Passing in Haste X Stepping Down X Leaving

A month passed quickly.

The Rust Remains Alliance's territory is quietly expanding outwards.

When Gray Beak Jiang Ye with a map, the area drawn in charcoal on the map was almost half again as large as it had been a month ago.

The wasteland west of District 13 is now entirely under the control of the Rust Remains Alliance, and the area to the north near the old industrial zone has also been thoroughly investigated by the Shattered Eye. Several scattered small gangs have either been absorbed into the organization or fled overnight.

Jiang Ye didn't allow any action in the eastern Central City; that's Grey Elder's territory, and it's not time to break ties yet.

Two more rows of shipping containers have been added to the camp. They were cleared out from the supplies left behind by the Shattered Iron Group and the Gray Rat Squad. After being reinforced, they have been converted into accommodation areas and warehouses.

The number of personnel increased from 150 to over 300, of whom more than 80 were capable fighters.

Iron Wall divided the newcomers into four squads, each equipped with an iron shield and two spears, and they took turns guarding the line and practicing teamwork every day.

Bago led his commando team in running laps around the camp every day, and after that, they practiced throwing and close combat.

Gray Beak had established a set of regulations for the allocation of supplies and the management of the industry. They would take inventory twice a day, morning and evening, keeping a clear record of which batch of goods went to which warehouse and who received how much ammunition.

The people with Shattered Eye were scattered to every corner of District 13. As long as there was the slightest movement on Grey Elder's side, the news would reach Jiang Ye's ears within half an hour.

Jiang Ye sat inside the shipping container, with a piece of roasted monster meat on the metal table in front of him and a bowl of hot water next to him.

Gray Beak stood by the table, clutching a stack of papers filled with notes.

"The number of people gathered on the dark red side has exceeded eight hundred."

"Another batch arrived yesterday, three trucks carrying people. After they got off, they went straight into the warehouse area behind the scavenging site and didn't come out again."

"I counted the number of people with Shattered Eye; there were at least three hundred guns just out there, plus those modified pickup trucks. Underneath the tarpaulins were probably heavy weapons, maybe machine guns or small artillery."

Jiang Ye cut off a piece of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it a couple of times.

How are your food and lodging taken care of?

"The Dark Red side has supplies that Grey Elder used to hoard; there's enough food and water, and they're living in empty rooms and tents vacated from the warehouse area."

Gray Beak paused for a moment.

"Alliance Leader, the eight hundred men are just the visible ones. There are still quite a few scattered people gathering in from the outer perimeter of Dark Red. They were all transferred by Grey Elder from other districts. The Shattered Eye have been following for two days but haven't dared to venture any further in. Grey Elder has increased patrols around Dark Red; there are quite a few of them."

Jiang Ye swallowed the meat in his mouth and took a sip of water.

"One thousand?"

"More, not less."

Jiang Ye nodded and put the knife down.

The Grey Elder couldn't wait any longer.

The Rust Remains Alliance has expanded too rapidly this month, taking away most of the territory of District 13. As an elder of District 13, if Grey Elder doesn't take action soon, his subordinates will start to think he can't keep things under control.

More than a thousand people, fully armed, were trying to kill a gang of three hundred. In Grey Elder's opinion, this was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

But Jiang Ye knew that what Grey Elder truly feared was never the three hundred members of the Rust Remains Alliance.

He was wary of Chrollo and Illumi.

Grey Elder didn't know what the relationship was between Chrollo and Illumi and the Rust Remains Alliance. He only knew that both of them had appeared in District 13 and were on Jiang Ye's side.

Therefore, he dared not act rashly and could only gradually increase the amount, from one hundred to three hundred to eight hundred and then to more than one thousand.

He was betting that Chrollo and Illumi wouldn't openly break ties with the Council of Elders for the sake of the Rust Remains Alliance.

When he has amassed enough men, so many that the two powerful figures behind Jiang Ye feel it's not worth it, that's when he will make his move.

Jiang Ye cut another piece of meat.

What he lacks most right now is time.

They're just one step away from mastering the field.

He tried countless times over the past month. The screen could last for more than twenty seconds, and the ceiling and edges could form a complete shell, but it couldn't hold up.

Twenty seconds later, the screen started shaking; my breath was dropping too fast, and I couldn't take it anymore.

He tried using the gas sparingly and thinning the screen, but the result was that the casing was not sturdy and would break with the slightest impact.

He also tried to tough it out, forcing all his energy into his lungs. He could hold on for forty seconds, but after that, he couldn't even stand up and collapsed to the ground.

It's stuck.

Jiang Ye stuffed the last piece of meat into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

He knew exactly where the problem lay.

The Chimera Shadow Garden is a domain, a projection of one's own Shadow Space into reality, transforming it into a battlefield that only benefits oneself.

This isn't something you can learn just by practicing.

He needs to push himself to the limit, in a situation where there are no dead ends ahead and only the domain can save him, in order to reach that threshold.

You can never learn a true killing move on the training ground.

Jiang Ye wiped the knife clean and placed it on the table, then stood up.

"Gray Beak."

"Exist."

"Go and summon Iron Wall, Shattered Eye, and Bago, as well as the squad leaders."

Gray Beak paused for a moment.

"Now?"

"Now."

Gray Beak didn't ask any more questions, turned around and walked away quickly.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the area outside the shipping container was packed with people.

Iron Wall stood at the front, carrying a shield, with Gray Beak and Shattered Eye on either side. Bago leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, followed by seven or eight newly promoted squad leaders.

Jiang Ye pushed open the door and walked out, standing on the open ground in front of the shipping container.

The wind blew in from the scrap yard, carrying the smell of rust and dust.

All eyes were on him.

"The Grey Elder has amassed over a thousand men in Dark Red, fully armed, ready to strike at any moment."

Jiang Ye's voice wasn't loud, but the open space was so quiet that you could hear the wind whistling through the metal sheets.

"This battle is unavoidable."

Iron Wall clenched his fists but didn't say anything.

The others didn't speak either, but Jiang Ye could see the expressions on their faces: some were nervous, some were gritting their teeth, but none of them wanted to run away.

"But before we fight this battle, there's one thing I need to do."

Jiang Ye paused for a moment.

"This is something I have to do alone. I won't be able to come back until it's finished."

Iron Wall's expression changed.

"Leader, you..."

"Let me finish."

Jiang Ye raised his hand to interrupt him.

"From now on, matters concerning the Rust Remains Alliance will be decided jointly by Iron Wall, Gray Beak, and Shattered Eye."

"Major matters are decided by the three of them: Iron Wall is in charge of fighting, Gray Beak is in charge of supplies and industry, and Shattered Eye is in charge of intelligence and vigilance."

"If the three disagree, Iron Wall has one vote, but he has to explain the reasons to Gray Beak and Shattered Eye afterwards."

Iron Wall opened his mouth, his rough face completely bewildered.

"Leader, where are you going?"

Jiang Ye glanced at him.

"Go and push yourself to the brink."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"If Grey Elder makes a move while I'm not around, don't try to fight him."

"Iron Wall, lead your men to guard the steel casting workshop line. Gray Beak, move the supplies into the workshop. Shattered Eye, scatter your men. If Grey Elder makes a move, you all retreat into the workshop."

"The fortifications around the workshop won't hold for long, but they can hold it off for a few days without much trouble."

"Wait for me to come back."

The open space remained quiet for a while.

Iron Wall clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, finally asking a muffled question.

"Leader, if something happens to you while you're traveling alone, we won't even know."

Jiang Ye's lips curved into a slight smile.

"So I left something for you."

He took out three thumb-sized black flat boxes from his pocket and gave one each to Iron Wall, Gray Beak, and Shattered Eye.

"A wisp of spiritual energy is sealed inside. If you encounter something you can't handle, pour your energy into it, and I can sense it."

"But it can only be used once; the box will break after that."

Iron Wall gripped the flat box tightly in his hand and stared at it for a long while.

"Then... when are you leaving, Alliance Leader?"

"Now."

Jiang Ye turned around and walked towards the north side of the camp.

He took two steps, then stopped and turned his head to the side.

"Oh, right."

"If Grey Elder sends someone to deliver a message or issue an ultimatum, don't believe it, and don't go."

"We'll talk about it when I get back."

He didn't look back. His figure passed through the narrow passage between the two rows of containers and turned into the shadowy area at the edge of the scrap yard, where piles of rusty iron sheets lay.

Iron Wall stood on the open ground, watching that figure walk further and further away until it was finally swallowed up by the pile of scrap metal.

The Shadow Stealth was used intermittently, with a rest of ten seconds after each use, conserving energy.

The direction is towards the abandoned area further north of the old industrial zone, a place rarely visited even by scavengers; the entire area contains nothing but scrap metal and sand.

Jiang Ye needs a place where no one can find him.

A place that could drive him to the brink of despair.

He glanced down at his shadow; the silhouettes of five Shikigami lay hidden deep within, quiet and composed.

"Walk."

He muttered something under his breath, and the shadow beneath his feet churned as he sank into it.

Several hundred meters behind him in the dark red scavenging grounds, Grey Elder stood on the second-floor platform of the warehouse area, holding a glass of red wine, his fiery eyes gazing in the direction of the Rust Remains Alliance camp.

How many people have arrived?

"Reporting to the Elder, we've passed 1200 meters; there are still three more batches on their way."

The Grey Elder took a sip of wine, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"In three more days."

"Three days from now, the name Rust Remains Alliance will no longer exist in District 13."