The game has become a real alternate world

Chapter 1215 - 829: Red Alert (Part 2)

They had to act faster than the shadow, no matter how perilous, guarding the peaceful slumber of this town was the only thought on their minds at this moment.Old Jack’s steps were incredibly heavy, yet incredibly resolute, as he hurried towards the town center, still dotted with lights and curling smoke, representing the object of their pledge to protect to the death.

The heavy footsteps pounded on the stone road leading to the town hall, each step treading on the tightly stretched string of the heart.

In the small square at the town center, Defense Captain Hans, who had just come off shift, was wiping a somewhat old wooden-handled short sword, while several other defense team members in studded leather armor were munching on bread and chatting idly.

These people, all around thirty to forty years old, their faces weathered and coarse from the field winds, their eyes bearing the simplicity of farmers and the vigilance of guardians.

The defense team of Hampton, just as was proposed by Night Watchers years ago, primarily consisted of these home-loving, responsible men who couldn’t or didn’t wish to leave their hometown to become adventurers or official Night Watchers.

The Night Watcher outpost would periodically send people to instruct them in basic combat, patrols, and simple anomaly identification.

After all, idleness is the root of all problems, and one must find something to do.

Especially after resolving the Evil God crisis, when no harmful monsters emerged due to abnormal energies around.

"Old Jack! Why are you running so fast, what’s happened?"

Hans, seeing Old Jack and the massive tree-man Mog’s urgent demeanor, felt a jolt in his heart and immediately stepped forward to meet them.

The people of the town had an almost instinctive trust in the Night Watchers.

Not only because the Night Watchers had guarded the town for over a decade, solving many problems large and small,

but more importantly, the futures of many young people in the town were tied to the Night Watchers, with quite a few talented children being sent by them for training.

Very few became Night Watchers, but there were many who became adventurers.

In the eyes of Hampton’s residents, the Night Watchers were not just protectors but also some kind of guide to the future.

Amidst such changes, they had long forgotten what nobles or local lords were.

With the Night Watchers around, unfair treatment would not occur here.

"Hans, highest disaster alert!" Old Jack wasted no words, his voice loud and urgent, ensuring everyone in the square could hear, "Void! Detected Void Energy fluctuations, right in the orchard area near the town, the rift could open at any moment!"

The square fell into instant silence.

The half-eaten bread dropped to the ground.

"Voi..Void?" A defense team member’s voice trembled, the legendary source of apocalypse, a word only appearing in terrifying historical fragments described by Night Watchers.

Some of their children became adventurers or Night Watchers.

So they knew some things.

The Night Watchers never hid the apocalypse of the Void.

Concealment and fear only lead to problems because the mind can bring both power and harm.

What was needed was the correct guidance.

Especially when the Night Watchers were capable of providing guidance.

Yet you truly couldn’t make these village town defense personnel clearly understand what exactly the Void could bring.

"Yes! Void!"

Old Jack was assertive, "No time for explanations! Execute emergency protocol! Immediately!"

"One, all non-combatants, immediately take cover in their own cellars, wine cellars, or the town hall’s underground storage. Close all doors and windows, block your ears.

"Anyone who hears a strange whisper or sees an inexplicable purple light must immediately close their eyes and run away, no matter where, just run. Mog, you use your roots to assist and guide."

Mog let out a heavy hum, stepping towards the ancient oak beside the town hall, sinking its roots deep underground, and a sense of calm spread, soothing the panic a little.

"Two, Hans! Gather all defense team members! Bring your gear and whistles, block all roads from the orchard to the town according to the protocol route. Stop any foolish curiosity seekers from approaching. If monsters appear...do your best to intercept, but prioritize your safety and that of the citizens."

"Three, notify the mayor! Have him organize personnel to maintain order. The headquarters has dispatched elites to support, we must minimize casualties before they arrive."

Old Jack’s clear and concise orders were like a cold spring, instantly waking up the stunned defense team.

"Understood! Execute!"

The panic on Hans’s face was replaced by the resolve of a warrior, as he abruptly blew the brass whistle hanging around his neck.

The sharp whistle tore through the quiet of dusk.

"Ron, take people to ring the bell! Notify every household! Stay organized!"

"Carl, go to the west end and call for people!"

"Boys, grab your gear! Guard our home!"

The defense team members immediately sprang into action, their rustic faces replaced by a determined and tragic resolve.

They didn’t have the power of Night Watchers, but their sense of duty to protect their hometown was immensely clear at this moment.

No hesitation, no complaints, only immediate action for execution.

This swiftness was precisely due to the absolute trust developed from years of training and judgment by the Night Watchers.

The defense team didn’t harbor cowards.

They hadn’t been without crisis encounters.

This world was never safe.

Perhaps there would have been panic a decade ago, but now, a decade later, no settlement has been free from the harm of Evil God followers.

Places with Night Watcher outposts had long been influenced in various ways.

Meanwhile, Bran and Eira were already sprinting back to the orchard’s edge where the anomaly was detected.

Eira’s delicate bowstring was already taut, her sharp gaze scanning every shadowy corner around.

Bran was kneeling on the ground, before him spread a pile of peculiar alchemy instruments.

He connected the piercingly humming ’buzz bug’ into a larger, rune-inscribed brass base.

The base lit up with an eerie blue glow, complex spectrograms and data streams dancing in the air.

"Void index...still rising!" Bran’s voice was hoarse, sweat dripping down his bushy beard, "The peak intensity is rapidly surpassing the alarm threshold...damn it, this speed is three times faster than the record!"

And the previous record existed before the Evil Rat War.

A vague trace of chill began to permeate the air, not the coolness of autumn winds, but a deep, marrow-reaching emptiness as if it could drain away life’s vitality.

The leaves of a few nearby apple trees, within the two’s visible range, were swiftly losing their luster, edges curling and turning gray.

Too fast.

Why so fast?

"It’s about to tear through space..." Eira’s voice was tight, carrying a slight but noticeable tremor.

She couldn’t sense any strong demonic aura, but the pressure brought by that ’emptiness’ was more despairing than any frenzied demon.

Bran stared at the wildly fluctuating data, a flicker of fear of death in his eyes, but more so a sort of resigned determination.

He grinned, revealing a row of smoke-stained yellow teeth, striving to make his voice sound light, "Hey, Eira, looks like we won’t be having those ales today. If my precious instruments get ruined in this...remember to send my pension to my few good-for-nothing siblings, tell them it’s the Alchemy Dream Fund their brother Bran exchanged his life for."

Eira was taken aback for a moment, then also pulled out a not-so-nice-looking smile, but her hand drew the bowstring tighter, "Alright, the captain’s share goes to your siblings too, anyway, Uncle Jack’s a loner. But, if your detector can find the precise location before we turn into snacks...maybe we can...leave a whole body?"

"Pah! Innocent prattle!" Bran spat, his hands moving swiftly, quickly switching detection modes, "A whole body won’t be possible, but if these high-end gadgets can transmit crucial data back at the last moment, dying might still hold some value...watch that brush on the east side! The data jittered for a moment!"

Night Watchers had resurrection technology.

The issue was, all the resurrection technology they knew and saw at this stage required a body.

In times of crisis like this.

The Void wouldn’t leave them any bodies.

Without bodies, how could they be resurrected?

Maybe the headquarters had some new technology, hopefully so.

They could only thus comfort themselves in their hearts, which was also the reason they could face death more calmly.

The two quickly adjusted their positions, back-to-back, their eyes locked on the area starting to glow faintly with eerie purple light.

The air appeared to stagnate; an invisible, terrifying sense of rupture brewed.

They knew, facing the Void creatures about to breach, the four of them were entirely insufficient.

But they knew even more that every second they nailed down here before the reinforcements arrived was crucial, to buy time for evacuation, to provide key rift coordinates for subsequent counterattacks.

In the suffocating calm awaiting the apocalypse’s arrival, the bit of self-deprecating banter was the last shred of courage and warmth they gave to each other.