The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

No matter how much worry Irving's companions felt, they knew they had to accompany him to Shadow City. All the evidence pointed towards that location. If they didn't go to Shadow City, there would be no way to rescue Vicky. Ultimately, Sophia chose to remain silent. She understood that what was about to happen might far exceed her imagination. Nevertheless, she had to trust Irving.

As Irving and his companions made their way to Shadow City, Elder Howard learned that all of his traps had been dismantled. However, for Howard, this wasn't necessarily a dire situation. The traps were merely a means to hinder Irving's movements.

"It seems Irving is still as powerful as before. I cannot underestimate him! I must prepare for everything!" Elder Howard paced back and forth in front of his trusted subordinates. He appeared to be contemplating his next course of action. However, his subordinates were well aware that Howard was someone who preferred to have all plans meticulously laid out in advance.

His current tension and hesitation were likely just for show.

Before long, Howard came to a halt. He turned directly to his subordinates. "I have long prepared a plan to deal with Irving, and this time, it is absolutely foolproof. All you need to do is execute my plan. I hope that during the course of this operation, none of you make any mistakes. This mission is critical for us.

If any of you slip up, don't blame me for meting out severe punishment after the operation is over! You should know very well that I am not trying to scare you!"

Elder Howard had already devised his plan. His earlier hesitation was merely a momentary thought to modify it. In the end, he decided against making any changes, believing that his original plan was sufficient to defeat Irving. At this moment, Howard was brimming with confidence. Everything was unfolding according to his previous assumptions.

Howard's subordinates sprang into action immediately. Some were assigned to maintain the traps on the outskirts of Shadow City, while others were tasked with initiating the powerful ritual that Howard had been preparing for a long time within the city itself.

Howard did not place all his hopes on the Werewolf God alone. In fact, he had also prepared formidable ritual spells. As long as the ritual could be successfully conducted, Howard would gain unimaginable dark power within Shadow City. At that point, he would possess the ability to confront Irving head-on.

As Howard's subordinates set their plans into motion, he made his way deeper into Shadow City. He needed to ascertain the current state of the Werewolf God. Although the Werewolf God had previously assured him that he could pose a significant threat to Irving, Howard was not one to fully trust anyone blindly.

When Howard reappeared before the Werewolf God, he noticed a significant change in the creature's form. The Werewolf God, once a blood-red wolf head, had now transformed into a dark red werewolf. Read the latest on m_v-l'e|-NovelBin.net

"It seems your power has grown stronger than before. Previously, I could only see a wolf's head; now I see a complete werewolf," Howard remarked with a smile directed at the Werewolf God.

The dark red werewolf seemed to regard Howard, but it offered no response. At that moment, Howard felt a fluctuation of power around him.

"Am I mistaken? Or have you lost your sanity and decided not to cooperate with me any longer?" Howard inquired, his tone devoid of any fear. In his view, he was more than capable of standing against anyone in Shadow City.

"I will certainly continue to cooperate with you! However, I must say your performance has been quite poor! The traps you set up were utterly useless!" the Werewolf God's voice echoed, sounding markedly different from before.

Previously, his voice resembled a mix of Elder Lawrence's and the werewolf leader's, but now it had taken on an ethereal quality, likely representing the Werewolf God's true voice.

Upon hearing the Werewolf God's complaint, Howard responded with a smile. "Those traps were never meant to be effective. I didn't expect you to rely on them! They were merely tools to delay Irving's movements. The real way to secure victory is to defeat him decisively within Shadow City. Don't tell me you lack confidence?"

The Werewolf God was taken aback by Howard's counter-question. "Of course, I have enough confidence! I just hope you don't hinder my efforts!"

Howard chuckled lightly at this remark. "I assure you, I will not hold you back. I am very confident in this operation. I expect you to follow through with our agreed-upon plan."

With that, Howard turned and left. The Werewolf God watched him depart, lost in thought. He felt that Howard's confidence was a bit excessive, and he couldn't quite comprehend why the elder was so sure of himself.

In fact, Elder Howard's confidence stemmed entirely from the powerful assistance he had received from the Night Blades. The leader of the Night Blades had entrusted Howard with two exceptionally potent weapons to ensure the success of his plan.

At that moment, these two weapons were located at the very center of Shadow City. The ritual spells that Howard had arranged in Shadow City were centered around these two weapons. As long as they could be successfully activated, Howard would possess unprecedented power.

Regardless of the Werewolf God's and Howard's individual thoughts, they both prepared to confront Irving. At that moment, Irving, along with his companions, arrived at the outskirts of Shadow City. The return to Shadow City cast an uneasy expression on the faces of Irving, Wendy, and Benjamin.

"Let's hope our luck is better this time," Wendy said, her voice tinged with hesitation.

Irving simply nodded. After surveying the surroundings, he decided to press on. "We should continue forward! I've noticed that there are no enemies in sight! If I'm not mistaken, Elder Howard must be waiting for us at the very center of Shadow City."

Benjamin wholeheartedly agreed with Irving's assessment. Although Wendy was reluctant to head directly to the heart of Shadow City, she had no reason to stop Irving. Ultimately, only Sophia voiced her dissent.

"I think we shouldn't be in such a hurry! We need to scout the area around Shadow City first. What if there are ambushes nearby?" Sophia's words surprised everyone.

Benjamin felt that Sophia was being overly cautious. Couldn't she just follow Irving's lead? Wendy, while supporting Sophia's perspective, would never openly back her. Moreover, Wendy saw the argument between Sophia and Irving as beneficial to herself.

Irving turned around and spoke patiently. "There are definitely some ambushes around Shadow City. However, we can't afford to stop and scout the area, as that would severely hinder our pace. And even if we do scout the area, what would that achieve? Are we supposed to eliminate all the enemies first? Our objective this time is to rescue Vicky.

As long as we can save her, the rest is secondary. If the members of the Night Blades don't pose a threat to us, then there's no need for us to seek them out."

Irving's reasoning was clear and straightforward.

He believed that in the face of a crisis, one must maintain a calm mindset and a clear objective. After hearing this, Sophia shook her head.

"We do need to rescue Vicky, but at the same time, we must weaken the Night Blades' power! We have to prepare for the possibility that Vicky might side with the Night Blades."

As soon as Sophia finished speaking, Benjamin shot back, "What do you mean by that? Do you think Miss Vicky has already joined the Night Blades?"

"I'm not saying that," Sophia replied. "I'm just saying we need to be prepared for that possibility! You don't need to argue against me directly because you should know that such a scenario could arise."

Sophia and Benjamin were on the verge of a direct confrontation. Sophia's words had indeed angered Benjamin, but there was some truth to what she was saying. Finally, a hint of anger appeared on Benjamin's typically calm face.

"If that situation arises, it's because you're slowing us down. If we could get to the president faster, she would be able to break free from the deep hypnosis."

Benjamin said this in anger. Sophia remained unfazed, simply responding coolly, "Without me, you wouldn't be able to operate the device to break the hypnosis. So your hypothetical scenario is impossible. I think we should be more cautious! Therefore, I will not continue forward!"

Sophia's declaration made everyone present feel uncomfortable. Wendy even interjected, "I actually think your reasoning has some merit, but given the current situation, we should follow Irving's lead. Since Irving has already made a decision, we shouldn't entertain any other ideas."

Although Wendy's words sounded harsh, they were indeed quite reasonable. In the course of action, if everyone insisted on their own opinions, the entire team would fall apart. Therefore, during the operation, it was essential for everyone to follow the commands of the strongest member.