As everything calmed down and the dust settled, a loud and authoritative voice boomed amidst the silence. "That's enough. If you do not want to suffer any further consequences, step aside peacefully."
Immediately, the police task force, who had been standing at the back all this time, marched forward with arrogance and authority.
At the centre of this group was the mayor of the city. He as well stepped forward, his hands tied at the back and his head looking around loftily as if he was above the masses.
"Everyone stay calm and do not panic. The city has the situation under control. We will not let anything happen to innocent civilians. But first…"
He cleared his throat and continued, "Let's first all settle down. Unnecessary panic and unauthorized vigilantes would only worsen the situation." His gaze shifted towards the group of people sitting on the road tiredly as he mentioned this particular statement.
With a stern gaze, the mayor then once again cleared his throat. "So I suggest all of you to first disperse and go back to your respective houses in an orderly manner. I repeat. Everyone should disperse and go back to your residence in a calm and orderly manner."
"The government is on top of this mysterious occurrence, and we will handle things from here on out. No one needs to worry or panic. Go back and wait for more instructions. Soon the internet and phone lines will be restored, and everything will be sorted out."
Hearing the mayor's strong and confident words, the entire crowd relaxed and finally felt some relief. As there were numerous police task members standing around, everyone quickly obeyed them and started walking back to their residence.
Only a few people stared back at the mayor as if he had spoken something that was even more ridiculous than the apocalypse descending on the world.
However, these people also did not want any trouble and silently retreated back. After all, they neither belonged to the guild nor belonged to the government forces.
They were simply spectators and bystanders in this event, so they went back and decided to watch what happens from the safety of their homes.
But looking at the way in which things were proceeding, they wouldn't be surprised if an all-out war occurred between Crimson Abyss and the government!
The next second this thought entered their mind, they could only bitterly smile at how ridiculous such a notion was!
An in-game guild was actually fighting in the real world with skills and attacks from the same damned game!
Just what in hell was happening around them? Why was reality and game world merging? What sort of future awaited them?
Amidst this confusion swirling in everyone's hearts and minds about the uncertain future, the crowd silently dispersed.
Meanwhile, back at the portal, the big swirling mess of energy from which countless beasts had been spawning one after another just now, a few people still remained on the spot. They did not show any intention of returning to their houses.
Heck, they couldn't care less about what the fat lady sang about. Unlike others, they weren't oblivious to what was happening. They knew exactly what was happening, and they knew who was the real one in charge here and whose orders they had to obey.
While the police task force cleared everyone, these guys acted as if it had nothing to do with them. They were also too tired to move at the moment. They simply looked at Liam, who was rather calmly standing with a polite smile.
Watching this, the mayor, the chief of police, and the deputy chief of police all grimaced, their faces turning unsightly. Never in their experience had an order been so flagrantly disregarded.
Especially with everything around them crumbling and the uncertainty of what was happening, these authority figures did not take this well. They wanted to maintain some semblance of normalcy at all costs, even in these dire circumstances.
So without giving even an inch, they pushed ahead.
"Did you not hear what Sir Mayor just announced?" The police chief loudly commanded. "Everyone return to your homes. The foreigners need to stay back for questioning. Also." He paused and then turned to look at Liam. "You need to stay back."
Coincidentally, the police chief did not stop there. He continued to look at Liam and commanded sternly. "You are in possession of an illegal animal. You need to hand over the animal to Sir Mayor, and you are hereby placed under arrest."
"Get down on the ground and put your hands up in the air!"
As the man's voice rang loud and clear in the crisp early morning, everyone present in the vicinity was utterly shocked. Someone actually dared to speak in this manner to their guild leader?
Was this person crazy? Did he not just witness what had happened?
So this is what an idiot looked like… everyone inwardly said their prayers for the poor bunch of disillusioned bureaucrats. It was going to be their funeral today.
And just like they suspected… they looked towards Liam and saw the smile on his face widen. But unexpectedly, Liam simply nodded.
He waved his hand at the guild group. "Everyone stand back." He as well then proceeded to walk to the back and then got on the ground.
Ideally, a criminal would have never been allowed to do this, and police would have shot at them even if he took a single step forward, but this was a special case.
No one dared to shoot at this person, and they were all happy that the person willingly surrendered. So they silently let him do as he pleased.
When Liam finally raised his hand, two of the policemen hurriedly handcuffed him. But once again, there was no reaction. Liam only smiled.
Seeing Liam behave in this fashion, the other guild members were also confused. They were shocked and surprised as they had expected fireworks, but this was anti-climactic.
What was going on? Were they really surrendering to the government?
But Liam had already spoken, so they knew their orders and what they had to do. They silently started walking back away from the portal towards the location of Liam's apartment, their main base.
