Honkai: Star Rail - I'm the Big Villain, Starting with Annihilating the Astral Express Crew

"They're here! And they're even more aggressive than last time!"

"That guy said if we don't resume ore shipments within three days, the Silvermane Guards will come down and seize control of the mining area by force!"

Natasha frowned as she listened to Oleg's words.

Although she had expected it, hearing the Silvermane Guards were coming still made her uneasy.

That was Belobog's most powerful armed force.

However, she quickly remembered Jiang Mo—that child had foreseen this and already provided a countermeasure.

She took a deep breath, trying to appear as calm as possible.

"Oleg, don't panic."

"This is all within his expectations."

Oleg was stunned. He looked at Natasha, his eyes full of questions.

"What do you plan to do?"

Natasha hesitated for a moment, but finally said:

"Ignore them."

"If they dare to come, Wildfire won't hold back."

Oleg was completely dumbfounded when he heard this, frozen in place.

A moment later, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Won't hold back? Against the Silvermane Guards?"

Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes from laughing so hard.

"Looks like I'm getting old!"

Oleg walked to Natasha's side and patted her shoulder hard.

"You young people still have guts! You actually dare to deal with the Silvermane Guards! Good!"

Natasha couldn't express the bitterness she felt... she didn't have that kind of courage.

"I understand your opinion." Oleg suppressed his laughter. "I agree."

"In three days, if they really dare to come, let them know the power of Wildfire!"

"Of course, although the chances are slim, I hope... it's best if we don't get to that point."

Natasha looked at Oleg's resolute profile, and complex emotions welled up in her heart.

She knew how risky this decision was, and she herself had no confidence.

That child... what exactly does he want to do?

Does he really have the confidence to fight the Silvermane Guards?

This feeling of being pushed to the edge of a cliff was painful, but Oleg's trust, the expectations of the Wildfire members, and her own obsession with finding her brother, forced her to continue.

After that, Wildfire began to take action.

Oleg summoned all Wildfire members and gave a passionate speech in the headquarters.

He did not hide the Upper District's ultimatum, nor did he avoid the impending danger.

He spoke of the original intention of Wildfire's establishment, the suffering of the people in the Underworld, and the indifference and oppression of the Upper District.

"Now, they not only want to deprive us of the fruits of our labor, but also want to crush our dignity with force!"

"We are Wildfire! We are rooted here, we protect our home and our families! Can we retreat?!"

"No!"

The Wildfire members roared in unison, their voices shaking the sky.

"Good!" Oleg's eyes flashed with light. "Since they want to come, let them know that the people of the Underworld are not sheep to be slaughtered! We Wildfire, are not easy to bully!"

His speech ignited the fighting spirit of everyone.

Although they knew it was going to be a tough battle, no one retreated.

They began to prepare, maintaining machinery, counting weapons, and practicing tactics.

This upcoming conflict was strictly kept secret by the Wildfire high-ups, and was not revealed to the ordinary people of the Underworld.

This was a war between Wildfire and the Silvermane Guards, and they did not want to plunge innocent residents into panic.

Three days passed.

The Underworld still had not resumed mineral transport.

In the Upper District, Grand Guardian Cocolia's patience had run out.

Chapter 50: Cocolia's Shameful Defeat!

Cocolia immediately ordered the Silvermane Guards to be assembled and sent to the Underworld to forcibly control the mining area!

Teams of Silvermane Guards in standard armor, led by officers, marched in orderly steps towards the sealed passage leading to the Underworld.

They were well-equipped, well-trained, and their eyes held a disdain for the rabble of the Underworld.

They opened the sealed entrance to the passage and began their advance into the Underworld.

The passage was narrow and long, the light dim.

The Silvermane Guards advanced cautiously, but they never imagined that the danger lay not in the mines, but at the end of this passage.

As they were about to exit the passage and step onto the soil of the Underworld—

"Bang!"

The Wildfire members, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, launched their attack!

The narrow passage exit was instantly covered in a hail of fire!

This was Jiang Mo's plan.

He had arranged this ambush in advance on the Silvermane Guards' inevitable route.

The Wildfire members relied on the terrain of the passage exit, occupying advantageous positions.

Although their equipment was inferior to that of the Silvermane Guards, their morale was high, and their tactics were sound.

What the Silvermane Guards didn't expect was that Wildfire had even deployed some ancient mechanical soldiers.

These war machines couldn't fit into the narrow space, so the Upper District's machinery couldn't be brought into the Underworld.

However, the old machinery of the Underworld, in the hands of Wildfire, displayed astonishing power in this narrow terrain!

Their clumsy but sturdy bodies became the best cover.

The weapons they carried inflicted effective damage on the Silvermane Guards.

The Silvermane Guards' understanding of the Underworld was still stuck on the idea that it was a rabble without weapons or organization.

They came with contempt, but they ran into the Wildfire elite, who had been secretly trained by Jiang Mo, rigorously drilled by Oleg, and armed with some ancient technology.

They were well-trained! They dared to fight!

They even ambushed!

The battle unfolded near the passage exit between the Upper and Underworld.

The Silvermane Guards paid a heavy price.

Their numerical and equipment advantages couldn't be fully utilized in the narrow terrain, and the Wildfire ambush and the war machines' surprise attack inflicted heavy losses on them.

In less than a day, the Silvermane Guards showed signs of collapse.

They gradually failed to organize effective counterattacks and fell into chaos.

In the end, the Silvermane Guards had to retreat in disarray, leaving behind many casualties and equipment.

They lost.

They lost to their arrogance, to their ignorance of the Underworld, and to Jiang Mo.

After this great victory, Wildfire's morale reached its peak!

They had actually repelled the Silvermane Guards!

The Wildfire members cheered, but they did not dare to be negligent, leaving some elite troops to continue ambushing at the exit.

In the Upper District, the Supreme Guardian Cocolia's face turned green and white when she learned of the defeat, looking extremely ugly.

The Silvermane Guards suffered heavy losses, and their morale was low.

What was even more deadly was that without the supply of ground marrow ore, the Upper District's energy crisis was becoming more and more serious, and weapons and equipment could not be replenished quickly.

The lives of the residents were severely affected, and discontent was spreading in the Upper District.

Beset by internal and external troubles, Cocolia had to bow her head.

She could only send an envoy again.

The envoy was still the Silvermane Guard officer from last time.

But this time, he had completely lost his previous arrogance.

Having heard that his fellow Silvermane Guards had been beaten to a pulp in the Underworld.

He became cautious and paranoid when he stepped into the Underworld.

At the negotiating table, after he sat down, his tone became very soft.

"Mr. Oleg, the Supreme Guardian is willing to listen to your demands." The envoy rubbed his hands, looking a little nervous. "But those conditions... can we discuss them again?"

"The conditions have been made very clear."

"Wildfire continues to govern the Underworld, ensuring the supply of ore. The Upper District increases supplies and opens up channels for the circulation of some personnel."

Oleg looked at the Silvermane Guard envoy in front of him, whose attitude had changed 180 degrees, and felt inexplicably complicated.

This arrogance was what he and the people of the Underworld had hated for many years.

Now, this arrogance had finally bowed its head in the face of reality.

"Uh, how about... we discuss it again?"

"There's nothing to negotiate."

"The conditions we've proposed are the bare minimum for survival in the Underworld."

"The Upper District's long-standing exploitation and neglect of the Underworld has already caused irreparable damage."

Oleg paused, looking at the envoy with sharp eyes.

"Moreover, given the unpleasant conflict last time, and the resulting additional losses and risks, we believe the increase in material supplies needs to be reassessed!"

The envoy's heart leaped. He sensed something bad was about to happen.

"Our initial request was for double the supplies."

Oleg's voice suddenly rose. "But after the last conflict, we believe this increase is not enough to compensate for the price paid by the Underworld."

He spoke each word carefully, each syllable like a stone, hitting the envoy's heart.

"The new demand is... a threefold increase in material supplies on top of the original amount."

"Three... threefold?!"

The envoy looked as if he'd been struck by lightning, his body jerking backward, eyes wide with disbelief.

A threefold increase in supplies?

That was almost four times the original amount!

This was blatant extortion!

"This... this is impossible!" The envoy's face was ashen as he stammered, "Mr. Oleg, this... this is beyond my authority! The Upper District... the Upper District simply can't afford it!"

His voice was tearful, completely devoid of its previous arrogance.

"I... I must return... return to report to the Supreme Guardian! This..."