Upon arriving at their destination, everyone in the vehicle held their breath and waited for the Plague Doctor’s command.

"The original plan was compromised, so it has been changed. Squads One and Two, head to America Street and Oak Street and create chaos. If the Government Army shows up, stall for time. If not, move to provide immediate support. Squads Three and Four will attack City Hall from the southeast; Squads Five and Six from the northwest. At the opportune moment, activate the Alchemy Secret Ceremony: Night Curtain. Be extremely careful of the Hand of the Empire and enemy air strikes.

Uncle Ze, contact our moles and tell them to prepare for action. Once we’ve hacked the surveillance system, I’m leaving command to you. Mai Zi will stay behind to assist you.

Catherine, break Gavin’s arms and legs, then tie him up. Uncle Ze, Mai Zi, if the mission fails, you are to kill him immediately.

Mr. Siegfried, you’re with me."

The Plague Doctor issued his commands methodically. Whether Gavin had been framed or not, he had to be brought under control first. At this critical juncture, there was no room for mercy or carelessness.

"BZZT..."

Just then, a burst of static crackled over the comms channel, followed by the sound of deep breathing. Someone had patched into their frequency:

"Plague Doctor, this is Lone Wolf. Security at City Hall has been heightened by at least three levels. Another Hand of the Empire squad arrived last night, along with an elite Special Agent from the North Carolina Counter-Terrorism Department. He’s very likely a Tier Three Ascender. You all need to be extremely careful."

"Understood."

The Plague Doctor knew exactly what the Rusted Iron City Mayor, Sidelong, was plotting. He wanted to use this opportunity to annihilate the Poisonous Sore Gang—a group of "terrorists" attempting to overthrow the North Carolina Government—all in one fell swoop. It was all so he could get a promotion from his superiors and one day settle down in a wealthy district.

He raised his wrist, glanced at his old, worn watch, and pressed a button to start a timer. "It’s 9:20. The operation begins. Everyone, be careful. Don’t be reckless. I want to see every single one of you come back alive."

"Yes, sir!" came the unified reply over the comms channel.

"Uncle Ze, what’s the status on our moles?"

"They’ve all been activated!"

·

One minute and sixteen seconds later, a massive explosion shattered the relative quiet of night in downtown Rusted Iron City.

Raging flames shot toward the heavens. For reasons unknown, an office building under construction had violently exploded. The powerful shockwave shattered every window within a one-kilometer radius. Propelled by the blast, countless huge fragments of reinforced concrete fanned out in all directions, raining down like a meteor shower. They destroyed an untold number of homes and buildings, sending the unprepared populace screaming from their houses to gather in panicked hordes on the streets.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!

A series of deafening roars followed, like rolling thunder that shook the very Soul of every person present. One by one, other buildings under construction erupted in explosions without warning. They became towering torches in the night, their blinding flames painting the sky crimson.

Over several years, the Poisonous Sore Gang had planted more than a dozen moles in the city center. These explosions were their handiwork.

The explosions undeniably sparked widespread panic. Most residents no longer dared to remain in their homes. They all poured onto the streets, rushing in a great wave toward the air-raid shelters. This, to some degree, slowed the advance of the Government Army.

Squads One and Two quickly reached their target streets. They planted remote-controlled explosives in concealed spots like trash cans and shrubs, then shouldered rocket launchers and began indiscriminately bombarding banks, office buildings, and police stations to create more chaos and draw the Government Army’s attention.

Squads Three through Six arrived near City Hall and engaged the stationed Government Army in a direct firefight, the sound of gunfire washing over the area like a torrential downpour. The Poisonous Sore Gang’s firepower was ferocious. They opened with overwhelming suppressive fire, catching the Government Army completely off guard and inflicting heavy casualties.

WHOOSH—

A rocket streaked out, trailing fire, and struck a car parked on the side of the road. With a deafening boom, the vehicle erupted in flames, instantly becoming a blazing Fireball launched into the sky. An Ascender from the Poisonous Sore Gang stepped forward, took a deep breath, and exhaled with great force. He unleashed a howling gust of wind that sent the flaming wreckage of the car hurtling into the Government Army’s position, sowing chaos in their ranks.

And just like that, the war had begun.

「City Hall. The Safe Room.」

Rusted Iron City Mayor Sidelong stared at the surveillance footage, his expression grim. "These gangsters have some serious balls, daring to attack the city center... Goddammit, is the intelligence department completely useless? This ’Poisonous Sore Gang’—are they really just a street gang?"

’The Poisonous Sore Gang has been steamrolling the Government Army from the very beginning. Their firepower is terrifying.’ Sidelong felt a chill crawl up his spine as he saw their weapons and equipment. ’How the hell does a street gang get its hands on that kind of hardware? Could it be... America is secretly funding them again?’

Hearing Sidelong’s tirade, the director of the intelligence department, Nidina, kept her head down and said nothing. She was only twenty-seven, yet she held the top intelligence post in Rusted Iron City. Anyone with half a brain knew how she got there. Five years ago, she had started sleeping with Sidelong, and her career path had been smooth sailing ever since. She had successfully become the department director, and was now enjoying a life of wealth and luxury.

Her professional competence was actually passable, but it was limited to the downtown area. When faced with a group of cunning, treacherous gangsters who spent their days swindling and scamming, she was hopelessly out of her depth. And that wasn’t even mentioning that her subordinates were a pack of lazy good-for-nothings who just went through the motions. How could they possibly have uncovered the true nature of the Poisonous Sore Gang?