Chapter 39 It's My Turn to Shine

Williams arrived at the rooftop in his wheelchair, the soaring cannons illuminating his face. The distant mirage on the sea reflected a hellish scene in his pupils.

His eyes flickered, revealing a sense of bewilderment and trepidation.

Even Rose and Damon rarely saw him display such an expression, even though he was no longer as powerful as before. Yet he still maintained an unflustered demeanor, honed through countless life-and-death experiences over the years, deeply etched in his heart.

For such a person, there was only one situation that could make him lose his composure.

That was reliving the nightmares of the past.

At this moment, they finally understood why the officer was so concerned about the Necro Cult's activities.

It was because of the Holy Mountain.

Williams' initial guess had been correct.

The tide of Specters was indeed related to the Holy Mountain.

"So this is the legendary Holy Mountain?"

Mike also gazed at the distant sky, the mark on his right palm frantically stirring, as if cheering and celebrating, or warning him that something terrible was coming.

And the appearance of this Holy Mountain was the same as Isabelle's painting!

"Yes, this is the Holy Mountain."

Williams closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had regained his calm demeanor. He chuckled lightly, "Come to think of it, this is also our fate. If I hadn't been concerned that the Holy Mountain's anomaly caused the Specter tide, I don't think we would be here today."

Mike shrugged, "The fate of fellow patients?"

A thunderous explosion shook the city.

"The Demolition Cannon, a weapon created by Noah's Organization," Williams said calmly.

"In this era, the power of technology is still needed. Including the soul blades required by the Evolveds in the Third Realm, they also need their mechanics to manufacture them."

Mike was also stunned by the sight of the barrage of cannons, the countless burning meteors tearing through the night sky, and the bursts of light illuminating the dark city.

A massive mushroom cloud rose, visible even through the metal fortification.

Another deafening roar and cracks appeared in the distant metal barrier.

"Is this due to an enemy attack?" Mike thought, shocked. The Specter counterattack had come so quickly. He didn't know what species could be this powerful.

"No, it's not an enemy attack, but rather an explosion caused by the Demolition Cannon overheating," Williams said, waving his hand. "Just normal operation."

Mike was truly stunned. "The cannon shells are disposable, fine, but the cannons themselves are also one-time use? Isn't that a bit too frivolous?"

Williams gave him a sidelong glance. "The gunners are also one-time use."

"..." Mike's eye twitched. "So with this terrifying barrage, the Specter tide should have been successfully repelled, even if not annihilated, at least a third of them, right?"

Williams frowned. "No, I think it has failed."

A massive pillar of holy light descended from the heavens, branching out into a vast, celestial barrier outside the metal fortification.

In the sky above, the faint outline of a giant face emerged, like a divine spirit.

Mike felt an overwhelming pressure. The face seemed familiar, like the mask of the High Priest!

"The High Priest has intervened, which means the situation on the frontlines is very dire. It's understandable, as the Specters on the frontlines have likely mutated. Not just the lowest-level Decaying Specters, but probably other unknown, higher-tier Specters, all part of the evolutionary chain of the creation nest."

Williams sighed, "At least we're making progress on our end."

Mike pondered, "With such a dire situation, why aren't you going to report it? If the city falls, aren't we all doomed?"

Williams was silent for a moment, then sighed. "This task cannot be done by me. Firstly, I don't have a good reputation in this city, and secondly, others will think I have ulterior motives. Moreover, even if I reported these events, there's no benefit for me."

He paused. "This city may not welcome me, but it can welcome you."

Mike was taken aback.

"So you need to be the one to do this, to maximize the benefits."

Williams spoke calmly, "I will have someone accompany you to bring those Necro Cult members back to the military base. As for the rest, I'll keep them for my research. If I find an effective way to counter them, I'll immediately let you know, and you'll be my representative."

He then handed Mike a silver badge.

"What's this?"

"The Inquisitor's Mandate."

"Oh, so from now on, I'll be an Inquisitor too?"

Mike said with interest, "Arresting people without evidence?"

Williams smiled silently. "As long as you're strong enough, it's not a problem."

"But before you leave."

He suddenly raised his fist. "There's one more thing to do."

With a thud, Mike was knocked to the ground, his head ringing.

You bastard!

Williams smiled and explained, "If you don't come back with a few bruises, how can we show how difficult it was for you to help solve the case? You need to make those above see that you're bleeding and sacrificing yourself, only then will they give you the resources. Today's operation was meant to make you suffer a bit, but I didn't expect you to be much tougher than I imagined - you didn't even get hurt much..."

Mike got up with a dazed look, thinking that made sense.

"That one punch is not enough, why not try a few more?"

He raised his head, "Good daughter, come stab daddy!"

Damon and Rose were dumbfounded.

Looks like this guy might be a lunatic!

The frontline troops today encountered unprecedented nightmares.

The Demolition Cannon, which had been invincible in defense operations, lost its effectiveness for the first time, because the moment the artillery fell from the sky, those terrifying specters had evolved metal skeleton-like shields, standing in orderly formation like ancient shieldbearers to block the attacks!

This scene stunned the entire military.

The artillery strikes slammed into the shields, and the terrifying explosions blew the specters away. However, these specters seemed to have evolved hardened armor, with their defensive power increasing tenfold, and the explosive power was not enough to break through the armor, only setting them on fire.

Furthermore, there were even more terrifying entities within the horde of specters.

They were massive, giant-like monsters, with demonic horns on their heads and their robust bodies covered in hard armor. They could release terrifying thorns, like giant wings, to protect themselves, and could also shoot out spines in a single volley to counter the barrage of artillery fire.

Cannon fire could not inflict effective damage, and bullets were rendered useless as well.

The unit that wanted to capture samples was interfered with by the mirage-like appearance of the specters, and their screams overlapping on top of each other caused the helicopter to crash on the spot.

This was the specters' requiem.

With so many specters gathered together, their requiem was lethal.

Only these two types of specters had appeared so far, but they had already disrupted the entire battlefield.

A large number of ordinary specters were coming towards them, coupled with the troublesome land dragons, with the latest wave already less than 8 kilometers from the city gates, but they had been defended by the ground forces.

Of course, if it weren't for the High Priest's divine miracle, they would have suffered heavy casualties.

At this moment, a natural holy light barrier had blocked the specters' path, giving the military a moment to catch their breath.

As the overall commander of the Avalon City military, Semin was immediately summoned to the Sanctuary.

Inevitably, a reprimand was coming.

"Who can tell me, what the hell is going on?" the old secretary of Semin's raged at the entrance of the military headquarters, "Why didn't the scouts discover this new species of specter? Why did these specters undergo such astounding changes, and no one noticed? Why, with your responsibility over the entire war zone, did you fail to see the changes in the entire ecological environment? Why are you reacting so slowly? Are you pigs?"

This old secretary had accumulated considerable prestige in the military over the years, and thus had the right to unleash his criticism, "The lifetime achievements of the former commander are about to be ruined by you fools! Do your eyes grow on your asses? Has your brain been eaten by dogs? And you, Lisa! Do you think you're here to play? You're here to serve!"

He raised his withered right hand, "I'll slap you to death!"

The dirt-covered military officers stood in front of him, taking the scolding.

Lisa was at the forefront, her chestnut-colored short hair stuck to her face, covered in dust and fresh blood, her drenched uniform also stained with ichor, and her curvaceous figure no longer evoked any desire.

Her fists were clenched, her anger reaching its peak.

They could have defended themselves.

Because they had previously conducted an ecological survey of the war zone.

The report from the Heresy Inquisition also did not indicate any abnormalities.

Until the incident with Ron happened.

But it was too late now.

No one dared to make excuses for themselves.

"In the military, only incompetent people make excuses for themselves."

The old secretary roared, "Look at those soldiers being carried away on stretchers! They were all under your command! It's because of your stupidity that they are now dead! After they are buried, all of you go kneel in front of their gravestones! You must repent! Repent for your incompetence and stupidity!"

The medical corps priests were drenched in sweat, as they had been completely frazzled from the chaos of the night. One by one, stretchers were carried out, most containing wounded soldiers, some in critical condition needing urgent care, and others who had already passed away.

The military headquarters had not seen such heavy casualties in a long time.

Lisa bit her crimson lips and lowered her head, "Understood."

The majors also bowed their heads in response, but their hearts were secretly overjoyed.

This time, the Duke family was going to suffer a heavy blow.

Although it may not have much impact on their home base in Celestia City, their influence in Avalon City would be struck.

The competition among the officers had been extremely intense, until the young lady from the Duke family parachuted in to snatch the glory, making everyone feel like they were just accompanying a prince.

Especially Jack, whose position was directly taken away.

The reason the old secretary was so furious was not just because of the soldiers' deaths.

A considerable part of it was because the Duke family was likely to lose their power this time.

The chief of staff and vice chief of staff in the military headquarters were like the pope and vice pope.

They engaged in open and secret power struggles, plotting and scheming.

The Duke family people did not have the mindset for party struggles, but they were able to maintain their dominant position through their brilliant military achievements.

However, after today, things might change.

Thinking of this, the old secretary became even angrier, spitting out scathing words that pounded the officers mercilessly.

At this moment, a guy sneaked in from outside.

"Halt!"

Jack saw the newcomer and his gaze turned icy cold. "Where have you been?"

Mike had just returned, realizing that a major incident had occurred in the military headquarters. From afar, he saw an old priest spewing venom, so to avoid getting into trouble, he chose to sneak away.

But he still got discovered.

Before he could even speak, he was bombarded by the officer.

"Deserter!"

Jack coldly said, "Do you know what happened today in the military headquarters? The situation at the front line was so disastrous, yet you privately left the headquarters to avoid the battle?"

Mike and Jack had never really talked before, as they were just a soldier and an officer who had only met a few times.

But because of Luther's death, Jack suspected Mike.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have repeatedly targeted him.

Whether it was the request from the law enforcement bureau to attend the meeting back then, or their appearance during the capture of the Necro Cult members today, it was most likely Jack and the people behind him who were secretly scheming.

Therefore, when Jack saw this young man returning to the military base, he immediately started picking a fight.

Of course, it was also to stop the old secretary from continuing his tirade.

At this moment, including Lisa, all the officers turned to look.

Mike raised his bandaged head and said solemnly, "Officer Jack, this statement is not correct. I was given an order from above to assist in the investigation. How did I become a deserter? Although I'm not at the front line, I'm also contributing to the war effort there."

He paused, "I'm actually doing something, unlike some people who are useless even at the front line, and yet still have to be scolded here..."

The last sentence was said in a lower voice, almost a murmur.

But Jack, who heard it clearly, had an increasingly grim expression.

The other officers were also startled in their hearts.

Who was he referring to?

Even Lisa's eyelids twitched.

"I see, you're using the investigation as an excuse to leave the front line, aren't you?" Jack said coldly. "Where are the contributions you've made?"

Mike gave a slight smile, "I've been waiting for you to say that."

He clapped his hands, "Comrades, bring the witnesses over!"