With the arrival of a Viscount-level warrior, supplemented by Renith’ assistance, the offensive of that group of over fifty people was instantly suppressed.
Bullets rained down towards the three of them like a storm, but their movements were agile, like phantom apparitions, with only a scant few bullets managing to hit their mark.
After a fierce bout of fighting, only two Barons had sustained relatively serious injuries, while the Viscount remained completely unscathed.
However, even with the enhancement of “Ki” and Renith’ support, the two Barons’ mobility remained unimpaired.
But the Viscount believed they were no longer fit to participate in the subsequent battle, as it would only take two bullets to send them to their graves. So, he ordered them to rest and recuperate on the spot.
“With a mage here, you won’t die.”
The Viscount’s expression was calm, his tone carrying an unshakable certainty.
“Much obliged.”
The two Barons bowed deeply to Renith in gratitude, then began their recuperation with peace of mind.
Although Renith’ face remained expressionless, a flicker of dissatisfaction arose within her:
“Excuse me? I never agreed to this, so why should I have to help maintain their injuries?”
“Miss, you wouldn’t want to lose two fairly capable comrades, would you?”
The Viscount looked at her intently. Although he only knew of Renith through fragments of conversation from Manville and others, he understood the temperament of someone like her quite well.
Even though Renith felt these two Barons were only average in strength, she had to admit they were indeed somewhat capable compared to the average person in the gang. Despite her reluctance, she couldn’t find a good rebuttal:
“Tch, this is going to cost you!”
“Please discuss the payment with our boss.”
In response to Renith’ casually mentioned fee, the Viscount replied simply before vanishing in a flash.
Meanwhile, at the Boland Firearms Manufacturing Factory, the situation grew increasingly tense.
That gang member was now completely surrounded. The submachine guns of the guard unit had overheated from prolonged firing, but for some unknown reason, the group had abandoned a frontal assault and were now planning to deal with him first.
Faced with over a dozen dark, menacing gun barrels, even though he was brave and skilled in battle, he knew that under such concentrated volley fire, he would be riddled with bullets.
“You are a worthy opponent. Put down your gun… all the fault lies with me.”
His expression was mournful as he tried to persuade the other side.
“But, for the Empire…”
A nearby guardsman spoke with indignation, gripping his gun tightly, intending to pull the trigger before he died and execute the man before him. In their eyes, this man, along with the half-dead Coles on the ground, were undoubtedly the main culprits for this failure.
“There’s no need. The Empire is the Empire. The battle cry might be inspiring, but we have already lost.”
The adjutant’s face was somber, his heart filled with helplessness.
“The gunfire over there has stopped. The gang members from the furthest point have also rushed over. Reinforcements were dealt with by the gang members using various methods; chances are, some powerful individuals have arrived.”
“We are not ‘Scholars,’ nor are we ‘Merchants.’ We don’t have Imperial warriors. We’re just an ordinary guard unit under the district headquarters, and a police department that does nothing productive all day.”
The adjutant knew many inside details. He knew there were mages in the world, and warriors trained by the Empire, but they were powerless in this situation.
Just then, an explosion suddenly occurred at their eight o’clock direction.
It turned out the Third Leader had ordered the destruction of the scrolls containing Renith’ stored spells.
Two more explosions followed immediately, completely crushing the reinforcements on both flanks. Renith’ scrolls were now completely exhausted, including the two the Second Leader had given the Third Leader as a precaution.
There was no doubt that there were powerhouses within the gang.
Only such a powerhouse could have eliminated all the reinforcements within two minutes.
With the disparity in combat strength now so vast, any struggle would only lead to more deaths.
The adjutant decided to take all the blame upon himself. As the acting commander on the main battlefield, he hoped to persuade the gang to spare the guardsmen behind him.
After all, they still had fam…ilies…
“Why did you stop? Have Imperial soldiers lost all their backbone?”
A dark figure flashed past, and the adjutant’s head was instantly severed. Blood spurted out like a fountain, drenching the guardsmen standing behind him.
“This is a battlefield. Why such foolish sentimentality? Since you’ve set foot on this ground, it’s either you die… or I do.”
“Begging for mercy and fear are ‘privileges’ reserved for the losers and the cowards.”
The dark figure’s tone was icy cold.
Perhaps it was fear from the adjutant’s death, perhaps loyalty to the Empire, or perhaps the anger over a comrade’s death – most of the guardsmen raised their guns and fired wildly, spraying bullets at the Viscount who had appeared from nowhere.
However, that Viscount channeled “Ki” from within his body, hardening his arms like steel, and effortlessly deflected the bullets flying wildly towards him.
“A monster! Handguns are useless against him!”
The guardsmen were terrified. Overwhelmed, they scattered and fled in all directions. But how could their legs outrun a Viscount? In the blink of an eye, heads fell to the ground one after another.
Crimson blood stained the gravel ground, mixing with a foul, putrid stench that permeated the factory passages.
It seemed the conflict had come to an end.
“Heh… truly impressive. The Third Leader mentioned we had such a unit, but I never imagined they’d be this powerful.”
He took a deep breath, his hand clutching his blood-soaked thigh. His vision was blurring. The piece of cloth tied around his thigh had come loose from his earlier exertions, and with the excessive blood loss, he didn’t have much time left.
“Please… save him. He’s still alive.”
With that, he lost consciousness.
“I don’t dislike people like this.”
The dark figure said, walking over to the two men. He lifted one under each arm, as if carrying two chicks, then vanished in a flash.
…
The surviving gang members quickly regrouped. The Third Leader did a quick headcount and found that only a single-digit number of members were still capable of fighting.
“Tally the wounded and the supplies. Those who can move, lend a hand and get these people back to the underground hospital for treatment. From those remaining, find two who can read and write to compile a list of the deceased.”
The Third Leader made arrangements methodically.
He had initially thought this battle would be easy, but he never expected the casualties to be so heavy.
However, the captured supplies were extremely generous. The gang had seized a significant amount of advanced firearms from this engagement, including nineteen Thompson submachine guns, one and a half Maxim machine guns, pistols, and various ammunition.
After finishing his tasks at the front line, the Third Leader walked straight into the factory.
Renith was still sitting on the clean patch of earth, ignoring the bloodshed all around. She looked towards the Viscount, who had just arrived, carrying a burly man under each arm.
“Planning to carry two more?”
Renith raised an eyebrow.
“What’s so difficult about that?”
The Viscount said nonchalantly.
Seeing that the Viscount intended to pick them up, the two Barons immediately protested. They shot to their feet, disregarding whether the wounds Renith had sealed might reopen, and hurriedly shouted:
“No, my Lord, please don’t.”
Then, the two of them hurriedly followed the Viscount as he left; they seemed to have a decent relationship.
“Oh, right, tell the Third Leader that I’m taking these two with me.”
Renith shrugged, then decided to go check on the Third Leader’s situation.
Meanwhile, the Third Leader was bustling about inside the factory.
You might ask what required the Third Leader’s personal attention?
Inventorying the supplies inside, of course!
The firearms here were enough to arm every gang member, big or small. The ammunition was plentiful. There were also many blueprints for new firearms inside, and the machining equipment was top-notch.
The Third Leader thought to himself that with all this, they might just be able to drive Kolker out and take over Mobis City…
Whoosh.
Renith dropped down from mid-air, startling the engrossed Third Leader.
“Oh, it’s Lady Anna. You really gave me a fright.”
The Third Leader quickly moved to shield the cartload of military equipment behind him, looking for all the world like someone afraid his treasure would be snatched away, his eyes fixed on it without daring to relax for a moment.
“One of the Viscount’s loyal operatives… took your two men away.”
Renith said slowly.
Upon hearing this, the Third Leader’s eyes dimmed for a moment, as if shrouded by a layer of gloom. But soon, he let out a long, deep sigh from his chest, his expression a mix of helplessness and resignation.
“Those guys… forget it, let it be.”
He waved his hand resignedly, his tone full of powerlessness.
It seemed the Third Leader really had no sway over those loyal operatives.
After all, although these operatives nominally belonged to the gang, in reality, they only obeyed the orders of the nobleman who funded them.
Within this gang, the real power rested with that nobleman. All the Third Leader could manage were the inept local thugs under his own command.
“How are we going to move all this military equipment back now? Are we supposed to just wait for Seneva to send people?”
Renith looked at the cart full of supplies.
“It looks like that’s the only option. With our limited manpower right now, all we can do is inventory these spoils of war. It’ll also soothe my wounded heart… Consider it a way to comfort the spirits of our departed brothers. Boohoo…”
As he spoke, the Third Leader pretended to caress the supplies mournfully, occasionally wiping the corner of his eye with his hand. His expression was a comical mix of genuine grief and barely concealed joy.
Renith silently wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, thinking to herself:
So this Third Leader is quite an interesting character after all…
“Alright, then. You stand guard here. Remember to tell your men to be careful. That guard unit won’t take this lying down; they’ll definitely send people to retake or destroy the factory.”
Renith cautioned him.
“They should also know by now that you have supernatural means at your disposal. Next time, you’ll only be facing even stronger opponents.”
The Third Leader nodded frantically, his head bobbing up and down like a pecking chick.
Renith gave him another look, then turned and left, quietly slipping back into Antina’s law firm.
“What are you two writing?”
The firm’s lights were still blazing brightly.
Antina and Vister were engaged in an animated discussion, their pens scribbling and erasing constantly in their books, as if composing some great literary masterpiece.
“We’ve been delving deeply into the concepts of Bolshevism, the sins of capital, and the power of the workers. I believe these viewpoints are absolutely correct. The Empire oppresses us, capital erodes us – we must unite the power of the masses to change all this!”
Antina declared passionately.
Vister added from the side:
“But at the same time, we must criticize the ‘Economist’ faction, which worships the spontaneity of the workers’ movement, denies the guiding role of revolutionary theory, and rejects the necessity for the working class to establish its own independent political party… We must create the necessary conditions for building a revolutionary organization, so the spark of revolution can ignite a prairie fire.”
Renith was also quite interested in these theories. She took out a legal codex and, together with Filov, began scribbling and amending in their own books, joining the heated discussion.
Seeing Renith so engaged, Antina suggested:
“Miss Anna, you could also visit Joseph Demikhov at the clinic south of here. Perhaps he could offer you some valuable insights…”
“Mm, sure… but right now, I’d rather hear more about your understanding of these theories. Ah, yes… Vister, I have something for you. Come find me later.”
And so, they all sat together, discussing and debating for nearly half the night.
