Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons-Chapter 408: Expanding influence. Using the military.

Arthur maintained his protective barrier while analysing the situation. Portal closure suggested either mission completion or strategic cancellation.

Either we eliminated enough demons to satisfy their objectives, or something bigger is being planned.

Everyone around him turned expectantly, waiting for direction. With Detroit’s only dimensional rift now closed, they had no clear purpose.

They were like lost sheep seeking a shepherd.

Arthur opened his mouth to address the assembled forces when distant rotor blades caught his attention. A military helicopter approached from the southeast, its cargo bay clearly loaded with a few passengers.

Jax’s recruitment mission bearing fruit.

He immediately unsummoned his demon legion from Gates’s headquarters roof, the sixteen superior and epic-rank entities dissolving back into summoning storage.

No need for unnecessary complications.

The helicopter descended while a large group of people emerged from surrounding streets. Jax’s second team had clearly succeeded in their recruitment efforts.

Fresh arrivals. Time to count the numbers.

Arthur’s enhanced perception counted the assembled forces in a few seconds.

Around a hundred from Gates’s subordinates, six from Jax’s military team, and approximately thirty newcomers from the recruitment drive.

One hundred and thirty-six total. I expected more. He thought, a small frown appearing on his face.

He’d anticipated larger survivor numbers from Detroit’s metropolitan area. Either casualties had been more severe than expected, or fear kept people from seeking help.

Well, it’s irrelevant to think about now. Let’s work with what we have.

Arthur turned toward Gates with decisive authority. "Explain the situation to the new arrivals. Get them oriented."

Gates gave a nod of understanding before stepping toward the bewildered newcomers. His selection hadn’t been random, nor rooted in loyalty.

The reason was simple: reaching the pinnacle of global wealth demanded exceptional communication and persuasive ability—qualities Gates possessed in abundance.

Let him handle the newcomers.

Arthur faced his experienced forces, the people who’d gained levels through his method of demon farming. Their new capabilities and confidence were evident in their expression and the way they carried themselves.

"I know a lot of questions are running through your heads, and honestly, I have plenty myself. This is my first time dealing with something like this, too. Still, I do have a few ideas."

He turned to the group, his voice steady.

"The portal likely closed for a few reasons," he said. "A possible reason is the following: the demons were being wiped out too fast, so they pulled back and shut down this assault."

Logical deduction. Partial truth.

One of Gates’s subordinates—a woman named Jennifer who’d reached Level 5 from the constant kills, raised her hand eagerly.

"What if it stopped around the whole world? Maybe we’re safe now!"

Her reasoning seemed sound at first, but it was little more than wishful thinking. Understandable, yes, but ultimately wrong.

Arthur shook his head firmly. "No. If that were the case, the system would have rewarded us with completion notifications."

Simple logic. Effective reasoning.

Although Arthur had said that, the main reason behind his confidence wasn’t the system notification.

The real reason remained classified. His summons across Michigan had confirmed active portals in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Battle Creek.

The closure of this particular portal had happened for a reason, though even he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. The only explanation Arthur could think of for now was a strategic withdrawal.

"So what’s our next plan?" Dave asked, his shapeshifter abilities still partially active from earlier tension.

Good question. Time for the reveal.

Arthur turned toward Jax, appreciating how his resurrected summon provided perfect cover for his upcoming expanded operations.

"Like we agreed before, we need vehicles. I need you to arrange transportation for all these awakened individuals."

To Jax’s team, it seemed like Arthur was simply trying to use military resources for civilian protection. But in reality, Arthur was using the people inside the military as tools to expand his influence and power, without them knowing.

"These people represent the future." He said, gesturing towards the awakeners all around him.

"We need to reach multiple parts of the state and protect as many people as possible."

Gates’s people nodded in unison, their loyalty unwavering. Any lingering doubt in their hearts had been cast aside. They were no longer just following Gates—they were following Arthur.

The newly recruited awakeners—still processing Gates’s orientation—followed the crowd’s lead.

Jax’s expression showed appropriate reluctance despite his absolute loyalty to Arthur’s commands. The performance maintained his cover to his team while advancing Arthur’s objectives.

"Let me consult my team," Jax said with hesitation plastered all over his face.

Jax walked with his five subordinates, maintaining distance for private discussion. Arthur’s enhanced hearing captured every word despite their lowered voices.

"Sir, that’s a lot of people. How do we explain expanded operations to the command?" One of them whispered urgently.

Another added his own scepticism. "These civilians will slow us down. Divide experience points among more people. We should focus on ourselves now. Keeping them alive means they will share our resources,"

"Exactly, you guys are getting stronger fast. Why share opportunities with amateurs? We still haven’t gotten our levelling opportunity yet," Another contributed.

Jax maintained his facade of consideration while internally following Arthur’s will.

"Those people will eventually join our forces anyway. Command wants awakened recruitment. By taking them in, we can show the command that we are indeed focusing on gathering awakeners and persuading them into joining our cause, whilst in reality, we are just getting stronger ourselves.

Once we get strong enough, we will no longer care about the command and become the command ourselves. But for now, we still need to have enough proof that we are indeed doing our job of recruitment, and this is the perfect chance!" Jax explained, his words making sense to his team.

"Plus, we can earn recognition points from successful civilian protection. The command might also reward us with items for such large-scale operations. We are hitting many birds with one stone," He added.

The second-in-command’s expression shifted toward interest. "Recognition points affect promotion consideration too, not just rewards."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺