Munitions Empire

Nowadays, the profession of Ranger mercenaries is illegal within the scope of the Great Tang Group's power, and carrying weapons is a serious crime, as the gun ban is very strictly enforced.

To carry firearms into core areas, such as Wolf City and Brunas, is even more difficult. Under normal circumstances, bodyguards and the like must declare their firearms, and many key locations even prohibit bodyguards from entering...

However, despite the strictness, there are still those who carry weapons, such as swords, flintlock guns, and some who carry Left-Wheel Handguns.

The world is in chaos these days, so there are many who carry weapons, and indeed managing this is quite troublesome for the Great Tang Group. Therefore, it's unrealistic to expect checkpoints to detect every weapon being carried by an individual.

Short guns can be concealed, but rifles are not so convenient to carry, so they have to be smuggled through connections - since smuggling is necessary anyway, there's no need to personally carry short guns and unnecessarily increase risk.

Therefore, this operation simply pooled all the guns together, employing an absolutely secure mole, getting all the weapons to the designated location at once.

In an Earl's Mansion room in Northern Ridge, Wolf City, the telephone rang crisply. Alice, who had been holding Tang Mo's photo and giggling idiotically, had golden hair cascading down her back like waves.

Her room was now fitted with a crystal chandelier, so it was very bright. The reason she hadn't gone to bed yet was that she was waiting for a message.

Alice, master of Northern Ridge, snatched up the exquisite phone and spoke in a pleasant voice, "It's me."

After a long silence, having listened to the complete report from the other end, she then ordered, "Begin according to the original plan..."

Having said that, she hung up the phone with an even happier smile spreading across her face - Tang Mo did care about her! He was always concerned about her safety, what a wonderful feeling!

That old ghost, although far away on Dragon Island, still arranged for people to watch over every move in Wolf City... Perhaps, this is what love is.

Because of this deep happiness, she was even willing to use the Earl's Mansion her father left her as a stage for a show. She would even burn part of it to confuse the enemy...

But all this... was worth it.

He offered his assets serving hundreds of thousands of workers in Northern Ridge, making her the richest woman in the world.

Most industries in Northern Ridge brought her substantial tax revenue. And her own investments, backed by the Great Tang Group, were all surefire, profitable ventures.

Take, for instance, Northern Ridge's steel plant, military factory, railway vehicle factory, and the automotive factory that was under construction!

These factories were generating profits for her every day, and now Gold Coin was almost just an ever-increasing number to her.

She no longer needed to worry about the Gold Coins in hand, nor did she have to fret like her father, Fisheo, about how to support an army for self-protection.

Even more, she had the funds to expand Northern Ridge's military, making it the most combat-capable and highest-quality troop in the world!

The Northern Ridge Legion had evolved beyond just a legion, growing into Northern Ridge's 1st Army, commanding 3 divisions and 11 regiments! It could be said that it was a truly substantial family business.

Every time she thought about these things, she felt she might just be the happiest woman in the world.

This is also why she'd been holding Tang Mo's photo and giggling today.

You see, Tang Mo was reluctant to have his photo taken. He had only taken one picture to appease Alice, a keepsake to remember him by.

Since they had already extracted all of Qiumuluo's plans, the deployment at the Earl's Mansion was completed very swiftly.

Inside the Earl's Mansion, Great Tang Group's security troops had replaced nearly all the important positions, and the weaponry was switched to Thompson Submachine Guns to enhance firepower.

And in the Earl Mansion's backyard, by the back door, in the surrounding building windows, marksmen armed with rifles lay in ambush.

These sharpshooters, all seasoned war veterans, were meticulously selected from the Rangers for their precision.

Even without a specialized sniper rifle, at such close range, they could easily hit the target using the KAR98K rifle, also known as the K3 rifle.

Ambushes were already set on both sides of the street, with at least 20 people on one side, all armed with Thompson submachine guns—it was definitely overkill for slaughtering chickens.

Inside the command center of the operation, two commanding officers from the Great Tang Group's security troops were slightly irritable, each lighting a cigarette.

Everything was ready, and for them, it was just a matter of waiting for the enemy to enter their encirclement and then staging a lively show.

Just then, the telephone on the table rang. This was a line temporarily connected for communication during the operation.

Picking up the receiver, a commander's eyebrows instantly furrowed: "Yes! Yes! Understood! Yes!"

After hanging up the phone, he looked at his colleague and said, "The operation plan has been revised! We move as soon as the opposition reaches the rear door of the Earl's Mansion..."

"Why?" the other commander asked, frowning in confusion. "Weren't we supposed to wait until they attacked inside?"

"The boss has decided not to leave any survivors," the commander who answered the phone explained.

"Huh?" Hearing the change, the other commander was even more surprised. "Wasn't the plan to let go of some survivors before?"

The one who took the call replied, "For safety... If both sides got into a firefight, we could have casualties on our side."

"Isn't it normal to have casualties?" the other commander still couldn't understand this change of orders.

However, the one who took the call just laughed and explained, "But the boss thinks that for such a trivial matter, the cost of our personnel's lives... isn't worth it."

"..." Hearing this reasoning, the other commander who had been ready to argue suddenly felt a warm current flow through his heart.

A leader who cared about the safety of his subordinates was always worth being loyal to, wasn't he?

Seeing his comrade silent, the commander who took the call continued to comfort him, "It's okay, the newspapers will still publish the usual report: the Earl's Mansion was attacked, set on fire, and buildings were damaged. That won't change."

"I understand…" The commander who didn't take the call nodded, his chin lifted with gratitude.

"Then…" the commander who had taken the call confirmed.

"I'll execute Plan B and engage on the street side," the one who hadn't picked up the call responded seriously.

"Good, you are the frontline commander, and I'll be waiting here for your victorious news," the officer on the phone found a spot to sit comfortably, enjoying his cigarette.

"I'm off, then." Snuffing out his own cigarette butt, the frontline commander headed for the door.

As the frontline commander was about to leave, the overall commander seated finally asked, "There won't be... any mishaps, right?"

"With the Earl's security team included, it's almost 200 people against 17... What could possibly go wrong?" The frontline commander opened the door, replying with disdain.

"Alright. I wish you all the best," the overall commander said with a light laugh, feeling somewhat relieved.

"...Thank you."

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Here's an extra update, still owe everyone... 3 more, right? Seems like it.