Chapter 1196

Early the next morning, Stella, who had a restless night, pulled Howard aside and asked, “What’s going on? Why haven’t the men who went out last night returned yet?”

Last night, after their men left, she had been eagerly awaiting them to bring her good news.

However, as she waited and waited, no one returned. Gradually, she became restless, barely getting any sleep.

Clearly unbothered by the matter, Howard yawned and responded in a nonchalant tone.

“I’m not sure, but with so many people, taking down the Gordon family would definitely be more than enough. They might still be dealing with the corpses right now. They’ll probably be back soon.”

Stella, however, was still worried. “How can they be more than enough? Although Neera is a burden, the people around her are not to be underestimated. Shane is difficult to deal with, and the Cox family has provided five people. Could something unexpected have happened?”

She was worried that the men she sent out had gotten caught and would give her away. That would put her in a difficult situation.

Howard scoffed, dismissing the idea. “How could that be possible? Even with the Cox family’s help, the Gordon family can’t perform miracles. You should just wait and see.”

Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, Stella’s brows furrowed slightly as she decided not to discuss it with him any further.

Nonetheless, she still couldn’t rest easy, so she simply sent out a scout to probe the situation.

Two hours later, after her anxious wait, the scout finally returned.

“How’s it going? What’s the situation with the Gordon family now? And our people, where are they now?”

The scout’s face was ashen, his expression grave. “The Gordon family… The Gordon family is unharmed, but all of our men… they’re all dead!”

Upon hearing those words, Stella was first taken aback before being consumed by intense anger.

“What? The Gordon family is unscathed? What about Neera? Is she unharmed? How is that possible?”

Upon hearing the commotion, Howard came over and began taking the matter seriously. “You’re saying they’re all dead? How did they die?”

With a blank expression, the scout reported in detail the information he had gathered.

“Some among the Gordon family got hurt, but it’s nothing serious. I don’t know what’s going on with the Medicina family, but they’re working closely with the Gordon family. I didn’t dare to get too close for fear of being discovered, so I just observed from a distance. There are indeed signs of a fight around their camp, but both the Gordon and Medicina families are fine. The head of the Gordon family is also well.

As for our men, they…”

Stella’s face turned grim, urging him, “What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and tell me!”

“Our men must have found a clearing to rest on their way back, and right there… they were killed. Not a single survivor was left!”

Upon learning the whole story, Stella’s eyes widened in surprise, while Howard’s previously relaxed demeanor changed instantly.

11:35 Wed, 8 Nov “How could this be…” Stella muttered through gritted teeth, “How could the Medicina family be aiding the Gordon family?”

Howard seemed calmer than her. “It appears that last night’s surprise attack failed. The Medicina family joined forces with the Gordon family, and our men were no match for them. They were only killed on their way back. Who do you think did this? The Gordon family, or the Medicina family? Or could it be…

another faction?”

Right then, Stella’s mind was in a complete mess. She couldn’t make heads or tails of anything.

She was solely focused on taking Neera’s life, but she never expected her own men to be annihilated.

This was the complete opposite of her expectations.

The mere thought of Neera remaining unscathed, and even protected by the Medicina family, made her so furious that she clenched her teeth.

Seeing her like this, Howard was somewhat speechless. “Aren’t you being too impatient?”

Stella gritted her teeth. “How can I not be anxious? Our men have been killed, and we still don’t know who did it! The current situation is unfavorable to us!”

Naturally, Howard’s expression turned grim as the fact wasn’t lost upon him.

When Neera woke up, she found an extra blanket on herself.

“You’re awake. Come and have something to eat. Once we’ve packed up, we’ll be on our way again.”

Upon regaining her senses, Neera nodded. “Alright, I’ll go freshen up first.”

After getting up, she neatly folded the two blankets, her gaze drifting toward the Medicina family as she searched for Darcel.

His towering figure allowed him to be easily spotted in a crowd.

She glanced at the blanket in her hands and walked over.

“Darcel, here’s your blanket. Thank you.”

Darcel lowered his gaze to look at her, softly saying, “You’re welcome.” Then, he pointed to the other one in her hand.

“That’s mine too. Please give it to me as well.”

“Ah…” Neera paused for a moment before quickly handing it back to him. “I’m really sorry. Thank you for your care.”

“It’s no big deal. Just that the temperature here drops more later at night. I was afraid you might get cold, so I added an extra blanket for you.”

In the later part of the night… So, did he come over to cover me with a blanket on purpose in the later part of the night?

Neera grunted in cursory acknowledgment before thanking him again.