In terms of strength, Henry, with his Constitution improved twice and a 20% bonus from his Strength Talent LV1, should have few rivals.
Therefore, Henry planned to save up 1000 gray beads of energy to upgrade his Rifle Shooting skill to LV5.
Given how powerful his LV4 Rifle Shooting was in conjunction with his physical talents, he couldn't imagine what LV5 Rifle Shooting would be like, and he was very curious to find out.
---
At McKinley Manor, after the earth-shattering explosion, the entire Manor was covered in rocks, branches, and dirt.
Horses in the Manor neighed frantically, and many people ran out of their rooms in panic—afraid of being buried alive by collapsing buildings.
The dozen or so guards ambushed at the Manor's entrance almost thought the end of the world had come when the explosion occurred, believing they would fall into an abyss the next moment.
Once they had somewhat calmed down, Qi An fired five flares in a row, ordering two guards to scout ahead.
When the two guards cautiously walked to the front half of the square, they found that the nearly hundred-meter section at the very front of the square had completely collapsed, and the section beyond the corner was unclear.
This collapse, if it advanced another twenty meters towards the Manor, would engulf both watchtowers.
After hearing the two guards' report, Qi An felt both relieved and helpless.
He was relieved because the enemy had likely retreated, and the Manor was saved.
He was helpless because the damage caused by the enemy was too great; even the road down the mountain was cut off, and the people in the Manor wouldn't know how to descend the mountain tomorrow.
It was even unclear whether the Manor's foundation had suffered any irreversible damage.
Brendan and Rocky, in the Manor's living room, were also extremely depressed after hearing Qi An's report.
Suddenly attacked by a powerful enemy, 89 guards died, and even the Manor's foundation was almost hollowed out, resulting in huge losses.
All of this happened so suddenly, it was almost unbelievable.
Especially since only one enemy appeared from beginning to end, and he was wearing a mask.
This made it even more speechless; he was already so powerful, yet so cautious.
This earth-shattering roar once again alarmed various forces, who had already arranged for personnel to investigate at daybreak.
At 5:30 AM, just as the sky was brightening, Brendan and Rocky, who had not slept all night, walked to the front of the Manor square under the escort of Qi An and several guards, finding that over 80 meters of the originally 220-meter-long square had completely collapsed, with the edge directly becoming a cliff dozens of meters high.
The original corner also completely collapsed over a large area, estimated to be about one hundred meters long.
Now, unless a new passage is opened in the right mountain wall, the Manor cannot be descended.
To open a passage in the right mountain wall, explosives must be used, and a slight misstep could cause another collapse.
Therefore, relevant engineering experts must be invited to inspect and confirm it's safe before any action can be taken.
Currently, the only way to go up and down the mountain is by lowering a seventy to eighty-meter-long rope from the cliff on the left side of the Manor's entrance.
Only a very small number of strong individuals can go up and down the mountain.
Everyone in the entire Manor was trapped on this mountain, truly feeling like they were calling out to the heavens, but no one answered, and calling out to the earth, but it wouldn't respond.
Even worse, the spring in the Manor was affected by the explosion, and its water output was reduced by half.
Fortunately, the Manor had just lost half its personnel, so this water could still meet the Manor's needs.
If other supplies were used sparingly, they could last ten to half a month without issue.
However, even if a new road could be reopened, it would be difficult for the Manor to return to its former state.
Moreover, after this incident, this Manor will certainly no longer be the McKinley Family's primary gathering place in the west.
Brendan and Rocky looked at each other, full of worry—the family's losses this time were too great, and the aftermath would be difficult to handle.
---
When Richard and Madeline had breakfast with Linda early in the morning, they saw related reports in The Denver Post, brought by the butler.
"Last night, from around 9 PM until early morning, McKinley Family Manor suffered an attack by unknown enemies. Dozens of bodies of Manor guards were left at the scene, and the road down the mountain was blown up, with a collapse of over one hundred meters. Preliminary assessment indicates both sides used Gatling guns, howitzers, and high explosives."
Another report was also shocking.
"Around 7 PM last night, a two-story building behind Hamlet Bar in the east of the city was almost completely destroyed. Over two hundred bodies were left at the scene. According to informed sources, this was the headquarters of a secret organization in Denver."
Richard and Madeline looked at each other, both thinking of Henry's time out.
'It seems to fit well. And around 9 PM, wasn't that shortly after my wife and I had just left McKinley Family Manor?'
'Colorado feels very dangerous!'
Richard remembered the crowd he saw gathered in the east of the city when he returned last night; that must have been where the destroyed black market headquarters was located.
Richard asked, "Linda, we'll arrange for the butler to buy train tickets soon. How many of you are going to New York?"
Linda replied, "Sorry, you'll have to ask Henry; his plans seem to have changed."
Richard said with a smile, "No problem, Madeline, dear, once you've confirmed with Henry, arrange for the butler to buy the tickets. I'll go handle some business matters first."
"Okay, take two police officers with you, be careful," Madeline said.
"No problem, Henry made arrangements yesterday." Richard smiled, hugged his wife, and then nodded to Linda before leaving the Manor for business, accompanied by Locke and Walton.
By the time Henry woke up and finished washing, it was already past 9 AM, and even the two children, Becky and Andre, had finished breakfast.
Seeing Henry come down from the second floor, Edith, Madeline, and Linda, who were chatting in the first-floor hall, all brightened up.
An ordinary shirt, vest, and leather pants looked particularly masculine on Henry, especially making him appear tall, handsome, steady, and reliable.
His tall stature made it difficult for Henry to disguise himself in front of enemies, but it was a huge plus for his masculine charm.
Madeline said with a smile, "Good morning, Henry."
After two days and having shared hardships, they were no longer so formal, so Henry also directly called Madeline by her name.
"Good morning, Madeline, good morning Linda, good morning Edith."
"Henry, I'm going to arrange for the butler to buy train tickets now. How many tickets do you and Linda need, and for when?"
"Four adults—Linda, Mary, Peter, and I, and two children, maybe Becky doesn't need a ticket? So one child, any day after today is fine."
"Okay, you eat breakfast first, I'll arrange it." Madeline rang the call bell for the butler, Pires, to come over.
Henry walked to the dining table, and the maid Rose immediately served him breakfast—with an extra pound of steak.
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