. A twisted laughter cut through the hall before a barrage of punches and kicks rained down on him Josh. "Ah! Lizzie helps! It hurts!" Josh clutched his head, crying out in pain. "No! Stop it!" Lizzie screamed, sobbing as she was dragged away. "Erick, please stop! He'll die!" "Enough! Killing him will reflect poorly on our family." Monte waved his hand indifferently. "Throw them to the corner and prepare to be seated, everyone." "Yes, Grandpa!" Alani quickly complied, dragging her long dress as she returned to the crowd. "Those who have contributed over ten million dollars to Olson family will sit at the head table with the head of the family." "Those who have contributed over seven million dollars will sit in the first row." "Those who have contributed over three million dollars will sit in the second row," As the list was read out, Lizzie's mother, Valerie Olson, stood frozen in place. Their names were even not mentioned at all. Valerie stepped forward with a forced smile. "Alani, dear, where should we sit?" "Who are you calling dear?" Alani snapped, casting a disdainful glance at the poor Valerie. "With a contribution of two bucks, you're only fit to eat in the corner." She then pointed triumphantly to Josh who was slumped in the corner, and elegantly headed toward the head table. Hiss! Josh suddenly gasped as a sharp pain tore through his head. It was followed by a flood of memories rushing into his mind. In those memories, Josh was descending from a combat helicopter. He held onto a rope as his silver assault rifle blazed.   Blood burst from the crowd... In a grand hall made of silver-gray alloy, two rows of soldiers stood at attention, saluting as Josh marched to the front. An elderly man in a military uniform stepped forward. He removed a Red Dragon Medal from his chest and solemnly placed it on Josh's. "Josh, for your service in quelling the chaos, from this day forward, you will take command of the War God Legion, succeeding me as the new War God..." Then his memory skipped to a later point. "Josh, the Parker family belongs to me. You shouldn't have come back alive!" A young man, who looks somewhat like Josh, injects a shot of green liquid into his heart.... As the final memory faded, Josh's eyes snapped open, his fists clenched tightly. He remembered everything! 'I'm not the retarded Josh. I'm the War God Josh! All of this is Dior Parker's doing!' Josh was the sole heir of the Parker family, one of the world's top families, but he was forcibly sent to the battlefield on the night of his wedding. Over four years of relentless fighting, Josh earned countless honors. He became a War God, the elite commander in the War God Legion, and led thousands of troops. But when he returned home, his brother had not only taken over as the family head but had also tortured him into a fool. "Damn it!" Josh clenches his fists tightly and his teeth grinding audibly. 'Dior Parker, I'll make you pay!' As he calmed down, Josh looked at Lizzie. Her eyes were swollen from crying, making his heart ached. She had suffered so much over the past four years. 'Lizzie! My dear, I swear I will make you the happiest woman in the world!' With that resolve, Josh suddenly stood up, his loud voice resonating throughout the Olson family's hall, "How ridiculous! Holding a family banquet and ranking people by their contributions? Let me ask you this, what table do I sit at if I contribute fifty billion dollars?" The lively atmosphere at the banquet froze instantly as everyone turned toward the corner. They were trying to see who could make such a bold claim. "The fool?" The room erupted in laughter. "Fifty billion dollars? Can he even count his fingers?" Monte chuckled, tapping his cane on the floor in disdain. "If a retard like you can come up with fifty billion dollars, the Olson family is yours." "Retard?" Josh's cold gaze swept across the room. "Open your eyes and see who the real retard is!" The confident tone in Josh's voice sent a shiver through the crowd as they studied him. After a moment, they were forced to accept the unbelievable truth: Josh, the retard, has regained his senses! Erick sneered, "So what if you're back to normal? Trust me, I can make you a fool again the next second!" Just as Josh was about to respond, he felt a warm touch on his hand, pulling him back. He turned to see Lizzie, her eyes brimming with tears. She covered her mouth, tears of joy streaming down her face. "Josh..." "Lizzie, you've suffered so much!" Josh's eyes reddened as he embraced Lizzie. The man who had once faced death without flinching now revealed a tender side in front of the woman he loved most. Everyone else dismissed the scene as a mere sideshow. But Josh's eyes had already scanned the entire Olson family. Inwardly, he smirked coldly, 'Let's see if you can handle the weight of five billion dollars!'