CHAPTER 145: CHAPTER 145 - RETURNING HOME

The drive to the nearest city was a silent one.

When he arrived, he saw countless families being ushered into temporary shelters, still reeling from being forced out of their homes.

’A lot of towns must’ve been evacuated,’ Logan thought, pulling over to the side of the road.

’Airport is a mile from here,’ he thought, stepping out of the car. ’Flight leaves in an hour.’

He had to walk the rest on foot since getting caught with no driver’s license wasn’t worth the risk.

Logan blended in with the civilians moving through the streets. Everywhere around him, he could hear people talk about the disaster that happened at the Willowshade dungeon.

Eventually, the airport’s outer gates came into view. A few mercenaries stood around, their gear damaged, seemingly having escaped in time from a nearby dungeon.

As he waited to board his air shuttle, his thoughts went back to the moment he locked eyes with the creature inside the dungeon.

’Queen of Thorns is what they call her, huh,’ he thought, shivering slightly. ’Why did she leave me alive?’

He was sure she’d seen him in that split second, right after killing the others.

’I don’t get it.’

Logan knew she wasn’t ordinary after watching her use three separate elements, but he’d never expected her to be a Catastrophic class creature.

’Which makes all of this even stranger,’ he thought, shaking his head.

But that wasn’t the only thing gnawing at him.

’A Catastrophic class creature coupled with thousands of B-ranks inside a C-rank dungeon is unheard of.’

Something felt off, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

Finally, his air shuttle was called upon.

Logan stood up, glancing at the people around him one last time before boarding.

After two hours, his air shuttle landed in Denver.

’I have to delete this identity permanently,’ Logan thought, heading into a dark alleyway near the airport. ’Can’t risk this getting traced back to me.’

Without hesitation, he changed his disguise suit into a completely different identity.

’This one might not have a fake ID linked to it yet, but it’s still a lot better than getting caught.’

Now, he looked like a middle-aged man with a light beard and tired, sunken eyes.

Logan exited the alley and made his way through the busy streets towards the Mercer Headquarters.

As he neared the building, his expression darkened at the sight of the attack’s aftermath.

The area of impact was completely charred, while large pieces of metal, glass, and concrete had fallen down and were taped up for investigation purposes.

As he got closer, he saw dozens of news vans still camped outside the building, waiting to hear any statement from him or others inside.

And finally, members of the Mana Enforcement Bureau were scattered throughout the scene.

’At least Silas is fine,’ Logan thought, shaking his head as he walked to the back entrance.

Noticing several guards checking anyone who approached the building, he was forced to back off and send Edric a message first.

’It’ll be troublesome if I get flagged outside the building,’ he thought, glancing at the increased security.

It didn’t take long before he noticed one of the guards reach for his earpiece.

Right on cue, Logan approached him, attracting his attention.

The guard turned to him, narrowing his eyes. Without asking any questions, he stepped aside and let Logan through.

Logan gave a small nod to the guard as he confidently walked past.

’Good job, Edric,’ he thought, smiling slightly.

After the door shifted closed behind him, his appearance began to revert to its original.

At the same time, the elevator doors in front of him opened. Out walked Edric, Silas and, to his surprise, Garrick.

"Everyone," Logan greeted.

"Logan," Edric said with a tired smile.

Silas hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes before stepping forward.

"Glad to see you make it back with all limbs attached this time," he said, firmly patting Logan on his back.

"Didn’t expect to see you here, Garrick," Logan said, giving a small nod. The S-rank hunter was supposed to guard one of their S-rank dungeons.

"I invited him here," Edric said. "We needed more people around in case Hellshot decides to show up."

Logan understood and nodded.

Garrick, meanwhile, gave a simple greeting while his eyes tracked Logan’s every move.

Logan met Garrick’s gaze for a moment, then turned back toward the elevator.

"Let’s head up," he said. "I’ve got to prep for the press conference."

After everyone got in the elevator, it started heading to the top floor.

The elevator rose in silence.

Edric and Garrick seemed to be busy on their holograms, while Silas kept staring at Logan, uncertain looks flashing through his eyes.

’It must be strange for them,’ Logan thought, aware of Silas’s glances. ’I somehow managed to get out of the dungeon alive and survived an encounter with a Catastrophic class creature.’

Logan wasn’t sure how much he could actually tell them. He just knew it would never be the full story.

As the elevator settled on the top floor, Edric walked beside him.

"This is the statement I’ve prepared so far," he said, letting his hologram float in front of Logan. "Tell me if anything needs to be changed."

Logan quickly skimmed through the rows of text, nodding slightly.

"That’s good enough," he said, giving a firm nod. "Though I’ll add a little of my own text."

"A little of your own?" Edric repeated, lowering the hologram and eyeing him closely.

"Yes," Logan nodded. "This is the perfect chance to hit the Alvarez family while they’re down."

A flash of understanding flickered through Edric’s eyes as he smiled slightly.

"I see," he said, nodding. "I trust your judgment."

Logan gave a small nod, eyes narrowing slightly.

’That being said, I have to choose my words very carefully and push out the perfect statement.’

The next press conference could reshape the entire course of the war.

And he knew it.