BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 991: A turning point

Van Dyke quickly focused on the task at hand, checking his phone for the message Erik had previously sent him.

The message said that Richard was heading to the tunnel, and Van Dyke had already dispatched a trusted team to ensure his safe passage, but it said nothing about Volkov.

Erik went far beyond just saving Richard. He killed Volkov, and that was essentially a turning point in the overall situation. The broadcast also did a lot.

<Volkov died.I can't believe this...> Van Dyke and Fischer didn't think Volkov would have been at the prison, there were a lot of plans on how to kill the tyrant, but all of them were redundant anymore since Erik took care of him.

Though, Van Dyke couldn't help but wonder why the man was there. Did he get orders to head there in case Erik appeared?

Regardless, the man who oppressed them, made their lives miserable, and committed atrocities was finally gone.

Van Dyke felt relief, but it was soon overtaken by the realization that there was still much to do. The battle near the northern gate wasn't done yet. If anything, it only became much more brutal.

"Alright, listen up!" Van Dyke said to those within the room.

"Volkov is dead. Erik confirmed it. But we can't celebrate just yet. The blackguards are still out there, and they will not get out of the nation unless we make them do."

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"We must focus our efforts on expelling them from the city now. Erik's Chimaeric Demons have been incredible until now, but they can't do everything alone. There will be a time when Erik's clones will be everywhere, and at least for some time, we will be protected. But this time is not now. They are still not enough to kick the blackguards out of Frant, and we need every able body to stand up and fight. We push them back, street by street, block by block, until they're gone."

Fischer stepped forward. "We need Becker. He will be able to do this and lay the preparation for the Chimaeric Demons todo their job."

Van Dyke nodded at his own words. For the others, he was saying to them to cheer them up, but in truth, it was to win the uneasiness he was feeling.

"Erik says Becker is safe. With Volkov gone, he will for sure return. But until that point, it will fall on us the duty to secure New Alexandria and deal with the blackguards here. This is our chance; we must use the momentum we gained."

Van Dyke's thoughts drifted to the citizens. Volkov's propaganda convinced many that Becker was guilty of what Volkov accused him of. The fake evidence was also something to consider.

What Van Dyke was thinking was that maybe the citizens would not be so eager to let Becker in again.

However, the tide has been turning for a while now, thanks to Erik's presence.

People were beginning to see through Volkov's lies. Of course, the many crazy things he did and demanded of the citizens helped. In a sense, it was Volkov himself who made this situation possible.

"We must talk to the citizens," Van Dyke said. "Show them the reality. We must make them understand that Becker's accusations were false. We need every abled body, but this means involving them. After today, my friends, it's clear we lost a lot of good people. We are not enough right now, and Erik's clones can't be everywhere at the same time."

The man paused.

"Things won't be this easy," Captain Lain said. "People are stupid most of the time. Nothing guarantees us they will see the truth."

Van Dyke breathed deeply. "Some will. Some won't. But many must be waking up to the truth. How would they justify what Volkov did?"

The rebels nodded assent, some of them at least. However, what Lain said was not wrong.

Despite this, despite the uncertainty, there was a renewed sense of purpose in the room. Erik's actions gave them something that could push the citizens to act. His actions made it really possible for them to win against the blackguards.

What was sad was that Volkov's death was needed to make the flame of rebellion really start.

That rebellion had nothing to do with Volkov. It was all about taking down the blackguards. And honestly, people were probably hesitant to support the rebels because they had been brainwashed into thinking the bad guys were actually good.

Fear also played an important role in all of this. The blackguards were the blackguards; they were strong, insanely talented, and, more often than not, had monstrous brain crystal powers and mana.

But something caught Van Dyke's attention and he turned to look at a window.

He was totally caught off guard when he saw a news channel's flying car cruising through the city.

Its bold "News Channel 5" logo stood out against the smoke-filled sky.

Volkov prevented many news channels from operating, meaning that what the news channel did was defy a dictatorial order.

That also meant that the news channel believed and reasonably verified that what Erik Romano did was not indeed false.

It also meant that Erik's message had reached the masses.

Van Dyke wasted no time and snatched up a remote, flipping on the room's massive screen. Jessica Harlow totally owned the screen as an anchorwoman, her voice blaring on the TV. "Live from New Alexandria, where the unthinkable happened moments ago. General Sinisa Volkov died. Erik Romano, Frant's only awakener, broadcasted Volkov's severed head on each screen in the city. How he did that, we don't know yet, but we from News Channel 5 verified that was indeed Volkov's head. "

A chilling video replay of Erik's daring act was played. Van Dyke watched in shock.

"We are now receiving reports that the citizens' are mobilizing throughout the city. They are rushing through the streets and attacking not only the city's soldiers but even the blackguards."

The camera operator moved it to show what was happening below. Indeed, the citizens were fighting against blackguards and soldiers alike.

There was one simple difference between them. The citizens were much more than them. Even the blackguards, exactly like Erik and the Chimaeric Demons, had limits. They couldn't fight against so many people.

"We have also received unconfirmed reports that General Becker, the former head of the military, was falsely accused of treason by Volkov. If this ends up being true, it would mean all that happened was a ploy staged by Volkov, and if I may add a thought, from the blackguards themselves. We can't verify this information as of yet."

Van Dyke leaned closer to the screen. It was clear who gave this tip to News Channel 5. It was Erik. Van Dyke grinned.

"This is a crucial time for our nation. Let's only hope that it will bring us to a better time."

They aired live footage of rebels and Blackguard forces battling it out in various spots around the city. The reporter didn't utter a word.