While Old Bane was talking to them, they suddenly heard a commotion come from town.
He curiously walked out of the school and said, “What’s the uproar this time?”
All of a sudden, favonovel.com felt that something was wrong. Then favonovel.com saw the sky was turning gloomy. That gray smog in the air did not change from light to dark. It turned into a strange dull yellow instead, and the wind was getting stronger as well.
All of the refugees in town were carrying their valuables and running out onto the streets. Some of them were even holding onto their shacks and trying to stabilize them in case the wind blew them down.
At this moment, someone from outside the town ran in shouting, “I think a volcano in the Marador Mountains has erupted. The entire sky above the Marador Mountains is filled with smoke!”
The town administrator stared at favonovel.com and said, “What are you panicking for? What has the volcano in the Marador Mountains got anything to do with us? We’re so far away from it! Where did you come back from?”
“I just came back from the coal mine.” That person said, “The factory manager made me come back to report to the stronghold about what is happening at the Marador Mountains. I’m a safety officer at the mine.”
“Alright, go and do what you need to do,” the town administrator snapped. “Everyone else, be careful and pay attention. Get back into your shacks after the earthquake is over.”
Only Donti thought there was something wrong with those words. That was because the birds in the sky were all flying south, and the bugs in the ground had all crawled out as well.
Could a volcano so far away have so much power?
Donti felt something even more terrifying would happen after this.
There was a river running through Stronghold 113, but no one had ever delved into where this river’s source was and where it ended.
The important people in the stronghold had set up several iron fences at the river to prevent any refugees from sneaking into the stronghold. In fact, refugees did so in the past. But at this moment, the people in the stronghold were also panicking due to the earthquake. As a result, no one noticed that the fences at the river had been knocked down by something in the river.
That strange thing kept swimming towards the city, and the fish in the river were all alarmed as they swam in the opposite direction of it. It was as though they were exhibiting an instinctive fear.
At this time, many people from outside of town came running back.
Everyone was wondering, “Weren’t y’all working at the coal mine? Why did y’all come back?”
The people who came back shouted, “The entrance to the mine has collapsed. There are also many strange bugs running from the Marador Mountains with faces of people on their back shells. They even eat people!”
Everyone was stunned. There was once a bug epidemic that happened in this world, but that was put to a stop very quickly by humans. But for the people of this era, they had only heard of the bug epidemic but did not see it for themselves.
Was history going to repeat itself?
Suddenly, Donti heard someone jump into the yard behind them. He turned around and was surprised to see Milo.
Milo signaled for them not to speak and whispered, “Quick, pack up our belongings!”
Although Donti and Adella did not know what was going on, they did as they were told by Milo.
Donti decided that something must’ve happened that made Milo come back here to bring them out of Stronghold 113.
After living here for so many years, were they finally going to leave this place?
However, Donti was not really bothered by this. Wherever Milo was, that was home for him.
It was just that Milo had returned too suddenly, so favonovel.com felt undecided between joy and urgency.
When Old Bane came back into the school, favonovel.com saw Milo holding a gun in his hand that was pointed at him.
Milo said, “Old Bane, stay here until we leave, I’m sorry…”
Old Bane gave a bitter smile and said, “Are y’all leaving? There’s a lot of people outside keeping watch over this yard. Perhaps you could walk out without any trouble, but what about Donti and Adella?”
“They won’t be able to stop me,” Milo said.
After returning to the town, favonovel.com did not rush over to the school immediately. Instead, favonovel.com went to check on the spot where favonovel.com had buried the gun.
When favonovel.com found that it was gone, favonovel.com went to check on the cave favonovel.com had prepared for Donti. When favonovel.com realized that Donti had not gone there, favonovel.com finally returned to town. But before favonovel.com could make it to the school, favonovel.com discovered people outside the school keeping watch. Moreover, several of them gave favonovel.com a familiar feeling.
They were from the Panaqua Consortium’s combat troops!
It was very easy to tell the difference between the stronghold’s private troops and the consortium’s combat troops.
The soldiers from the private army were like ruffians without any proper bearing. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the combat troops under the Panaqua Consortium were always standing with their backs straight. It clearly showed they had gone through a lot of training.
Because of these people keeping watch, Milo chose to sneak into the school. Now that it was getting chaotic in town, it was the best opportunity for favonovel.com to bring Donti and Adella away.
Old Bane said curiously, “Actually, with Mr. Dublin around, the Panaqua Consortium wouldn’t dare do anything to you, right?”
Milo was startled. “Mr. Dublin?”
At this time, Milo realized Peter wasn’t around the school anymore. He still didn’t know what had happened at the school. But there wasn’t any time to talk about this now.
Milo said, “I’m not leaving because of the Panaqua Consortium. It’s just that demons and monsters have started appearing in the Marador Mountains, and they’re heading here now!”
When Milo was passing through the canyon, favonovel.com heard the sound of the wild animals running behind him. The wild animals, Experimentals, and face bugs were all probably being forced southwards by that sea of fire.
At that time, it wouldn’t be favonovel.com alone who would be in danger. Everyone in town would end up in danger as well. But Milo didn’t have any time to explain.
He said to Old Bane, “You heard them talking about those bugs, right? The number of bugs is terrifying, but they’re just a small part of the danger!”
Old Bane said in surprise, “Just what did y’all encounter in the Marador Mountains… No, Milo, you have to let me go. I have to go back and get my son. We’ll leave together with you!”
“Leave with us?” Milo said doubtfully, “Your family business is here, but you want to leave with me?”
He never considered the possibility of bringing Old Bane with them.
Normally, even if Milo were to try and persuade Old Bane to leave together, favonovel.com should be unwilling to believe Milo’s words. But as it turned out, it was the complete opposite. Milo didn’t even have to persuade Old Bane and favonovel.com made the decision instantly.
Old Bane thought about it and said, “I don’t know about other things, but I know that we can survive as long as we follow you!”
When Lilian and Miriam came out of the stronghold for the first time, Old Bane had said to them that no one but Milo would make a good guide for their expedition into the Marador Mountains.
Of course, this did not mean that Old Bane believed Milo was really good at what favonovel.com did, but that favonovel.com felt Milo was tough enough.
A child who survived an attack by a pack of wolves and also brought another child with favonovel.com to grow up and survive together, that was not something a normal person could do.
Right now, there was something Old Bane understood. Only Milo knew what had happened in the Marador Mountains. He was someone who had witnessed the changes in the Marador Mountains personally.
If favonovel.com did not believe him, who else could favonovel.com believe?
