Chapter 112 : Faster Than Anyone
[West control tower cleared.]
[North, too.]
[…South side also subdued.]
Reports came in one after another. There was almost no time difference in the voices transmitted through the radio. It probably meant that their skills were only a hair’s breadth apart. Seeing as the Brotherhood patrols outside showed no particular unusual movements, it seemed they had all remembered to be stealthy.
Well, it was a request where only three people would share the smuggled cargo. There was no need to nag one by one; they were all veterans.
“The system power for the control tower is the red button on the right. You can break it or lock it, just make it useless for now.”
Various sounds of breaking and tearing came through my earpiece. With this, the station was sealed. It was now physically impossible for the cargo to leave before the chaotic battle was decided.
The stage was set, so all that was left was to wait.
“And from now on, we cut off communication. Unless there’s something special, we block all contact with each other. We could be traced back.”
The last excuse was a pretext. It wasn’t a delicate operation that required us to move as one body anyway. It was just about beating down the enemy in the chaos according to one’s own capabilities. Moreover, considering the murky greed that each of them harbored, it was better to cut off contact from now on.
“……”
Time passed in silence. At some point, the dawn began to break. The blurry images, soaked in the darkness of dawn, became clear, and the dry, twisted blades of grass bent their bodies even flatter.
Not long after, a black-tinted vehicle that looked like a cannon truck came rushing from the other side of the road leading to the station. What got out of the car that had stopped at the station were office workers dressed in suits. Although they were far away, the hawk’s vision recognized their faces at a glance.
‘Employees of the Arman Company.’
From inside the station, members of the Brotherhood poured out. The branch manager of Branch 52 stood at the forefront, and the executives were escorting him.
‘It’s starting.’
I carefully observed the scene visible through the window.
***
“Are you really sure about this?”
The employee of the Arman Company had an anxious expression. The worry of whether this was right was clearly visible on his face. As he nervously looked back again and again, the branch manager of Brotherhood Branch 52, Kurt Melbyrne, placed a hand on his shoulder and patted it.
“Heh heh, of course. Don’t worry. The unfortunate incident you’re thinking of won’t happen in this deal.”
“Ugh.”
The employee flinched in surprise at the hand that gripped his shoulder tightly.
“Or what, are you going to overturn the deal now? After we’ve put in so much effort and even set the stage for you?”
The employee unknowingly shrank back, hunching his shoulders. Although he had stuck close to him in a friendly manner, the sticky emotion in his voice was by no means favorable.
The employee was in charge of the back-door deals that the company secretly carried out. He had had not a few experiences like this. But the other party was a true resident of the underworld. It was inevitable that his heart would sink at the meaningful words and actions.
“You know it too. Who planned this. It’s a central figure in an organization higher up than ours. And your side is even more so. Nothing will happen. Even if it does, you can’t stop it.”
“……”
It was as Kurt said. As a mere low-level employee, he had no ability to grasp the numerous interests and inner thoughts involved in this deal, or the identity of the great hand that controlled the company and the organization. But at least he knew that his own life was on the line in this deal.
The city government’s ruthless crackdown? He was in over his head. If he was going to be swayed this way and that anyway, it was a wise move to get rid of the blade in front of him first.
“Show me the goods first.”
“It seems you’ve made up your mind. Good, quality check is essential in a deal. Follow me.”
They headed inside the station. A single-car train with a container attached to the back was parked in the depot. At Kurt’s flick of a finger, a subordinate who was guarding the train unlocked the door.
Inside the container was packed with packaged cargo. Precious metals, furniture with a long history, works of art including paintings and sculptures, and so on. They were items that were frequently transported. The condition of their management was not bad either.
As the employee nodded and got off the container, Kurt said.
“This side is just the usual stuff we sell. The special item is over there.”
Kurt took the employee and personally opened the door of the train car. The inside of the train car was as dark as the deep sea, as if the lights had been intentionally turned off.
Flash!
From there, several pairs of lights, blue, yellow, and green, flashed.
“Ugh!”
The employee, more terrified by the strong beastly smell than surprised by the lights in the darkness, frowned.
“Haha, not easy, right? But you get used to it after a while. As for how you’re going to ride in here, well, you can just forget about that concern.”
Even Kurt was pinching his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Talking so casually as if it wasn’t his business. The employee couldn’t bring himself to point it out and just focused on his work.
“There’s nothing wrong with them, right? I heard they were ferocious, but it’s strange that they’re not even barking.”
“How long has it been since our last deal, do you think we’d make an amateur mistake?”
“Then?”
“We didn’t hit them or anything, we just starved them for a few days. No matter how ferocious a beast is, isn’t it still a beast? They have no strength because they haven’t eaten.”
The employee looked at their condition from a distance and nodded. They seemed a little thin, but they didn’t look weak. In that case, well. It wasn’t something that the Arman Company, which was just a transportation company, needed to worry about.
“Check is complete. Then we will start the transportation now, so please open the way.”
The employees each moved to their positions. The employees prepared the train to depart as soon as the depot door opened and the railway was connected. The employee who was leading the deal stood in the driver’s cabin and nervously tapped his foot.
Was it because it was a deal he had come to with a nervous heart from the beginning? For some reason, he felt like he was being chased. An unknown anxiety that felt like his neck would be bitten at any moment if he stood still.
In the end, the employee couldn’t wait any longer and shouted outside.
“When are you going to open the way!”
“……”
“Hello?!”
Even after urging him again, no answer came back. The employee then noticed that Kurt’s expression was subtly distorted. The Brotherhood members were stirring behind him.
“Has something bad happened? Did a city government official get tangled up at the last minute, asking for a bribe or something?”
The tantrums of corrupt public officials were a common occurrence. It was the kind of accident that could be easily resolved with some soothing words and a little bit of financial sincerity. So the current remark was the employee’s wish that no other incident had occurred.
“……Haha, well. I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry about?”
“It seems our guys have lost their discipline, and communication isn’t going smoothly. I’ve sent a few guys to check now, so just wait a little longer.”
As soon as he finished speaking.
Kuuung!
Dudududu!
Waaaaah!
A roar, shouts, screams, gunshots, and vibrations poured out. The floor of the depot shook, and even the train trembled. The employee, who had avoided falling by leaning on the window, shouted.
“Wait! You said it was a communication problem! This is…!”
“Shut up.”
“……!”
Kurt silenced the employee, who was having a fit, with a murderous glare. The employee’s face turned pale and was drenched in cold sweat. As the employee staggered as if he were about to collapse, Kurt, who had approached him, supported him.
“Whoa there! Why did you have to raise your voice? I told you it’s no big deal.”
“It’s not no big deal…”
“Don’t be anxious and just wait.”
Kurt’s expression, which had been distorted with anger, had changed at some point. Annoyance, and a glimpse of confidence within it.
“It’s a commotion that will be sorted out soon.”
***
“Kill them!”
“Uaaah!”
“The enemy is on this side too…!”
“Ignore the small fry and clear a path!”
The scene visible below the window was worthy of being called a hellscape. From all directions, centered on the station, a large number of personnel poured out. Gangs rushing in on vehicles, thugs armed with steel pipes and wooden planks, mercenaries teamed up with mages and spearmen, and so on.
It was a scene as if a small-scale war had broken out, with various forces fighting fiercely in one place. The Brotherhood desperately held on in the face of their wave-like offensive. At first, it seemed they were being pushed back by the momentum of the surprise attack and were being helplessly defeated, but then, as if they had made a prior agreement, they took up key positions and went on the defensive.
‘Overall, compared to the Brotherhood’s forces, their level is lower.’
There were a few skilled individuals who stood out, but that was it. The reason the Brotherhood was on the defensive was simply because the number of enemies was large.
‘It seems there were no large forces that wanted to get on the Brotherhood’s bad side.’
Or was it because they were expecting the smuggling market to be revitalized with this deal as an opportunity? It was also possible that they had guessed that the councilor had intervened and had remained silent.
It was a pity.
‘Still, this is enough.’
Unless one is an overwhelmingly strong person, the violence of numbers is a force that is hard to handle. Even if it seemed sluggish, if time was dragged on like this, the downfall of Brotherhood Branch 52 was a predetermined result.
Hadn’t the station been sealed? Since the cargo was trapped in the depot, if they wanted to protect it, they had no choice but to be buried here with it.
Kwaaaa!
In an instant, from one side, a large number of bodies floated into the air like kites on a string. Blood splattering in the air, crushed limbs, a bundle of broken weapons. It felt as if the smell of blood was wafting all the way to this distant place.
‘He’s started to move.’
A contractor, the talkative man in the leather armor. Every time he swung his weapon, the enemies flew away as if caught in a storm. He was quite skilled. So much so that he had volunteered for a request to clean up this chaotic mess with only four people and monopolize the reward.
The movements of the other contractors also began to come into view one by one. They were advancing as if in a trance in the midst of the chaos. As they swung their weapons, they did not distinguish whether they were members of the Brotherhood or not. Since their target was the same, they considered everyone around them as competitors for the request.
There was nothing to be resentful about. The hyenas gathered here would all be thinking the same thing.
They were different from me.
‘The rest don’t matter. I will wipe out all the forces of Brotherhood Branch 52 here.’
I left the control tower. Just in case, I even blocked the entrance with plants. As I approached the station, the chill of the dawn in the air decreased, and the heat of blood and sweat came on strong.
Vroooom!
Suddenly, the sound of an engine came from behind. The moment I turned my head, flashing headlights. A military truck was racing at full speed, as if its brakes were broken.
Kwajik!
Kwareureung!
It trampled the barbed wire fence and smashed through the wall, charging in. The rough engine sound pierced my ears. I could clearly see the guy in the driver’s seat laughing.
“That’s a pretty good trick.”
In a battle with many, an attack via a vehicle was, without a doubt, effective. It was even a selfish means of attack, as one was protected by the vehicle’s body while ramming into others.
“But I’ve experienced it before.”
Chwaaak!
A whip-like stem extended in front of the vehicle and bunched up into the shape of a small hill. The driver, who was just busy running wild, soaked in madness, didn’t even have time to turn the steering wheel. By the time he realized something was strange, the vehicle was flying over my head.
Tatatat!
As the undercarriage of the vehicle passed over my head, I fired bullets. Exactly three shots. The driver’s seat, the engine, and under the transmission.
Deolkeong!
The vehicle drew a parabola, passed me, and rushed to the other side. The people in its path were hit by the car and fell, flying away. A long trail of oil followed under the fallen corpses.
And then.
Kwaaang!
It exploded.
Kwang! Kwangkwangkwang!
The explosion did not end with one, but continued in a chain reaction. It was the effect of a vehicle that had been racing in a zigzag pattern on the scene being unfortunately caught in the first explosion. And so, another unfortunate vehicle was caught in the explosion, and such things were repeated.
In the end, a dozen or so vehicles either turned into bombs or were overturned, unable to withstand the sharp cornering.
「The World Tree claps its hands and cheers at the spectacular fireworks.」
For an effect caused by just one vehicle, it was quite spectacular. Not only the World Tree’s reaction, but there were many who were just staring blankly, having lost their minds.
I passed through them and approached the station, faster than anyone.
(End of Chapter)