160 Chapter 160: Watered Down (1/2)
The military reinforcements spread out to secure the bridge, eliminating whatever monsters were lurking nearby and searching for any sign of the assassins. Rei and his disciples were professional killers and highly trained – they had vanished without leaving a single trace.
The soldiers couldn't afford to waste too much time chasing shadows, so a small contingent led by Yang Bai accompanied us back to the shelter while the rest proceeded toward Jing Tian Academy to begin escorting the other groups. Later they would reduce the number of groups and waves, having a hundred or so students and teachers moving in several convoys while the military protected them from monsters. It took less than an hour for the whole school to make the three-kilometer journey and safely evacuate to the shelter.
Within that hour, however, the vanguard team had more important things to worry about. Especially me.
”Who is Richard Huang?” a man in military uniform and the bars of a captain asked as he approached us. Yang Bai gestured toward me. As for me, I was too exhausted to respond, merely nodding and raising my hand.
”This boy here. What's the matter, sir?”
The captain turned to me. ”Please follow me. The general wishes to see you.”
Yang Bai, understanding the situation, nodded and backed off. He went to exchange a few words with Teacher Fielding before he left, presumably to resume his mission of searching for any other survivors in the vicinity.
I didn't get to hear the details of the conversation. Instead, I nodded obediently and dragged my feet to follow the captain. I was dead tired and wanted nothing more than to lie down, but circumstances demanded my attention.
We took the stairs and ascended to the very top of the dome-shaped shelter. The captain led me to the rooftop access and unlocked the door by placing his hand on a device. Once the biometric reader confirmed his identity, the electronic lock beeped and slid open. The door swung wide, revealing the vast, open space beyond.
Stepping into the rooftop, I found myself buffeted by fierce winds. Already drained from consecutive battles, first against a rank B monster, and then against highly trained, professional assassins, I staggered from the stinging gusts. Gritting my teeth, I fought to maintain a shred of dignity and made my way toward the row of soldiers standing near the edge, unwary despite the complete lack of railings on the roof.
I recognized the man in the center, with his close cropped gray hair, broad shoulders, muscles and powerful stature.
General Jiang Jun, the commander of the northern fortress. I had met him briefly after waking up in the medical center there, just in time to nuke the three-thousand strong monster army into oblivion.
He was accompanied by his command staff, all of whom were majors and colonels. I recognized the tall and lanky Colonel Tai, the middle-aged man looking over the scenery of the devastated city with a weary expression. All of the command staff were tense and uneasy as they watched Jing Tian City get torn apart by monsters, barely able to suppress their rage.
Only General Jiang seemed indifferent, uncaring even. However, I could sense a subtle buildup of power within him, a storm that was lying latent beneath that calm surface, waiting to be unleashed at any time. A chill ran through me as I watched his rigid figure.
The captain led me toward him, and saluted.
”General Jiang, I've brought Richard Huang.”
General Jiang Jun didn't turn his head around, but he nodded curtly in acknowledgement. The captain then withdrew, leaving me alone.
”I'm glad you're safe and sound,” General Jiang finally said, his hands intertwined behind his back. ”We feared the worst when the Underground Holy Spring facility was overrun by monsters, and more so when we received reports of the Dark Church prowling through the premises shortly after all contact with the personnel there was lost.”
”…Mr. Kuai Tou and a lot of good people died.” I lowered my head and closed my eyes briefly. ”The Dark Church will have to pay for their crimes.”
”They will.” For a moment, General Jiang's gaze turned murderous as he glared into the distance. I noted the tightening of his fingers as he gripped his hands more forcefully. ”We will hunt them down to the ends of the earth if we have to. This atrocity will not stand.” He took a deep breath. ”I am assuming that Kuai Tou really passed the underground Holy Spring to you?”
”Yeah.” I nodded, and retrieved the bottle from my uniform jacket. Colonel Tai stepped forward to receive it from me. No, I wasn't paranoid to the extent where I saw everyone as a potential spy for the Dark Church, so I just passed it to him. I also worked with Colonel Tai in the past to write a report, so I trusted him somewhat.
Colonel Tai then passed the bottle to General Jiang, who whirled around to stare at me in amazement.
”What?” I asked, registering his surprise with puzzlement. Did he expect me to lose the Holy Spring or something?
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”Uh, I expected you to drink the Holy Spring. You know, because you got thirsty from all the stress and terror, so you drank it to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Dark Church…”
”Are you mistaking me for someone?” I quizzed, annoyed. ”I'm not some greedy, shameless protagonist of a web novel. I prefer to think of myself as a nice guy with a conscience.”