Chapter 791 Dream Crisis
Phyllis exclaimed in surprise, "This light is..."
"I don't know, maybe it's returning magic to this world," Roland said, dusting off his hands. "We have to leave here quickly, or it will be troublesome if someone sees us."
"But wasn't this guy an enemy?"
"He was an enemy, but not everyone has the right to deal with enemies," he explained. "Times have changed. Even the most vicious and heinous person can only be arrested and tried by specialized departments and personnel." Of course, the Fallen are even more special. Garcia once mentioned that martial artists who deal with the Fallen receive hunting licenses issued by the association, which not only allows them to take action against suspicious targets, but also legally kill normal awakeners who attempt to muddy the waters. If this were made public, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation in public opinion.
"A strange era," Phyllis commented.
The two walked out of the KFC, and the chaotic order outside had begun to ease—probably because the sudden departure of the Fallen had relieved the people who had not yet managed to escape.
After a few steps, Roland saw Jerro running against the crowd, rushing towards them.
Her expression was anxious, and the ribbon in her hair had come undone, her snow-white hair scattered over her shoulders, making her look very disheveled. Several people around her tried to stop her, but she dodged them with her small body and nimble steps. Only when she saw Roland did her expression change from anxiety to joy.
But this joy only lasted for a few seconds. The little girl forcibly suppressed the corners of her raised mouth and said with a stern face, "Why are you only coming out now? Even turtles are faster than you, Uncle!"
Looking at her panting and her cheeks flushed, Roland couldn't help but bend down and stroke her head. "Sorry, I made you worry."
"Who's worried about you? I'm worried about Phyllis-jie!" Jerro glared at him, gritting her teeth. "This is her first time in this city, what if she gets separated from the crowd!"
Despite what she was saying, the little girl obediently accepted the head-patting set.
Afterward, it took Roland a lot of effort to explain what they had encountered and why they came out so slowly—of course, the latter part was fabricated. Only after learning that "the two were accidentally affected by the Fallen's attack and almost couldn't escape" did her dissatisfaction subside.
Fortunately, there were no more accidents on the next trip. Roland took them to buy clothes and then went to a hot pot restaurant for dinner. As a distinctive delicacy, hot pot is not only flavorful and rich in ingredients, but also relatively cheap. As long as you order more potatoes, vermicelli, and lotus root slices that are easy to fill your stomach, he can afford to feed the three of them until they are full.
Phyllis's performance was not much better than at the KFC. The alternating stimulation of spiciness and freshness made her unable to stop her spoon. Her teary eyes were probably caused by the spiciness or emotion... In the end, she even drank a lot of the red oil soup, which made the people around her dumbfounded.
The group returned to the tenement building at nine o'clock in the evening. Roland climbed the stairs and was surprised to find Garcia's figure at the entrance of his apartment.
She stood in the middle of the corridor with a frosty face, and you could almost feel the low pressure around her.
Could it be that she had been waiting here ever since he hung up the phone?
Roland twitched the corners of his mouth and said awkwardly, "Look... I really did take my relatives out..."
"Can we talk now?" Garcia interrupted him directly.
Perhaps because her tone was a little rough, Phyllis frowned. "Hic... please watch your attitude, this person is the Master of the World..."
Roland quickly pulled her back. "Cough, it's okay, you guys go back inside first. I'll chat with her for a while and be back soon."
After all, he was in the wrong first. If he were stood up like this and had his phone hung up on him with a clumsy excuse, anyone would be furious. He originally thought that someone as proud as Garcia would be greatly disappointed and never want to deal with him again, but he didn't expect that even after being treated so perfunctorily, she would still insist on waiting for him here, which might indicate...
...the Martial Artists Association has reached a point where the manpower they can use is critically short.
Following Garcia to 0827, before Roland could sit down, she turned around and asked, "Have you thought about it? Or is this just an excuse, and you've regretted not wanting to join the association again?"
Her gaze was burning, as if she wanted to see through his thoughts.
"Is there any water?" Roland shrugged and walked to the sofa to sit down. "Iced is fine too."
In the light, he seemed to see the veins on her forehead twitch.
Taking a deep breath, Garcia gritted her teeth and said, "I'll go get you some."
"Thanks."
After Roland drank a mouthful of ice water, he slowly said, "I want to ask a question. Recently, I feel like there are more and more reports about the Fallen. Even I encountered a suddenly mutated Fallen while shopping today... Is the Martial Artists Association in trouble?"
"You were in the Emerald Valley Park area today?" Garcia frowned.
"You know too?"
"Someone reported it to the police, but in the end, we have to handle this kind of thing. The association will contact the martial artists closest to the incident site, and I am one of them."
"That monster..."
"It's dead, but we didn't do it, and the natural core is gone," Garcia said in a deep voice. "This proves that someone acted faster than us."
"Who?" Roland asked, pretending to be ignorant.
"That question is out of bounds," she shook her head. "In fact, I shouldn't have even told you what I said before, that information involves the association's secrets. As for your question, yes, we are indeed in trouble. The erosion from the outside world is accelerating, and this world may be facing a major crisis."
Another erosion... Roland's heart tightened slightly. "What kind of crisis?"
"No one knows the answer, maybe the world will be destroyed, or everyone will turn into inhuman monsters. That's why the association needs more people to stand up to stop the erosion. This has nothing to do with gender, race, or nationality. Everyone who has awakened the power of nature should take on their own responsibility!" At this point, Garcia's tone became a little higher. "Indeed, in the battle against the external erosion, we may have to give our lives, but this is the duty of a martial artist! I can completely understand that you feel scared and hesitant, but please think about it, if even we don't stand up, who else can protect everyone's safety?"
Roland fell silent. The other party's honesty really surprised him. Under normal circumstances, in order to avoid being taken advantage of, they should try to hide the association's difficulties as much as possible. However, Garcia not only indirectly admitted that the association was indeed short of manpower, but even mentioned responsibility and sacrifice, which was a bit too straightforward.
If other martial artists persuaded new people to join in the same way as her, he could also understand why some of those who had awakened the power of nature would rather face the attacks of the Fallen alone than join the association.
After all, people's interest in righteousness has decreased significantly in this era, and their own interests come first.
Roland had previously planned to join the association just to get rewards and fame, but now he felt that things might not be that simple. As one of the creators of the dream world, he felt it was necessary to use the power of the Martial Artists Association to find out what caused the mutation of the power of nature and what the external erosion referred to.
He vaguely felt that these phenomena were probably inseparable from the Red Moon.