READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 360: Emergency Rescue Team
Liam's response was impressively swift.
In less than half an hour after receiving the news, he had finalized almost all members of the emergency rescue team. Determined to take charge, he decided he would personally lead the mission to locate Jeremy and Bonnie.
Once the rescue team members were selected, Liam shared the list with Benjamin. It wasn't long before Benjamin called him.
"I have no objections to your team list," Benjamin began, "but I think you might need help from Jeremy's companions. We should inform them about what's happened."
Liam hesitated after hearing Benjamin's suggestion. He worried that if they informed Jeremy's companions, it might cause them undue panic, potentially leading to disarray during the mission.
"Mayor, I think it's best not to tell Jeremy's companions right now. They'd be extremely anxious upon hearing the news, and it could seriously disrupt our operations," Liam explained, voicing his concern directly.
But Benjamin wasn't convinced by Liam's reasoning.
"As I recall, one of Jeremy's companions is exceptionally capable," Benjamin countered. "And this person has been with Jeremy through the Tower of Exile. Are you sure they would be overly anxious?"
Benjamin was, of course, referring to Ritchie. After various experiences, Ritchie had become a reliable and self-reliant ally. Benjamin's daughter, Bonnie, had spoken highly of him.
After a moment of thought, Liam realized that including Ritchie in the emergency rescue team might indeed be a wise choice.
"I think you're absolutely right! I'll inform Jeremy's companions as soon as possible. If everything goes smoothly, I should be ready to depart in about half an hour," Liam replied, his tone resolute.
Benjamin sounded satisfied with this response.
"Good, then proceed as planned! I'll be awaiting good news from you," Benjamin said before hanging up.
In truth, Benjamin hadn't placed all his hopes on Liam alone. In addition to Liam's team, Howard was also deploying a special rescue unit.
However, the two special rescue teams would not be working together.
Besides the team dispatched from Moonlight City, another rescue force had been deployed from the capital. After all, the plane carrying Jeremy and Bonnie had originally been sent out from there.
When Liam found Ritchie and filled him in on the attack that had targeted Jeremy, Ritchie showed little sign of alarm. Instead, he responded with a calm tone, "When do we leave?"
Liam took Ritchie's calm demeanor seriously, though he wasted no time in replying. "If you're ready now, we can leave immediately. The rest of the emergency rescue team is already assembled."
Ritchie nodded firmly. "I'm ready! I don't need to bring much equipment, as my strength primarily relies on my own skills and abilities."
With that, Ritchie walked out of his house, prepared to move. Liam was taken aback by his decisiveness.
Once they boarded the helicopter, Liam finally had a chance to ask Ritchie, "Aren't you even a little worried? Don't you care about what's happened to Jeremy?"
Ritchie looked mildly surprised at the question. In his eyes, Jeremy was strong. Even if attacked, Jeremy was more than capable of protecting himself.
"I have complete confidence in Jeremy. I believe his strength is more than sufficient, so even if we weren't going to rescue him, he'd still be able to ensure his own safety."
Ritchie's words left Liam even more perplexed.
"If that's what you believe, why are you coming along with me?"
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"I'm here to help rescue Bonnie! While Jeremy's strength may be formidable, I'm not so confident that Bonnie can guarantee her own safety."
Ritchie's response finally put Liam's mind at ease. He realized there was no need to ask further; Ritchie wouldn't reveal any more than he already had.
And so, Liam, Ritchie, and the rest of the emergency rescue team boarded the helicopter, swiftly heading toward the crash site where Jeremy and Bonnie's plane had gone down.
Almost at the same moment, Jeremy and Bonnie had already taken down the first instance standing in their way.
The difficulty of this first instance wasn't particularly high, but the monsters within it seemed to have undergone varying degrees of mutation. Some monsters had blended different powers, while others had levels vastly different from the instance's overall difficulty.
After clearing this instance, Jeremy turned to Bonnie, a hint of concern in his voice.
"I have a feeling this was probably the easiest instance we'll face," he said. "The instances and monsters we encounter from now on are likely going to be much stronger."
Bonnie didn't reply verbally; she simply gave a slight nod. Throughout the process of clearing the instance, she and Jeremy had been exchanging information. They had come to a firm conclusion: this attack on them was no coincidence. It was clearly a well-planned ambush by their enemies.
Given that, they both anticipated that a series of relentless assaults would follow. Bonnie wasn't in the mood for extra conversation; she understood that she needed to conserve her energy to prepare for the battles ahead.
After clearing the first instance, Jeremy and Bonnie finally continued down the main road. They found an old, abandoned car and drove along the road, heading further toward whatever awaited them. Before long, they approached another rundown town.
This town was slightly different from the previous decrepit settlements they'd passed. The buildings here were less worn down, suggesting it had only recently been abandoned.
"We might be able to find some critical information here. If we're lucky, we could even find a map at a gas station. That would help us pinpoint our current location," Jeremy said, a smile touching his face.
He was putting on a cheerful front, but in reality, he felt quite pessimistic. Deep down, he doubted they would find any useful information here. As they drove, they hadn't seen a single sign or indication of where they might be. No building bore the name of the town or even a street name.
There were two possible explanations for this. The first was that the people in this area were strangely secretive, never labeling their stores or putting up signs indicating where they lived. That explanation, of course, was highly unlikely.
The second explanation, however, was far more unsettling: all the information had been deliberately erased.
This entire area was, in fact, a massive trap set specifically for Jeremy and Bonnie. The reason they hadn't been attacked yet was simply that their enemies weren't quite ready to strike.
Bonnie's expression remained tense and serious. She, too, found Jeremy's optimism somewhat misplaced. Thus, the two continued in silence, sifting through the gas station for any valuable information.
Although the station had only recently been abandoned, every map had been meticulously cleared from the store shelves. Even the sections usually stocked with magazines and newspapers were completely empty—there wasn't a single publication left behind.
"Jeremy, I believe everything here has been erased on purpose," Bonnie said directly, her tone sharp with urgency. "We need to leave immediately; this place is a giant trap!"
Jeremy nodded, finally taking Bonnie's concern seriously. Until now, he had tried to remain calm and optimistic, but seeing the state of the gas station's shop had shattered any pretense of hope he'd been holding onto.
Without wasting another moment, they dashed out of the shop. Just as they did, the car they'd arrived in exploded in a sudden, fiery blast.
Almost simultaneously, a creature wreathed in intense flames emerged from the far side of the gas station. Its blood-red eyes locked onto Bonnie and Jeremy with an unsettling focus.
With the help of The Eye of Omniscience, Jeremy quickly assessed the creature's level. He realized, to his dismay, that this blazing beast was level 66—a good few levels higher than his own. This meant that Bonnie's skills would be entirely ineffective against it in the coming fight. Jeremy would have to rely solely on his own abilities to take down the creature.
But just as Jeremy braced himself for battle, the monster suddenly redirected its attention to Bonnie.
In a swift attempt to defend herself, Bonnie raised her staff and cast a slowing spell. However, her level was simply too low; her attack had no effect whatsoever on the creature.
In an instant, the fiery beast closed the distance between them, advancing on Bonnie. Before Jeremy could react, the creature's flames engulfed both Bonnie and itself, and they vanished, leaving nothing but ash in their wake.