Chapter 595: Escape while you can.

On the surface, the situation inside Muster Ground was becoming increasingly strange as a deep vibration suddenly spread through the ground beneath everyone’s feet.

At first, the vibration was so faint that most soldiers believed they had imagined it.

But within a few seconds, it became stronger, causing the ground to tremble beneath their boots. It made many pieces of equipment shake where they had been placed.

The metal structures surrounding the training grounds produced a low rattling sound, while dust slowly fell from the edges of the buildings.

The soldiers stopped their training one after another.

Those who had been practicing with thermal weapons lowered their rifles and looked around in confusion, while the soldiers sparring in the training grounds separated from each other and stared at the ground beneath them.

Some soldiers came out of their dormitories after feeling their beds and walls shake. Others rushed out of their offices, still holding documents and their communication devices.

"What was that?"

"Did you feel that?"

"It came from underground."

"Underground?"

"Could the Abyss be causing this?"

Questions quickly spread among the soldiers, and the more people felt the vibration, the more nervous the atmosphere became.

Nobody knew what was happening.

The Muster Ground had experienced many emergencies before. Especially after the beast tide began attacking the city, but this was different from anything they had encountered before.

There had been no warning from the monitoring systems. The most frightening part was that it seemed to be coming from beneath them.

Every few seconds, the ground trembled again.

A young soldier looked toward one of the officers standing nearby. "Sir, should we report this?"

The officer did not answer immediately as his eyes remained fixed on the ground.

Then another vibration passed through the area, stronger than before, causing several soldiers to instinctively widen their stance.

"We already have," the officer finally said, his voice noticeably lower than usual. "Wait for further orders."

However, while ordinary soldiers were confused by the strange phenomenon, those who knew what was happening were experiencing something completely different.

Inside one of the restricted officer areas, behind several layers of security, a group of the highest-ranking officers stood inside a large office with grim expressions.

The room was unusually quiet.

A large wooden table occupied the center, covered with documents, communication devices, and several military reports, but nobody seemed interested in reading them.

Right now, their attention was focused on the vibration spreading through the building. Some were tapping their fingers against the wooden table.

Others were gripping their armrests tightly.

One officer kept tapping his foot against the floor without realizing it, while another repeatedly glanced toward the closed door as if expecting someone to suddenly burst into the room.

Some officers were even pacing back and forth.

If someone looked closely, they would notice beads of sweat had gathered across their foreheads despite the room being cool.

Their faces were tense and their breathing shallow, revealing the fear they were desperately trying to hide.

"What should we do?" a middle-aged woman asked, her voice shaking slightly as she looked at the faces of the others.

Nobody answered her immediately .

The heavy vibration beneath their feet continued and the officers exchanged nervous glances,

Their shoulders were already rigid, and their expressions pale, showing they were struggling to maintain their composure.

"I suggest we all escape."

Suddenly, an old general said in a low voice.

His voice was grave, and there was no hesitation in his expression.

Everyone in the room turned toward him.

The old general slowly looked at each person around the table before continuing. "I have thought about everything carefully, and that is the only option we have right now."

His words caused several officers to freeze.

Escape!

For people who had spent years holding important positions inside Muster Ground and the city.

They had never imagined that they would be sitting together one day and discussing abandoning their own military base because of a single person.

But the old general had already thought through every possibility.

They had prepared an ambush.

They had sealed the restricted area.

They had deployed advanced thermal weapons.

They had surrounded the hidden facility with soldiers.

Yet they failed to stop him.

It was then, he realized they were not dealing with an awakener.

They were dealing with Thoren Starfall.

Listening to the old general, others froze for a moment and their eyes knitted. Many wanted to refute him and call him a coward, but when they felt the heavy vibration under the sole of their feet, they swallowed back the words.

They knew awakeners were more powerful than ordinary humans, and their means were not something an ordinary person could fathom.

Still, they had harbored the hope of defeating a second-level abyss awakener with their most advanced weapons.

And that hope had been the reason they remained inside the building.

Unfortunately, reality was different from what they planned.

The old general clenched his fist.

"We don’t even know what is happening underground anymore," he said heavily. "The communication line to the restricted facility has gone silent."

If Thoren had already reached the hidden facility, then there was no longer any guarantee that the secrets they had spent years protecting would remain hidden.

And if those secrets were exposed, it would not simply be a matter of losing their positions.

Their families could be dragged into it and the factions supporting them would abandon them.

The Federation would investigate them. And the countless experiments hidden beneath Muster Ground would become known to the entire city.

They had gone too far to simply pretend nothing had happened.

"I agree," another middle-aged officer finally said.

His voice was low, but his decision was clear.

"We need to escape right away while people have yet to start suspecting us."

This time, the room became even quieter.

Nobody called him a coward.

Nobody argued.

Subconsciously, all the officers had reached the same conclusion.

Escape while they still have the chance.

...

...

Meanwhile, at the Governor mansion, the Governor’s expression was ugly as she listened to the report.

***

[AN: Bonus is tomorrow.]