Luca answered the call, and immediately Donlow’s crisp voice came through. “Luca, the branch has called a meeting for all members. Are you at home? We’ll come pick you up.”
A meeting at the branch?
Luca was a bit surprised and didn’t know why Drumph had summoned them at this time.
After thinking for a moment, he didn’t refuse and replied, “I’m at home right now, you can come over directly. Thanks for the trouble.”
Once the call ended, Luca put his phone away.
Just as he was about to leave, Susie’s voice suddenly came from the side.
“Who called you? Sounds like a girl?” She was leaning against the door, trying to look indifferent, but the smile on her face was slowly fading.
Luca casually replied, “A colleague from the department. She told me to come to the meeting. You’ve met her before.”
Susie thought for a moment and said, “Is she the one who brought you back last time?”
Luca glanced at her and smiled. “What? Are you jealous?”
“I’m not!” Susie huffed, intending to brush it off. But just as she was about to dismiss it, she felt a sudden force on her arm.
Before she could finish her sentence, she was pulled forward by Luca, and the words she intended to say turned into muffled whimpers.
In the living room, Sini, who had been about to ask her son how to level up quickly, froze in her tracks.
She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, then gasped in surprise.
Her son had finally figured it out?!
…
On the road, a black Mercedes sped by.
The North District branch of Morning Star was located in the core city of Summer Country’s northern region, “Water City.” It wasn’t far from Celephais, but not exactly close either.
There were two cities in between, about 200 kilometers apart, which would take two to three hours on the highway.
However, it was Sunday, and the city was bustling with people. By the time Luca, along with Donlow, Quagmire, and the others, arrived at the North District branch, the sky had already darkened.
“So this is Morning Star’s branch?” Luca looked at the dilapidated old office building in front of him with peeling paint and a slightly strange expression.
Although the building wasn’t terrible, it was hard to believe that the official branch of Morning Star was set up in such an old, three-story small building on the outskirts of the city. Wasn’t that a bit too shabby for such a prestigious organization?
“You think so too, huh? I told Mr. Drumph this building didn’t befit our status, but he said it was to save on costs,” Quagmire grumbled, puffing on his cigarette.
Fuzzsir nodded in agreement and added, “Such a cheapskate.”
Coarmy, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and said, “We’re an official organization. We exist to protect the people, not for luxury. What’s the point of getting a fancy office building?”
“And when it comes to where money needs to be spent, Mr. Drumph hasn’t been stingy at all—like Morning Star’s benefits. Those are global…”
Coarmy, who was responsible for recruiting and vetting players every day, couldn’t stop talking about Morning Star’s benefits. His nonstop chatter made the others listen with growing headaches.
Donlow quickly interrupted him, saying, “The others should be here by now. Let’s get inside.”
Melania, unusually agreeing, added, “That’s right.”
Without paying any attention to Coarmy, they headed straight into the branch.
Inside the branch, there was nothing particularly special—it looked more like the reception area of a small inn. After they entered, a woman in a black uniform, wearing headphones, walked over to them. She spoke seriously, “Gentlemen, Mr. Drumph is waiting for you in the meeting room on the third floor. Please follow me.”
The way the woman spoke and moved was noticeably different from an ordinary person. Her palms had calluses, and she had definitely undergone special training.
Luca could also sense a strong vitality emanating from her, which likely meant she was a player.
They followed the woman up to the third floor. There were no security checks or personnel in sight—there was no need for them.
Luca realized that almost everyone in the building appeared to be players. The branch looked ordinary from the outside, but in reality, it was a dangerous den of intrigue.
Soon, they arrived at the door to the meeting room.
When the door was pushed open, a spacious conference room appeared before them.
The chandelier on the ceiling emitted bright light, and in the center of the room was a conference table over ten meters long. The seats around the table were mostly filled, but there were still plenty of empty spots at the back.
Looking around, Luca noticed the room was filled with at least a hundred people. Sitting at the front, was Drumph, whom Luca had seen several times in video calls.
As soon as the door opened, everyone in the room looked up, but when they saw Coarmy and Quagmire, their gazes quickly shifted away.
Only a few people’s eyes lingered on Luca, with meaningful expressions. Luca even felt some hostility, which confused him. After all, this was his first time at the branch, so there was no reason for them to harbor any animosity toward him.
Coarmy, standing next to him, seemed to notice his confusion. With a grin, he explained, “A few of these people have pursued Donlow before. Although they got beaten pretty badly, some of them are still holding on.”
“But don’t worry, the advantage is on your side.”
With that, he gave Luca a friendly pat on the shoulder and winked. “Go for it, kid. I’ve got high hopes for you.”
What’s that supposed to mean? You’re rooting for me? Me and Donlow are completely clean, alright?
Luca couldn’t help but silently complain in his mind. He turned to look at Donlow, only to find that a faint flush had appeared on his face at some point.
Noticing Luca’s gaze, Donlow shifted his eyes uncomfortably and stammered, “Don’t listen to him…”
Luca gave a slight twitch of his lips and silently turned away, feeling even more self-conscious under the weight of everyone’s stares.
“It’s almost time. You guys better find your seats, the meeting’s about to start,” Drumph said impatiently from the front.
The seats by the table were reserved for team leaders like Quagmire, while the team members sat further back—Coarmy was no exception.
Donlow was the first to find a seat. There was an empty spot next to her, and as Fuzzsir approached, she kicked him aside.
“Luca, there’s a spot here!” she waved to him.
Fuzzsir was immediately annoyed. “Why won’t you let me sit there?”
Donlow blinked and whispered, “When we get back, I’ll buy you the latest limited edition phone!”
Fuzzsir instantly stopped being angry and grinned. He pulled Luca down into the seat and said, “You sit, you sit. I’m fine standing.”
Luca could clearly feel the unusual looks from the people around him. A young man wearing glasses even gave him a big thumbs-up and admired, “Bro, you’re amazing! I’ve never seen Miss Donlow treat anyone this well.”
“Yelling, do you want to die?” Donlow glared at him viciously, making the bespectacled man shrink back in fear.
Luca couldn’t help but feel a little amused. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it and simply said, “Thanks.”
Just then, Drumph at the head of the table suddenly coughed.
He said, “Luca, come sit over here.”
Several of the team leaders at the long table turned to look at him in surprise.
However, when they saw Donlow fuming next to Luca, they quickly understood. The old man was probably afraid his “cabbage” would be stolen by a pig, and they couldn’t help but shake their heads.
But this suited Luca just fine.
He smiled apologetically at Donlow, then stood up and walked over to Drumph’s side.
Fuzzsir glanced at the expressionless Donlow, hesitated for a moment, and said, “My phone…”
She coldly replied, “Your phone is gone.”
Fuzzsir’s expression immediately turned sour.
By the time Luca sat down, the clock hit seven.
And the meeting officially began.
A burly team leader, arms crossed, said indifferently, “Drumph, if you’ve got something to say, just say it. We’re all busy.”
“Since that’s the case, I won’t beat around the bush,” Drumph’s expression became more serious as he said in a deep voice, “Everyone here is a player, and I’m sure you’ve all seen the news recently.”
“Transcendent events are occurring frequently around the globe, and the signs of the apocalypse are becoming increasingly obvious. It’s becoming impossible to hide this any longer, nor is there any need to.”
“This is a matter of the survival or extinction of all humanity. It’s not something any one person or country can fight against.”
“So, after discussions with the United Nations, all countries have decided to reveal the truth about the game merging with reality to the public, so that everyone can prepare and face the coming disaster together.”
Announcing it to the world? Everyone was shocked to hear this.
Luca was also surprised, because in his past life, ordinary people didn’t learn the truth about the Eternal Game until after the game’s arrival. It seemed that his efforts had not been in vain. Your adventure continues at empire
At this moment, a cultured team leader furrowed his brow and said, “If we tell everyone about the Eternal Game, it will inevitably cause global panic. If the game descends or a Transcendent disaster occurs after that, it could backfire. Has this been considered by all the nations?”
Drumph nodded and replied, “That’s exactly what we’re here to discuss today.”
“Before the general public is prepared, I want you to try to handle the Transcendent events within your territories as much as possible, to prevent mass panic in this critical moment.”
“Morning Star wants to preemptively clear the cities?” Luca’s eyes flickered for a moment.
Drumph nodded again. “You’re right. It’s a preemptive clearance.”
“Those monsters are like time bombs. If we can eliminate them all at once, it will be beneficial not just now, but in the future as well.”
At this, the meeting room erupted in an uproar.
The burly man who had spoken earlier stood up, scoffing, “Do you have any idea how many cities are in the Northern District? How many monsters there are? You want to clear them all in a short time? You people are crazy!”
With that, he ripped the star-shaped badge from his chest and slammed it onto the table, saying, “Do whatever you want, but count me out.”
At the same time, a shorter team leader also stood up, sneering, “Do you know that those are monsters that kill without hesitation? The lives of ordinary people matter, but are our lives not important too?”
“If you want to seek death, I won’t stop you, but don’t drag me into it.”
With that, he too removed the badge from his chest.