The Supreme Overlord

Chapter 5

"Tanner? Is it really you?" Gavin stared up at Tanner, his voice trembling with disbelief. "You're alive?"

"I'm right here, Dad." Tanner squeezed his father's hand, his eyes wet but his voice steady.

"Mom's safe. I got to her first. Everything's going to be okay now, I promise. We'll be a family again," he continued.

"That's good." Despite the impossible odds—Jaxon's small army against his lone son—something in Tanner's voice made Gavin believe.

For the first time in years, he felt safe enough to let his guard down, and exhaustion pulled him under.

Tanner watched his father drift off, carefully laying him back on the table. Let him rest.

Five years of torture and sleepless nights had taken their toll.

Once, his father had been his shield against the world for Tanner and his sister.

Now it was Tanner's turn to be the protector.

Slow clapping cut through the silence. "Well, so touching." Jaxon's voice dripped with mockery. "A real Hallmark moment."

He studied Tanner with newfound wariness. "You've picked up some tricks these past five years. Taking down Noah, making it this far..."

His eyes flicked to the demolished door and the remains of his guards. Such raw power.

But then he remembered his ace in the hole, and his confidence returned. "Too bad it ends here."

On cue, the room filled with ex-special forces operators, their weapons trained on Tanner's head from every angle.

Five elite hitmen moved to form a wall between Jaxon and any potential threat.

"What's your move now?" Jaxon's smile was all teeth.

"Ha." Tanner positioned himself between the guns and his father, his expression almost bored. "This is it? You'll need more. A lot more."

"More? Hahaha..." Jaxon's laugh held an edge of hysteria. "You've got enough firepower aimed at your skull to turn it into confetti, and you're asking for more? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Mr. Price!" A bodyguard burst in, holding a tablet with surveillance footage from Noah's villa.

Jaxon's sneer faltered as he watched Tanner move with incredible speed, taking down a dozen ex-military men in under thirty seconds. Not a single bullet hit him.

"Jesus Christ..." Jaxon's eyes widened in shock. 'Could my men take down Tanner? Or would Tanner get to me first?'

Fear made him reconsider his options. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Mr. Foster, it's Jaxon. I need your help. Bring a battalion, no, make it two."

Rumble...

Soon, the sound of engines roared outside Jaxon's villa.

"Ha!" He grinned, feeling his worry lift. "Tanner, you're in trouble now. Two battalions are outside, almost a thousand men. They're armed to the teeth—automatic rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, even tanks. You can't take on that many."

Tanner remained silent, his expression unchanging. He hadn't expected the Caridonia army to be working with the Price family.

A colonel, flanked by dozens of soldiers with automatic rifles, arrived in the operating room.

He scowled when he saw their target was just one man. "Mr. Price, I thought we were dealing with a gang. Two battalions for one guy? What a waste of resources. I just got word that the Northern Warzone commander is in town, and I was hoping to make a good impression. Don't mess this up."

"Mr. Foster, I want to meet the commander too," Jaxon said. "But first, take a look at this." He showed Liam the surveillance footage.

Liam's face changed as he watched Tanner take down the gunmen with ease. "What the...? I've been in the army for twenty years, and I've never seen anything like that."

Jaxon smirked. "That's why I called you. Don't worry, I'll cover your men's expenses. And after this is over, I'll take care of you personally. I heard the Buckley's BrewHouse has some new girls—fresh, and many of them are... untouched. My treat."

Liam's eyes lit up, and he chuckled. "Excellent, Mr. Price, always so generous." He had a craving for that kind of experience, thanks to Jaxon.

He glared at Tanner, annoyed that the man showed no fear despite being outnumbered.

"You're impressive, I'll give you that—taking on over a dozen gunmen by yourself. But can you handle the thousand troops under my command? Who do you think you are? You're just a fugitive who ran away like a dog five years ago," Jaxon sneered coldly.

"Hahaha!" The room erupted in laughter. Everyone looked at Tanner with mocking eyes as if they were staring at a dead man.

"Heh." Tanner's low chuckle suddenly broke through the noise. He glanced at Jaxon and Liam, shaking his head with disdain.

"I'm no longer a fugitive. And as for who I am? Weren't you all so eager to meet the Supreme Commander of the Meriland Northern Warzone? Well, congratulations—you've met him."

"My name is Tanner Morgan. I've served in the military for five years, and my rank is Marshal. My position? Supreme Commander of the Meriland Northern Warzone, commanding an army of 350,000 troops."

"What?" The words hit like a thunderclap, and the room fell into stunned silence.

The air grew heavy as if time itself had stopped.

Then, suddenly—"Hahahahaha!"—the laughter exploded again, louder than before.

"Hahaha!" Jaxon doubled over, clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. He crouched down, slapping his thigh in hysterics.

"Tanner, have you completely lost your mind? You mean you went from fugitive to Supreme Commander in just five years? Then I must be the president! Oh, you're killing me—my stomach hurts so bad!"

Liam, who was well-versed in military ranks, scoffed as well. His eyes flicked to Tanner, who was now standing in just a plain undershirt after giving his jacket to his mother.

"I can tell you've served in the military, sure. But at your age? The best you could be is a company commander. Supreme Commander? Don't make me laugh!" Liam sneered, his tone dripping with contempt.

"At first, I thought there was no reason to kill you since we didn't have any personal grudge. But now, you've given me the perfect excuse!"

With that, Liam raised his hand, and the soldiers behind him immediately aimed their rifles at Tanner's head.

"By my order, this man is impersonating the Supreme Commander of Meriland—a crime of the highest degree. Shoot him—"

Boom! Boom! Boom! A deafening roar suddenly erupted outside the villa, drowning out Liam's words. The sound was far louder than the two battalions Liam had brought with him.

It was like the rumble of a storm about to unleash its fury, or the ominous roar of a massive tsunami crashing toward the shore.

The skies darkened, the ground shook violently, and an overwhelming sense of dread filled the air.

Jaxon and Liam's faces turned ghostly pale. This was no ordinary commotion—this was the kind of power only an army of hundreds of thousands could bring!