NOVEL NEXT Chapter 463: Overthinking is Also a Mistake
Kean moved at an incredible speed.
In just a few minutes, he had already relayed the latest intelligence to The Son of the Sun and The Person in the Mirror.
During that same time, he also took the opportunity to prepare all of his weapons and equipment.
"I have to leave the city immediately! But with all the Capital's entrances now under heavy guard, I might need help from someone inside the military headquarters to get out successfully."
Even though Kean had made up his mind to act right away, he was still running into obstacles.
After the attack on the Capital's entrance, the entire city had been placed under strict security measures.
Someone of Kean's power level would not be allowed to leave so easily.
That left him with no choice but to seek assistance from his allies.
While his plan would eventually work, there was no doubt that it would take up a considerable amount of time.
That delay left Kean feeling restless.
As he moved, he continuously prayed that The Person in the Mirror and The Son of the Sun would not be defeated too quickly.
In a dense forest not far from the Capital, The Son of the Sun frowned slightly, confusion evident on his face.
"What's going on? Why is Jeremy coming directly for me? Could he really know my exact location?"
Despite receiving Kean's warning, The Son of the Sun was not fully convinced.
Cautiously, he surveyed his surroundings.
The area he was currently in was the entrance to a Level 30 Instance.
All of the creatures inside this Instance had already been transformed by the Sun, granting them the power of sunlight.
The Son of the Sun had remained here specifically to absorb the Instance's energy, further strengthening himself.
Although he did not immediately trust the information Kean had provided, he still decided to take precautions.
Without hesitation, he summoned one of The Person in the Mirror to his side.
"Kean has run into some unexpected trouble again. We need to prepare for battle immediately. Also, inform your comrades to follow the plan we discussed earlier. All of The Person in the Mirror must enter a state of high alert."
At The Son of the Sun's command, every Person in the Mirror in the surrounding area shifted into full defensive mode.
And there were many of them stationed around the Capital.
The Persons in the Mirror typically disguised themselves as ordinary people. However, the moment they entered a state of high alert, they would utilize their unique abilities and powers to serve The Son of the Sun.
Now, all of the Persons in the Mirror were actively searching for any trace of Jeremy and Ritchie.
But their efforts were doomed to fail—because Jeremy and Ritchie were, in fact, still lingering near the Capital's entrance.
"Everyone has started moving. So, what's your next step?"
Ritchie asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Jeremy smiled and replied,
"It's not the right time to reveal my plan just yet. If you just wait and watch, you'll figure it out soon enough."
He was still being deliberately mysterious.
Ritchie couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by his attitude.
"You are definitely smarter than me, I won't argue with that," Ritchie admitted. "But shouldn't you at least tell me the details of your plan? I am your companion, after all. And in the upcoming battle, I'll be facing just as much danger as you."
Ritchie's words made perfect sense.
Jeremy nodded in agreement.
"You're right. You are my companion. And yes, you'll be facing the same level of risk as I will in battle. But the truth is… I can't reveal my plan."
"Because even I don't know what the next step is."
As soon as those words left Jeremy's mouth, Ritchie's face contorted into an expression of pure shock.
"What the hell are you talking about?! Are you just making things up as you go?!"
Ritchie was completely dumbfounded.
He had assumed that Jeremy's actions were all calculated, but now it seemed as if he had just been acting randomly without any concrete strategy.
"You really think I'm being reckless?" Jeremy asked with a smirk.
"My goal in stirring up chaos is simple—I want Kean and his allies to panic. Do you think Kean would ever underestimate me?"
Ritchie took a moment to think before shaking his head.
"Kean would never underestimate you. After all, in every previous battle, he's never been able to claim victory against you. And not only that—he's suffered some serious losses at your hands."
Ritchie stated his thoughts clearly.
Jeremy smiled again and gave a satisfied nod.
"You're absolutely right. Kean would never underestimate me. That means he will take every single one of my actions seriously. He has to believe that there's a deeper meaning behind everything I do. And because of that, he'll start overthinking things." Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire
Jeremy stopped speaking for a moment.
He wanted to give Ritchie time to think.
Ritchie furrowed his brows and then continued the thought himself.
"If he overthinks, then he'll convince himself that you have some kind of deep, strategic plan. And if that plan succeeds, he'll suffer a devastating loss. That means right now, he's probably panicking. There's a good chance he's already making a move.
And if I were Kean, the first thing I'd do is try to track you down as fast as possible. Because only by finding you can I figure out what your real plan is."
Finally, Ritchie had used his own reasoning to piece together a logical explanation.
Jeremy smiled and clapped his hands together lightly.
"Not bad! Looks like your intelligence has improved significantly over the past few weeks."
Hearing that, Ritchie let out an awkward chuckle.
At first, he thought Jeremy was genuinely complimenting him—until he realized something.
Wait a minute.
Wasn't Jeremy implying that he had been dumb before?!
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Are you saying I used to be an idiot?!"
Jeremy smirked. "Well, your intelligence was a bit lacking before. But don't worry, you've almost made up for it now. At this rate, I'd say it won't be long before you can operate on your own—and actually use your brain to outsmart your enemies."
He was clearly joking.
But Ritchie wasn't in the mood to keep joking around.
The smile on his face disappeared in an instant, replaced by a serious expression.
"How confident are you that this plan will actually work?" he asked, his tone sharp. "Once Kean finds you, do you really think you can beat him?"
Jeremy's smile faded as well.
"I'd say the odds of success are at least fifty-fifty," he admitted. "But waiting here for him to come to us is not an option. If we stay in one place, he'll know something is off."
"We need to keep moving—stay out of his reach. And while we're at it, we should also be looking for his allies.
I have no doubt that Kean's allies are going to take action as well. If we can track them down and find the right clues, we might be able to weaken them before the final battle even begins."
Jeremy understood one fundamental truth—if he was going to put on a show, he had to commit to the full act.
If his only goal was to deceive Kean, then his plan had already succeeded.
But if he wanted to guarantee victory in the final battle, he needed to be even more strategic.
Ritchie, after hearing Jeremy's explanation, nodded firmly.
"Let's move quickly! I've been feeling some unwelcome eyes on us for a while now!"
The unwelcome eyes Ritchie referred to were, of course, from The Person in the Mirror.
Although many of The Person in the Mirror were searching for Jeremy and Ritchie, their individual strength was relatively weak.
They lacked the ability to locate the two of them quickly.
However, their searching gazes had not gone unnoticed.
And that was exactly what Jeremy had been waiting for.
"You're right. It's about time we made those unwelcome eyes disappear."
The moment Jeremy finished speaking, multiple spatial rifts began forming around him.
The rifts spread outward at a rapid pace.
A Person in the Mirror who had been lurking nearby was caught off guard and instantly pulled in by one of the spatial rifts.
This Person in the Mirror had not even realized that Jeremy and Ritchie were so close.
It wasn't until he was already trapped that he attempted to send out a warning.
But Jeremy didn't give him the chance.
The spatial rift tore The Person in the Mirror into fragments before he could even react.
"This was one of Kean's allies. His soul structure is nearly identical to that of The Person in the Mirror. That means we can confirm—he was definitely one of them."
As soon as Jeremy eliminated the Person in the Mirror, his soul materialized before Jeremy and Ritchie.
Jeremy, possessing the séance ability, knew exactly what to do.
With it, he could extract valuable intelligence from the fallen Person in the Mirror.
Ritchie nodded in understanding.
"Go ahead and perform the séance. I'll keep watch and make sure no one interrupts us."
With Ritchie standing guard, Jeremy quickly completed the séance.
The information he obtained confirmed that the spirit belonged to The Person in the Mirror.
It also revealed that The Person in the Mirror had already gone into high alert.
All of them were actively searching for Jeremy and Ritchie.
After finishing the séance, Jeremy smiled and said,
"It looks like our plan has been an overwhelming success. Not only is Kean in a state of panic, but even his allies have been thrown into disarray. We're not far from victory now."
After saying this, Jeremy turned to look at Ritchie.
Ritchie, however, only grew more confused.
He had no idea why Jeremy was suddenly looking at him like that.
Under Ritchie's puzzled gaze, Jeremy slowly spoke.
"This whole situation has taught us a very important lesson—overthinking is also a mistake. When you find yourself in a crisis in the future, don't overthink things."