"You're saying one person took a Thermal Sword and cut down our fully armed squad?"
The middle-aged man's eyelid twitched, but before he could say anything else, a second explosion in the distance stopped him cold.
For once, the supposedly fearless leader of the Madfire Gang felt a flicker of fear. He drew a deep breath and said:
"We've run into someone we can't handle. Tell the ambush teams we're pulling out."
"But boss, we've been staking this place out for two days."
The subordinate with the mohawk sounded hesitant.
"Idiot! What's more important, money or your life?!" the middle-aged man cursed, kicking him.
His years of robbery and banditry had taught him to run whenever he could from situations this murky. If he tried to take on those conglomerate dogs, even ten Madfire Gangs wouldn't be enough to feed the slaughter.
The subordinate with the mohawk grimaced in pain from the kick and didn't dare argue further.
He called out over the Communicator, and the Madfire Gang, after two full days of lying in wait, slunk away one group at a time.
Meanwhile, the Wild Wolf Gang had come under attack and was now locked in a desperate battle.
Even with equipment supplied by the conglomerate, they were completely pinned down by the sudden assault.
The enemy's firepower was overwhelming. Despite their numerical advantage, they couldn't break through the encirclement their attackers had prepared in advance.
The Wild Wolf Gang's leader glanced at the blond man crouching behind cover beside him. His suit was in tatters, and the shock waves had left his hair a disheveled mess. He looked utterly bedraggled.
As a representative of the Nathen Conglomerate, he had never imagined anyone would dare intercept and ambush them along the way.
"Mr. Vunafen, I need an explanation!"
Pressed against the cover, he looked toward the Wild Wolf Gang's leader beside him, barely keeping his emotions in check:
"Why are we being attacked?!"
I'd like someone to tell me what the hell is going on, too!
Vunafen, the Wild Wolf Gang's leader, bristled inwardly at those words, but kept his expression neutral as he replied:
"Someone must have leaked our movements... Only a handful of people in the Wild Wolf Gang knew about tonight. Could the information have leaked from your side...?"
Gunfire poured down, sending fragments of stone flying. Vunafen had to shield his face with a hand. A moment later, he heard the Nathen Conglomerate's representative speak through barely suppressed anger:
"Are you suggesting the Nathen Conglomerate's employees are less loyal than your ragtag gang?"
Vunafen rubbed his brow, took a deep breath, and said:
"Mr. Yoka, now isn't the time to point fingers... We can investigate who leaked the information later. Right now, we need to figure out how to break out of here."
The man named Yoka calmed down at that.
"The Nathen Conglomerate will hold whoever leaked this accountable afterward."
Knowing this really wasn't the time for an argument, he stopped dwelling on who had leaked the intelligence.
After settling his emotions somewhat, Yoka pressed a hand to his temple and called someone on the Communicator.
A moment later, Vunafen saw a virtual screen appear in front of Yoka.
On the screen, a woman with long white hair sat behind a desk. Her bearing was composed, with an indefinable air of authority.
The sight of her stunned Vunafen, and her name rose unbidden in his mind.
Chelsea Claudi, chairwoman of the Nathen Conglomerate.
The head of a leading conglomerate. In every real sense, one of District 25's rulers.
Vunafen had never imagined a simple escort job could involve someone so important.
The conglomerate's leader surveyed their surroundings and grasped the situation in less than thirty seconds. She frowned and said:
"Hold out for another ten minutes. The Nathen Conglomerate's reinforcements will be there any-"
BOOM!!
The thunderous explosion drowned out the rest of her words.
The blast hurled them all away. Yoka slammed into the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Vunafen fared little better. The force of the impact shattered the armor he wore.
The Communicator interface lagged, Chelsea's image flickered, and the connection began cutting in and out.
In the shadows, fully armed operatives moved like ghosts.
With the moonlight at their backs, Vunafen couldn't make out their faces.
The clear moonlight cast their shadows across the ground, and white vapor streamed from their masks with each breath. The man in front turned toward the two men sprawled on the ground, a crimson light flashing across his mask's eye lenses.
Clutching a gunshot wound, Vunafen gritted his teeth and said:
"Brother, we've got no quarrel. I'll walk away from this job. Spare my life."
BANG.
A gunshot was his answer.
The bullet passed through his skull.
The shooter didn't hesitate. He turned toward Yoka.
Yoka had never seen anything like this. He kept scrambling backward, his eyes filled with terror:
"I'm with the Nathen Conglomerate. You can't-you can't kill me."
The leader paused, seemingly hesitating for a moment at his words.
A glimmer of hope flashed in Yoka's eyes. He shouted, masking his fear with bluster:
"If you dare shoot me, the Nathen Conglomerate will blacklist you forever! There'll be nowhere in District 25 for you to hide, and even the conglomerate backing you won't be able to protect you!"
At that, the man raised his head. Beneath the mask was none other than Jonas.
He raised his hand, aiming his gun at Yoka's eye.
BANG.
The bullet went straight through the man's head.
Blood spattered across the ground.
Just then, the Communicator finally recovered from the blast.
The image flickered briefly.
What appeared before the conglomerate's leader was her subordinate's corpse and rubble scattered by the explosion.
Chelsea Claudi took in the wreckage and the fully armed squad, immediately realizing the situation had taken the most troublesome turn possible.
She drew a deep breath. Rather than lose her composure, she fixed her gaze on the man leading them.
"Who are you?"
The leader looked toward the Communicator interface. Beneath the moonlight, a crimson glow flashed across his mask's eye lenses.
He raised his hand and aimed his gun at Chelsea's head on the Communicator screen.
A distorted voice came from behind the mask.
"You'll find out."
Another gunshot followed his words.
BANG.
The Communicator interface was completely cut off.
Before you continue