Assault Warning

The cult upheaval sparked by Councilor Vaughan had shaken all of Revival City.

From the refugees and Dennison Henry, Gu Hang had learned that the authorities in Revival City had been thrown into chaos.

He was quite pleased with the situation.

Stirring things up to bring about changes in Revival City's political landscape was all part of laying the groundwork for his later intervention.

So even though he knew the Alliance Parliament was currently overwhelmed, Gu Hang had no intention of backing down.

On the contrary, he meant to add fuel to the fire.

He contacted Hodgson.

"Hodgson, why haven't you reached out to me on your own at all during this time? Where's the explanation I asked for?"

Hodgson's voice was weary. "Governor, we've already taken a series of measures and achieved some initial results. I'd planned to report back once we had more information. But since you need an answer now, I can brief you on what we've accomplished so far..."

"I'm listening."

Hodgson began his report.

Clearly, he'd prepared for the possibility that Gu Hang might ask him about it sooner than expected. He spoke smoothly, recounting everything the Alliance government had done in Revival City during this period.

Gu Hang listened patiently until Hodgson finished.

Hodgson was a little surprised. He'd been ready to be interrupted at any moment, but the Governor hadn't done so.

Still, he wasn't relieved.

It might mean the Governor was even angrier than he'd thought.

As his unease grew, Gu Hang's voice slowly rang out. "Oh, is that all? Truly impressive results."

"You've arrested a few suspects connected to the cult and seized some cult materials... But what then? Nothing. You haven't figured out how deeply the cult has infiltrated Revival City, nor do you know what those hateful heretics are planning. Even I, a newcomer who's been on Nuxiao Planet for less than two months, know some of what those materials contain. And the few small fry you caught gave you no useful information at all. I can't even be sure they weren't scapegoats pushed forward by certain people."

"Don't you think the Alliance government should be doing more to protect Revival City?"

Sure enough, it had come to this.

Faced with the Governor's questioning, Hodgson slowly replied, "You're right. The Alliance government does need to do more. We'll step up our investigations even further. As for results, we do have one piece of intelligence that hasn't yet been verified."

"Oh?"

"We have reason to believe you may be targeted by cultists. They seem to know you were the one who dealt with Vaughan, and may even know that you personally ordered the current crackdown on them in Revival City. They may launch a reprisal against you."

Gu Hang's expression had gone cold. "This unverified intelligence says they're going to attack me... What makes it unverified?"

"We intercepted a communication that mentioned the location of your camp and the approximate size of the armed forces you might have. It didn't say what they intended to do, but our intelligence officers believe you may be in some danger. I strongly recommend that you return to Revival City as soon as possible. The Alliance's troops will serve you to the death."

After he finished speaking, Gu Hang fell silent.

What a way to put him on the back foot.

In an instant, Gu Hang considered a great many things.

At last, he spoke slowly. "Chairman Hodgson, you've certainly given me a major surprise."

Hodgson sighed.

Gu Hang's tone told him that his earlier concern had been justified.

This wasn't something he could bring up lightly. It was easily misunderstood, and there was no way for him to explain himself.

He said, "My advice remains the same, Governor. Please return to Revival City as soon as possible. It's the only place where we can ensure your safety."

"I'll take care of my own safety. As for the cult... I hope you'll have more to show for your efforts the next time we speak."

As for Hodgson's suggestion that he return to Revival City, Gu Hang couldn't be bothered to respond to it at all.

After ending the call, Gu Hang's expression was grim.

A warning that someone was planning to attack him...

There was too much meaning behind it, and too much at stake.

Was it true or not?

Either way, Gu Hang couldn't keep pressuring the old parliamentary chairman.

They had results, after all. Wasn't the Governor's safety a serious matter?

Learning this had left Gu Hang in a dilemma.

How should he deal with this threat to his safety?

Should he focus on protecting himself and become cautious in everything from now on? That would obviously distract him. He might not have as much time to make trouble for Revival City later, and the rapid growth of his own forces could suffer as well.

But he couldn't just ignore it. What if it was true?

And if he did act, what could he even do?

The method of attack was completely unknown. Would it be an assassin hidden among the refugees they'd taken in? A bomb? A small squad launching a surprise attack? An army?

Even if nothing happened, Gu Hang couldn't very well go after Hodgson.

After all, according to the old man, the intelligence was unverified. He hadn't volunteered it; Gu Hang had pressed him for results and drawn it out of him. If nothing happened, the Alliance government wouldn't be to blame.

Telling the Governor to be careful about his safety couldn't possibly be a mistake, could it?

Hodgson's warning cast a shadow over Gu Hang's heart.

He could even consider the matter from an even darker angle: was Hodgson—or the Alliance Parliament—warning him not to abuse his gubernatorial authority? You can bring everything crashing down and take us with you. We can do the same to you.

Even if the intelligence was false, the authorities in Revival City had the means to make it true.

At the thought of that possibility, Gu Hang's expression darkened further.

But the bad news kept coming that day.

After ending his conversation with Hodgson, he'd only had a short while to think when his adjutant, Zhang Chao, hurried in, looking flustered.

"Governor, we've received a distress signal from Captain Yan Fangxu! They're under attack by a large number of monsters in the Xenomorph Forest!"

Gu Hang didn't answer right away.

After a moment, Zhang Chao's throat bobbed as he forced himself to speak again. "Governor?"

Only then did Gu Hang let out a long sigh.

"Understood. Assemble our forces. We're going to rescue Yan Fangxu."

"Yes, sir!"

Watching Zhang Chao hurry away again, Gu Hang sighed once more.

"That warning came true awfully quickly."

Thanks to Fox Tail for the chapter recommendation!

Also, a friend made a few fan art images of the characters, but I don't think I can post bonus chapters yet... You can find them by going to the character page from the latest chapter.