Chapter 70: Chapter 70, I’ll Go
“`
Under the circumstances of Gu Hang assembling all the help he could get, news from Revival City kept pouring in.
Lambert became an intelligence officer.
He had already activated his own contacts as well as his family’s to obtain intelligence from Revival City by all possible means.
Meanwhile, Dennison Henry, although he was in Rubbish Town when he received the message, had quite a number of partners in Revival City. He was also actively mobilizing his contacts to help collect information.
The situation inside Revival City was becoming increasingly worrisome.
The person who initiated martial law was General Mondok. As the supreme commander of Revival City’s military power, this meant that the military might have already taken a stand against the governor.
Old Hodgson was still without news to this day, his life and death unknown. But what was even more troubling was that various hints indicated that several key members of the Hodgson Family were also missing, including Lambert’s father.
Rumors had it that the bodies of the Hodgson Family’s servants had been discovered.
The Hodgson Family manor was locked down by the authorities. Armed soldiers stood guard around it, and no one could get close.
These were all extremely bad pieces of information.
The inquiries sent to Revival City in the name of Governor Gu Hang, although replied to, were insincere.
The authorities claimed that they too had discovered the disappearance of President of the Council Hodgson and suspected cult involvement. The martial law and the lockdown of the manor were deemed necessary steps in order to investigate the matter. They promised to inform the governor immediately if any findings were made.
Gu Hang didn’t believe any of it for a moment.
If that was true, why hadn’t the authorities in Revival City reported Hodgson’s disappearance to him immediately? It was only when Lambert tried to contact his grandfather as usual that they found out.
And even more absurd was the second message from Revival City officials, inviting the governor back to “take charge” of Revival City, but with the difficult stipulation of not being able to provide supplies and accommodations, they “requested” the governor not bring more than a hundred followers.
At this point, Gu Hang had confirmed that the situation in Revival City had completely spiraled out of control.
To this second message, Gu Hang returned only four words.
“I will go.”
…
“Will he come?” industrial tycoon Norris cautiously asked, “Are you sure?”
“If he said he will come, he definitely will,” Bradford replied, “But our esteemed governor doesn’t seem like someone who will surrender without a fight. He will come, but it’s unlikely he’ll bring only a hundred people.”
Norris continued to probe, “The people we planted with him are reporting that recently, seven individuals suspected to be interstellar warriors arrived at his camp. If that’s true, what do we do?”
“This…”
Bradford was stumped.
His gaze involuntarily turned to Mondok beside him, laced with a hint of reproach.
“`
Norris was already very dissatisfied,
“I said earlier, we should not rush things. If Mr. Gu really is capable of enlisting the aid of intergalactic warriors, what do we do now to resolve this situation?”
Mondok sneered,
“Now that things have come to this, what’s the use of being afraid? Norris, have you lost your edge?”
Norris argued,
“What does this have to do with edge? Even if you’re sharp, would you go head-to-head with an intergalactic warrior?”
“Don’t worry too much,” Bradford interjected, trying to smooth things over. “This might not even be true. How could such legendary figures as the intergalactic warriors be summoned at someone’s beck and call? It’s very likely a ruse by the governor to blind us, we must not lose our composure.”
Despite his words, Bradford’s expression betrayed an undeniable panic.
Most likely it’s not true, but what if it is?
Mondok, witnessing the ambivalence of both men, displayed an even more pronounced look of disdain. However, he knew he still needed their support, so he had to instill some confidence in them.
“First off, Bradford is right, this whole thing is probably not true, just a façade created by our governor.”
“Secondly, even if it were true, what’s there to fear? Reports from several sources say that there are a total of seven intergalactic warriors. Just seven. We have an army of ten thousand! We have seventy Challenger tanks! We have one hundred artillery guns of various models! Are we supposed to fear seven intergalactic warriors? Have you been reading too many pre-war stories and really believe these warriors are gods descended from the heavens? I’ve never believed such exaggerated fabrications. They’re all just flesh and blood with a single head and two hands. Can they tear apart tanks with their bare hands? That’s laughable!”
Pausing for a moment, Mondok continued, “The governor’s forces amount to barely a thousand men with hardly any heavy weaponry. Stop worrying about this all the time. Instead, you could spend the time helping me with some actual work.”
Reassured by Mondok’s words brimming with confidence, Norris and Bradford felt somewhat more at ease.
Upon further reflection, it really did make sense.
Even if there really were intergalactic warriors, what could seven people achieve? Could they really massacre a thousand, decimating the entire Revival City’s forces?
But at this moment, Norris, the cautious one, raised another issue, “Have you considered the problem of the orbital strike?”
Mentioning this, Mondok fell silent for a moment.
In comparison to the uncertain issue of intergalactic warriors, the real headache was the Quintet hovering in the sky above.
The starship was undoubtedly real, with its formidable presence floating in the sky, so noticeable that its lights could be observed with the naked eye on clear nights.
The main cannon of the Quintet might not be able to obliterate the entirety of Revival City in a single shot, but a few more rounds should do the job. Spending half a day or a full day meticulously bombarding a city-sized target would ensure no inch of ground was left untouched.
Revival City had underground air-raid shelters left from the war era; hiding there might offer a chance to survive an orbital assault. But firstly, not many could take refuge in them, and secondly… even if people survived, what good would it do if the city was destroyed?
Could General Mondok conjure up food and ammunition out of thin air to sustain his army? Could Norris, the industrial magnate, continue his manufacturing operations underground and keep production high? Could Bradford, the business tycoon, find anywhere to trade and amass his wealth?
They were too attached.
They usually looked down upon the several hundred thousand refugees outside the city and even the ordinary citizens within the city walls. Yet these people were the true source of their wealth. The death of a few was trivial, but if the city were cleansed and the populace eradicated, it would spell the end for them too.
And yet, the problem of the starship was insoluble.
In the end, all Mondok could say was, “Gu Hang wouldn’t do that. If Revival City is destroyed, he’ll surely die within two years!”