Henry Lawson was instantly startled by what he heard. Back when he was expelled from the Longyin Unit, it was William Lawson who personally signed his evaluation report. Although he harbored some resentment toward the old man at first, over time it faded—after all, the situation back then was complicated. William Lawson was in a very sensitive and high-profile position; even if he wanted to show favoritism, he couldn’t. Even though he was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the General Staff Department, the army belonged to the country, not to the Luo family.

Picking up his phone, Henry Lawson calmed his inner turmoil and answered the call, “Grandpa.”

“Hmph, you little brat, you still remember you have a grandpa!”

On the other end, the old man let out a dissatisfied snort. “Hao’er, are you still blaming your grandpa for signing your evaluation report back then? You should know, at the time, I also—”

“Your grandson understands. Back then, a lot of people were watching you, you had no choice.” Henry Lawson’s voice was a bit hoarse. Although he and William Lawson weren’t related by blood, William Lawson had raised him, and now he bore the surname Luo and was called Henry Lawson.

“As long as you don’t blame me, that’s good.” The old general, who had spent his life in the military, was greatly comforted by Henry Lawson’s understanding. He said, “Since you don’t blame your grandpa, why are you unwilling to see me?”

“I… I’ll return to the capital in a while.”

“No need for all that trouble. Just get out of your doghouse right now—I’m waiting for you downstairs.”

Henry Lawson stared at his phone in a daze. Grandpa came to Donghai City? He rushed out of his room and looked downstairs. Sure enough, outside the iron gate was a black Audi A6 with bright red military plates.

“Grandpa is in Donghai City too?” Henry Lawson turned to look at Jack Shaw and asked, clearly displeased that Jack Shaw had kept William Lawson’s arrival from him.

Jack Shaw just nodded without replying, afraid this lunatic might do something crazy again, like put a knife to his throat.

“Absurd!”

Henry Lawson shot him a dissatisfied glare and quickly ran downstairs.

Inside the Audi, Henry Lawson and William Lawson sat in the back, with Jack Shaw in the front passenger seat. No one spoke, and the atmosphere in the car was heavy. Finally, Henry Lawson broke the silence. “Grandpa, why did you come to Donghai City yourself?”

“You little brat, since you refuse to lower yourself to come to the capital, this old man had no choice but to come to Donghai City.” The old general looked kindly at this grandson who wasn’t related to him by blood, and couldn’t help but tease him.

“Grandpa, I—”

William Lawson waved his hand, stopping Henry Lawson from continuing. “I happened to have some business to discuss with Commander Rong of the Donghai City Garrison, so I came by to see you. Hao’er, are you still unwilling to return to the capital with your grandpa?”

Henry Lawson slowly shook his head.

The old general sighed softly. “Hao’er, you should know how much the country values the Longyin Unit. The nation invested a huge amount of manpower and resources to train you all, so that one day you could answer the country’s call at a critical moment—not to spend your life hiding in some corner of the city, idling your days away.”

“Go back. That’s what your master wants, and it’s also this old man’s wish.” William Lawson patted Henry Lawson’s shoulder earnestly.

“Go back? If I go back, won’t I just be idling my life away again? Would Longyin even take me back? Rather than go back and be mocked by those princelings, I’d rather stay here in Donghai City, where no one knows me.” A trace of dejection flashed in Henry Lawson’s eyes.

“How do you know the Longyin Unit wouldn’t take you back?”

The old general’s sudden words were shocking, and Henry Lawson stared wide-eyed at William Lawson in disbelief.

“That incident back then surprised not only me, but also your master. Your father’s file was classified as top secret and could never have been leaked. The only explanation is that someone did it on purpose, and that person must have known all about your father. So your master, the other instructors, and I secretly investigated. It wasn’t until half a year ago that we finally found the culprit.”

“Who!?” Henry Lawson’s eyes sharpened, and he asked coldly.

“David James!”

“Him? Why would he deliberately frame me?”

William Lawson’s answer surprised Henry Lawson. David James was three years older than him, but they joined the Longyin Unit in the same batch. Back then, only two people could compete with him for the “Dragon Thorn” medal: one was Brian King, the other was David James.

“Because he is Autumn James’s son.”

The old general sighed and couldn’t help but lament, “Who would have thought that the grudges of the previous generation would carry over to yours? Fate truly toys with people. Autumn James, your master, and your father were all elite special forces in the Longyin Unit back then!”

Chapter 5: The Fourth Privilege

This was the first time Henry Lawson had ever heard his grandfather talk about his father. What he hadn’t expected was that his father had also served in the Longyin Unit, and had even been comrades-in-arms with his own master. But who exactly was this Autumn James?