NOVEL NEXT Chapter 392: One Crisis Ends, Another Begins
The events that transpired in Capital after that point had little to do with Jeremy and the others. The armed forces directly controlled by the military headquarters and the federal leadership were enough to restore Capital to some semblance of peace. However, the damage done to the city was so extensive that it couldn't be repaired in the short term.
Jeremy and the others had already returned to Moonlight City.
Once back, they immediately brought Bonnie before Benjamin.
Upon seeing his daughter, Benjamin finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad to see you return safely. But this situation isn't your fault or Jeremy's. If I hadn't insisted that you go back to Capital, you wouldn't have been kidnapped by those who meant to harm you."
Benjamin spoke with a gentle tone.
He understood that Bonnie's danger wasn't caused by any mistake on her or Jeremy's part.
Although Benjamin wasn't completely sure that Kean had been the one to kidnap Bonnie, his hostility toward Kean had grown significantly.
Benjamin's response surprised everyone.
Jeremy hadn't expected Benjamin to let the matter go so easily.
"Father, are you really not blaming me? Does that mean I don't have to go back to Capital?" Bonnie asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
She wasn't sure what her next steps should be. And she also didn't know if Jeremy would be returning to Capital.
If Jeremy decided to go back to Capital, Bonnie would want to follow him.
Before Benjamin could answer, Jeremy smiled and spoke up.
"After everything that's happened, I don't think Capital is a place I belong anymore. I'm not planning on going back there. I've decided to stay in Moonlight City. Moonlight City still needs my protection."
When Bonnie heard Jeremy's words, she smiled and nodded in agreement.
"It seems like I don't need to say anything more. You and Jeremy should stay in Moonlight City. After all, all the remaining armed forces in Moonlight City will be sent to Capital. From now on, Moonlight City will have to rely on its own strength to protect its safety."
Benjamin took out a document directly.
This document was jointly issued by the federal leadership and the military headquarters.
The issuance time was only half an hour ago.
To ensure the safety of Capital, all soldiers from other cities were to be dispatched to Capital.
Even General Howard, who had been stationed in Moonlight City, would be recalled to Capital.
"If there's nothing else, you can go and rest. After everything that's happened recently, you've faced a series of crises. I think you both need some time to adjust," Benjamin said calmly.
He didn't say much more, simply sending Jeremy and the others on their way.
After they left, Benjamin's expression slowly turned cold.
In fact, the order he had just shown them wasn't the only one he had received. There was another order, and it was specifically targeting Jeremy.
Due to the series of events that had occurred, the military headquarters suspected that Jeremy was deeply involved in the attacks on Capital.
The military headquarters wanted to apprehend Jeremy and bring him back for questioning.
However, for Benjamin, he wasn't going to let Jeremy be taken so easily.
So, Benjamin outright refused the orders from the military headquarters and the federal leadership, which led to a new round of turmoil.
While the crisis in Capital had yet to subside, the new storm created by Jeremy's actions was already brewing.
Many in the military headquarters believed that Jeremy had joined forces with the architects of the Apocalypse Game.
As a result, the military headquarters immediately took action.
Several powerful generals were personally sent to Moonlight City.
Kean played a significant role in this process.
He had been constantly insinuating that Jeremy was the one responsible for the crisis in Capital.
Since everyone who knew about Kean's misdeeds was already dead, no one could come forward to refute what he was saying.
Jeremy and Bonnie, of course, had no idea about all of this.
The two of them were still contemplating what to do next.
Now that they had returned to Moonlight City, the pressure on them had lightened considerably.
"Although Moonlight City needs our protection, the difficulty of the instances around it isn't that high. During the time we've been gone, Moonlight City hasn't faced any monster attacks either. So I think we can spend a few days visiting the nearby attractions," Bonnie directly suggested to Jeremy.
Jeremy didn't object. He simply replied with a calm tone.
"I think it's a good idea to explore the surroundings. But before we do that, we still need to take care of some other matters. Now that we've returned to Moonlight City, we should meet up with our friends. I'm sure they're eager to see us as well."
Bonnie followed Jeremy to the place where Claire and Emma were staying.
When Claire and Emma saw Jeremy, both of their faces lit up with joy.
During the time Jeremy had been away, Claire and Emma had been working hard to improve their abilities. Now, their strength had improved slightly compared to when Jeremy had last seen them.
"We've been working hard to improve our strength, so that we can fight alongside you sooner. We thought you'd be staying in Capital for a long time," Claire said with a smile.
Jeremy smiled back. "I also thought I'd be in Capital for a long time. But the hostility from the people there was too obvious. I felt that staying there any longer would have a huge negative impact on me. So I decided to leave."
Jeremy's explanation had a lot of holes in it, but clearly, his friends didn't mind those gaps.
For the rest of the day, Jeremy and his friends chatted about everything that had happened to him in Capital.
Although most of the events had been filled with crises, Jeremy had managed to overcome them all.
They talked late into the night.
"It's getting really late now; you should all head home," Jeremy said, of course, addressing Bonnie.
After all, Claire and Emma had lived with him for a long time.
Ritchie, too, was one of his closest friends.
Bonnie felt a little disappointed.
However, she quickly adjusted and composed herself.
Bonnie was well aware that it would be best for her to return to her own home. Only then could she avoid worrying her father too much, allowing him to have some peace of mind.
After Bonnie left, Emma and Claire also made their exit.
Jeremy's house was now left with just him and Ritchie.
Ritchie, a bit contemplative, couldn't help but ask Jeremy,
"Do you really think those people in Capital will just allow you to return to Moonlight City on your own?"
"They absolutely won't allow it!" Jeremy replied without hesitation. "But I couldn't care less! If they force me to go back, I'll show them just how powerful I really am!"
Jeremy's tone was firm and resolute as he spoke.
He had already considered the people of Capital as his enemies.
And when it came to his enemies, Jeremy felt no need for mercy.
Ritchie finally cracked a smile upon hearing Jeremy's words.
"I think you should have had that determination from the start! You shouldn't have gone to Capital in the first place. If you hadn't gone, we would have already cleared all the instances around Moonlight City. My level would have been high enough to reach level 50 and awaken by now."
Jeremy's expression softened a little at Ritchie's remark.
"So, your real reason for wanting me to come back wasn't to help me, but just so you could level up faster, huh?" Jeremy teased with a smile. "Looks like you're not my best friend after all!"
Ritchie raised an eyebrow, his grin widening.
"If I'm not your best friend, then who is? Do you think Kean is your best friend? Or maybe you believe that Liam from the Special Circumstances Bureau can become your friend?"
Kean was certainly not Jeremy's friend. In fact, Kean was Jeremy's arch-nemesis. However, Liam, on the other hand, could very well become Jeremy's friend. Jeremy himself hoped that he could build a strong relationship with Liam, as that would mean he could gain Liam's full support.
Although Liam had been offering help to Jeremy, it felt like he was still hiding some very important information. The cooperation between Liam and Jeremy seemed to be more of a formal arrangement than anything based on genuine trust or friendship.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm starting to get tired," Jeremy said, wanting to change the subject. "Aren't you going to head home? Or do you plan to stay here?"
Experience tales at empire
Liam nodded.
"Of course, I'm staying at your place. If you're tired, then rest up! Tomorrow morning or noon, we still need to clear the instances around Moonlight City. Now that you've decided to come back, I'll naturally have to urge you to get to work. I'm really hoping to unlock my awakening instance as soon as possible."
After everything that had happened, Ritchie, too, began to feel increasingly anxious about his own strength.
He desperately wanted to level up to 50 so that he could unlock his awakening instance immediately.