Chapter 526 Conspiracy
“E-Exploded?” Even someone with rich life experiences like Jonathan was stunned to hear what Andy said. “When you said it’s exploded, do you really mean it? Like ‘boom!’ kinda explosion?”
“Yes, exactly. It happened at the square over there. The moment I saw you fall into the lake when I walked over, the explosion happened!” Andy said while letting out a cough.
All of a sudden, blood started leaking from his nose and the corners of his lips. Andy then spewed a mouth of blood. The color instantly drained out of his face.
“What happened?” Jonathan looked at Andy and asked with a frown. “I have no idea.” Andy wiped the blood from the corners of his lips. “When I was having a tough time identifying the actual location earlier, I heard the bell ringing twice.
After sensing the fluctuations of the spiritual energy, I rushed over here. While standing by the door, I heard the bell ringing again. My blood began to surge through my veins, and that’s how I coughed out blood.”
It must be the ringing sound from the bell! What weapon is that? How can it be so powerful? While Jonathan was still in deep thoughts, his fingers began to shiver.
In just seconds, he felt an agonizing pain all over his body as if an army of ants was nibbling his flesh. “Argh!” The sudden pain was so intense that he could not help but let out a deep grunt.
As Jonathan gradually recovered from the pain, he felt utterly exhausted and lost. He slowly lifted his hand and gently tapped on his lower jaw. Upon his action, the pain in his body was gone almost immediately.
Jonathan’s action was no different from how Garrison had locked the meridian on his right arm earlier.
Locking the meridians might temporarily relieve his pain, but it would also cut off the connections between the receptors in his nervous system and his brain.
In other words, Jonathan would not know if he had suffered any internal injuries. After the pain subsided, he could still feel a tingling sensation on his body, but since it was bearable, he did not pay much attention to it.
After helping Andy up, Jonathan turned around and walked toward Torhen Square. He said to Andy, “Tell me everything that happened after I left.”
Jonathan grabbed Andy’s wrist and activated his limited spiritual energy to inspect Andy’s body.
Andy thought about it and replied, “All right. In less than two hours after you left, Yaleview Army lifted the ban in Yaleview but stopped the troops from entering. That was why I had to change into casual attire and enter the city as a citizen. I managed to find my way here based on the information given by Wilbur.”
“That’s all?” Jonathan released Andy’s wrist and said, “I sensed a shockwave in your energy field, and your meridians are mildly damaged, so avoid using your spiritual energy for a month. You can still cultivate three rotations a day, but not more than that. You should recover after some time.” While Jonathan was explaining, he felt a pulsing spurt of blood in his throat.
He froze for a moment and knitted his brows before swallowing the fluid lodged in his throat. “Mr. Goldstein… You…”
Andy seemed to notice something was amiss with Jonathan, but before he could ask, Jonathan shook his head. “I’m fine. I just used up too much energy just now.”
Yet, Jonathan was aware that he had sustained severe internal injuries during the battle. The golden core he had cultivated had turned dull after he used it to restore his body and protect his meridians. Right then, even his energy field was falling apart.
Jonathan deduced his elixir field was approaching an extremely dangerous threshold when the bell rang for the last time.
If Garrison had been able to ring the bell once more, Jonathan might have died. Even if the latter survived, the bell’s ringing would still destroy his elixir field. Should that happen, Jonathan would never be able to cultivate for the rest of his life.
Jonathan walked up to Sophia, squatted down, and pressed his fingers on her neck. He could tell her pulse was steady. Just as he had expected, the ancient bell seemed to only work on cultivators. It had no effects on ordinary folk who did not possess spiritual energy.
“Tell us what to do, Mr. Goldstein. Give me the green light, and I’ll immediately inform Hades to gather all his men. In a day, I can get a million soldiers to standby by Yaleview’s borders!” Andy bowed and said to Jonathan.
Everything that had happened in Yaleview had triggered those in Asura’s Office. Those in Asura’s Office would never tolerate or go easy on those who tried to trick and harm Jonathan.
Besides Jonathan, all Eight Kings of War in Asura’s Office had also decided to revolt!
After all, everything that had happened in Yaleview showed that the authorities of the place were no longer qualified to be the leaders of Chanaea.
Not only did the respectable families intervene in the city’s governance, but businesspeople also worked closely with governmental officials. In other words, corrupted practices had infiltrated the administration.
Ever since Asura’s Office had appointed Eight Kings of War to rule their respective territories, the entire Chanaea remained peaceful except for Yaleview.
“You shouldn’t say that. Don’t say that anymore,” Jonathan responded with a sigh.
“Don’t you forget, Asura’s Office was established to end all the wars. If we were to launch a civil war against Yaleview, regardless of whether we could achieve victory, we would risk sacrificing the lives of millions of soldiers. Besides, Remdik in the north, Jetroina in the south, and Ibica in the west might take advantage of the chaos and invade us, since their military force is ever ready,” Jonathan explained.
He then continued, “Chanaea has just defeated the rebels in less than a year. If we were to start a civil war, we would all suffer regardless of the outcome. If that happens, the foreign powers can easily intrude on Chanaea. The instability in the country would put us in a disadvantageous position.”
Upon hearing that, Andy gritted his teeth. “But Mr. Goldstein, those in Yaleview have gone overboard. For your information, they have wiped out three nodes from Asura’s Office intel networks. I’m sure Office of Government Affairs is up to no good.”
“How many men did we lose in that three nodes?” Jonathan turned around and asked Andy.
Andy took a deep breath and said solemnly, “We lost touch with a total of one hundred and seventeen men, so we have no idea if they’re dead or alive!”
“How many spies did we station in Yaleview?”
“Almost eight thousand.”
Jonathan thought about it and ordered, “Tell them not to get in touch with the Intelligence Bureau and destroy all the information they have gathered. From now on, all our spy agents in Yaleview must stop collecting data.”
Andy’s expression turned grim when he heard Jonathan’s instruction.
It took Asura’s Office more than two years to send those eight thousand agents to Yaleview. These agents were involved in various sectors, prominent families, governmental organizations, and other industries. They had already established a comprehensive intel network, providing Asura’s Office with a vast amount of intel reports.
If they were to stop what the agents were doing, the effort Asura’s Office had put in in the last two years would be in vain. “Mr. Goldstein, are you planning to ditch all the eight thousand agents?”
“I’m not ditching them. I’m trying to save their lives.”
Jonathan could not help but feel downhearted when he remembered Agent 018, whom he had called earlier. Agent 018 was the one who had sent him the address of the Osborne residence. Jonathan was aware that Agent 018 might have already died by then.
“Joshua’s plan in Yaleview is slowly taking shape, and if those agents are to continue investigating Joshua, they might lose their lives.”
Jonathan walked to the middle of the Great Torhen and picked up a thumb-sized bell from a pool of blood.
“Yaleview is no longer fighting us in the dark. When Wilbur led a six-hundred-thousand troop to fight against me and prevent me from entering Yaleview, I knew we couldn’t rely on schemes and conspiracies. It’s time to take them on head-on.”
