Read Novel Full Chapter 445: Changes
Chapter 445: Chapter 445: Changes
Once Cain was gone, Frank slumped slightly and rubbed his temples, exhaustion crashing over him.
’What kind of madness did my son just suggest?’ he wondered bitterly.
’Does this man have a screw loose?’ The more he thought about it, the more reckless Cain seemed.
’How did someone like him even become a base leader?’ A darker thought crept in. ’Or is he deliberately testing me?’
The longer Frank dwelled on it, the clearer it became that this cooperation wouldn’t last. ’I should cut ties as soon as possible.’
As long as Ivy was in his grasp, he could abandon this alliance entirely and strengthen his own base.
His thoughts drifted to the assets he still controlled.
’For now, I’ll sell them to the SiIvy Base.’
Once Ivy was under his control, he would force her to transfer every agreement and property he had lost back under his name and demand even more food.
The more he calculated, the more restless he became.
Considering how much food had been taken from him in the past few weeks, he knew he couldn’t delay any longer.
He returned home and immediately contacted the representative’s assistant, Martha.
The moment Martha learned that Frank intended to sell his assets again, she responded eagerly, without the slightest hesitation.
As soon as Frank transferred the ownership, the scale of the deal became clear.
Twenty mansions, five or six apartment complexes, and a vast amount of gold changed hands.
The sheer value of it all allowed Frank to recover a significant portion of the food he had originally lost.
He stood there, staring at the newly acquired supplies, a rare sense of relief washing over him. And then, another disaster struck.
The food was stolen again.
Frank’s hands trembled as the realization hit him.
His breath turned uneven, his vision blurring as he stood on the verge of breaking down.
’Why is it always like this?’ he thought bitterly. ’Every time I gain food... it disappears.’
Blinded by anger, he ordered an immediate investigation.
Yet even as the orders left his mouth, he knew this path would take time... far too much time.
That realization gnawed at him until his thoughts drifted toward an alternative.
’Stephan...’
The name surfaced like a thorn. Stephan was a Blackthorn too, someone who knew how to hide things in the shadows.
Frank’s eyes narrowed as suspicion crept in.
’If anyone could stash away a quarter of resources without leaving a trace, it would be him,or his family.’
But with no records to support that doubt, Frank had no choice but to swallow his suspicion. ’Fine. If I can’t prove it, I’ll remove him instead.’
That decision settled heavily in his chest, cold and final.
He seized the opportunity without hesitation, issuing quiet orders to his subordinates.
"Move discreetly," his voice carried low menace. "Raid Stephan’s house."
Within three days, the news reached him.
Stephan hadn’t hidden much food after all, but what he did possess made Frank pause.
Deeds, valuables, gold, and assets are far more tempting than a mere quarter of supplies.
Frank’s lips curled slowly.
’So that’s where your confidence came from.’ Without sparing a second thought, he gave another order. "Take everything."
When Stephan finally returned, exhaustion clinging to his bones, an eerie silence greeted him.
His chest tightened as panic crept in when he realized that his gold and other property deeds had been stolen.
’This isn’t right.’ He rushed to the property transfer office, hoping, desperately, that some copy of his original deeds still existed.
The truth struck like a blunt blade.
Every property was now registered under a single name: Sean.
For a heartbeat, Stephan felt the urge to hunt this Sean down, his pulse roaring in his ears.
But the clerk’s next words crushed that hope. "Sean left the military zone days ago."
Rage exploded inside him. His hands shook as realization dawned.
’I’ve been played.’
He tried to use his connection to retrieve what he had lost and even told Silas everything.
As a result he understood that the person behind this chaos could only be... Frank.
Frank, meanwhile, allowed himself a rare laugh, low and satisfied.
Every scrap of information had come together perfectly.
With Jade’s help, he now holds the property deals firmly in his grasp.
Yet this time, he had no intention of storing food in his own compound. ’That would be foolish.’
Instead, he leaned back and planned.
’SiIvy Base.’
He would have his subordinates remain there, accumulate more properties under false names, and once the deals were concluded, all the food would be stored safely within SiIvy’s territory.
Later, he could shift there himself. As for the military base, he intended to convert it into nothing more than an asset, slowly extracting benefit until it no longer mattered.
With that decision made, he raised the price of food within his base without a shred of hesitation.
The consequences were immediate and brutal.
Hunger hollowed people’s faces, desperation clung to the air like rot, and some began to die quietly.
Others recognized the truth, that the base had become a pit of exploitation. One by one, they left, carrying nothing but resentment and fear.
Frank watched them go without remorse.
’I only need profit,’ he reminded himself coldly. ’Once I have enough, this place means nothing.’
And so he continued, squeezing every last drop from those who remained.
Elsewhere, Ivy learned of this tangled web of greed and cruelty.
The moment the news reached her, she acted.
Without hesitation, she expanded her base, the sound of construction filling the air day and night.
She had once wanted a marriage ceremony with Silas, a quiet moment of happiness amid chaos.
But now she shook her head, resolve hardening her gaze.
’This is not the time.’ What she saw instead was a golden opportunity to save more lives.
Without regret, she abandoned the idea of marriage and focused entirely on expansion.
Within a single week, everyone waiting in line found shelter inside her base, each given a place to sleep, a corner to call their own.
Ivy even allowed people to exchange gold and assets for food; her policies were firm yet compassionate.