BXBX NOVEL Chapter 172: The Healed Ritchie
On the other end of the line, a voice that was very familiar to Jeremy resonated.
"It\'s already 6:00 AM, it can hardly be considered too early. I\'m calling to let you know that I have fully recovered. We can now challenge the instance together."
Ritchie excitedly informed Jeremy.
"I get it! You\'ve fully recovered. However, I still need to sleep a little longer, I\'m not fully awake yet!" Jeremy replied dismissively before abruptly hanging up the phone.
Just as Jeremy was about to drift back to sleep, the phone rang again.
"Didn\'t I tell you? Once I wake up, I\'ll discuss our next course of action with you. Why are you calling me again?"
Jeremy shouted at the phone, still grumpy from being roused.
There was a moment of silence on the other end before Bonnie\'s voice came through.
"Jeremy, if you\'re truly exhausted right now, then please, go ahead and continue sleeping. I only called to inform you about my current situation."
Upon hearing Bonnie\'s voice, Jeremy suddenly realized that he had directed his anger at the wrong person.
Quickly, Jeremy adjusted his tone.
"I\'m not angry with you. Before you called me, my friend Ritchie had just phoned. You should be well aware of him, he\'s notoriously unreliable.
I was venting my frustration towards him. If you were in my shoes, you would undoubtedly feel the same way about his antics."
Bonnie readily accepted Jeremy\'s explanation.
"Alright, you don\'t need to offer so many justifications. I have complete trust in you. What I need to convey is that I am currently very safe.
Moreover, in the upcoming operations, I may only be able to act alongside you. My father has stipulated that unless I am accompanied by someone he deems appropriate, he will not allow me to enter the instance."
Jeremy could indeed empathize with Benjamin\'s decision.
After all, Benjamin was Bonnie\'s father.
Any father, upon witnessing his daughter facing perilous circumstances, would undoubtedly feel a deep sense of urgency. Thus, it is only natural that any father would strive to ensure his daughter\'s forthcoming actions were as safe as possible.
Bonnie could only guarantee her safety by accompanying Jeremy in her endeavors.
"I understand. I will formulate a plan of action as quickly as I can. Once I\'ve had sufficient rest, I will take you into the instance for an adventure."
"I understand. So, you should rest well, I won\'t disturb you any longer." After saying this, Bonnie promptly hung up the phone.
After the call ended, although Jeremy had intended to resume his sleep, he suddenly found that his drowsiness had vanished.
"It seems I won\'t be able to rest for too long after all. Since sleep eludes me, I might as well consider which instance to head to next."
Jeremy retrieved a map that Howard had given him.
This map depicted Moonlight City, clearly marking all the instances within its bounds. On the map, the instances that had been resolved were indicated with red Xs.
In contrast, the unresolved instances were all marked with black circles.
As Jeremy scanned the map, he noticed that the industrial district of Moonlight City and a small town in the suburbs were surrounded by numerous instances. His forthcoming actions would need to revolve around these two areas.
Although he yearned to swiftly address the troubles posed by Dark Tree, he felt that his understanding of Dark Core was still quite inadequate at this stage.
He needed to have a comprehensive grasp of Dark Core before he could venture into the instance where Dark Tree resided alongside it.
If he were to act without sufficient knowledge of Dark Core, there was a risk that Dark Core and Dark Tree could merge. Such a catastrophic event could potentially lead to the immediate destruction of all of Moonlight City.
After careful contemplation, Jeremy ultimately decided to focus his next course of action on the instances located in the Moonlight City industrial district.
Although Jeremy and his companions had previously resolved the most challenging instance in the industrial district, known as The Iron Lair, there remained several instances nearby that were of lesser difficulty.
Moreover, the industrial district was also inhabited by monsters that had escaped from these instances.
Upon finalizing his plan of action, Jeremy promptly called Ritchie.
"Have you finally awakened from your slumber? It seems you aren\'t as fatigued as you claim, after hanging up with me, you didn\'t sleep for very long, did you?" Ritchie\'s teasing voice came through as soon as the call connected.
"That\'s all because of you. After receiving your call, I simply couldn\'t get any rest. Alright, enough with the small talk." Jeremy felt somewhat exasperated with Ritchie\'s banter.
However, Ritchie was, after all, his good friend. Moreover, before the onset of the apocalypse game, Jeremy had only Ritchie as a close companion.
"Are you completely healed now? If you are not yet fully recovered, I strongly advise that you take some time to rest. Only when you are in good health will I allow you to accompany me on this mission."
"I can assure you with absolute certainty that I am indeed fully healed. If you have any doubts, feel free to call Emma and Claire, they can vouch for me."
"Furthermore, I am now able to utilize my skills once again. I can manipulate shadows to provide you with substantial support during combat."
Jeremy nodded, as he was well aware of Ritchie\'s abilities, after all, a significant portion of the skills Ritchie had acquired were ones he had helped to develop.
"In that case, make your way to my house as quickly as possible. Once you arrive, we can set off together towards the city."
Jeremy\'s statement left Ritchie feeling somewhat puzzled.
"Heading to the city? Why on earth are we going to the city? Are there still instances there? I heard that all the instances in the city have been dealt with by General Howard\'s soldiers."
"We\'re not going to the city to tackle any instances. We are heading there to pick up another person who will join us in our endeavor."
With that statement, Jeremy abruptly ended the call.
"Ritchie is still the same as ever—totally missing the point." Jeremy muttered in exasperation.
Jeremy did not have to wait long, within just a few minutes, Ritchie arrived at Jeremy\'s residence.
"Now can you finally tell me who we are going to pick up?" Ritchie asked directly as he stepped into Jeremy\'s home.
"We\'re going to pick up Bonnie. She will be fighting alongside us in the upcoming mission." Jeremy stated calmly, revealing Bonnie\'s name.
Upon hearing Bonnie\'s name, Ritchie could no longer maintain his composure.
"Bonnie is actually going to join us? Your relationship with her doesn\'t seem to be very cordial, does it? I remember she even mocked you not long ago."
Ritchie\'s question was entirely reasonable.
After all, Ritchie had never experienced the instance in the Land of Eternal Night.
He was unaware that Bonnie and Jeremy had not only reconciled but that their relationship had also progressed to a deeper level.
In response to Ritchie\'s astonishment, Jeremy merely replied with a calm demeanor.
"Indeed, Bonnie and I had some conflicts in the past, but those were merely trivial disagreements typical among classmates. In the face of the impending apocalypse, we must work together to ensure the safety of Moonlight City."
Although Jeremy\'s words were an attempt to mask the true reason, they nonetheless succeeded in touching Ritchie.
Ritchie clapped his hands and exclaimed, "You have truly changed significantly from the person you used to be. I believe the old you would never have uttered such profoundly moving words."
"I never imagined you harbored such grand aspirations—are you truly planning to save the entire Moonlight City? I initially thought your relentless extermination of monsters and clearing of instances was solely to enhance your own strength and ensure your safety."
In response to Ritchie\'s somewhat awkward remark, Jeremy simply stated with a measured tone,
"If we cannot guarantee the safety of Moonlight City, then we cannot ensure our own safety either."
After expressing this thought, Jeremy turned his gaze firmly towards Ritchie. "You should be ready by now, right? If so, let\'s not waste any more time here. We need to hurry to the city and pick up Bonnie."
Once Jeremy had gathered all the necessary equipment he needed to bring, he promptly led Ritchie out the door.
Before leaving, Jeremy made a point to call Bonnie.
"I have already decided on the next instance we will be tackling. I will send you the coordinates for the instance, so please prepare yourself quickly, I will be arriving in the city shortly."
"I understand, and I will make all the necessary preparations immediately."
Bonnie was taken aback by how quickly Jeremy intended to take her along to clear the instance. She had assumed that Jeremy would focus his energy on other matters.
With determination, Bonnie carefully packed all the items she needed into her backpack. Among these, the most crucial piece of equipment was undoubtedly the new staff her father had provided for her.
The staff she had previously used had been damaged during the instance. Her father, Benjamin, had specifically located a replacement with similar attributes in the warehouse of Moonlight City.