Rat King Makes His Move

"Watch above!" The warning from the crowd made Tachanka, who was in the middle of the barbecue party, immediately swing his gun upward.

On the beams, which had been pitch-black moments ago, large groups of Mafia members suddenly appeared, armed with crossbows.

Tachanka had only turned his muzzle halfway and had yet to fire when their fingers had already pulled the triggers.

Bolt after bolt rained down from the ceiling toward the Lungmen Guard Department officers.

The Guard Department members raised their shields to block the ranged attack. Meanwhile, the Mafia members in the center, no longer suppressed by Rainbow Six's fire from the rooftop, began looking for chances to charge at them, like fearless wolves rushing one after another.

But how much could the tricks of beasts really change?

The wolves' tactics were certainly fierce, but before opponents ten or even dozens of times stronger than themselves, they were nothing more than lambs delivered into a tiger's jaws.

There were only so many tricks they could use. No matter how they changed things up, they could never stand against a proper urban law enforcement force.

Even so, these people were unexpectedly united and unafraid of death. The Lungmen Guard Department had not wanted to hurt them, merely knocking them unconscious with shields or striking them with sword hilts, yet they stubbornly rammed their own heads into the blades.

Several expensive drones floated in the night sky. These were special-model drones personally customized by Miss Swire. Aside from the usual reconnaissance functions, they also provided fire support, medical aid, and ultra-long-range transport.

Their firepower was not particularly strong, but they still posed no small threat to those ruthless thugs.

Whenever the Rainbow Six Squad members emptied one gun, they switched to another. Although the amount of ammunition they could replenish had increased considerably, at this rate of consumption, all their weapons would likely run dry within minutes.

The two submachine guns in Rook's hands had already run out of bullets. He was now wielding his French cannon—the SG-CQB shotgun—and firing at the enemies before him with a clack-clack.

Though he had to rack it after every shot, the French cannon had earned its name for a reason. At medium range, anyone caught squarely in its sights would be dead or crippled.

Zhuang Xiaolin was not idle either. Death's Revolver in his hand fired repeatedly at several enemies positioned farthest away.

Then, all at once, the atmosphere across the battlefield changed completely.

Yellow sand suddenly rose from the ground, and the Mafia members, who had looked fairly imposing just moments ago, instantly became a disorganized rabble.

Chains made of sand bound the Mafia members and dragged them toward the center of the street.

Once they had all been gathered there, the sand that had been drifting around them suddenly converged, wrapping them into an enormous spherical sandball.

Then, before everyone's eyes, the huge sandball abruptly contracted inward before exploding. Yellow sand scattered down across the entire street.

The sand splashed across everyone's faces, including the Lungmen Guard Department officers, the Rainbow Six Squad, and Zhuang Xiaolin.

Zhuang Xiaolin shook his head and frowned at the center where the yellow sand had gathered.

The Mafia crowd that had filled the street was now nowhere to be seen. In their place stood only an elderly Zalak man, dressed in an exceptionally fine white robe over black garments, leaning on a cane.

Before long, the old man's domineering presence spread throughout the former battlefield.

"What a pity. Old Wei and I had laid out such a fine game of chess." Rat King sighed as he slowly walked toward the blue-haired Lung woman standing at the front of the Guard Department.

"Hui Jie, leave the aftermath of this matter to me. You may withdraw." As Rat King spoke, he turned to leave.

But then Chen's voice rang across the entire scene.

"What about the innocent civilians who died? Were they supposed to die for your plan as well?" Chen's crimson eyes stared straight at Rat King.

"They were already dying men. No innocent people will be dragged into this. I guarantee it." Rat King turned back and spoke to Chen with utmost solemnity.

"Then why create such a huge disturbance? Was it all for the plan and test you people keep talking about? Letting a gang this large into the city—if it hadn't been dealt with in time, the damage could have endangered Lungmen."

Chen's tone grew increasingly heated. Her anger was obvious. Hoshiguma wanted to talk her down, but she did not know what to say, so she could only pretend not to see anything and leisurely whistle at the side.

Swire rather agreed with Chen's view. Though the two had major differences in certain beliefs, they were fairly aligned when it came to Lungmen's interests.

"I can only assure you that everything remains within our control. Hui Jie, nothing in this world is as simple as you imagine, and neither are Lungmen's struggles of interest. Lungmen only has what it does today because Governor Wei reclaimed control of this city through iron and blood."

The elderly Zalak man spoke, then turned and vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only a trace of yellow sand that drifted away with the wind.

"That man is quite interesting. Yuxia, my dear, could you help me keep an eye on him?"

After returning home, Rat King asked his beloved daughter, Lin Yuxia, somewhat sheepishly.

Inside a fairly well-decorated hall, a young Zalak woman with long light-purple hair sat on a sofa in a black-and-purple long dress. She held a book in both hands and read it intently.

Though Lin Yuxia wanted to refuse when she heard Rat King's request, she understood him well enough.

With a helpless sigh, Lin Yuxia put away her book.

"How long do you want me to watch him this time?"

"Not too long. Just a week. His name is Zhuang Xiaolin, and he runs a pharmacy in the western district of the slums. You can go take a look. But there's also something I need you to pass on to him."

Rat King took out a black card. Lin Yuxia asked no further questions, picked up the card, and rose to leave.

Rat King watched his daughter's departing back with deep satisfaction. The child had grown up and become sensible. These old bones of his were no longer of much use.

As he sighed over himself, Rat King lowered his head to look over a piece of intelligence sent to him by the Governor of Lungmen.