Stelle was stunned for a moment, then somewhat sheepishly scratched her head. She had almost forgotten that with Mr. Yang around, the common monsters of Belobog's beginner village posed basically no threat to them.
"Esteemed elder, we had already surrendered. Why did your men still insist on hunting us down to the last?" Welt's voice was icy, carrying an indescribable fury.
If Stelle's luck had been just a bit worse earlier, that bullet could very well have pierced through the chest of one of them.
This thought sent a wave of fear through Welt as the leader, along with intense shock and anger.
However, faced with his questioning, the old man did not speak. Instead, he glanced at the watch on his wrist, revealed a smile, and muttered, "Great Guardian, since you remain hesitant, let this old servant add more fuel to the fire for you..."
Thump!
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, the old man suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his robes crimson, then fell powerlessly to the ground like a kite with its string cut.
The reversal of the entire situation was extremely sudden, so much so that even Stelle and the others hadn't reacted.
What's going on?
This old guy brought people to capture them, and then he just suddenly collapses?
"Lord Tarorov! What's wrong with you?!"
"Damn it, it was these ruffians from the lower city who killed him!"
"The Silvermane Guards will not allow you to be so insolent!"
"..."
The other Silvermane Guards, who were pressed to the ground by gravity, seeing this scene, immediately glared with wide, furious eyes and began shouting accusations.
"You're being unreasonable! It was you who inexplicably attacked us first! And we didn't lay a finger on that old man! What nonsense are you spouting here?!" Stelle couldn't help but retort.
"Heh, no matter how much you quibble, you can't change the iron-clad facts!"
"You definitely used some sinister method to kill Lord Tarorov!"
"Damn it! Lord Tarorov didn't die at the hands of Fragmentum monsters, but was instead killed by lower city ruffians!"
"..."
However, after hearing Stelle's words, the Silvermane Guards only grew angrier.
"Hey! Stop lying on the ground playing dead. If you don't get up, we're really going to finish you off!" Stelle shouted towards Tarorov lying on the ground, but received no response.
Dan Heng was silent for a moment, then chose to step forward and investigate. After a short while, his expression turned grim as he delivered the conclusion. "Everyone, he's really dead."
"Dead... really dead? Why?" Stelle was bewildered. Why would this old man do this? What was his goal?
Why die in front of them?
"The purpose of his actions, I think, is probably—"
Tap, tap, tap—
Before Dan Heng could finish his sentence, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door again. This time, it was Silvermane Lieutenants clad in heavy armor and equipped with more elite gear who rushed in. Leading them was Serval!
"Everyone, you—"
The moment Serval entered, she saw Tarorov lying on the ground, and her face immediately darkened. "Guards, get him to the hospital, quickly."
"Serval, please believe us, this matter absolutely has nothing to do with us!" Stelle stepped forward. "Just now, this old man brought people saying we assassinated the Great Guardian and ordered his men to attack us directly. We only acted in necessary self-defense and didn't even touch this old man!"
"Hmph! What nonsense are you spouting there?! When did we attack you?!"
"Our Silvermane Guards have always adhered to the strictest discipline. How could we not follow established procedures?!"
"Of course you didn't touch Lord Tarorov. With your sinister methods, you could cause harm without even directly touching someone, right?"
"..."
Listening to the words of the Silvermane Guards around them, Stelle was unusually at a loss for words. She looked at the speakers with disbelief, genuinely feeling stunned.
She had guessed these people would give testimony unfavorable to them, but she never expected they could describe it so vividly and emotionally, with tears and anger.
It was as if they truly were heinous villains!
"Serval, please believe us, we—"
"...It's unnecessary now."
Serval's voice sounded somewhat low. "The Great Guardian was indeed assassinated. Right now... right now, I am only following the orders of the Ministerial Council."
"Sorry, I... I can't help you."
As her words fell, the Silvermane Lieutenants behind her stepped forward slowly. Just as they were about to enter the range of Welt's gravity field, they raised their shields high and activated the devices attached to them.
The Silvermane Lieutenants' shields emitted energy barriers, enveloping everyone. It was exactly the same as Gepard's group-wide shield in the game.
Under the protection of this barrier, many Silvermane Guards actually gradually broke through the suppression of the gravity field and stepped closer to the four of them.
"Stelle, the situation is critical. I can only say the next plan once."
Welt said seriously, "The events of this night are too complex, and they are undoubtedly inextricably linked to the lower city. I will find an opportunity to help you break through. You must find a way to clarify everything."
"Mr. Yang, aren't you planning to break out?" Stelle sharply detected the meaning in Welt's words and asked.
"We can't all leave. Otherwise, this misunderstanding will become even harder to clear up." Welt said. "I will surrender and try my best to negotiate with the Ministers and the Guards, attempting to communicate through peaceful means. Don't worry, they can't hurt me."
After saying this, the cane in Welt's hand began to transform and reassemble, finally turning into a sphere. In an instant, the approaching Silvermane Guards felt a sudden, drastic increase in pressure, making it difficult for them to advance for a moment.
Conversely, Stelle and the others only felt a sense of weightlessness wash over them. The three of them actually levitated and shot straight towards the hotel's glass dome!
"March!"
Dan Heng shouted loudly. March 7th immediately threw out her Cloud Piercer, piercing through the dome. Shards of glass fell among the three of them, like a rain of stars.
The three stood on the metal frame of the dome. The anti-gravity field deactivated at this moment. Separated by dozens of meters, they could only watch helplessly as Welt surrendered and was swarmed and subdued by the Silvermane Guards.
Dan Heng's fists clenched and unclenched, unclenched and clenched. He knew every second now was extremely precious. He took a deep breath. "Let's go, quickly. Yesterday, I discovered some areas within the administrative district were heavily blockaded by the Guards. Going from there should allow us to shake off most of the pursuers."
...
"Causing such a big commotion, huh."
Nearby, by a breakfast stall, a blue-haired young man was holding binoculars and looking in their direction. He shrugged, biting into his bread as he mumbled, somewhat incoherently, "For the future of this planet, you Nameless, please endure just a little bit for now."
"I believe good people like you will probably forgive me."