162 Chapter 162: Volunteer (2/2)
”Do we know which shelter?” Jin Hao asked, concerned. His parents had also sought refuge in a shelter quite some distance away from ours, so I understood his worry.
”I'm not sure.” Theodore frowned and paused to listen.
”The shelter at town hall is under attack!”
”What's the strength of enemy forces?”
”Unknown! But they are not monsters! They are humans!”
”What?!”
”Assassins from the assassin guild! They're targeting the city council! They plan to decapitate Jing Tian City's leadership! The bodyguards are holding off for now, but they are urgently requesting for reinforcements!”
”Then send them!”
”Trying to! But we don't have many soldiers left…”
”Ugh…”
While the soliders argued and exchanged shouts, Allison paled visibly.
”Did they say…the shelter at town hall?”
”That's what I heard too,” Craig said bluntly. Everyone turned to her. Fortunately, I was there to help her as she faltered.
”Father…”
”How many men do we have?”
”I can only spare five men.”
”That's not enough! They're saying there's over twenty…thirty assassins!”
”Really? I'm getting conflicting reports. They say there's only five assassins. But…they're also being assaulted by monsters at the same time.”
”Someone get me actual facts! Not rumors!”
”That's what we're getting over the com, sir!”
”Fuck! All right, get your five men to move out immediately. I'll send more reinforcements when I can. Hopefully bravo squad will be returning. They're supposed to be en route with stragglers, and should be back in fifteen minutes. Thirty, tops.”
Alicia hugged herself tightly, tears welling in her eyes.
”Father…”
I patted her and then stood up.
”Senior Richard? Where are you going?” Harvey asked when he noticed my sudden movement. I smiled tiredly.
”To take a walk.”
”Really? Let me join in.”
Craig realized my intention, for he leisurely strolled toward me. Theodore also followed with a grim expression, his hammer slung on his back.
”The more the merrier, right?” Dong Fang Yue Chu remarked cheerfully as he joined us. Sheila and Lily also followed.
”You guys…you can't mean to…” Alicia was staring at us, her expression horrified.
”Yes, we mean to.” Harrison was cracking his knuckles and cocking his head from side to side, probably to relax his stiffened neck muscles after having fallen asleep, propped against the wall. ”He's our principal, after all. I would be ashamed if I let my own principal die at the hands of nameless killers.”
”Then I'll be coming too! He's my father!” Alicia rose to her feet determinedly, all trace of crying gone.
”Uh…I…” Harvey stammered, but I shook my head.
”You stay put, Harvey. Take care of Senior Pearl. You too, Jin Hao and Aoi. Watch over the shelter while we're gone.”
”Don't be too reckless,” Aoi told us, her expression scrunched in worry.
”Reckless?” Craig scoffed. ”No, we're being suicidal!”
”Then…” Jin Hao protested.
”We have a score to settle with those assassin bastards,” Harrison declared, his handsome features more ominous than I had ever seen him. ”Letting them escape last time still rankles me. If we can, I would like to capture one of them for interrogation.”
”If they're really from the assassins' guild, then I doubt you'll be able to force any answers out of them, even if we are somehow able to capture one alive.” Theodore was as pragmatic as ever.
”That doesn't mean we shouldn't try.” Sheila smirked as she twirled her spear and strapped it to her shoulder.
”That's right. They will pay for doing this to our city!” Lily agreed fiercely. ”And we're going to force the Dark Church's location out of them if we have to!”
”The priority is to save Alicia's father,” I reminded them. ”Not to settle our grudges.”
Everyone merely chuckled, as if I had stated the obvious. Of course they knew that. Taking revenge on the assassins was just a small bonus.
Unlike the high-ranked monsters, we were confident of fighting against fellow humans. Yes, these assassins might be highly trained and professional, but in the end they were still humans.
We had faced monsters and survived. Prevailed, even. What were mere humans compared to that? Of course, we couldn't afford to underestimate our foes. Humans could be more dangerous and much more cunning than monsters, after all.
But they bleed, and they were comparatively fragile. All it took was one clean hit in the right place, and they would die instantly. That was why we were more confident when it came to fighting assassins over monsters. Or perhaps our rage…our hatred against the human enemy responsible for this calamity had overridden our fear and caution and made us reckless.
In the end, it didn't matter.
The eight elite students of Jing Tian Magic Academy began marching toward the five-man military squad that was preparing to move out, ready to offer our services.