Rendezvous

Inside the operations conference room, everyone followed the direction of Commissioner Cao's finger. Mount Zhang. Mount Zhang? Most were skeptical at first, but quickly came to their senses—no, looking at the routes currently open to Molan Company, retreating into the Great Wasteland really was their most likely way out. "But if that's the case, how will they cross the wasteland? How will they handle logistics and supplies?" one attending official questioned. Mount Zhang virtually walled off the entire northern side of Yangzhi. There were no highways there because there had never been any need to build them; traveling through by vehicle was practically impossible. And Molan Company wasn't evacuating just one or two individuals. A massive entourage would accompany them—the exorbitantly funded Blood Molan Guard, the logistics teams, the R&D staff, management, and so forth. These were the true core and elite assets of Molan Company, the capital for any future comeback. They could never abandon them. For such a huge group to enter the wasteland, logistics and supplies would be a massive issue. Someone offered a reasonable guess: "The Yangzhi branch of Molan Company has been entrenched here for so many years. They must have prepared an escape route long ago. Perhaps they set up supply depots in the wasteland in advance, or maybe they even built an underground base out there..." This held some water, yet many remained unconvinced. Supply depots in the wasteland were plausible—highly probable, in fact. But building an underground base in the wasteland was giving Molan Company far too much credit. Constructing one close by would be useless, while building further out would turn transporting supplies into a logistical nightmare. Furthermore, the commotion required would never have stayed unnoticed for all these years. At this point, several officials from the Municipal Administration whispered among themselves before one spoke up, voicing a question on many minds: "Regarding Molan Company's evacuation, Commissioner Cao, do you plan to strike within the city, or encircle and destroy them outside?" Striking inside versus outside made a world of difference. If within the city, the officials of the Yangzhi Municipal Administration certainly wouldn't want to see it—not out of concern for the citizens' lives and property, but because Yangzhi City was their political turf. Incurring massive damage would hardly reflect well on their records. Commissioner Cao looked at them and gave a definitive reply: "This encirclement campaign will be conducted outside the city." Relief washed over the Yangzhi Municipal Administration officials' faces. Over the past few days, they had been lobbying Commissioner Cao to avoid street fighting, urging him to push Molan Company out of the city instead, while dropping hints of kickbacks and support. Hearing this confirmation, they assumed their lobbying had paid off. In that case, they would back Commissioner Cao in the upcoming operations and grant the promised returns. It wasn't that no one present had objections, but no one voiced them. Disregarding civilian casualties by staging the battlefield inside the city carried a terrible reputation. Anyone with career ambitions wouldn't advocate for it, while those indifferent to such concerns had already coordinated prior to the meeting. Seeing no further questions, Commissioner Cao immediately began making phone calls, dispatching personnel to intercept the convoy headed toward National Boulevard. To put Molan Company at ease about their withdrawal, he committed genuine forces, committing virtually all their visible strength to the strike. Once everything was arranged, he returned to the operations conference room. All that remained was waiting. He trusted that once Molan Company received word of their convoy being overwhelmed and confirmed the scale of the assault, they would make their move. Yet over the next few hours, not a ripple of movement came from the Molan Company Building. Everyone could only sit and wait. Some began to doubt Commissioner Cao's judgment, but the majority remained certain. Judging by the incoming reports, although the initial convoy dispatched by Molan boasted formidable firepower and included elites from the External Operations Division, it was definitely not their main force. In particular, not a single member of the Blood Molan Guard had been spotted. Molan Company was bound to have a major move up its sleeve; it simply hadn't revealed itself yet. Just then, someone hurried over, handing up a decrypted telegram. "Commissioner Cao, an urgent telegram!" Commissioner Cao took it, scanned the text, and looked up at the room. "Our monitoring posts have spotted a large contingent of Molan Company personnel along the lower reaches of the Black River, near the stretch by the Old Town Li Family Freight Depot." "What?" Everyone was startled, though someone was quick to react: "The riverway?" Commissioner Cao said, "Yes. Traveling overland carried too much risk, but Molan Company could enter the river via underground sewers. From their current position, they're heading straight toward Mount Zhang." The attendees looked up at the map hanging on the wall. The position of Molan's personnel was already very close to Mount Zhang, confirming the accuracy of Commissioner Cao's judgment. Yet judging from the distance, they would soon enter Mount Zhang and break through into the Great Wasteland before long. Someone at the table asked, "Since Commissioner Cao anticipated this, have you made arrangements at Mount Zhang?" Commissioner Cao replied measuredly, "A gang has long entrenched themselves at Mount Zhang. I've already supplied them with a cache of weapons. They'll use the fortifications left behind from the Great Expansion to stall Molan Company for us. Our forces only need to pursue them from behind." He glanced around. "I trust all departments will fully cooperate from here on." "The Iron Chain Gang?" Realization dawned on everyone, though quite a few frowned. The Iron Chain Gang was just a street gang, not an army. Even with supplies, they hardly seemed capable of holding back Molan Company. If Commissioner Cao had anticipated that Molan would move through the subterranean waterways, stationing men to intercept them there would have been far more dependable. However, since he had stated it as such, they could only proceed according to the prior arrangements. With that, department representatives stood, making phone calls or transmitting telegrams. Sharp whistles echoed incessantly across Constabulary Headquarters. To the thunder of marching combat boots and the roar of troop transports turning over, massive ranks of constables began assembling. Along a section of the lower Black River, the five directors climbed out of the water. With the assistance of company employees who had come ashore beforehand, they peeled off the diving membrane suits wrapped around their bodies. Surrounding them stood over two hundred Molan Guards—far exceeding the ninety indicated in the intelligence reports. Clad in thick, dark crimson protective uniforms and goggles, each was armed to the teeth. Aside from sidearms and rifles, most carried a black-bladed saber slung across their backs. A faint, glowing Molan blossom implant covered their faces, embedded deep into the flesh and concealing their entire countenances. Every single guard was expressionless, their stances identical, as if cast from the very same mold. The five directors had complete faith in them. Upon joining, every guard underwent brainwashing procedures that ensured unswerving loyalty, ready to sacrifice their lives without a second thought. An intelligence operative hurried over to report: "Directors, Mount Zhang lies ahead. The Iron Chain Gang members entrenched there appear prepared." The five directors exchanged glances upon hearing the report. "As expected, they laid plans here. They intentionally let us escape, aiming to use the old fortifications in the mountain to stall us while pursuing from the rear, wiping us out right here." "Simple and effective. But they seem to have overlooked the technological gap." "Perhaps they provided technical support to the Iron Chain Gang as well?" "Anticipated. Send a telegram. Activate all our sleepers planted inside the Iron Chain Gang. Have the Blood Molan Guard deploy alongside the combat bioweapons. Give them one hour to eliminate everyone on the mountain." Once the order was issued, containers holding the combat bioweapons were unsealed one after another. As high-energy nutrient solutions were injected, two hundred and fifty combat mantises leaped out, their compound eyes glinting cold and ruthless. At a gesture from a technician, the mantises spread their wings and bounded into the mountains. Inside the Molan Company Building, Supervisor Luo stood in the empty conference hall beside a radio station. A telegraph operator wearing headphones sat nearby, waiting for incoming signals. He checked his wristwatch. The moment both hands struck two o'clock sharp, the operator caught a transmission and rapidly decoded a string of numbers. Supervisor Luo strode over and grabbed the sequence. He quickly dragged out a safe, dialed in the code, and with a crisp click, the heavy door swung open. Reaching inside, he pulled out a syringe-type injector and plunged it straight into his heart. Soon, the tension drained from his face. Besides brainwashing, Molan Company kept a tight leash on its personnel through various chemical agents. Before evacuating, the five directors had tasked him with holding the building to delay any potential assault, but they couldn't leave him without hope. Thus, they had left behind the release agent, verified in their presence beforehand. By this point, even if he blew the whistle or fled, it no longer mattered—the directors had reached their planned destination. Now, he had to look out for himself. He immediately instructed the telegraph operator to transmit across a designated frequency: "I am evacuating through the company sewers right now. I will carry all the intelligence I have gathered over the years, and the gold drafts are ready. I expect you to keep your word." Shortly after, a reply came through: "I will send someone to receive you and provide your new identity. Once you arrive, I will arrange a position for you in a local department. After a year or two, I will transfer you back to work under me." "It's a deal." "Where do you plan to meet?" "Wujia Town, Old Factory No. 2 Cargo Pier. Four o'clock." "Wait there once you arrive. My people will be right behind." Inside the Constabulary Headquarters' operations conference room, orders were dispatched in rapid succession, everything proceeding briskly and methodically. An aide approached and whispered into Commissioner Cao's ear, slipping a note into his hand. A cold gleam flickered in Cao's eyes. Tucking the note away, he had an aide temporarily take over his duties, then walked into an adjacent lounge. He instructed the duty officer there, "Bring Student Chen here." Minutes later, Chen Chuan stepped in holding the Xuejun Saber. Before he could offer a greeting, Commissioner Cao spoke gravely: "Student Chen, I need you to handle an urgent task immediately. Go to the Old Factory Pier in Wujia Town, track down Luo Qi, head of Molan Company's Operations Division, dispose of him, and bring back everything he is carrying."