From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 772 A Clash Is Imminent

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This sudden reversal was completely unexpected for the girl and her two companions.

Their expressions froze instantly, transforming them from hunters in control to prey trapped in a predicament, their eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

They never expected that this seemingly lone stalker would not panic, but instead lead his companions in a precise "counter-encirclement".

In the instant they were stunned, Mike leaped down from the low wall like a cheetah, his movements fluid and swift, closing in before the two "armed civilians" could react.

A clean and precise chop to the wrist of one of the men holding the gun resulted in a cry of pain as the pistol fell from his hand and was caught by Mike.

At the same time, he grabbed the man's shoulder with his other hand and cleverly pressed his knee against his lower back, causing him to lose his balance and ability to resist instantly.

On the other side, Maggie's movements were even more concise and efficient.

She didn't even make any big movements, but she moved close to another gunman like a ghost. The other man felt a numbness in his wrist, and his gun had already changed hands. The cold muzzle of the gun was now pressed against his own ribs.

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye. The two armed men were completely disarmed and stood frozen in place, not daring to make a move.

Taking advantage of this moment, Leon slowly walked towards the girl whose expression was constantly changing.

He raised his hands in a gesture of harmlessness, his gaze calm, and spoke in as gentle a tone as possible:
"Relax, we mean no harm. If we have frightened you, I apologize."

He paused, observing the other party's reaction, and then cut straight to the point: "We just want to make contact with the so-called 'resistance organization.' We need information, and you may need our help."

The girl stared intently into Leon's eyes, as if trying to determine the truthfulness of his words.

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She took a deep breath and asked in return, her voice filled with obvious suspicion and wariness: "How can I be sure you're not spies sent by the National Guard?"

The "National Guard" they mentioned clearly refers to those poorly equipped human traitors who assisted the aliens in their rule.

Faced with the questions, Lyon did not rush to explain his identity or display any imperial symbols, which might have been seen as deception.

Instead, he offered a seemingly cold, yet powerful, choice:

"We cannot and do not need to prove anything to you; trust is a two-way street."

The choice is now in your hands.

"Either you reject us, then we will leave and regard your resistance as short-sighted, useless fringe elements, not worth our further effort."

His words were deliberately tinged with contempt, intended to provoke the other party, then he abruptly changed the subject:
"Either you take us to see someone who can make the decision."

By accepting this risk, perhaps we can give you what you truly need, such as ending this dark period of alien domination as soon as possible.

Upon hearing the words "end the darkness," the girl was visibly taken aback, and then a helpless smile, a mixture of bitterness and mockery, appeared on her face.

She shook her head, her voice weary from the hardships she had endured: "End the darkness? You make it sound so easy. This 'darkness' has lasted for twenty years. We've struggled for twenty years, and lost countless people. How easy is it to say?"

Her tone was filled with the heavy burden of despair, but a hint of resentment flickered in her eyes.

Lyon's words, especially his seemingly arrogant confidence, touched the deepest, almost extinguished hope in her heart.

After a few seconds of silence, she seemed to have made up her mind, her eyes becoming resolute, as if she were about to embark on a high-stakes gamble.

She glanced at her restrained companions, then at the composed Leon and his two companions, and finally nodded:
"Okay. Come with me, but don't try anything funny."

"Lead the way," Lyon replied simply.

So, led by the girl, the group began to wander through this maze-like abandoned city.

They made many turns and took an extremely complicated route, clearly to avoid possible surveillance and tracking.

The girl knew the terrain like the back of her hand and could always find the most hidden paths, cleverly avoiding the patrol boats and low-altitude reconnaissance drones that occasionally flew overhead.

After a period of stealth, they finally arrived at another dilapidated abandoned apartment building.

The building looked no different from their previous safe houses: desolate, lifeless, and scarred by war.

However, Leon, Mike, and Maggie, with their professional eye, immediately noticed the difference.

Their holographic glasses captured multiple hidden observation points, sensing gazes from window cracks and holes in the walls.

Numerous sentries were keeping a close watch on the surroundings, and an invisible pressure permeated the air.

"It seems this is one of their strongholds in this area," Mike said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over several possible sniping positions.

“Yes, a forward outpost or operational base,” Lyon agreed. “A real base wouldn’t be located in an area so close to a city with such frequent patrols.”

They followed the girl into the apartment building.

In contrast to the dilapidated exterior, the interior has undergone some renovations and reinforcements.

You can see old generators, communication equipment pieced together from discarded parts, and makeshift defensive fortifications constructed from sandbags and metal plates.

The room was filled with the smells of engine oil, sweat, and tension.

Their appearance immediately alerted the people inside.

Several resistance soldiers, armed with rifles that were in poor condition but still capable of fighting, immediately raised their guns and aimed them at the three strangers, Lyon, instantly escalating the tension once again.

"Everyone calm down! Put your guns down!" the girl who had led the way shouted immediately, spreading her arms to block the two sides. "I brought them here! They have important intelligence, and I need to see the captain immediately!"

Hearing her words and seeing that she was unharmed, the soldiers' hostility lessened slightly, but they did not completely lower their guns.

One of the guards, who appeared to be an adjutant, glanced at Lyon and his two companions a few times and nodded to a young soldier beside him.

The soldier immediately turned around and ran quickly into the depths of the apartment building, clearly to report the incident.

The wait was not long.

Before long, a series of steady and powerful footsteps came from the depths of the corridor.

A burly man with a thick white beard, a weathered face but sharp eyes, and typical Eastern European features strode over, accompanied by a guard.

The other person was wearing a worn-out old military jacket and exuded the air of a seasoned commander.

The girl who had led the way visibly relaxed upon seeing the other person and immediately stepped forward to introduce him to Leon:

"This is our leader in this area, Captain Nikolai Ivan Dmitry."

Nicola's deep eyes, like searchlights, immediately locked onto Leon and his two companions, filled with scrutiny, doubt, and a barely perceptible expectation of any "variable" that might change the status quo.

Then, Nikolai seemed to linger for a moment on the posture of Leon and his companions, their steady breathing, and their seemingly relaxed yet deadly body language. Experience told Nikolai that these three were no ordinary people; they exuded a unique aura that could only be acquired through repeated tempering in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They were definitely skilled fighters, and top-tier ones at that.

More importantly, he saw no obvious hostility or contempt in the eyes of these three people, but rather a calm that carried a sense of scrutiny, as if they were the assessors of this ruin.

This attitude actually made Nikolai relax his tense nerves a little.

At least, they didn't seem like those arrogant scum of the National Guard, or cold-blooded killers sent by the "Alien Master."

Then, the weathered veteran broke the silence, his wrinkles smoothing slightly, his voice low and slightly hoarse, as he spoke:

"Dear strangers, you can just call me Nikolai."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and, without hesitation, extended his calloused and scarred right hand to Lyon, who was standing at the front.

This is a risky but necessary gesture, representing initial and cautious trust.

Seeing this, Lyon did not hesitate at all, and extended his right hand to shake hands firmly with the other's rough and powerful hand.

Both could feel the power and determination contained in each other's palms.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you here, Captain Dmitri.” Leon’s voice was steady and respectful. “I am Leon S. Kennedy.”

He turned slightly to the side, gesturing to his companions behind him, “These two are my colleagues, Mike Monardi and Maggie Shaw.”

Both parties withdrew their hands, thus completing the basic courtesy.

But Lyon knew that the real exchange of information had only just begun.

Meeting Nikolai's probing gaze, he dropped a bombshell that shocked everyone present:
"We are all members of the Investigation Department of the Human Empire."

Lyon spoke clearly, ensuring that every word was heard: "The primary purpose of coming here is to investigate and confirm what kind of anomaly has caused your world to fall into such a state."

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Human Empire?

Investigation Department?
These two unfamiliar words, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up huge waves among the resistance members.

Everyone, including the girl who led the way and the well-informed Nikolai, wore expressions of obvious astonishment and disbelief.

"what's the situation?"

"The Human Empire? What's that?"

"What are they talking about?"

Quiet murmurs arose among the soldiers, filled with confusion and doubt.

Their connections with other continents and regions had been severed for twenty years, making the so-called "human empire" sound like a fantasy.

Seeing the other party's reaction, Mike knew that words alone were not enough to gain trust.

So the agent stepped forward, said nothing, and simply rolled up the sleeve of his right arm, revealing the personal computer worn on his wrist.

Mike clicked a few times quickly, and a soft light shone out, forming a clear and stable holographic projection screen in front of everyone.

“Looks like we need a little background information.” Mike picked up the conversation, his tone relaxed but his actions precise, and pulled up a piece of edited introductory material for initial contact.

As the holographic projection began playing images, text, and short videos, the entire base fell silent.

The screen displays in sequence—

The magnificent imperial fleet, spanning the stars, is beyond imagination in its size.

Human worlds in different universes, orderly and prosperous.

The Astartes Legion, clad in heavy power armor and known for its strict discipline.

And the imperial dragon emblem, symbolizing human unity and power.

The expressions on Nikolai and his men's faces changed rapidly, like a revolving lantern:
From initial doubts and deep skepticism
"Is this real? Or is it special effects?"

The shock and horror upon seeing the massive fleet
"My God! How, how is this possible?!"

Ultimately, it transformed into an indescribable complex expression, a mixture of hope, bewilderment, and a hint of fear.

The main reason is that they cannot believe that somewhere in the universe, or in some corner, there really exists such a powerful and unified human civilization, namely the human empire.

Moreover, the scale of military power and technological level displayed by the other side far exceeded their most optimistic imagination, and even far surpassed the science fiction imagination of the old era when Earth was at its peak.

The girl who was leading the way, named Anna, couldn't help but step forward, her voice tinged with excitement and a hint of questioning, as she pointed outside:

"Since your empire is so powerful and you're here to assist us, why don't you just send troops directly?"
"Use your warships and soldiers to wipe out all those National Guard traitors and those damned aliens!"

Her eyes burned with the flames of revenge and a desire for a swift victory.

Mike understood her feelings, but he shook his head, his tone becoming serious and pragmatic:
“Young lady, war is not a game. If we launch a blind, large-scale attack with heavy artillery and rail bombardment now, we may kill many enemies, but we will also cause countless civilian casualties trapped in the city.”

The ruins will collapse, stray bullets will fly, panic will trigger stampedes, and that will be another disaster.

He pointed to the outlines of various locations on the holographic map: "What we need is precise intelligence—"

Where is the enemy's command center?

Where are the main forces stationed?
Location of key energy facilities?

Where are the civilian concentration camps?
Only by mastering these techniques can our strikes be as precise as surgery, removing the malignant tumor while protecting innocent lives and tissues to the greatest extent possible. Reckless bombing should be a last resort, not the preferred method.

Nikolai listened in silence the whole time.

At this moment, the veteran nodded heavily, a look of deep agreement on his face:

“Agreed. This is the safest and most responsible approach. We have struggled for twenty years, not to perish with the ruins of this city and all the survivors. What we need is liberation, not destruction.”

His words were filled with painful historical lessons.

However, in the midst of this tense yet hopeful conversation, a sudden, urgent alarm whistle blared from outside.

A resistance fighter on guard duty rushed in, his face tense.
"Captain! Something's wrong! A large number of Union soldiers and National Guard law enforcement units have arrived outside! They're surrounding this area! The sentries have issued a warning; it seems they've discovered us! A confrontation is imminent!"

The glimmer of hope that had just been ignited was instantly shrouded in the shadow of a sudden crisis.

The atmosphere inside the stronghold suddenly became extremely tense. All the soldiers grabbed their weapons and turned their gazes toward their commander, Nikolai, and the three "imperial guests" who had just brought earth-shattering news.
(End of this chapter)