Chapter 77
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Chapter 77: Joint Purge Operation
However, these notions remained mere rumors that were only whispered among the people.
To this day, no priest from any church had ever believed that the followers of the Church of Hidden Mist possessed such capabilities. The reasoning was simple, such authority would be too powerful. If individuals with such ability had indeed conquered the new continent, they could just as easily engulf the old continent in the same impenetrable fog.
After all, no one had ever found a foolproof way to permanently eliminate the fog yet.
“They’ve already dared to openly attack Gaotian Mining Corporation, and you’re telling me there’s no evidence?” the Lord countered. “Are we supposed to wait for them to join forces with the rebels and march down to the Central Street before we take action?”
“What did you say?” Shandela was taken aback. “Did the Church of Hidden Mist attack Gaotian Corporation?”
“How is it possible that you haven’t received this news yet?” Li Qiang picked up a letter from his desk and flung it at her. “It wasn’t just the cult members. There were escaped miners and unknown bandits too! The timing of their ambush perfectly coincided with the tidal surge of the fog!”
Shandela rapidly scanned the report, feeling a rising anger within her.
The company had been attacked last night, but even till now, they hadn’t reported it to the City Guard. This was a blatant act of retaliation!
Their actions clearly opposed her efforts to regain control over city security. According to Glorious Fortress law, any incident involving heretics must be immediately reported to the City Guard upon discovery. By failing to do so, they had already violated the law!
However, Shandela knew this was not the time for direct confrontation. She had to calm the Lord’s fury first.
According to the report, the Gaotian Corporation lost two transport trains and nearly 150 lives in the attack. The losses included numerous miners, unpaid wages, and several valueable steam engines. The attacking enemy force was estimated to be around fifty to sixty people, armed with unknown firearms. They had later used the rising fog to escape the battlefield without leaving a trace.
In other words, the company failed to capture even a single prisoner.
At the mention of ‘unknown firearms’… Shandela couldn’t help but recall Wangshui Manor, where survivors also described enemies wielding remarkably powerful guns—rapid firing,accurate and almost akin to xenoguns.
After Shandela finished reading the report, she set it down and asked, “Sir, since the mining company didn’t capture any prisoners, how did they conclude that heretics were involved?”
“How could such coincidences exist? After decades of silence, they suddenly appear during a rebel attacks?” Shandela argued convincingly.
“The truth is, among the hundreds of miners abducted from the hijacked train, only a few were recaptured by the company; the rest vanished into the Fog Zone. Moreover, Gaotian had previously noticed signs that escaped miners were forming organized groups. Their destination should be obvious, don’t you think?”
“You mean… the Church of Hidden Mist is coordinating with them?”
“What else could it be? If there was no fog tide, the City Guard and mine security forces would have pincered the attackers from east and west. But as soon as the fog rose, everyone was forced to take cover under spirit lamps, allowing the assailants free rein!” The Lord paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “At first, I thought those escaped miners either went into hiding or fled back to the old continent. Never did I expect them to band together, aligning with heretics and openly challenging me! This is my city, and they won’t lay their hands on it!”
It was the first time Shandela had seen Li Qiang so furious. “Please, calm yourself, sir. I’ll immediately dispatch a team to investigate this matter—”
“No!” Li Qiang cut her off. “I don’t want an investigation; I want their heads! Gaotian Mining Corporation, Schneck & Will Shipping Company, Blacksteel Security, and Fafnir Construction have assembled a joint force to completely cleanse the smelting district and Gray Hill Mines. However, they’re merely mercenaries, and I won’t allow them to lead the city’s defense. The reason I summoned you here is simple, I want you to command this major operation. Take all the available forces from City Guard and thoroughly sweep every inch of Fog Zones surrounding the city! If you fail, I’ll find someone else who won’t!”
“Understood, sir!” She knew she had no choice but to accept.
“Remember, although your primary task is to capture the members of the Church of Hidden Mist, but don’t show mercy to those escaped miners either! Gaotian believes that one of the reasons they attacked the train was to recruit more miners and grow their numbers for something bigger. These people must be wiped out completely!”
“I understand.”
“Additionally, consider the Northern City Police Department case closed.” Though Li Qiang’s anger seemed to have simmered, his voice took on a colder edge. “Pin the blame on the Church of Hidden Mist and arrange a public execution so that every resident of Glorious Fortress sees the heretics as the masterminds behind corrupting the police department.”
Shandela couldn’t help but frown, feeling the weight of his command. “But sir, you gave me two weeks, and that time isn’t up—”
“This is an order!” Li Qiang cut her off firmly. “Listen carefully, I want you to solely focus all your efforts on crushing this rebel uprising. Make sure every citizen know exactly who the enemy is, then swiftly crush them with decisive action. Show the world that Glorious Fortress is more than capable of protecting its own, especially the businesses that fuel our city, do you understand?”
At that moment, Shandela realized the depth of the pressure these companies had placed on the Lord.
As a result, the connection between the Northern City Police Department and Gaotian Mining Corporation would be swept under the rug, replaced by the convenient scapegoat of “heretics” instigating yet another violent attacks. The Count’s high-profile response could also stabilize the confidence of other investors, assuring them that their assets remained under strong protection.
Compared to the truth, the Lord prioritized his city’s prosperity above all else.
“What’s your answer?” Li Qiang looked at her expectantly.
“Yes, sir!” Shandela suppressed her slight disappointment, “I’ll take care of it immediately.”
“Excellent.” The count nodded slightly, sinking back into his luxurious chair. “Bring along the priestess from the Divine Machine Church. Sharpen your blades well; let those filthy rebels taste blood!”
***
The next morning in Chucheng.
Zhang Zhiyuan had just finished exchanging information with his colleagues at the police station when he noticed his newly assigned assistant outside.
“Comrade Zhang, hello. My name is Lu Ming,” said a man dressed in tactical police attire as he stepped forward to shake hands. “My team members are waiting outside. Don’t worry, we’ll ensure your mission’s success by providing full support.”
“Y…you’re welcome,” Zhang Zhiyuan stammered, momentarily taken aback. He noticed two vans parked outside the police station yard, accompanied by about a dozen heavily armed tactical officers.
Is this what Gao Wei meant by pulling some strings to get “just a few people”? Zhang Zhiyuan couldn’t help but gain newfound respect for his superior.
“Woah, they’re all armed,” Choi Jeon-eun whispered softly. “Isn’t that a bit unfair? I mean, compared to our International Criminal Police Department resources.”
“Shall we get in the vehicles?”
“Uh… yes.” Zhang quickly composed himself and climbed into the lead van with Choi following close behind.
“My apologies; this van is quite cramped. Please bear with us for now,” Lu Ming said as he squeezed himself next to Zhang Zhiyuan. “We usually use special vehicles during missions, but our boss wanted us to keep a low-profile this time, so we switched to civilian cars.”
“No problem… civilian vehicles work just fine.” Zhang pulled out his phone and opened the GPS app. “This is where we’re heading. Last night, I already contacted the local police department and asked them to tail the suspect overnight. So far, there haven’t been any signs of him leaving his residence.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve been fully briefed on everything you discussed with Chucheng Police, including the suspect’s whereabouts.” Lu Ming waved dismissively, indicating they didn’t need navigation assistance. “We were also informed that this case involves significant classified information, so I won’t pry beyond what’s necessary. However, there’s one crucial thing I’d like to clarify beforehand: How dangerous is this individual? Is there a possibility he carries weapons or explosives? If it’s the latter, we’ll need to evacuate residents before making the arrest, at least those sharing the same residential unit with him.”