The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

Despite having faced significant setbacks, Benjamin proved his capability by quickly recovering and fortifying the headquarters\' defenses.

As Irving and his group approached, one of Benjamin\'s subordinates, guarding the entrance, shouted at them: "Who goes there? Stop approaching! If you come any closer, don\'t expect me to be courteous!"

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Irving wasn\'t upset by the guard\'s reaction.

In fact, he found such vigilance commendable.

He calmly walked up close enough for the guard to see his face clearly.

Upon recognizing Irving, the guard\'s demeanor changed instantly. "Oh, it\'s you who have returned!"

Quickly, Benjamin\'s subordinate opened the gate, letting Irving and his companions into the building. However, this act did not earn Irving\'s praise but rather his criticism.

"You shouldn\'t trust so easily. What if someone else pretended to be me? Would you have let them in just as quickly?"

Inside the lobby, Irving confronted Benjamin\'s subordinate with this rebuke.

The subordinate appeared quite distressed by the remark.

"Irving, let it go." Anna interjected from behind, "there\'s no need to be too harsh on him."

Irving then continued on.

They took the elevator straight to the top floor of the Ocean Group headquarters.

Outside the president\'s office, they met a thoroughly armed and meticulous Benjamin.

"The president is inside, eager to meet with you." said Benjamin.

His tone more respectful than ever.

Benjamin had previously spent time alone with Vicky.

Benjamin had noted her deep reliance on Irving.

This suggested that Irving\'s influence within the Ocean Group was likely to increase significantly. As the deputy manager of security at Ocean Group, it was natural for Benjamin to maintain a respectful demeanor towards Irving.

Irving nodded, yet he did not immediately enter the president\'s office.

Irving paused at the door, speaking in a volume only he and Benjamin could hear: "You need to retrain your subordinate. He let me in immediately after recognizing me.

What if it had been a member of the Night Blades disguised as me? Doesn\'t this mean that the security at the gate is essentially ineffective?"

After making this point, Irving didn\'t wait for a response and walked into the office.

Benjamin was left feeling somewhat troubled.

He acknowledged the mistake made by his subordinate but didn\'t intend to reprimand him. In Benjamin\'s view, the day had been filled with too many events.

And his staff were under tremendous pressure. Mistakes, he felt, were inevitable under such circumstances.

Inside the president\'s office, Vicky looked up as the door opened.

Her face lit up with a radiant smile the moment she saw Irving.

"You\'re finally back. I hope you\'ve brought some good news?"

Irving\'s expression hesitated slightly.

"I do have some information for you, but I\'m not sure whether it will be good news or bad news for you."

"Just tell me whatever it is you have to say. Whether it\'s good or bad, I can handle it. After all, I\'ve already faced so many unexpected events over the past few days." Vicky responded.

Vicky\'s statement made perfect sense, of course.

Indeed, a lot had happened in just a few days, from Donald\'s birthday to today.

During this period, Vicky\'s relationship with Irving had deepened, and her position within the Smith family had dramatically changed.

Even the situation in the city of warding was markedly different from before.

Previously, despite threats from the Night Blades, the city had maintained a semblance of calm. But now, it had become chaotic and dangerous.

The Night Blades had successfully destroyed most of the official organizations in the city of warding, and even the family guilds allied with official organizations were nearly annihilated.

Irving took a deep breath and began slowly: "I didn\'t find your grandfather at the Smith family villa. This means that Elder Seville has taken him away."

Irving decided to start with what he believed might be the worst news for Vicky.

Surprisingly, upon hearing the news, Vicky\'s face showed relief rather than distress.

"To me, this is actually good news. My biggest fear was that Elder Seville, in a fit of rage, might harm my grandfather.

Since he hasn\'t done that, it means my grandfather is still useful to him. He likely won\'t kill my grandfather anytime soon."

Vicky\'s reasoning was sound.

Irving nodded in agreement, feeling that the rest of the news he had wouldn\'t impact Vicky\'s emotions significantly. Thus, he decided to lay everything out at once.

"Although the Night Blades failed to take control of the Ocean Group, their operations in other parts of the city of warding have been very successful. The Green Ivy Group has been severely damaged, and James can now only ensure his own safety. He\'s no longer in a position to offer us any help. The Angel Guild has also been heavily hit. Most of its members have been eliminated by the Night Blades.

The few surviving members have gone into hiding, and those who can still fight are gathered in the corridor. I must tell you, there aren\'t many of them left, and their strength is considerably diminished."

Vicky was stunned by the torrent of information Irving delivered.

After a long pause, she slowly said, "I can hardly imagine that the Night Blades\' operation could cause such devastation.

Even the Angel Guild has been heavily impacted. Can we really thwart the sinister plans of the Night Blades this time? Their strength seems to far surpass ours now."

While Vicky usually maintained her composure.

She was still very young and had not previously faced such a severe crisis.

Even when crises had arisen before, Irving was there to assist her.

This was the first time she faced a nearly insurmountable challenge on her own.

Irving quickly reassured her.

"The Night Blades have indeed achieved significant success, but that doesn\'t mean we can\'t defeat them. At least here in the city of warding, I\'ve nearly wiped out all the Night Blades\' strong members. The remaining ones, the minor thugs, are not worth our concern. What we need to focus on now is quickly finding Elder Seville and your grandfather."

Irving\'s intuition that Elder Seville\'s current plans posed the greatest threat was met with a firm nod from Vicky. "You\'re right, let\'s not waste any more time here. Let\'s set off right away!"

Vicky thought she knew Elder Seville\'s whereabouts from the information gathered the day before,

So she was ready to leave immediately.

However, Irving quickly intervened, grabbing Vicky\'s arm gently: "I don\'t actually know where Elder Seville is right now. The reason I brought the Angel Guild\'s members here was in hopes that you could help us."

Vicky looked slightly bewildered.

"How could I possibly know where Elder Seville is at this moment?"

Irving smiled and explained, "Elder Seville took your grandfather surely because of your family\'s treasure. That means he must be at a location that is very important to the Smith family. Think about it—where is a crucial place for your family? If we go there, we might find Elder Seville and your grandfather."

Enlightened by Irving\'s deduction.

Vicky walked over to her desk and picked up a stack of documents.

"All the locations in these documents are crucial to the Smith family. It would take too much time to check each one.

If I were to give you a suggestion, I\'d advise heading directly to Starling City. On the outskirts of Starling City, there is an ancestral home of the Smith family.

My grandfather once told me that this ancestral home is vital for our family. I always thought he just cherished it because he grew up there.

But after learning about our family\'s ancestor and the chaos power, I believe that our family\'s ancestral home must also be connected to the chaos power."

Vicky\'s insights convinced Irving.

He nodded and said, "In that case, let\'s set off immediately. To ensure the success of this operation, we must bring all our allies along."

After exiting the president\'s office, Vicky and Irving addressed the gathered group outside: "We are heading to the ancestral home of the Smith family. There is a high probability that Elder Seville will be there. Since we are all leaving, there\'s no need for someone to specifically guard the headquarters of Ocean Group. Have your subordinates move to a safe location until everything settles down."

Irving issued these instructions decisively to Benjamin.

Benjamin nodded and relayed the orders through his walkie-talkie.

"As for all of us present, we must go to the Smith family\'s ancestral home. Elder Seville is not an opponent who can be easily defeated, and you must be prepared for a tough battle." Irving continued.

Irving\'s words were somewhat redundant.

Both the surviving members of the Angel Guild and Benjamin were already prepared for a final showdown with Elder Seville. They understood that the upcoming battle would be anything but easy, yet they were determined not to back down.