Chapter 173: The Industrial District Teeming with Monsters
When Jeremy and Ritchie arrived at Bonnie's doorstep, they were met by Bonnie, who was patiently waiting for them outside.
Ritchie couldn't help but exclaim, "I never anticipated that our class monitor would take the initiative to wait for our arrival at the door. I had thought that a young lady of her stature would never deign to greet us at the entrance."
Ritchie's judgment stemmed from the fact that his relationship with Bonnie was not particularly close. He was not very familiar with Bonnie at all.
Jeremy replied with a hint of indifference, "The reason you think that way is simply because you do not truly understand her. Once you acquire more information about her, your perspective will undoubtedly change."
Ritchie nodded in acknowledgment and then inquired of Jeremy, "From what you say, it appears that you have a profound understanding of Bonnie. When did you come by such extensive knowledge about her?"
Ritchie's question left Jeremy feeling a bit awkward.
He was uncertain about how to respond to Ritchie's inquiry.
While Jeremy was lost in thought, contemplating how best to address Ritchie's question, Bonnie rapped on the car door.
"Now that you both have arrived, please open the car door promptly. We need to make haste to the industrial district where the instance is located, we cannot afford to waste any more time."
Bonnie, standing outside the car door, addressed Jeremy and Ritchie.
Jeremy quickly nodded and opened the car door.
Once inside, Bonnie first turned her attention to Ritchie.
With a look of concern on her face, she asked, "How is your health now? You should have fully recovered, right?"
"I am indeed fully recovered. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to participate in this operation. You needn't worry about my condition, I assure you that I will not be a burden to you."
Bonnie's words successfully diverted the conversation, relieving Jeremy from having to respond to Ritchie's earlier, somewhat awkward question.
"By the way, I recall that the staff you were using before was damaged. Do you have a new staff now? Without one, your capabilities would surely be significantly hampered."
Jeremy recalled that Bonnie's staff had been completely destroyed.
Thus, he made a point to inquire about it.
If Bonnie did not possess a new staff, Jeremy would need to evaluate the overall strength of their trio.
Bonnie nodded in affirmation, saying, "I have acquired a new staff from my father. Although this new staff has certain differences in attributes compared to my previous one, I believe my overall capabilities remain roughly the same."
After receiving Bonnie's response, Jeremy felt a significant reduction in his earlier anxiety.
Throughout the journey, Jeremy had been contemplating the collective strength of the trio. Although Ritchie had indeed recovered, it had been a considerable amount of time since he had engaged in any combat.
It was highly likely that Ritchie's combat skills had become quite rusty. During the course of a battle, Ritchie might not be able to provide much assistance.
If Bonnie did not possess a new staff, it would mean that her abilities would also be severely limited.
This situation would place all the pressure of their endeavors squarely upon Jeremy's shoulders.
While Jeremy was confident in his ability to clear the instance by himself,
he would still find the task to be exceedingly arduous without the support of others.
If both Ritchie and Bonnie could perform at their original levels of strength, Jeremy would have far less to worry about.
"We should thoroughly discuss our action plan before we reach the industrial district." Jeremy stated as he drove, outlining his strategy.
"My plan is, in fact, quite straightforward. Upon our arrival at the industrial district, if we find that there are an overwhelming number of monsters roaming about, we will first eliminate those creatures before proceeding to clear the instance we have designated.
If the number of monsters present in the industrial district is manageable, we will head directly to the instance we've selected. After we clear that instance, we can then tackle another one.
I believe it is feasible to clear two instances within a single day. If we are able to collaborate with General Howard afterward, the speed at which we clear instances will certainly improve.
However, if it's just the three of us operating, clearing two instances in one day will be somewhat of a stretch."
Both Ritchie and Bonnie concurred with Jeremy's plan.
Clearing two instances in a single day would indeed place a considerable amount of pressure on the three of them.
Ritchie even felt that they might only be able to manage one instance in a day.
Yet, Ritchie ultimately chose not to voice his thoughts.
After all, he understood that both Jeremy and Bonnie were ambitious individuals. There was no doubt that they would not agree to the notion of only clearing one instance in a day.
After approximately an hour of travel, the trio finally arrived at the outskirts of the industrial district.
Upon observing the conditions at the entrance of the industrial district, Jeremy couldn't help but exclaim, "It seems my previous plan was a bit overly optimistic. I truly did not anticipate that the industrial district would be teeming with so many monsters now."
At that moment, within the industrial district, each building housed at least three monsters.
On the streets of the industrial district, monsters were continuously engaged in fierce battles with one another.
Those monsters that were defeated were promptly devoured by their victorious counterparts.
Through this brutal means, the monsters were constantly enhancing their own strength.
When Jeremy and his companions reached the entrance of the industrial district, the nearby monsters suddenly directed their attention toward them.
Bonnie and Ritchie were both incredibly taken aback.
Ritchie had never been to the industrial district before, so he assumed that it had always been populated by such a multitude of monsters. He felt a slight sense of grievance toward Jeremy in his heart.
In Ritchie's view, Jeremy had previously visited the industrial district and should have had some understanding of the number of monsters present.
In his opinion, Jeremy should never have devised a plan with such a high degree of difficulty from the outset.
Bonnie's perspective was entirely different from Ritchie's.
Not long ago, Bonnie had accompanied Jeremy to the industrial district.
At that time, the industrial district had not been overrun with such a vast number of monsters.
Moreover, the monsters that roamed the industrial district at that time were not nearly as powerful as those currently inhabiting the area.
After a considerable moment, Bonnie finally regained her composure.
She turned her gaze to Jeremy and, with a trembling voice, asked, "What should we do now? Are we really going to proceed with your initial plan? I feel that even a full day may not suffice for us to eliminate all the monsters wandering through the industrial district."
Jeremy silently observed the monsters within the industrial district.
After contemplating for a moment, he shook his head.
"I believe that the plan I devised earlier is now doomed to fail. Furthermore, we cannot recklessly enter the industrial district at this point. There are simply too many monsters for just the three of us to handle.
We must seek out additional assistance."
Having stated this, Jeremy promptly returned to the vehicle, and naturally, Bonnie and Ritchie followed suit, climbing into the car as well.
Jeremy swiftly turned the car around and headed directly toward the military base located in the outskirts of Moonlight City.
On the way to the military base, Jeremy shared his new plan with Bonnie and Ritchie.
"I believe the situation in the industrial district has escalated beyond what we can manage. We must promptly inform Howard about what's happening.
General Howard will undoubtedly provide us with considerable assistance, as he is responsible for the safety of Moonlight City."
Bonnie and Ritchie wholeheartedly agreed with Jeremy's course of action.
Bonnie was very familiar with Howard. She was acutely aware that once he was informed of the situation, he would not remain idle.
Ritchie merely thought that bringing in more help could only be beneficial.
Initially, Jeremy had intended to relay this information to the Black Dragon Squad.
However, after some contemplation, Jeremy decided it was unnecessary to inform the Black Dragon Squad. After all, the squad's leader, Ella, was someone Jeremy could not fully trust at this moment.
Although Jeremy had previously collaborated with Ella, he could not ascertain how she truly viewed him.
Regardless, Ella was engaged to Kean.
Given the complete hostility between himself and Kean, Jeremy felt he needed to exercise caution around Ella as well.
In any case, once Howard was apprised of the situation, it was highly likely he would inform Ella.
Thus, Jeremy saw no need to directly communicate the circumstances in the industrial district to her.
Jeremy drove at an exceptionally fast pace, and it didn't take long for them to reach the military base.
Once Jeremy stepped out of the car, he made a beeline for Howard's office within the military base.
Behind him, Bonnie and Ritchie were unable to follow. They struggled to regain their balance.
"Next time, we really need to make sure Jeremy drives a bit slower! He can handle this speed, but the rest of us can't!"
Ritchie complained to Bonnie while trying to steady himself.
Bonnie nodded in agreement, feeling that Jeremy's driving was indeed far too rapid for anyone not accustomed to it.