Chapter 429 Taking the Initiative to Act Separately
Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and Major Joseph returned as promised.
"I have already informed everyone who needs to know about our plan. While we're away, they'll be responsible for defending Valley City," Major Joseph said briskly, his words delivered at a quick pace.
Jeremy nodded in agreement. "In that case, let's get moving! Those creatures are only about two hours away from Valley City. The sooner we take action, the less of a threat they'll pose to the city."
Major Joseph, naturally, had no objections to Jeremy's plan.
Without further delay, Jeremy, Ritchie, and Major Joseph left Valley City.
Once the three departed, the defensive forces within Valley City immediately sealed all the city's exits.
At this point, Valley City no longer had any particularly strong apocalypse game players left.
A city defended only by ordinary soldiers was frighteningly vulnerable when faced with the monstrous horde.
Every soldier who remained stationed in Valley City was tense, anxiously awaiting the return of Major Joseph and the others.
In the city center, inside the mayor's office at City Hall, the mayor was frowning deeply, deliberating on the next course of action.
He had indeed followed Major Joseph's suggestion and sought help from the Lannisters.
And, to their credit, the Lannisters had agreed to send some apocalypse game players to aid Valley City.
However, the speed at which these apocalypse game players were moving was painfully slow. They would not arrive in time to defend Valley City.
The mayor's mood was grim.
Initially, he had believed that allying with the Lannisters would grant him greater control over Valley City.
He had never imagined that the Lannisters would be unwilling to provide him with any substantial assistance.
"I really regret this! Why did I choose to cooperate with the Lannisters? They don't provide me with resources at all! On the contrary, they just want to control Valley City's resources through me!" the mayor muttered bitterly to himself.
His complaints, however, were futile.
In the eyes of the Lannisters, he was nothing more than a minor, insignificant figure.
And in truth, Valley City itself wasn't particularly important to the Lannisters either.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the mayor's office door.
His assistant entered the room.
"Mayor! Major Joseph and his team have already taken action! They intend to draw the monsters away from Valley City!" the assistant reported urgently.
Upon hearing the news, the mayor's expression finally softened a bit.
"It seems that Major Joseph is indeed a responsible man! I thought he might take the opportunity to flee alongside Jeremy and Ritchie," the mayor said slowly.
"Mayor, you weren't entirely wrong. According to the intel we received, Ritchie did mention escaping amidst the chaos," the mayor's assistant quickly added.
"Is that so? Looks like I was right not to place too much trust in them," the mayor remarked, feeling validated in his assessment of Jeremy and Ritchie.
"So, what should we do next? Should we inform the soldiers to keep a close watch on Jeremy and Ritchie, to make sure they don't abandon Valley City?" the assistant suggested, offering a new plan.
In the assistant's view, as long as Jeremy and Ritchie were closely monitored, they wouldn't have the chance to abandon the city.
The mayor, however, did not immediately make a decision.
He found the suggestion to be rather impractical.
Although Ritchie had indeed spoken about fleeing, he hadn't actually acted on those words.
Taking preemptive action based solely on an offhand comment would undoubtedly anger Jeremy and Ritchie.
Valley City was in an extremely fragile state right now.
If Jeremy and Ritchie were provoked, the city could face an even greater crisis.
"Do not take any hasty actions. For now, we still need their cooperation. Once they've resolved the threat posed by the monsters, we can then consider our next steps," the mayor ultimately decided, opting for a cautious and measured response.
Although the assistant appeared slightly disappointed, he nonetheless carried out the mayor's orders.
Meanwhile, Jeremy, Ritchie, and Major Joseph had already reached the vicinity of the Moon Envoys.
Though the Moon Envoys moved at a relatively slow pace, they were completely unaffected by the terrain.
It was as if none of them had physical forms in the real world; the Moon Envoys seemed to be nothing more than manifestations of moonlight itself.
As Major Joseph caught sight of the Moon Envoys, his face twisted into a somewhat unnatural expression.
"I really didn't expect them to look this beautiful up close. Why didn't the scouting team mention that these monsters have such stunning appearances?" Major Joseph asked Jeremy, his voice tinged with confusion.
Jeremy responded with a calm smile, "The scouting team members naturally wouldn't notice how beautiful these creatures are, because they must have been incredibly tense during their reconnaissance.
"When someone is extremely nervous, their mental state becomes compromised. These creatures are called Moon Envoys, and they can kill humans by affecting their mental state.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"So, during the reconnaissance, the team must have already been influenced by the Moon Envoys. Since the Moon Envoys didn't want to engage with the scouts, it's only natural that the scouts couldn't perceive their beauty."
Jeremy's explanation was logical, and Major Joseph slowly nodded in understanding.
"Then what should we do next? Should we launch a direct attack on these Moon Envoys?" Major Joseph asked.
Unaware of the true strength of the Moon Envoys, he believed that attacking them was the only way to draw their attention.
Jeremy shook his head.
"That's unnecessary. All we need to do is make our presence known to the Moon Envoys. Once we appear, they'll inevitably target us," Jeremy explained.
Although Major Joseph didn't fully understand Jeremy's reasoning, he didn't object.
The three of them then stepped directly into the open, facing the Moon Envoys.
The moment Jeremy appeared, all the Moon Envoys turned their gazes toward him.
A pinkish glow radiated from their bodies, and in the same instant, a massive red moon materialized in the sky above.
This enormous crimson moon emitted a sinister, maddening energy that spread across the area.
Both Ritchie and Major Joseph were affected, feeling strange, disembodied voices echoing in their minds.
Under the influence of the pink moonlight, the Moon Envoys grew significantly more powerful. Their forms expanded, each becoming larger and more imposing than before.
Jeremy made a quick decision.
He realized that splitting up was their best chance of success.
"Don't just stand there! Run now! The Moon Envoys are about to attack us!" Jeremy shouted, snapping Ritchie and Major Joseph out of their daze.
After Ritchie and Major Joseph began running, Jeremy was the last to flee.
The reason Jeremy chose to be the last was to ensure he could draw the attention of as many Moon Envoys as possible.
Jeremy believed that Ritchie and Major Joseph would struggle to deal with a large number of Moon Envoys. By attracting the majority of them to himself, he could ensure the safety of the other two.
His strategy worked.
Most of the Moon Envoys turned their attention to Jeremy and began pursuing him.
Only a small handful chased after Ritchie and Major Joseph.
Jeremy, however, didn't simply flee.
As he ran, he continuously launched attacks on the Moon Envoys.
Thanks to his talent, The King of Time and Space, Jeremy could repeatedly use his blink ability to evade the Moon Envoys' attacks.
Each time he blinked to safety, he would take the opportunity to counterattack.
Moreover, Jeremy could use his unique talent to teleport some of the Moon Envoys to distant locations, effectively separating them from the group.
Through his relentless efforts, the Moon Envoys gradually dispersed.
Once they were separated, the power of each individual Moon Envoy began to weaken.
After half an hour, only three Moon Envoys remained in pursuit of Jeremy.
At this point, Jeremy decided there was no need to continue running.
What he needed to do now was to eliminate the three Moon Envoys that were still following him.
"Your companions are no longer here! Do you really think the three of you can take me down? You don't stand a chance! But I can definitely eliminate all three of you!" Jeremy declared with a confident smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jeremy launched an attack on the closest Moon Envoy.
Using his talent, The King of Time and Space, Jeremy summoned a series of folded spaces to his aid.
When the space folded together, the Moon Envoy felt an immense pressure.
The Moon Envoy targeted by Jeremy's attack was instantly destroyed.
Its body shattered into countless fragments, which, under the glow of the moonlight, began to form new Moon Envoys.
Witnessing this, Jeremy's face was filled with shock.
"What's going on? Are the Moon Envoys truly indestructible? Does killing one only increase their numbers? Are these creatures invincible?"
Jeremy was deeply puzzled.
He couldn't comprehend why this was happening, nor did he have any idea what the Moon Envoys' weakness might be.