Chapter 39

Standing at the entrance of the classroom, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter his mother had given him.

The abandoned railway station in District 59 is located in the most peripheral undeveloped area of the giant city Balkan. Excluding the extra districts, it is not an exaggeration to say that this is the most neglected area in Balkan. Although it is a bit far from the ruins where the pollutants run rampant, the large railway facility originally planned to be established here now only leaves behind its ruins, clearly revealing the failure of the policy. What remains is a corrupt customs office managing imports from the outside and the vagrants who survive day by day in this abandoned district. Therefore, if the customs officials can be bribed, bringing in goods from the outside is not difficult, and the city government, knowing this well, tolerates it. In this corrupt city, it is the only way for government employees to survive.

As they approached the railway station, a sharp tension already permeated the surroundings. The gang members who had arrived first had taken their positions and were keeping watch. The group hid at a distance where they wouldn't be noticed by the gang members and observed the situation.

Fato: There are plenty of places to hide around here.

Renok chose a collapsed container nearby and hid himself appropriately.

[...It seems the soldiers haven't arrived yet.]

Hearing Jod's words through the earpiece, Renok adjusted the watch on his wrist, immediately transforming it into a telescope and bringing it to his eye. It was a multitool he had acquired as a reward for taking Aria as a team member. Indeed, as he said, there were easily over a dozen gang members loitering around the railway station, but no firearms were visible. This was evidence that they were thoroughly avoiding suspicion. It also meant that the transaction with the retired soldiers was important to the gang.

[Do we have to wait?]

"Yeah."

Renok replied.

"We'll take our positions when the soldiers arrive. We'll exchange goods, so it will take a considerable amount of time. We'll secure a favorable position during that time and start the operation."

[Do you know when they'll arrive? No, you don't even know which direction they'll come from.]

"The railway side. They'll arrive in three minutes."

[What? How do you know...]

Renok abruptly cut off the transmission without waiting for a response. Keni seemed quite cautious, but he didn't seem to be the type to think quickly. If they had bribed the customs officials and set the meeting place at the railway station, the mode of transportation was obvious. Especially if they had to transport firearms, it would be even more so. Since he would soon confirm it with his mana detection, there was no need to waste time explaining here.

While taking a deep breath and holding a cigarette in his mouth, the opposite side of the railway station quickly became bustling.

Clunk, clunk...!

The regular noise piercing the darkness.

Two headlights cutting through the night mist approached.

A massive rectangular iron block slowly approached the station and gradually slowed down. An old train car stopped in the middle of the platform, and the door swung open. A group of people walked out, stiffly raising their heads and spoke to the gang.

"We're on time. Where's the person in charge?"

The dark military uniform. The blue armband on the shoulder.

It was undoubtedly the uniform of the Defense Force. Renok smiled as he confirmed this through the telescope. Boldly, the gang was operating this abandoned railway station for the transaction with the soldiers. Upon reflection, it wasn't that difficult. In this district, only the customs officials monitored the railway, and if they could be bribed, the surveillance would become a reliable guard. If they were discovered, the customs officials could claim they were operating the train for the officials. It was a much more natural method than having military vehicles move a few times through the darkness. Even if they loaded the train cars with firearms, no one would easily suspect it.

After confirming the soldiers' faces, Renok immediately pressed the earpiece and whispered.

"Let's start."

[...]

There was no response. However, Renok could feel five subtle presences moving immediately. They quickly spread out, suppressing the surrounding gang members, while Aria shot interference waves into the air, cutting off the gang's communication. Although it would make communication among the team members difficult, it didn't matter from now on. After confirming the soldiers' faces, Renok immediately pressed the earpiece and whispered.

"Let's start."

[...]

There was no response. However, Renok could feel five subtle presences moving immediately. They quickly spread out, suppressing the surrounding gang members, while Aria shot interference waves into the air, cutting off the gang's communication. Although it would make communication among the team members difficult, it didn't matter from now on. Renok also immediately stood up and moved forward, shooting bullets into the heads of the surrounding gang members.

Bang! Bang!

As they gradually moved forward and approached the railway station, the scene of the soldiers and the gang leader facing each other and having a conversation became visible. A cold atmosphere, as if a needle couldn't pierce it, surrounded the elderly soldier leading the group of over a dozen soldiers, and a large man standing opposite with only a few aides.

The elderly soldier looked up sharply and asked.

"How long do you plan to use this old train?"

"Calmdown."

The man replied slowly.

"Didn't we already agree that this is the most effective method?"

"Even once or twice, I don't understand why we have to go through all this trouble. After all, we're the ones supplying you with weapons."

"..."

The man's brow twitched at the soldier's harsh words, but he said nothing. However, the elderly soldier, sensing the meaning in his expression, frowned.

"What's that look for?"

"Nothing."

"Let me say it again, if anything goes wrong, it's over. Our friends in the western satellite city are eagerly waiting for our return. If you put us in danger even for a moment, there will be no more transactions."

The man shrugged silently.

Renok watched the two men's conversation and shook his head.

'Skillful...'

On the surface, it seemed the man had taken a step back under the soldier's pressure, but the overly sensitive attitude of the elderly soldier clearly revealed his psychological state. His identity as a retired soldier, the guilt of secretly selling military equipment, and the risk of being caught. The stress accumulated in a psychologically suppressed situation was being directed negatively towards his current trading partner. The man was easily accepting the irritation the elderly soldier was displaying, knowing it all too well. Renok's gaze deepened.

'If I could kill him here...'

To succeed in the plan, it was ultimately necessary to completely destroy Siger Bang and have the Dyke Corporation take its place. For that, it would be necessary to eliminate the key leaders of the gang at some point. If he could eliminate the gang's strength as well as the soldiers, it would be perfect. After staring at the man for a long time, the elderly soldier reluctantly nodded.

In any case, he was here to make a deal, and the money was needed for the soldiers who had been driven out of the battlefield. Even if the money was dirty, squeezed from the back alleys.

"Move the goods."

The man nodded, and only then did the dozen or so gang members, who had been preparing in the back, quickly enter the train car and start carrying out the firearms. There were a few pistols mixed in, but most were assault rifles, which were quite heavy. With the addition of a large amount of ammunition, it was taking a considerable amount of time even with many people involved. As they started moving the rifles stacked outside and began to unload the ammunition, Renok immediately gathered his mana and shot it into the sky.

Boom!!

The clear will, combined with a specific mental image, precisely assembled the mana and scattered a bright blue light in the empty sky. The few mages mixed in with the gang members turned their heads, sensing something was wrong. But it was already too late.

[Thunder Calling]

Kaboom!!!

A bolt of lightning descended, signaling the start of the battle. The intense firepower, capable of turning a human into ashes, was aimed at the old train car loaded with ammunition. When the temporary ammunition storage caught fire, the result was obvious. The old train car exploded, and the massive wave of flames swept up everyone nearby.

Boom!!

"Ah, aaaaah!!"

"It's, it's hot!!"

"Be, be careful!! What's this...!!!"

The gang members and the soldiers gathered there screamed in agony as their bodies melted, rolling on the ground. As soon as Renok's preemptive strike began, the other team members, mixed in, immediately moved into action. Allen's hazy purple mist quickly enveloped the area, weakening the gang members' strength. Aria's laser accurately pierced the heads of the mages who had reacted to Renok's magic. Haze!!

Hazer pushed the burning train car and appeared, swinging his massive hammer at the other gang members. Jod and Keni, who had revealed themselves behind the railway station, mercilessly cut down the fleeing gang members. Amidst the chaos, Renok, without wavering, immediately drew his revolver from his waist.

The small goal of disrupting the weapons deal and straining the relationship between the gang and the retired soldiers had been achieved. Once they had tasted the heat, the soldiers, who were already secretly selling weapons, would be even more hesitant to deal with the gang. However, he couldn't stop here. If he couldn't kill a Siger Bang leader here, it would be like taking a step back. Although Panoa didn't explicitly order him to kill the man, the