Chapter 696: Land, Control, Street Fighting!

Chapter 696: Landing, Control, Street Fighting!

At four in the morning, the sun had not yet risen, and the sea surface was still shrouded in gray.

The port of Jingarun, lying on the coastline, resembled a sleeping bull, its concrete piers jutting outward like horns, while the dense cluster of houses of varying heights sprawling along the shore formed its bloated belly.

This settlement, located on the banks of the Eternal River and nestled on an alluvial plain, was the largest settlement of the Xilan Empire on the eastern coast, as well as its biggest port.

According to the posts Sisi had updated on the forum, a staggering one million people lived here, even more than the entire population of the Hump Kingdom.

If one only considered scale, both the port of Silvermoon Bay and the port of Ring Island were mere fleas in comparison.

However, when it came to living standards, just looking at the dense, ant-nest-like houses and shacks made it hard not to feel the suffocating hardship.

Of course, to claim that only shacks existed here would be a slander against the empire, for anyone disembarking at this port who wasn’t blind would surely notice the straight concrete piers and the streets lined with lampposts.

Though the incident a month ago had left the nobles near the port shaken, it still didn’t diminish this area’s status as the most expensive along the Eternal River—a single brick here could buy an entire nearby district.

But no matter how costly the houses were, it had nothing to do with Paru, who stood guard here.

First, he was a Horse tribesman; only the noble Sun tribesmen, Ox tribesmen, and outsiders were qualified to buy houses here, and transactions didn’t accept the ever-fluctuating Xilan currency, only pure gold dinars that could be traded for slaves.

None of these were things he dared to dream of; he could only donate more incense money and pray for a better reincarnation.

After all, the gods who sheltered this place numbered only a thousand, not too many—perhaps in the next cycle he’d be reborn as a Sun or Ox tribesman?

It wasn’t impossible.

Gazing at the silent coastline, lost in thought, Paru couldn’t help but yawn, tightening his grip on the rifle that looked like a fire poker.

Not because it gave him any sense of security, but simply because the sea wind was howling, and without holding something, he feared being blown away.

At this hour, most people in the settlement were still asleep; only the bucket-carrying latrine workers and patrolling guards were awake near the port.

If he accidentally fell into the sea, he’d likely drown unnoticed.

“…Isn’t it time for the shift change yet?”

Paru muttered under his breath, glancing around irritably, feeling that the shift change time had already passed.

Damn it.

Had the bell-ringer fallen asleep again?

……

At that moment, Paru had no idea that the guard responsible for ringing the bell hadn’t fallen asleep but had been knocked out with a silent blow.

That bell tower was the highest point in the area, right next to the port guard station; taking it would allow a view of at least half the port district.

And it wasn’t just the bell-ringer.

While Paru was yawning, the main gate of the port guard station had been forcibly taken over by a group of individuals in exoskeletons.

The gate guards were gagged and shoved under the desk in the guard booth. An intelligence-type player quickly deployed a quadcopter drone, using a neural interface to fly it around the guard station twice, marking all escape routes and potential hiding spots.

The squad leader, Wall Corner Old Six, immediately issued the attack order. Twenty soldiers in Type-5 exoskeletons breached the front gate openly, splitting into two groups to head for the main building and the dormitory.

Many guards, still snoring in their sleep, were yanked from their beds, only to find a silenced pistol aimed at their foreheads.

At the sight of a finger pressed to lips, not a single one dared to make a sound. They all resignedly accepted their capture, obediently being herded into the guard station’s cells by the uninvited guests, where they ended up alongside the still-sleeping prisoners.

Even a blind man could see that these people were no ordinary pirates or raiders.

They were well-trained, their movements clean and efficient, without any hesitation, striking with speed, precision, and ruthlessness, targeting vital points and giving their “victims” no chance to react.

Clearly.

They were regulars!

Both their equipment and tactics were professional!

Facing such a tough opponent, resistance was futile; it was better to surrender quietly.

Besides, being captured by regulars wasn’t shameful; their officers likely wouldn’t blame them for not resisting.

But one thing puzzled everyone in the guard station.

How had they managed to provoke these plague gods?

The entire operation took less than fifteen minutes, with no verbal communication throughout, and the port guard station of Jingarun was already subdued.

This sleeping bull had been blindfolded.

The Alliance’s submarine could surface openly beside the dock, unloading personnel and equipment from the hold onto the shore, tightening a rope around its neck.

In the guard station’s chief office.

Wall Corner Old Six, who had fully secured the building, pressed a finger on his helmet to report the current situation to the temporary command post aboard the submarine.

“…This is the advance team. We have successfully suppressed the port guard system. No exchange of fire. You may land at any time.”

After a crackle of static, Old Bai’s voice came through the comm channel.

“Received. Maintain suppression and hold position.”

Wall Corner Old Six: “Understood.”

At the same moment the communication ended, at the southernmost pier of the port, a massive black submarine slowly surfaced from the sea.

Its black hull quietly pushed aside rings of waves, revealing a broad deck and a huge curved bow.

Crew members on deck tossed out buffer cushions, guiding the submarine via walkie-talkie to gently approach the concrete pier’s edge.

Once the submarine was steady, rows of black exoskeletons marched in orderly steps across the hatch connecting to the deck, disembarking onto the dock via the extended gangway.

Flooding the port alongside them were Y-2 Butterfly Knife drones with suspended gun muzzles, and twenty fully loaded “Hellhound” unmanned vehicles.

Within three minutes, a battalion’s worth of troops had been deployed—and the Alliance’s most elite battalion at that.

These players were not only all second-stage awakeners with gene sequences above three, but also armed to the teeth with mechanized equipment.

Seeing the sudden appearance of troops at the port, the nearby patrolling guards froze in shock, losing both movement and voice.

Faced with these beings from a completely different world, they felt their Ripper rifles were like tiny washbasin pipes.

Not only did they lack the courage to raise them and aim, they didn’t even have the nerve to chamber a round. One by one, they set down their rifles and raised their hands.

After all, they were just ordinary survivors earning a meager salary, neither the noble Imperial Army nor the governor’s private soldiers.

They had neither the skill nor the courage to charge into battle.

The leading players didn’t open fire on them either, merely gathering them in an unobtrusive spot, assigning two drones to watch over them, and then continuing the mission to occupy the port.

At that moment, Paru, standing guard at the northernmost end of the port, hadn’t even noticed what had happened; control of the port had already fallen into Alliance hands.

On the submarine’s deck.

Looking at the port that had fallen into their hands without a single shot fired, Fang Chang, clad in a Type-5 exoskeleton, couldn’t help but sigh.

“Now I understand how those four managed to throw this port into chaos.”

Before landing, he had anticipated at least a fierce firefight in the port area, which would have served as a rehearsal for the landings in the Southern Sea and Haiya Province.

After all, they had always airdropped from the sky before; they had never encountered a situation of landing from the sea. If the Southern Islands Federation suddenly turned hostile, the shore defenses of Fries Port would struggle against the bombardment of the Federation fleet’s naval guns. The best solution was still a submarine infiltration to strike at their home base.

In any case, one must always prepare for the worst.

But this massive settlement of a million people had completely exceeded his expectations. Its defenders seemed to have fallen asleep, allowing them to take it without firing a single shot.

Old Bai, standing nearby, glanced at him.

"You mean A Wei and the others?"

Fang Chang shrugged.

"Has anyone else been here?"

Sensing his speechlessness, Old Bai chuckled and said,

"Don't underestimate them. Their combat ability might be questionable, but they're quite skilled at stirring up trouble."

Though the odds of success weren't high, when they did succeed, it often had a surprising effect.

As for when things went wrong, they probably wouldn't have the nerve to talk about it on the forums anyway.

His gaze fell on the still-slumbering settlement, and Fang Chang let out a soft sigh.

"I'm not underestimating that one, it's just a bit..."

He paused, searching for the right word.

"A bit too high an opinion of this 'Empire.'"

Whether the population had broken a hundred million or the Wasteland Era had truly ended, only the locals knew best—but the unification of the entire Brahmaputra Province was undeniable.

Fang Chang had no idea how they had pulled it off.

The Alliance had never fully governed an entire administrative division from the Age of Prosperity. Though they hadn't deliberately played that map-coloring game, thinking about it, the execution would be no small feat.

East of the River Valley Province, the number of survivors in several provinces had dwindled to a point where it was hard to know how to rally them. The beacons of civilization left by the War Construction Committee, like Boulder City and Singularity City, numbered only thirteen or twelve in total. Their reach could never extend as far as the Brahmaputra Province.

Perhaps, as the Xilan people said, a thousand gods truly watched over them...

...

On the other side, in the Port Security Bureau office.

Staring at the uninvited guests chattering in a language he couldn't understand, Mandal, seated behind the desk, trembled, not daring to breathe too loudly.

But the one in the exoskeleton still noticed him, strode over, and looked down into his eyes.

"You're the director here?"

Mandal instinctively nodded, then quickly shook his head in panic, stammering,

"Yes, no... I'm not. I'm the duty director."

Corner Wall Six continued ruthlessly,

"And your superior? Where is he now?"

"J-just lives on this street nearby..." Mandal was on the verge of tears, his lips quivering uncontrollably.

Corner Wall Six didn't press him. He picked up a notebook from the desk, tore out a page, tossed it in front of him, and tapped it with his finger.

"House number, street. Write it down."

"Y-yes, sir!" Without daring to resist, Mandal frantically grabbed a pen and scribbled down a long string of characters.

Corner Wall Six picked up the note, glanced at it, tapped his helmet twice with his finger to snap a photo through his tactical visor, while an offline program on his VM recognized and translated the content.

But without satellite positioning, they could only rely on drone-captured images for rough terrain mapping.

Corner Wall Six took a tablet from a nearby intellectual-type player, shoved it into the trembling Mandal's hands, and pointed at the address from the note.

"Here?"

Glancing hastily at the aerial map on the tablet, Mandal quickly spotted the luxurious three-story villa and nodded frantically.

"Yes! Tulip Street No. 1, Gate 003—that's it!"

Pleased with the NPC's cooperation, Corner Wall Six nodded in satisfaction. While sharing the coordinates with his teammates outside, he continued looking at him.

"Besides your superior, I need the address of this port's governor, the local lord, and the other high-ranking officials of the settlement and port."

"The governor is at the Governor's Mansion... As for the other officials, I really don't know, sir," Mandal said, sweating profusely, afraid of displeasing the man. He hurriedly explained, "B-but don't worry! Aside from the governor and the city lord in their residences, ninety percent of those people live on the streets behind the port! If you ask around, you'll find them! I-I'll circle them for you!"

With that, he forced an ingratiating smile, reached out both hands to take the tablet, and tremblingly drew a circle on the map, enclosing the lamplit blocks near the port.

"They're all here!"

Good heavens.

So cooperative?

Seeing how well this sycophantic fellow played along, Corner Wall Six gave him a surprised second look, then reported the situation to the submarine's operations command.

After learning about the port's status, Old Bai quickly formulated a capture plan. The first company, already ashore, would swiftly move to cut off traffic on the streets near the port and arrest key settlement figures, while the second company would take on the task of storming the Governor's Mansion.

Watching the group still lingering in the office, Mandal finally couldn't contain his terror and asked cautiously,

"Who are you people? When did we offend you?"

Corner Wall Six grinned.

"You'll have to ask your governor that."

Mandal stood with his mouth agape, his face a mask of bewilderment.

He wasn't the only one bewildered. Port Security Bureau Director Bihari, whose door had been kicked open and who was pinned to his own bedroom bed, was equally stunned. Staring at the exoskeleton-clad thugs, he was both shocked and furious, letting out a screech like a stuck pig.

"Let go of me! Do you know who I am?! If you don't release me now, I'll have you all thrown in jail!"

Glancing at the terrified woman lying beside him, Kill Dagger picked up a piece of clothing from the nearby wardrobe and tossed it at her.

"We have some business to discuss with your husband. Please go to the living room."

The woman, pale-faced, nodded, quickly dressed, got out of bed, and fled without daring to stay a moment longer.

Turning to Director Bihari, who had stopped shouting, Kill Dagger pulled out the tablet to confirm he matched the photo, then said,

"Director Bihari, you're our prisoner."

"Priso—"

The rest of the word caught in his throat. Bihari quickly scanned the room at these murderous-looking men, seeming to realize something. Cold sweat began to seep from his forehead, dripping onto the expensive silk bedsheet.

Swallowing hard, he stammered in a trembling voice tinged with disbelief,

"You... you're from the Alliance?"

Kill Dagger opened his helmet visor, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. He whistled at the man pinned to the bed.

"Looks like we finally have someone in the know?"

Meeting that half-smiling gaze and the assault rifles practically aimed at his head, Bihari trembled so much he nearly wet the bed.

If his calendar wasn't wrong, at this time, Chiliarch Dirang and his men should have just arrived at Fries Port.

How in the world had the Alliance appeared out of nowhere at Golden Gallon Port, two thousand kilometers away?!

But there was no time to ponder that now.

Looking at the man in the exoskeleton, he stammered out everything he knew, his face a mask of terror.

"I-I don't know anything... I'm telling the truth! I just saw those Gray Wolf Army guys boarding ships at the port and happened to hear where they were going. I couldn't have been involved in this—I'm just a small port security director. How could I influence the governor's decisions?! Oh, you need to find Governor Nihaq—it was his order!"

Watching Director Bihari, who looked about to wet his pants, Kill Dagger continued unhurriedly.

"Rest assured, our brothers are on their way to the governor's mansion to find him, so you needn't trouble yourself. All involved will not escape 'judgment.'"

Hearing these words, Bihari had already vaguely guessed that this port had likely fallen entirely into the hands of the Alliance, and a pained groan escaped his lips.

"What exactly do you intend to do? Declare war on the Empire?"

Killing Dagger shrugged.

"That depends on what your Emperor thinks, but no matter what that fellow decides, we'll proceed according to our own methods."

Bihari swallowed nervously.

"...Your methods?"

Killing Dagger nodded.

"First, we'll find the mastermind behind that attack, give them a taste of their own medicine, and collect some interest from their pockets. Additionally, we believe Golden Gallon Port is a potential breeding ground for 'Predators.' To prevent a repeat of such incidents, we're going to do something big here."

Bihari asked, trembling.

"Something big?"

Killing Dagger uttered two words casually.

"Abolish slavery."

Bihari thought he had misheard at first, then realized he hadn't. He stared dumbfounded, slowly opening his mouth.

"...That's impossible. You can't do it."

Killing Dagger chuckled.

"What's impossible? We've got your help."

Bihari's eyes widened even more, like a bull's.

"Me?! Are you insane? Even if I were the director of the Security Bureau, let alone a mere chief, not even the Sun-Bearing Divine Bull standing here could manage it. Do you know how many slaves are in this settlement?!"

And why would he do it?!

Not to mention his mansion needed servants to clean; without those slaves, who would do the work that had to be done by them?

Within a week, this settlement would be flooded with sewage!

Yet the man before him paid no heed to his words, or if he heard, he didn't care. Instead, he smiled and said.

"That's great—it means we have a lot of work to do. From now on, you are the Chief of the Golden Gallon Port Security Force. I grant you law enforcement authority and temporary adjudication power. During your term, you must adjudicate all matters in this settlement based on the Alliance's constitution."

No joke.

They weren't here to do charity.

Abolition and judgment were just means. Did it really matter if they succeeded in the end?

Bihari stared at him in terror, muttering under his breath.

"You must be insane. Even if you razed this settlement to the ground, you couldn't do it. No... I can't be this so-called chief. Go find someone else. The public order in our settlement is under the city defense commander. Why not go to him?"

Ignoring the man's pleas, Killing Dagger grinned cheekily.

"Won't take it? Are you sure? Really sure?"

Bihari shook his head like a rattle-drum.

He had figured it out.

These guys were here to cause chaos.

They'd mess everything up and then leave without a care, while he had nowhere to go. He'd definitely be purged later.

He dared not take on such a head-losing job.

Seeing his stubborn refusal to cooperate, Killing Dagger wasted no words. He directly chambered a round in his rifle and pressed it against Bihari's head.

Feeling the cold of the muzzle, Bihari's face instantly drained of color, changing faster than a traffic light.

"I'll take it! I'll take it!! This chief is mine by right. Over ninety percent of the nobles in this settlement live in my jurisdiction. I know every one of their backgrounds. This job is perfect for me! Please, give it to me!"

"That's more like it."

Patting the chameleon on the shoulder with a laugh, Killing Dagger took a hat from a nearby rack and placed it squarely on his head.

"From today, you are the Chief of Golden Gallon Port. We expect you to enforce the law impartially, according to the Alliance's constitution. Do a good job; don't disappoint us. Maybe we'll make you the Chief of the Xilan Empire someday."

With that, paying no attention to the terrified man's expression, Killing Dagger pulled a printed copy of the Alliance's Basic Law from his pocket and tossed it onto the bedsheet before the poor wretch.

"Start reading."

Bihari hastily grabbed the stapled sheets and pretended to flip through them seriously, though he couldn't take in a single word.

Killing Dagger ignored him. As planned, he left two men to watch him, then led the remaining team out of the mansion.

Outside, dawn had not yet broken, but a crowd of men and women already stood in the street.

They were residents of Tulip First Street—those with noble blood, many holding important positions in the port and settlement, along with some idle aristocrats and foreign merchants doing business here. Among them were even two Wilanters.

But at this moment, their appearance had nothing to do with nobility.

Some wore only a coat, others just a thick pajama. Their faces were filled with panic and disarray, eyes blank and bewildered, having no idea what had happened before being dragged from their homes by armed soldiers.

Knowing some among them were innocent, Killing Dagger didn't harass them. He clapped his hands to draw their attention and spoke in a loud voice.

"Apologies for disturbing your rest, and of course, thanks for your cooperation."

"We are soldiers who cannot reveal our identities. Because a group of people who cannot reveal their identities attacked us, we learned through interrogation that they came from Golden Gallon Port. So we followed the trail here, aiming to root out the mastermind and, through our methods, make this settlement normal."

"Rest assured, we will not harm any innocent person, nor will we let any involved party escape. If anyone can provide clues, we will be very grateful and even share a portion of the property of those implicated with the informant."

"Also, we advise those involved to surrender promptly and seek our leniency. If we catch you, what happens next is uncertain."

He paused, then continued.

"There may be fighting here soon. Please follow us to the temporary shelter in the port area."

Just as he spoke, a gunshot rang out in the distance, followed by crackling fire from a neighboring street.

The crowd on the street was startled by the sudden shots. Some huddled together, others screamed and crouched on the ground.

Hearing the unexpected gunfire, Killing Dagger showed no panic. Instead, he raised an eyebrow with excitement and muttered to himself.

"Damn, finally some real action."

With such a commotion in the port, it seemed the garrison of Golden Gallon Port had finally sensed something amiss and engaged the players who had gone to cut off transportation.

Though their reaction was ridiculously slow.

Without hesitation, Killing Dagger pulled the bolt, chambered a round, and shouted to the eager team behind him.

"Mission update! Squad A, escort the 'VIPs' to the warehouse!"

"The rest of you, follow me!"

The players let out excited roars.

"Woo-hoo!"

Almost at the same moment, a shell whistled through the air and struck a building on the street, blowing a gaping hole in the three-story foreign-style house.

Large chunks of stone and dust fell from the upper floors, rolling and tumbling across the cobblestone street, clattering noisily amid the screams of the crowd.

A host of players scrambled for cover, then advanced along the path scouted by the reconnaissance drone toward the firefight ahead.

At the same time, the mortar positions deployed by the Alliance in the harbor district opened fire, counterattacking the source of the gunfire under the drone's guidance.

The silence of the dawn was utterly shattered.

This counteroffensive, spanning two thousand kilometers, had finally begun in earnest at this moment...