SWNOVELXO Chapter 438: Chaos in the City
Although the various factions in Valley City each had their own plans, none of them were likely to take reckless actions in the short term after Kean's subordinates failed in their ambush.
Even Jeremy and Ritchie had no intention of probing too deeply into Valley City's secrets for now.
Over the next two days, Jeremy and Ritchie devoted themselves to preparing for the upcoming battle. Meanwhile, the mayor of Valley City and Major Joseph were deliberating on how to reinforce the city's defenses.
The situation in Valley City seemed to have settled into an unusual calm, at least until the night of the fourth day after Jeremy and Ritchie's arrival.
That afternoon, Jeremy and Ritchie had spent some time training at the military camp. After completing their training, they returned to their lodgings.
"I think your previous worries were unnecessary," Ritchie said in a relaxed tone. "Things aren't as bad as you made them out to be. The mayor of Valley City doesn't seem to be hiding any sinister plots. Isn't he busy reinforcing the city's defenses? Doesn't that prove he wasn't lying to us before?"
Jeremy, absentmindedly sorting through his weapons and supplies, responded without much conviction.
"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly! While the mayor hasn't shown any suspicious behavior, that doesn't mean he isn't hostile toward us. It might just mean he's really good at hiding his true intentions."
Ritchie seemed to agree with Jeremy's judgment.
He nodded, then walked over to the window.
Peering outside, Ritchie saw the city lit up brightly. Despite the series of mishaps Valley City had endured since the arrival of the Apocalypse Game, its core district had remained untouched by monster attacks.
As a result, Valley City's core district was still relatively bustling.
"If only Moonlight City could be as prosperous as Valley City," Ritchie murmured wistfully.
Jeremy didn't respond, continuing to focus on organizing his gear.
This time, Jeremy had brought an extensive array of equipment with him.
Not only had he brought along the Dark Core, but he had also packed the Permafrost Ice.
These two items, in truth, weren't particularly useful in combat.
What's more, both items were closely tied to the Apocalypse Game's scheming.
Ritchie didn't understand why Jeremy had decided to bring these items along, but he didn't ask either. He knew Jeremy wasn't the type to offer a clear explanation.
Ritchie yawned after gazing out the window for a while.
"I'm feeling a bit tired. If there's nothing else, I'll head to my room and rest!" Ritchie stood up and began walking toward his bedroom.
"There's nothing urgent. Go ahead and rest! Tomorrow morning, we'll head back to the training ground!" Jeremy reminded him.
Ritchie waved a hand casually to show he'd heard.
He truly felt a little drowsy, but just before entering his bedroom, he glanced out the window one last time.
It was that one glance that froze him in place.
The scene outside had changed dramatically. The lights of Valley City's core district, which had been glowing brightly moments before, had vanished in an instant, replaced by faint, flickering flames.
Ritchie's sleepiness disappeared entirely.
He shouted loudly to Jeremy, "Look outside! Has Valley City's core district been attacked? Those flickering lights—they must be flames from buildings burning, right?"
Prompted by Ritchie's alarm, Jeremy turned his gaze to the window as well.
Sure enough, it was exactly as Ritchie had described. The lights in Valley City's core district had all gone dark. The faint, flickering lights were indeed the blazing fires of burning buildings.
"Something's definitely wrong! We need to get out there right away! There's major trouble in Valley City!"
Jeremy and Ritchie sprang into action immediately.
They rushed out of their room and headed straight for the street.
With all the lights in the buildings extinguished, the street was cloaked in an eerie darkness. The only illumination came from the blazing fires in the distance, which intermittently lit up the area around Jeremy and Ritchie.
Ritchie, who had shadow manipulation abilities, quickly sensed the presence of something hidden nearby.
Lowering his voice, he warned Jeremy, "There's something hidden around us. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem friendly."
Jeremy nodded in agreement.
He, too, had noticed the hidden entities around them. However, he refrained from attacking them outright, as he wasn't sure what they were. He doubted these hidden things were monsters.
"Let's keep moving. We can't make any hasty decisions right now. We'll take it step by step, and if we can gather additional information from others, that'll be ideal."
Jeremy and Ritchie ignored the hidden entities around them and continued heading toward the burning buildings.
While Jeremy and Ritchie were on the move, others in Valley City were also taking action.
In the city hall located in the center of Valley City, the mayor was furiously berating his subordinates.
"What on earth are you all doing? Why haven't you figured out what's happening yet? Who is responsible for this attack on Valley City? Why are the buildings in the core district engulfed in flames?"
None of the mayor's subordinates dared to speak under his wrath.
In truth, most of the people in city hall were deeply confused. They had no idea what was going on. All they knew was that Valley City had suddenly come under attack.
What made the situation even stranger was that no one had identified the source of the attack.
At that moment, a soldier suddenly burst into the city hall.
"Your Honor, Major Joseph has sent me to report the latest updates! He has already led the soldiers to the area around the burning buildings.
The buildings on fire include the large commercial center and the bank tower. These are very tall structures. Major Joseph has not been able to extinguish the fires yet, and he hasn't encountered any enemies."
The soldier's report only served to fuel the mayor's anger.
"Deliver my new orders to Major Joseph immediately! He must figure out what's going on right now! If he can't determine what's happening, then he's failing in his duties!" the mayor shouted furiously.
The soldier quickly ran out of the office to carry out the mayor's orders.
Neither the mayor's staff nor Major Joseph's men had uncovered any useful information. This left the mayor feeling increasingly uneasy.
"What is going on? Why is Valley City experiencing such a sudden and catastrophic event? Could this be the work of Kean's subordinates?"
The mayor even began to suspect Kean.
From his perspective, there was no one else who could inflict such massive destruction on Valley City other than Kean's subordinates.
Jeremy and Ritchie's every move had been under the mayor's close surveillance. He was certain that they were not the ones behind the attack.
After calmly reflecting for a while, the mayor of Valley City decided to seek out Kean's subordinates to gather information.
He addressed his staff in a composed tone, "There's no need to remain here any longer. Return to your respective posts. Valley City is facing a crisis, and this is when you must work even harder."
Following the mayor's orders, the city hall staff gradually left his office one by one.
Once everyone else had departed, the mayor prepared to head out and confront Kean's subordinates.
However, just as he was about to leave, all the lights in the city hall suddenly went out.
Gasps of shock echoed through the hall.
The darkness was soon accompanied by the sound of glass shattering.
Your next read awaits at empire
"Don't panic! Everyone, stay calm!"
"No one should run around aimlessly! Moving recklessly will only make us vulnerable to an attack!"
"Protect the mayor! The mayor's safety is our top priority!"
In the wake of the blackout, everyone instinctively began to act.
Though a few individuals urged calm, their efforts were futile. Everyone moved on impulse, driven by fear and confusion.
Even those attempting to protect the mayor found it impossible to locate him in the darkness.
A few minutes later, the lights in the city hall flickered back on.
Most of the staff were still present, but the mayor of Valley City had vanished.
The mood among the city hall employees was deeply conflicted.
On one hand, they were relieved that they hadn't been attacked. On the other, they were deeply anxious about the sudden disappearance of the mayor.
"Where could the mayor have gone? Could the blackout have been orchestrated just to abduct him?"
"What should we do now? Should we report this to Major Joseph?"
"Have all the defensive positions on the outskirts of Valley City been overrun? How did monsters manage to enter the city center?"
The people in the city hall descended into another state of chaos.
Each person had their own thoughts, but none of them took immediate action.
Finally, it was the mayor's assistant who decided to inform Major Joseph about the mayor's disappearance directly.
Major Joseph, who was busy dealing with the burning buildings, had a grave expression when he received the report.
"Understood. I'll handle it. For now, try to maintain control of the situation! Once I've dealt with things here, I'll head to city hall immediately!"