My front door leads to a comic strip

Chapter 160, Page 159: The Dark Faction Retreats, the Seven Days of Death Begin.

Alexie's gaze shifted from Gu Yuan and inadvertently swept over the blonde girl standing quietly behind Riveria not far away.

Her signature long blonde hair, delicate, doll-like profile, and the slender longsword at her waist made Alexie instantly recognize her.

"Ah, it's Miss 'Sword Princess' Ais Wallenstein!"

Alexie gasped softly, nudging Ryu beside her with her elbow. "Rion, look! I heard she reached LV2 in just one year. That speed—it's almost as fast as you were back then!"

Upon hearing this, Ryu's icy blue eyes shifted slightly as she looked at Ais.

Ryu had naturally heard of this "rising star" who had also risen at an astonishing speed.

The two girls, both swordsmen, have unknowingly been compared by some people in Orario.

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Ryu frowned and asked softly, sensing that Alisha's tone was a bit strange.

Alexandra stood with her hands on her hips, a hopeful smile on her face: "Is that even a question?"

"What I meant was that the Astra Familia now has the powerful assistance of someone like Mr. Gu, plus you and me, two genius beauties," and reliable partners like Lyra, Kaguya, and Murrue!

She paused, then raised her voice, "We will definitely grow rapidly, and sooner or later we will reach, or even surpass, the level of the Loki Familia!"

She leaned closer to Ryu, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of teasing and encouragement, "So, Ryu, you, the rising star, can't let your guard down! I think that swordswoman is pretty amazing too; you two might be rivals in the future!"

"Competition, huh?"

Liu's calm gaze softened slightly.

She looked in Ais's direction again.

Although she wasn't keen on comparing herself to others, Alexie's words ignited her own passion for "justice."

Fingers clenched quietly.

"I will never lose."

Just then, Finn Deem's clear voice pulled everyone back to reality: "Grace, arrange for people to be sent to the nearest treatment center immediately, prioritizing the little girl's mother, as well as the other injured civilians and adventurers!"

"clear!"

Grace responded loudly and immediately directed the Loki Familia members to efficiently clear the battlefield and treat the wounded.

Finn then strode toward Gu Yuan, his wise blue eyes filled with undisguised admiration: "Mr. Gu Yuan, I am Finn Demna, the leader of the Loki Familia."

"Griss has already briefly explained the situation to me. If you hadn't intervened in time and killed Valetta, the casualties here would have been unimaginable."

He placed his right hand on his chest and nodded slightly. "On behalf of the Loki Family and all the people who have received assistance, I extend my sincerest gratitude to you."

Gu Yuan met his gaze and nodded: "It's my duty."

Finn didn't mind his taciturn nature and continued, "According to the intelligence we received, members of the dark factions in other areas seem to have received some kind of order after seeing the astonishing explosion here, and are rapidly evacuating."

"It seems that this attack has come to a temporary end."

Gu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he understood.

Erebus is probably conserving his strength.

Although Valetta's death was an accident, it did not shake his fundamental plans. He was clearly unwilling to confront Orario's main force head-on without adequate preparation.

Gu Yuan seemed to be deep in thought.

After a brief exchange, Finn led the Loki Familia away; they needed to provide support and check on the situation in other areas.

Before leaving, Ais glanced back at the little girl, Perry, who was clutching the small white flower in her hand, and then silently followed Riveria's footsteps.

The guild headquarters after the war.

The atmosphere was solemn and oppressive.

The war council room was filled with representatives from Orario's various clans and guild leaders. Gu Yuan, as one of the key figures in this battle, was also invited to attend.

The meeting was chaired by the guild's president, Loiman Madir.

He glanced around at everyone present, including Finn, Riveria, and the leaders or representatives of several other major clans.

"Gentlemen," Lloydman's voice was steady, "based on the intelligence we urgently compiled after the war, as well as the clues we had previously gathered, we have located an important stronghold of a dark faction."

He gestured to his assistant to spread a roughly drawn map on the table, and pointed heavily at a certain spot: "Unlike the small hideouts that have been eliminated in the past, this stronghold is huge, and preliminary judgment suggests that it may house thousands of members of the dark faction."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and emphasized, "This is an excellent opportunity to cripple them. After discussion, the guild plans to organize a joint expeditionary force in three days to launch a general offensive against this stronghold, aiming to annihilate their main force in one fell swoop!"

"Three days later—" Gu Yuan silently recited in his heart, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

At this point in time, at this "exposed" stronghold—everything matched his memory.

This was clearly a trap meticulously set by Erebus.

Their goal was to lure Orario's elite adventurers out of the city and then launch a truly fatal attack while the city was undefended.

In the original destiny, it was this recklessness that led to the tragedy of nine gods falling and more than 30,000 adventurers dying in the early stages.

Just then, the meeting room door was pushed open, and a guild employee rushed in and whispered a few words in Leuman's ear.

Loiman frowned and raised his voice, "Commander Shakti of the Ganesha Familia has not yet arrived; we have been waiting for a moment. For the sake of efficiency, the meeting will not be delayed any longer; let's begin the detailed planning now—"

"Please wait a moment."

Gu Yuan then spoke, cutting off Loiman's words.

Although the number of deaths is none of my business as an outsider, now that I am here and connected with the Astrea Familia, it would be a pointless mistake to cause them danger because of my silence.

"Guild Master, Commander Finn, everyone. I think we need to reconsider the plan to launch the general offensive in three days."

"Oh?" Loiman raised an eyebrow, but did not interrupt.

Gu Yuan's demonstrated strength today earned him the right to speak, and he restrained himself: "What are your thoughts, sir?"

Gu Yuan's mind raced as he organized a convincing reason that wouldn't reveal his own secrets: "First, a stronghold with thousands of people must be extremely well-defended. If we hastily assemble, the enemy will be well-rested and ready. Even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory."

"If any further unforeseen events occur at this time, we will be unable to cope."

"second."

Gu Yuan paused, then looked at Finn, knowing that this "hero" was known for his wisdom and strategy. "Captain Finn, don't you think the Dark Faction's attack and retreat today seem a bit suspicious?"

"How did they learn of Valetta's death and coordinate their evacuation so quickly after the explosion? It's as if a god was watching from above and directing the whole operation."

"If that's the case, why didn't that god notice that his base had been exposed?"

"Compared to the death of one person on the battlefield, the safety of one's own base is what the gods should care about most, right?"

Gu Yuan's words were clear and logical, and the issues he pointed out went straight to the heart of the matter.

Finn fell into deep thought, his fingertips lightly resting on his chin. His right thumb was throbbing slightly, resonating with Gu Yuan's analysis.

Whenever this area hurts, something bad is always going to happen.

The leaders of the other clans also began to whisper among themselves.

"That makes sense."

President Loemann looked at the restless crowd and pondered for a moment.

Even though eliminating the dark faction was urgent, as the guild leader, he had to prioritize the safety of the adventurers.

He looked at Finn, entrusting the decision to the wisest of heroes: "What's your opinion, Finn?"

Finn raised his head, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He stood up; though not tall, he attracted everyone's attention.

My intuition has never been wrong —

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain absolute composure, and spoke in a calm and clear voice: "Mr. Gu Yuan's concerns are not without merit. Judging from the coherence of this series of events, this is very likely a trap."

For the overall safety of Orario, I suggest postponing the general offensive, prioritizing the strengthening of city defenses, increasing patrols and intelligence gathering, and dispatching elite squads for more in-depth reconnaissance to ascertain the true situation before making any further decisions.

These words sparked even more debate, with some agreeing and breathing a sigh of relief, while the radicals looked resentful.

However, considering the potentially devastating consequences of falling into a trap rashly, Finn's cautious plan was ultimately accepted by most people.

Gu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least, the worst outcome had been temporarily avoided, and he had gained valuable time to upgrade.

But Erebus's plot will not stop there; we must find his hiding place as soon as possible in order to fundamentally resolve the crisis.

Meanwhile, in a dark basement somewhere in the city.

Shakti Farma, the leader of the Ganesha Familia, the Staff of Ganesha, let out a painful groan and slowly awoke from his unconsciousness.

She felt as if her whole body was falling apart, with excruciating pain in many places.

-

Her memory was hazy; she only remembered being attacked by an unknown assailant while rescuing someone. The attacker was extremely powerful and used bizarre methods; she was subdued before she could even fully launch an attack.

"hiss----"

As she struggled to piece together fragments of memory, she gasped sharply, her thoughts abruptly interrupted by the stark reality before her.

In the dim light, she found herself in an extremely narrow stone chamber.

The walls were rough, and the air was filled with a mixture of musty and dusty smells, as well as a faint, sweet, rusty odor.

She blinked her sore eyes.

"here----"

An ominous premonition gripped her throat, her voice hoarse with thirst and fear.

"Where is it?"