The War God's Homecoming

Chapter 234 The Culprit

Chapter 234 The Culprit

"Rose!" Upon seeing the woman, Black Panther and his companions all bowed respectfully, showing an unusually deferential attitude.

"I apologize for the behavior of my subordinates, sirs. Please forgive us," Rose's gaze lingered on Billy for a moment before she smiled gracefully. At the same time, she was slightly surprised. She couldn't sense any martial aura from any of the three individuals, wondering whether all of the three were above her in strength. Moreover, she felt an unprecedented aura of power from Billy. It was stronger than any dignitary she had encountered before.

"Are you Rose?" Billy spoke casually.

"I am indeed," Rose smiled again. "If the three of you don't mind, would you like to sit upstairs?"

"Sure." Billy nodded. The lobby had already gathered quite a crowd, and he didn't want to discuss matters here.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a banquet hall on the sixth floor. Billy took a seat, while Judge and Stout stood on his left and right respectively. This was a matter of courtesy, but also a precaution in case of any unexpected events, allowing them to shield Billy immediately.

On the other side, Rose sat on a sofa opposite Billy, with Black Panther and the old man standing behind her.

"What should I call you, sir?" After a waiter poured tea for the two parties, Rose began the conversation.

"My surname is Gardner." Billy spoke calmly.

"So, you're Mr Gardner," Rose sipped her tea. "May I know what brings you to me?"

"You should be able to tell me where Derek Hines is." Billy said.

"Hmm?" Hearing this, the pupils of Rose, Black Panther, and the old man all slightly contracted.

After steadying her emotions a bit, Rose spoke again, "I'm not quite sure what you mean, Mr Gardner. Someone like Mr Hines, why would you inquire about his whereabouts from me?"

"He's gone missing." Billy took a sip of tea and continued, "He's my friend. If something happens to him, the consequences will be severe."

"Mr Hines went missing?" Rose's expression was one of surprise. After a moment, she put down her teacup and continued, "Mr Gardner, I'm truly sorry, but I can't provide you with an answer to that question. Mr Hines... He was indeed dining at my restaurant last night. I even raised a toast to him. But I have no knowledge of what happened after that. He..."

"Are you unwilling to tell?" Billy's tone turned cold. "For your own sake, it's better not to bring trouble upon yourself, because you won't be able to bear the consequences."

"How dare you speak like this?" Black Panther's brows furrowed as he pointed at Billy and spoke with a deep voice.

"Point your finger again, and you won't have it anymore." Judge's eyebrows furrowed as well.

"What do you think this place is?" Black Panther withdrew his hand and continued with a stern voice, "Mr Hines is a grown man. If he's missing, how are we supposed to know where he is? If you're looking for someone, go to the police station. What's the point of coming to us..."

Bang!

Before he could finish, Judge's swift movement sent Black Panther flying. A wisp of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he hit the ground. Both Rose and the old man inhaled sharply, confirming that Judge's strength was indeed above theirs.

"You dare to speak out of turn before my boss. When is it your turn to butt in?" Judge's icy gaze fixed on Black Panther. "If there's another time, I'll cripple one of your arms."

"Fuck!" Black Panther obviously wasn't so easy to give in. After getting up, he rushed towards Judge.

"Panther, stop!" Rose reprimanded.

She knew that her subordinate would be no match for the other.

"Can we continue?" Billy turned his attention back to Rose. "My patience has limits. You'd better make a quick decision."

Exhaling a breath, Rose took another sip of tea.

"I truly don't know where Mr Hines went after I raised a toast to him last night. However, there was another group of people dining here last night. If something did happen to Mr Hines, it might be related to them. In addition, someone broke into the surveillance room of the restaurant last night and deleted all the surveillance footage from the past few days. It was probably done by the same people."

"Who are these people?" Billy furrowed his brows.

"Members of Enssea Commerce Association," Rose took a deep breath before continuing, "As far as I know, they've been trying to recruit Mr Hines. However, he doesn't seem interested and has turned down their invitations multiple times. There have been conflicts between them before."

"Enssea Commerce Association?" Billy blinked. "Who are they?"

"Enssea Commerce Association is an organization established by the four major families of Enssea half a year ago. Their goal is to control the entire commercial market of the city." Rose paused for a moment before continuing, "Recently, they've sent people to approach me, but I declined. Because of that, they hold a grudge against me."

"Sponsored by the four major families of Enssea?" Judge asked.

"On the surface, it does appear that way, but if my guess is correct, there's probably someone else behind them." Rose replied.

"The Doman family?" Judge continued.

"Yes." Rose nodded.

"The leader of the group from last night, do you know who that person was and where we can find them?" Billy set down his teacup.

"I don't know if you have heard of Lord Buddha in Enssea?" Rose asked in return.

"The figure in charge of the underground forces in Enssea?" Judge's gaze narrowed. "Are you suggesting that he's also a member of Enssea Commerce Association?"

"Yes," Rose nodded again. "Enssea Commerce Association oversees all the grey areas of Enssea, and Lord Buddha is responsible for it."

"The leader of that group last night was a man named Scorpion. He's the right-hand man of Lord Buddha. If everything goes as planned, he should be the one who captured Mr Hines."

"What's your relationship with Lord Buddha?" Billy asked.

"We're competitors of sorts. I own several entertainment venues, and there have been conflicts between us from time to time." Rose continued.

"Enssea Commerce Association wants me to join them, but in reality, they want me to align with Lord Buddha." This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

"I hope you're not lying to me," Billy said and turned to Judge. "Find Scorpion immediately!"

"Yes!" Judge nodded, then took out his phone and made a call.

"Mr Gardner," Rose's tone sounded hesitant, "whether it's Buddha Lord or Enssea Commerce Association, they can influence and control Enssea. They're even capable of covering up the sky with just one hand. Furthermore, Buddha Lord not only possesses formidable personal strength, but also commands many experts and specialists. If you go after them like this, I'm afraid..."

Bang!

Before Rose could finish speaking, the banquet hall's door was forcefully kicked open. Immediately after, two figures flew in, twitching a couple of times before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

"Hmm!?" A flash of alarm crossed Rose's eyes, and she stood up.

The old man and Black Panther by her side both stepped forward with tense expressions as they focused on the door.