Chapter 96: The Critical Deadline

The moment the messenger’s words left his lips, a chill ran down my spine. Midnight. That gave us less than twelve hours to make a decision that could determine the fate of Silverwood.

The enemy’s plans were advancing faster than we had anticipated, and we were running out of time.

“What’s the new ultimatum?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended. The messenger flinched, but he quickly regained his composure.

“They want you to surrender by midnight,” he said, catching his breath. “If you don’t… they’ve threatened to destroy Silverwood completely.

They’ve positioned explosives around the perimeter, and they’re ready to detonate them if their demands aren’t met.”

My heart pounded in my chest. “Explosives?” I echoed, my mind racing. “How did they manage to plant explosives without us noticing?”

Marlow stepped forward, his expression grim. “We’ve been too focused on the internal threats. We underestimated how far they were willing to go. This changes everything.”

“We need to find