Meanwhile, on the main battlefield between the Taixu Gang and the Ghostfire Syndicate.
No one in the Ghostfire Syndicate noticed that their boss, "Tenmon Soji," had returned from the dead.
Because of Bronya's instigation, the Ghostfire Syndicate had split into two factions.
Azure Empyrea's successful "decapitation" of the enemy leader had caused a large number of bikers to submit to Azure Empyrea's strength and charisma.
Large numbers of "moles" and "traitors" emerged within the Ghostfire Syndicate.
Not only did they launch sneak attacks from the shadows, they also exposed their companions' six-dimensional statistics and weaknesses.
This threw the Ghostfire Syndicate's remaining resistance into complete disarray. Caught between the Taixu Gang and the Honkai Beasts, they were quickly suppressed.
The remaining Honkai Beasts and zombies also failed to stir up any trouble. Vill-V had already prepared traps for "special individuals." She simply had not expected that, instead of imprisoning the Ghostfire Syndicate's ability users, they would be used to contain Honkai Beasts and zombies.
After helping imprison the Honkai Beasts and zombies, the members of the Ghostfire Syndicate turned around and surrendered without resistance.
Had Magician witnessed it, she would definitely have recorded the entire incident and uploaded it to HoHo.
"Shocking! Ghostfire Syndicate leader dies, entire Ghostfire Syndicate leadership defects! Foreign media reports: Taixu Gang may rise to become Dusk City's foremost gang."
Yet even now, the matter was far from over. The situation continued developing in an increasingly complicated direction.
Superhuman soldiers with fully cybernetic bodies descended along ropes from helicopters bearing the Heliopolis Life Sciences logo, each dressed in a skintight powered suit.
Because the mechanical hunting hounds had been destroyed and the financial losses were enormous, the Mobile Response Division finally had justification to deploy.
Thousands of troops swiftly surrounded the district.
Hiss!
A Beast-class Honkai Beast suddenly lunged from an alley and attacked one of the soldiers.
The soldier, however, seemed to have anticipated it. A razor-sharp mantis blade sprang from his arm and cut the creature down.
A faint blue light flickered at the soldier's temples—that was the distinctive sign of these superhuman soldiers connecting to the network. Under the coordination of Heliopolis' integrated AI, Connected Entity, every piece of intelligence, down to the smallest detail, was transmitted into their military-grade electronic chips.
An aerial reconnaissance drone had spotted the Beast-class Honkai Beast's position moments earlier and transmitted the footage directly into the superhuman soldier's brain.
With intelligence, weaponry, logistics, and AI assistance supporting them, every soldier in the Mobile Response Division was a super-soldier.
...
Several thousand meters above the ground.
An enormous black alloy container hovered steadily in the air, blending seamlessly into the night sky.
That was the frontline operations center of the Mobile Response Division.
A man dressed in high-tech clothing smoked a cigar as he watched footage from the battlefield.
"Beep! You have an incoming communication from Channel Z-8312."
A humanoid AI assistant standing beside the man spoke.
The man set down his cigar, slowly walked to the sofa, straightened his collar, and sat before finally speaking.
"Put it through."
The connection opened, and a Mobile Response Division commander appeared on the screen.
"Reporting, Boss. The Orchid Mantis Squad has reached the designated infiltration point and is conducting reconnaissance according to plan."
"Mm." The man nodded, then ordered, "Frontline Commander, you may deploy the Thin-Winged Mantis Squad. Make certain they provide the target's precise location."
"Yes, Boss!"
"Remember, our mission this time is exceptionally important. The target possesses highly confidential company information. Should this data be leaked, it will deal a devastating blow to the company. Therefore, no matter the cost, the target must be completely secured and brought back intact! Is that understood?"
"Yes, Boss!"
Confusion appeared in the frontline commander's eyes. "Boss, are we collecting scrap?"
Jeffries frowned. "Hm? Have you forgotten who I am? I, Jeffries, am the newly appointed director of Heliopolis Life Sciences' Strategic Security Department and the supreme commander of this operation. I have the authority to determine mission priorities and methods! Although the integrated AI ordered us to destroy every target, securing them intact before destroying them also falls within the mission's permitted scope."
Jeffries' voice allowed no room for doubt.
"Yes, Boss! I'll definitely complete the scrap collection mission and return in triumph! Heliopolis above all!"
The commanding captain of the Mobile Response Division task force placed his right hand over the communicator on his chest, then ended the transmission.
The screen returned to the battlefield footage. Jeffries reclined on the soft, expensive sofa, running his fingers over the pearls lining its edge as he murmured, "The frontline commander's mental state seems a little unstable. He has quite the gangster accent. Did no one replace the gangster chip he used during his previous undercover mission? I wonder whether he can carry out my orders... Or has he noticed something?"
This mission was strange. In the past, the integrated AI, Connected Entity, would always transmit specific information directly into the chip in Jeffries' brain. This time, however, the information was completely indistinct, with only two words remaining comprehensible.
"Destroy everything."
"Just what are we supposed to destroy? Has this mission's target already exceeded even Connected Entity's ability to calculate?"
Jeffries plucked off a pearl, pinched it between two fingers, and held it before his eyes for careful inspection. An unfathomable meaning lingered in his gaze.
"The more something must be destroyed, the more important it must be. And the more important something is, the more carefully it must be preserved."
The Mobile Response Division, abbreviated as MRD, was formally known as the Heliopolis Life Sciences Corporate Security Mobile Response Division. As its name suggested, it was a direct military force belonging to Heliopolis Life Sciences.
Their every action represented the company's authority and position.
And he, Jeffries, was the director of Heliopolis Life Sciences' Strategic Security Department.
The company's upper management did not trust the rigidly programmed Mobile Response Division, so they had directly assigned him to take command of it and temporarily appointed him supreme commander of this task force.
The fact that they had allowed him to command this operation was proof enough of the company's trust in him.
Jeffries, however, had no intention of sharing the company's interests.
Or rather, he had no intention of sharing the interests of the company's upper management.
He intended to seize evidence that could be used against the company's executives, then use it to blackmail his way into becoming one of the company's directors!
Why remain the company's dog when becoming one of its masters was so much more comfortable?
He also wanted the opportunity to become a vampire duke and gain eternal life!
As for the target being exceptionally dangerous?
It did not matter!
The Mobile Response Division was overwhelmingly powerful. Even though his superiors had restricted him to bringing only the Strategic Security Department's own forces, they were still more than enough to crush everything in his path.
The vanguard equipment of the Mobile Response Division was not merely decorative. Every soldier possessed the combat strength of an entire armored company.
Forget the two insignificant gangs here that could never enter respectable society. Even if the United Nations' international peacekeeping forces arrived, he could make them understand that even a mighty dragon struggled to suppress a local serpent!
Of course, Jeffries had not mindlessly sent his troops charging in to massacre everyone. He had deliberately waited until the Taixu Gang and Ghostfire Syndicate had exhausted each other before entering the fray to reap the benefits, capturing both sides in one sweep.
After all, this force was also his personal asset. Even if the company reimbursed major losses, quickly restoring its strength would still be difficult.
Moreover, Jeffries greatly enjoyed watching gangs fight.
In a chaotic city like this, the screams and vicious curses made Jeffries keenly feel the security and pleasure that came from commanding a heavily armed force.
Nothing was more satisfying than possessing the most powerful army in the world.