The battle on the front lines had not lasted long when the Victoria District itself was attacked by the Tara people. In the past, they had no power, no backing, and no weapons. But now, things were different. Armed with refined cold weapons, they advanced silently toward the Victoria community.
With most of the troops deployed to the front, only a small number of Victoria Royal Mounted Police remained to maintain order. When they saw the armed Tara advancing in silence, they were caught off guard. Weren't these Tara people supposed to be detained in the warehouse area?
They clearly weren't here for a peaceful conversation. With the noble army locked in a decisive battle outside County Hillock, their intentions were obvious.
"Fall back, or our crossbows will pierce you where you stand!"
The captain of the mounted police raised one hand. Behind him, more officers formed up, protecting the Victoria District. Each carried a short crossbow, a weapon especially deadly in close urban combat.
The Tara people halted. Though armed, they were not foolish. They would not throw away their lives for a fleeting impulse. Waiting until the Tara nobles fully took control would be wiser, allowing them to enjoy the fruits of victory later.
Just as the two sides faced each other in tense silence, a Tara man suddenly let out a hoarse, heart-rending scream.
"My child! My child was killed by these bastards!"
"They took all our food! They ruined our lives! We bowed our heads, and all we got in return was more cruelty!"
"Kill them! Avenge our brothers and sisters!"
"Kill them!"
The man's eyes were bloodshot as his voice echoed through the street. The mounted police captain reacted instantly, roaring, "Kill the one who's shouting!"
A crossbow bolt whistled through the air and struck a young girl standing in the front row. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, before she slowly collapsed. Blood spread across the ground beneath her.
"Kill them!"
That single death ignited the last embers of rage burning in the Tara people. Weapons were raised as they surged forward. They no longer cared about life or death. They had lived humiliated, discarded like refuse. If dignity could only be reclaimed through blood, then death meant nothing.
"Stop them!"
The order rang out. Crossbows fired in unison, and the street was instantly drowned in blood.
Tara men fell one after another, pierced by bolts. Those who reached the mounted police roared in fury, but their cries were quickly silenced, trampled underfoot by those charging behind them. Like a grotesque machine of flesh and bone, the mass pressed forward, yet their weapons could not break through the defensive line.
Some Tara realized what was happening and slipped away into the darkness. Others remained, crowded within the dimly lit alley.
The mounted police captain raised his hand, signaling a halt. He glanced at the bodies strewn across the ground, said nothing, and activated his headset to coordinate with the other units.
"What? The Victoria Special District was also attacked by Tara?" His voice turned sharp and tense. He pressed a hand to his forehead. "There must be a traitor. Otherwise, how did they escape the warehouse, and where did they get so many weapons?"
A chill ran through the officers as they watched their captain abruptly end the call.
"We're reinforcing the other entrances. Leave a small team here. No matter what happens, report immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
A shadowy figure emerged briefly at the edge of the street, then vanished once more.
The heavy stench of blood was unmistakable, even to the operators and players of Tomorrow's Development observing from afar. Huangtian Houtu crossed his arms and asked in a low, rough voice, "Have you locked onto him? The man in black who incited the Tara?"
"We're tracking him," came the reply. "His movements are erratic, and he appears to possess special Originium Arts."
Xueyu stared intently at the large screen. Dozens of smaller windows showed feeds from returning smart creatures, one of them tightly tailing the black-robed figure.
"If our judgment is correct," Xueyu said quietly, "the ones who planted the bombs, released the Tara, and supplied them with weapons are very likely members of the Tara army."
Kumori spoke in a low but soft voice, "This kind of situation is not uncommon in war. The only thing we could do now was drag the rats hiding in the shadows into the light, and make sure the fighting between Tara and Victoria did not spiral any further."
"Intel Received. There's more than one man in black robes. Continuing the investigation," Xiyiye reported, eyes fixed on the screen.
At that moment, the professional players moved in seamless coordination, each carrying out their assigned tasks.
The scene left Talulah momentarily stunned. In the past, she had never held adventurers in high regard, believing them to be people who had never known true hardship. But now, she understood how narrow that view had been. More importantly, she knew she herself had failed once, and there was still much she needed to learn. No matter the kind of knowledge, her path forward remained long.
Yet, watching these adventurers work together, she could not help but sigh inwardly. The world was never simply black and white. Under her former command, many adventurers had behaved like madmen, willing to throw away their lives for construction projects, oppressing city residents, living as though they survived by licking blood from a blade. And yet, here were others who genuinely cared for people, who carried the burdens of others in their hearts, and who possessed a clear sense of responsibility.
What kind of leader attracted what kind of people. She had heard that saying from Alina. Thinking back on the madness she had committed over the years under the Black Snake's influence, Talulah's lips twitched faintly in the shadows. Even now, she believed there were sins she could never fully atone for.
Perhaps those sins would remain unpaid, even on the day of her death.
"What are you doing standing here? The war council is about to begin."
The sudden voice snapped her back to reality. Talulah turned and saw Frostnova approaching, a terminal held in her hands. Noticing the unusual look in Talulah's eyes, Frostnova tilted her head slightly in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"…"
Talulah opened her mouth, then hesitated, unsure how to speak to her former friend and subordinate.
Since boarding the landship, she had deliberately avoided her past self and kept her distance from those who once belonged to the Reunion Movement. Part of it was to avoid suspicion. Another part was fear. Fear of facing them, and of facing those who had once believed in her.
Yelena looked at Talulah leaning against the wall, her face half-hidden in shadow, and let out a quiet sigh.
"You still think you're guilty, don't you?"
"Talulah, the Reunion Movement is over. You're part of Tomorrow's Development now," Yelena said calmly. "We're not your subordinates. We're operators who share the same path. As for your sins, they were already judged after the New Year."
"But it's only been such a short time…"
"Then repay it in the future."
Yelena's words were as cold and steady as her tone. "That was always your plan anyway, wasn't it? But for now, what I want to see isn't a Talulah crushed by the Black Snake, but a Talulah who has found her direction and is giving everything she has."
She turned around. "Let's go. We're going to be late for the meeting."
Talulah stepped out of the shadows and followed Yelena.
Once everyone had gathered, Talulah noticed that in addition to the operators and adventurers from Tomorrow's Development, there were also two members of the Victoria Tempest Platoon present. Horn was seriously injured, yet she still insisted on attending. Bagpipe stood beside her, cautiously observing everyone seated around the table, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"We've identified the mastermind, but unfortunately, some of our earlier deductions were wrong."
Clearing her throat, Kumori, captain of the Emperor's Children team and the acting leader of this mission, received permission from Hellagur to begin. "We originally believed that all the bomb attacks against the Tara were orchestrated solely by the Tara army. That is not the case. During the second explosion, Clever detected trace amounts of Originium dust at the site. Even a small quantity can spread instantly through an explosion and infect everyone nearby. This is what's commonly referred to as a dirty bomb."
"Records show that this type of dirty bomb was once removed from the Victoria garrison's armory."
As the data was displayed, silence fell over the room. The same people oppressed by both the Victoria garrison and the Tara army, and the same victims of the bombings, were the Tara civilians themselves. The realization was absurd, and deeply tragic.
The Tara nobles, whom their people had placed their hopes in, had not brought salvation. Instead, they had orchestrated multiple bombings to sow chaos throughout County Hillock. War could justify many things, but this level of cruelty toward their own people was beyond reason.
"We conducted a comprehensive search and confirmed that roughly one thousand infiltrators have entered County Hillock. They are currently under the command of these six individuals."
Six photographs were projected onto the conference table, clearly showing faces, physiques, and clothing.
"Accountant."
"Convict."
"Immolator."
"Toxicologist."
"Bandit."
"Elocutionist."
"These are their code names. They're High-Value Targets, and our objective is to apprehend them before the battle concludes. If the situation becomes critical, on-site elimination is authorized."
Outcast raised a hand. "Would killing them provoke retaliation from the Tara nobles?"
The answer came from Talulah, catching several people off guard, though it made sense given her past.
"The Tara nobles are not united," she said calmly. "A covert force like this, operating in secrecy, will never be acknowledged by them. Even if we eliminate these six, the nobles will know who did it, but they won't react openly. They will never admit that this force belongs to them."
The explanation resonated with the players. Like real-world black operations, these units operated without names or official recognition.
Kumori nodded and glanced around the table. "Now that we have their locations, charging in head-on would only expose us and walk straight into a trap. We'll proceed with a sniper operation instead."
"The moment the six of them split up, we'll dispatch separate squads to take them out one by one."
Everyone studied the six hooded figures in silence, committing their faces to memory.
Horn's expression was grim, her face pale. She had suspected the Victoria garrison might resort to such actions, but she hadn't expected collusion with the Tara nobles. Behavior like this stripped them of any claim to being soldiers.
"Horn."
"Here!"
She reflexively tried to stand, but her body faltered. With Bagpipe's support, Horn steadied herself and looked toward Hellagur.
"We've located your team. A rescue operation will begin within two hours. Given your condition, we hope Bagpipe will cooperate with us."
Horn parted her lips, but no words came. The Victoria garrison had utterly betrayed her expectations. How could she, once so proud of her service, face her teammates and lead them again under Victoria's banner?
"I understand. I'll assume the captain's duties," Bagpipe said firmly, patting her chest.
Hellagur nodded and shifted his gaze away from Horn. "The frontline around County Hillock is still locked in a stalemate. Clever estimates the deadlock will break in five hours. That's our window."
"We'll handle the elimination of the Six HVTs," Kumori said. "General, considering they may possess unique Originium Arts or specialized combat abilities, I'd like to request a few operators to reinforce our teams."
Hellagur agreed without hesitation and turned to the group. "Our priority is ensuring the safety of the Tempest Platoon. Let's begin."
The room split into two groups. Hellagur, Bagpipe, Frostnova, and the others moved toward the Victoria garrison base. Kumori led the Emperor's Children team and several operators toward the designated sniping zones. Outcast and Talulah were among them.
The six targets had long been under Clever's surveillance, and their next move was to separate and act independently. This created the perfect opportunity to overwhelm them with numbers. A righteous hunt like this was rare.
Tyranny, Ice Rose, Dynasty, Yanyu, and Blue Rain each moved to their assigned ambush points. The remaining two targets were entrusted to teams led by Outcast and Talulah.
Before departing, Outcast gave Talulah an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up. Talulah took a deep breath and turned to the operators behind her.
"Let's go."