The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

Even without expressing it through actions, the situation was certainly suspicious.

“Are you saying he’s kicking out the company’s employees and bringing in Brotherhood members?”

“Yes, I don’t know what he’s up to, but he’s planning something. And if he’s putting that much effort into it, there must be a leader directing it.”

“He must be in there. Even right now.”

It was an excellent deduction. In addition to that, I could even guess what Taser Gale was up to.

‘Is he trying to make a deal with Councilor Sorbet himself this time, instead of through a subordinate?’

The ‘item’ that the branch manager of Branch 52, Kurt Melbyrne, had mentioned. He had told me that there were many high-ranking officials who had their eyes on the ‘item’. And the underboss probably wanted to sell it to Councilor Sorbet. The deal planned in District 20 was probably more like a rehearsal before the main event.

I had ruined it spectacularly. It would have been nice if our relationship had soured as a result, but reality was not so. Councilor Sorbet did not cut ties with the underboss. In addition to that, he had even exercised his political power and had given the underboss a great deal of support.

‘The underboss has a reason to cling to him, but Councilor Sorbet doesn’t.’

The crackdown by the Public Security Bureau, led by Councilor Giselle, was persistent and ruthless. The underboss Taser Gale’s foundation was the smuggling market. It wasn’t strange for him to cling to someone who could help him overcome the crisis of his foundation collapsing. And that person was a councilor, one of the highest-ranking officials in this city. Official source ıs novel⟡fire.net

‘A councilor wouldn’t do volunteer work, so it must mean their calculations matched.’

It meant that the ‘item’ that the underboss had prepared was that attractive to Councilor Sorbet. So, I was slowly becoming certain of the identity of the ‘item’.

Councilor Sorbet’s hobby of sponsoring a zoo. The illegally captured animals confirmed among the smuggled goods of Branch 52. Considering all this together.

‘There’s a high possibility it’s a spirit beast.’

It would have been a relief just to get information about a spirit beast. If I could go beyond that and actually snatch a real spirit beast, it would be a stroke of luck.

‘Councilor Giselle provided the information at the right time.’

If it weren’t for him, it would have taken a long time to uncover the underboss’s identity. Even this guy Hatig, although he had proposed cooperation, was in the dark about the underboss’s identity. Of course, just finding out that the underboss was the backer of Branch 52 was a great achievement.

But the underboss’s actions were so fast that such things were meaningless.

‘There was a time limit.’

After the deal between the underboss and the councilor was concluded, there was nothing I could do. The name value of a councilor is incomparable to that of a Brotherhood executive. In my current state, I would have had to give up with tears in my eyes.

“If it’s certain that Taser Gale is in there, there’s no need to weigh the pros and cons.”

The purge of the faction, the completion of the deal. I had two time limits.

Therefore.

“Today, right now.”

I decided.

“We strike him.”

***

“What did you just say…?”

“I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?”

“That’s ridiculous!”

The conversation was only between Hatig and Allen, but there were more people present. Hatig had brought along the elite of his branch, his trusted subordinates. They, who had been keeping silent, unwittingly joined the conversation and expressed their negative opinions.

That’s how shocking and radical Allen’s statement was.

According to the results of their investigation so far, this place was as good as enemy territory. So, although they had brought their weapons, they were not perfectly prepared. They had considered it a light reconnaissance, so they hadn’t even prepared themselves mentally. The subordinates were also not all gathered. An attack in this state was out of the question.

“……”

Allen did not react to their responses. It was more accurate to say that he didn’t even care. It was because he knew who the decision-maker in this place was. The subordinates also regained their composure and watched their decision-maker.

Hatig, the branch manager of Branch 102. A renegade who had plotted a coup, taking advantage of the chaos in the city and the organization, and had drawn in a contractor as a partner. But even he had common sense. The fact that he had been so successful paradoxically meant that he had not challenged the impossible. This matter was, by common sense, close to impossible.

“Heh heh heh, good! I like it very much!”

But Hatig laughed heartily and agreed with Allen. It wasn’t because he was a stupid, ignorant, and antisocial orc. On the contrary, his eyes were vivid and sharp, expressing the sharp instincts of a honed warrior.

“The chances of winning are sufficient.”

Allen said. It might seem impulsive, but it wasn’t necessarily so.

“We know them. On the other hand, they don’t know us. It means their preparations are lacking, several times more than ours.”

The capabilities of an organization are not just about combat power. In all aspects, including connections and information power, the underboss was superior to Branch 102. The reason for the information gap that had arisen now was entirely thanks to Councilor Giselle’s vengefulness.

“The underboss would never have imagined that his identity and whereabouts would be exposed so quickly. This is a gap that can only be had at this very moment.”

Many traces were left in the process of confirming the underboss’s personal details. It wouldn’t take long for the underboss to notice this. Hatig’s subordinates could also realize the part that Allen was concerned about.

“The time we take to prepare is also the time the enemy has to prepare. It may seem disadvantageous, but on the contrary, now is the most advantageous time.”

It was a logic that could not be disagreed with. Although they were both from the Brotherhood, the qualitative difference between the underboss’s forces and those of a single branch was enormous. If they were to fight each other in a fully prepared state, it was obvious who would be at a disadvantage.

“That’s why now, when he’s off guard, is the only chance. Even if he has made some preparations, there will be a psychological defense line that he won’t be attacked in broad daylight like this. We will pierce that.”

It felt like a gamble at first glance, but it was a decision made considering that there were many more advantages than disadvantages in many ways. Nevertheless, the distrust was still not uprooted. Allen felt this on his skin, but he didn’t say anything more. Even if they were looking at the same scenery, people’s thoughts and calculations are bound to be different.

In reality, persuasion was not his job.

“Stop talking and follow me! That’s an order!”

It was Hatig’s job. Authority and charisma. The qualification of a leader who makes people follow even a seemingly reckless plan. The sight of them following the branch manager’s order in a neat formation was far from the generally known physiology of the Brotherhood.

But these guys were an exception. It was because Hatig’s success was a result of repeated breakthroughs. Those who couldn’t follow his way would have been weeded out long ago.

‘Is this the capability that led the internal strife of the Brotherhood as someone from a different race?’

Although it was limited to the elite of the branch, Hatig was already a big shot who had his own true close aides.

“I’ve made a light plan, so I’ll brief you here. Understand it well and carry it out.”

“A plan?”

“Yes, you weren’t planning to just charge in with your tools like a brute, were you?”

“I was.”

“……There’s a limit to headbutting a wall. It’s not a complicated plan, so listen carefully.”

The more complicated and elaborate a plan is, the higher the chances of success, but it’s also harder to grasp in a short time. It was an overreach to expect military-like organizational skills from the members of a single branch of the Brotherhood.

That’s why the concept of this operation that Allen had thought of was a quick battle.

“We can’t drag this on for a long time, and the story can’t leak to the outside.”

The intervention of the Blood Alliance or Councilor Sorbet’s office. Blocking that was the key. In a broad sense, the success or failure of the operation depended on it.

“So, first, we physically block the approach of outsiders. You have experience in how to do that, so I’m sure you know well without me interfering.”

“Are you talking about the method we used to invite you for the Malay Krekter case?”

“Select the personnel to be deployed from the members who are not here. It’s fine if the remaining personnel are few, just make sure to control them.”

The forces on this side, which could mobilize their full power in an instant, were more numerous than the underboss, who had dispersed his forces to move secretly. But a human wave tactic only works on an opponent it can work on. The pointless death of subordinates would only lower morale, so neither Hatig nor Allen wanted that. It was more efficient to deploy them to block external variables.

One of the subordinates moved quickly to make a call.

“What are you going to do about communication to the outside? You can’t block that just by scattering people around the area.”

“I can handle that, so don’t worry about it.”

“I will.”

The answer was refreshingly direct. He didn’t even ask how. It was a truly desirable attitude for a partner.

Allen continued the briefing.

“And everyone except me will enter the building and strike the enemies.”

“Simple. Easy to understand.”

Hatig, who had been smiling with satisfaction, suddenly tilted his head and asked.

“Your words are strange. Are you not included in the entry team?”

“That’s the key.”

Allen smiled mischievously, almost annoyingly.

“I said the opponent doesn’t know us. To put it another way, it means they don’t know that fellow members of the Brotherhood are hostile to them.”

“I see.”

Hatig understood the picture Allen was drawing.

“Make them recognize us as allies and then betray them, am I right?”

“Things will be much easier.”

Of course, for the orcs, a proud warrior race, it was a trick that would make them feel an instinctive revulsion. But Allen was not worried.

“I like it. Let’s go with that.”

Indeed, Hatig was not displeased. On the contrary, he laughed out loud.

Betrayal, internal strife. What Allen had ordered was the field where the mutant orc Hatig was most talented and could display his aptitude.

***

I checked the condition of the M2 Maximum. A gun, unlike its hard and sturdy impression made of metal, is surprisingly sensitive. That’s why gun maintenance is included in a soldier’s daily routine.

However, even without me personally maintaining it, the M2 Maximum always boasted the best condition. It wasn’t for nothing that it was the basic weapon provided to the Public Security Bureau’s security officers.

“……”

Taking out a gun on the street and fiddling with it. No matter how shattered the public security of Gellerg City was, it wasn’t a common enough scene for everyone to just let it go. Citizens who didn’t want to get involved in troublesome commotions would try to avoid the place, and that’s how rumors spread.

Even if not, those with something to hide are bound to pay close attention. The guys at the top of the spires installed on all four sides of the Penicill building were like that.

‘Are they the scouts set up by the underboss?’

For security guards guarding a closed company, they had skillfully hidden themselves so that they were hard to find from the outside. I vividly observed their movements through the Guardian Hawk soaring high in the sky.

‘They’re not guarding the outside that tightly.’

Carelessness, laziness, inattention. It was an attitude of just guarding because they were told to, without any concern that an attack would occur. It was very good that there were no unnecessarily diligent guys in sight.

The reason they were ignoring me even though I was fiddling with a gun nearby was probably because my gun was a pistol. A distance that an ordinary pistol’s range could not reach. They must have been confident that they could subdue me safely even if a commotion broke out.

It was the advantage of the M2 Maximum.

‘It seems the stage is almost ready.’

It had been about two hours since I came here. The Penicill building, which had been quiet and out of place, was now in harmony with its surroundings. The area was quiet. It meant that the members of Branch 102 had successfully controlled the traffic.

Now it was my turn.

“Beta.”

The moment I gave the signal, the traffic lights stopped, and a strange signal sound rang out from all over the place. It was the sound of an android hacker disabling the communication devices in the area. Even the scouts who had been subtly focusing their attention on me couldn’t focus on me in the face of the simultaneous abnormal phenomena.

The moment they were distracted by the suddenly broken radios and such.

“Keoheok!”

The scouts on the four spires collapsed simultaneously. With this, the path was secured.

“Go in.”

Hatig and his subordinates, who had been waiting, ran into the building.