Chapter 358: Blood Moon in the Sky
At the top floor of the Ocean Group headquarters, Vicky gazed out at the pitch-black night. Her emotions were complex. Although she knew that Irving was incredibly strong, she couldn't shake the feeling that his upcoming actions wouldn't go smoothly. Vicky wanted to help Irving, but she felt that her own abilities were too insignificant.
On one hand, Vicky wanted to manage the Ocean Group; on the other hand, she yearned to venture alongside Irving. This conflicting desire left her in a state of deep distress. After letting out a sigh, Vicky returned to her desk. Even though it was already late at night, she still had numerous matters to attend to.
Just after finishing a document, her phone rang.
"President, do you remember that I have an artifact that can predict the future?" Benjamin's voice came through the phone.
Discover hidden content at empire
"Of course, I remember. What's going on? Has this artifact predicted something terrible? Are we in danger, or is Irving?" Vicky asked, her tone remaining steady. She considered facing danger to be quite commonplace, having experienced it many times before.
"Neither! The artifact has predicted that in two hours, a large number of werewolves will appear around us," Benjamin replied, his tone slightly anxious. Yet, beneath his urgency, Vicky sensed a hint of confusion in his voice.
In truth, Vicky was also quite puzzled. She had indeed suffered attacks from werewolves before and was aware that Sophia had transformed into one. However, she couldn't shake the belief that werewolves couldn't manifest in the real world. After all, Irving had never informed her that members of the Green family possessed werewolf blood.
"Regardless, make sure everyone stays on high alert. The defense infrastructure around the Ocean Group headquarters is very robust! As long as we remain vigilant, we shouldn't face any significant threats," Vicky said before hanging up the phone.
To her, this seemed like a minor issue. Benjamin, as the manager of the security department, frequently reported similar matters to her. While there were indeed situations that required Vicky's direct input, the vast majority of issues were ones Benjamin could decide on himself.
Vicky felt that Benjamin was being overly cautious. Or perhaps, his loyalty had gone a bit too far, to the point where he had lost his own judgment.
"I think I need to find a time to have a good talk with Benjamin. I've long trusted his loyalty; he doesn't need to consult me on every little thing," Vicky mused with a smile.
Although she recognized that there were some issues with Benjamin's approach, Vicky wouldn't criticize him. After all, his actions largely demonstrated his loyalty.
Meanwhile, after hanging up with Vicky, Benjamin quickly regrouped with his subordinates.
Although Benjamin was also perplexed by the prophecy, he knew that he had to be prepared for anything.
"In the next few hours, we are very likely to face attacks from unknown enemies. When the time comes, you all must respond according to the methods I've taught you," he instructed his subordinates. As the strongest member of the Ocean Group, Benjamin shared his tactics with his team. Every security personnel in the Ocean Group's security department had been personally trained by him.
"We understand! We will follow the established tactics for defense! But can you tell us what kind of enemies we might face?" one of Benjamin's subordinates asked directly.
Benjamin sighed. "You will be facing attacks from werewolves. Although you haven't fought against them before, you have faced humanoid monsters in battle."
Benjamin had decided to provide his subordinates with the support they needed. He was determined to remain at the Ocean Group headquarters to protect it. Just after he finished speaking, his peripheral vision caught sight of something unusual.
A pink light suddenly appeared on the ground not far away. Almost instantaneously, the pink glow spread across the entire area. Benjamin immediately looked up at the sky. A massive red moon hung in the sky.
The moment he saw the enormous blood-red moon, Benjamin realized something was off. "The blood moon has fully projected its power into the real world. This likely means that Sophia has returned to this realm!" he quickly deduced.
"Everyone, enter the highest state of alert immediately! Get back to your positions!" Benjamin commanded loudly, urging all his subordinates to prepare for battle.
After issuing the order, Benjamin quickly made his way to Vicky's office.
"President! The situation here is extremely dangerous; you must move to a safer location!" he urged, and without waiting for a response, he swiftly led Vicky away.
Not long after Benjamin and Vicky left the Ocean Group headquarters, a pink mist began to envelop the area surrounding the building. One shadow after another gradually emerged from within the pink fog.
The shadows that emerged were all werewolves resurrected by Sophia using the power of the blood moon. The moment they appeared, they launched an assault on the Ocean Group headquarters. Although Benjamin had already left, his subordinates were still fighting according to the tactics he had taught them.
There were indeed a considerable number of werewolves, but their strength was not as formidable as expected. Therefore, Benjamin's subordinates were still able to fend off the werewolf attacks. Sophia did not appear on the scene, which meant that the threat to the Ocean Group headquarters was not as significant as anticipated.
At that moment, Sophia was in the outskirts of Starling City, standing at the entrance of the Green family's secret base. She scanned the guards at the entrance with a cold gaze.
"How dare you block me? Don't you know who I am? I am now the head of the Green family! Jony is no longer the head!" Sophia exclaimed, astonished that she was being prevented from entering the Green family's secret base.
Sophia issued commands to the guards, but it was clear that none of them would heed her orders. Infuriated by their defiance, she raised her hands, and the powerful energy of the blood moon surged towards the secret base.
The guards at the entrance felt an overwhelming sense of threat. Some even considered turning and fleeing. Just then, Jony suddenly appeared not far away. The power of the blood moon was instantly neutralized.
"You dare to show yourself in front of me?! I am your daughter! You actually allied with Irving to try to kill your own daughter?!" The moment Sophia saw Jony, fury etched across her face as she shouted at him.
Jony simply looked at Sophia coldly. After a moment, he spoke slowly, "You have been completely consumed by the power of the blood moon. My actions with Irving are only to ensure that you can return to normal. The power of the blood moon is indeed formidable, but it must not be used recklessly."
At that moment, Jony appeared to be in a much better state than when he last met Irving. However, Sophia was not going to heed Jony's advice. With a sneer, she retorted, "You only want to harness the power of the blood moon for yourself. I will never give my power to you; I will protect my own strength!"
Sophia was no longer willing to waste time with Jony. She directly commanded the werewolves to launch an attack on the Green family's secret base. Meanwhile, the power of the blood moon had a profound impact on Starling City. Anyone with werewolf blood in the city was transformed into a werewolf. All werewolves entered a bloodthirsty state, plunging the entire city into a frenzy of slaughter.
As the werewolves launched their attacks, Jony activated the final defensive measures for the Green family's secret base. The entire base sank underground. Jony had been prepared for this moment long before. When he discovered that the power of the blood moon had been activated, he knew it would eventually pose a significant threat to the Green family.
Therefore, he had designed the secret base to be able to submerge underground. The blood moon hung high in the sky, and by sinking underground, the Green family's base would not easily be affected by its power. Jony's actions only fueled Sophia's anger further. She could not allow this operation to fail, as doing so might mean she would not get another chance.
Once Irving returned to the real world, he would respond immediately. An almost endless number of werewolves began digging tunnels to reach underground. Although each werewolf dug at a slow pace, their sheer numbers meant progress was made quickly. Within an hour, they had excavated a deep underground tunnel leading directly to the Green family's secret base.
However, the werewolves did not enter the tunnel, as they were all driven by the power of the blood moon. If they ventured into the depths, the influence of the blood moon would no longer reach them, and they would revert to a skeletal state.
At this moment, Sophia felt a hint of hesitation. Although she wanted to eliminate Jony by entering the tunnel, the depths also filled her with a sense of dread. This was the first time she felt fear since merging with the power of the blood moon.
"What is happening? Why can I still feel fear? Does Jony have other hidden cards? Am I falling into Jony's trap this time?" A whirlwind of chaotic thoughts raced through Sophia's mind as she stood before the dark tunnel, gazing into the abyss.