Just ten minutes.
The outskirts of the mineral field had already been pacified.
Many unlucky souls tried to regroup with their companions using the terrain, but Liu Ge didn't give them the chance, capturing them all at the first opportunity.
It must be said, the Quicksand Team picked the right time for the raid.
The cadre originally stationed at the mineral field happened to rush back to Pyrite Town due to internal chaos, fearing they'd miss out on the 'dismemberment' event, leaving the highest command and top fighters absent. The Evil Dog Team members left at the mineral field could only rely on large machinery to fight back.
Once the large machines were dismantled one by one, the remaining resistance became extremely feeble.
Only a few Evil Dog Team members were left like turtles in a jar, driven deep into the mineral field and even into the mine tunnels, offering meaningless resistance.
"Has the blocking team found the passage?"
"Found it! We've already got Onix to block it!"
The channel constantly buzzed with feedback from different squads, occasionally mixed with slight explosions and rumbling sounds.
Baimu could clearly feel the vibrations from beneath the ground of the mineral field, realizing it was a sign that Liu Ge's people had sealed off the secret passages in the mineral field. They possibly led to some wilderness or connected directly to the Underground City of the Evil Dog Team or even to the adjacent mineral field.
They wouldn't normally be used unless necessary.
At this stage, this mineral field was fully under Liu Ge's control.
"Have the information team broadcast a message for everyone in the mines to stop working immediately and return to the surface as quickly as possible."
"Yes!"
With precise orders given, within ten minutes, a large number of miners and many humanoid Pokémon quickly emerged from the pits, numbering in the thousands of humans alone.
At first, Baimu calmly watched all this, but soon furrowed his brows.
Among those miners were not only seemingly grown youths but also some children under ten, clearly not yet fit for labor, mingled alongside aged and stooped seniors.
Although he had long heard of the Evil Dog Team's bad reputation, witnessing it firsthand still shocked him.
Could stuffing so many people in really improve production efficiency?
Or was it that each person had a daily task to meet or face no food or even death?
It's nothing short of slavery.
He thought the environment of the Quicksand Team was bad enough, but the Evil Dog Team was even worse, the worst of the worst.
At least when he went to the smelter back then, he had to be twelve and confirmed to have some labor capacity before working, even if the fourteen hours of daily hard labor made him feel less than human.
Now, compared to them, the Quicksand Team seemed almost kind; beauty truly is revealed through comparison—
Damn, lousy is lousy.
What's there to compare? Comparing won't make life any better!
He squinted as he looked down at the miners.
The miners, seeing themselves surrounded on all sides by the Quicksand Team members and the ferocious-looking Pokémon, became involuntarily fearful and anxious.
The conflict over territory between the Evil Dog Team and the Quicksand Team had happened more than once, and each time, quite a few of them would die from collateral damage.
The uncertain future of survival made the miners tremble, instinctively causing a loud commotion.
The thousand voices quickly made the mining field incredibly noisy.
"Everyone be quiet—!!"
The tall, thin cadre Sanghe used the loud volume of the broadcast to make the miners cover their ears, forcing them into silence, "Next, we will count your numbers and temporarily transfer you to another place, as long as you cooperate obediently, there will be no risk to your lives!
"Please don't resist! Think about your families! Think about your lives and your intact limbs! Obediently cooperate and give up resisting, then we can ensure your safety! If any of your companions were left behind below, report it quickly!"
These words were repeated over and over.
Under the hypnotic shouting, the miners indeed quieted down quite a bit.
Standing in the crowd, Baimu wore a strange expression, feeling that this operation wasn't quite what he imagined.
Hmm...
Was it because the orderly operation didn't match Baimu's past experiences of how the Quicksand Team was filled with wastes, scum, and parasites?
Perhaps it was because it went too smoothly, with no losses on their side, only a few Pokémon that besieged large machines were injured, and a few members were slightly wounded by accident.
Is Sand Group different?
Maybe.
But Baimu felt it was more likely a 'problem' with Liu Ge.
The good brother was fundamentally different from other cadres. As ruthless as he was to enemies, he never excessively exploited his younger subordinates, or even the merchants and civilians within his territory.
He never manipulated subordinates with loyalty talk or pestered them, always conducting affairs with integrity.
Truly not like an Extreme Path boss.
Of course, Baimu also understood that the purpose of this operation was not to raid the mineral field but rather to figure out how to seize it, the focus being on the latter.
The Evil Dog Team's counterattack would surely be terrifying.
As Baimu pondered, Flop suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
"Later, when the outer members come to receive the machine miners in batches, the three main squadrons will break up into many small teams to escort them and retreat back to our mineral field; big brother arranged for us to cover the rear."
"...Okay!"
"Don't worry, being the last to leave doesn't mean we'll face the most enemies, and the Evil Dog Team might not attack us first. Setting two objectives can disperse the enemy's focus to some extent, especially against the Evil Dog Team at this stage."
"I know."
He nodded, quickly adjusted to the squad channel, and relayed the arrangement to Otsuka and others.
Otsuka and the others naturally understood the dangers and opportunities of the rear guard, and for a moment, couldn't help but breathe heavily, nervousness uncontrollably swelling up.
Seizing the mineral field is not like a game where you just grab it and don't have to do anything else, and the system will automatically assign the field to the Quicksand Team.
Liu Ge's plan clearly outlined the basic strategy—the clearing tactic.
That is, to take away all the workable large machinery, all miners, and the ore accumulated here, destroying what couldn't be taken, leaving just an empty shell for the Evil Dog Team.
Although the mineral itself won't move, losing the mining machines and labor force is also immeasurable damage to the Evil Dog Team.
The key is, can the Evil Dog Team in turmoil resume production at the mineral field shortly?
If they want to recover, they'll have to pour in money, buy new machines, and quickly replenish manpower.
If they can't recover, they might have to put in more money to meet the regular quotas set by the group in the shadows, also interspersing guards for the halted mineral field.
Unrealistic.
This mineral field would become just a useless asset for the Evil Dog Team, but for the eager Quicksand Team, it's a place they can take or leave at will.
And to meet the transfer conditions.
Liu Ge arranged for thousands of outer members to pass through the secret passage from the adjacent Quicksand Team mineral field to outside town, striving to transfer everything here as soon as possible.
Such a substantial movement of personnel couldn't be completely concealed from the many eyes in Pyrite Town.
Exposure was inevitable.
It depends on who moves faster.
Not to mention that it wasn't only the Sand Group in action, even though Liu Ge didn't mention it, Baimu still understood the movements of the other two groups through Flop—
The Stone Team was responsible for preventing the Evil Dog Team from going berserk and attacking the territory in town directly, while the Crystal Team endeavored to present an olive branch to one of the Evil Dog Team's leaders, swinging them towards the Quicksand Team and promoting the Evil Dog Team's split.
By then, even if the Evil Dog Team truly wanted to reclaim the mineral field, faced with endless troubles, they'd likely be powerless.
The most probable scenario would be to negotiate with the Quicksand Team to sell the mineral field at a good 'price'.
To be honest.
Baimu didn't believe that after successfully consuming the two large mineral fields outside town from the Evil Dog Team, the Quicksand Team would just raise the white flag and behave.
People are greedy and will inevitably ask for more.
After taking two fields, what about the remaining three? The Evil Dog Team's Underground City? Their surface territories?
Out of interest, due to various factors, the Quicksand Team's actions this time would inevitably develop into an attempt to completely swallow the Evil Dog Team.
As long as the needs of the shadowy group for minerals are met, the powers behind wouldn't say anything.
Taking advantage of the situation could also shift the conflicts between the Sand Group and Crystal Team outward.
In tandem, the increased population could solve the Quicksand Team's manpower shortage issue.
He suddenly realized that the Quicksand Team was growing in a larger direction, filled with dangers and opportunities, like an old ship braving into a storm.
As he gathered escape supplies on the ship, was he waiting for clearer weather after the storm to sneak off, or should he quietly craft a small boat to leave before the storm?
No matter which choice, there wasn't a certain safety.
Baimu deeply understood this.