The call was answered almost immediately, a man''s voiceing through on the other end.


    "Hello, who''s speaking?"


    His voice was clear and steady-young, even pleasant-nothing about it hinted at madness or instability. If anything, he sounded perfectly normal.


    Yet for some reason, Sellers felt a flicker of familiarity, as if he''d heard this voice before, though he couldn''t quite ce it.


    He cleared his throat. “Mr. Gardner? This is Sellers, current head of the Burton family."


    A low chuckle came from the other side. "I''ve heard of the famous Mr. Burton. To what do I owe the honor of your call today?"


    Sellers wasted no time on pleasantries. “Mr. Gardner, I assume you''ve heard about Karl being broadcasted to the entire inte. Our investigation shows Karl is currently in Aetheria, and the live feed is being run from a server there as well. I''m calling to ask for your help. Could you temporarily shut downmunications in Aetheria and take the stream offline?"


    The man replied in a leisurely tone, "I''m afraid I can''t do that."


    "It would only need to be for a minute," Sellers pressed. "I understand your country would take on some losses for this, but the Burton family would be more than willing topensate—”


    He was abruptly cut off.


    "That live stream? I arranged it myself. If I were to shut it down right afterunching it, wouldn''t that make me look like a joke? Doesn''t my reputation matter at all?"


    Sellers froze. For a moment, he wondered if he''d misheard.


    "What... what did you just say?"


    The man repeated, still calm and smiling, "Karl''s stream is my doing. Why else do you think he''s in Aetheria?" Sellers still couldn''t quite process it. Most people, even if they were behind something like this, would at least try to deny it. This man, on the other hand, not only refused to hide, but volunteered the truth without hesitation.


    het


    Sellers stared at the phone in disbelief, his mind swirling with a thousand questions. Just moments ago, he''d thought this man sounded perfectly sane.


    Clearly, he''d been mistaken. The Gardners were infamous for being unpredictable, and now Sellers saw the reputation was well-deserved.


    Struggling to keep hisposure,


    Sellers said, "If Karl has offended


    you in some way, Mr. Gardner, surely we can sit down and talk things through. There''s no need for things to escte like this, don''t you think?"


    The man''s tone grew cold. “There''s nothing to discuss. I simply don''t like him. He messed with the wrong. people. This is just a little warning. If there''s a next time, it won''t be as simple as a live stream."


    Before Sellers could reply, the call ended abruptly.


    He stared at his phone, jaw clenched in frustration.


    “Unbelievable. The nerve of that man—he doesn''t even pretend to respect me!"


    Sherman had been beside Sellers the entire time, listening in on the conversation. He didn''t look the least bit surprised.


    The stories about the Gardners'' madness, it seemed, were right on the mark.


    He couldn''t help but wonder how Karl had managed to offend someone so dangerous. Even Sherman found the situation daunting.


    He turned to Sellers. "Uncle, since the Gardners won''t help, what do we do now?"


    Sellers'' voice was icy. "Pull back from every area we can. Find a way to get Karl out of there first."


    Sherman nodded and hurried to organize their people.


    Meanwhile, Abby rushed into the hospital, eager to share the explosive news with Ste and Joshua.


    “I''ve never seen anything like this! It''s like the whole world is gunning for Karl!"