"Move."
Watching the guards slowly approach them, Aimed gave the command. Four already prepared team members stepped forward, aiming at four guards respectively, and pulled their triggers.
"Thump… thump…"
The four guards jolted, a blood-red hole appearing between their brows, before they fell backward onto the ground.
Aimed led two team members into the prison cells, leaving five outside to stand guard.
"Who's there!"
"Thump!" x2
Two guards stationed outside the cells spotted the unfamiliar soldiers appearing at the entrance. The moment they opened their mouths, they were shot in the head before they could even raise their guns.
Aimed looked up at the surveillance cameras overhead. The target had been found, so there was no need to hide anymore. Next, they would strike at the very heart of their operations.
"Huh?"
Trent, who had been sleeping, heard the commotion. Groggily, he lifted his head, looking out of the cell.
What was this?
The moment Trent looked up, he was utterly astonished.
Three unknown figures stood outside the iron bars of his cell. But to call them human, why did their eyes gleam with a chilling, icy red light?
Triangular mechanical metal helmets with crimson eyes, mechanical skeletons reflecting a faint white light—was this exoskeleton armor from a movie?
Trent thought to himself. This movie-like scene appearing before him left him somewhat at a loss.
Standing outside the iron bars, Nathan and Norry were currently scanning Trent's facial contours and pupils to confirm his identity.
"Trent Trettor, General Manager of Umbrella Corporation's Vitallio Branch. Identity confirmed."
A cold voice rang in Trent's ears. Trent finally came back to his senses. From their words, it seemed they had come for him.
"Gentlemen, have you come to rescue me?"
Trent calmed the turbulent emotions in his heart, adjusted his facial expression, and asked, calmly and at his leisure.
"The mission brief does include orders to rescue you."
Aimed said, then tilted his head slightly. Nathan, wearing a powered exoskeleton, stepped forward. Under Trent's curious gaze, a small, strange black cylinder emerged from the powered exoskeleton.
The black cylinder automatically aimed at the keyhole of the iron bars in front of him, and a crimson laser flashed and vanished in an instant.
With a clang, Nathan directly pulled open the iron cell door. Trent's face registered surprise; it just opened?
"Mr. Trent, we will escort you outside the castle. Two team members are waiting there. They will escort you down the mountain, where someone will meet you."
Nathan stood before Trent, his voice flat, devoid of any fluctuation.
"Alright, alright."
Trent nodded blankly, following these mysterious figures, stepping out of the cell, and walking towards the outside of the castle.
"Sir, there are people outside, four of them."
Just as they stepped out of the prison door, Aimed heard a report from another team member in his ear. Immediately after, a small window popped up from the top right corner of his display, showing four armed individuals running towards their position.
"From now on, no need for concealment. Any living thing seen, kill on sight."
"Understood, sir."
Aimed gave the order. He, Nathan, and Norry continued walking towards the castle exit with Trent. After seeing Trent off, they had a slaughter to complete.
The four had just exited the corridor when they saw four bodies of armed individuals lying on the ground, all with headshots between their brows, showing no sign of resistance.
"Thump… thump…"
Immediately after, a faint sound of gunfire came from ahead. Trent recognized it as suppressed gunfire.
Trent followed behind Aimed and the other two, observing the fallen bodies along the way. Even as a man of much experience, he was aghast. He was astonished that the cause of death for all the bodies, without exception, was a bullet to the forehead.
Are these people superhumans?
Such marksmanship was unheard of.
"I still underestimated the company," Trent mumbled to himself. Although he was ostensibly a high-level manager in the company, in reality, he knew he was merely on the surface. There were other strange individuals within the company, rarely seen and highly elusive. But he knew those were the company's true core. Whenever the company made a move, those individuals would always appear at the headquarters before the action, and only Chairman King Bradley could contact them. Thinking of this, Trent looked up at Aimed ahead.
Could the person before him be one of them?
Ever since the Umbrella Corporation's press conference shocked the world, its name quickly became a global focus of attention. Dozens of countries worldwide entered into cooperation with the Umbrella Corporation. Orders for the new antibiotics poured in ceaselessly. Despite the Umbrella Corporation rapidly establishing branches and production bases across the globe, supply still couldn't meet demand. As far as he knew, twenty-three major countries, including the V5, had already established long-term cooperation with the Umbrella Corporation, resulting in countless government orders.
Whenever he thought of this, Trent couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. The potential of the Umbrella Corporation was simply terrifying. Its speed of making money was faster than robbing a national treasury. And where did the Umbrella Corporation spend all this money it earned? Trent glanced at the exoskeleton armor protecting him on both sides with the corner of his eye. Now, he more or less knew.
But thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. After all, the Umbrella Corporation was already so wealthy; they would certainly spend money on cutting-edge technology, even high-tech innovations capable of changing the world. This was the development direction for any industry giant with significant strength and influence.
However, precisely because of this, some forces would inevitably not overlook it; they would obstruct and attack it. In that case, Trent's heart suddenly tightened. The next time, it might not be such a simple kidnapping. He looked at the bodies on the ground, a chill running down his spine.
"Here. You go down the mountain with these two."
While Trent was lost in thought, Aimed had already led him outside the castle. Two individuals, also wearing mechanical triangular helmets, stepped forward, escorting him towards the cliff.
"Don't be nervous."
One team member held Trent. The two slowly descended to the bottom of the cliff, aided by a winch.
"Alright, Mission One is complete."
Aimed slowly turned around. The other seven team members gathered around him, awaiting instructions.
"Next, Mission Two: annihilate the gang."
Aimed led the remaining seven team members back into the castle, precisely meeting the approaching armed gang members.
"Fire!"
The approaching armed individuals immediately aimed at them and pulled their triggers. For a moment, the incessant rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire filled the air.
"Thump!"
Although the gang's armed members had a large volume of fire to suppress them, with the assistance of the Ranger Neuro-Mechanical Helmets, the action team members delivered headshots with every shot, without a single miss. Soon, the first dozens who arrived were all killed.
Inside the castle, in the resplendent grand hall, numerous exotic creatures roamed back and forth. On the walls, many heads or sculptures of rare beasts were hung. For example, a rare beast with the head of a pangolin but the body of an eagle. There were also rare beasts with kangaroo heads and elk bodies, bear-headed tiger-bodied rare beasts, and adult-sized white doves, among other exotic creatures.
A stout man with a distinctive zongzi-shaped haircut sat on a soft black sofa. On the coffee table in front of him lay a large assortment of fruits and various meats. What was most noticeable were the two horizontal scars on his forehead, seemingly intentionally carved, serving as some kind of mark.
"Fifty-three men all killed in just three minutes of engagement."
One stout man watched the surveillance footage, rubbing his forehead, a look of exasperation on his face.
"These people must be King Bradley's response. He truly is without scruples."
"Sigh, even the army can't be relied upon."
A young-looking person stretched lazily and stepped towards the hall exit.
"It's our turn to act."
Accompanying the youth's steps, the stout man also followed. The horse-faced man stepped forward, then suddenly turned back to look at another long-haired man sitting on the sofa, and the three individuals behind him, asking,
"Aren't you going to make a move?"
The long-haired man on the sofa was named Cervantes. He was not part of the gang.
"That's not within the scope of the commission."
Cervantes replied with an unperturbed expression and a flat tone. The horse-faced man frowned, about to speak.
"If you can't deal with those people, I'll have him make a move."
Before the horse-faced man could speak, the stout man with the two horizontal scars on his forehead stopped him. The horse-faced man closed his eyes, sighed lightly, and said,
"Whatever."
"But leader, you should eat less. The doctor said your triple-high conditions are getting worse."
The horse-faced man finished speaking, then turned and left.
And that stout man with the two horizontal scars on his forehead was O'Niel Longbow, the leader of the Xiwoo Family, and the current King of the Kakin Empire, Nasubi Hui-Kuo's half-brother. The two horizontal scars on his forehead were known as the Two-Line Scars. This referred to the royal descendants who could not legitimately become successors to the throne. From the moment of their birth, their faces would be cut open with two blades. They had to accept the condition of spending their entire lives hidden in the dark, never showing their faces. Only then were they permitted to exist in this world.
"The doctor won't let me eat this, won't let me eat that. It's so annoying."
O'Niel remained unconcerned, picking up a piece of ham from a platter, tearing off a bite, and chewing. "I want to live without restraint."
The long-haired man sitting to the side looked at him helplessly, remaining silent. He was a professional mercenary, not a gang member. This time, he was merely commissioned to help the Xiwoo Family resolve their troubles in the underworld business. The current sudden situation was not within the scope of their commission, but if the employer was willing to increase the payment, they would be willing to make a move. Of course, whether to act or not depended on the upcoming battle.
Clang… Clang…
Aimed activated his Nen ability, conjuring his exoskeleton armor. Numerous metallic bullets struck the armor, a spark flashed, and the bullets bounced away, leaving no mark whatsoever.
Thud Thud
Aimed advanced, enduring countless bullets. The heavy armor stepped onto the ground, each stride echoing with dull thuds.
"Bang!"
Aimed's forward momentum paused. He turned to look at the castle roof. Through the drone's scan, he had detected a sniper. He raised his arm, a revolver conjured into his hand. Aided by the Ranger Neuro-Mechanical Helmet, with a loud bang, the sniper on the castle roof rolled off the roof in response.
"Die, you monster!"
Just as he planned to continue advancing without scruples, from behind a wall opposite, a person suddenly roared and appeared, aiming an RPG at him. Aimed stopped, and through the scan of his Ranger Neuro-Mechanical Helmet, he obtained information about the enemy's weapon.
RPG-7V1 40mm Rocket Launcher, a portable individual weapon, capable of dealing with tanks and self-propelled artillery, with an armor penetration depth of 325mm.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of fire appeared at the rocket launcher's tail, accompanied by a whooshing sound as the rocket struck the stationary exoskeleton armor.
"BOOM!!"
With a loud explosion, the rocket indeed hit Aimed. A large amount of gunpowder smoke billowed forth, obscuring him, making the situation inside invisible. The scene immediately fell silent. Everyone was waiting for the smoke to disperse to see if the steel monster was still there.
"Such a weapon cannot be effective against our instructor."
Nathan and Norry stepped out from behind a wall. Taking advantage of the enemy's attention being entirely focused on Aimed, who had been hit by the rocket, a small rocket launcher ejected with a click from the powered exoskeletons of both.
"Sparrow Miniature Integrated Missile, ready."
A cold, synthesized female voice echoed in both Nathan's and Norry's Ranger Neuro-Mechanical Helmets. Nathan and Norry, based on the real-time footage transmitted by the drone, locked their target areas onto the two regions with the largest concentration of enemy personnel.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Accompanied by two whistling sounds.
"BOOM!" x2
Two consecutive violent explosions completely destroyed the gang's remaining armed forces under these two miniature integrated missiles.
Thump…
A heavy footstep sounded. Aimed, his entire body covered by the exoskeleton armor, slowly emerged from the smoke, reappearing before everyone.
"Impossible… completely unscathed…"
The person who had fired the rocket stared at the steel monster in the center of the battlefield, his lips trembling, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Sir, watch your head."
Suddenly, a team member's warning sounded in his ear. Aimed instinctively looked up, gazing above him.
"What is that thing?"
He saw a green orb of light descending from the sky, falling towards Aimed in the center of the battlefield.
"I don't know what it is, but…"
To be safe, the moment the orb was about to touch him, Aimed quickly retreated three steps, moving out of the orb's contact range.
"As long as I dodge it, it's fine."
Aimed looked at the orb of light that landed on his previous position and vanished without a trace, his voice grave.
"Hiss…"
But just as he dodged that purple orb of light, at some unknown point, a large amount of purple smoke suddenly billowed forth across the battlefield, like the white mist of early morning, instantly covering the entire area.
"What… is this…"
"I can't breathe…"
"Can't… move…"
"Help… me…"
On the battlefield, those who had survived the missile bombardment earlier were now one by one lying on the ground, their faces twisted in pain, mouths wide open, clutching their throats, and foaming at the mouth.
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