Chapter 156: Ch-156: Reaction and Return to game world

Andrew and Olivia did not say anything, merely watching in silence

.

"This power... did that guy use some kind of weapon he found in the game?" Andrew mumbled with a worried look on his face before adding, "Looks like our plan to recruit him into the guild will fail."

In Andrew’s eyes, someone with this much power would never agree to become someone else’s subordinate, no matter what they offered.

"At least he won’t join any of our rival guilds," Rachel chimed in.

"Stop thinking about that guy. After the update is over, focus on getting stronger in the game. As long as you are strong, nothing else matters. I believe we can surpass Victor," Olivia said in a neutral voice.

"Yeah, you’re right," Andrew replied as he nodded in agreement.

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World Awakeners Association Headquarters

The headquarters had been built within the last month. Even though it was constructed hastily, it was still meticulously designed to accommodate thousands of Awakeners with the highest level of luxury. Even the UN headquarters paled in comparison.

It had risen to become the most prominent location in the entire world and housed thousands of Awakeners actively working under the Association.

Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere was heavy as everyone stared at the door, waiting for someone.

Creak

The door opened, and Lance, the Headmaster of the World Awakeners Academy, entered with an annoyed expression on his face.

The moment he arrived, the tense expressions of everyone present visibly relaxed.

"Chairman."

"Chairman."

Everyone stood up and greeted Lance.

Yes, Lance was not only the Headmaster but also the Chairman and highest authority of the Association. Of course, the other families had attempted to secure this position, but he had defeated every challenger and claimed it for himself.

"Jeremy, why did you call this meeting all of a sudden? This had better be important," Lance said in an irritated tone while looking at Jeremy, the Vice Chairman of the Association.

Jeremy wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied nervously,"Chairman, you should look at this first."

"Hmm."

Lance raised an eyebrow when he saw footage of police surrounding a location where a massive crater had formed.

"What happened? Did a monster break out and attack? That shouldn’t be possible. Only a handful of monsters have escaped from dungeons, and I personally dealt with them," Lance asked with a furrowed brow.

"No... from what we know, it was a group of Awakeners," Jeremy said.

The aura around Lance instantly changed, and everyone felt a tremendous pressure emanating from him.

Bang!

"Audacious!"

Lance slammed his hand onto the steel table, leaving a visible dent.

"They are too arrogant. Do they not give any face to the Association?"

"Chairman, what should we do? We don’t know the identities of the group," one of the members at the round table chimed in.

"What else? Find their identities and send Awakeners to arrest or hunt them down," Lance said before his eyes flickered toward Jeremy.

"The meeting is dismissed. All of you leave."

Lance waited until everyone had left the room. After the last person departed, he turned toward Jeremy and asked, "Well, spit it out. You know who did it, don’t you?"

"Yes, I do," Jeremy said seriously before handing him a tablet.

Lance’s eyes widened when he saw Victor’s profile.

"I know him... he really impressed me during the admission exam," Lance said. Then he furrowed his brows and asked with interest, "He caused the destruction?"

"Yes. From what we investigated, the Amur Family hired the Shadowless Guild to kill him in retaliation for him and his girlfriend severely beating their heirs. In the end, the guards at his house wiped out the Shadowless Guild along with its leader, Darius. Both Amber and Victor were later seen driving toward the direction of the crime scene, so we assume they are the ones responsible," Jeremy concluded.

"I see," Lance mumbled.

"Should we send someone to arrest them?" Jeremy asked.

"Of course not. Even if they were in the wrong—which they are not—I still would not arrest them. There are many reasons for this."

"First of all, they are individually strong and most likely rival the heirs of the top families."

"Second, they somehow managed to recruit Awakeners capable of easily eliminating the Shadowless Guild, which proves those Awakeners are exceptionally strong."

"Third, I believe they will open their own guild, which could give the top families a run for their money."

Lance said with a smirk.

Jeremy’s eyes widened as he said, "You want to support them to counter the growing influence of the Top Eight Families?"

"Indeed. I was worried about their rising influence and thought only that mysterious Faceless could counter them, but now I have found a new lead..." Lance said.

Jeremy suddenly had a thought and voiced it aloud.

"Do you think this guy could be Faceless?"

Lance paused after hearing the question and replied,"He could be, but there is no evidence. From what I know, Faceless uses Black Lightning, but we do not know whether Victor possesses it. We need to observe him thoroughly."

Victor had no idea that his secret identity had almost been exposed or that some people already knew he was responsible for the massacre. Even if he did know, he likely would not have cared much.

Right now, he was back in the game alongside Amber.

"Do you want to say something, Edward?" Victor asked Edward, who had been hesitant to speak ever since Victor returned.

"Lord Victor, you should check the territory panel," Edward said with a sigh as he rubbed his temples.

"What?!"

Victor exclaimed when he saw the information displayed on the territory panel.

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Territory Name: Silver City

Territory Size: 230 km²

Named NPCs: Edward

Military: 49,531+ Tier 2 Knights, 61,799+ Tier 2 Gunmen [Expand]

Professionals: [Expand]

Population: 147,981

Defenses: Automatic Turtle Shell Defensive System (Bundle) x1

Specialized Buildings: None

Landmarks: None

Maximum Population: 300,000

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"How did my land decrease from 300 km² to 230 km², and where did half of my troops vanish to?"

Victor exclaimed with a grim look on his face.