Chapter 1
"Come on! Take off all your clothes!"
On a private vacation island about the size of ten football fields in Bennyvasia, a dozen stunning women in bikinis quickly shed their swimsuits and jumped into the pool, completely naked.
Audrey Reed was wearing a low-cut tank top that barely concealed her curves. She wrapped her arms around herself, revealing her smooth abdomen, while a bikini bottom hugged her shapely backside.
Her fair skin and sexy legs made her particularly striking.
Unlike the others, she remained rooted on the shore, unable to move.
"I can't believe a woman who's given birth still has such an amazing figure."
Cameron Lane, the CEO of Titan Group, approached her with a glass of red wine. A teasing smile appeared on his face. "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Audrey bit her lip, tears of frustration welling up in her beautiful yet cold eyes. "Mr. Lane, I thought you just wanted me to swim with you."
Cameron splashed red wine in her face, kicked her to the ground, and squatted down, his tone mocking. "Audrey, you and the Russell family nearly bankrupted my company some time ago. Now that my family business is worth hundreds of millions, your downfall is coming. Now, the Russell family sacrificed you to save their failed business, and now you're not a person anymore. You're just my s*x slave!"
He added, "Now you have to do the f*ck as I say, understand, b*tch?"
Audrey shielded her head with her hands, biting her lip. "Bryson, Bryson, where are you..."
"Who are you calling? Still thinking about that worthless man, Bryson Reed, who abandoned you three years ago, huh? Can you imagine how he would react if he knew your family set him up back then?"
He sneered, "But it doesn't matter. He's just a loser. I'll keep your Russell family's secrets safe, and I'll manage both the Russell and Reed families' assets for you, hahaha."
Cameron snapped his fingers, and a man in sunglasses dragged out a little girl who looked to be under three years old. The girl's face was pale, her torn clothes were smeared with shoe prints, and blood marks covered her small body.
"Mommy, help me! You bad guys, let my mommy go!"
"Bella!" As soon as Audrey saw the girl, she broke down, her voice filled with anguish. "You monsters! Get your hands off my daughter!"
Cameron sneered. "Let her go? Are you trying to negotiate with me?"
"You bad buys, let my mommy go! My daddy will punish you!" The little girl kicked her feet, her big eyes welling up with tears. Her bruised face was filled with fear.
Cameron burst into laughter. "Are you talking about that loser kicked out by the Russell family three years ago? He's a coward!"
"No! It's not like that. He's a great hero!" Bella shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stubbornly puffed out her lips.
"A hero? That mother*cker probably died out there. Even if he's still alive, he wouldn't dare come to save you or your mother." Cameron waved his hand.
The man lifted the girl high, and a throng of giant crocodiles gathered below, sending chills through everyone present.
"Mommy, I'm scared..."
Bella clutched the dog leash, her cries heartbreaking. "Mommy, help me! Daddy, where are you..."
"She's just a child! Please let her go... Okay, I'll take it off right now. I'll do anything you want..." Audrey's legs felt weak, and she collapsed to the ground, pleading desperately.
Cameron stepped down hard on Audrey's face, grinding his shoe against her cheek. He looked mockingly at Bella. "Feeling sad, huh? Little b*tch, isn't your daddy a great hero? I'm giving you a chance to call him. If he doesn't show up in ten minutes, you'll be fed to the crocodiles, and your mommy will end up as a prostitute. Someone, give her a phone!"
As Audrey lay there, her heart shattered, she felt her dignity crushed beneath Cameron's shoe. How could that man possibly return in ten minutes?
***
Offshore, the Thunderlord Army had just conquered yet another magnificent palace.
A general, cloaked in crimson and radiating power, took a golden sword from his aide and beheaded the leader of the Southern Barbarians before him.
"Thunderlord! Thunderlord! Thunderlord!"
The soldiers' eyes sparkled with admiration, rallying around this commanding figure, their voices echoing in unison across the battlefield.
He was a legend in the federation, having fought through three thousand battles over three years, becoming an undefeated god of war standing on top of power, and making all his enemies submit to him.
He also created formidable legions, like the "Faithseekers," "Eighteen Warriors," "Nightslayers," and "Darkravens," sending shivers down his enemies' spines.
He built an extensive commercial system for the federation, controlling six of the eight major banks in the world alliance. He owned hundreds of listed companies spanning real estate, entertainment, dining, and more.
Even the smallest subsidiary he controlled boasted assets worth billions.
He was Bryson Reed, the only five-star general in the history of the federation, revered as "Thunderlord" by the federation as "the Great Guardian".
In this final battle, he swept away the invaders, securing the borders.
Bryson turned on his phone which had been untouched for three years.
"Dad? Is that you? Help me! Bad people caught us, and I'm so scared..."
Bryson was taken aback. It sounded like a child's prank. He chuckled, "Hey, kid, I think you've got the wrong number..."
"No! I haven't! My mommy is Audrey, and I'm Bella. You told Mommy that when the flowers bloom red next year, you'd come back for her!"
Bella's cries continued, "These bad people are so scary! They hurt me and tied me up with a dog leash. They want to let crocodiles eat me. I'm so scared..."
'What?'
It felt like lightning struck Bryson. 'Everything this little girl said must be true. She is my daughter! I have a daughter now!'
Before he could fully grasp this situation, Audrey's anxious voice came through the line, filled with emotion, "Bryson... Is that you? Is it really you?"
Hearing Audrey's voice, choked with tears, shattered Bryson's composure. "What's going on? Tell me where you are!"
Suddenly, a sharp slap echoed over the phone.
"Shut up, b*tch."
The call was abruptly cut off.
Bryson tried to call back, but the line was dead.
As Bryson thought of his wife and daughter in danger, panic surged within him, and blood poured from his mouth.
The Reed family had once been one of the most prominent families in Bennyvasia, but twenty years ago, a devastating fire took the lives of all thirty-six family members overnight, leaving just ten-year-old Bryson to survive on his own.
By chance, an old hermit took Bryson in, training him to become a skilled warrior in just three years.
After that, Bryson joined the military, quickly proving his extraordinary skills and becoming a standout in the armed forces.
Yet, three years ago, jealousy from his peers led to him being framed and demoted, forcing him to return to his hometown of Bennyvasia.
It was at that point that Caleb Russell, the president of the Russell Group, offered him a helping hand, and just before his death, arranged for Bryson to marry Audrey.
Though the Russell family members looked down on Bryson due to his lack of background, he and his wife, Audrey, shared a close bond.
Unfortunately, their happiness did not last. Three months later, the Northern Barbarians launched a massive counterattack, and Bryson was recalled to serve his country again. That battle dragged on for three full years.
"Wait for me! I'm on my way!" Bryson shouted hoarsely, a fierce aura radiating from him like a storm, chilling the air around.
"Austin, get me a location right now!
"Brandon! Prepare the fastest fighter jet! I want to be in Bennyvasia in ten minutes... No, in five minutes! Hurry up!"
His roar startled the seasoned military officers surrounding him.
They had fought alongside Bryson in countless battles and had witnessed his fierce wrath, but they had never seen him this enraged.
"Yes, General!"
Soon, Bryson boarded an L24 Raptor supersonic fighter jet at the private airport on the island, and it shot straight into the sky.
"Fly safe, General!"
All of Bryson's subordinates and a million loyal soldiers knelt on one knee, their voices echoing like thunder.
As they watched the fighter jet disappear, one of the four war of gods, Austin, picked up his phone and declared firmly.
"Listen up, everyone! General Reed is heading back to Bennyvasia. Cancel all flights and clear the airways immediately. If anything goes wrong, I'll kill you all!"
No one knew who the supreme war god was speaking to, but that call sent shockwaves through the entire upper echelons of the Federation's aviation!
"Faster! Faster!"
Bryson was nearly losing his mind with worry, his heart aching with fear.
His wife and daughter were in danger, and he felt utterly desperate.
The fighter jet was already racing at 1,900 miles per hour, yet it still felt too slow.
"Faster!! Push it to the limit!" Bryson roared, longing to be by his wife and daughter's side.
In those three years, he had survived battles that made nations tremble, achieving the highest ranks in the military.
But now, as the legendary five-star general, his family was in grave danger.
The heartbreaking pleas of his daughter echoed in his ears, flooding him with guilt and despair.
"Anyone who dares to hurt my wife and daughter will pay the price. I will make them suffer eternally!"
***
On the vacation island, a large man wearing sunglasses was dragging Bella, the dog leash choking her so much she could hardly breathe.
Cameron had grabbed Audrey by the hair and slammed her head violently against the ground. "You thought you could play hard to get with me, b*tch? Come on! Go on!"
In intense pain and fury, Audrey slowly closed her eyes.
Cameron glanced at his expensive Patek Philippe watch. "Little b*stard, it's been ten minutes. Your dad isn't coming, so I'll feed you to the crocodiles."
Bella screamed with all her might, "Mommy! Mommy! You are bad people! My daddy... will come to save us..."
Cameron waved his hand dismissively. "Throw her down!"