"Why did you kill that survivor? I had you aiming at Waldo. What the hell are you doing?!" Cliffor glared angrily at the shooter next to him.

The subordinate weakly replied, "I missed the shot, it went off target."

Meanwhile, Waldo and his companions had swiftly put on their combat gear and entered a state of readiness. It seemed that revenge was coming for him, and the unfortunate death of the store owner was a disaster of his own making.

Waldo coldly questioned, "Who are you?"

"We’re from the Golden Blade Gang!" The members of the gang shouted vehemently, except for Cliffor who remained silent, sighing in despair.

It appeared that today might be the day he would meet his end. "Damn, these fools are asking for death," Waldo thought to himself.

With a penetrating, bone-chilling laugh, he continued, his voice reaching deep into the hearts of the gang members. They involuntarily tightened their grip on their firearms.

"Just because you want to kill me, you ended up killing innocent people? Is the Golden Blade Gang this overbearing, resorting to bullying?" Waldo’s voice was icy and cutting.

The member who had fired the shot earlier stepped forward, laughing arrogantly. "So what if we killed him? He’s just some irrelevant old geezer!"

Bang! Alanna fired her weapon.

"You’re just some irrelevant dog!" Helen added, her voice cold. "Chubby, attack!"

Chubby let out a fierce roar and charged forward. Waldo stood beside Alanna and Helen, his expression chilling. "Alanna, Helen, it’s up to you now."

With assault rifles in hand, Alanna and Helen began firing. When the gang members attempted to retaliate, Chubby lunged at them, clamping down with his jaws. Handguns fell to the ground, arms were left unprotected, and large chunks of flesh were torn away.

The disparity in power between Waldo’s group and the Golden Blade Gang was staggering. The gang members were powerless against Alanna and Helen. Even those attempting to flee were met with well-placed shots from Waldo, their heads bursting apart.

Cliffor met a swift demise, being at the forefront of the assault. Although he didn’t want to die, as the leader of the Golden Blade Gang’s assassination team, he had to lead by example. He realized, too late, that targeting Waldo was a grave mistake.

The battle didn’t last long. Modern firearms drastically shortened the duration of such clashes. Within a matter of seconds, a dozen gang members were all defeated.

Alanna and Helen holstered their weapons and looked at Waldo. Their mission was complete, and they awaited Waldo’s decision on their next steps.

Waldo instructed Chubby to finish off the fallen gang members, severing their throats.

Once Chubby returned, Waldo spoke, "Let’s continue shopping."

Alanna and Helen exchanged a bewildered look. Were they really going to continue shopping after all that?

Seeing Waldo confidently ascending to the third floor, they followed suit, not uttering a word. Waldo’s intent was to draw out the enemy.

Unbeknownst to him, the second team of the Golden Blade Gang had been secretly observing the entire situation. The circumstances were dire: Cliffor’s team had fallen so quickly.

This wasn’t part of the plan, and it was their turn to act.

The members of the second team were aware that this mission was likely to be a one-way journey. Even if they somehow survived, Duncan would dispose of them eventually. It was better to take a desperate chance now.

Despite underestimating Waldo’s strength, they believed there was a limit to his power. No one person could be invincible.

The members of the second team slowly approached Waldo, their bodies carrying hidden explosives. They were a suicide squad, ready to die to kill him.

Duncan had promised them generous compensation for their families, should they die in this mission. Secretly, the Golden Blade Gang had trained these suicide squads, expecting to use them against the Guard Camp. However, Duncan now intended to use them against Waldo, revealing the depth of his hatred.

The suicide squad moved towards Waldo, but suddenly, he produced a military combat knife and charged at them.

The squad was taken aback. How did Waldo discover them?

Waldo stopped in his tracks, a smile on his face. As expected, there was a hidden agenda.

Waldo couldn’t have known for sure that they were from the Golden Blade Gang. However, their arrival was suspicious, especially after the earlier battle had driven away most of the regular shoppers.

These newcomers were conspicuous, and this reaction confirmed their affiliation. "I admit there’s an element of gambling involved, but I placed my bet correctly," Waldo thought.

He put away his knife. If he had identified the target, there was no need for cold weapons.

"Firepower is justice, and the truth lies only within artillery range." Waldo raised a Gatling gun.

"Oh my god!"

The suicide squad was utterly shocked. "How on earth is there a Gatling gun?! Golden Blade Gang has them too, but they’re usually fixed as defensive installations at their bases. Waldo is just carrying one around like it’s nothing?"

"Damn it, how can Waldo produce anything he wants?!"

"We can’t let him shoot!"

Following this, the squad’s leader hastily opened his clothes, preparing to rush Waldo. However, before he could reach him, the Gatling gun unleashed a barrage of fire, detonating the explosives on the squad leader and sending his flesh flying.

In quick succession, the other members of the suicide squad suffered the same fate. Waldo didn’t even give them a chance to approach him; he shot them down before they could get close enough to self-destruct.

It wasn’t that these individuals were weak, but encountering a prepared Waldo left them with no opportunity for close-range suicide attacks. If they couldn’t catch their opponents off guard to initiate self-destruct, then they were rendered ineffective.

However, if their self-destruct attempts succeeded, even with Waldo in his combat gear, he might not survive the aftermath of the explosion.

Therefore, Waldo didn’t afford them the chance. He directly fired the Gatling gun, obliterating the threat.

After the battle was resolved, Waldo put away the Gatling gun. Without a second glance at the lifeless members of the suicide squad, he walked over to Alanna and Helen.

"Looks like we can continue shopping. If you’re still up for it."

Alanna observed the wreckage around them, the once-bright marble tiles of the shopping center now tainted with blood. She shook her head. "There’s not much left to shop for here. We’ll have to come back another time. It’s disappointing that we can’t enjoy shopping without the constant threat of the Golden Blade Gang."

Helen sighed in agreement. "Yeah, we came out to have fun and relax, but it seems like we’re just going from one battle to another. It’s even more exhausting."

Waldo looked at them apologetically. "I’m sorry for putting you through this."

Alanna and Helen immediately shook their heads. "Waldo, don’t think too much about it. We’re not blaming you. We appreciate everything you’ve done for us."

Waldo let out a cold snort. "This Golden Blade Gang... I’ll let them survive a little while longer. When the time comes, I’ll wipe them out."

Alanna held onto Waldo’s arm and sweetly smiled. "Sure thing, we’re here to witness your performance."

Waldo pulled Helen close, embracing both women, and declared confidently, "Rest assured, I’ll make the Golden Blade Gang disappear in a few days."

Alanna and Helen responded, "We believe in you."

Waldo kissed each of their foreheads and grinned. "Alright, let’s head back home. I’m getting hungry."

Alanna and Helen playfully teased him. "Waldo, you’re becoming quite the eater."

As they chatted, the three of them left the shopping center.

*Click.*

A store clerk hiding behind a pillar took a photo of the trio as they exited. The photo was then sent to Duncan’s personal secretary.

There were still undercover agents from the Golden Blade Gang lurking within the shopping center. Though they couldn’t fight directly, they were able to capture the entire battle on video. This footage would become crucial material for the gang to study Waldo.

"Duncan, I’ve sent you the video of Waldo’s recent battle. Please review it at your convenience."

*Ding.*

Duncan’s secretary arched an eyebrow and, after receiving the video, adjusted her glasses to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. She then calmly responded, "Understood."

In haste, she found Duncan.

"Chairman."

The secretary knocked on Duncan’s door.

"Come in."

Once inside, she saw her chairman, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, far from his usual suave demeanor.

"Do you have any new information?"

Duncan had made it clear that unless the matter pertained to his brother, he didn’t want to be disturbed.

The secretary had been with him for so long, she understood him better than his own brother did. She knew not to bother him without good reason.

She nodded. "Yes, today Waldo and his companions went to the shopping center. They clashed with Cliffor and the suicide squad. I only need the outcome."

Duncan’s tone remained detached.

The secretary hesitated slightly but spoke the truth. "Cliffor and the suicide squad were wiped out, while Waldo’s group emerged unscathed."

Duncan’s tone didn’t change. "I see."

The secretary was somewhat surprised. She didn’t expect Duncan to react so calmly upon hearing this news.

It was well known that the suicide squad was one of the elite forces of the Golden Blade Gang. Their utter defeat was a significant blow to the gang.

However, Duncan’s lack of anger was unexpected.

Duncan continued, "Are you surprised? Although I still harbor a deep hatred for Waldo, I know now is not the time for personal vendettas. We can’t let Waldo interfere with our grand plan."

"Yes, I understand."

"Opal, inform our people not to provoke Waldo during this time. Let’s conserve our strength."

"Understood." The secretary nodded.

After the secretary left, Duncan laboriously rose from his chair, using it for support. He opened the videos forwarded by his secretary and stared fixedly at Waldo’s figure.

Muttering to himself, he said, "You just wait and see."

After the turmoil caused by the attack on the shopping center, Delgado was one of the first to learn of the situation. He rushed to Waldo’s villa immediately.

Waldo was now an honored guest of the Guard Camp, so he couldn’t afford any mishaps. After all, they still depended on him to eliminate those mutated plants.

When Waldo opened the door, Delgado eagerly surveyed the surroundings. "Waldo, you’re not injured, right?"

Waldo invited Delgado inside, smiling. "How could I be injured?"

Delgado likely had the same intelligence as Waldo. The losses were the responsibility of the Golden Blade Gang, not Waldo. Waldo was clean. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Delgado clicked his tongue. He had previously underestimated Waldo’s strength. Now he understood that Waldo’s arsenal might not be any less than the Guard Camp’s.

Offending such a formidable independent survivor would be outright foolish.

Delgado was thankful that he had established a cooperative relationship with Waldo. If he hadn’t, and Waldo wanted to expand and grew strong, it could lead to clashes with the Guard Camp. The losses would be unpredictable then.

Delgado chuckled. "Waldo, it seems you’re quite confident. I never expected you to have a Gatling gun. You really surprised me!"

Waldo glanced at him with an ambiguous smile. "Delgado, this Gatling gun is just the tip of the iceberg. I haven’t even taken out many of my high-level supplies yet."

Delgado had his doubts. If anyone else said that, he would’ve called them out for bragging. "Are you kidding me?"

However, when those words came from Waldo’s mouth, Delgado couldn’t be certain. Waldo seemed to have the capability.

Still, it was too far-fetched. Delgado thought that even if Waldo was powerful, he couldn’t possibly have gathered so many high-level supplies. Otherwise, large groups like them would be out of business.

"Can a single survivor really stand up against an entire team like ours?!"

Waldo didn’t elaborate. He had been honest; he wasn’t lying.

Whether Delgado believed him or not was up to him, Waldo’s cooperative partner.