Charles Foster's old face flushed, he paused for a moment, then said, "But the changes in the Northern Hongmen are just too great."

　　Since William Carter left, the Southern and Northern Hongmen ceased hostilities, and not long after, formed an alliance. Although they didn't unify, there was no longer a distinction in name; both were called Hongmen.

　　As for the alliance leaders, they were jointly held by the former heads of the Southern and Northern Hongmen. Naturally, the Southern Hongmen was led by David Harris, and on the Northern side, since William Carter went abroad and Old Master Jin retired, everything was decided by Eric Turner. So, Hongmen was now led by David Harris and Eric Turner.

　　Because Eric Turner was less shrewd than David Harris, William Carter's advice to him was that his position as the head of Hongmen was only nominal, meant to appease the original Northern Hongmen members. As for the major affairs of Hongmen, they should be handled by David Harris. Eric Turner followed William Carter's words to the letter and willingly became the nominal leader. In reality, Hongmen was now in David Harris's hands. As a former core member of the Northern Hongmen, Charles Foster had competed with David Harris for many years and, at heart, looked down on him and the Southern Hongmen cadres. To work together with these people was truly a torment for him.

　　This time, coming to Jile Island, he had no intention of going back. After all, he was a lone wolf; wherever he went, that was home.

　　William Carter understood what he meant. Although he was far from China, he was thoroughly familiar with Hongmen's affairs. He said, "David Harris is a hero. Entrusting the Northern Hongmen to him, he won't purge dissenters or cause trouble. Moreover, with his character and ability, he'll lead Hongmen to a bright future."

　　Charles Foster nodded. He understood this reasoning, but just couldn't accept it.

　　The jeep stopped in front of a white villa. Before the two even got out, four men and two women had already come out to greet them.

　　Charles Foster looked up and smiled. Not only did he know these six people, they were all old acquaintances. The Five Elements brothers and Little Brian—of course he wouldn't be unfamiliar with them.

　　Seeing Little Brian dressed in casual home clothes, an apron tied around her waist, looking every bit the housewife, Charles Foster's smile deepened and he half-joked, "Little Brian, this outfit is really a breath of fresh air!" As William Carter's personal bodyguard, Little Brian was highly skilled. Despite her beautiful looks, when it came to fighting, she was known as a "madwoman."

　　Little Brian curled her lips, rolled her eyes at him, and pursed her lips, muttering something under her breath.

　　Charles Foster burst out laughing, then turned his gaze to the Five Elements brothers. Each of the five looked radiant, clearly having slept well, eaten well, and enjoyed a life of ease lately.

　　After a warm round of greetings, they entered the villa.

　　Inside the hall, a graceful figure was busy carrying dishes to the table. Charles Foster recognized this charming young woman as well—she was Linda Parker.

　　Before even taking off his shoes, Charles Foster politely called out, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

　　Linda Parker's fair face blushed. She glanced at William Carter and said, "Come in and have a seat!"

　　William Carter laughed heartily, patted Charles Foster on the shoulder, and said, "No need to be so polite!" With that, he walked over to Linda Parker, looked cheerfully at the dishes on the table, and said with a smile, "Looks like quite a feast!"

　　A charming smile appeared on Linda Parker's face. The Gao sisters were studying in China, and Jin Rong was studying abroad, so it was usually Linda Parker who took care of William Carter's daily life. During this period, she had always been by his side.

　　Charles Foster sat on the sofa, looked around, and curiously asked, "How come I don't see uncle and aunt?"

　　William Carter replied with a smile, "My parents live in the villa at the back."

　　"Oh!" Charles Foster nodded. William Carter continued, "I've already prepared a place for you to stay. I'll take you to see it in a bit."

　　"Thank you!" Charles Foster felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

　　"Why be so polite?!" William Carter laughed. "We're brothers, aren't we!"

　　That simple word "brothers" was especially meaningful to Charles Foster. During the meal, he remembered the warship he saw earlier and curiously asked, "Brother Dong, when I was on the plane just now, I saw a warship docked on the island. What's that about?"

　　William Carter laughed loudly, "I bought that from Black Belt. I originally wanted to buy a yacht, but Black Belt didn't have one, so he got me this instead."

　　A warship? A yacht? Those are two completely different things! William Carter spoke lightly, but Charles Foster was secretly impressed. Russian warships aren't something ordinary people can buy, even if it's just a small model.

　　Water Mirror said calmly, "We use it as a yacht now. When we have nothing to do, we can take it out to sea for fishing!"

　　Pfft! Charles Foster almost spat out his food. Using a warship to fish? That was definitely a first for him.

　　After dinner, William Carter took Charles Foster for a walk by the sea, with Little Brian following at a distance.

　　As the sun set in the west, the afterglow painted the sky and the sea's edge red. The fresh sea breeze blew in their faces, making them feel cool and indescribably comfortable. The island's tranquility and beautiful environment made Charles Foster, who had lived in the noisy city for so long, feel as if he had entered a paradise away from the world.

　　Walking on the soft sand, Charles Foster sighed softly and asked, "Brother Dong, do you plan to return to the country?"

　　William Carter stopped, faced the sea, and said, "I will definitely go back, but not now."

　　Charles Foster's spirits lifted and he quickly asked, "Then when will it be?"