Lola’s chuckles echoed in the main square, making everyone listening to it stay rooted in their places. Some individuals knew they had to make a run for it. After all, this was obviously going to lead to something ugly. Really ugly.
But alas, none of them moved.
Rather, the majority was stuck looking at the screen that was displaying one letter: [L]. A single letter, a signature, that seemed to beat like a heart so silently.
"Governor," the young lackey standing behind the governor stepped forward, panic etched across his youthful face. "I think you have to leave now. It’s dangerous here."
But the governor stood still, hands on the railing, eyes sweeping among the crowd below. Since the only source of light they had right now was the screen, it was hard to see clearly.
"Governor!" The young lackey’s panic rose, but the governor’s face simply hardened.
Normally, he would’ve gone by now.
After all, the governor’s plan was simple. To make this show as entertaining as possible, to let everyone know who the law was, and most importantly, to draw out those who came for his head.
He was here as bait, knowing the rats Haji had brought here would be where he was.
Once they showed themselves, he would leave.
But Himari had touched a nerve she shouldn’t have. She had called him a coward, and her words struck his very much inflated ego.
"Coward?" he scoffed. "Once I make them beg me for their lives, I will show you what real cowardice is."
Hearing that, the young lackey whimpered and turned to Jarvis. Since the lights went out, Jarvis was the first to react. He quickly moved to the balcony, eyes sweeping over the sea of people below, before contacting the men they had planted on the ground.
"What’s going on?" Jarvis asked. "The lights in the square are off. Put them back on."
"Sir, we’re trying—" one voice came through his earpiece, clearly distressed. "But somehow, we’ve lost connection to our system. I’ve already sent the issue to the other team—"
Before the man reporting could finish, another voice cut in.
"Sir, the power outage isn’t just in the main square!" the second man reported, making Jarvis lift his eyes.
He gazed as far as he could, only to realize that the darkness stretched as far as his eyes could reach. It wasn’t just the main square that had lost electric power. His eyes narrowed, and at the furthest point he could see, dark smoke was ascending into the sky in multiple directions.
He knew other towns were under attack and that battles had broken out, but those places were far from the main city. Hence, they weren’t the main priority, as he had to maintain control of the capital first before addressing the smaller towns.
Clearing his mind, he snapped his gaze to the screen that was still working, along with the speakers that were now playing a slow, beating heart sound.
"How could those still work when the entire city has a power outage?"
The answer came too quickly as another voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Sir, the two main power plants are under attack! Only the central power plant has yet to be hit!"
Jarvis’s breath hitched as he instinctively whipped his head toward the crowd, eyes wide.
"Who?" he asked under his breath.
"We haven’t figured out who’s behind the attacks yet, but I’ve already sent men as reinforcement!"
Jarvis’s jaw clenched, eyes flickering with malice. A vein pulsed in his forehead.
"Surely, she’s the most troublesome of all," he hissed, bitterness swelling in his chest.
Between Lola and Haji, Jarvis would have preferred to capture Lola first instead of Haji. Although Haji would surely be a headache, he was easier to deal with. Why? Because Haji was good at fighting, had excellent marksmanship, and in life-or-death situations, he often emerged victorious.
But Lola, as a fighter, she was just as capable. But there was something she was better at than merely winning a battle.
That was winning a war.
"Check the situation at the power plants and shoot anyone you deem an enemy," Jarvis ordered under his breath, confident the men sent there would be enough to handle whoever was behind the attacks.
After all, Jarvis was certain that Lola and her main squad—wherever she had gathered them from—were already here.
He pressed his earpiece again, connecting to everyone stationed in the main square.
"Tighten security in the main square. Move quietly," he ordered. "They’re here, and it’s better we isolate them. Prepare for battle."
He drew a deep breath before adding, "And if you sight her... shoot her."
"Yes, sir," came the responses, and with that, the mercenaries in the main square began moving quietly among the crowd.
Some were in uniform, others disguised as civilians with weapons hidden beneath their clothing. They had photos of Lola—taken during her last visit—and her face was known to every mercenary trained under the governor. They knew exactly who they were looking for.
The mercenaries began searching the crowd, checking every woman as discreetly as possible. Even with the lights out, the darkness worked to their advantage.
Then, the brief silence was broken by the sound of lights clicking on throughout the square. In an instant, everyone snapped their eyes toward where the spotlights were pointing. There, they found themselves staring up at the balcony where the governor stood.
Gehran shielded his eyes with his plump arms.
"Oh?" came Lola’s chuckling voice. "You haven’t fled?"
Gehran gritted his teeth and lowered his arm, leaning closer to the railing.
"You thief!" he roared. "You actually dare come back?!"
"Thief?" Lola hummed. "I stole nothing, Your Excellency. Stealing is different from... sharing. I merely made you share something you had—and something I needed."
The coolness and mockery lacing her voice made his face flush red. "You..." His voice came out jagged. "Where are you?!" he barked. "Why don’t you show yourself?!"
"Not so fast, Gehran," Lola smirked. "Let’s continue the show you started. Don’t worry—I prepared a dance number to add to your amusement, but that’s for later."
"For now... how about I start by giving out some invitations?"
As soon as those words left her mouth, papers began flying from the rooftops of nearby buildings, making it look as though it were raining documents.
Confusion was evident on everyone’s faces as Jarvis extended a hand over the railing to catch one. Despite the darkness, the massive screen provided enough light to read it.
"This is..." The young lackey furrowed his brows, only for the governor to snatch the paper from him.
Gehran glanced at it, his expression darkening. "It’s this... stupid résumé again."
Yes, the papers falling throughout the square were résumés. Atlas’s résumé. But this time, it wasn’t the same as the one Gehran had received before. Only half the page was printed, bearing Atlas’s face, name, and some basic information.
The other half of the page?
It was blank, save for a large message printed boldly in the center:
[Vote To Unlock Full Potential]