Night Journey

Chapter 159 The storm is coming
Elton picked up the bedding, having just woken up from his sleep, and stared blankly out the window.

The rain, the endless rain.

Even though the doors and windows were tightly closed, a chill still swept over him, causing him to tremble violently. Only then did his soul seem to catch up with his body, and his eyes regained some light.

"It's so cold..."

Elton sighed softly.

For some reason, he felt that this year's rainy season was particularly gloomy and cold, with the drizzle and endless mist dragging the city into a dreamlike haze.

Elton blew his nose hard, then lay back down on the bed and pulled the covers tighter around him.

She reached out and tapped the radio, and a serious female voice sounded.

"According to the latest observations by stargazers, the continuous rainfall is expected to continue indefinitely, with no signs of improvement in the short term. As a result, water levels in major rivers continue to rise, posing a safety hazard. All citizens are urged to stay away from river areas."

Elton tilted his head slightly. At the end of the corridor outside the door was a basin of water, catching the water droplets seeping from the ceiling.

Even without the woman saying it, the citizens could all see how terrible the weather was.

This is likely the worst rainy season Hull has experienced in recent years. Rising water levels have flooded many roads and even seeped into numerous underground facilities, causing partial paralysis of the city.

"what……"

With a satisfied groan, Elton rolled over, and the female voice on the radio continued broadcasting the news.

"The City Council announces that the victory speech will be held soon. Citizens are advised to pay attention to subsequent official announcements and join together to welcome this important moment."

Elton had little interest in victory speeches; he hated being in a crowded place listening to big shots talk.

Fortunately, to highlight the importance of the event, the city council declared the day a holiday, allowing citizens to enjoy this unexpected break.

The female voice on the radio continued, speaking in an extremely serious tone.

"The investigation into the attack on the City Guard Bureau is proceeding in an intense and orderly manner. Based on preliminary assessments of various intelligence sources, the attack is highly suspected to have been planned and carried out by Reverse Falcon."

The woman's broadcast brought Elton's many fantasies and thoughts to an abrupt halt.

He turned around, stared blankly at the radio, and before the woman could broadcast anything else, he abruptly turned off the power.

The room was completely silent, save for the sound of the rain pouring down outside the window.

At one point, Elton sighed wearily.

"Ugh……"

The attack that night was like a boulder thrown into water, creating not ripples, but towering waves.

Upon hearing the news, Elton braved the rain to arrive at the City Guard Bureau. The once imposing building, a symbol of order and security, was now mostly reduced to ruins, with smoldering embers rising intermittently.

Elton had a hard time recalling how he felt at the time.

That night, she had planned to work overtime as usual, but Paul asked to meet her at a bar and personally handed her an invitation to his wedding party, which saved her from disaster.

But it's not the same for others.

Elton visited the injured staff at the hospital; they lay on their beds, unresponsive except for breathing.

Despite his deep grief and anger, in the end, as an ordinary person, he was powerless to do anything but feel utterly helpless.

Afterwards, the city council held an emergency meeting, announced the facts to the public, and pointed to the killer as Reverse Falcon.

The public was immediately in an uproar.

No one could believe that the Reverse Falcon, once regarded as the Shield of Hel, would do such a cruel thing. But soon, some people connected this incident with the previous rumors that the City Guard Bureau was going to target the Reverse Falcon.

Many people believe that this is Reverse Falcon's counterattack against the City Guard Bureau.

The argument started again.

In response to an unprecedented security crisis, the core functions of the City Guard Bureau were forced to undergo major adjustments.

They abandoned the City Guard Bureau, which was mostly reduced to ruins, and moved the command center and elite forces into the tallest and most fortified building in the city—the Lighthouse.

The craftsmen cleared out office space and urgently remodeled the internal structure, filling the narrow spiral staircase and floors originally used for observation with temporary partitions, desks, and communication equipment.

In order to reduce targets and improve operational efficiency, De Karl ordered a major streamlining, and all non-core combat, intelligence and emergency personnel were granted mandatory leave.

Elton, an ordinary person, was one of the people who were laid off.

In this crazy world, ordinary people are too weak. If the Reverse Falcon really attacks, he doesn't even need to target it. The aftershocks of the battle alone would be enough to kill them countless times.

But when Elton received the leave notice, he did not feel relieved; instead, he felt a sense of being excluded and lost.

Ultimately, Elton also wanted to do something for everyone.

He was wide awake, listlessly flipping through the slightly crumpled invitation on the table. Because of the day off for his victory speech, Paul simply scheduled the wedding party for that day, naturally at the same place as before, the Ink House.

"so good……"

Elton felt envious.

As an ordinary person, he can only ask for so few things in his life, and perfect love is one of the rarest of them all.

Aside from envy bordering on jealousy, there was also a deep sense of blessing.

Elton planned to wait until the rain subsided a bit before going out to buy Paul and Wensey a congratulatory gift.

then……

Elton's gaze drifted to a corner of the bedroom, where the Yanxun Communications Station sat quietly.

"It's time to prepare to leave."

he thought.

……

The cold rain continued to pound against the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, blurring the garden outside and the distant city skyline into a grayish-green hue.

Meifuni paced anxiously in the spacious living room, her arms crossed. The soft velvet carpet absorbed the sound of her footsteps, but it couldn't absorb the unease and anxiety in her heart.

Following the attack on the city guard, De Karl personally issued a stay-at-home order to her.

They did not want any accidents to happen to them that would trigger actions from the Lof family or even the Centipede Merchant Guild. At the same time, they did not want these external forces to intervene in Hel City because of them.

Mefni understood Dekar's scheme; once the Reverse Falcon was driven out, he would have almost completely taken control of the city of Hel.

She guessed that once everything settled down, she would be "invited" out of Hull City.

Actually... it's about time I left.

The Lov family sensed the storm brewing on the outer frontier, and all the brigades were deliberately detouring and consolidating their forces.

"what!"

Meifuni ruffled her hair, stomped her feet in frustration, and after venting her anger, she leaned back on the sofa, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the window.

What exactly are they doing?

This thought clung to her like a vine.

Dailin was still lying in the hospital, like a living dead... Meifuni's heart ached at the thought of that lifeless face in the intensive care unit.

Anya and Cillian seemed to have vanished into thin air; she hadn't seen them or received any news of them since the attack.

The core of the City Guard Bureau has moved to the Lighthouse. They may be there, but what exactly are they doing? Are they angrily searching for clues? Or are they plotting revenge against the Reverse Falcon under the cold lights?
"The opponent is the Reverse Falcon..."

The official tone repeatedly broadcast on the radio echoed in her mind.

But every time I think of this conclusion, a strong sense of unease wells up in my heart.

"How could Reverse Falcon do such a thing?"

She questioned in a low voice, not believing that the legendary Reverse Falcon would do something so unusual.

Putting aside these jumbled thoughts, Mafoni picked up an invitation from the table.

"Paul and Wensey's wedding party... Victory Day... Inkhouse..."

She read it to herself, surprised that Paul had actually sent the invitation here through someone.

It is true.

Ms. Lof may seem aloof and unapproachable, but she's not mysterious at all. If you're diligent, you can often bump into her on your morning run. Also, Ms. Lof's contact information is easy to find; her home is in the most luxurious building on Huahe Avenue.

……

The newspaper's editorial office was filled with the pungent smells of ink, damp paper, and cheap coffee, which, along with the incessant sound of rain outside, created a suffocating atmosphere of oppression.

The large office was empty, with only Paul's figure bent over his desk.

"Damn rainy season..."

Paul cursed under his breath and rubbed his eyes, which ached from reading for so long.

The table in front of me was covered with manuscript paper and mimeographed news briefings. The top one was the final draft sent by the city council about the upcoming Victory Day.

The article outlines the recent achievements of the City Guard Bureau and the alliance between various factions in the City Council.

They claim that with the strong cooperation of various forces, Hull City will enter a new era.

Paul scoffed at these words; he had printed far too many politicians’ grand pronouncements and witnessed their vows crumble before his very eyes.

What the city council is announcing now is nothing more than another lie that time will expose.

He sighed wearily as he finished organizing, when a message caught his eye.

Paul's gaze narrowed as he carefully read through the text, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the table, producing a monotonous clicking sound.

After reading it, he was shocked.

"Holy crap, this is actually real..."

At the end of the document was a speech by the city council declaring war on the Rebel Falcon, vowing to expel this extrajudicial punisher and make him pay the price.

In fact, rumors had been circulating among the public about this incident, but the official confirmation this time is causing the situation to spiral out of control.

Paul couldn't help but recall that night.

The Falcon saved him and Wenxi, answered the question that had been bothering him for a long time, and even gave the two an absurd wedding... if it really counts as a wedding.

"Killing... feels good..."

Paul repeated the answer the falcon had given him.

He had initially thought that Ni Jun was an unconventional and eccentric individual who was not bound by worldly morality.

But as time went on, Paul thought that since he had the leisure to mold the wedding ring with iron feathers, perhaps... he wasn't as crazy as he seemed, but rather a person with a somewhat wicked sense of humor.

"Perhaps, all of this was really done by Reverse Falcon. He attacked the City Guard Bureau and injured many of his staff."

Paul murmured.

"But the reason why Reverse Falcon did this is because there were problems within the City Guard Bureau."

After repeating the words in his mind, Paul froze for a few seconds, then his body trembled uncontrollably as if he had been exposed to a severe cold.

Looking around, I was still all alone in the office.

……

The endless rain cast a chill and sorrow over the city of Hull... except for that warehouse on the edge of the city.

The raindrops, like uncontrolled drumbeats, pounded wildly against the rusty tin roof of the warehouse, creating a deafening roar.

Inside the warehouse, someone sang a high-pitched song in response to the sound of rain.

"Gasping in the darkness... lying quietly to one side..."

Wearing goggles, Bruce welded metal, and amidst the scattered sparks, he sang along with the songs on the radio.

"Time turns to ashes, but scars become the paint!"

As the song ended, Bruce took off his goggles, blew on the weld scars, and let out a cheerful cheer.

After working tirelessly day and night, Bruce assembled the various modular components into the power frame, gradually creating the prototype of the vehicle.

The high-strength alloy is interwoven and welded, like a thick spine and ribs, extending outward layer by layer and wrapping around to support the skeleton of the entire body.

Between the steel skeleton, intricate pipelines intertwine and coil like arteries and veins, while numerous smaller secondary pipelines, resembling a dense network of veins, vary in color and are wrapped around the frame or connected to other components, responsible for sensing, control, or coolant delivery.

What stands out most are the brass pipes surrounding the core, which reflect a warm luster under the light, like exquisite works of art, contrasting with the rugged frame.

Because of the outer armor plates, Bruce was not fully installed; it lay scattered to the side like loose scales, thus exposing a large portion of the vehicle's internal structure.

This allows observers to clearly see its intricate "internal organs".

The gears meshed tightly, the drive shaft was like a taut tendon, some piston rods were exposed, waiting for the protection of the housing, and brass valve bodies and flashing indicator lights were scattered around.

"Wow...perfect..."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Bruce opened his mouth and licked the metal plate.

One bite wasn't enough; it secretly glanced at the other side.

On the other side of the warehouse, Anya was wiping her weapons with her back to Bruce.

Anya came to the warehouse yesterday, supposedly to inquire about the vehicle's progress on behalf of Cillian, but Bruce knew she was using it as a safe house, grinding her teeth and sucking blood, preparing for the final battle.

Seeing that she wasn't paying attention to it, it took the opportunity to hug a metal frame and start licking it, as if it were kissing a beautiful woman.

Water droplets seeped from the top of his head, gathering into a thin stream that dripped onto Bruce's head.

"damn it!"

The sudden chill dampened Bruce's spirits. He grumbled and tore up the tarpaulin, covering most of the vehicle, and then transformed it into metal, mending the leaking cracks in the roof.

After finishing all that, Bruce sauntered over to Anya's side.

"Based on the current progress, the vehicles are basically usable. As for the things that haven't been installed yet, we can install them as we advance through the wilderness."

Bruce concluded, "In short, there shouldn't be any problem if it's just about escaping Hull City."

"Ah."

Anya responded softly, wiped one of the scorching swords clean, carefully sheathed it, and then moved on to the next one.

"Why are you the only one here? Where's that kid Cillian?"

Bruce couldn't stand the lifeless atmosphere. Anya's gloom was like that of a widow who had lost her husband. No matter what he said, her response was indifferent, far less humorous than Cillian's.

Anya recalled that after they parted ways at the hospital that day, the two of them began preparing to hunt down Dekar.

“Cillian told me that it would be too difficult for us to kill Dekar with our own strength alone.”

She paused for a moment, then continued, "He will use every available force to find allies with whom he can conspire."

"ally?"

Bruce was dumbfounded and exclaimed in shock, "Besides you two lunatics, who would have the time to kill Decal?"

The more it spoke, the weaker its momentum became, and a mysterious shadow gradually emerged in its mind.

"Oh... damn it, he wouldn't be going to find..."

Anya and Bruce spoke at the same time.

"Chief Rolf."

"Reverse Falcon!"

After they finished speaking, the two looked at each other, and both could see shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.

Anya spoke first.

"Chief Rolf is at odds with Decal, and if anyone can help us, it's him."

Bruce replied, "Chief Rolf? I trust Reverse Falcon more than these high-ranking figures... even though he almost killed Cillian."

An eerie silence descended once more, and both the man and the dog turned their gazes toward the gap behind the sliding door.

The view seemed to penetrate the rain, the buildings, and the streets.

At the end of that vast rain curtain, Ciri, draped in a black raincoat, stood like one of the last remaining lives in the world.

(End of this chapter)