Southern District.
Inside the blazing warehouse, the charred remnants of several dozen men were scattered haphazardly. The acrid scent of smoke hung thick in the air, making every breath feel suffocating. The crackling sounds of burning goods echoed through the cavernous space. A group of individuals, dressed in ragtag jeans and tank tops, channeled arcane energy from their hypercubes. One of them swiftly erected a shimmering shield, while the others hurled bolts of energy toward an encroaching figure clad in black. However, before the arcane bolts could make contact, the figure simply vanished from their point of view.
"URGHH, WHERE DID THAT MONSTER GO??!!!" shouted one of the individuals in frustration.
A solemn voice cut through their cries. "Look up."
The group attempted to comply, but before they could fully tilt their heads upward, dozens of bullets rushed in unnaturally from different angles. Each bullet left a luminous blue trail behind it. Several bullets shattered the shield with ease, piercing the individuals. In unison, they fell to the ground with a subtle thud. The figure in black now stood on top of a tall storage rack, calmly speaking into a walkie-talkie after confirming the absence of other threats.
"Objective accomplished."
"Good work. You've inflicted significant damage on them. Return to the central district for the joint operation. The Bureau will handle the rest in the South."
The warehouse's walls groaned under the intense heat of the flames, threatening to succumb to the inferno. The figure in black, without a moment's hesitation, leaped out through a hole in the roof created earlier and headed north Without looking back. The warehouse crumbled with a resounding boom.
After a while, vans marked with the name 'Gonzalo' arrived at the scene. Men jumped out of them and saw the burning warehouse.
"DAMN IT!!!!! THIS ONE TOO??!!! BOSS WOULD KILL US IF HE HEARD OF THIS!!"
For the last three nights, no gangster in The Southern District has been able to sleep well because of the enigmatic man in black. He swiftly hits his targets and swiftly disappears into the night, leaving no trace behind. Since all the powerful bigshots of the gangs are down underground for that project, the southern district up has been left very vulnerable. And that person has just made everything worse.
Adventurer's Guild, Disk-city.
5:00 AM
The atmosphere within the guild hall is filled with a sense of urgency as the leaders gather at the break of dawn. The cool breeze from The Celestial Peaks sweep through The Eternal Kingdom, a precursor to the impending sunrise. The leaders, including Diluc, Cyrus, and Carl, have convened for a crucial meeting to decide the fate of a collaboration proposal from the Public Security Bureau.
As Carl enters the room, a noticeable yawn escapes his lips, drawing the disapproval of his fellow leaders.
"Good morning... everybody..."
"Uncouth." Cyrus mutters
"It is indeed unbefitting of the intelligence department head to come in late." Diluc adds.
"I just had a great sleep last night. And stop blaming me, I know all of you did too!! Winter is starting to approach the kingdom, and the kingdom is just cozy during this time."
Diluc, maintaining his composure, steers the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Let us get back to the topic at hand, shall we? The bureau has put up an A+ ranked commission to both the Adventurer's Guild and The Mercenaries Guild. The mercenaries chose not to help the bureau during the past battles but fearing the rise of the adventurer's guild, has already accepted this proposition. So..."
Cyrus cuts him off.
"We must not let them get all the credits and currencies!!!!! The Bureau has offered a large number of hypercubes to the Guilds to assist them. We must do our part and...."
"Settle down, Cyrus. Carl, please tell us why The Bureau won't be taking part in this battle themselves."
"The Bureau has been busy taking back the Western District and the Eastern District. It is confirmed that they have now full control over both of these districts. But the southern district still remains at the hands of enemies. And The Bureau is going to spend all of their energy into taking back the Southern District swiftly. The reason they don't want to go to the lower levels is that they have lost contact with their units there. So effectively, it can be considered a hostile zone. If the bureau heads down there with large numbers, they risk a lot of casualties. That is why they are forming an elite team to go down there."
" They're trying to make us into scapegoats!!" An intelligence officer shouts.
Another chimes in.
"We must not accept this proposal."
Diluc intervenes.
"Calm down. The Bureau will also be sending an elite team of theirs with us. This shows that they are sincere. So I am in favor of this proposal. And I will be heading down there myself personally. The future prospects are well worth it"
The intelligence officers, initially agitated, begin to reconsider the situation at the guild master's words.
"In that case..."
Carl pushes the momentum gained in favor of the decision.
"If the master goes down there, then there's nothing to fret about. I am also in favor of this, and I will personally be taking part in the operation."
"It's settled then. We will not let the mercenaries guild have all the Hypercubes!!!"
As always, Cyrus is only worried about that certain aspect, money.