Chapter 432 Kean's Strange Order
Faced with the mayor's criticism, Kean's subordinate wore an expression of deep frustration.
He was fully aware that his earlier decision to reveal their entire plan had been impulsive, but he believed that this was not the time for finger-pointing.
In a cold, detached tone, Kean's subordinate said, "Mocking me now won't change anything. If Jeremy learns of our plan, he'll blame you too. Do you honestly think you can face Jeremy without our protection?"
He paused for a moment before continuing, his voice tinged with a note of warning. "Let's not forget, Jeremy is a player who's already completed the Apocalypse Game's awakening. And his companion, Ritchie, isn't much weaker than he is. Even if you mobilize every soldier in Valley City, you'll never be able to stop their attacks. The only thing you can do right now is cooperate with my plan."
Kean's subordinate was attempting to coerce the mayor of Valley City into cooperating by threatening him.
However, his approach was having no effect at all.
The mayor of Valley City sneered coldly.
"You really think this kind of threat is enough to make me cooperate with your plans? Don't be so naive. Even if Kean himself came here, he wouldn't be able to force me to follow his orders!"
Though the mayor of Valley City had worked with Kean, he was by no means Kean's subordinate. He had his own interests to protect.
The mayor of Valley City was someone who acted for his own benefit and would only do what was in his best interest.
While he acknowledged that Jeremy posed a threat to Kean, he also believed that Kean had no real means of directly attacking him within Valley City. Therefore, keeping Jeremy in the city was something Kean could accept.
For the mayor of Hale Valley, keeping Jeremy in Valley City would also make the city safer, which was why he had suggested hosting a banquet to keep Jeremy there.
The mayor's words only deepened the frustration on Kean's subordinate's face.
"So, what exactly are you planning? Are you seriously thinking of cooperating with Jeremy? Don't forget, Jeremy is Kean's arch-enemy!"
Kean's subordinate was in a truly terrible mood now.
He desperately wanted the mayor of Valley City to understand that if he betrayed Kean, he would face a very grim fate.
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This time, the mayor of Valley City simply fixed Kean's subordinate with a cold, disdainful gaze. He didn't even bother to respond.
The atmosphere in the conference room became unusually oppressive.
It seemed like a confrontation between the mayor and Kean's subordinate was on the verge of erupting.
At that moment, Kean's subordinate suddenly received a new order from Kean.
The order was very simple: do not take action against Jeremy in Valley City.
The expression on Kean's subordinate's face changed dramatically. What had started as a gloomy and serious demeanor shifted to one of confusion.
The mayor of Valley City noticed the change in his expression and calmly asked, "Kean must have sent you a new order, right? This new order must have surprised you, hasn't it?"
Kean's subordinate turned his gaze toward the mayor of Valley City.
"How did you know?"
"From the expression on your face. And Kean isn't as foolish as you are; he must realize that leaving Jeremy in Valley City could also be beneficial to him," the mayor of Valley City said with a smile, speaking slowly.
Although Kean's subordinate had been insulted by the mayor's words, he didn't respond.
Because his judgment had indeed been wrong. The mayor of Valley City's assessment was accurate.
Since he had received Kean's new order, he had no choice but to follow it.
"Kean's new order is for me to cooperate with your actions. He hopes that you will keep Jeremy in Valley City for as long as possible," Kean's subordinate said slowly, relaying Kean's new command.
The mayor of Valley City nodded with a smile.
"In that case, you don't need to be involved anymore. Just stay in the shadows. I can carry out Kean's order on my own."
After saying this, the mayor of Valley City directly left the conference room.
Kean's subordinate's mood remained unsettled, still full of confusion.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
However, this didn't stop him from cooperating with the mayor of Valley City.
Since the mayor had asked him to stay in the shadows, he certainly wouldn't be making any direct moves.
At the same time, Major Joseph was contemplating whether he should inform Jeremy about the intelligence he had gathered.
Though he greatly admired Jeremy and deeply hoped that Jeremy wouldn't fall into danger, he still hadn't made a swift decision.
After all, in the current situation, if Jeremy found out that the mayor of Valley City was intentionally targeting him, he would likely choose to seek revenge on the mayor.
This could easily escalate the situation in Valley City and make things even more chaotic.
Just as Major Joseph was hesitating, one of his subordinates suddenly approached him.
"Sir! Jeremy and Ritchie are here to see you! They seem to have something very important to discuss."
Upon hearing this, Major Joseph's expression shifted slightly, showing a bit of surprise.
"Really? I understand. Tell them to wait for a moment. I'll be out to meet them shortly!" Major Joseph replied slowly.
His subordinate quickly left to relay the message.
Major Joseph let out a long sigh.
"I'd rather deal with the threat of monsters than face this complicated web of relationships," Major Joseph muttered, clearly troubled.
He didn't want to betray Jeremy and Ritchie, but he also didn't want to plunge Valley City into further chaos.
In fact, Major Joseph had misunderstood.
Jeremy and Ritchie weren't seeking more intelligence from him.
Their purpose was much simpler. They wanted Major Joseph to help them move their luggage from the hotel where they had been staying.
After about fifteen minutes of waiting in the lounge, Jeremy and Ritchie were still there when Major Joseph finally arrived.
"Apologies for the wait! I had a lot to handle. I just finished going through all the documents I needed to take care of," Major Joseph said with a smile.
Jeremy and Ritchie, of course, didn't mind.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Major Joseph got straight to the point.
"Is there something urgent you need to discuss with me? Are you here about the banquet?"
As he asked, Major Joseph studied Jeremy and Ritchie closely, deciding to play it by ear.
If they sensed something was off, he would immediately tell them everything he knew.
If they didn't notice anything unusual, he wouldn't say a word.
Jeremy answered bluntly.
"We came here simply because we need you to send your soldiers to move our luggage. We left some things back at the hotel. We're not familiar with Hale City, so we can't bring the luggage over ourselves," Jeremy said.
Major Joseph's mood lightened considerably.
Smiling, he replied, "Of course, no problem. I'll have my soldiers move all your luggage over as quickly as possible."
Jeremy and Ritchie were reassured by Joseph's response.
"If that's all, I'll take my leave now. I still need to check on the defensive positions around Valley City," Major Joseph said, clearly eager to end the conversation.
He was concerned that Jeremy and Ritchie might notice something unusual about him, so he decided it was best to leave quickly.
Jeremy and Ritchie, of course, didn't try to stop him.
And so, Major Joseph left, and since he had already gone, Jeremy and Ritchie saw no reason to stay in the room.
They decided to return to their own quarters.
As soon as the door to their room closed behind them, Jeremy turned to Ritchie and said, "Major Joseph definitely knows something important. His smile was completely unnatural. And when he saw us, he was clearly very worried. So, I think he's deliberately withholding crucial information from us."
Ritchie's eyes widened in surprise.
He thought for a moment before asking, "Should we go back to Major Joseph and confront him? If he's really hiding something that important, we should make him tell us!"
Jeremy shook his head.
"He has his reasons. If he didn't tell us right away when he saw us, it means he's hesitating. Major Joseph is the person in Valley City with whom we have the best relationship. We can't afford to clash with him, so we'll have to act like we don't know anything."
Jeremy's reasoning made perfect sense.
Ritchie sighed.
"The situation in Valley City is really tense. Although we won't directly face terrifying monsters here, sometimes humans can be even more dangerous than monsters."
Ritchie's words resonated deeply with Jeremy. He couldn't help but agree.
But Jeremy wasn't as worried as Ritchie. In Jeremy's view, both he and Ritchie possessed extremely powerful abilities. Their strength ensured that, whenever they were in a conflict with others, they had the power to change the situation at any moment!
The ability to change the situation at will was the most important thing!