Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye

Imperial Capital — Morning Star Headquarters.

At this moment, Logan, the highest-ranking leader of Morning Star, sat in his office, frowning as he studied the document in his hands.

The document contained the latest intelligence gathered by Morning Star’s operatives.

According to the report, although the monster horde was still in the buildup phase, the level of chaotic energy it carried was utterly unprecedented.

There were even areas in the outskirts of the Imperial Capital that had already begun to warp and distort under the influence of that chaotic force.

That could only mean one thing: the destruction that this upcoming monster horde would bring would far surpass anything they had ever encountered before.

After a long moment of silent contemplation, Logan made a decision—he called for the two people he trusted most.

Naturally, those two were Zovland and Drumph.

The two arrived outside Logan’s office at almost the same time.

Though they had worked together not long ago during the Lakeside City incident, it didn’t mean their relationship had improved.

They simply exchanged cold, emotionless glances—nothing more.

“If you’re both here, get in already,” Logan’s voice came from inside the office.

Without a word, the two pushed open the door and entered.

Logan looked at them with a deeply troubled expression.

“This is the latest intel I’ve received,” he said grimly. “We were wrong in our previous assessment. The true power of this monster horde far exceeds what we had originally projected.”

Both Zovland and Drumph were visibly shocked as they heard this.

They quickly took the document and began flipping through it with urgency.

“This is impossible!” Zovland burst out. “How can the monster horde be this powerful?! Didn’t we already weaken the chaotic energy through our earlier operations?”

He was clearly shaken and unwilling to accept the harsh truth now laid bare before him.

Drumph, though equally stunned, managed to remain calm.

The document was undoubtedly authentic—Logan wouldn’t be treating it so seriously otherwise.

Now, for Morning Star, for the Imperial Capital, and for the entire Human Federation, there was only one thing that mattered:

They had to find a way to respond to the threat posed by this terrifying new wave of the monster horde—

And fast.

Although his thoughts were clear, Logan simply couldn’t come up with a viable strategy to deal with the monster horde.

The sheer magnitude of this wave had already surpassed the limits of his imagination.

Five minutes passed before Logan finally spoke, his voice low and deliberate.

“If you have any ideas, now’s the time to speak up. But let me be perfectly clear—this report is absolutely authentic. So if anyone here is planning to say the intel is fake, then you’d better keep your mouth shut.”

His warning effectively shut down whatever argument Zovland had been preparing.

His face flushed red with frustration, the words caught in his throat.

Seeing the color rising in Zovland’s face, Logan understood immediately—he wouldn’t be getting anything useful from him.

So he turned directly to Drumph.

“What about you? Any thoughts?”

Drumph had no choice but to respond, even as he braced himself.

“To be honest, I don’t think we can successfully fend off this wave of the monster horde. The Imperial Capital is one of the few cities in the entire federation with proper fortifications—and I doubt even it can withstand this kind of onslaught. Let alone the others.”

“So what are you saying? That we should just wait to die?” Logan’s tone turned ice cold.

“Of course not,” Drumph replied quickly, realizing how that had sounded.

“What I mean is… perhaps we need to abandon the major cities. We did build a number of shelters for this kind of scenario. There’s a chance those might be able to survive the monster horde’s attack.”

“But those shelters can’t possibly hold everyone,” Zovland said, unusually restrained.

“If we abandon the cities, that would mean millions—maybe tens of millions—will die.”

For once, Zovland didn’t take the opportunity to attack Drumph.

Instead, he simply and solemnly acknowledged the consequences of such a move.

Logan and Drumph remained silent.

They both clearly understood the weight of the decision they were now faced with.

But the truth was—they had no better options.

After a long, heavy silence, Logan finally spoke again, his voice hoarse.

“I’ll speak with the federation’s upper council immediately. In the meantime, I want both of you to begin preparations assuming every city will fall to the monster horde.”

Zovland and Drumph exchanged glances.

They still had things they wanted to say—but Logan didn’t give them the chance.

With a firm wave, he dismissed them.

Standing outside Logan’s office, Zovland finally exhaled and muttered quietly,

“Countless people are going to die… This crisis might be even worse than when the monsters first descended upon us.”

Drumph nodded. “You’re right—but we don’t really have any other options. All we can do now is follow orders from above.”

The scheming between the two men ceased.

After all, the situation had grown so dire that even they could feel the weight of impending catastrophe looming overhead.

Without further delay, both of them issued urgent commands to their subordinates to begin preparations.

However, they also—without discussing it—chose to withhold the real reason behind those preparations.

The terrifying truth—that this wave of the monster horde was strong enough to destroy every human city—was known only to a very small inner circle. The vast majority remained in the dark.

Shelter 102.

Once Luca had finished preparing, he immediately went to find Donlow.

At that moment, Donlow was still getting ready.

She hadn’t packed many weapons—because in her mind, this trip to the Imperial Capital wouldn’t involve any combat for her.

She was simply sorting through her personal belongings.

“You’re still not finished?” Luca asked, a trace of impatience in his voice. “Fuzzsir just sent me a message. He’s already spoken to Drumph. We can depart for the Imperial Capital at any time now.”

He was clearly a little annoyed by her slow pace.

“No need to rush!” Donlow replied cheerfully. “The aircraft to the Imperial Capital still needs about fifteen minutes to get prepped. You could take a break while we wait… or, if you’re bored, I’d be happy to keep you company and chat.”

She was in an unusually good mood.

After everything that had happened, she felt that Luca was finally starting to pay attention to her—starting to see her.

Among the personal items she was packing was a formal dress, one she had specifically prepared for strolling with Luca through the shopping streets of the Imperial Capital.

Luca, of course, had no idea about any of this.

He did feel a bit anxious—but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

Yes, there were still countless problems he had to solve, but at least for now, he wasn’t facing any immediate threats.

That was when Sophia’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

“I sense a fluctuation in chaotic energy. Don’t you feel it?”

Her warning snapped Luca out of his thoughts.

That was it—the anxiety he’d been feeling all along was the result of that fluctuation in chaotic energy!

“If you hadn’t reminded me, I would’ve completely missed it,” Luca quickly responded.

“Why do you think there’s a fluctuation in the chaotic energy? Could it be related to this sudden, overwhelmingly powerful wave of the monster horde?”

Sophia pressed him with urgency.

“That’s a very reasonable assumption,” Luca replied, “but we can’t be certain just yet. Regardless of how the chaotic energy is behaving, our next move shouldn’t change. We must seize control of the Origin Holy Grail as quickly as possible.”

To Luca, there was no point in overanalyzing.

Even if chaotic energy was fluctuating—so what?

Unless those fluctuations posed a direct and immediate threat, altering their plan would only waste time and open them to greater danger.

“You’re right,” Sophia agreed. “You focus all your attention on taking control of the Origin Holy Grail. I’ll keep watch over the chaotic energy. If anything changes, I’ll alert you immediately.”

Their roles were quickly divided.

Having worked together for so long, the two operated in perfect sync.

Just then, Donlow finally finished packing.

“The aircraft should be ready by now. Let’s head to the airfield! Fuzzsir will be flying with us back to the Imperial Capital too,” she said with a bright smile, grabbing Luca’s arm as they set off.

At the shelter’s airstrip, Fuzzsir was already aboard the plane, waiting.

When he saw the two of them approaching, he waved eagerly and shouted,

“The plane’s ready for takeoff—hurry up! Time is extremely precious right now!”

With his urging, Donlow and Luca boarded quickly.

Before they had even buckled in, the plane lifted off.

“Was it really necessary to rush like this?” Donlow complained, still catching her balance. “Is the monster horde attacking the Imperial Capital right now?”

She had nearly stumbled as the aircraft launched.

Without turning around, Fuzzsir replied calmly,

“The monster horde hasn’t reached the Imperial Capital yet—but things are already spiraling into chaos at headquarters. I need to get back ASAP to assist the others.”

As he spoke, he continued tapping away at his communicator, relaying and receiving messages from other Morning Star members.

Luca, watching him intently, asked,

“If Morning Star has this much on its plate… does that mean the sealed zones we previously locked down are currently unguarded?”

The moment Luca asked the question, both Fuzzsir and Donlow’s faces went pale.

They instantly understood what he was implying.

Fuzzsir quickly responded—an edge of alarm in his voice.

“I’ll reach out to the Morning Star members stationed in the Imperial Capital right away!”

Fuzzsir replied quickly, his voice laced with tension.

“I doubt they would’ve pulled everyone from around the sealed zone… right?”

“You’d better check immediately,” Luca said calmly.

“If they really did withdraw all the personnel guarding that area, then the moment we arrive in the Imperial Capital, we’ll have no choice but to head straight for the sealed zone.”

His tone was composed, but there was a sharp clarity behind his words.

Truthfully, he had already anticipated this exact possibility.

After all, the threat of the monster horde was urgent and immediate, while the sealed zone—up until now—had shown no signs of instability. It wasn’t unreasonable for the leadership to assume it could be left unattended for a while.

A few minutes later, Fuzzsir spoke again, his voice heavy with reluctance.

“They did, in fact, withdraw all personnel from the perimeter of the sealed zone… But according to headquarters, the seal itself remains fully intact. They insist that the chaotic energy beneath it won’t be able to break through.”

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