Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 123 Trial
The light screen lit up, burning Qiu Shan's pupils.

Thirty-four missed communications and eight urgent voice messages, most of which came from his deputy.

"problem occurs."

Qiu Shan's drunkenness vanished instantly, his voice hoarse: "Something's happened at headquarters."

"Play it."

Qiu Shan trembled as he opened the first voice message; the timestamp showed it was from nearly an hour ago.

"Fuck-"

The background was the deafening sound of gunfire and explosions, followed by the second-in-command's loud roar.

"Headquarters under attack! The enemy's identity is unknown, but their firepower is immense! Damn, so many power armors! The outer defenses are about to crumble!"

"boom--!"

A violent explosion brought communications to an abrupt halt.

Qiu Shan's heart sank, and he clicked on the second one.

"They've broken in! Where are the reinforcements? Get them back right now!"

Clicking on the third message, the explosion sounded even closer, and the deputy's voice was filled with despair.

"The reinforcements are all wiped out! It's all over...it's all over! Captain...where the hell are you all?!"

Clicking on the fourth item reveals background sounds of impacts and chaotic footsteps, with the deputy's voice hushed.

"We're trapped...we can't hold on any longer."

Clicking on the fifth message, all that could be heard on the communicator was panting; the deputy looked utterly exhausted.

"Captain, they've persuaded them to surrender... I'm sorry, I did my best."

The airship was deathly silent.

Qiu Shan's finger hovered over the last voice message, hesitating to press it.

Soren glanced at him. "Continue."

Qiu Shan took a deep breath and clicked on the last message, which was also from an hour ago.

This time there were no gunshots, no explosions, only the hollow voice of the second-in-command.

"We surrender. That's it. I can hear the greylag geese..."

Communication was completely cut off.

Qiu Shan's mind went blank. "Where...where did she get so many powered armors? Wasn't she on the run?"

Soren leaned back in his chair, slowly closed his eyes, and when he suddenly opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was a sinister glint.

"Harbenson, he really is that old fox."

Soren's panel also vibrated, and an alert from the Security Bureau popped up, along with a video.

He tapped on the light screen and saw a drone hovering hundreds of meters in the air, looking down below.

That used to be Qiu Shan's stronghold, but now it's a burning ruin.

The tower was burned down to its metal frame, the alloy doors were blown to pieces, and all the buildings collapsed in the flames, turning the night sky orange-red.

Several floating fire trucks were parked in the distance, their water jets appearing insignificant and powerless in the face of the towering flames.

Qiu Shan opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

an hour ago...

An hour ago, they were still at the nuclear camp, sitting around that damn campfire, struggling to eat that damn roasted chicken with that damn bastard, Blackie.

Soren's face was grim, and he only uttered three words.

"Go back to camp."

When the two rushed to the scene, the fire was still burning, and there was no one alive; they were either dead or missing.

Qiu Shan howled like a madman.

Ten minutes later, he stood frozen in place like a stone statue.

"How is it?" Soren's voice was icy.

"Gone……"

Qiu Shan said with a slight tremor, "Two-thirds of them are gone, and the rest have been arrested."

"Where's the deputy?"

"...was also kidnapped."

Looking at the ruins, Qiu Shan's heart bled: "Dozens of power armors, all stolen... even my own rented one was taken!"

Suppressing his anger, Soren immediately activated the encrypted communication system and called his son, Soren.

"Zi la...Zi la..."

The communicator was filled with static when Soren suddenly remembered that his son was still on a mission outside the city, which gave the enemy a perfect opportunity for a night attack.

"director."

Qiu Shan regained some of his composure. "Could it have been done by the nuclear engineers? That black chicken..."

"Black-bone chicken?"

"Correct."

Qiu Shan thought about it more and more and felt that "everything is too coincidental. We were just invited there, and our base was taken down right afterward!"

Soren remained silent, turned the communicator back on, and dialed Wuji's private channel.

"Manager Wu, I apologize for disturbing you." His tone returned to calm, revealing no trace of emotion.

"Director Soren? Is something the matter so late?" Wuji sounded somewhat surprised.

"No big deal."

Soren calmly stated the facts, "We just returned and found that Captain Qiushan's base camp had been attacked. The fire was huge and the losses were heavy."

"what?"

Wu Ji's voice suddenly rose, "These thugs are utterly lawless, daring to make a move right under our noses!"

Soren listened quietly and continued to probe: "Director Wu, please calm down. I'm just worried about... tomorrow's public trial."

"Judgment?"

"Yes."

Soren sighed, "Since these thugs dared to attack the stronghold of the Vanguard, there's no guarantee they won't cause trouble tomorrow. I'm worried about the order on the ground..."

"Please rest assured, Director Soren!"

Wu Ji snorted coldly, "Leave this to me. I'll send three times the manpower tomorrow, no, five times! I will not allow a single thug to get near the trial site!"

"Then thank you very much, Manager Wu."

"Don't mention it. Maintaining the stability of Linhai City is our bounden duty! You two should get some rest. I'll make the arrangements right away!"

Communication was subsequently cut off.

Qiu Shan looked at Soren: "He..."

He agreed very readily.

A glint of light flashed in Soren's eyes. "It seems this has nothing to do with him."

Qiu Shan felt somewhat relieved. As long as tomorrow's trial proceeded smoothly, convicting Grey Goose and eliminating the opposition, the losses tonight... were still within a manageable range.

Meanwhile, Habenson also received intelligence.

He sat on the large sofa, a holographic screen appearing in front of him, showing the same burning ruins.

"Qiu Shan's stronghold... has been raided?"

A brief moment of surprise flashed across Habenson's face.

He instinctively looked at his deputy beside him, who immediately shook his head, indicating that it was definitely not one of their own people who did it.

"Heh, interesting."

Harpenson stubbed out his cigar, leaned back in his chair, and soon received a second encrypted message.

"They're guessing it's a greylag goose."

The deputy looked incredulous: "Not only did she appear, but she also gathered an armored squad with extremely fierce firepower. Half of Qiu Shan's troops were wiped out."

"Grey Goose?"

The astonishment on Harpenson's face faded. He had thought the Grey Goose was just a pawn that could be used, but he never expected that this pawn would grow fangs.

“An elite force…” Harbenson slowly savored these words, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Soren, do you think you have victory in the bag?"

Harpenson chuckled softly, filled with anticipation for tomorrow's public trial.

"This is getting more and more exciting."

……

The next day, at the headquarters of the Sharp Edge Mercenary Group.

The dull roar of engines grew louder as they approached, making one's eardrums ache, and one nuclear airship after another sped toward them.

Immediately following, armored vehicles rolled across the ground, accompanied by the dull thud of armored soldiers' footsteps.

The black-boned chickens practically emptied the entire camp.

Hundreds of nuclear soldiers wearing exoskeletons sealed off all entrances and exits in combat mode.

A swarm fortress deploys its launch pad, and countless drones are poised to launch.

Nearly a hundred armored soldiers completely surrounded the central hall, and the chilling atmosphere made the mercenaries present tremble with fear.

"Why are the nuclear people here again?"

"I heard... they're here to maintain order at the scene."

The members of the Sharp Edge headquarters were almost all present. Most of them carried light weapons and stood in the center of the hall, the atmosphere extremely tense.

"Manager Wu! It's truly an honor to have you here in person!"

Soren and Qiushan quickly went to greet them, their faces beaming with warm smiles.

In their view, the fact that Wuji was making such a big show of it, even resorting to heavy firepower to "maintain order," clearly showed that they were determined to support them.

This time, victory is assured.

However, the black chicken nodded indifferently: "You two are too kind."

His gaze swept past the two men, across the tense mercenaries in the hall, his voice steady:
"I was entrusted by the board of directors to maintain order at the scene, but we are only responsible for security and do not participate in any internal matters of Fengmang."

The smiles on Soren and Qiushan's faces froze slightly.

Not participating? What does that mean?
"Manager Wu, this..." Qiu Shan was about to speak.

Standing on the other side of the crowd, Harpenson's face turned ugly.

He stared intently at Wuji's face, then glanced at Soren and Qiushan, a chill creeping up from the soles of his feet.

He may have fallen for a trap.

Wuji's words seem neutral, but in reality, they are biased. His so-called non-participation is the biggest part of his involvement!
This is a "notary" holding a butcher's knife.

Although the number of soldiers brought by the chicken was not large, they represented the face of the nuclear forces, and Habenson dared not resist.

In this trial, he has already fallen into a completely disadvantageous position and has been deprived of the possibility of overturning the table.

The examiner cleared his throat, picked up a document, and his voice echoed in the hall.

"The review committee unanimously ruled that Grey Goose, the former leader of the seventh group of the third team, escaped from prison during the review period and is suspected of colluding with external forces to assassinate Deputy Captain Harry and several senior military officers. The evidence is conclusive."

He raised his voice: "His actions constitute an open betrayal of the Vanguard Mercenary Group. He is now listed as a top-level wanted criminal, effective immediately!"

The crowd erupted in uproar, with both new and veteran mercenaries whispering amongst themselves.

Harpenson was somewhat uneasy, unsure whether the unfolding events would go as he had predicted.

Soren stood up, a hint of regret on his face, and glanced at everyone present.

"Everyone has heard that. One traitor is not worth our time. I now propose that we immediately hold a board vote to fill the vacant combat officer position."

He pointed to Qiu Shan beside him, making no attempt to hide his intentions: "I recommend Captain Qiu Shan. He is experienced, loyal and reliable, and is the best candidate."

As soon as he finished speaking, the board members from the Habenson faction stood up, their faces ashen.

"We disagree; you are framing us."

The two neutral directors also looked displeased, one of them scoffing, "Director Soren, isn't it a bit too hasty to start voting now?"

"urgent?"

Soren chuckled, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at the fully armed nuclear soldiers. "I don't think there's a rush. These are extraordinary times, and we need to unite our forces more than ever. Captain Qiu's abilities are undeniable, aren't they?"

The armored soldiers of the nuclear group are like guardian deities, and the dark muzzles of their guns are the most direct votes.

The neutral directors dared not speak out; they had to vote today, whether they wanted to or not.

Harpenson leaned back in his chair, a hint of anxiety flashing in his eyes, still pondering how to break the deadlock.

At that moment, a cold voice came in: "I do not admit to your crimes."

The hall fell silent instantly, and everyone turned their heads.

Chu Ningyan walked in slowly. She was wearing simple casual clothes, and a tactical mask covered half of her face, revealing only her eyes.

Behind her were thirty armored soldiers, all painted black, holding rotary machine guns, their footsteps like war drums, shaking the ground slightly.

Zhuang Fan, also wearing power armor, walked side by side with Chu Ningyan.

The security team was intimidated by the menacing atmosphere; they gripped their guns, and not one of them dared to step forward to stop them.

Ignoring the astonished and wary looks around her, Chu Ningyan walked straight to the judge's bench.

"Grey Goose! You dare to come back!" Qiu Shan was both shocked and furious, and subconsciously took a half step back.

"Why don't I dare to come back?"

Chu Ningyan stopped and looked at Soren's face. "I want to see with my own eyes how you use fabricated evidence to convict me of a crime I didn't commit."

"Yeah, pretty arrogant."

Soren revealed a hint of sarcasm as he glanced at the black chicken standing not far away, its face remaining expressionless.

With the nuclear group backing them up, even if there are 30 units or 100 more, they still won't cause any trouble.

Harbenson was somewhat surprised and puzzled; he still couldn't figure out where the Grey Goose had recruited this armored squad.

"Grey Goose, is this an armed coup?"

Soren sat back down in his chair, his expression full of mockery. "You dare to come here and cause trouble with a bunch of rabble?"

Chu Ningyan refused to back down: "I did not intend to seize power, but you have been framing me, and I need an explanation."

“You have walked right into a trap.”

Soren let out a sneer, "Grey Goose, I really admire your courage. Do you think... you'll even make it out of here today?"

He raised his hand and waved lightly.

Dozens of mercenaries appeared at the same time, their heavy weapons aimed at Zhuang Fan and his group.

At the same moment, Cole and Jetta, among others, also raised their guns and confronted each other without showing any weakness.

Zhuang Fan stepped forward and placed a transparent shield in front of Chu Ningyan to prevent her from accidentally firing.

Just then, the black chicken intervened without warning, breaking the standoff that was about to erupt.

"Director Soren."

Wu Ji slowly emerged from the steel defense line, his face still bearing that businesslike expression.

"Please restrain your men and have them lay down their weapons."

what?
Soren's smile froze, and he turned to the black chicken in astonishment.

Qiu Shan stood there, completely bewildered, not understanding what his ally meant.

Wuji repeated, "Because it was your people who started the trouble, put down your weapons."

"Shoot your mother's weapon!"

A gruff voice rang out from beside Sauron.

Soren, Soren's son, is also a newly promoted combat officer, known for his fiery temper.

"Manager Wu, what the hell do you mean? Didn't you see these traitors barging in and causing trouble first? Of course we were just maintaining order!"

He was agitated, his arm gripping the gun swaying wildly, the muzzle of the gun waving back and forth in front of the black chicken.

"Speak up! Whose side are you on?!"

Soren and Qiushan did not stop them; they also wanted to see what tricks the black chicken was up to.

Wuji glanced at the gun barrel that was inches away, and the two armored soldiers behind him moved.

“Da da da da—!”

No warnings whatsoever.

Flames erupted as a full magazine of large-caliber bullets precisely struck Soren's right arm, which was holding the gun.

"Pfft——!"

Soren's entire right arm was torn into a blurry bloody mist from the shoulder down, with bone fragments and metal parts scattered all over the ground.

The gunfire suddenly stopped.

Soren stood there, looking down at his empty right shoulder.

"Ah—! My hand!"

The excruciating pain, delayed for a full three seconds, suddenly gripped him.

The hall fell silent once more, everyone stunned by the bloody scene.

Soren's face was filled with horror as he looked at his son writhing in a pool of blood and shouted, "Call the medics!"

The black chicken's expression remained unchanged, as if it had merely crushed an ant.

The nearly one hundred armored soldiers behind him raised their guns in unison, rotating their machine guns to lock onto all of Soren's men.

"I'll say it again."

The black-boned chicken's voice was icy and chilling: "Put down your weapons and do not disrupt the order of the scene."

Soren stood frozen in place, staring at the chicken's expressionless face, and finally understood.

The roast chicken feast that night, and the heartfelt promises of "cooperation," were perhaps all true, only with a slight deviation.

The black chicken wasn't there to help him; it was there to maintain order... Is this guy crazy?
"Put down...put down your weapon." Soren seemed to have used up all his strength.

The mercenaries behind him exchanged glances, and finally lowered their guns reluctantly.

Seeing this, Chu Ningyan also raised her hand, signaling Cole and the others to stop the standoff.

The tense atmosphere in the hall temporarily ended in an absurd way.

Wuji didn't look at Soren again, walked straight through the crowd, and stopped in front of Chu Ningyan amidst everyone's astonished gazes.

The frosty expression on his face melted away silently, replaced by an almost harmonious warmth.

Good morning, Ms. Grey Goose.

He bowed slightly, adopting a very humble posture, "Are you alright?"

Chu Ningyan nodded slightly: "I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Manager Wu."

“It is what I should do, and the Minister is also very concerned about your situation.”

Wu Ji deliberately raised his voice, "He specifically instructed me to ensure that the trial of Feng Mang was fair and just."

These words and this completely different attitude made Harbenson's eyes widen.

Soren and Qiushan were struck dumb, realizing that they had misjudged the situation, terribly so.

The black-boned chicken is on the side of the gray geese!
Qiu Shan's face turned deathly pale as he stared intently at Chu Ningyan.

Why can Grey Geese command the nuclear group?
No, she's definitely just a bully using someone else's power!
Yes, that must be the case!

Chu Ningyan stepped past the black chicken and fixed her gaze on Soren behind the judge's bench.

"I'm curious."

Her voice softened, "Since the internal organization of Fengmang has already dropped all charges against me, why hold this so-called public trial?"

"Also, the organization clearly approved my promotion to vice captain, so why hasn't the authorization taken effect?"

Qiu Shan snapped out of his brief shock and suppressed his inner panic: "Grey Goose, I think you've been locked up and gone mad, starting to daydream!"

He pointed to the incriminating documents on the table, "What do you mean by dropping the charges and being promoted to deputy captain? Who gave you that approval? You're a serious criminal now, the evidence is irrefutable!"

"evidence?"

Chu Ningyan ignored Qiu Shan and fixed her gaze on the silent Harbenson.

Harbenson felt her gaze and knew it was his turn to play his card.

He slowly stood up, glanced at Soren and Qiu Shan, and then spoke in a deep voice:
“I am Harry’s father, and I should want the murderer who killed my son to be caught and justice to be served more than anyone else here.”

His gaze shifted to Soren on the judgment seat.

"But justice requires the truth and irrefutable evidence, not a political persecution that uses someone else to do the dirty work!"

Harbenson turned to everyone present and spoke in a loud voice:
"Just a few days ago, the review committee had retrieved all the evidence and confirmed that the Grey Goose team leader had a perfect alibi for the time of the incident."

"Furthermore, the personnel department's promotion notice has taken effect. The organization has withdrawn all charges against Grey Goose and officially approved her appointment as vice captain!"

He abruptly changed his tone, becoming aggressive: "Now I'm actually quite curious, Director Soren, knowing all this, why did you insist on holding this illegal trial to slander an S-class hunter?"

Harpenson's voice carried a hint of murderous intent, "Or are you just trying to use this opportunity to eliminate Qiu Shan's biggest rival for promotion to combat commander?"

"I……"

Qiu Shan's posture instantly softened. He looked at Soren in a panic and stammered, "I don't know anything about this! I... I didn't receive any notification!"

"enough."

Soren spoke up in time, stopping Habenson's relentless attack, and then gave Wuji a deep look.

"It seems this was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstand?"

Harbenson's laughter was full of sarcasm. "Director Soren, that's a huge misunderstanding. After all, a single sentence can kill an S-class hunter."

He turned to the board members present.

"Given the injustice and blatant slander suffered by the deputy captain of the Grey Goose in this incident, we should provide appropriate compensation."

"I propose that, effective immediately, Chu Ningyan be promoted to captain of the second combat squad."

Soren's face was grim. He glanced at the nuclear soldiers in the hall, then at the armored squad behind Chu Ningyan, knowing that the scales had completely tipped in their favor.

He's already lost this game; now he can only try to minimize his losses.

He slowly leaned back in his chair, his voice low and deep: "I agree. Welcome our... Captain Grey Goose."

Voting is just a formality.

Seeing that Soren's faction had conceded defeat, the two neutral directors immediately raised their hands, and the motion passed unanimously.

"very good."

Chu Ningyan's gaze swept over the board members. "Since I am innocent, please release the innocent people who are being held in custody immediately."

"of course."

Harpenson answered for her, waving his hand, "They are the heroes of the front line, and should be released and all assigned to Captain Grey Goose's squad."

Harbenson did not stop there; he turned to Soren with a mocking expression.

"Now that the second team leader has returned to his post, it's time to decide who will fill the last vacant combat officer position."

He pointed to Qiu Shan and Chu Ningyan.

"Second team captain Grey Goose, third team captain Qiu Shan, let's have the fairest fight. There's no better time than today."

"I...I object! This is unfair!"

Qiu Shan practically screamed as he jumped up, his face ashen, all traces of arrogance gone.

“Where is the unfairness?” Harbenson sneered.

"me……"

"Captain Qiu, calm down."

Soren's voice rang out promptly. He stood up, looked directly at Harbenson, and his tone regained its composure.

"Last night's attack has already caused Captain Qiu heavy losses, and he needs some time to recover."
"Moreover, the two captains have just taken office and need time to reorganize the team. Forcing a fight at this time will only make the team more divided."

Harpenson shook his head: "How long do you want to drag this out?"

Soren thought for a moment and gave a specific time.

"Let's give them a month to prepare, and then we'll settle the score."

Harbenson stared at Soren, then laughed a few seconds later.

"Alright."

He nodded. "Let's do as Director Soren said, a public duel in a month."

(End of this chapter)