Chapter 876
Stormy Storm
Chapter 876 Stormy Storm
"Haha...hahahaha..."
Grindelwald's laughter pierced through the rain, unrestrained and wild, carrying a kind of joy that only gods and demons could possess!
He even stepped out of the barrier formed by the jellyfish puppets, standing in the midst of the raging storm, opening his arms to welcome the baptism of the storm, his long silver hair dancing wildly in the lightning.
Wade didn't get soaked in the rain with him; only a few strands of his hair were ruffled by the strong wind.
Those gray eyes narrowed slightly as they gazed at their masterpiece.
Everything was accelerated by catalysts.
It would normally take at least twenty to thirty hours for the destructive power to reach its peak.
But at this moment, the gale is accelerating wildly through the steel jungle of the city, the glass of the high-rise buildings is shattering with a cracking sound, and the curtains are being pulled out of the broken windows and dancing wildly in the wind.
Large sections of the building's exterior walls were peeled off, and thick trees were uprooted and smashed into parked vehicles. Huge billboards tumbled in the air like kites with broken strings before crashing into bridge piers with a deafening bang.
"Click——"
The fallen tree canopy severed the intertwined cables, causing the lights in the entire area to go out. Except for a few places like the hospital, the lights in most buildings could not be turned on again.
With the failure of the lighting system, the security system also collapsed one after another—electronic door locks malfunctioned, electromagnetic locks unlocked automatically, servers shut down, monitoring images gradually disappeared, and various alarms quickly fell silent.
A few minutes later, some more buildings lit up with faint lights—many wealthy families had installed backup generators, which were now humming and working.
But then, lightning bolts began to strike from the sky, as if guided by something with precision.
"boom--!"
The deafening thunder seemed almost within reach, and blinding flashes of lightning danced across the waterlogged ground, extinguishing the lights that had just been turned on.
Faintly, it seemed that someone screamed in fright, but the sound was then swallowed up by the even louder wind and rain.
Wade estimated the time, looked up at the clouds that were still churning with lightning, and his gaze became slightly fixed.
In the midst of the storm, almost no one could gaze at the night sky like him, so no one noticed that fleeting moment—
An unprecedentedly massive bolt of lightning tore through the sky, briefly dispelling the darkness.
In that instant when the entire sky was as bright as day, Vader saw snow-white birds, as if their wings had been broken, fall uncontrollably from the sky.
Before they even hit the ground, they silently decomposed in mid-air, turning into scattered fragments that were instantly swallowed up by the raging wind and rain.
Wade pursed his lips and lowered his gaze.
Magic and electromagnetism are two completely different energies that naturally repel and interfere with each other.
Generally speaking, perhaps due to the more concentrated power, magic usually prevails. For example, in places like Hogwarts, sophisticated electronic devices such as computers and cell phones will malfunction.
Conversely, strong electromagnetic interference can also affect magic. It can disrupt spells, cause discomfort or even pain to wizards, and render magical items malfunction.
Vader himself knew very well that the seagull puppets he mass-produced did not have the intricate and extremely stable structure of Vilan and the others, nor did they have the hard material of the Pensieve, nor did they have the special spells to shield them from the effects of thunderstorms like the flying broom.
They use simple and inexpensive materials, rely on a few "quick" spells to maintain their existence, yet they must fly high into the sky and shuttle through thunderstorms and lightning... inevitably they will also be destroyed by lightning.
He had known this all along, but watching the flock of seagulls fall from the sky still brought him a subtle pang of heartache.
Perhaps it's because these puppets are extensions of his will, a part of himself; or perhaps it's because the apocalyptic scene has such a powerful impact that it evokes a sense of tragedy.
Just then, Grindelwald turned to look at Wade, his gaze seemingly piercing through flesh and blood, reaching straight to that void.
Instead of offering comfort, he let out a low chuckle.
"Can you feel it, Vader?"
Grindelwald took a step forward, his eyes burning with something destructive.
He looked down at the city shrouded in darkness, like a king surveying his domain. "On our path, everything is merely a stepping stone—creation, companions, followers… and even ourselves!"
He turned to stare at Wade, his voice unusually clear in the storm:
"If even the damage of a few toys makes you waver, how can you face human sacrifice?"
Wade looked up at him.
Grindelwald's words were devoid of any warmth, only stark reality:
"Your creations have fulfilled their purpose, and that is enough! Do not mourn for your tools, but let their destruction become stepping stones to greater heights!"
Wade wanted to ask a question—
So what? Have emotions become stepping stones beneath your feet? Have these steps helped you reach the summit?
But then I thought about it again, and realized that there was no point in going head-to-head like that, especially when you're just refuting someone by hitting their sore spots.
Grindelwald was not Wade's enemy at this moment, and what he said... might not be entirely unreasonable; it's just that people can never truly empathize with each other.
However, Wade did not mention Dumbledore, and his silence seemed to immediately awaken Grindelwald's memory, reminding him of his "old rival".
The dark wizard snorted and gritted his teeth inwardly, once again annoyed that Dumbledore had made him live like a "saint".
He then said with great pleasure, “After things are settled here, you can come back to the UMNO with me! It’s time for you to get to know more people in your true identity.”
Wade blinked: "After leaving America, I will naturally return to Hogwarts."
His friends and teachers, his family, and the lifestyle he loves are there. Only a madman would go and get involved with the UMNO.
And... who said they wouldn't force minors to join UMNO?
Grindelwald glanced at him with a smile and asked, "Do you think... you can still go back?"
Wade asked sincerely, "Why can't we go back?"
"Are you still playing dumb with me, kid?"
Grindelwald pointed to the storm-ravaged city and said, "This natural disaster is destined to claim countless lives. If people find out that you caused all of this, will Dumbledore still tolerate you?"
"That Voldemort who calls himself the Dark Lord started a war in Britain, but he only killed a few hundred people. Wade, you might surpass him in one night."
"If you return to England, you won't be greeted with a welcoming ceremony, but rather with the Dementors of Azkaban. Considering your alchemy skills, the best outcome will be a life imprisonment by the Ministry of Magic."
“So in this world, the only one who can accept you, who can give you freedom and glory…” Grindelwald smiled, his tone resolute: “is the Masonic Party!”
Wade sighed softly, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Well... luckily, I always like to have a backup plan, and I've never had the habit of betting everything on others..."
Grindelwald's smile faded: "What do you mean?"
Wade took a small bottle of crystal-clear white substance from his pocket and handed it to the other person. It refracted tiny glimmers of light under the flash of lightning.
Grindelwald took it and looked at it, puzzled: "This is...sand?"
“Quartz sand,” Wade explained patiently. “Spreading it in large quantities into the clouds will create an excess of condensation nuclei, making the clouds more stable and less likely to produce rain.”
"It's like asking a hundred people to share a cup of water; the result is that no one gets enough to drink—that's the effect of quartz sand."
Grindelwald's smile and confidence had completely vanished, replaced by a gloomy coldness.
But Wade was not intimidated. He continued calmly, "So apart from the areas we marked out in advance, the rainfall in other parts of the city did not increase dramatically. In fact, it was less than normal."
"As for these places ravaged by the storm... well, why don't you guess what my puppets are doing right now?"
(End of this chapter)