Chapter 25: The entire alliance moved

Ethan called out from behind.

"Rose, can you tell me what happened?"

Rose stopped suddenly. She was visibly shaking, her eyes turning red. There was a hint of despair on her face.

Ethan had never seen Rose like this. To him, she had always been the epitome of perfection—calm, confident, ambitious. But the Rose standing in front of him now was a stranger. His heart felt like it was being torn apart just seeing her like this.

He thought, How can I have such a strong emotion toward her? I know my previous self had a crush on her. Maybe I also like her. But this feeling now... it’s different. It’s like someone very close to me—like my parents—is suffering. Has Rose already taken that place in my heart? When did these feelings build up? No... they were always there. That silly me always loved her but never had the nerve to confess. That wasn’t a crush—it was pure love.

Ethan now saw his feelings clearly. And as a man, he would honor them. He would do what his heart told him to.

He stepped forward and hugged her tightly. Rose was still trembling. Ethan could feel how vulnerable she was at that moment. This girl had always shown a dual personality to survive in this cruel world, where she had no strong background to rely on.

Now that her little sister had been taken away, all her facades had collapsed. The real Rose had emerged—burdened by family pressure, her sister, her mother.

But Rose didn’t refuse the hug. She needed a strong chest to bury her head in, a head full of tension and burden. And somewhere deep in her heart, there was a place that didn’t want to resist. Maybe Ethan was good-looking. Maybe he had shown fantastic potential during the awakening process. Maybe she admired him. Or maybe... it was something else entirely.

Ethan whispered gently, "Don’t worry, Rose. Nothing will happen to Zara. In this world, until I, Ethan Hunt, die, not a single hair on you or your family will be harmed from today onward. Please trust me on that."

He then added, "Now, let’s go to your home. Let’s find out what’s going on first."

He slowly let her go from his embrace. Rose blushed, but there was no time to think about that. She nodded.

Ethan took her in his car and drove toward the Commoner District—a place where only ordinary people lived, without warriors or wealth in the family.

Ethan parked the car and opened the door for Rose. She led him toward her home, which was on the third floor of a ten-story building.

Rose pressed the doorbell. After a while, the door opened.

Ethan saw a woman—perhaps not much older than his own mother—but she had aged significantly. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she’d been crying for a while. She must be Rose’s mother, Ethan thought.

Rose went in and hugged her mother tightly.

Ethan didn’t interrupt. He let the mother and daughter have their moment. After some time, he gently spoke up.

"Hello, Aunty. I’m Ethan, Rose’s classmate. If you don’t mind, can you please tell me what happened?"

Rose’s mother nodded slightly. "Today I took Zara to the nearby park for a walk. Zara has been suffering from an unknown chronic disease since childhood. Only medication and mental stability can keep her safe. So me and Rose take turns walking her outside once every three days."

Ethan was surprised. He had seen Zara once, but he hadn’t noticed anything unusual back then.

Rose nodded. "Yes, Zara experienced extreme cold once when she was a child. Then this symptoms became a regular issue for her. She would feel very cold at night periodically. Her body radiates coldness at those moment. Since then, her condition has worsened. Only medication can keep her going. The doctor said that a natural treasure might cure her, but..."

Ethan understood. That treasure must be too expensive. No wonder Rose was so determined to get admitted to Aurora Martial University—even before her awakening.

Rose’s mother continued, "When we were in the park, a black car pulled up. Some people in battle armor got out, took Zara by force, and left. I couldn’t save my baby girl." She broke down crying again. Then, as if remembering something, she took out an envelope.

"Rose, this was given by them. They asked me to give it to you."

Rose took the envelope and opened it. As she read the letter, the despair in her eyes reached its peak.

Ethan noticed the look on her face and gently took the letter from her hand to read it.

"Dear sweet Rose,

Your sister is with us. I won’t do anything to her for 24 hours. If you want to save her, come to my villa within that time. Don’t tell the Alliance Hall. You know my father is a Grandmaster. Even if you tell them, can they do anything to me? But that can’t be said for Zara. She’s a great beauty like you, and you know what I mean... So come here alone or else, hehehe.

Your beloved, Zared."

Ethan remained calm even after reading the letter. His spirit was on a whole other level. So he didn’t show any emotions on his face.

He looked at Rose and asked softly, "Who is Zared?"

Rose replied, "He’s the son of the loan shark we borrowed money from. Zara’s medication costs a lot. My father died just after borrowing from them a year ago. Since then, they’ve been harassing us. We’ve been selling everything we have to pay them, but that bastard won’t let us go. He used to come to harass us in person. A few days ago, he even came to propose marriage to me. I rejected him. He’s been threatening me ever since, but I never thought he’d kidnap Zara..."

Her eyes turned red again.

Ethan clenched his fist but said nothing. He simply placed a hand on Rose’s head.

"Don’t worry. I have some connections. Zara will be here within an hour."

Rose thought Ethan was talking about Richard, who had praised him during the awakening ceremony. But what could Richard do? He’s only a Level 9 Master. Norman’s father is a Grandmaster...

Ethan didn’t know what was storming in her mind.

He pulled out his phone and called Charles.

Charles’s voice came through the speaker. "Hey Ethan, what’s up? Didn’t you leave here an hour ago? Did you already make up your mind?"

Ethan said, "Supervisor, I need your help."

Charles was surprised. "What kind of help, Ethan? Just tell me. Even if I can’t fulfill it, the higher-ups will take action."

Ethan replied, "No, no, Supervisor. You see, there’s a situation..." Ethan explained everything to him.

After hearing it all, Charles snorted coldly. "Looks like this city needs a purge. Those bastards think they can do anything just because the Alliance supports them. This time, they’ve hit a dead end."

Charles had clear orders from Leon—eliminate anyone who stood in Ethan’s way. And Charles could tell Rose was very important to him.

He said, "Don’t worry, Ethan. How do you want to solve this? Should I kill them all and bring Zara back? Or capture them alive?"

Ethan’s voice turned chilling cold. "Capture them. Bring the father and son here. They need to apologize... before they die."

Even Charles felt a slight pressure from Ethan’s tone.

Charles replied, "As you wish."

Then, in Base City 5, something happened that hadn’t occurred outside of a Tier-3 beast tide. Ten Grandmasters and fifty Masters were dispatched from the Alliance. They didn’t hide their movements. They drove in military cars straight to a massive villa—one that belonged to a Grandmaster.

This grand display didn’t go unnoticed. Reporters from Base City 5 caught wind of it.

They followed the convoy. Some even started live-streaming.

"Where is this super-force going? Is the city facing a Tier-3 beast tide?"

Citizens were panicking as they saw the broadcast.

But Ethan and Rose’s family had no idea.

Meanwhile, in the villa, a lackey came running in. "Boss! A powerful force from the Alliance is right outside!"

Zared was playing with a woman in the room. He froze. "What did you say? What strong force? My father is a Grandmaster. There’s no one stronger in the city except the top officials of the Alliance!"

The lackey stuttered, "Boss... it’s the top officials. Ten Grandmasters and fifty Masters. Did something happen? Did your father do something wrong?"

Zared slapped the lackey and ran to the balcony.

From there, he saw their villa completely surrounded.

He dashed to his father’s room and pounded on the door. "Hey Dad! This is urgent! Open the door!"

An irritated voice barked from inside. "Bastard, why are you disturbing my rest? If you don’t explain, I’ll break your dog legs!"

Zared yelled, "Dad! Ten Grandmasters and fifty Masters from the Alliance have surrounded our house! Do you know anything?!"

The door flung open. His father emerged, tying his robe, a woman wrapped in a blanket could be seen inside.

The two ran outside. Their villa’s main gate had already been blasted open.

Norman,Zared’s father, tried to smile. "May I ask what the Alliance officers want from me?"

One of the Grandmasters snorted. "Norman, I suggest you shut your pig mouth and let us do our job. Or else..."

Zared’s face darkened. "Even if you’re from the Alliance, do you think you can act like this? I’ll report you to the higher-ups!"

The man smirked. "Go ahead. We’re here under the orders of Supervisor Charles. You may want to contact the Super City headquarter, right?"

Norman’s legs went weak. All his sins flashed before his eyes. But he couldn’t remember a sin worthy enough to capture the supervisor’s attension.

But then he heard the man was replying,"Norman, your son kidnapped a girl named Zara. That act sealed the fate of your entire family. I pity you."

Zared collapsed to the ground. What? How? Why? There’s no way that family could make the entire Alliance move! But before he could finish the thought, a sharp pain shot through him—his father had kicked him hard.

Norman looked at the team. "There must be some misunderstanding! I know nothing, I swear! I’m a Grandmaster! I fought monsters for the safety of the humanity! The Alliance can’t treat me like this!"

No one answered. They simply arrested him, smashed the villa, and took everyone inside into custody.

They found Zara tied up and unconscious in a room. They untied her and tried to wake her.

Zara slowly opened her eyes and began sobbing again. "Please let me go... Please... Sister, save me... wu wu wu..."

Richard stepped forward. He was also a part of the operation. "Hello Zara, I’m Richard. Your sister’s friend. We came to bring you back to your mother and sister. Will you come with us?"

Zara stopped crying. "Are you telling the truth? You really came to save me?"

Richard smiled. "Of course. Shall we go, then?"

Zara chose to believe him and nodded.

The team took everyone and returned to the Commoner District.

This entire event had been broadcast live on TV. A storm of public opinion exploded.

Who is Zared? Who did he kidnap to make the entire Alliance Hall move?

Countless posts flooded social media.