"The car is parked in the river channel, three hundred meters out," Arasaka Yuto reported, transmitting the coordinates to Leon Black.
"You've got your work cut out for you. Go find them," Leon said with a casual pat on Yuto's shoulder.
Yuto nodded solemnly. While Leon's immediate task was to secure the retrieved item and prepare for the next handoff, Yuto and his team were responsible for tracking down their targets. After all, the real goal was to wipe out the Vortex Gang's leadership. That meant Stout—the powerful overseer from the Action Department—was sure to appear.
After exchanging brief goodbyes, Leon jumped down from the rooftop and rejoined Mike Taylor, who was already waiting at street level.
Sitting behind the wheel, Mike glanced at Leon through the rearview mirror. His eyes flicked to the blood-stained bundle Leon placed at his feet.
After a moment of hesitation, Mike finally spoke. His tone carried uncertainty.
"Just those two… are they really enough?"
Leon's lips curled into a teasing smirk. He raised a brow, clearly amused.
"Oh? Wasn't it you who recommended them in the first place?"
Mike remained silent.
Truthfully, it had been Mike who approached Leon privately, asking him to let those two join the mission to rescue Lily Cross. Otherwise, given Leon's usual caution, there was no way he would've agreed so easily.
"The intensity might be a little too much," Mike said, his concern finally surfacing.
"Mike," Leon's voice was steady, calm. His foot rested atop the blood-soaked cloth bundle—Brick's severed head, reduced to nothing more than a stepping stone.
"You need to understand something. This city—it eats people alive."
That one sentence conveyed a grim reality.
If you wanted high rewards, influence, or a place in Leon's tight-knit group, you had to fight for it. There was no hand-holding, no second chances. Leon wasn't anyone's babysitter. And this wasn't just Leon's philosophy—many captains treated their squads as expendable, only nurturing one or two trusted lieutenants. Mike himself had clawed his way into Leon's inner circle through fire and blood.
Hearing those words, Mike fell silent. He understood. Leon was harsh, but fair—and when he gave someone his support, it meant something.
The vehicle's engine roared as Mike slammed the accelerator, shooting them out of the industrial district like a wild beast.
Behind them, thick smoke continued to rise from the destroyed All Foods plant. Explosions echoed across the ruins as the last traces of battle faded.
---
Back at an abandoned building nearby, Arasaka Yuto took cover under the blanket of night.
"The captain and Mike are gone," he reported.
"Figures," said Ethan Cross, his eyes glued to a pair of high-powered binoculars. He didn't even bother turning around.
"Did Stout show up yet?"
"No sign of her," Yuto replied as he slid into the seat at the surveillance computer and fitted on his headset.
"But that black car we spotted earlier is still parked at the gate. She might be inside."
"I doubt Lily is with her," Ethan muttered, stretching his neck. "They wouldn't move her so openly. This whole operation was personal, remember?"
"Exactly," Yuto said, switching between camera feeds. "If they were doing this through official channels, they wouldn't have called us in. Everything points to an internal power play."
They had spent the previous day wiring the area with dozens of micro-cameras. Their goal was simple: track either Stout or Lily. But so far, neither had made a move.
As the battle wound down, Military Technology's logistics team moved in. Corpses from the Vortex Gang were hauled out by the truckload. Yet curiously, the gang's boss remained unaccounted for.
And that's when Stout finally lost her patience.
She shoved past her security entourage and strode toward the factory ruins with visible frustration.
"There she is," Ethan and Yuto said in unison, adjusting their lenses.
But even now, Lily Cross didn't appear.
"Damn it! She's not here?!" Stout's fury was obvious. The one person—and one item—she most wanted were both missing.
"Report, Supervisor," said a soldier in digital camo. "We didn't locate the target."
"Useless!" Stout snapped, anger and anxiety flashing across her face. "You're all garbage!"
"Watch your tone, Section Chief," the squad leader warned, his eyes narrowing. "We're here as a courtesy, not your subordinates."
Though Stout held considerable authority as Action Department Supervisor, the Military Operations Division didn't answer to her. Their presence here had been a favor—one that was quickly wearing thin.
Stout's eyes burned with hatred. If they hadn't botched the timing, she could've tied up every loose end and erased all evidence.
Her original plan had been flawless: use a raid on the Vortex Gang as cover to eliminate everyone involved, ensuring no leaks. But now everything had unraveled. Leon was gone. Lily hadn't been found. Even Brick, the Vortex boss, had somehow escaped the battlefield.
It was a disaster.
"Whatever. At least let's clean up one problem," Stout growled.
She pulled out her phone, ready to give the order to eliminate Lily—still being held in a hidden location.
But before she could even dial, a black armored vehicle pulled up near her. The doors opened.
And out stepped a man she hadn't expected to see.
"Anthony Gilchrist?!"
Stout's eyes went wide. The man was impeccably dressed, perfectly calm.
"Stout," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Your time's up."
"What are you talking about?!"
Gilchrist's smile widened.
"Kidnapping a colleague. Abusing your authority. Losing valuable company assets. Failing to take down the Vortex Gang. And nearly triggering a war with Arasaka?" He shook his head.
"The board's had enough."
"You fat, brainless pigs! All of you!" Stout shrieked. "This company will fall apart in your hands! I demand to speak with Mr. David!"
"Mr. David is far too busy for you," Gilchrist replied smoothly. "Take her away."
Black-suited agents moved in.
"Don't touch me!" Stout snarled, slapping their hands away. "I can walk myself!"
As they led her away, she turned one last glare on Gilchrist.
"I'll be watching you!"
"Oh, please do," he replied cheerfully. "You'll love what you see."
Once she was out of sight, Gilchrist's expression darkened. He picked up his walkie-talkie.
"Clean-up crew, good work. Wrap it up."
But just as he turned to leave, his phone buzzed. A message popped up on the screen:
"We have Flathead. Return the girl."
Gilchrist's pupils contracted.
Lily Cross.
She was the only loose end left behind by Stout. And now, someone was holding Military Tech's prized black-market bot as leverage.
He stared at the message for a moment longer.
Then replied:
"Stout is gone. I am Anthony Gilchrist. I'll be handling matters from now on. Contact me again."
He slid the phone into his pocket, stepped into the armored vehicle, and drove off.
---
"Think we can trust him?" Arasaka Yuto asked, watching the car vanish from sight.
"We'll see," Ethan Cross muttered. "Let's head back. The captain's waiting."
They descended from the rooftop, their thoughts unsettled. The leadership had changed. The entire operation was in flux. There was no guarantee that Gilchrist would honor Stout's agreement. He could easily dispose of Lily and walk away.
And while those concerns weighed heavily on them...
Somewhere else, in a dimly lit room under constant surveillance, Lily Cross sat quietly across from Takemura Goro.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
The game had just changed—but no one knew who was holding the winning hand.
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