By four in the afternoon, there were noticeably more Sheriffs patrolling the streets.
Unlike the tense atmosphere at the Sheriff's Office, Joey was almost looking forward to the so-called fireworks show, even though he had vehemently denied those people's existence when discussing them with Benny.
The truth was that the instant the curtain of light appeared over the church, he had known it was Annie's handiwork.
And with Joey around, she no longer even needed to worry about being detected by 2-049.
All of this had been planned in advance.
Most importantly, Annie would reveal her true objective afterward, in response to Joey gaining control of 2-049.
Joey stood on the top floor of Lia Harbor's tallest building, where he could look out over the entire town.
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Sheriff's Office...
Benny Hoyland sat before the wired telegraph machine, constantly watching for the latest incoming messages.
Every time the machine stirred, his heart gave an involuntary jolt.
As the scheduled rehearsal drew closer, his anxiety became increasingly difficult to contain.
At a time like this, even passing clerks dared not take broad strides, afraid of making a sound.
The deputy Director hurried over.
Before he could report, Benny abruptly stood and asked:
"Found them?"
As he spoke, he glanced back at the clock on the wall.
His only answer was the deputy Director's bowed head.
He waved a hand weakly. "Put everything else aside! Notify every department to stay alert and stand by!"
Tick, tick, tick! The only sound in the entire hall was the ticking of the wall clock. The silence was terrifying.
In that stillness, the bells in the church tower suddenly rang out the hour.
They were accompanied by a deafening explosion.
At five, darkness had yet to fall. On the distant