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Honestly, Howie only has himself to blame for being so clueless. He doesn’t even know how the ranks in the Chinese military work, just picks up bits and pieces, and thinks Admiral Nathan Holland is just a Navy guy who can’t touch anything to do with the Armed Police. But he has no idea how tangled the relationships really are! So, he totally deserves what’s coming! And not just him—his dad’s getting dragged down with him, too!
Sure enough, Admiral Nathan Holland watched as Warren Hu yammered in front of him, gesturing and even daring to say things like "that old geezer" right to his face. Talk about ignorance being fearless!
Of course, for stubborn young guys like Howie, just giving them a lecture isn’t nearly enough—you need something truly shocking, the more dramatic the better! Only then will he realize his own shortcomings and be open to re-education. Clearly, David Kay hasn’t done a great job in that department. Admiral Nathan Holland might have a hot temper, but when it comes to 'shock therapy,' he’s basically the grandmaster.
"Kid! Whose brat are you anyway? You dare yap at me here? You little punk even have the guts to insult me! Is your butt itching or something?" Admiral Nathan Holland unleashed his trademark roar at Howie, the classic 'Lion’s Roar'!
Howie’s ears were ringing from the shout, and he even got sprayed with a few drops of spit. But the guy still didn’t realize he was in danger. With his dad, David Kay, right next to him, he stubbornly craned his neck and yelled back at Admiral Nathan Holland: "Old man, I’m talking about you when I say ‘old geezer’! What, you mad? Bite me! You really are an old geezer! Just a lowly Navy officer poking his nose into our Westwood City business. My dad’s the mayor here! He’s the boss!"
Howie’s comeback made David Kay’s face turn green—he nearly fainted on the spot. How did he end up with a son like this, always causing trouble! Now it was really over. David Kay could see Admiral Nathan Holland’s face getting even darker, his hand already resting on his holstered pistol. David Kay hurried over to drag Howie away before the furious admiral shot him dead. If that happened, his precious only son would be gone for nothing. With Admiral Nathan Holland’s authority, he could easily pin a charge like ‘disrupting a military exercise’ or ‘suspected espionage’ on Howie and shoot him right there—no questions asked!
But it was already too late. Before Howie could finish yelling, Admiral Nathan Holland, never one to hold back, kicked him right in the stomach. The admiral always wore those tough, hard leather military boots, and this kick was brutal. Howie screamed and flew backwards, curling up on the ground, foaming at the mouth and unable to make a sound.
Admiral Nathan Holland had already drawn his pistol, pressing it against Howie’s temple, and roared: "You little punk, you’ve got guts! No one’s dared to yell at me like that in decades! You’ve set a new record! But let me tell you, even if your old man was the Emperor himself, he couldn’t save you today!"
With that, he pressed the pistol to Howie’s ear and fired three shots—bang! bang! bang! The ejected shell casings hit Howie’s forehead, making it swell up, and the gunshots nearly burst his eardrums. His face turned ghostly pale with fright.
"Heh heh... Kid, you were yelling pretty loud earlier—think you can out-shout a gun? You clueless punk! Why aren’t you barking now? Hell, today I’m dragging you off for a week of solitary confinement in the little black room! Let’s see you tough it out!" Admiral Nathan Holland roared again.
Just then, David Kay’s secretary, shaking with fear, stepped forward. He nervously swallowed and spoke to Admiral Nathan Holland, "General... Please, don’t hold it against him. He’s my son, and it’s really my fault for not disciplining him enough. Could you... maybe let this slide?"
"There’s nothing to discuss! So he’s your son, huh? Hmph—you didn’t raise him right, so today I’ll do it for you! You’re his old man, right? And the mayor of Westwood City?" Admiral Nathan Holland said coldly to David Kay.
"Yes, yes! I am—I’m David Kay, mayor of Westwood City! It’s true, I didn’t discipline him properly. I promise, General, I’ll be much stricter with my son from now on!" David Kay clung to hope for a way out.
"Bullshit! Don’t try that political nonsense with me, David Kay! Hmph! I’ll tell you what—get ready to scrub your own ass, because you’re headed to jail to enjoy life!" Admiral Nathan Holland barked.
"Ah... General! General... I-I misspoke, forget about my son, just please don’t fire me! I haven’t done anything wrong..." David Kay was terrified, sweating buckets as the worst-case scenario unfolded.
His secretary was even more dramatic, clutching his stomach and saying, "Ah... My stomach hurts, must’ve eaten something bad this morning. Sorry, Mayor Kay, I need to run to the restroom!" Then he spun around and bolted like a cannonball.
"Hmph, Mayor Kay... You haven’t done anything wrong, huh? So why did your secretary just run off? Is he rushing back to destroy evidence or something? You think you can fool me that easily?" Admiral Nathan Holland squinted, then waved his hand. A few Navy soldiers at the perimeter immediately kicked the secretary to the ground and pinned him in a flash.
David Kay broke out in a cold sweat—now he realized his political career was toast. Admiral Nathan Holland just glared at him, then signaled for a few Navy soldiers to drag off Howie like a dead dog. He ignored David Kay and turned to Shawn Young, who was watching the show nearby: "Hey, Shawn, we’re holding a military exercise around here later. You should come watch, and as usual, let our Navy reporters cover the event!"
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click ‘Next Page’ to keep reading the good stuff!
Director Tyler Cui laughed and said, "Old Holland, you’re staging a military exercise of this scale here in Westwood City—it’s bound to make waves. To keep the public calm, I think you should also get some local reporters involved, let them cover the basics from the sidelines…"
Admiral Nathan Holland squinted and thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, that’s a good idea!"
David Kay thought he saw a chance to shine and quickly chimed in, "General... I’m familiar with Westwood City’s media scene. A military exercise like this, showing off our Navy’s power, is great for patriotism and national defense education—it should be as grand as possible! If you need reporters, I can call them over right away!"
"Go cool off somewhere else! Grand? Yeah, right! Sucking up for no reason—must be up to something shady! David Kay, I’m warning you, don’t try to cozy up to me. Once we’re done here, I’ll settle accounts with you!" Admiral Nathan Holland barked without mercy.
David Kay never expected his flattery to backfire so badly. He slunk off to the side, not daring to speak up again, but his mind was racing, desperately trying to figure out how to escape today’s disaster.
Admiral Nathan Holland might have a fiery temper, but he’s sharp as a tack—he knew exactly what David Kay was plotting. He waved outside, and a few Navy soldiers jogged over, snapped to attention, and saluted, "Reporting, sir! Any orders?"
"Arrest this old guy, and lock him up with his idiot son. When the exercise is over, I’ll personally talk to his superiors!" Admiral Nathan Holland pointed at David Kay.
The Navy soldiers wasted no time—quick and efficient, they pinned David Kay down in a flash.
"Ah... You—you can’t arrest me! I’m not in your system! I’m the mayor of Westwood City, you’re with the Southern Fleet! You don’t have jurisdiction over me! I’m going to file a complaint…" David Kay struggled desperately.
"Heh, is that so? Aren’t you the big boss in Westwood City? So how come nobody’s saving you now?" Admiral Nathan Holland wasn’t buying it, just sneered and shot back.
"You! You! You—you’re going too far! Arresting a government official across jurisdictions! I’ll sue you! Just you wait!" David Kay shouted in despair.
"Sue my ass! Listen, I wouldn’t dare arrest you if I didn’t have dirt on you! You wouldn’t be so nervous if you didn’t have skeletons in your closet! Hmph, let me tell you! I got all the evidence of your dirty deals on the way here! I’ve dealt with plenty of corrupt officials like you—one more won’t make a difference!" Admiral Nathan Holland barked at David Kay.
When David Kay heard that, he knew he was finished. His face went ashen, and he collapsed to the ground. The Navy soldiers didn’t show any mercy, dragging him away like a dead dog.
"Heh—if you’re gonna beat a dog, you gotta go all out! Especially when it’s a drowning dog—right before it dies, it’ll always try to bite back, so you have to hit it hard and leave no chance for a comeback." Admiral Nathan Holland said earnestly to Shawn Young as he watched David Kay being dragged away.