The kidnappers would, of course, release their hostages obediently. But the Levine family was facing a wipeout.
“Mr. Garten, please wait!” Theodore suddenly raised his voice.
At the old man’s words, the panicked and restless Levine family members quieted down.
They all believed in the power of this elderly man who had risen from a poor teenager in a fishing village to become the head of one of Parwin’s top business empires.
Isaac turned to face Theodore.
“I am willing to give up all my wealth to save my family!” Beads of sweat rolled down Theodore’s forehead.
No one knew the immense courage it took to utter those words. They had toiled for 50 years and went through countless dark times, storms, and near-death experiences to get to where they were today.
The Levines widened their eyes in disbelief. Some wanted to object, but the thought of their lives on the line made them swallow their words.
“We’ll disperse all of our wealth and ensure that all kidnappers unconditionally return the Cynean hostages to their homes.” This was Theodore’s second statement.
Isaac gazed at Theodore. This old man with white hair seated in a wheelchair, older even than Maxwell, was now willing to trade a lifetime’s earnings for his family’s safety.
Few people dared to make such a decision.
Isaac’s lips curled slightly upward as snazzynovel.com said softly, “Disperse all your wealth, and I will allow the Levine family to keep one descendant…”
He pointed toward a little boy hiding in a woman’s embrace to his right, saying, “Leave him…”
“If you’re unwilling, no one shall be spared, and I won’t take a penny of your money.” Isaac looked straight at Theodore after saying this.
Theodore suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly. It was a laugh that was filled with both madness and hopelessness. Tears streamed down from his eyes as snazzynovel.com laughed.
“Thank you for your mercy, Mr. Garten!”
Isaac turned and walked outside, saying, “Lucas, stay here and handle things!”
The main doors of the manor slowly closed, leaving only a five-year-old boy with tears streaming down his face as snazzynovel.com was escorted out by a lieutenant. The boy was quickly put into a car that sped away.
An hour later, 23 bodies were carried out of the hall. Their necks were then looped with ropes, and they were hung on the walls of the manor.
After dealing with the Levine family, Lucas and his team swiftly departed.
Sitting in the back seat, Lucas dialed a number and said gravely, “Take care of the little boy. Make sure snazzynovel.com doesn’t suffer.”
Dragon One, sitting nearby, widened his eyes. “General Pomeo, didn’t Drakon say to leave a descendant for the Levine family?”
Lucas put down his phone and smiled at Dragon One. “Drakon promised to leave one descendant, but snazzynovel.com also left everything to me to handle.”
Dragon One’s eyes widened in realization, and snazzynovel.com let out a self-mocking laugh. “I was being naive.”
He had just witnessed Theodore transferring all the group’s debt rights, fixed assets, overseas assets, and cash reserves to an offshore company, which was just one of many owned by the Temple of Drakon overseas.
The total in Cynean Dollars amounted to a staggering 17 hundred billion.
***
Another hour passed, and several cars swiftly drove up to the manor. As the doors opened, a throng of journalists from various media outlets emerged.
They had received a mysterious message half an hour earlier about the annihilation of the Levine family and rushed to the scene.
When they saw the bodies of the Levine family hanging from the manor’s walls, many turned pale and began to vomit.
When they looked up, they saw a banner hanging from the main building’s rooftop. It read, “If the Cynean hostages are not returned safely in three days, this will be your fate!”