Defensive Preparations

Defensive Preparations

Guys, I miscalculated the word count, so there's only one chapter today!!

I'm incredibly sorry. I'll definitely make it up after the paid release.

My ass is already up in the air. Come at me, everyone...

In the dark sewers, all kinds of household garbage and steam wastewater had filled the broad tunnels with a pungent stench.

Yet a group of people was hiding there, supporting one another.

Emergency Mission: The Fall of Kōkan Station
At all costs, cause Kōkan Station to fall.

Note: Completing the mission will greatly improve the final evaluation.

The sudden Mission Space prompt that rang out in their minds made Lone Wolf and the others, who had been supporting each other into the sewers, exchange bewildered looks.

They had originally planned to use the situation to pressure that arrogant bastard into sharing his intelligence. In the end, they discovered they had kicked an actual iron plate.

Every one of them had been taken down in a single move.

If the other party had not been a "partner of justice" and "mercifully" spared them, they would all have died there.

Even after they had gradually recovered, Lone Wolf and the others were still dizzy and wracked with splitting headaches, their bodies not yet fully restored, as they supported one another and went into hiding.

They used Spy's counter-surveillance skills to conceal themselves, lest that man chose not to pursue the matter only for the Mission Space natives to do so instead.

"Hey, did you all receive a new mission?"

"You got one too?"

"I thought I'd triggered a hidden mission."

"What's going on?"

After Lone Wolf was the first to bring it up, everyone looked rather lost.

Even for the three most experienced members, including Lone Wolf, this was only their third mission. It was their first time encountering an emergency mission like this.

After steadying his ragged breathing, greed flashed in Lone Wolf's eyes.

"I've been through several missions myself and gathered special intelligence in the Mission Space. I don't know what exactly triggers these missions, but according to the veterans, temporary missions that suddenly appear tend to offer incredibly generous rewards."

As soon as Lone Wolf finished speaking, Spy smiled faintly as well.

"That's right. The mission even specifically notes that the reward will be exceptionally high. We absolutely cannot give up easily!"

Even so, their confidence had taken a severe blow after their earlier setback, and someone hesitantly asked,

"But the mission's difficulty definitely won't be low, right? After all, it needs all of us to complete it."

Hearing such dispiriting words, Lone Wolf snorted coldly.

"Hmph. No matter how difficult it is, we just need to work toward the objective. As long as Kabane enter the city, this place will naturally fall!"

Scarface, who had robbed the Railway Guerrillas of their weapons, continued playing the role of Lone Wolf's lackey, fully displaying his brazen, thick-skinned nature.

"Brother Lone Wolf is right. If we keep being so timid, we might as well go outside and find a monster to kill us. We won't live long anyway."

With veterans taking the lead and elite lackeys like Scarface and Scimitar cheering them on, the tone was set. Only Blondie spoke with some hesitation.

"But we still need to worry about that monster-like guy turning against us. His relationship with the higher-ups is clearly quite good."

Those words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the passion that had just risen. Everyone could not help recalling the terror of being dominated by an Illusion Technique.

Even Spy, who was arguably the most capable at gathering intelligence, could only speak with a bitter smile.

"We're already hiding here. With my abilities assisting us, you don't need to worry too much about being found. But for this mission, we must avoid that guy as much as possible."

"Since he let us go once, there's really no need to worry too much, right? Even if he ruins the mission in the end, our lives won't be in danger."

"Exactly. Guys with a moral obsession like that are the easiest to deal with."

"Better offend a gentleman than a petty man."

Because they had been "let off the hook," and because Xu Yue had spoken up for the Railway Guerrillas earlier, none of them actually feared Xu Yue that much, no matter how strong he was!

It was more the aftereffects of that Illusion Technique.

"Does anyone know exactly how he attacked us?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it was probably an Illusion Technique from the Ninja War. For people like us who haven't strengthened our mental power, it's absolutely nightmare-level..."

In the end, Spy's broad knowledge allowed him to make a mostly correct judgment.

At the old Yomogawa Family residence, cold moonlight spilled across the courtyard. Torches crackled around them, casting wavering shadows over the figures standing in the center.

Shikoku Kenzou, head of the Yomogawa Family and lord of Kōkan Station, bowed to Xu Yue and thanked him sincerely.

"I am deeply grateful for the help of you two. If not for you turning the tide, then our Kōkan Station..."

At this point, even Shikoku Kenzou's resolute face showed lingering fear. If even one Kabane had slipped inside without being effectively contained, the destruction of the entire city would only have been a matter of time.

Both Mumei and Xu Yue, who were being thanked, seemed rather unconcerned. Mumei was simply pure by nature, while Xu Yue's thoughts were focused on the mission that followed.

"It was nothing. Lord Shikoku, you're too polite. By the way, I think the gate should be repaired as soon as possible. Otherwise, we may run into unexpected trouble. The station should be sealed off for now, with no one allowed in or out."

Xu Yue knew that the next seven days would definitely not be peaceful. His own strength was limited, so he had to borrow every force he could make use of!

The battle at the suspension bridge had already made that clear. Without Mumei joining the fight, and without the Samurai defending with their Volley Gun Formation, even though his strength was absolutely among the best of the newcomers, he could never have completely stopped the Kabane from spreading.

Even with advance knowledge of the plot and combat strength at the peak for this period, he still lacked the ability to change such an important plot event.

From that perspective, it was only natural for the mission's final reward to be so generous.

"Of course. By the way, Mr. Xu, you are powerful and experienced in fighting Kabane, so I would like to ask you to inspect Kōkan Station's defenses. We do not wish to experience such vulnerabilities again..."

Shikoku Kenzou made the request sincerely. Without question, this was also an extension of the Mission Space mission, giving Xu Yue the opportunity to make the defensive changes he wanted.

"If I can have some Samurai and Steam Smiths assist me, then I don't see any problem with that."

Xu Yue nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Over the next seven days, no demon, god, or Buddha would be able to stop him.

He had already told Shikoku Kenzou about being attacked by those Reincarnators and asked him to help investigate.

However, those people had escaped. With Spy, someone skilled in intelligence work, among them, it was perfectly normal for these Samurai to be unable to find their tracks.

Another gain was that while Lone Wolf and the others had not been found, the three Railway Guerrillas and the woman called Jiong Jiong had been located.

They had not attacked him, but now that Xu Yue had found them, he had his own plans for them. There was something he seemed to need to confirm...

Bang!

With an unceremonious kick, the already flimsy door was kicked wide open, startling Ikoma, who had been studying his Cannons inside.

Inspired by his friend earlier that day, he had increased the gunpowder charge. He had only just successfully fired a shot that penetrated a steel plate, and before he could celebrate, a group of Samurai poured in and made his legs go weak.

After the Samurai entered the room and secured the scene, a figure lifted the door curtain and walked inside. It was the man who had stepped in to save him earlier that day.

"Mm, don't be nervous. I mean no harm."

Xu Yue casually walked to the table, picked up a chunk of flesh to inspect it, and could not help smiling.

This was Kabane flesh that Ikoma, the protagonist, had collected during the day for research. In the original plot, his exposure of the flesh would have led to his imprisonment, but because Xu Yue had intervened, he had avoided that misfortune.

Ikoma was compassionate by nature. Although he knew exposing it rashly would certainly do him no good, he still could not help warning Xu Yue when he saw him pick up the flesh with his bare hand.

"Be careful. That's Kabane flesh. If you have a wound on your hand, it'll be troublesome."

The moment he said that, the Samurai nearby were all shocked and raised their Steam Guns one after another.

"Stop. It's only a few chunks of flesh, nothing to worry about. We came here to ask him for help this time."

Xu Yue raised a hand to stop the Samurai from taking further action. Due to the prestige he had established during the battle at the suspension bridge, as well as the Yomogawa Family head's orders, the Samurai lowered their guns. But they continued staring warily at Ikoma, as if afraid he might suddenly turn into a corpse.

"Y-you... what exactly do you want from me? I'm just an insignificant Steam Smith."

Ikoma spoke nervously. Even though the other party had helped him twice now, he still felt pressured.

"Nothing much. I simply want to make use of your talents. I heard that you designed ammunition capable of penetrating the Kabane Heart Membrane. I want to replace all the Samurai's ammunition..."

In the plot, it was precisely because of Ikoma's modifications that ordinary Samurai later gained the means to fight Kabane.

The Cannons used by the protagonist himself were nothing special, but the Jet Bullets they used were exceptional, and they could be used in Steam Guns.

Naturally, Xu Yue would not give up this "treasure" before him.

Moreover, designing ammunition in such a crude environment that could produce a metal jet with armor-piercing power, while still being fired from a gun barrel, was more than enough to count as Black Technology in this Mission Space. Its effectiveness would definitely surpass that of conventional rifles!

Besides that, the protagonist in the original plot had also reinforced melee weapons with Kabane Heart Membrane. Xu Yue was quite interested in that as well. It was time to upgrade his Ninja Tool Bag...

Whether for Kōkan Station's defenses over these seven days or for developing Kōkan Station after obtaining its independent space in the future, Ikoma would inevitably be an important figure.

After all, "scientists" were hard to come by these days...

As a longtime flop author, the new book period is extremely important. Every extra day counts, so I hope everyone can understand. I was away on business yesterday and the day before, and I didn't notice the drafts I had put in the draft box, so they all came out at once. It was rather tragic. I'm incredibly sorry~

Also, influenced by the "newbies," one of the seventeen ratings is now a one-star rating. I hope readers who can use the PC version can log in and click the button in the upper right corner~

As for the Mission Space restrictions, they will gradually be revealed later. I'm afraid explaining too much all at once would be rather boring~

Last but not least, please give all kinds of support and resources~