Investing In My Crippled Wife Every Return Makes Me Stronger Chapter 153

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[ … words ]

Swoosh!

President Craig moved at lightning speed, blurring across the halls while doing his best not to hit anyone, and appeared outside the building in a matter of seconds.

Before the dust from his sudden arrival could even settle, a few more figures appeared right beside him. They were some of the bureau’s strongest hunters who were nearby, had picked up the exact same signature, and deployed here immediately.

“…”

Every single one of them had a grim expression as they stared far into the sky.

“That…”

“Damn.”

“Tsk. Just my luck.”

“This shit had to happen just when I was so close to retiring.”

High above the cityscape, a massive crack of crimson and black light fractured the clouds, widening with each passing second like a bleeding wound in the atmosphere. The sheer density of the leaking mana made the air vibrate with a low, terrifying hum.

Recognizing the ominous colored energy immediately, President Craig clenched his fists, his voice booming at the top of his lungs.

“ATTENTION!”

“A Seventh Circle Gate is opening!”

“Initiate Code Red Seven! Activate the city’s central barrier defense system immediately! Sound the maximum emergency sirens, issue a city-wide evacuation order, and deploy every available hunter to the perimeter right now!”

The moment the command left his lips, the hunters beside him didn’t waste a heartbeat.

Two of them turned on their heels, blurring back into the building to relay the authorization to the control room and broadcast the override to the city’s defense grid.

A suffocating silence hung over the plaza for a few long seconds. The only sound was the terrifying hum vibrating from the sky.

Then, the system caught up.

Waaaaaaail—!

Deafening, high-pitched mechanical sirens finally cut through the air, blaring from the rooftops and echoing across the entire metropolis.

Hummm—!

From the city’s outer edges, the massive, translucent blue pillars of the central defense system flared to life, struggling to rise and form a defensive dome against the fractured sky.

Below, the streets instantly erupted into a frenzy. Car horns blared, people screamed, and civilian vehicles scrambled toward the designated underground shelters.

“Let’s move out!” the highest-ranking combatant on the plaza barked. With a resonant rumble of gathering energy, he leaped into the air and launched himself toward the sky.

The remaining figures followed instantly, taking flight alongside him and breaking the sound barrier as they streaked across the horizon like meteors. They headed straight toward the coordinates of the fracture to establish a perimeter before the gate fully stabilized.

President Craig remained behind, his gaze locked onto the widening crack. The crimson-and-black energy was pulsing violently now, overriding the sunlight with a sinister, bloody glow.

’Wait!’

Suddenly, his chest tightened as a chilling realization struck him.

He looked away from the sky, his eyes tracking the tilt of the massive fracture. The roots of the bleeding mana spike weren’t spreading evenly; they were stretching out directly over the southern residential district.

The exact area where Soren’s apartment was located!

“Damn it!”

Craig gritted his teeth, pulling his phone back out as the wind picked up, howling with the scent of ozone and burning mana.

“Veyra!” he shouted into the receiver the second the line connected. “Forget about watching from afar! Tell those two to break into Soren’s residence and pull them out right now and retreat! The gate is opening right above them!”

Before she could even respond, he pressed another button on his device, switching to the emergency command channel.

“Get me connected to the neighboring cities immediately,” He commanded, his voice echoing with absolute authority. “Tell them a Seventh Circle Gate has appeared. We need backup, and we need it now. Request every available high-ranking hunter they can spare!”

“Understood! We are on it!”

“Good, contact me if anything comes up.”

He hung up and glared at the sky again, his jaw clenched tight as he cursed under his breath.

“Just what in the world is happening?”

Then, Soren’s parting words flashed through his mind, causing him to squint in deep doubt.

’My wife is in danger.’

“…”

Could it be… this catastrophic event was somehow connected to her?

His mind raced as he considered the terrifying implications. He already knew who she was, her true identity and background, and that knowledge only made him feel that he wasn’t that far off in his guess. The timing was simply too precise to be a mere coincidence.

He then recalled the incident where she had almost died, the sheer chaos surrounding it, and he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

“Damn. Is she cursed or what?”

───────

A few minutes earlier.

Soren sprinted through the halls of the bureau, his footsteps echoing rapidly against the floor. As he rounded a sharp corner just a few meters from the main exit, he collided heavily with someone.

“Hey! Watch where you are g—”

The man cut himself off as Soren glanced up. It was none other than Drake, the arrogant hunter he had bumped into earlier this morning.

“Sorry,” Soren said briefly, giving a quick nod before immediately storming off again, disappearing through the exit doors in a flash.

“!” Drake stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, entirely dumbfounded. He swallowed hard, the image of Soren’s parting expression flashing vividly through his mind. Those cold eyes left a lingering chill that made him shiver subconsciously.

He stared blankly at the empty doorway for several long seconds before his mind finally caught up with his bruised ego, and his face flushed red with frustration and irritation. Clenching his fists, he cursed under his breath, thoroughly pissed off that he had just let a mere rookie intimidate him.

“Damn it! I-”

However, just as he was about to storm after him, his phone rang loudly in his pocket. He pulled it out, and his anger instantly vanished when he saw the caller ID on the screen: Cousin Veyra.

He quickly pressed the answer button, but before he could even utter a greeting, Veyra’s voice cut through the line.

“Drake, I have an urgent mission for you.”

Drake frowned, his irritation flaring right back up to the surface. “Listen, Veyra, I don’t work for the bure—”

“Listen to me,” Veyra interrupted, her sharp tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. “This is an opportunity for you to clean up your mess from this morning. The President was not pleased with your little stunt, and this is the only way you get back in his good graces.”

Drake choked back his reply, his jaw clenching as he weighed his options. The threat of the President’s permanent displeasure was enough to sober him up instantly.

“…Urgh, alright,” he grumbled, giving a reluctant nod after a heavy moment of silence. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

Veyra quickly laid out the details over the line. As Drake stood there listening to the objectives, his eyes slowly widened, and the irritation on his face drained away.

The moment she finished speaking, the phone slipped slightly in his grip, and a single, breathless curse escaped his mouth.

“F*ck.”

“Hey! Watch your language!”

Drake ignored her nagging as the pieces clicked together in his mind. He finally understood why the guy had looked so terrifyingly intense just a few minutes prior. It seemed like something bad had happened to his family, and the rookie was already moving to handle it.

“The other hunter should be on your way already,” Veyra added, her voice dropping into a stern, unforgiving register. “And I warn you, Drake, don’t mess this up.”

“Urgh, alright, fine,” he muttered.

He hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket, staring out toward the exit doors. A heavy scowl twisted his features as he started moving forward, utterly annoyed by the situation he had just been dragged into.

“I really hate this sh*t.”