Chapter 602: The Conspiracy Run Deeper Than Imagined.

Inside the Governor’s mansion, the Governor was already on her feet when the latest report came in.

The tension in the room was so oppressive that her assistant, standing several steps away held her breath.

The Governor said nothing.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the communication device in her hand even though she’d stopped listening to the voice coming through.

Her mind was already racing through everything she’d just learned. She was trying to understand how the situation inside the Muster Ground had spiraled so fast.

The generals had tried to force their way through the gate.

They’d opened fire on their own soldiers.

The guards had fought back.

More convoys had joined the fight. The entire situation had slipped completely out of the military’s control.

Those damned traitors! she thought, her fingers tightening around the device.

She had suspected for some time that many of the high-ranking officers inside the base had been corrupted by outside influence.

They were pursuing agendas that had nothing to do with the Federation or the safety of Suncrest City.

She had seen the signs, but suspicion wasn’t proof, and she had never imagined they would take things this far.

’Even though I suspected many of them were corrupted, I never thought they’d go this far.’

She took a slow, deep breath, her chest rising and falling before she released it through her nose.

’I underestimated them.’ She shook her head.

For the first time since arriving in Suncrest City, she felt the full weight of her own miscalculation.

As Governor and Field Marshal of Suncrest’s military, she had believed she held complete authority over everyone beneath her.

The military answered to her.

The generals answered to her.

The soldiers answered to the generals.

Every operation within the city was supposed to fall under her control, and nothing was supposed to happen inside Muster Ground without her knowledge.

At least, that was what she had believed.

Now she understood that belief had been nothing more than arrogance.

The people she’d thought were hers to command had been quietly building their own agenda beneath the very base she control.

Her jaw tightened.

For a moment she wanted to dwell on how badly she’d misjudged things, but she pushed the thought away.

There was no time for that right now.

Regret wouldn’t fix anything.

The generals were trying to escape, and if they succeeded, they could vanish into the chaos already spreading through Suncrest City.

She raised her head toward her assistant. "Can you reach out to the two awakeners who just returned and ask for their help?"

The assistant straightened at once. "Yes, Ma’am."

"Tell them the Federation will reward them generously."

"Yes, Ma’am. I’ll see to it immediately." She turned and left the room with the door closing behind her.

Alone now, the Governor walked slowly toward the massive window overlooking the city. From this distance, Suncrest City looked almost peaceful, buildings standing beneath the afternoon sky.

But beneath that ordinary surface, the city was growing more unstable by the hour. The beast tide had already left widespread destruction behind it.

People had vanished without explanation and the mysterious group tied to the Abyss remained unidentified.

And Thoren Starfall had returned from the second-floor wielding power that had shaken the entire city.

And to crown it all, the military itself was tearing itself apart from within.

She stared toward the distant direction of the Muster Ground, her expression hardening. With so many high-ranking officers finally dropping their mask and turning against the Federation.

She understood everything.

There were only two outcomes.

Either she brought traitor down before they escaped, or they slipped out of Suncrest City and disappeared entirely.

Her fist clenched. "I will be damned if I let those traitors escape."

Her eyes burned with something close to hatred. She had tolerated far too much already. Whatever had happened inside the Muster Ground, she intended to drag it into the light.

And whoever stood in her way would answer for it.

...

...

Far from the Governor’s mansion, inside the Federation Building, another tense discussion was already underway.

On the top floor, behind a heavily secured door, three senior councilors sat around a large wooden table.

Unlike the chaos at Muster Ground, there were no soldiers running through the halls here.

A communication device sat between them as the latest report already being delivered. The situation at the Muster Ground could no longer be contained.

One councilor leaned forward, his usually composed face strained.

"What should we do?" His voice wavered slightly.

The second councilor slammed his palm against the table.

Bang!

"Those damned bastards! Why can’t they manage their dogs for just a day?" His face twisted with fury, the impact scattering documents across the surface.

The first councilor flinched while the third stayed silent.

The third councilor was noticeably calmer than the other two, though the solemn look on his face spoke plainly to how seriously he took the situation.

He looked slowly from one man to the other. "This is not the time to let our emotions control us."

His voice was calm, but every word carried weight.

The second councilor gritted his teeth. "What do you expect us to do? The military base is already in chaos."

"I know." The third councilor’s gaze hardened.

"But panic will not change anything." He leaned back slightly, and the room fell quiet again.

"Although the Federation grows weaker by the day, that doesn’t mean it can’t crush us if it learns what we’ve done."

That silenced the other two completely.

They all understood the truth in it. The Federation’s authority wasn’t what it once was.

Powerful awakeners had steadily taken control of one area after another, ordinary people losing much of their old influence and the political factions splintering further with each passing month.

But weakened wasn’t the same as powerless.

If the Federation ever uncovered what had done, the consequences were not something they wanted to think about.

It would be devastating to say the least.

The third councilor placed both hands flat on the table.

"Right now, it’s either we support them, or we flee the city." He looked directly at the other two.

"We need to decide, and we need to decide now."