Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Ryder said, "I'm a military officer, one of General Phelan's key personnel! Andrew might have money and power, but in the eyes of the military folks, he's absolutely nothing!"

Xavier ordered, "Ryder, gather 50 men and come with me to meet Andrew. Remember, go all out when the time comes."

He added coldly, "Whatever the consequences, I'll take responsibility!"noveldrama

Leslie spoke up, "Xavier, don't kill anyone. As long as no one dies, you can rough him up however you want. That's exactly the effect the General wants anyway, to knock this punk down a peg!"

Xavier replied coolly, "Luna isn't here, so I'm in charge right now! Leslie, stay out of this. Whatever disaster befalls this little punk, he brought it on himself!"

Leslie hesitated, clearly uneasy. But in the end, she said nothing. If someone really died, she could spin it as Andrew's own fault.

Luna would understand.

Meanwhile, Andrew and his group stood by the training field, bored, casually watching soldiers drill. When they turned around, they saw Xavier and Leslie leading 50 fierce soldiers straight toward them in a tight formation.

Whenever enemies met, emotions would flare.

Xavier looked thrilled. He said smugly, "Andrew, you've got guts, I'll give you that. Walking into a military base like this? You really think you're untouchable?"

Andrew did not even look at him. "It's just a military base, not some flaming death trap. And honestly, Mr. Haywood, you're making it sound way more dramatic than it is. Fun fact: I used to clean house in bases like this all the time."

The entire group went silent for a second. Then, they burst into wild laughter, full of disbelief and mockery.

Leslie sneered. "Are you serious right now? You beat people up in military bases? What are you, a general?"

Andrew's tone did not waver. "Wrong. I'm not a general. But I do have the authority to command them."

A new wave of stunned silence rippled through the group.

Xavier slowly shook his head. "You delusional idiot. You think you can command generals? What's next, you dream of becoming Supreme Commander?"

Ryder stepped forward, a cocky smirk on his face. "So, you're Andrew Lloyd? I heard you were looking for me."

Andrew gave a slight nod. "You're Ryder Ulrich, right? That's right. I'm here for you."

Ryder pointed at the ground, his grin turning icy. Well, if you're here for me, you'd better show some respect don't care what you want, but before we get to that, you need to get on your knees and sing about you surrendering. Then, we can talk about the rest!"

As soon as he said this, the soldiers behind him all smirked and started cheering him on.

Rachel said sternly, "Lieutenant Terrell, your soldiers are acting like complete thugs!"

Leslie shrugged. "Sorry, but I can't control these tough guys! With General Phelan away, they run this base right now!"

Rachel was furious. "Do you realize that this man is the Chairman of our Chamber of Commerce? And every year, our organization donates massive supplies and equipment to the military!"

Leslie felt somewhat guilty but looked at Andrew with a cold laugh, "Andrew, are you going to play the coward now? Since you don't have the courage or strength, you're bringing up old connections to try and save your skin?"

Andrew gave a cold smile.

"Donations? Survival? You're the one bringing up history, not me. Let's drop all the old stories and irrelevant titles. I'm standing right here. You all think you're so damn tough just because this is your turf? Eine. Then show me. Who here thinks they can take my life? Come on. Step up!"

With that cold shout, Andrew's aura became powerfully intimidating.

Xavier, Leslie, and the others were all enraged.

Xavier said moekingly, "Mr. Lloyd, what an arrogant temper and attitude you have! My men don't know how to hold back when they fight! They've been cooped up in this base for so long without any entertainment, so they're all pretty wild!

"If there's any... roughness in what follows, I hope you'll be understanding."

Just as he finished, Ryder got the message. He stepped forward, dropped into stance, and lunged at Andrew with a punch that roared through the air.