As the main force grandly departed, carrying with them the "assets" Team Snarl had painstakingly accumulated over the years, the hoodwinked syndicate finally reacted.
Word reached them that Team Snarl was rallying men as fast as possible, heading toward the two mines outside town. The numbers were reportedly quite significant.
Honestly, though...
Kashiwagi looked at the large mine, which had been practically stripped bare. He felt those sluggish fools would never make it in time. By the time they arrived, what would be left?
Not a single scrap.
He only wondered if the operation at the other mine had gone as smoothly as theirs.
"Kashiwagi! Get ready to move!"
Frobo's shout snapped him back to reality. "The main force is basically gone. Only those of us on rearguard duty are left. The demolition team is prepping to blow all the shaft entrances and buildings."
"Wait..."
"If you want the enemy to truly realize that this mine will only be a burden to them, this is a necessary step—even if it makes things a bit of a pain for us to clean up later."
Frobo shrugged.
As he spoke, a series of booming explosions echoed from the pits.
Kashiwagi thought of the hundred or so miners and once again felt the weight of Ryuka's mercy—a trait that set him worlds apart from other Executives.
With the final wave of personnel evacuating, the "battlefield" would now shift to Team Snagem's own mines. It was time for a defensive war.
Team Snarl would inevitably attack once or twice. If they did nothing, they would never be able to hold their heads up in Pyrite Town again. Regardless of whether they split up or had a new leader dropped in from above, the loss of reputation and wealth would be incalculable.
As long as all the miners were transferred via secret tunnels to Snagem's territory within the town, it would essentially count as a victory.
Even if Team Snarl didn't want to retreat, the internal agents turned by the Crystal Unit would find ways to force their hand.
The step after that would be negotiation.
Of course, a cornered dog is capable of anything. It wouldn't be surprising if Team Snarl attacked Team Snagem's other three mines. Consequently, Soshiro had long since dispatched the remaining squads to those locations.
The man himself was personally stationed at one of them.
With these layers of insurance, Team Snarl should have been forced to swallow this bitter pill—
In theory.
But fate is a fickle thing.
Fortune was on their side, but only with one foot; it could pull back at any moment.
When Kashiwagi successfully reached the mine they were meant to defend, unpleasant news arrived from Pyrite Town: A Top Executive of Team Snarl had mobilized with seven squads!
Excluding the squads sent to the other three mines, this part of their force was essentially a full-scale deployment.
Furthermore, they hadn't split their forces to intercept the two departing groups. Instead, they had concentrated their strength to crush one of them.
At the same time, the main team at the other mine had run into various complications. Their scouring tactics weren't going smoothly, and there was a high probability they would collide head-on with Team Snarl's massive force.
The most critical factor was the mobilization of a Snarl Top Executive.
It seemed the mine incident had truly infuriated them. They were willing to leave the internal chaos of Team Snarl unchecked—and even risk being targeted by the other two Top Executives later—just to strike back at Team Snagem immediately.
This impulsive move took many by surprise.
Had the Crystal Unit made any effort to stop him from mobilizing?
Heaven only knew.
"Attacking two mines at once was indeed too arrogant," Frobo remarked, his tone laced with a sigh. "Big Brother didn't approve of taking two at once from the start. It's easy for three squads to take a mine, but hard to hold it."
Kashiwagi asked, "So it was the decision of the Top Executives? To take two mines at once?"
"Of course. The objectives were set during meetings between the High Executives and the Boss. Subordinates like us only have the right to agree and draft the plans."
Frobo shook his head. "The credit of the subordinate belongs to the superior, but the responsibility of the superior is the fault of the subordinate. That is the reality of the middle and upper management in Team Snagem right now."
Kashiwagi remained silent.
He suddenly realized that while Frobo constantly spoke of "High Executives" and "the Boss," he didn't actually have much reverence for either of them—not like the genuine sincerity he showed when calling Ryuka "Big Brother."
"So, how will the battle go from here?"
"The direction? Naturally, we'll peel off men from here and rush to the other mine for reinforcement. We can't just sit by and let the enemy crush the other team, or worse, 'swap bases' with us."
Frobo let out a long breath. "If things go south, the enemy might take back one mine, seize another, and then keep charging toward us in a wave of momentum."
Losing two mines to a Team Snarl counterattack?
If that happened, the other factions in Pyrite Town would laugh themselves silly.
"Weren't there predictions for this scenario before the war?" Kashiwagi was curious about the original contingency plans.
Frobo smiled. "Chester, the leader of the Crystal Unit, said that if this happened, he would handle it. But care to guess if the Snarl Top Executive's mobilization had a little 'push' from him behind the scenes?"
"...Uh, excuse me for saying so, but you sound a bit like you're enjoying this..."
"Of course I am. Once this raid is over, the Sand Unit and the Crystal Unit won't just be having minor squabbles like before. Certain people's unrealistic fantasies are finally coming to an end."
Despite the crisis at hand, Frobo seemed to possess a sense of foresight—and even a sense of anticipation for what was coming.
At a glance, it almost felt as if the people truly pulling the strings to make the Snarl Top Executive move were him and Ryuka.
Thinking back to a certain theory he had about the two, Kashiwagi felt this hypothesis gained even more credibility.
Ten minutes later.
Ryuka's deployment order arrived.
Almost all of his men were to rush to the other mine for reinforcement, along with some from Sali's squad. However, Kashiwagi and his team were not among them.
"Even though you're staying behind, that doesn't mean you're in a safe rear area. No one knows if Team Snarl will launch a surprise attack. Your mission is heavy too."
Before leaving, Frobo gave a grave warning: "But remember, as long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood. If the mine is lost, we can find a way to take it back. If your life is lost, it's gone for good. Run if you have to. Don't worry about anyone or anything else."
"...Yes."
Kashiwagi nodded, then asked with some concern, "Will Boss Soshiro go to reinforce the other mine?"
"Of course. King against King, General against General. That is the fundamental rule of Pyrite Town." After Frobo spoke, he departed with the main force.
Temporary command over Kashiwagi and his squad was handed over to an old acquaintance: Ayana.
"Lady Ayana!"
He hurried over to report.
Ayana still had her honey-blonde hair and tanned skin, standing a tall six-feet. Seeing him come over to greet her, she was neither warm nor particularly cold. "What kind of dog-shit luck do you have, kid? Ryuka literally shoves credit into your mouth and keeps you away from the front lines. Are you his illegitimate son? Or maybe a half-brother?"
"Uh... I don't think that's the case."
Kashiwagi gave a dry laugh. It was true that both Ryuka and Frobo took far too much care of him, sharing credit without a second thought.
"Hah."
Ayana shook her head dismissively. "I've already set the duty roster. Your squad is responsible for the evening shift. Any problems?"
Kashiwagi saluted and shouted, "None! Thank you for the consideration, Big Sister!"
"Don't give me that. I only chose you because your teammates are useless. Midnight and the pre-dawn hours are the prime times for enemy attacks; I can't leave those to your squad. Though, if you're personally willing to pull more shifts, I don't mind..."
"That wouldn't be impossible..."
"I was joking. Don't take it seriously."
"Right..."