Chapter 55: This Is a Man-Made Disaster!
“You already know about this?” Sun Hu was surprised, then continued, “Since you know it’s a private conflict between professionals, why didn’t you prevent it in advance? How could you let something like this happen?”
“As if I wanted it to!” Liu Cheng cursed. “If I’d known those two monsters were going to fight, I would’ve risked my life to keep them from battling in Yan Yun City. We only just got wind of this. The police dispatcher just reported that someone called in before the disaster started, but the story sounded so absurd and the caller’s phone went dead, so no one paid it any mind.”
“Then the disaster struck. Now the Ministry of Public Security is swamped, trying to track down the caller and investigate the Diamond Forest to see if anyone survived. All available personnel from each department have been sent to the city center.”
“The tremors this time were intense. Some buildings on the outskirts of Yan Yun City have already collapsed. Thankfully, no lives have been lost yet—that’s the best news we have.”
Sun Hu said seriously, “Did the caller mention what level the people involved were?”
“According to the dispatcher, at least one was a Supreme-rank mage, and the other seemed to be a warrior—exact strength unknown. All we know is he could kill a Gold-tier Red-Eyed Star Wolf with a single punch. The caller described him as a good man.”
“Apparently, he was trying to stop the mage, but we’re just as much in the dark as you are about the details.”
“In any case, I finally understand how you felt back then. These big shots… why must they stir up trouble in our Yan Yun City? After this battle, the Diamond Forest is completely ruined.”
Silence fell on Sun Hu’s end. After a moment, he spoke slowly, “Another Supreme-rank mage… I wonder if it could be the same big shot who caused trouble in our Hui Yue City before.”
“How would I know?” Liu Cheng realized there was little anyone could do to stop it now, and resigned himself to the situation.
With battles of this caliber, even if he wanted to intervene, he likely wouldn’t last as long as a Red-Eyed Star Wolf.
To ordinary people like them, these big shots could no longer be considered human.
Monsters, really!
“I advise you, if it is really that person, you should proceed with extreme caution. The leader of the Imperial Capital’s investigation team gave him an exceptionally high evaluation. So, be careful.”
“For the sake of our friendship, I’ll contact the leader of the investigation team and have him come to Yan Yun City to assist you. Do your best to capture those two!”
Sun Hu spoke calmly. He wasn’t the type to let others suffer the same pain he’d endured.
If he could help, he would do his utmost.
“Sun Hu… thank you,” Liu Cheng was surprised by this. Though he and Sun Hu had often quarreled in the past, their friendship was genuine.
“Old Liu, we both serve the Empire, so you can think of this as me acting for the Empire. No need to be grateful.”
“Send me a list of any usable teleportation devices in Yan Yun City. Go get busy.”
As soon as he finished, the call was cut off.
Liu Cheng fell silent, then typed a set of coordinates into his phone and sent them to Sun Hu.
He immediately called the Minister of Public Security. “The investigation team from the Imperial Capital may arrive soon. We need to prepare to apprehend those two powerful individuals!”
The minister listened, then replied in a grave tone, “Understood. I’ll have the area around Diamond Forest set up with portable teleportation jammers and surround it from all sides. Let’s hope we hold out until the expert arrives.”
“All for the Empire!”
“All for the Empire!” Liu Cheng hung up, staring at the detection data on his screen as countless thoughts surfaced in his mind.
Unknowingly, he’d become entangled with people of such power.
He wasn’t sure if there was any benefit to this.
But with things as they were, all he could do was help the Empire weather this crisis.
Soon, a faint glow appeared at a teleportation array in Yan Yun City.
“Sun Hu, that junior, really knows how to make trouble for me,” Si Lintian muttered as he stepped out from a teleportation portal, followed by the investigation team members, all weary from days of labor.
They hadn’t expected to be needed again so late at night.
“Senior Si Lintian? I’m Liu Cheng, head of the Yan Yun City detection department.”
Liu Cheng had been waiting here for some time. Such a major event required his personal attention.
Si Lintian was not one for idle talk. He knew exactly why he was here. “Take me to the site,” he said decisively.
“Of course!”
“But let me make something clear first: all strong individuals in Yan Yun City must be sent to the Diamond Forest. Remember, I said strong individuals! Anyone below level forty is useless. If a fight breaks out, they’d just be cannon fodder, understood?”
Si Lintian spoke calmly, yet his composure carried a suffocating sense of pressure, like being submerged in the deep sea.
“I know it’s hard to understand, and I don’t mind if you laugh. When lives are at stake, I won’t joke around.”
“If it truly is the expert I investigated in Hui Yue City, I can’t guarantee I can handle him.”
“So, consider this your advance warning.”
“If things are as you say, the one who can face the mage alone must also be around Supreme-rank. If he’s still holding on, that’s good. If he’s already fallen, then prepare for a fight to the death.”
Liu Cheng replied numbly, “Senior Si Lintian, there’s something I’m not sure I should say.”
Si Lintian gave him a sideways glance. “Just spit it out. Why can’t you be as straightforward as Sun Hu? What’s there to hold back?”
“Actually, after we detected forbidden-level magic, the atmosphere in the Diamond Forest fell eerily silent. I fear the battle between those two experts has already ended, and what remains is only the aftermath of the earthquake.”
“If so, it means the warrior has likely been defeated by the mage.”