The intense sunlight streamed through the glass, casting dappled patterns on the large desk, transforming the numerous bullet holes in the glass into distorted projections.
A ceiling fan whirred; the lavishly decorated office was thick with the smell of blood; dozens of corpses stretched from the entrance, through the flour processing plant, to the office.
Like a child's messy rampage; everywhere was splattered with viscous red.
Ryan poured a glass of ice-cold Coca-Cola, unfazed by the carnage. He was efficient; his plan was to gather intelligence from the local gang leader, but he was also practical; the most efficient method was…
Extermination.
Monster… monsters.
Hesson sat in his chair; his heavily tattooed face trembled uncontrollably; there was no indication of the attacker's approach; they hadn't even seen him.
His men fired wildly at each other; his last bodyguard committed suicide; then the student-like figure walked in, ignoring the guns, opening the refrigerator, and taking a Coca-Cola.
"Excellent. They're all dead. Efficient and leaves no trace." Ryan took a sip, enjoying the coolness; his mental power could disrupt Herrschers; controlling humans was even easier.
"Who sent you? What do you want? If you want to buy my life, I'll double the price. If you want flour, take whatever you need from the back."
The strong man remained calm, even lowering his weapon. He wasn't stupid; someone who could appear so unexpectedly wouldn't fear his gun.
"Fools and cowards don't make good leaders. You fit the bill perfectly." Ryan nodded approvingly; his mental abilities could influence thoughts but not retrieve memories; otherwise, this would be unnecessary. He set down his glass.
"I'm in Montpelier looking for someone. As one of the city's largest gangs, you should have some information."
Looking for someone…?
Hesson's face twitched violently; he sighed. "Human trafficking and smuggling aren't my business; that's Sivir's territory."
"Ah, I'll see him later. Answer my questions; no need to rush." Ryan wasn't concerned; he slapped a wanted poster on the table. "This person; have you seen her?"
Her?
The man instantly recognized Vill-V; he frowned, carefully considering, then nodded slightly. "No, I haven't… wait…"
Before he could finish, his hand moved involuntarily; he pulled a pistol from the drawer, loaded it, and pointed it at his head.
This was more terrifying than torture; no one could resist it.
"I haven't seen her, but someone showed me her picture a few days ago!"
Huh? Someone beat me to it.
Ryan frowned slightly; this was expected. "Who?"
"I don't know. They were cloaked in optical camouflage, wearing a black mask; they suddenly appeared in my office and told me to gather information."
"Show me."
Hesson's hand moved involuntarily; he produced a document; Ryan stroked his chin, carefully reading it; it was a list.
As a declining industrial town, Montpelier had many abandoned factories and junkyards; the scrap metal was usually worthless, but in the hands of certain individuals, it became something else.
Vill-V is truly reckless; not only did she fail to hide, she caused trouble.
Ryan rubbed his temple; it was his fault; without him, there would have been no assassination attempt; Vill-V wouldn't have acquired sensitive Fire Moth data; she would have been just another fugitive.
Entanglement in these conflicts wasn't something Elysia could resolve. Eliminate the cloaked figures wearing black masks…
Cocoon, they have extensive connections to Fire Moth; they're taking my place.
He recalled these operatives; exceptionally powerful, like Kevin and Aponia—pseudo-superpowered individuals. Their relationship with Fire Moth was delicate; later, they would become a subsidiary organization, responsible for imprisonment and assassination.
Good thing this was after the Third Herrscher; otherwise, things would be more troublesome.
"Thank you; this information is useful." Ryan smiled, standing and drinking the water on the desk. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"You're welcome."
Hesson offered a strained smile as the youth turned, calmly walking through the corpses, leaving the office and politely closing the door.
Whew, that monster.
The strong man sighed in relief; he'd heard stories from the intelligence brokers; he'd dismissed them as jokes; now he knew they were true.
Dozens of ruthless gang members were defeated by a single person; the key was that he'd never touched a weapon; the humans had been like puppets, killing each other.
He wanted a drink to calm down; his hand froze; he slowly raised the pistol, his face contorting in indescribable fear.
Bang—
A gunshot echoed; Ryan, exiting the building, glanced back.
"Sorry, I have a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder; messes must be cleaned."
Extermination. Ryan could both joke with Mobius and ruthlessly eliminate enemies; as he left, he reviewed the intelligence, marking locations on his phone.
Seven possible locations. Considering Vill-V's impulsiveness, it could be narrowed down to three. But I've made such a commotion, yet she hasn't sent anyone to contact me…
Ryan never underestimated any enemy. He slowly looked up.
...
Once a steel city, Montpelier was dotted with rusting steel mills and mines; years of disuse had taken their toll; many mines had collapsed, but the extensive tunnels remained.
A clever rabbit has three burrows. Vill-V might lack raw power, but her intellect was exceptional; she'd evaded pursuers worldwide; the ever-increasing bounty on her head likely amused her.
But this time, she'd met a skilled hunter.
"All networks are severed; electronic jamming in place?"
A low voice echoed from the mine entrance; the air distorted, revealing a black mask and a large cloak.
Metallic glints shone beneath the cloak; the power armor's serial number had been removed, but it appeared more advanced than the Far East Branch's.
"Complete. The rat can't escape."
As the air distorted further, more figures emerged from the darkness. They were thin or stout, male or female, all wearing black masks, differentiated only by patterns; their equipment was astonishingly advanced.
All MK.V powered exosuits; even Fire Moth's frontline branches were only beginning to test them; various advanced technologies were present.
A short figure placed a black box on the ground; the screen lit up, illuminating the entrance.
"Footprints erased. She's below."
"Excellent. Let's begin; complete the mission before sunset tomorrow." A figure in a black mask stepped forward, then a cold female voice stopped them.
"Wait. Why not simply detonate the mine? We lost several people in that strange lab."
The Cocoon members turned to see their companion, a woman with a katana strapped to her hip; a red flower pattern adorned her mask; her pink hair was partially visible.
Her warning was valid; the target wasn't as simple as anticipated; those strange machines were powerful, but their materials were scrap metal; Cocoon had destroyed them.
"The target is cunning; we need to confirm her death. Also, [Goushinnso Memento], you have other tasks; finish this quickly; we'll help you with your next target."
The woman was busy; after Montpelier, she had another assassination; she nodded.
"The flour smuggler suddenly committed suicide; the information we obtained from him was stolen. I suspect this isn't a simple assignment."
"Are you certain?"
"Certain."
The figure in black fell silent; as a professional, he'd gathered information from multiple sources for comparison and confirmation.
"Let's kill them all; Cocoon's contracts must be fulfilled."
"But the opponent is powerful and unpredictable." The woman presented a tablet, connecting to a terminal, displaying the scene.
"Dozens of gang members died from each other's gunfire; Hesson committed suicide; this is unusual."
Aside from the two who spoke, the remaining Cocoon members gathered, their expressions puzzled by the bloody scene.
"It looks like… mind control?"
"Who has that ability? The detectors didn't react; it wasn't a Honkai Beast."
The assassins whispered, their caution understandable; among billions, some were unusual; mind control wasn't rare, though most could only induce illusions or hypnosis.
"It seems someone in Fire Moth wants to save the target; we need to speed up; it's time for phase two." The figure in black showed no hesitation, waving his hand. "Formless, deploy them; use them to eliminate pursuers and shift blame."
The woman knew what he meant and clenched her fist.
"The civilian casualties…"
"That's not our concern. Earn your payment; do good deeds. Cocoon's simple; remember your terms; complete this, and your request will be granted."
At his words, Goushinnso Memento tensed, her fingers on her sword hilt, but she didn't draw it.
The figure in black glared at her, then relaxed his grip on his weapon, leading the way into the tunnel.
"Formless, guard the entrance. Others, follow me. Plan revised; by tomorrow noon—"
"We take her head!"