Inside the war room, everyone looked where Specialist Cao was pointing.

Zhang Mountain.

Zhang Mountain?

Most people looked confused at first. ’Run into the mountains? That’s a dead end. Beyond Zhang Mountain is nothing but the boundless Great Wilderness.’

But they quickly came to a realization. Looking at Molan Company’s possible escape routes, retreating toward the Great Wilderness was indeed the most plausible option.

"But if that’s the case, how will they cross the wilderness? How will they solve their logistics and supply problems?" an official in attendance asked.

Zhang Mountain cuts off almost the entirety of Yangzhi’s northern side. There are no roads there, as there’s never been a need to build any. It’s nearly impossible to get through by vehicle.

Molan Company’s retreat won’t just be a few people. A large number of company personnel are sure to accompany them, such as the heavily-invested Blood Ink Guard, the logistics team, the R&D team, the management team, and so on. These are Molan Company’s true assets and its core, the capital they need to make a comeback. They would never abandon them.

For such a large group to enter the wilderness, logistics would be a huge problem.

Someone offered a reasonable theory: "Molan Company’s branch has operated in Yangzhi for so many years. They must have prepared an escape route long ago. Perhaps they set up supply depots in the wilderness in advance, or maybe they even built an underground base out there..."

The theory had some merit, but many were unconvinced. The idea of supply depots in the wilderness was plausible—in fact, highly likely.

But building an underground base in the wilderness? That was giving Molan Company too much credit. A base nearby would be useless, while building one farther out would present a major challenge in transporting materials. Moreover, the construction would be hard to conceal; it would be impossible to go unnoticed for all these years.

Just then, a few officials from the Administrative Affairs Hall conferred in low voices. One of them then voiced a concern on many of their minds: "Regarding Molan Company’s retreat, Specialist Cao, do you plan to engage them within the city or to encircle them outside?"

The difference between engaging them inside the city versus outside was immense.

If the battle took place within the city, these officials from the Yangzhi Administrative Hall would certainly be displeased. This wasn’t out of concern for the citizens’ property and safety, but because Yangzhi City was, in a sense, their political turf. Excessive losses would absolutely not be a point in their favor.

Specialist Cao looked at them and replied with absolute certainty.

"This encirclement operation will take place outside the city."

The officials from the Yangzhi Administrative Hall visibly relaxed. In fact, over the past few days, they had been trying to lobby Specialist Cao not to initiate combat within the city, but to instead force Molan Company’s personnel to leave, hinting that they would offer him rewards and various forms of support.

Now, hearing his affirmative answer, they took it as a sign their efforts had paid off. As such, they would support Specialist Cao in the coming operation and provide the appropriate reward.

Not everyone present agreed with this plan, but no one voiced their objections. Disregarding civilian casualties by turning the city into a battlefield would be terrible for one’s reputation. Those with political ambitions wouldn’t suggest it, and those who didn’t care for such things had already made their arrangements before the meeting even began.

Seeing no further questions, Specialist Cao immediately began making calls, arranging for his men to intercept the convoy heading for the National Path. To ensure Molan Company felt secure enough to begin their main withdrawal, he committed a substantial force to this feint, deploying the vast majority of his publicly known assets.

After arranging everything, he returned to the war room.

All that was left was to wait. He believed that once Molan Company received news of their convoy being attacked and confirmed the scale of the assault, they would begin their real withdrawal.

But over the next few hours, there was still no movement at the Molan Company Building. Everyone could only continue to sit and wait.

Some began to doubt Specialist Cao’s judgment, but most remained confident.

Based on the reports trickling in, while the initial convoy sent by Molan was well-armed and staffed with elites from their external operations department, it was definitely not their main force. Most notably, not a single member of the Blood Ink Guard had been spotted.

Molan Company had to have a bigger move in the works; they just hadn’t revealed it yet.

Just then, someone hurried over and handed him a decoded telegram. "Specialist Cao, an urgent wire!"

Specialist Cao took the message and read it. He then looked up at the others. "Our monitoring stations have spotted a large number of Molan Company personnel downstream on the Black River, near the river section by the Old Town Li Family’s Goods Store."

"What?"

Everyone was shocked. Someone was quick to catch on. "The waterway?"

Specialist Cao said, "Yes. Traveling by land is too risky, but Molan Company can use the underground waterways to get to the river. From their current position, they’re heading straight for Zhang Mountain."

Everyone looked up at the map on the wall. The location of the Molan Company personnel was already very close to Zhang Mountain, proving Specialist Cao’s judgment had been correct.

But judging by the distance, they would soon enter Zhang Mountain. From there, it wouldn’t take long for them to break into the Great Wilderness.

One of the officials asked, "Specialist Cao, since you anticipated this, you must have made arrangements at Zhang Mountain, right?"

Specialist Cao spoke slowly, "A gang has long been entrenched in Zhang Mountain. I’ve already given them a shipment of weapons. They will use the old fortresses left over from the Great Expansion era to obstruct Molan Company for us. Our forces just need to pursue them from behind." He looked at the crowd. "From here on, I expect full cooperation from all departments."

The Iron Chain Gang?

Understanding dawned on the officials, but many of them frowned. The Iron Chain Gang was just a gang, not a professional army. Even with new weapons, they hardly seemed capable of stopping Molan Company. If Specialist Cao had truly anticipated Molan Company would take the waterway, deploying some of his own men to intercept them in advance would have been a far more reliable plan.

But since he had made his decision, and in accordance with their prior agreements, they had no choice but to go along with his plan. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

And so, personnel from the various departments rose to their feet, getting on phones and sending out telegrams. Within the Patrol Bureau Headquarters, sharp whistles echoed continuously. Accompanied by the tramp of combat boots and the roar of transport vehicle engines, large groups of Patrol Officers began to assemble.

At a certain section of the Black River’s lower reaches, five directors emerged from the water. With the help of company employees who were already on the bank, they peeled off the specialized outer membranes that had been wrapped around their bodies for underwater travel.

Surrounding them now stood over two hundred Molan Guards—not the ninety reported in the intelligence. Each was dressed in a thick, crimson protective suit, wearing goggles, and fully armed. In addition to their firearms, most also carried a black-bladed Long Blade on their back.

Each of their faces bore a faintly glowing Molan implant, which seemed to be deeply embedded, covering their entire face. Every one of them was expressionless, their stances identical, as if they had all been cast from the same mold.

The five directors had complete faith in them. Upon joining, every member of the Molan Guard underwent a brainwashing procedure, making them absolutely loyal and willing to give their lives without a moment’s hesitation.

An intelligence officer approached to report, "Directors, Zhang Mountain is just ahead. The Iron Chain Gang members entrenched there appear to be prepared for us."

The five directors exchanged glances upon hearing the news.

"So, they have set a trap here. They let us escape on purpose, intending to use the old fortifications in the mountains to block us while their main force pursues from behind to annihilate us."

"Simple and effective. But they seem to have overlooked the technological gap."

"Perhaps they provided the Iron Chain Gang with technological support as well?"

"We anticipated this. Send the wire. Activate all our moles inside the Iron Chain Gang. Have the Blood Ink Guard deploy with the combat weapons. Give them one hour. Eliminate everyone up there."

As the order was relayed, cases containing the combat weapons opened one by one. Fueled by injections of High-Energy Nutrient Supplement, two hundred and fifty Combat Mantises leaped out, their cold, merciless Compound Eyes shimmering.

At a technician’s hand signal, the mantises spread their wings and bounded into the mountains.

Inside the Molan Company Building, Manager Luo stood in the empty main hall. Beside him was a radio set, where a telegraph operator sat with headphones on, apparently waiting for something.

He looked at his watch. As the hands hit two o’clock sharp, the operator seemed to hear something and quickly decoded a string of numbers.

Manager Luo strode over and picked up the numbers. He then quickly pulled out a safe. After dialing the final digit, CLICK, the heavy door swung open. He reached inside, took out a syringe, and swiftly plunged it into his own chest, over his heart.

Soon, the tension in his face eased.

Besides brainwashing, Molan Company also used various drugs to control its personnel. Before evacuating, the five directors had tasked him with holding the building to delay any potential assault. But they had to give him a sliver of hope, so they left behind the antidote they had previously shown him in person.

At this point, it wouldn’t matter if he revealed the truth or even tried to escape himself. The company directors had already reached their destination.

’And now, it’s time to look out for myself.’

He immediately had the telegraph operator transmit on a specified frequency:

"I am evacuating through the company’s underground waterway now. I will be carrying all the intelligence I’ve gathered over the years. The gold notes are ready. I hope you will uphold your end of the deal."

A moment later, a reply came back:

"I will send someone to pick you up and bring you a new identity. Once you’re here, I’ll first arrange a position for you in a regional department. After a year or two, I’ll have you transferred back to work for me."

"It’s a deal."

"Where do you want to meet?"

"Wu Family Town. Old Factory No. 2 Cargo Pier. Four o’clock."

"Get there and wait. My people will be there shortly."

Back at the Patrol Headquarters, the war room was a flurry of orderly activity as commands were dispatched. Just then, an aide came over, whispered a few words in Specialist Cao’s ear, and handed him a slip of paper.

A cold glint appeared in his eyes. He pocketed the note and had someone temporarily take over his duties. He then walked to an adjacent lounge and told the officer on duty, "Go get Chen."

A few minutes later, Chen Chuan walked in carrying the Snow Monarch Blade. Before he could offer a greeting, Specialist Cao said to him grimly, "Chen, I need you to do something for me immediately. Go to the old factory pier in Wu Family Town. Find Luo Qi, the head of Molan Company’s operations department, and eliminate him. Bring back everything he has on him."

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