CHAPTER 95: CHAPTER 26: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING! ANCIENT OMINOUS SIGN

The tram station was bustling with people.

Shawn hadn’t even approached when he heard the newsboy’s calls, with employees crowded around to buy newspapers nearby.

"Big news! Big news!"

"Del Region has suffered an unprecedented locust plague!... Experts predict a significant reduction in grain yield this year!..."

"Grain trade hit hard!... Food prices have been rising consecutively!..."

Locust plague?

Shawn’s expression changed, he quickly pushed through the crowd, and casually handed a 1-Dinar bill to the newsboy, not even waiting for change before stepping away. He spread open the newspaper in front of him and saw that the front-page headline indeed showed photos of the locust plague in Del Region, a vast plain teeming endlessly with locust swarms.

Something major has happened!

Ordinary people don’t know what protective forces lie behind Del Region, but Shawn is very aware that it is the base of natural orthodoxy, the territory of the Great Druids.

And yet, an unprecedented locust plague has broken out even with Great Druids stationed there?

The thought of the reasons behind this made Shawn break into a cold sweat.

"Sean?"

William’s voice rang out not far away, his leg seemed a bit lame, and upon unexpectedly spotting Shawn, he immediately shouted, "Head to the Wharf District! There’s been a massive riot looting happening there!..."

"There’s already a trampling accident happening..."

In the distant streets, police whistles were already sounding, and many officers could be seen heading toward the Wharf District.

Upon hearing this, Shawn immediately dropped the newspaper and ran up quickly, saying, "What happened?"

"Why has such a huge riot suddenly broken out?"

William’s leg injury wasn’t fully healed yet, and during this time, he was actually supposed to continue recuperating. In the battle with the Lady of the House, William had joined in the chase in a fervor, but unexpectedly, due to the aftermath of the explosion, he got one of his legs crushed by the collapsing rubble.

Thanks to Daisy protecting him nearby, otherwise, he might have been paralyzed for several months.

"The grain-carrying fleet from Del Region did not arrive on schedule, coupled with the fermentation of the newspaper news, citizens are all looting food."

William’s leg injury slightly affected his mobility, but luckily, being on the Warrior Path, his recovery ability is astonishing. Despite limping, he moves incredibly fast.

Thirty-five percent of grain, fifty percent of livestock meat in the Dorne Kingdom are imported from Del Region. A significant reason for the relatively high living standards of ordinary people in Dorne City is the cheap grain from Del Region, without which the cost of living in Dorne would sharply increase.

Wharf District.

Even before approaching, Shawn saw a heavily crowded mass of people, shops near the market were already looted clean, amidst the noisy voices were children’s cries, women’s shouts, elderly’s calls for help. William rushed in, forcefully pushing aside the flow of people on both sides, protecting a fallen little girl beneath him.

He’s a Transcendent on the Warrior Path, with strength far exceeding ordinary people, picking up the trampled little girl and handed her to the nearby Shawn.

"Evacuate the crowd immediately!"

By now, large numbers of officers had arrived nearby.

Shawn took the little girl; she still had weak breaths. Without time to think too much, he immediately carried her out, the Invisible Hand forcibly pushed away the nearby crowded people. After squeezing out, Shawn immediately handed the girl in his arms to an officer next to him, shouting, "Send to the hospital!"

From this position, the market area was packed like a can of sardines, at the corner the crowded mass showed an elderly’s arm, lying motionless, only lightly trembling when being trampled, life or death was unknown now.

— Group Mind Suggestion!

Just as the riot was further spreading, while everyone seemed a bit at loss, Shawn suddenly saw Ivan racing from afar, the psychologist from the Night Watch Headquarters, enveloped in an obscure deep-blue Spiritual Light. At the moment of raising his hand, a bizarre pale eyeball emerged in his palm.

A powerful mind wave erupted.

The originally rioting crowd gradually quieted down, people seemed to have shared a common thought at that moment, from the outermost area, the crowded flow was slowly evacuating.

Shawn also felt at this moment a mind consciousness injecting into his thoughts.

"Suggestion Technique!"

Unlike the last time Shawn got affected, this time he clearly felt his mind being invaded by some power.

However, the ordinary people nearby were completely oblivious, as if puppets subconsciously evacuating toward the junction where Ivan implanted the Mind Suggestion, allowing the police to finally send people in to maintain order.

Fifteen minutes later.

The crowd in the Wharf District had been mostly evacuated, with casualties being constantly carried out from the chaotic market area. The highest casualty zone was near the livestock area, where the sudden riot drove the animals mad, ten corpses had already been carried out, no one knew how many people died.

At the junction.

After settling the wounded, Shawn saw a pair of corpses being carried out, the mother had fallen and protected her son with her life, both trampled by the crowd, the little boy was just seven or eight years old, they seemed like small vendors near the market from their attire, all over was dirty bloody footprints, the little boy’s chest was already caved in.

"Damn it!"

"Why has such a huge riot suddenly broken out?" Shawn’s eyes were slightly red, a surge of inexplicable anger rose in his heart.

Even if there was looting, it shouldn’t have suddenly resulted in many deaths!

The majority of those who died in the stampede were the elderly, the weak, women, and children, particularly the young ones, while strong adult men had hardly any casualties.

This is not Earth; this is a different era.

Children of this era have to help their families with work. Even as young as six or seven, they would assist with tasks near the market area in the morning.

Shawn looked at the horrific bodies being carried out one by one and listened to the desperate cries of the crowd in the distance. The anger welling up in his heart transformed into a sharp intent to kill!

"What on earth happened?"

William’s eyes were bloodshot, burning with fiery rage. He grabbed the officer on duty in the market area, his hoarse voice roaring like a beast: "What are you all doing?!"

"Why wasn’t this reported in advance?"

The middle-aged officer, terrified by William’s beast-like glare, trembled all over and stammered, "I don’t know. Suddenly, a lot of people just flooded in."

"Before we could react, people were already looting food."

"Then everything went into chaos!"

As if reminded of something, the middle-aged officer hastily explained, "Someone fired a gun! ... I also heard gunshots! ..."

A stampede accident.

Near the market in the Wharf District, 83 people died, with several hundred estimated injured. The victims were mostly elderly, weak women, and children, with nearly half being children from impoverished families in the Old Town District. The youngest were only six or seven years old, and the oldest were just thirteen or fourteen, working every morning in the market area for a meager income.

What pained Shawn the most was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl bringing along a ten-year-old brother and an eight-year-old sister to do odd jobs near the market to support their family. When the rescue personnel eventually carried out the three children’s bodies, the gruesome sight made all nearby avert their gaze in sorrow.

"Damn it!"

"Who fired the gun?" William punched the wall heavily.

Shawn looked at a grief-stricken woman who had fainted nearby, took a deep breath to calm himself, and silently removed his Confusion.

This was no ordinary chaos.

He didn’t believe it was accidental!

As soon as William saw Shawn remove his Confusion, he immediately stood up and followed, his bloodshot eyes showing his determination. He withdrew his service pistol and disabled the safety, limping after him.

"Did you discover something?" William’s voice was hoarse.

Shawn shook his head slightly, signaling him to stay quiet, then walked into the devastated market area. Bloodstains were everywhere on the ground, and a few dead poultry lay in the distance, seemingly trampled to death in the chaos.

In his Spiritual Vision, Shawn saw no trace of anything unusual.

Nothing strange was left here, only a faint sorrow from the deaths.

"Inspiration!"

"Where’s my Flash of Inspiration?"

After walking through the entire market area, Shawn’s expression carried a suppressed anger. He couldn’t help but roar inwardly, causing the mysterious Knowledge in his brain to shiver and retreat into the regions of gray matter.

Everything that happened here was undoubtedly abnormal!

Even though he found no leads, Shawn’s intuition told him there had to be a mastermind behind this.

"Damn it!"

"Give me a Flash of Inspiration!"

Shawn closed his eyes, shutting off all five senses, pursuing only the most primal Spirituality. A gray fog seemed to loom before his eyes, and as he pushed his Spirituality and intent to the limit.

Suddenly!

Shawn pierced through the fog and caught a fleeting, almost hallucinatory scene.

A man.

A man dressed like a merchant, wearing a gray robe reminiscent of somewhere else, stood before the crowd frantically buying food, almost turning into a frenzy. His lips curled into a mocking smile as he gently raised his hand and pointed.

——Fear Technique!

The crowd reacted like boiling water doused with hot oil. Even the livestock area saw crazed mules and horses snap their reins, charging wildly into the masses. The panic-stricken crowd began to flee, triggering a chain reaction, and the entire market area exploded into chaos.

Buzz.

The scene of Flash of Inspiration ended, and Shawn opened his eyes, breathing heavily. He heard whispers of Knowledge.

"Call for reinforcements!"

Shawn pulled out his service pistol, his eyes filled with murderous intent, his voice slightly hoarse: "Notify other Night Watchers nearby."

"I’ve found the culprit."

.........