Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 108 Withdrawal of Troops
After listening patiently, Edward's gaze fell on the statement submitted by Qiu Shan, and he remained silent for a long time.

There was silence in the conference room.

The adjutant standing beside him was no longer thinking about the testimony, but about the bloody rooftop from a few hours earlier.

At that moment, when he saw the Crow Supervisor being blasted into a cloud of blood mist in front of him, his soul also exploded away.

After the initial shock came fear.

With his superior dead, he, as the deputy, is clearly guilty of dereliction of duty and is likely to be punitively dismissed by the company.

Then, an even more absurd idea popped into my head.

The crow is dead, but Linhai City still needs someone in charge to investigate the murderer, to track down Zhang Dafan. Why can't that person be him?
Catching the murderer would not only atone for his sins but also bring him immense merit, giving him a chance to rise to the top.

But the absurdity of fate far exceeded his imagination.

The crow didn't die; it's still alive and well, just in a more underworldly way of surviving—by tucking its head into its two legs.

The adjutant's newly ignited ambition was extinguished once again.

Now he suddenly realized that the brain transplant surgery performed on Crow had never been reported to the group, which was a major act of concealment. The group would definitely punish him and would no longer be able to give him important responsibilities.

So, does he... seem to have some hope again?
"What do you think?"

Edward's voice rang out without warning, pulling the adjutant back from his chaotic thoughts.

The adjutant stiffened, realizing that the minister was testing him, and this was the perfect opportunity for him to prove himself.

He racked his brains, trying hard to organize his thoughts and make his analysis sound logically sound:

"Minister, Captain Qiu's testimony, logically speaking... is barely plausible."

"The timing of Grey Goose's disappearance is indeed too coincidental, and as you know, the Raven manager terminated the cooperation with her. Coupled with the internal investigation pressure at Sharp Edge, she has enough motive to retaliate or even frame someone."

Have you ever seen a greylag goose in person?

The adjutant nodded firmly, "Yes, of course."

Edward shook his head in disappointment, his gaze not lingering on him for even a second longer.

Edward couldn't understand it. Crows were usually very perceptive, so why was there such a clueless chicken clucking around by his side?
"I've been the intelligence chief for so many years."

Edward's voice was calm. "When dealing with all sorts of people, you can see a person's character at a glance. This kind of thing cannot be faked."

His gaze fell back on the statement on the table, and he tapped it lightly.

"I've read all of Grey Goose's mission reports and assessments. She's like a lone wolf—calm and professional, yet deep down she doesn't strive for fame or fortune."

"With her overall abilities, if she were willing to join Nuclear, she could easily become an intelligence chief or even a higher position. Her achievements would be no less than Raven's."

"Do you think she would take such a big risk for a small position in a mercenary group? If she were really that ruthless, why would she be a marginalized squad leader in a lousy mercenary group?"

Makes sense!
The adjutant was speechless after hearing this question.

He realized that he had left the minister with a terrible impression of being an incompetent fool.

Absolutely not, he has to make amends!
"Minister, I checked her records and found that she doesn't save any of her monthly salary or bonuses; she spends it all on an orphanage in Zhongdu. This shows that she does have a weakness. If we use money..."

"With money?"

Edward interrupted him, "There are strict limits on staff salaries. Even if I use my privileges to increase her salary by 20%, I still can't persuade her to stay."

"why?"

The adjutant was completely baffled. How could this Grey Goose really be so selfless, working for a huge company that everyone in the wasteland would kill to get into?

"Because deep down, she keeps her distance from big companies like ours, or even...dislikes them."

"Minister, perhaps she's hiding something from us?"

The adjutant whispered his guess, as if talking to himself.

secret?

These words, however, made Edward fall into deep thought.

He had read Grey Goose's file several times; it contained a complete record of his hunter career over the past five years.

He secretly investigated several times and confirmed that Grey Goose was only 24 years old and had neither changed its skin nor its body.

This hunter has unlimited potential.

The previous files show her life spent in a certain shelter.

The shelter was later captured by the Apocalypse Cult, and everyone there died; she was the only survivor.

"Qiu Shan said she fled to avoid punishment, that's bullshit."

Edward tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "The power struggle within the Sharp Edge is now at its peak. The old commander has been in a coma for more than two months, and everyone below is getting restless."

The adjutant quickly interjected, "Minister, are you saying... Qiu Shan is using this opportunity to eliminate dissidents?"

“You finally got one thing right, that’s not easy.” Edward’s sarcasm was undisguised.

The adjutant's cheeks burned, and he dared not say another word.

Just then, the adjutant's communication panel vibrated. He glanced at it and his expression changed slightly.

“Minister, the Flintlock Guild has sent a routine inquiry letter, expressing ‘deep concern’ about our blockade operation at the Edge Headquarters.”

"Ha, these sharp-tongued people aren't pushovers either; they've called Dad over."

Edward chuckled. "Take them away for now. You continue to lead your men to search for Edge again. Search carefully and see if Grey Goose has been detained somewhere."

"Yes!"

……

Inside the safe house, the light was dim.

Zhuang Fan kept a close eye on the internal network's activity logs.

Soon, a directive personally signed by Intelligence Minister Edward was clearly presented.

[Issuer of the instruction: Edward]

[Summary: Immediately ascertain the exact location of the S-rank hunter "Grey Goose" and verify whether he is related to the assassination of Chief Raven.]

Zhuang Fan breathed a sigh of relief; the plan had worked. Now all he could do was wait.

Mao Shanwang's massive body sank into the sofa, unable to stay still any longer, and he began to snore loudly.

Xiong Er leaned against the corner of the wall, holding his sniper rifle, motionless like a statue.

Zhuang Fan, however, was wide awake.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and repeatedly considered various possibilities in his mind.

Meanwhile, the sound of soldiers' footsteps and cold commands echoed through every corridor of the headquarters.

"Why are they investigating again?!"

"Are you nuclear devils ever going to stop?!"

The mercenaries' protests were weak and ineffective. They were herded into the hall like livestock, their faces filled with humiliation.

Some of the top brass knew why these nuclear soldiers were searching for the whereabouts of the Grey Goose.

Previously, the board of directors' expressions changed when they learned that nuclear soldiers would be stationed here for a week.

Do we still care about Fengmang's reputation? Should we still do those deals that are about to expire? What if we breach the contract?
In order to quell the incident, the board of directors tacitly approved Qiu Shan's framing of Grey Goose, as long as they could get rid of this plague god, Nuclear.

After weighing the options, Qiu Shan concluded that the simplest solution was to push the Grey Goose, who was imprisoned in the dungeon, out and hand it over to the nuclear authorities for disposal.

But he quickly rejected the idea.

Edward seems to value Grey Goose highly. If she were to clear her name and use nuclear power against him, he would truly be shooting himself in the foot.

Qiu Shan thought for a moment and decided that since he couldn't hand over a living person, he could only hand over a corpse.

After the nuclear soldiers finished their investigation, Qiu Shan quietly approached Director Soren.

“Director, why don’t we kill Grey Goose and treat her as missing? Once she’s dead, no one will be able to compete with me for the position of combat commander.”

"Qiu Shan, you're overthinking it."

Soren leaned back in his large chair, smoke rising from between his fingers, blurring his face.

"If Grey Goose dies, we can easily explain it to Nuclear. We can just say that Grey Goose was shot and killed by us while on the run. After all, the dead can't talk, right?"

Qiu Shan smiled and nodded: "Yes, yes! If I need to dispose of a body, I can do it without anyone noticing."

Soren suddenly stood up and delivered a powerful punch to his face.

Qiu Shan staggered from the blow, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, still not understanding what was happening.

"Director, this is..."

Soren looked down at him and kicked him hard, pinning him to the ground.

"You're getting more and more senile as you get older. Do you think the mercenary group is your backyard? Do you think the board of directors and Huppenson are blind? The Grey Goose's men are still causing a ruckus in the dungeon right now, and you can't hear them?"

"Those guys from the nuclear team just finished their investigation and they already know what happened. Do you think they're so easy to fool?"

Every word he spoke was laced with coldness.

"And another thing, you said you killed her? And then what? You want to completely disillusion those neutrals and make them all side with Harpenson? And then let him consolidate the power of the board of directors, and then convict you on the grounds of harming a member? Qiu Shan, I'm increasingly regretting betting on you."

Qiu Shan was thoroughly scolded and wanted to refute, but he couldn't utter a single word.

After releasing his foot, Soren sat back down on the sofa, picked up his wine glass, and swirled the liquid inside.

"Now, everyone is watching how we deal with Grey Goose. You must make sure the evidence against her is airtight and convict her outright. Only then can you get the last supervisor position."

“I’ve already spread the word that Grey Goose will definitely face a public trial. She will die knowing the truth, so that even if Harbenson wanted to save her, he wouldn’t have a chance. If he dares to save a murderer, he’s going against the entire Sharp Edge!”

Qiu Shan got up from the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a low voice, "I... understand."

The voice contained humiliation and resentment, as well as fear of his own old age and declining strength.

……

It was quite some time after dawn.

Mao Shanwang was awakened by a series of urgent communication sounds. He looked at the panel with sleepy eyes.

It's Old Cui, the owner of the landfill.

"Old Cat, are you still sleeping? Come and collect the goods. I've collected six truckloads of scrap. Shall we meet at the usual spot?"

Mao Shanwang rubbed his cat eyes, only then remembering what had happened, and responded with a yawn:

"Old Cui, stop for a moment, let's not do it for now. I'm busy with something lately."

"do not!"

Old Cui was getting anxious. "I've already transported these six truckloads of goods out of town. If you don't take them, it'll be a hassle for me to haul them back. Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay, just send it to my base, I'll be there soon."

Mao Shanwang squeezed himself up from the sofa and put on his clothes while cursing.

He went to the next room and saw that Zhuang Fan was awake and staring at a new intelligence briefing.

"How's it going? Any new information?"

"There is."

Zhuang Fan pointed to the light screen in front of him, which displayed the investigation findings of the Nuclear Group.

"The nuclear soldiers searched the Sharp Edge headquarters again but found no trace of the Grey Goose."

Zhuang Fan's voice carried a hint of weariness, "This is the conclusion: the disappearance of Grey Goose is not closely related to the Raven case, but is suspected to be involved in internal factional struggles, so Nuclear has withdrawn its investigation into her."

After listening, Mao Shanwang frowned slightly: "Now that Grey Goose has been cleared of suspicion, your plan to fake a sniper is unlikely to succeed, right?"

"Yes, but at least one thing is confirmed: they are not at the headquarters of Sharp Edge."

Mao Shanwang asked curiously, "This is difficult to handle. What was Edward's reaction?"

"Let's wait and see what happens."

Mao Shanwang, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, sensed that something was amiss:

"Edward didn't react? I thought he would just drive the Swarm Fortress over there and flatten the Edge headquarters. The people at Edge are lying to him. Why is he being so polite?"

"Because there has been a formal complaint."

Zhuang Fan swipes the light screen to bring up another document.

"Half an hour ago, the Flintlock Guild sent Nuclear a formal letter of inquiry, which was strongly worded and demanded that they respect the independent operation of the Sharp Edge and immediately withdraw the investigation."

"They really left?"

"If there are no results, of course we have to withdraw."

The nuclear intranet's action logs show that Edward revoked all the action orders previously issued by Raven and lifted the blockade on the Edge headquarters.

Zhuang Fan traced his fingertip across the light screen. "This flintlock guild is quite powerful."

"The main nuclear issue is in the wrong."

Mao Shanwang shifted his bulky body to a more comfortable position: "All the mercenary groups in the wasteland are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Flintlock Guild. If you really offend the guild too much, many things will become difficult in the future."

"Right."

Suddenly, Jetta's communication request popped up.

"Boss, as you instructed, I anonymously posted an intelligence bounty in the guild, and now I have complete delivery information, which I have sent to you."

"Jetta, you've worked hard."

"It should!"

Zhuang Fan opened the encrypted file, and Mao Shanwang also came over. The information inside was clearly displayed.

The document states that the leader of the Sharp Edge Mercenary Group has been in a coma for two months, and the board of directors is fragmented into multiple factions.

Among them, the two most competitive factions are led by Soren and Habenson, and the two sides are engaged in fierce struggles for several key positions.

In a closed-door board meeting that just concluded, Soren admitted for the first time that the Grey Geese were indeed in their hands.

He has obtained evidence that Grey Goose colluded with foreign enemies and harmed the interests of mercenary groups, and promised to organize all the evidence within five days so that Grey Goose can be put on public trial.

"Open trial..."

Mao Shanwang pondered, "There are only five days left. It seems we must find someone before the trial."

"Correct."

The so-called "public trial" was nothing more than a performance with a predetermined ending.

Zhuang Fan stood up and looked out the window.

"I'm going out today to join the Jetta team in a search to continue uncovering Fengmang's secret outposts and branches."

Mao Shanwang also stood up, "Okay, I'll finish handing over those six truckloads of goods to Lao Cui first, and then come back to help."

……

Arakaya, headquarters of the Nuclear Corporation, medical department.

Several bionic doctors, dressed in sterile gowns, moved with precision and efficiency.

The crow's head was carefully placed inside a semi-transparent virtual brain capsule.

The capsule was filled with life-sustaining gel, and countless neural probes extended out, precisely connecting to his cerebral cortex.

The bionic doctor performs a final check on all vital signs.

"Vital signs are stable."

"Brainwave activity is normal."

"Neural connectivity synchronization rate of 99.8%".

After confirming that everything is correct, press the start button.

"Om-"

The virtual neural network was activated, and a large amount of data flooded into the depths of the crow's consciousness.

He was like a drowning man, suffocated and unable to struggle or break free.

When he suddenly "woke up," he found himself in a void.

He has no physical form, no sense of touch, no sense of smell, and cannot even feel a heartbeat or breathe.

He lost all real physical perception.

He became a virtual resident.

At this moment, the surrounding environment rearranged, creating a familiar scene, and his sense of hearing and smell returned.

Black Rock's desk, the strategic map on the wall, and the faint smell of cigars in the air... This is Minister Edward's office.

"woke up?"

Edward's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Minister, I..."

"I instructed the medical department to expedite the surgery and connect your head to the virtual network first."

The crow's virtual image trembled slightly, and its data-based "face" turned pale and even became somewhat unstable.

His secret about the transplanted brain... has been exposed.

"what do you want to say?"

"I……"

Edward's gaze fell on him. "If it's about your head, then don't waste your time. I want to know everything about Zhang Dafan. What exactly did he tell you?"

“Zhang Dafan…yes, Zhang Dafan! The minister isn’t him at all!”

The crow practically screamed as it clarified, "I...I've finally figured it out! It wasn't Zhang Dafan at all! Someone inside the company framed me!"

He spoke very quickly, as if he had been holding it in for a long time.

"Just a few days before the attack, I updated the highest level of communication password. Zhang Dafan, a fugitive roaming in the wild, could not possibly know it, nor did he have the ability to infiltrate our internal network!"

"Therefore, that unfamiliar message that led me to the past could only be accessed by the company's senior management!"

"That Wasteland Traveler was built in the exact same way as the incinerator collapsed! The other party is imitating Zhang Dafan; he's deliberately using the clues I'm most familiar with to lead me there!"
"Also, why is it that Zhang Dafan always manages to escape my pursuit? He runs to Linhai, runs to Nancheng, and keeps playing hide-and-seek with me. It's because there's a traitor within our ranks who's providing him with the latest nuclear updates!"
"Minister, this is a trap! A trap set by someone who knows all my movements and knows when I'm least on guard!"

"The crow has two possibilities."

Edward waited until he finished speaking before slowly opening his mouth.

"First, you are lying. You are secretly cooperating with Zhang Dafan in order to cause internal strife within the company."

"Secondly, there is indeed a high-ranking official in the group who is willing to lower himself and lay a trap just to deal with a combat supervisor like you."

Edward's gaze sharpened.

Which do you think is more likely?

"Minister, I'm innocent!" Crow's voice was tinged with despair.

"okay."

Edward didn't want to hear his excuses, so he raised his hand and waved it casually. "Go offline and get some rest. We'll wait for the final investigation results."

"department……"

Before the words were even finished, the entire virtual world collapsed instantly, and darkness enveloped the crow's vision.

Edward turned off the virtual network, leaned back in his chair, and felt inexplicably heavy-hearted.

A third possibility gradually emerged in his mind.

What if the company's higher-ups aren't targeting the crow, but... him?
A flicker of regret crossed Edward's eyes.

Some time ago, he shouldn't have agreed to transfer Raven from the combat department to become the intelligence chief.

Now that Crow has caused such a huge mess, as his direct supervisor, he also bears some direct responsibility.

He pressed the communicator, and his voice returned to calm.

"Bring in the crow's lieutenant."

A moment later, the adjutant strode over, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Good afternoon, Minister!"

"From now on, you will temporarily take over Crow's position and continue searching the red-lined area to find Zhang Dafan."

"Ah, me...me?"

Seeing this, Edward suddenly felt a bit disgusted and said, "You can refuse, there's no need to force yourself."

The adjutant suppressed his inner elation, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes, Minister! I will definitely work hard and never let you down!"

The adjutant had finally gotten his chance!

Although he is only temporarily in charge, it is not impossible for him to be given a permanent position if he performs well.

Edward looked at him and increasingly felt that the intelligence department was lacking talents like Grey Goose.

He decided to wait patiently for five days. If Fengmang really dared to execute Huiyan, he would protect her.

Having been saved, Grey Goose would definitely be willing to join the Nuclear and do his job well.

Thinking of this, Edward's mood improved.

"From now on, your public code name will be Black Chicken."

"Black chicken..."

The black chicken paused for a moment, then straightened its chest even more, a hint of fanaticism burning in its eyes.

Ah!
He was no longer just a nameless adjutant; he deserved his own code name!
Edward shooed him away like a mosquito, telling him to get out quickly and close the door behind him.

……

The night scene in Linhai City is like a dirty rag; no matter where you wipe it, it's still dirty and smelly.

The destructive power of the scorched earth is gradually fading, and power has been restored in many areas.

Zhuang Fan and the Jetta team were exhausted after a full day of navigating the underground pipeline network.

They secretly staked out ten strongholds of the Sharp Edge Mercenary Group, including warehouses disguised as freight companies, underground bars frequented by all sorts of people, and seemingly ordinary residential buildings.

Using their innate talent for stealth, the rats squeezed into the narrow ventilation ducts of these strongholds, or climbed fire ladders and rooftops, trying their best to infiltrate.

Nothing came of it.

In those strongholds, the mercenaries either drank and gambled, cleaned their weapons, or had affairs—everything seemed normal.

There was no indication that any important prisoners were being held inside.

Night had fallen, and the number of pedestrians on the street was gradually decreasing.

"Boss, we haven't found anything here either."

Jetta's voice came through the encrypted communication, tinged with frustration.

"That's all for today, everyone go home."

"it is good!"

Zhuang Fan was actually quite annoyed, but he was used to keeping his emotions under control and couldn't easily show it.

The group silently passed through the alley and returned to Mao Shanwang's safe house.

The room was dimly lit, and Cole and the others stayed inside.

"Cole, is everything alright?"

"Boss, everything's normal!"

Zhuang Fan returned to his room and found that Mao Shanwang was not there.

"Bear Two, where's Old Cat?"

Xiong Er looked away from the light screen. "Isn't Old Cat with you guys?"

"No!"

"Ok?"

Zhuang Fan was stunned: "I thought he was at home. We didn't need too many people today, so I didn't call him."

"Boss, he's not home all day."

Zhuang Fan opened the Wasteland Traveler app, only to find the communication history completely blank; Mao Shanwang had not sent any messages.

This is strange.

Given that fat cat's personality, even if it's just going to the street corner to buy a meat skewer, it will send a few messages in advance.

He couldn't have disappeared so silently for so long without any response.

A sense of unease swept through Zhuang Fan's heart.

He and Xiong Er looked at each other, and the same thought popped into their heads.

Old Cat is in trouble, or he's been caught.

(End of this chapter)