"A Catastrophe!" the patrolmen cried out in unison, unable to suppress their panic. They could hardly believe how utterly cursed Chernobog seemed today—first, the city was handed over to the infected, and now they were forced to confront a looming Catastrophe!
For a fleeting second, they wondered if the massive Sarkaz warrior before them was simply playing a cruel joke. But a quick glance at the sheer disparity in strength reminded them that someone like the Patriot had absolutely no reason to waste his breath tricking ordinary patrolmen.
Standing there alone, the veteran commander possessed enough raw power to easily crush their poorly equipped ranks into a bloody mess; he had no need for deception.
"Yes, a Catastrophe," the Patriot rumbled. His initial plan was to regroup with Talulah and the others to figure out how to navigate the crisis. According to the reports from their scouts, Chernobog was already out of time to navigate away from the impact zone.
Deep down, the old general harbored a profound sense of worry. A natural disaster of this magnitude was not something mere mortal strength could hold back, unless Jeanne's legendary shield-like spell could somehow expand to shield the entire city—but expecting such a miracle was simply unrealistic.
"By the way, where are the Catastrophe Messengers assigned to this city? Did they genuinely fail to detect this coming?" the Patriot suddenly asked, finding the situation incredibly bizarre. If even his own scouts had managed to pick up the warning signs, how could the city's official specialists be entirely oblivious?
"How should I know? I'm just an ordinary patrolman," one of the men replied helplessly. He was now thoroughly convinced that the Patriot wasn't lying, but a localized disaster of this scale usually left them with no choice but to wait for death. "The entire administration is in complete shambles right now. Who knows what those high-ranking officials are busy doing?"
"Then get moving and begin the evacuation! Order everyone back into their homes to seek immediate shelter, and leave the remaining matters to us. Since Reunion has taken charge of this city, we bear the duty to safeguard it."
Seeing that these men were entirely in the dark, the Patriot pressed no further. As they said, they were merely low-ranking guards; they couldn't possibly possess access to high-level details.
For now, it was best to utilize them to maintain order in the streets. The last thing Reunion wanted was to be left with nothing but a ruined wasteland of a city.
Fifteen minutes later, the ominous sirens predicting the impending Catastrophe echoed through the skies of Chernobog. The citizens wept aloud, cursing their wretched luck. It felt as though the very heavens were determined to drive them into a corner and destroy them.
"Does anyone have a viable solution for the disaster about to strike us?" Talulah asked, looking around the gathering of her officers with a heavy heart, desperately seeking a way through the crisis.
But what could they possibly do? This was a Catastrophe—a force of nature that couldn't be altered simply through the desperate struggles of a few infected fighters.
"Would it be feasible to decouple the residential blocks right now, forcing them away from the epicenter of the impact zone?" FrostNova suggested after a long, heavy silence, offering the most practical idea she could think of.
Time was slipping away, and they needed to determine a plan of action immediately. Every minute wasted meant the inhabitants of an entire district could be wiped out.
Deep down, a sense of bitter frustration lingered among the leaders. Why did a massive, sudden Catastrophe have to strike the exact moment they took over the city? Such an anomaly was incredibly rare. Were they truly just that cursed?
"Someone managed to steal the core activation key before we arrived," Talulah explained, rubbing her temples as a massive headache began to form. "Jeanne is currently leading a squad to retrieve it. But even if she succeeds in bringing it back, we simply don't have enough time left to decouple the districts."
The sheer weight of these overlapping crises felt heavy enough to crush her.
Her usually straightforward mind was pushed to the absolute limit. Yet, she knew she couldn't allow Chernobog to be obliterated by the natural disaster, or every single ounce of effort they had invested would be entirely wasted.
"Did Jeanne suggest any alternative methods before she left?" the Patriot suddenly inquired.
Though it felt somewhat inappropriate to rely so heavily on a single person, under these desperate circumstances, Jeanne was the only one capable of turning the tide and forging a miracle.
Only she possessed the uncanny ability to unearth a path to survival in a seemingly hopeless situation, guiding Reunion out of the darkest corners.
"She went after the key, and all communication with her squad has been severed," Talulah shared, delivering yet another piece of grim news. "I've instructed her subordinates to monitor the channels, but we can only wait for Jeanne to initiate contact on her own."
It was a deeply troubling reality. Who could have foreseen Jeanne being absent at a crucial moment like this? They couldn't place all their hopes on her returning in time.
They had to formulate a backup plan in case she failed to make it back, even if they all secretly hoped she would arrive at the final second to save the day.
"Then our only remaining option is to order everyone to hunker down inside the reinforced structures and pray they survive," FrostNova muttered. "The crisis is descending far too quickly; we are out of options."
Fortunately, they had already gathered the university students near the heavy storage warehouses. Those buildings were exceptionally sturdy, which should keep the casualties among the youth to a minimum.
Right as the crushing weight of the situation threatened to overwhelm Talulah, a deeply familiar, reassuring voice suddenly crackled through her radio headset, instantly lifting the suffocating dread from her shoulders.
The transmission consisted of only three short words, yet they caused her feelings of helplessness to vanish into thin air, replaced by a warm surge of relief that flooded her heart.
Jeanne had made it back, and she was rushing to handle the situation.
"Leave it to me."
Although Talulah understood that depending entirely on a single person wasn't a sustainable way to lead, having someone willing to step forward and shoulder the most desperate burdens during a crisis brought a profound sense of comfort that words could scarcely describe.
"Jeanne has returned?" the Patriot asked, noticing the tension draining from Talulah's face.
"Yes, she said she will handle the disaster." Talulah's response acted like a powerful wave of inspiration for the entire room. With Jeanne on the field, Chernobog was safe!
"Splendid. She will settle this properly," the Patriot agreed, nodding with complete confidence.
With the burden of the disaster lifted by Jeanne's return, the officers immediately turned their focus back to managing the city.
"General," Talulah murmured softly after a moment, "do you think we rely a bit too much on Jeanne? Ah, I don't mean anything negative by that, it's just..."
Talulah couldn't quite articulate the strange emotion stirring inside her. It certainly wasn't resentment or jealousy toward Jeanne's capabilities; she simply felt a lingering frustration regarding her own inability to offer a solution when the natural disaster loomed over them.
She was supposed to be the leader, the one who carried the weight for everyone else. Yet, time and time again, whenever a massive crisis arose, it was Jeanne who descended like a savior to pull them through.
"It is entirely understandable," the Patriot replied gently, seeing right through her doubts. "Placing the weight of everyone's survival onto the shoulders of a young woman would make anyone feel a twinge of guilt. But during times like these, possessing such a trustworthy companion is a true blessing."
"I know. Meeting Jeanne is undoubtedly the greatest stroke of fortune in my entire life... Though, looking at it from another perspective, she really does have a habit of being incredibly... reckless!"
Talulah's lips twitched slightly as she looked out the window, watching the massive form of Fafnir soar across the darkening sky.
"Indeed, rather reckless," the Patriot agreed. With Fafnir entering the fray, he was certain every single troublemaker left in the city would fall completely silent.
It wasn't just the citizens of Chernobog who were struck dumb by the sight. Even in the distant city of Lungmen, the leadership fell into a stunned silence as they watched the live feeds capturing the situation unfolding in Chernobog.
Wei Yenwu was so startled by the sudden appearance of the colossal dragon slicing through the clouds that he accidentally yanked out a strand of his own beard. The sheer scale and presence of Fafnir left him thoroughly shaken.
"To think... the legendary creature that brought an end to the Sarkaz civil war was actually hiding there?" Wei Yenwu muttered, his eyes glued to the screen showing the flying behemoth. He glanced down at the formal meeting request recently submitted by an organization called Rhodes Island.
It seemed the time had come to uncover the deeper truths behind these events.
High up in the air, Jeanne stood firmly upon Fafnir's broad back, staring directly at the churning vortex of clouds gathering above them. Faced with the terrifying power of the impending Catastrophe, her face showed no hint of fear. Instead, a confident smile spread across her lips.
"It's nothing more than a simple storm. Let's go, Fafnir! We are going to tear this disaster apart directly!"
Jeanne raised her dark dragon banner high, pointing it toward the swirling tempest as she called out to the beast beneath her.
Fafnir unleashed a thunderous roar in response, and together, they surged upward, charging straight toward the heart of the descending peril.
Down below, the people watched the magnificent dragon ascend into the eye of the storm, with the tiny silhouette of Jeanne barely visible upon its back, looking for all the world like a moth daring to challenge a raging fire.
(Fumina: Sorry for not updating the last few days, I caught the flu and couldn't get out of bed.)