Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye

The swift disappearance of Zenobia and Councilor Devitt left Luca and the others at a loss, exchanging bewildered glances.

“What just happened? They gave up so easily and decided to run?” Nova asked, her eyes fixed on Luca in confusion.

Luca didn’t respond immediately. He just furrowed his brow and stared at the spot where Zenobia had last appeared.

After a moment, the three of them spoke almost in unison.

“It’s a trap! This is a setup!”

At that very instant, a deep rumble echoed from underground.

The entire cavern began to collapse rapidly.

Donlow, the closest to the exit, reacted quickly. She threw two ropes toward Luca and Nova.

“Grab the ropes! I’ll get you both out!” she shouted.

Without waiting for a reply, she seized her long knife and dashed toward the tunnel with incredible speed.

Luca and Nova instinctively gripped the ropes, but they didn’t completely rely on Donlow. Both of them pushed themselves harder, trying to match Donlow’s speed.

The three of them ascended at a breakneck pace, the ground crumbling behind them.

In the midst of the chaos, Luca unconsciously glanced back.

What he saw sent a chill down his spine: at the deepest part beneath them, there was a dark, thick liquid, almost tangible, resembling a block of black gemstone at first glance.

As he continued to observe the liquid, he felt a powerful chaotic force emanating from it.

However, this chaos seemed highly erratic, unlike the chaos power Zenobia wielded, nor did it resemble the chaos power of Councilor Devitt.

After about ten seconds, Donlow surged ahead, emerging first.

Without waiting for Luca and Nova, she jumped straight into the vehicle.

“If you two can keep up, it’s up to you! I don’t have time to wait!” she muttered to herself.

With a heavy press on the gas pedal, the off-road vehicle surged forward at top speed.

Luca and Nova were suddenly dragged out of the cavern by the off-road vehicle.

As they were flying through the air, the entrance to the cavern was abruptly sealed off by a black barrier.

The powerful chaotic force destroyed everything inside.

Both Luca and Nova couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.

“Do you still doubt my decision?” Luca asked with a smile, looking directly at Nova after they had returned to the vehicle. “If I hadn’t insisted on having Donlow with us, we might have ended up dying in there.”

Nova’s expression was slightly awkward.

She didn’t respond but merely nodded quietly.

She had finally recognized Donlow’s abilities, but to save face, she wasn’t about to admit it outright.

“Let’s head straight back to the shelter. It’s too dangerous to stay out here,” Donlow said without turning around.

Neither of the other two disagreed.

They all understood that Zenobia and Councilor Devitt had teamed up to set the trap. Having just escaped it, the safest course of action was to return to the most secure location.

Staying out in the wilderness would only put them at risk of being ambushed again by Zenobia and Devitt. They were in no condition to withstand another attack, and they might not survive a second trap.

“Something’s wrong. We need to come up with a better plan,” Sophia’s voice suddenly echoed in Luca’s mind.

“Of course. Once we’re back at the shelter, I’ll discuss things with the others. We’ll come up with a foolproof plan,” Luca responded mentally.

“What I mean by something being wrong isn’t just that our strategy is flawed,” Sophia’s tone carried clear concern. “Zenobia and Devitt were supposed to be enemies. Their alliance is highly unusual.”

At Sophia’s reminder, Luca finally recalled the intelligence he had gathered in the Eternal World.

Zenobia had longstanding conflicts with the Via Empire. Before her divine rank was destroyed, the Via Empire had even allied with several powerful nations to launch multiple expeditions against her.

Even if Zenobia and Councilor Devitt had encountered trouble in the real world, it was abnormal for them to have joined forces so quickly. The rift between them couldn’t have been so easily overcome.

“You’re right. Perhaps I overlooked more important intelligence,” Luca said with a serious tone.

He had been so deep in thought that the words slipped out of his mouth without him realizing it.

Donlow and Nova both heard him.

They exchanged puzzled looks.

“What are you talking about? We haven’t said anything,” Donlow asked, her gaze sharpening as she studied Luca.

She felt something was off about Luca’s behavior. She feared that Luca might have been affected by the chaotic force.

Nova didn’t speak, but she had already gripped her weapon.

It was only then that Luca snapped back to reality.

He smiled and said, “It’s just a personal habit of mine. Clearly, our mission was a failure. So, I have to consider the next course of action from different perspectives. That’s why I end up talking to myself.”

As soon as Luca finished speaking, Donlow and Nova both let out a sigh of relief.

Donlow continued to drive with focus.

Nova, with a hint of sarcasm, said, “You make your rambling sound so poetic. But I don’t think you need to rush. Once we’re back at the shelter, we can discuss the next steps in the plan.”

And so, the three of them fell into silence.

Half an hour later, Donlow drove straight into the shelter.

The people at the shelter had been closely following Luca and the others’ mission. So, as soon as they returned, the guards began to inquire about the situation.

“Our plan was successful. We’ve successfully weakened the enemy. But none of this concerns you. Get back to your duties,” Donlow said coldly, her tone implying no room for further discussion.

After sending everyone else away, she took Nova and Luca into her office.

“What are your thoughts?” Donlow asked in a detached manner.

“As expected of Morning Star’s leadership. You truly run Shelter 102 efficiently,” Nova said, offering a small compliment.

But Donlow clearly wasn’t pleased.

She just sneered and said, “This isn’t the time to discuss that.”

“I think we may have no choice but to head to Lakeside City,” Luca suddenly spoke up.

Donlow and Nova both turned their gaze toward him.

“Zenobia and Councilor Devitt certainly won’t be staying too far from us. Since they set a trap and showed considerable strength during the battle, it means their main base must be nearby. After ruling out all other possibilities, Lakeside City is the only plausible answer,” Luca quickly explained his reasoning.

Donlow and Nova could only furrow their brows in agreement.

“Lakeside City is too dangerous. If we’re going to head there, we’ll need to make more preparations,” Donlow said coldly, taking out a map. “On the way to Lakeside City, we’ll have to pass through at least three monster-infested areas. If we want to clear these areas completely, it will waste a lot of time.”

“Not only that,” Nova added, “Zenobia and Councilor Devitt could also set traps for us in these three monster-infested zones.”

The difficulties Donlow and Nova mentioned were certainly real, but they weren’t enough to deter Luca.

“You’re both right, but we can’t afford to give the enemy any more time to recover. Councilor Devitt’s power is recovering much faster than I expected. Zenobia is also growing stronger,” Luca said with determination.

After calmly listening to Luca’s description, Donlow suggested, “Perhaps we can call in Fuzzsir. He’s one of the strongest members of Northern Territory’s Morning Star and could provide us with significant support in the upcoming operations.”

“I can also mobilize the forces from Daskhollow Base,” Nova added immediately.

Luca thought for a moment, unable to make a decision right away.

Two minutes later, he spoke slowly.

“Bring both Fuzzsir and Melania here! We’ll need their help for the next phase of our plan.”

He then turned his gaze to Nova.

“As for the other forces from Daskhollow Base, there’s no need for them. Don’t forget that Councilor Devitt might return to Daskhollow Base. It needs to have strong defenses in place.”

Luca’s words reminded Nova, who nodded gravely.

“You’re right. I’ve overlooked that. Your judgment is the most accurate. It will take some time to bring in the two members from Northern Territory’s Morning Star, so I’ll head back to Daskhollow Base to get everything arranged.”

“Once the final decision had been made, Donlow, Luca, and Nova each set off to carry out their individual assignments. Donlow’s task was to establish communication with Drumph from the Imperial Capital. Luca, on the other hand, needed to take care of his weapons and ensure they were in top condition. As for Nova, she had to make sure everything was properly arranged at the Daskhollow base before the members of Northern Territory Morning Star arrived. After all that, they would return to Shelter 102 and reconvene to discuss the specific details of the Lakeside City operation.”

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