Upon receiving the report, Haiser fell into deep thought. In truth, he expected something like this. If he had sufficient manpower and connections, he too would have led his team to form a blockade, alleviating the need to seek out the flag.
However, even though he had expected it, he did not have a way of solving it. He could neither tunnel underground, or somehow fly over them, so his only option was to face the blockade.
While Haiser was confident of getting past them, he worried that his teammates would not. Moreover, the group guarding the safe haven must have put in place various measures to prevent the enemies from getting past them. Forcing a breakthrough by brute force was the last option, but he didn't have much else.
As he pondered, a second ranger came running back. He claimed that two corporations had managed to join hands, and together, they were going for the safe haven together. The two corporations were Laventine and Nexus corporation.
Since Adam had found the bead, he had informed others in his team of his discovery before dashing, so they had easily found another flag.
Cooperation with others, Haiser thought. Just like the Laventine corporation's team, he too had considered the option when he heard about the blockade. Unfortunately, Iresal corporation was one of the smallest organizations taking part. Most of the corporations at their level that had sort to participate in this grand event had been eliminated during the hunt.
Putting it bluntly, in order to be part of an alliance, one needed proper qualifications. Their corporation did not fit the bill. They were way out of their depth here.
However, despite not being part of the alliance, there was a way they could benefit. If the alliance managed to weaken the blockade, then maybe he could find a way through. Thinking up to this point, Haiser immediately gathered a several of his teammates and began assigning tasks. Once done, the group set out together.
"Leader, it seems there are a few flies following us," Sardine, one of the rangers in the Laventine corporation's team, said to the burly man leading the group.
"Of course," The leader sneered, he had expected such behavior. "Once the fighting starts, make sure to cut off all their escape routes. We need to gather as many flags as possible."
In his mind, he could not help cursing them. The fools thought they could take advantage of him? How mistaken they were. He would use this battle to announce to the world that a new corporation had joined the ranks of super powers. Even their partners, the Nexus corporation, were still their targets, for they had real allies.
Meanwhile, the rangers that were providing constant information to Haiser and crew, uncovered multiple small corporations. They too had discovered the blockade, and were following the new alliance in hopes of getting past the blockade.
After hearing that more than five corporations had thought the same, the members of Haiser's crew relaxed, happy that there would be others supporting them. However, a deep frown appeared in Haiser's face, as though he had discovered something. Whatever it was, he did not share with anyone.
Several minutes went by as the various groups organized themselves. As the alliance members were preparing themselves to attack, Julius, the leader of the Nexus corporation's team, had a brilliant idea.
He too had gotten reports of the trailing corporations. Unlike his counterpart, instead of looking down on them, he saw them as potential helpers. At the very least, with higher numbers in the alliance, they stood a higher chance of overwhelming the opponents.
After a quick discussion with Sardine, he quickly dispatched rangers to the trailing teams, inviting them to join them in the frontal attack. They even stopped advancing towards the safe haven and formed a temporary base of operations in one of the clearings.
When Haiser received the invite, he did not ready rush to accept, taking time to give the matter some thought. After some time, he decided to join the alliance. Just like him, several other leaders were also presented with the same option, with many choosing to join.
In no time, the small base of operations became overcrowded as numerous teams gathered there. Just by a quick glance, more than twenty teams were gathered. Since there were sixteen slots, there was no need for there to be more than sixteen flags. This meant that there were some teams present who had not obtained the flag. Even a fool could guess that they intended to rob their allies. There was no way of telling which team had a flag or not, so all they could do was vigilantly trust each other.
All the leaders were gathered at the center, busy discussing the raid. Haiser too was there. Despite them all coming together, they were not fools, being wary of their teammates as much as they were of the enemy.
No one could afford to leave their back exposed, otherwise, a vicious knife would easily be plunged into them. Similarly, no one was willing to take the truly difficult jobs, in fear of being taken advantage. As such, discussions were rowdy and very confrontational. While both Sardine and Julius, as the alliance leaders, were charismatic, they still couldn't overrule or command others easily.
Finally, duties were distributed fairly, and everyone was satisfied that they they had a chance to make it past the blockade. The newly formed army formed a roughly construed yet cohesive unit. The various leaders commanding their members according to the agreement.
Meanwhile, inside the safe haven, the various team leaders had also gotten wind of what was happening. They knew their opponents had come together and were intending to attack them as a combined force.
Despite knowing they would be outnumbered, they were not worried. In fact, they eagerly waited for the group to make their approach. Previously, it would have been too easy, to the point of bullying, taking candy from the corporations one at a time. At least now, they would get to stretch their arms.
As for the spectators, they were going wild in anticipation of the crash that would ensue. Already, the betting companies were being overrun as countless people waited to see, who would emerge on top after the crash.