"The more this drags on into the night, the more likely it is that complications will arise," Corvey lifted his head to look at He Ao, "Do you have any leads?" "Look at the documents I sent you; there are detailed intelligence reports on three locations: the warehouse, the chemical plant, and the machinery factory." He Ao said, looking at him. Corvey lowered his head, his gaze seemingly fixed on the screen as he rapidly flipped through the files. As the old-fashioned luxury car gradually entered the run-down road, Corvey’s file-flipping slowed to a halt. He lifted his head, looking towards He Ao and said hoarsely, "The warehouse is located directly to the north of the command center, being the closest to it. According to the data, there’s a large number of people and equipment there, making it the most likely to launch a raid. However, the defense installations to the north of the command center are also the most secure, with the most hands on defense as well. "The chemical plant is northwest of the command center. Its logistics aren’t enough to support a large shipment of military equipment; if a convoy of trucks suddenly departed, many pieces of equipment wouldn’t be transportable. "The machinery factory is closer to the Southern District, too far from the command center, and its logistics don’t pass through there. Abruptly dispatching vehicles in the nearby area would raise suspicion." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you think they’d launch an attack from one of these three positions? Or that the Prisoners’ Gang members are hiding at one of these sites?" Then he looked down at the intelligence reports again, "The defense layout of the command center is strongest to the north because it’s closest to the core building, followed by the west towards the Southern District, and lastly, the east towards the Saint Ilan District. The distance from the east and west sides to the core building is identical. "Considering this intelligence setup, they’ve placed the most hands at the warehouse, while it would be difficult for the chemical plant and machinery factory to organize a large-scale force. It seems their biggest possibility is to make a strong attack from the north?" He Ao shook his head, raising the map in his hand, "They want it all," Rows of red lines spread across the map, marking out routes, as he continued, "The essence of a beheading operation is timing. The longer it drags on, the more likely it is that the North City Defense Forces will retreat and the higher the likelihood of the operation failing. A strong attack also takes the most time and incurs the heaviest losses." "What are you suggesting...?" Corvey watched the map projected from He Ao’s hands, deep in thought. "Sneak attacks tend to be quicker than full assaults and, in the current situation, are more likely to succeed," He Ao looked at the map in his hands, "And the Prisoners’ Gang’s powerful Transcendents are excellent for a surprise attack. The warehouse does indeed house a large number of mercenaries and military equipment, and these individuals are most likely tasked with directly attacking the north side of the South City Command Center. However, this is probably not their real ’main force.’" A phantom of fully armed mercenaries emerged from the warehouse building on the projected map in He Ao’s hand, following a red line to the north side of the South City Command Center. "So, the north would be a feint?" Corvey lowered his head, watching the scene on the map. "Actually, there’s one interesting issue," He Ao said, looking at Corvey, "The owner of this warehouse has been living well for so many years, even receiving a substantial rent payment from the Prisoners’ Gang, while the contacts who interacted with him have already been dealt with. "Indeed, the security in Saint Ilan is very good, but it’s not so good that assassinating someone without a sound is impossible, especially considering that the Prisoners’ Gang’s superhuman force is strong and they have the support of a consortium. "Furthermore, it’s a common practice in the black market to fit a warehouse management system with a backdoor, and dealing with such a secretive military setup, the Prisoners’ Gang hasn’t changed the warehouse management system but has continued to use the one with a backdoor." "It’s either that the Prisoners’ Gang did not get help from any cybersecurity experts and didn’t find this out," Corvey lowered his head, leafing through the documents in front of him, "Or this is a ’bait’ left on purpose so that when we suspect the warehouse, through the warehouse owner’s words, the warehouse is exposed to us, leading us to believe they are planning to make a strong attack from the north side of the command center, drawing our attention, "And if we follow this train of thought, no matter whether we strengthen our northern defense or dispatch troops to raid the warehouse, it will result in a lack of defense elsewhere," He looked up at He Ao, "So where do you believe their real main force will launch the attack from?" "If there’s a problem in the north, which troops would be redirected to defend the north?" He Ao looked at the elderly man on the screen and asked in a measured tone, Corvey’s gaze swept over the map, "The east side is far from both the Southern District and the warehouses. All three areas mentioned in the documents are on the west side of the Command Center, so at first glance, the east seems like the safest place, and reallocating defenses from the east makes the most sense—so will their main force breach from the east?" He paused slightly in his speech, "But where will they launch from? The chemical plant? But the chemical plant doesn’t have enough arms. The machinery factory is too far of a detour, easily discovered, and the staff there is a mix, making intelligence the hardest to conceal. It’s likely not harboring a large number of people." "Indeed, there are not a significant number of arms in the chemical plant, but all they need to do is transport personnel," He Ao raised his hand and pointed towards the chemical plant on the projection map, from which a red line extended, "There is a small path here, which can lead directly from the north side of the Southern District to the east side of the Command Center." "Where would their equipment come from?" Corvey looked at the map, his voice hoarse, "Even if they are powerful Transcendents, armed with just one or two submachine guns, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the firepower suppression of the automatic turrets and powerful electromagnetic cannons to quickly breach the Command Center’s defenses." "The equipment will come from the machinery factory. Actually, the machinery factory is not too far from the east side of the Command Center," He Ao looked up at the slightly puzzled Corvey on the screen and once again touched the map. A fleet of virtual trucks ’drove out’ from the machinery factory on the map, "This is the cargo transport route of the machinery factory. Their convoy will first head north into Saint Ilan District, then travel eastward," A red road extended on the map, "But they could easily make a turn in Saint Ilan District. The area south of Saint Ilan District is precisely the Industrial District of Kopace Mining. As long as Kopace Mining keeps their secret, no one will know they passed through here. "Then all they need to do is meet up with the people from the chemical plant behind this small hill piled with construction ruins." He pointed at a hill on the map and looked up at Corvey, "However, they won’t be bringing much equipment. This is likely to be a Beheading Squad with at least one B-level Transcendent, and they’re probably equipped with Electromagnetic Pulse Bombs to paralyze the Command Center’s automated weapons." "What do you need me to do?" Corvey looked up at He Ao. After realizing He Ao’s capabilities, he had not hesitated to hand over command to He Ao. "From this small hill to the east side of the Command Center, there is only one route to take," He Ao did not stand on ceremony either. He lifted his hand to zoom in on the map, and then a red line, almost straight, appeared on it, "This route is the fastest and the shortest, but there are several hills of abandoned buildings on both sides, making the terrain complex." "It’s an excellent place for an ambush. Move the troops from the west here, quickly take down this Beheading Squad, then concentrate forces to deal with the feint attack from the north," Corvey glanced at the map, "And this position is close to the Command Center, good for advancing or retreating." He had basically understood He Ao’s intentions. If the enemy wanted to feint to the east and strike to the west, then they would be waiting for them like sitting ducks. "But there is at least one B-level Transcendent on the other side," He Ao looked at Corvey, "And possibly two, with decent strength—powers likely gained from some Evil God or twisted entity." Corvey spoke in a raspy voice, "This old skeleton of mine hasn’t been moved in many years." "What about the command?" According to official records, Corvey was C-level, but when He Ao met him last time, he had already discovered that the energy in Corvey’s body was far beyond that of a C-level. "The command core isn’t just me," Corvey smiled and shook his head, "I only need to make some major decisions. The rest is up to the staff. It won’t be a problem if I step away for a short time. I’ll make preparations in advance, then have the staff move to the underground air raid shelters in the building. As long as the Command Center isn’t breached, that will be the safest place." "Do we have a backup safety plan?" This touched upon the internal arrangements of the City Defense Army, which He Ao had not found in the documents. "The air-raid shelter has an escape tunnel," Corvey said hoarsely, "But by the time it comes to that, the command system is pretty much equivalent to being paralyzed. The South City Command Center, on the other hand, is currently the safest place down south, boasting the most advanced military defense system and being close to the high wall. The City Defense Army can back us up at any moment. If the Command Center falls, there’s nowhere left to stay." "I remember there should be a passage directly connected to the high wall in the City Defense Command Center?" He Ao looked at Corvey and asked in a low voice, "After breaking through the Command Center from inside, is there a chance to open the city gates from within?" Corvey rasped in response. "It seems we truly have no way out." He Ao withdrew his gaze, placing his hand on the solid wood steering wheel and looking ahead at the sky, which had already turned completely dark, and laughed. "It reminds me of my youth, the days spent surviving in the wilderness." Corvey also let out a hoarse laugh, then he paused for a moment and asked in a low voice, "There’s nothing wrong on the western side, right?" He Ao gripped the steering wheel, gently turning it around the corner, "I’m on my way there now." Hearing this, Corvey fell silent for a moment, then he nodded slightly and replied, "Okay, then I should also start preparing." There was a pause in his tone as if something came to his mind, and he asked hoarsely, "Aren’t you worried about the Consortium infiltrating my people?" The Evis Space System’s infiltration into South City was significant, and there had been instances where officers piloted Mechas to chase down He Ao. "Some guys might have been blinded by federal coin," He Ao said slowly, "But I also believe that within the City Defense Army, there are always those who are willing to fight to the end to protect the city and its future. They are all brave warriors." He had seen too many of such people, even on the high walls of Saint Joen City during the incident when the command system completely collapsed and Kajet Mercenary Corps breached the high walls, there were numerous City Defense Soldiers, isolated yet fighting to the last moment. Hearing this answer, Corvey was slightly taken aback, then he bowed his head and said with a calm and firm tone, "They won’t let you down." The thick night swallowed the silver-blue vintage luxury car along with the faces of the two elderly. As the night fully descended, the young man repairing the bracelets put the last one into the drawer, then he stretched and set down his mechanical tools. He then turned his head to glance at the murky darkness outside before removing the electronic magnifying glass from his left eye. A slightly fervent noise resonated nearby, and he slowly stood up, his gaze turning toward the news playing on the television. The TV host continued tirelessly listing scandals, attacking the Mayor and the City Cabinet, as if those living in the palace surrounded by the Jasmine Flower Sea were the most notoriously evil people in the city. The young man raised his hand and turned off the TV. The whole world seemed to fall silent at that moment, as the young man placed his repair tools down one by one, and then put the fixed bracelets into a cabinet beside him. Once everything was done, he reached out to turn off the lamp on his desk. With the small light that illuminated the room extinguished, the narrow shop merged with the darkness of the night. In this quiet darkness, the young man walked over to a pile of boxes filled with electronic components and, after a brief moment of hesitation, reached between the boxes and pulled out a silver briefcase. Then with the briefcase in hand, he stepped out of the shop, picked up a long iron hook by the side, and hooked it onto the lower edge of the open shutter door. Standing at the darkened doorway, he looked up, taking one last sweeping glance at the entire shop. Then he slowly exerted force and pulled down the shutter door, separating the night from the storefront. The night air carried a hint of chill, and the streets were deserted. The young man looked up briefly at the huge advertisement screen overhead, which was replaying the Mayor’s answer from the press conference at noon. He withdrew his gaze, gripping the briefcase, turned around, and began to walk slowly forward along the worn road. The night shift workers had already left, and the day shift had not yet ended, making the low-rise district unusually quiet at the moment. After turning several corners, a gate emitting a faint glow appeared in the youth’s field of view. By now, some pedestrians had started to appear around. Some of them recognized the youth, stopped to whisper greetings to him, to which he responded one by one. As he reached the gate, a little boy hurriedly ran in from outside. He waved excitedly upon seeing the youth, "Brother Wills!" The youth bent down, smiling at the boy, "Weren’t you taking your mom to see the doctor? How is it going now?" "It’s all settled now," The boy said excitedly, "Mr. Lin En’s recommended doctor is amazing. He diagnosed my mom’s illness after just a short while and said that her condition is quite rare and worth observing. He waived our medical fees, and he can perform surgery on her tomorrow." The youth said, smiling at the boy, "Your days are starting to look up." "Everyone’s days are starting to look up," The boy chuckled and glanced back at the somewhat shattered gate and the City Defense Soldiers guarding it, "I used to not dare to enter through the East Gate here because of those Prisoners’ Gang members who would skin me alive. But now, I can enter proudly through the gate, and no one asks me for money anymore." "Indeed, that’s nice." The youth looked up at the gate in front of him and smiled. "By the way, Brother Wills," At that moment, the boy seemed to remember something and asked the youth in a low voice, "Do you still have bracelets for sale? I’m planning to buy one for my mom. Once she gets better, I’ll give it to her, and she’ll be so happy. She always said she didn’t need one; I know she just didn’t want me to spend the money." "I do, but I need to head out for a bit." The youth pondered for a moment and then gently shook his head. The boy looked puzzled, "Brother Wills, are you coming back then?" The youth paused, looking at the boy, "but by that time, you might not need to buy a bracelet anymore." The boy looked at the youth, confused. But the youth didn’t speak to him any longer and, carrying a suitcase, passed through the nearby East Gate. From the corner of his eye, the boy thought he saw the youth hop onto the roof of a nearby low-rise building. When he looked more closely, there was nothing there, just the dim silence of the night. South City Command Center Seconds and minutes ticked by until darkness engulfed the night fully, and a feeling of tiredness spread throughout the dark, but not one of the officers crowded in front of their desks dared to relax. They kept their heads lifted, vigilantly watching the live footage on the projection screen in front of them. None dared to lower their heads, and a silent yawn spread quietly throughout the space. Right then, under the dimly quiet sky on the screen, one by one, the imposing, massive war machines started up slowly, crossing that invisible line. Flashes of light seemed to swirl and converge inside the massive cannon barrels. Like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, everyone snapped awake at that moment. The flames of war were ignited.