248: Chapter 245 Preparing for a Global Live Broadcast, Showcasing Extraordinary Strength

Toby knew that within human society, there was a standard for determining one's status.

The extent of one's wealth, the level of one's appearance, whether one possessed special abilities that others lacked, and so on.

The standards were somewhat vague, but one thing was clear: if Mr. Solon, who controlled the Mountain Rock Giant, were placed among humans, he would definitely count as a "Big Shot."

In Toby's impression, "Big Shots" seemed to care a great deal about their reputation; at the very least, they wouldn't break their word unless it was necessary.

However, Mr. Solon, who had declared he would arrive at midnight, had arrived at 11:45 instead.

This not only stunned Toby but also put the residents and Guards still lingering in the city in mortal danger.

Including himself, of course.

At this moment, Toby was still looking up, gazing outside the city.

Its vast body was obscured by the mountains outside the city; perhaps because it was too tall, it had to stoop to see the low-lying city clearly.

From the perspective inside the city, the moon was blocked by an even denser shadow, and only jumping, ghostly blue flames could be seen.

Although Toby and the other two were helping to maintain order, the city was still in chaos compared to normal days.

Naturally, no one else had noticed the anomaly in the sky.

"Why..." Toby's face turned pale as he muttered in a low voice, "Why are there no footsteps? Even though its body is so large..."

"What's wrong with you?" Leon vaguely heard him speaking but couldn't make out what he was saying, so he subconsciously walked closer.

He lowered his head woodenly: "It has arrived."

"Who?"

Stunned for a few seconds, Leon realized something and, together with Misha, slowly looked toward the sky.

A wordless silence followed, lasting a long time.

Finally, he forced a stiff smile: "Perhaps... look, after spending two days together, we can see the Mountain Rock Giant is quite friendly, and Mr. Solon hasn't made things difficult for us. Let's pretend we don't know he's here and sneak away..."

"Humble mortals, despair."

The flippant tone not only shattered Leon's fantasy but also signaled the death of everyone present.

The Mountain Rock Giant seemed to receive an order; it moved its legs slightly, causing the mountains in front of it to crumble. The flying debris, like a torrential downpour, cascaded onto the only road leading from the city to the interior.

This downpour of stones extinguished the chaos throughout the entire city.

Drivers subconsciously slammed on the brakes of their speeding cars, and pedestrians running along the roadside froze. Facing such terror, rigidity and dullness seemed to be instincts engraved deep within the human body.

They stared up blankly.

In the night sky, there was a patch of even darker space; the shadow curled into a ball and then rapidly expanded.

"Boom—"

...

"Was that an earthquake?"

The Queen, who had just crawled into bed after a tiring day, was awakened by the slight tremor. She propped herself up and turned on the lamp on the bedside table.

A dim, yellowish glow filled the bedroom, and she called out softly: "Li."

Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

The Queen frowned. Usually, no matter when she called for him, he would appear immediately. Why was it different this time...

Feeling puzzled, she said, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Li, dressed in a tailcoat, approached the bedside with swift yet elegant steps.

"Your Majesty, the Guards sent to the East Coast on a mission have transmitted intelligence back."

"Have all the citizens been evacuated?"

Li did not respond, holding out an envelope with both hands.

She took it and squeezed it; it wasn't thick. She applied slight pressure with her right hand to the sides of the envelope, and through the gap in the opening, she could see what was inside: a photograph, just one.

She pulled it out curiously and brought it close to the bedside lamp to examine it.

It was an aerial shot; a vast, deep crater was surrounded by forests, and the overall tone of the photo was dark.

From this last point, it could be inferred that the photo was taken at night. The Queen guessed it might have been just a few minutes ago.

She leaned back against the bed: "Is this the one the Headmaster smashed into the outskirts? But the surrounding environment seems different."

"Your Majesty, this is the punch mark of the Mountain Rock Giant."

The photograph held between the Queen's fingers trembled.

"Where is the location?"

"The East Coast, Pasha City."

"If my memory hasn't failed me or become confused, Pasha City should be built on a mountain peak."

"Yes."

The air remained still for a moment, and the Queen placed the photo into the drawer of her bedside table: "What is the specific casualty situation?"

"Only half of the Guards and citizens escaped."

"What about Toby and the others?"

"Ever since contact was lost the day before yesterday, there has been no news of them."

"Understood."

Whenever the Queen said this, it meant she wanted to be alone to calm down. Li retreated from the room at the appropriate time and closed the door silently.

The Mountain Rock Giant had landed...

Toby and the others had likely also perished in Pasha City.

Casualties... the Headmaster's foresight was admirable.

The Queen sighed inwardly; no wonder Dumbledore had asked her to send as many people as possible when evacuating the citizens.

The fearlessness brought about by the locals' ignorance must have long been perceived by that smiling old man.

She sighed, feeling a bit sad, but she was not panicked.

She held full trust in Hogwarts and the Headmaster.

It wasn't blind faith, however.

As a politician who had ruled the Kingdom for decades, the Queen had thrown away naivety a long time ago.

Naivety wasn't ugly; it was beautiful, but it shouldn't appear in an excellent politician.

The source of her trust lay in the fact that Ying Country, and indeed the entire Blue Star, had nothing worth Hogwarts plotting over.

Even the support in resources and technology was the Headmaster's investment in the future of humanity, not a trap to covet human interests.

Humanity at this moment wasn't worth Hogwarts playing tricks to deal with.

Therefore, the Queen did not doubt the Headmaster's promise—the "calamity" would not reach the interior. She understood she just needed to wait quietly for the Mountain Rock Giant to be defeated.

The reason for not taking any action, besides the aforementioned, was that the Queen truly had only one trump card left, one that must not be played until the very end.

"Knock knock—"

The knocking on the door interrupted her thoughts.

She looked up with slight dissatisfaction: "Li, what has happened again?"

"My Lady, I apologize for disturbing you at an inappropriate time. If it is inconvenient, I will visit again tomorrow."

It was the Headmaster's unique, deep tone.

She abruptly threw off the quilt, took the coat hanging on the standing rack, wrapped it over her pajamas, and quickly pulled open the door.

"Oh, My Lady, be careful not to catch a cold." Outside the door, Dumbledore, wearing a black robe, waved his teaching rod staff.

Feeling her whole body wrapped in warmth, the Queen's tense body relaxed: "Headmaster, let's go inside to talk."

"Entering a lady's bedroom in the middle of the night is not the behavior a wizard should have." He smiled, "It will be quick; we can talk right here."

"As you wish."

"Hmm..." Dumbledore pondered for two seconds, "To prevent the misfortune of Pasha City from happening again, after I depart for the East Coast, I hope you will broadcast the entire process of my battle with the Mountain Rock Giant."

"You mean..."

"Letting them witness the terror of power is far more efficient than verbal persuasion. Pasha City is proof, isn't it?"

"It is indeed as you say. I understand; the Kingdom will broadcast the entire process of the Headmaster defeating the giant."

"Then, goodnight, My Lady."

The moment the words fell, his figure vanished, and with him, the magic that warded off the cold also departed.

The winter chill blew in, and the Queen tightened her coat: "Li."

"Your Majesty."

"The Headmaster has already departed for the East Coast. Mobilize television reporters to the scene for a nationwide broadcast."

"As you command."

The person walked into the darkness, and the Queen closed the door and lay back in her warm bed, continuing the thoughts that had been interrupted earlier.

Things were just as she had envisioned; Dumbledore had the ability to resolve the "calamity," and the disaster seemed to vanish just like that.

But the Queen sensed a hint of something strange throughout the entire process.

For instance, why did the Headmaster stand by and watch as Pasha City was smashed into a deep crater with one punch?

To make the public deeply realize the terror of the "calamity," there was no need to go this far; letting them witness the Mountain Rock Giant with their own eyes should have been enough.

But after pondering for a while, the Queen felt that was probably the reason.

As for the unfortunate citizens who perished, she had no reason to blame Dumbledore.

The Headmaster had already done what he should have. He had informed them of the specific location where the "calamity" would land in advance, and the ample time left for the Kingdom was enough for all the residents near the coast to evacuate safely.

It was we ourselves who didn't seize the opportunity.

And although the Mountain Rock Giant was attracted to the Kingdom by Hogwarts, the Queen would not resent Dumbledore for it.

The reason was simple.

The Mountain Rock Giant had already revealed its power; it was not something humans could handle.

If not for Hogwarts, its arrival in the Kingdom would only be a matter of time.

The Queen took a deep breath: "Li, bring a television over."

Li's actions were swift. Within ten minutes, he led three maids to place a liquid crystal display right opposite the large bed.

Sending them away, the Queen held the remote control and turned on the television, murmuring: "Although it's unlikely... I still hope Toby and the others are alright."

...

"It... did it on purpose?"

Lying on his back at the edge of the deep crater, Leon asked intermittently while breathing heavily.

"Who... who... who did it on purpose?"

Toby, whose breathing was also disordered, barely lifted his head. After seeing Misha sitting up not far away, he replied stammeringly.

"My God." In this moment of respite, Leon, who hadn't been injured, recovered quite a bit. Although his tone was still fearful, he was finally able to speak continuously.

He turned his head to gaze into the distance at the Mountain Rock Giant, which had retreated into the mountains, and continued: "Do you think our strength is not only powerful enough to withstand that punch but that we also flew from the city center to the outside in the blink of an eye?"

As he spoke, he staggered to his feet, stumbled to the edge of the crater, and looked down.

The crater was not the outline of a fist; its overall shape resembled an impact crater. Leon speculated that the Mountain Rock Giant's punch must have been so heavy that the violent air pressure blew the soil away.

Toby, having regained his composure, also stood up and stumbled to his side: "Are you saying the Mountain Rock Giant spared us? Or was it that mysterious young man named Mr. Solon?"

"Shh—" Leon nervously raised his index finger and pressed it against his lips, "It hasn't left."

Toby's muscles subconsciously tensed, and he asked in a strained voice: "Where?"

Without speaking, Leon pointed his finger toward the mountains.

Between the rolling mountains, the Mountain Rock Giant, with a figure as magnificent as the main mountain range, was crouching with its legs hugged, seemingly fallen into a deep sleep.

Its hunched shoulders slowly lowered, and Toby patted his chest: "What's wrong with it?"

"It's waiting for someone." Misha, whose clothes were covered in dust, walked over, "It's waiting for Headmaster Dumbledore."

"I can understand waiting for the Headmaster; its purpose for coming here with its master is Hogwarts. But... why send us out of the range of the punch, Mr. Solon? Or..." Leon

The little girl scratched her face and guessed hesitantly: "Maybe... hmm... the possibility of the Mountain Rock Giant is more certain."

"The reason?"

"Friends, it treats us as friends. We are just three insignificant freshmen; Mr. Solon shouldn't refuse if it requests to spare us."

Leon suddenly realized and turned his head to continue gazing at the deep crater.

Beside him, Toby stared at Misha with a strange look in his eyes.

He had sensed long ago that this little girl's personality was a bit strange.

Her innocence and childishness weren't a disguise, but the occasional glimpses of sophistication and maturity were also undeniably real.

At one point, Toby had even hesitated, wondering if she, with two completely opposite temperaments fused into one, suffered from schizophrenia.

"Uncle Toby?" Sensing the gaze fixed on her, Misha looked at Toby in confusion, her clear eyes filled with childish innocence.

If he weren't certain she had no sinister intentions, Toby felt he would definitely have stayed away from her.

Sighing inwardly, he said, "It's nothing, just checking if you were injured."

"Misha is very healthy!" She raised her fist and smiled until her eyes narrowed.

"That is of course very..."

Suddenly, a loud, deafening sound of helicopter propellers descended from the sky. The three of them looked up as a helicopter flew overhead and approached the Mountain Rock Giant in the distant mountains.

The helicopter's cabin door was open, and a reporter holding a microphone, ignoring his hair being blown back and plastered against his head, was speaking passionately into the microphone.

"Damn it!" Toby's face changed drastically, "Are they crazy? Driving a helicopter to film the giant?!"

It wasn't because he was worried about their safety, but because he was worried about his own.

The big guy was sleeping right now, and they could just sneak away.

But if it were woken up, then everyone present wouldn't be able to escape being trampled by its wide feet.

"Hurry and stop him..."

"I am the one who called them here."

A voice sounded from behind. The three of them turned around to see the white-bearded Headmaster standing there, smiling.

"Grandpa Headmaster! You've finally come!"

Misha ran over in big strides and was scooped up into the Headmaster's arms: "Let me see, who bullied our cute little lady?"

"Headmaster." She choked up and couldn't speak for a long time. Toby was a bit anxious and didn't wait for her, "The Guard's convoy just departed. If the Mountain Rock Giant is woken up, they will all die in..."

"Rest assured, it can only stay here, I say so."

The relaxed tone soothed the anxiety in Toby's heart, and he relaxed slightly: "I was just afraid the convoy would be caught in the crossfire; after all, that guy is just too magnificent."

"Magnificent, is it..." Dumbledore put Misha down on the ground and gazed at the Mountain Rock Giant, which was crouching with its legs hugged, "Mr. Solon, it's been many years since we last met."

"You are still as long-winded as ever, loving to act deep." The languid tone seemed to be right in everyone's ears.

Glancing up at the helicopter with its bright white beam of light, he gripped the air in front of him with his right hand, and the teaching rod staff appeared in his hand.

"I will send you back to where you belong, just like that year."

"Come and fight!!!"