Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye
Chapter 450: Strained Defensive Resources

Chapter 450: Chapter 450: Strained Defensive Resources

Imperial Capital, Morning Star Headquarters.

Luca, Donlow, and Fuzzsir had been waiting at the entrance for a full quarter of an hour.

Under normal circumstances, someone should have come to escort them into the building the moment they arrived at the headquarters. But during the past fifteen minutes, not a single person had entered or exited the Morning Star facility.

The three of them found this highly unusual.

Fuzzsir, drenched in sweat, kept fiddling with his communicator, trying to get in touch with other Morning Star members.

But no response came—none whatsoever. It was as if all the Morning Star personnel had mysteriously vanished.

Luca, while beginning to grow slightly impatient, managed to remain composed. He also figured he could use the downtime to carefully observe the Morning Star headquarters.

Although he had been here once before during a previous visit to the Imperial Capital, security at the time had been extremely tight. He’d been under constant surveillance, making it impossible to take in the layout of the place.

The Morning Star headquarters was a massive structure. While the above-ground section didn’t look particularly impressive, its internal architecture was surprisingly intricate.

According to Donlow, there was a hidden passage within the headquarters—one that supposedly led to important federal agencies.

The underground portion of the headquarters was significantly larger than the above-ground one. Most of the offices were located below ground, and Morning Star’s senior leadership carried out their day-to-day operations there as well.

Each underground floor was completely isolated from the others. One could only access a floor through specific, secured means.

Which meant that without a Morning Star insider leading the way, no one could enter the organization’s core zones.

That was exactly why the three of them had been left waiting so long at the entrance.

"What the hell is going on? Where did everyone disappear to? Even Drumph hasn’t gotten back to me," Donlow complained, her tone tinged with frustration.

She had spent the last fifteen minutes also trying to make contact with someone.

But it was obvious that her experience mirrored Fuzzsir’s.

Fuzzsir, still sweating and now visibly irritable, offered an explanation with a hint of uncertainty. "Maybe they’re dealing with something really critical right now? Let’s wait just a bit longer."

"How much longer are we supposed to wait? Are we just going to stand here until nightfall?"

Donlow’s dissatisfaction had clearly intensified.

She felt that, given her status, being left hanging like this was completely unacceptable.

Faced with her growing irritation, Fuzzsir looked utterly helpless.

In the end, it was Luca who stepped in to defuse the situation.

"We’ve already waited a quarter of an hour. A few more minutes won’t hurt. After all, the monster horde is approaching fast—it’s only natural that Morning Star’s headquarters would be busier than usual."

His calm reasoning managed to momentarily suppress Donlow’s frustration.

Fuzzsir shot Luca a grateful glance.

Had it not been for Luca’s timely interjection, Donlow would have continued pressing him with increasingly pointed questions. The pressure was already starting to weigh heavily on him.

And so, the three of them remained at the Morning Star headquarters’ entrance, waiting for another ten minutes or so.

At last, someone appeared before them.

But it wasn’t an ally. It was Zovland—the very man who had been at odds with them for some time.

Zovland, flanked by his subordinates, walked right past them.

As he did, he cast a cold, disdainful glance in their direction.

Several more minutes passed before Drumph finally arrived, hurried and slightly disheveled, accompanied by his own team.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! We were in the middle of a critical mission and couldn’t get in touch," Drumph said, wiping the sweat from his forehead and addressing Luca in a slightly apologetic tone.

"There’s no need to apologize," Luca replied calmly. "I understand you’ve got important matters to attend to. But now that you’re back, may we go inside?"

"Of course! Let’s head in right away."

With Drumph leading the way, the three of them were finally granted entry into the Morning Star headquarters.

After navigating through the maze-like interior of the complex building for more than ten minutes, they arrived at Drumph’s office.

"Take a seat," Drumph said, rummaging through a cabinet for some documents.

"I already know why you came to the Imperial Capital. You’re here to request more defensive supplies from Morning Star’s headquarters. But I have to be honest with you—that’s highly unlikely."

He finally located the file he had been searching for.

"You can take a look for yourselves—defensive supplies here in the Imperial Capital are extremely limited," Drumph said as he handed a file to the three of them. "In the defense plan we’ve drawn up, we’re even considering abandoning some of the less critical outlying fortresses around the Imperial Capital."

The three of them quickly flipped through the document Drumph had just passed over.

Luca finished reading it within moments, and he had to admit—Drumph wasn’t lying.

The shortage of defense supplies in the Imperial Capital was very real. According to the plan, Morning Star intended to ensure that not a single district of the Imperial Capital would come under threat.

And the Imperial Capital was vast.

Protecting the entirety of such a sprawling metropolis would require an astronomical amount of resources.

Even before Donlow and Fuzzsir had finished reviewing the document, Luca raised a pointed question.

"It seems, just as you said, that the defensive supplies here are stretched incredibly thin," he said calmly, "but I believe that’s merely an illusion."

His words made Donlow and Fuzzsir both turn their eyes toward him.

"Why defend the entire urban area of the Imperial Capital?" Luca continued. "Weren’t the outer districts already destroyed in the last battle? What’s the point of defending areas that have already been reduced to rubble? If you give up those outlying zones, there wouldn’t be a supply shortage at all."

Faced with Luca’s challenge, Drumph remained composed and gave a slight nod.

"You’re absolutely right. If we were to do that, there’d be more than enough resources. But have you considered something else?"

"What else?" Luca asked, frowning slightly. "What have I overlooked?"

He was fairly confident that he had already taken everything into account.

Even without the outer districts, the Imperial Capital still had ample defensive depth.

Drumph let out a helpless sigh.

"There are a lot of powerful figures here in the Imperial Capital," he said, "and many of the federal government’s core agencies are headquartered in this city. They absolutely refuse to be exposed to any threat. That’s why they’ve demanded that we safeguard the entire urban area of the Imperial Capital—even the parts that have already been destroyed must not be abandoned."

Finally, Luca, Donlow, and Fuzzsir understood.

The bloated and overly ambitious defense plan hadn’t originated from Morning Star Headquarters itself.

It had been forced upon them—driven by intense pressure from the upper echelons of the Federation.

They had no choice but to formulate such an excessive defense strategy.

And the price for that decision, of course, was that anyone outside the Imperial Capital would be left without access to defensive supplies.

Even the 102nd Shelter, which Donlow personally oversaw, hadn’t been allocated any defensive supplies—let alone the other human shelters.

Luca fell silent.

Those powerful figures were just that selfish. To guarantee their own absolute safety, they would concentrate every last bit of defensive resources within the Imperial Capital.

They would never spare a thought for anyone else’s survival.

Donlow abruptly stood up, her voice rising with fury.

"This is outrageous! Those top-level officials are hoarding too many defensive supplies—it’s going to make the overall human situation even worse! If the other shelters are all destroyed by the monster horde, do they really think the Imperial Capital can hold out on its own? Has no one in the Federation’s upper ranks considered that?"

Her angry outburst was met with silence.

Because the other three in the office all understood—those elites would never think that far ahead.

"They won’t think about any of that," Fuzzsir said coldly. "Because they’re just that selfish."

A heavy tension settled over the room.

Drumph cleared his throat twice, trying to dispel the suffocating atmosphere. He decided to share a bit of good news.

"While we can’t supply you with any defense materials from the Imperial Capital," he said, "Fuzzsir can remain stationed at Shelter 102. With his support, it should be much easier for you to defend against the monster horde that’s on its way."

Fuzzsir looked slightly surprised at Drumph’s announcement.

He had assumed that, like the rest of Morning Star’s personnel, he would remain in the Imperial Capital.

But he didn’t object.

Shelter 102 was, in fact, the safer place to be. Luca would be there to lead its defense, and it wouldn’t be facing the monster horde’s main assault the way the Imperial Capital likely would.

"Alright, if you have nothing else to discuss, you’d best be on your way. The Imperial Capital is about to become extremely dangerous," Drumph urged, now trying to hasten their departure.

Fuzzsir immediately rose from his seat, but Donlow and Luca remained seated.

"Do you two still have something to say?" Drumph asked, his tone beginning to carry a trace of impatience.

"I’ve left some things here in the Imperial Capital," Luca replied calmly. "To better defend Shelter 102, I’ll need to stay here for two more days to gather everything before I leave."

Luca spoke slowly and evenly.

Drumph gave a small nod in response.

"Of course, you’re free to do that. I won’t stand in your way. But let me give you a word of caution—according to the intelligence Morning Star has gathered, the monster horde is expected to break out within the next few days. So whatever you need to do, make sure you move quickly."

Luca, naturally, thanked Drumph for the warning.

With that, Luca, Donlow, and Fuzzsir left the Morning Star headquarters.

Donlow and Fuzzsir would head straight back to Shelter 102—they had to begin preparations for the imminent arrival of the monster horde.

Luca, however, would remain alone in the Imperial Capital for the next two or three days.