Chapter 391: Arguments and Shifting Blame
Kean moved quickly.
After hanging up the phone, it took him less than an hour to reach the safe zone.
When he arrived, the situation inside the safe zone was chaotic.
Although the facilities in the safe zone were well-equipped, the people inside were panicked.
Despite the fact that everyone here was an important figure, they were reacting to the crisis with much less composure than ordinary people.
Everyone was deeply concerned that the safe zone might also be attacked, so they were all desperately trying to gather information about the outside situation.
Kean's arrival immediately drew the attention of many.
"What's the situation outside?"
"Are there still a lot of monsters wandering around the outskirts of Capital?"
"I heard that the city center of Capital has been completely destroyed. Is that true?"
"Are you here because you couldn't handle the monster attacks and had to escape here?"
Faced with these questions, Kean smiled and replied,
"I've come here only to ensure the safety of the safe zone. Yes, I did encounter some monsters on the outskirts of Capital, but the real threat to me came from humans who took advantage of the chaos.
Although I did everything I could to end the disorder in Capital, my strength alone wasn't enough. I've come here hoping to gain the help of others."
Kean's answer was flawless.
After hearing his words, everyone began to view him as a polite and considerate gentleman.
Ella, however, was not far from the group of people.
Her eyes were fixed on Kean.
She had to admit that she couldn't figure him out.
"Are you a good person or a bad person? If you're a good person, why are you targeting Jeremy? What was the purpose of your actions in Capital? If you're a bad person, why are you here now trying to protect everyone in the safe zone?"
Ella's mind was in turmoil.
After thinking for a while, she ultimately decided to return to her room.
Ella's room was luxurious.
After all, she wasn't someone who needed to fight in the first place.
Kean, of course, did not notice Ella's presence. After addressing the questions from the crowd, he quickly met up with the members of the Lannister family.
"The situation outside is as follows. The military headquarters has likely been hit hard by monster attacks, and there probably aren't any survivors left inside," Kean described what he knew in detail.
Of course, he conveniently omitted all the bad things he had done.
After hearing Kean's description, the expressions of the Lannisters became very grave.
Everyone understood that the human world had fallen into a massive crisis.
"What should we do now? If even the military headquarters has been destroyed by monsters, what forces can we rely on to ensure our safety?" Kean's uncle asked, pacing back and forth in frustration.
As a member of the Federation's high-ranking officials, Kean's uncle was deeply concerned about this issue.
Kean didn't give an answer.
He felt he had already said enough, and his next task was to blend in with the others, staying out of the spotlight.
"Since you're already here, don't go anywhere else. Stay here and help defend the safe zone along with the other
Apocalypse Game
players and the military's elite forces. I need to attend a very important meeting immediately," Kean's uncle instructed him.
The urgent meeting his uncle had to attend was the first emergency meeting held by the Federation's high-ranking officials after they arrived at the safe zone.
At this meeting, the only thing the Federation's top brass did was shift the blame onto each other.
Everyone believed that the crisis was caused by someone else.
The military headquarters argued that Capital's attack and subsequent collapse were entirely due to the Federation's failure to provide enough resources.
If the Federation had provided adequate support, the military could have mobilized an elite force capable of securing Capital.
The intelligence agency, on the other hand, believed that the military headquarters was the real culprit behind the disaster.
They argued that the military had been given plenty of resources, but wasted them, leading to the catastrophe.
The argument between the intelligence agency and the military headquarters had left the Federation's top officials feeling extremely frustrated.
After two hours of heated debate and blame-shifting, the Federation's leaders finally reached a reluctant consensus.
Everyone agreed that the safety of Capital was the most crucial priority, so all
Apocalypse Game
players and elite forces from other cities had to be deployed to Capital.
"Immediately issue the corresponding orders! The current situation no longer allows us to waste any more time!" President Edgar said angrily.
After speaking, Edgar slammed the door and stormed out.
Marshal Daniel, on the other hand, coldly glared at the others in the meeting room.
"I am deeply disappointed by your performance. In the face of this crisis, can none of you take responsibility?"
Faced with Daniel's sarcastic remarks, the others remained silent.
None of them wanted to provoke the military headquarters.
Although the military had suffered significant losses in this crisis, they would inevitably receive abundant resources afterward.
With no one responding to his words, Daniel could only leave the meeting room, fuming with anger.
"I never imagined the Federation would sink to this level. It seems none of us have a future left," Kean's uncle muttered to himself in a mournful tone.
Beside Kean's uncle was the head of another prominent family.
"Perhaps what you say is true for most, but not for the
Lannisters
. With someone like Kean, you should have a future," the other family head remarked.
"Kean is indeed a genius. But he also has the flaws that come with genius. He refuses to listen to my orders, and he refuses to follow the family's arrangements."
"That's not a small issue, but as long as Kean can demonstrate his immense power in the coming days, no one will care about those little flaws."
After saying this, the other family head walked away.
Kean's uncle watched the figure disappear, and his expression gradually darkened.
He didn't want Kean to become too powerful.
Kean's uncle hoped to leave the position of family patriarch to his own son. Kean still didn't even know that his son had already died.
After the others had left the meeting room, Kean's uncle had no choice but to exit as well.
Although the emergency meeting had mostly been filled with arguing and finger-pointing, the situation in the capital was indeed improving.
In the city center of the capital, the soldiers and the Apocalypse Game players who were still engaged in battle suddenly noticed that the number of monsters and the Person in the Mirror they were encountering had steadily decreased.
This, of course, meant that the crisis was finally being resolved.
When the news reached the safe zone, the residents there didn't immediately believe it.
Instead, they sent out a large number of scouts to observe the situation in the capital.
Only after confirming that the capital had returned to normal did the people in the safe zone begin to make plans to gradually return.
As Kean was leaving the safe zone, he crossed paths with Ella once again.
When they met, both of them looked slightly awkward.
Ella didn't know what kind of person Kean truly was, and Kean didn't understand Ella's true intentions either.
Neither of them spoke; they were simply exchanging curious glances and trying to learn more about one another.
"Why did you attack me in the city center of the capital? Why didn't you want to cooperate with me to eliminate the monsters there?"
Ella finally broke the silence.
She asked the question that had been bothering her the most.
Kean didn't respond immediately. After thinking for a while, he slowly began to speak.
"I refused to cooperate with you because I believe your actions are not reasonable. You've been focusing on fighting weaker enemies. I think that only by eliminating the stronger enemies can order in the capital be restored quickly."
Kean's explanation was certainly a bit forced.
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However, Ella eventually accepted it.
After all, in Ella's eyes, the fact that Kean had returned to the safe zone meant that he hadn't been deemed inhuman.
"Perhaps. Anyway, this crisis has been temporarily resolved. I just hope the capital won't face another similar crisis in the future."
Ella's words carried a deep sense of sadness.
Kean didn't respond.
He knew all too well that the capital would inevitably face another crisis. And when it did, it wouldn't be as easily resolved as this time.
The two of them remained silent as they followed the others back to the capital.
Although most of the monsters and the Person in the Mirror had been wiped out, the capital itself had been almost completely destroyed by the battles. When the people saw the city in ruins, their faces were filled with profound sorrow.
Even Marshal Daniel, who usually maintained a stern expression, couldn't help but sigh deeply several times.