NOVPUBChapter 139: Chapter 138: Attack
Chapter 139 -138: Attack
Three days later at noon, a freight carriage appeared at the head of Fenggu Street.
It moved somewhat erratically, but its speed was not too slow; the heavy carriage was obviously filled with goods, causing the axles to creak and groan.
This was a narrow street, and the four-wheeled carriage nearly took up the entire road. A slight deviation in direction could easily crush pedestrians at the edges.
Such dangerous driving naturally provoked public anger.
“Hey, what the hell kind of driving is that?”
“Dammit, are you blind?”
Angered by the driver’s recklessness, someone ran a couple of steps to try to snatch the reins, but instead they accidentally tugged the driver’s long robe, exposing his hands—or rather, the lack of them. To their shock, the driver had no hands—just half an arm bound tightly to the reins with chains.
Passersby were horrified, and instinctively looked up at the driver’s face.
It was a ghastly pale face, with traces of blood dribbling from the corner of the mouth, not resembling that of a normal person at all. The driver’s eyes were fixed intently on a building by the street, muttering something continuously. Upon closer listening, one would realize it wasn’t any known language.
“Help, help… This guy’s a lunatic!”
The passerby dared not stop him anymore, scrambling and rolling as he ran back.
Just like that, after the carriage stumbled another ten or so meters, it finally veered off the road, mounted the curb, and crashed into the gate of a house. The next second, the carriage turned into a huge fireball, engulfing the buildings within a thirty-meter radius in an instant!
With a thunderous roar that erupted with the fireball, it pierced through three or four nearby streets in the blink of an eye. The glass in the buildings shattered with a crash, and half the city seemed to quake!
After the explosion, thick smoke billowed up to the sky, while cries of pain and pleas for help resonated throughout the alleyways.
…
“Make way! We’ve got a seriously injured person here, might need an amputation!”
“How do we treat extensive burns?”
“First remove the clothes, clean the wounds, then administer antibiotics!”
One stretcher after another was carried into Yeni Temple, and the once orderly great hall became chaotic once again; but this time, they were treating victims from the neighboring district, not miners abandoned by their company.
Jenny wiped the large beads of sweat from her forehead, looking somewhat bewilderedly at Zhang Zhiyuan… It was her first time facing such a situation. She had to prioritize over forty victims based on their injuries right away; any mistake could lead to death, an enormous pressure for her.
“If you’re tired, go sit outside for a bit, take a breath!” Zhang Zhiyuan patted her shoulder, pulling her face mask down for her, “I’m here to help you keep an eye on things. Nothing major will go wrong!”
His composed gaze gave Jenny her backbone again. Her breathing eased a bit, “I can keep going.”
“Don’t need a break?”
“No!”
“Then let’s continue.”
Jenny nodded, put on her mask again, and began directing the transport of the wounded. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
It wasn’t just Zhang Zhiyuan, Zhou Zhi and Qianyuan Meiko were also helping the nuns settle the injured—the renovation of the temple was not yet complete, and the existing rooms could not accommodate a significant increase in patients. So, just like before, makeshift beds had to be set up in the corridors and the hall. Even if they did not know how to administer first aid, helping to move mattresses and bedding was still within their ability.
On the other side, Dane had found Chaoyang.
“Lord Chaoyang, I’ve gathered some information. There was indeed an explosion on Fenggu Street, and it happened very close to the theater shack we rented. Because a large fire broke out, the entire street has been blocked off by the city guards, and I could only observe from a distance. That building has mostly collapsed, and I fear the equipment inside does not bode well.”
“Is that so? Thank you for your effort,” Chaoyang replied calmly.
“There must be a problem!” Dane, however, appeared quite agitated, “That street is usually deserted, how could such a violent explosion occur? Moreover, it happened right in front of our antibiotic manufacturing plant—it looks like a deliberate attack directed at Gate of Destiny!”
No wonder he reacted so strongly; that place was not only the antibiotic production workshop but also the storage warehouse. Handing over each bottle of medicine to the nuns, they could save lifes, but now these precious items might have been destroyed by the fire, stoking his rage further.
However, Chaoyang couldn’t tell him that two days ago, the day after Commander Shandela visited, he had arranged for Zhang Zhiyuan to move the medicines and even created a batch of fakes to put in their original place. The equipment was not dismantled, except for the most valuable steam contraption, everything else was left there.
According to Xue Quan’s judgment, if the enemy resorted to underhanded attacks, there were only two paths they could take—one was to target the medicine production site, cutting off the supply at its source to hinder competition; the other was to target the company staff, which could serve as intimidation and also damage the morale of rival competitors.
In response to the latter, Chaoyang had also made certain preparations, and the bracelets he distributed to the nuns were a security measure. After all, Paradise players were not afraid of getting hurt, but ordinary people in this world were. He had just over a hundred followers in total, and losing even one was a severe loss.
However, the enemy’s brazen actions still exceeded his expectations.
He had thought of many methods the opponent might use—hiring people to smash the factory, setting fires, robbing medicines—and yet, it resulted in an explosion in the city district!
And they chose noon for the timing!
Many people go home for lunch at this time, and with residential buildings on both sides of Fenggu Street, such an attack method, akin to terrorism, indeed gave Chaoyang a small shock from this otherworld.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let this matter rest,” Chaoyang promised Dane, “We’ll definitely find out the truth behind the explosion. If someone did this deliberately, they will pay the price they deserve. But for now, we need to focus on rescuing people.”
The tense rescue operation continued until four in the afternoon. Although wounded people were still being brought in sporadically, the nuns had adapted to the rescue process, and groups of two or three could carry out preliminary cleaning and bandaging in an orderly manner. As order gradually returned within the great hall, a crowd of citizens began to gather in front of the Yeni Temple.
“Gate of Destiny Company is the culprit behind the explosion. How dare you entrust the nuns to treat your family members when the two groups are in cahoots!”
One of the men, dressed in a long coat and wearing a pointed hat, cried out in anguish, “I’ve written to this company before, pointing out that their drugs are made with a large amount of sulfur and powder of glint stone. These substances are not only highly toxic but can also cause explosions. But after sending the letter, I haven’t received any response! And what now? Everyone has seen the result!”
In the New Continent, only one kind of person would wear such a hat, and that is a physician, and necessarily one certified by the Old Continent Academy.
“Could it be that you’re Mr. Preton?” someone recognized him.
“Yes,” the man admitted, “If you’ve heard my name, you’ll know that I often treat patients in the Inner City District.”
And the Inner City District is where the upper echelons of Magnificent Castle reside.
Such a figure appearing at the Yeni Temple inevitably drew everyone’s attention.
Preton’s expression was so sincere, as if he had truly negotiated with Gate of Destiny multiple times, “You must have read in the newspapers that their drugs have never been reviewed by any expert, the efficacy of the active ingredients is still in doubt. The only purpose of this company cooperating with the temple is to use the ignored injured for experiments. How can such a dirty place have the right to treat the poor people injured in the explosion?”
Gradually, more and more residents were drawn to his words, and a tide of people formed on the street before the temple.
