Chapter 401
".....?!"
"Huh?" Jack blinked several times as he stared at Jake, whose expression had turned unusually grim.
The alarms continued blaring relentlessly throughout the Corps.
Their piercing cries echoed across the training grounds, replacing the excitement that had filled the air only moments ago.
The Aspirants exchanged confused glances, whispering amongst themselves as they tried to understand why the emergency alarms had suddenly gone off.
Turning fully toward the Captain, the Head of the Kyre Family clasped his hands behind his back, a slight frown settling on his face.
Jake remained focused on the tablet in his hands, his fingers tapping rapidly across the screen.
Beside him, Lincoln straightened his posture before looking toward the confused teenagers gathered below.
Only two people already knew what was happening.
Ray.
And Felix.
Thanks to their enhanced hearing, they had heard every word transmitted through Jake’s communication device.
The instant Ray processed the report, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
Tiny arcs of lightning crackled between his fingers.
His steel-grey eyes flickered with restrained fury.
Van slowly turned toward his best friend, raising a brow.
"Did you hear what they’re discussing? What’s the issue?"
"...."
Grinding his teeth as faint sparks danced across his fingertips, Ray slowly exhaled.
"Aberrants... They’ve launched a massive attack on Wall Steel."
"...."
Ba-thump...
Unfortunately...
Even though Ray had lowered his voice, several nearby Aspirants still caught his words.
Their expressions immediately changed.
Fear spread across their faces.
How could it not?
The Aberrants.
The very monsters responsible for reducing countless families to refugees only months earlier.
The same enemies humanity had been fighting for generations.
The same monsters that had forced mankind to abandon its homeworld and survive behind towering Walls.
Humanity couldn’t even strike back because no one had ever discovered where the Aberrants truly lived.
All they could do...
Was wait.
Wait behind their defences until the next invasion came.
And that day...
Had arrived.
— Ab... Aberrants?!
— What?!
— This is bad...
— Why today of all days?!
The whispers rapidly multiplied.
Within seconds, anxious voices spread throughout the formation as more Aspirants learned what was happening.
Lincoln looked toward the increasingly frightened teenagers.
But...
What could he possibly say?
This was humanity’s reality.
An attack could happen at any moment.
Any day.
Any hour.
Today simply happened to be one of those days.
"How large is the attacking force?" Jack asked, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Mina. What’s going on? I need visuals now!" Jake barked into his communicator.
— I’ve already deployed the reconnaissance drones, Captain. From every transmission point... I’m seeing enemy forces attacking four different locations simultaneously.
Jake’s expression darkened.
"Four? Which locations? Talk."
For a brief second...
Silence.
It sounded as though Mina was trying to organise the incoming reports before responding.
Then...
Her voice returned.
— One large force is assaulting the Main Shelter.
— Another force is attacking the food production facilities.
— A third force is concentrating on Wall Steel itself... attempting to breach the Wall.
"And?"
Jake’s voice became noticeably heavier.
"And what?"
A nervous gulp echoed through the communicator before Mina finally spoke again.
— The last...
She hesitated.
— The last force is heading toward the Corps.
— Estimated arrival...
— Ten minutes.
"...."
Ray slowly loosened his fists.
His enhanced hearing allowed every word travelling through Jake’s earpiece to reach him as though he were standing beside Mina herself.
His hearing had grown terrifyingly sharp.
’Why...?’
His brows knitted together.
’This level of coordination never happened during the Wall Rose invasion.’
’Back then, they simply overwhelmed us with brute force.’
’So... what changed?’
’What’s going on?’
Turning to look at his friend, Ray ground his teeth.
Jack calmly stepped toward Jake.
The Captain quickly relayed every piece of information he had received while the crowd of Aspirants grew increasingly restless.
Confused voices rose one after another as they demanded an explanation for the alarms and wanted to know what they were supposed to do.
As Jake finished speaking, Jack let out a weary sigh.
"Man... this is tiring. And I feel sorry for you all. I mean, what would have happened if I wasn’t here today?" Jack chuckled quietly as he turned around and began walking away.
His two guards silently fell in behind him.
Jake stared at the Big Four Patriarch’s retreating back in confusion.
Why was he leaving?
".... This level of coordination won’t be possible without a few high-ranking Aberrants leading their forces. So I’ll trust my instincts and head over to Wall Steel’s Main Shelter to deal with the real threat." Jack uttered before pausing as he stepped down from the platform.
His gaze slowly swept across the hundreds of Aspirants gathered before him.
Then...
He raised a single hand.
A blazing aura erupted from his body once more, washing over the entire field.
The restless whispers died almost instantly.
Silence.
Every pair of eyes became locked onto him.
"I don’t have time to sugar-coat my words or give a motivating speech, so I’ll get straight to the point."
"...."
For a brief moment, nobody dared utter a word beneath the crushing pressure of the Kyre Patriarch’s presence.
He hadn’t withdrawn his aura.
Instead...
He made sure every single person was listening.
".... The Aberrants have launched a massive attack on Wall Steel. The Wall needs your help.
I don’t.
But humanity needs your strength, so kindly listen to Captain Jake and follow his instructions to the letter."
He paused for only a heartbeat before continuing.
"A few moments ago, you were all fired up about defeating the Aberrants, weren’t you?
Well...
They’re here.
So go out there and show them your strength.
Show them what humanity is capable of.
Most of you were powerless when Wall Rose fell.
Now...
This is your chance.
Don’t let them take your second home from you.
Push them the fuck BACK!
Show humanity’s might!"
A dangerous smile slowly crept across Jack’s face.
".... And as a reward... whoever impresses me today will earn a place in my faction."
Without waiting for applause or questions...
Jack withdrew his aura and continued walking away.
"Oh. Contact the Vanguard Order too. Tell them if they don’t get here on time, I’ll skin them alive."
He spoke casually over his shoulder while walking through the sea of Aspirants.
As he passed by Caster...
His footsteps stopped.
The Patriarch glanced at his son for several silent seconds.
Then...
He gave a small nod.
"Don’t die. And don’t disgrace my name."
Without another word, Jack resumed walking.
His guards followed closely behind.
Within moments, the three boarded the helicopter.
The engines roared back to life.
The spinning blades whipped fierce winds across the field before the aircraft slowly lifted into the sky.
A few seconds later...
It shot toward Wall Steel’s Main Shelter at tremendous speed.
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