Chapter Forty-Five: Counterattack

“Did you find them?”

“Yes, master. Their level of vigilance is surprisingly low. It seems they haven’t given us much thought at all.”

“Heh.”

Upon hearing this, Ferrin was not the least bit surprised. He smiled without saying anything more. Arrogant fools like these—they had seen plenty. Yet each time, that arrogance inevitably turned to terror, and those beaming faces, mottled with the stiffness of death, would become the best feed for wild beasts roaming the wasteland. Perhaps District Nine was not the strongest, and perhaps they would fail as well, but none of that mattered.

Speaking of which...

“The old man really did a fine job with this thing.”

Gazing at the map glowing on the display before him, Ferrin could not help but sigh in admiration. Projected before his eyes was a complete map of the node’s control zone, along with the movements of all relevant targets. It was like playing a real-time strategy game, only with the fog of war turned off and the entire field laid bare.

This was the node’s unique privilege. Like those with special powers, each energy core possessed a different ability—some could alter the weather, others could be used for attack or defense. The core that Blackstone Group controlled, however, functioned like a radar map. It allowed those with authority to see every movement within the zone. Although Blackstone and “the Emperor” had only just seized the node, they had already managed to use this power. On the map, Ferrin could view not only their own positions but the distribution of enemy forces as well. This was the main reason the Seven Titans had decided to remain and finish off their adversaries. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated—now, with every move the enemy made under their watchful eyes, if they still failed to wipe them out, the Seven Titans truly had no business staying in this game and might as well dig their own graves.

Still, after suffering considerable losses during the earlier foray into the ruins, Ferrin could see on the map that the others were mostly drawing their squads back, tightening their defenses, or maneuvering to encircle the enemy. With the node’s power, they could track every move the enemy made—no problem there. Even the hot-tempered “Queen” was now leading her subordinates to fortify a stronghold on the outskirts, clearly intending to block the enemy’s advance.

He had to admit, the so-called Federation’s weaponry was indeed advanced. After Ferrin confirmed they had tanks, the other Titans sent scouts to reconnoiter, and sure enough, there were surprises. Tanks, armored personnel carriers, even armed helicopters!

If nothing else, their equipment alone qualified them to call themselves an army.

But that was all.

If Ferrin was surprised by anything, it was the conspicuous absence of powered individuals among the Federation troops. Normally, any organization of reasonable size would have a few. Even the small scavenger team he’d rescued in District Three had Beth, a first-level powered, but a powered nonetheless. In every settlement, there would be at least one or two. Powered individuals depended on ordinary people for their daily needs, while ordinary people relied on the powered to survive the wasteland. This relationship held true even between the Seven Titans and District Nine, only the scale differed.

But the Federation army was different. Before striking, Ferrin had probed their ranks, only to be shocked—there wasn’t a single powered individual. Not one with offensive, defensive, or support abilities. He’d thought the battlefield commander, Slyke, might have powers, but in the end, he was just an ordinary man.

“How very interesting…”

With this in mind, Ferrin raised his head and gazed toward the far edge of the horizon. He stood atop an apartment tower at the fringes of the zone, surrounded by darkness. The sharp contrast with the bright city districts was stark. Cold wind howled through the night, echoing across the wastes like the roar of monsters lurking in the shadows. Ferrin reached up to adjust the brim of his wide-brimmed hat, narrowed his eyes, and issued a command.

“Eluca, I’m leaving this area to you. According to Delin’s latest report, a reconnaissance squad will arrive shortly. Since they’re coming, don’t let any of them leave—eliminate them all.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Eluca responded promptly to Ferrin’s order, though she hesitated a moment before asking, “And you, Commander?”

“I have my own mission to complete…”

As he spoke, Ferrin sighed once more. The Seven Titans were all a pack of scoundrels—those ahead of him had snatched up all the easy jobs, leaving Ferrin with the enemy’s headquarters as his final target. To make matters worse, he’d run into this troublesome squad along the way... Still, if he could use the opportunity to fleece “the Emperor” for a handsome price, it wouldn’t be a total loss.

He pushed these thoughts aside, glanced once more at the map, and after confirming the blips had moved off, leapt from the rooftop, vanishing into the endless night below.

Meanwhile, inside the camp, Michael was growing increasingly anxious.

According to the original plan from headquarters, their primary objective was to capture and occupy District Nine. The Federation had intended to strike while the Titans were still battling monsters in the ruins, launching a surprise attack to wipe them out. But Michael vetoed this plan, arguing it was too unpredictable—no one knew what monsters lurked in the city ruins, and any mishap could derail the operation. He suggested instead that they encircle the District Nine expeditionary force from the outskirts. That way, if the Titans failed to activate the node, they could intercept and destroy them as they tried to escape, eliminating resistance as efficiently as possible. And even if District Nine seized control of the node, they would be battered and exhausted. It would then be easy to sweep up the survivors and take both the district and the node—a double victory.

Headquarters approved Michael’s plan, and he was confident in its success. He could already envision himself defeating District Nine, gaining control of the node, and rising to the upper echelons of the Federation. That glorious future seemed almost within reach.

Unfortunately, it was not Lady Luck who descended from the heavens, but the embodiment of disaster.

The annihilation of the Iron Bull Assault Group was only the beginning. The other squads encircling District Nine and assaulting key positions had nothing good to report. Some encountered fierce resistance, others were led on a wild chase through the ruins, picked off one by one. One team, for reasons unknown, fell victim to poison—after suffering heavy losses, they fled the ruins in disarray. What infuriated Michael most was that they didn’t even know what had hit them. Some swore they’d been attacked by a mutant beast that released toxic gas; others insisted it was the work of powered individuals… The barrage of chaotic, conflicting reports left Michael with a pounding headache. He had hoped to crush the enemy in one swift, overwhelming blow. Instead, the battle had devolved into chaos. The only slight comfort was that, according to the scattered reports, the advance was still progressing—just not as quickly as he’d hoped.

“Useless fools!”

Listening to the constant griping over the comms, Michael became even more agitated. He cut the command channel entirely, and just then, a voice sounded in his ear.

“Report! The reconnaissance squad has found the target!”