Chapter 78: The Hall
"Please leave!" Irving's voice was tinged with a chill.
The smiles on the faces of the twelve group presidents surrounding him gradually faded. They wore expressions of slight embarrassment, and in the end, they could only shake their heads, leading their players away from here.
The Brotherhood of Night Blades had been eradicated, granting these groups their freedom once more. They were even more interested in the powerful man before them.
Even if Irving made some demands now, these groups would probably agree without hesitation.
No one expected Irving to give them an expulsion order.
"Irving." Anna approached him at this time, her face bearing an apology. "I'm really sorry, originally we were ready to send an elite team to support this operation, but after discussion, the senior leaders above decided to cancel the operation."
"We had no choice... I hope you understand." Anna couldn't help but sigh.
As the deputy leader of the Angel Troop, she must obey official orders. No matter how dissatisfied she was with the decision of the higher-ups, she couldn't resist.
"Alright, you don't have to say more, I already knew you wouldn't come." Irving replied with a bitter smile on his face.
This was the main reason why he didn't want to join the officials.
Before the apocalypse, the authorities, as the largest force in the country, built a huge underground safety zone in less than a month and possessed a large amount of reserve materials.
Countless players were desperate to join the Angel Guild.
But many people overlooked the fact that while enjoying the benefits brought by the officials, they had to obey the orders of the higher-ups. Even if they were dissatisfied with the decisions made above, they had to carry them out.
This was undoubtedly like putting an invisible shackle on themselves.
Of course, for those players who were not so powerful in the game, or even had trouble protecting themselves, joining the officials was a good choice. But Irving had never thought of relying on any power.
He even actively distanced himself from these powers, like the groups who wanted to curry favor with him just now...
In the apocalypse, always remember that only when your own strength is strong enough is it the real capital!
"You knew all along?" Anna furrowed her brows, seemingly catching some deeper meaning from his words. She looked at Irving with some confusion.
Irving said in a deep voice, "Someone within your official high ranks has been bought by foreign powers."
His words were blunt, not only Anna, but even Aron on the side felt a huge rock drop in their hearts, stirring up ripples.
Seeing their surprised expressions, Irving shook his head, "Don't ask me how I know, it's your internal affairs."
"Alright, you can leave here now." Irving led James and the players within the Green Ivy Group to the castle below, which was now in ruins.
The remnants of the Brotherhood of Night Blades had been eradicated by the groups that had arrived earlier.
At this moment, the entire castle was permeated with a thick smell of blood...
Looking at Irving's back, Anna's expression, which had come to her senses, was extremely complex. At this moment, she seemed to have figured something out.
"Damn it." Aron couldn't help but curse, "I knew there was something wrong when the higher-ups deliberated for so long and then cancelled the operation. There is a traitor amongst us!"
Having served on the border for over a decade, Aron had an inherent love for his country running in his veins. Upon hearing the news, his rage was ignited.
He would not tolerate any betrayal.
"Enough." Anna interjected, her face stern. "Whether this information is accurate or not, we must investigate thoroughly once we return."
Not only the abnormal decision of the official senior management, but also the captain of The Brotherhood of Night Blades who was arrested during the day. Despite being taken to the police station for interrogation, he suddenly died from poisoning... This couldn't be a coincidence!
"Let's leave this place." Anna glanced once more at Irving before leading her elite squad away from the scene.
The fight had lasted for over four hours.
A ray of fish belly white appeared on the horizon, and the sunset slowly rose. The first ray of dawn illuminated the earth, gradually driving away the darkness.
After this battle, apart from the players who chose to escape midway, there were still 89 players left in the Green Ivy Group.
"Let's clean up the corpses in the castle first. Those severely injured can log out of the game and rest." Irving instructed James.
James asked, "Irving, the group suffered heavy losses. I worry about what might happen next. Should we recruit more members?"
The Green Ivy Group relies on the Green Ivy Corporation behind it. The Green Ivy Corporation had ample funds and equipment. As long as they post in the trading area, they can recruit some players to join.
"You handle recruitment. Not everything needs my approval." Irving replied coolly. His gaze rested on the eighty-nine remaining players. "Those who stayed have passed the test. They should be given priority when distributing equipment. As for new members, they must go through a new assessment."
"Understood." James nodded.
To strengthen a group, aside from recruiting players, it was crucial that these players were willing to fight steadfastly for the group in critical times.
If there were players in the group who may escape at any time, then this group actually had no combat power and cohesion
James was assigned the task of cleaning the battlefield while Irving returned to the hall in the center of the castle with Little Black loyally following behind.
Vicky, who had fallen unconscious due to excessive mental exertion, had been sent back to her home in the real world to rest.
"Hmm?" At this moment, Irving's eyebrows suddenly furrowed. He had just been busy arranging for post-war cleaning and did not notice that Sophia had suddenly disappeared.
She had been with Vicky when they initially charged towards Duncan and the two elders. He had not seen her since he was pulled from the rubble by James and the others.
"Could she have gone back with her family?" Irving murmured.
The battle was over and Sophia, being an ice mage, was no longer in danger. He didn't think much of it and turned his gaze towards the magnificent palace unaffected by the battle.
Irving, accompanied by Little Black, walked straight into the palace.
Upon entering, his eyes were immediately drawn to the opulent décor. A dozen large columns, painted with red lacquer, stood around the room. A pristine white carpet covered the floor, and at the center stood a throne crafted from a unique ore.
Ding!
At that moment, a system alert echoed in Irving's mind.
[You have entered another player's shelter!]
[System is detecting... The original owner of this shelter is deceased. You may choose to occupy this shelter.]
[Notice: Once you choose to occupy, your original shelter will be automatically relocated here. Do you wish to proceed?]
Irving paused, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The shelter of the Brotherhood of Night Blades had been transformed into a castle. The towering and robust exterior walls alone required a considerable amount of ore to construct, not to mention the intricate interior layout.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the materials used to build this castle had been gathered collectively by the twelve groups enslaved by the Brotherhood of Night Blades.
Compared to this castle, Irving's previous shelter seemed very basic.
"Let's see what else is here." Irving said but didn't immediately make his choice. He started to roam around the palace. Aside from some everyday items, he didn't find anything of value.
There was a side hall in the palace used for rest.
"Duncan must have lived in this side hall." Irving murmured to himself before walking in.
The side hall was much smaller compared to the main hall, but it was still several times larger than Irving's previous stone house. It was decorated with various plants, and a pleasant fragrance filled the air.
Besides some tables and chairs, there was a large round bed covered with animal skins in the middle. Irving cast his gaze around the side hall, looking somewhat disappointed. "There's nothing here, that's odd."
Just then, Little Black seemed to have discovered something. It quickly dashed towards a bookshelf in the corner and then anxiously turned to look at Irving, howling non-stop.
Since the signing of the master-servant contract, Little Black had acquired three additional skills besides the purple flame that constantly surrounded it.
One of the skills: [Hell's Scent], allowed Little Black to detect treasures hidden in the dark!
Irving's eyes lit up. He immediately realized that something must be hidden near the inconspicuous bookshelf. He quickly walked towards the bookshelf and began searching.
However, aside from a few ordinary scrolls used for setting traps and buildings, he didn't find anything else. "
Just then, he seemed to inadvertently trigger something. Irving only felt a rumbling sound by his ear, as if some mechanism was being activated...
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