Chapter 151

The Bad Dog Team's Luo Qi Group controlled three ground-level streets, each with different sizes and shapes.

The Sandflow Team scattered according to their respective missions.

Most members would head to the underground core zone to seal off Luo Qi Group's underground city via surface entrances and subterranean connecting passages, preventing internal personnel from escaping and assets from being lost.

Another portion was tasked with clearing the surface, infiltrating and suppressing key facilities across the three major streets from multiple directions.

Aside from one elite squad led by Flobo and its commander himself, the entire Sandflow Platoon operated on the surface.

Bidi Pavilion

To be honest.

The tens of thousands of civilians on the following three streets could not possibly be managed by just a few hundred official members left on the surface, so, as before, more peripheral members were brought in to assist.

Baimu, deemed to possess strength equivalent to a cadre, was assigned to the most prosperous—and likely most dangerous—district, and was also ordered to accept support requests from other squad leaders.

On the surface, he was only responsible for part of the district, but in reality, his operational range spread across the entire district.

And street fighting.

Even in his past life, it was regarded as an exceptionally brutal and highly dangerous form of combat.

Narrow streets, complex environments, invisible enemies, sudden attacks—these critical elements made the street battles ahead brim with unpredictable complications.

Of course, no matter how dangerous the surface, it paled next to the underground city.

Most organizations treated the underground city as their core zone, concentrating wealth and combat power there, with most cadres gathered underground.

As long as Baimu was lucky enough, he would rarely encounter cadres lingering on the surface; they typically dispatched squad leaders to guard key facilities, and dealing with such opponents was still easy for him personally.

It was even less threatening than the combined power of a pile of ordinary members' Pokémon.

"I'll remind you again: once we reach the perimeter, you take command of the peripheral members. Remember, do not harm ordinary civilians unless absolutely necessary. If the ringleaders are willing to surrender, don't attack recklessly. Strictly forbid looting property and using it to endanger civilians' safety. Understood?"

He turned his head and reiterated what he had said before they set out.

Although the rule against taking property was nearly impossible to enforce, he still had to say it—to prevent these bastards from truly going wild.

Few organizations in the world could achieve "freeze to death without tearing down houses, starve to death without looting," let alone the Sandflow Team, a gang with virtually no ideology.

Not even killing and burning down buildings or ×× looting would be too much to ask.

Cheng Hong and the others replied, "Understood!"

"Remember what I said: write down anyone who disobeys or pretends to comply, and report them to me later."

Baimu said calmly but seriously: "Keep your subordinates in line—this is a severe challenge for you."

The group exchanged glances; seeing the expressions on each other's faces, their earlier excitement instantly cooled.

"Understood!"

Holding power was indeed pleasing, but this power didn't seem so easy to wield.

Then.

They began adjusting their earpiece channels to contact the peripheral members behind them.

Da Zang's face showed hesitation, as none of the people managing peripheral members were under him.

"Why are you staring at me? You're the only other combatant in the squad—do you think I'm the only one who fights them?" Baimu, sensing his gaze, asked with mild surprise.

Da Zang quickly nodded, masking his inner joy, "Oh! I understand!"

In his view, even without command authority, being recognized by Baimu as a necessary combatant was enough.

With strength, how could he lack power?

Once Baimu successfully rose to cadre rank, he'd surely find a way to make him a squad leader—he was Baimu's trusted general, after all!

Da Zang thought happily.

——

The Sandflow Team's large-scale troop concentration and movement.

The neighboring Bad Dog Team could not possibly remain unaware; the Luo Qi Group had long understood the Sandflow Team's ambitions—two mines could never satisfy them.

When they noticed unrest beginning in Huang Tie Town, Luo Qi, lying in bed, knew the Sandflow Team would strike. He immediately arranged asset transfers—normally, one or two days would be enough to move large assets out, even allowing people to escape.

Unfortunately, one of the Bad Dog Team's three top cadres had become a mole cooperating with the Sandflow Team; this mole secretly arranged people to incite many ordinary members of the Luo Qi Group, causing part of the asset transfer to stall.

Personnel evacuation was out of the question.

The Jiemate Group directly detained them and their families under the pretext of discussing next steps.

When the Sandflow Team launched its full-scale invasion, the Jiemate Group dropped all pretense, tore off their masks, and moved to fully block Luo Qi Group's personnel arrangements.

Only then did they realize they were surrounded on all sides; worse still, the top mole had become a guide, and another top cadre chose to stand by.

"They've taken me—next it'll be you! Don't you understand? Even if you surrender now, your treatment won't be better than Jiemate's! If we join forces now, the Sandflow Team won't defeat us—cough, cough, cough…"

Luo Qi called the other top cadre, his voice filled with emotion, coughing uncontrollably, even spitting blood.

The other side gave no reply—only silently hung up.

"Foolish! Cough, cough, cough!"

Luo Qi, enraged and heartbroken, turned to his trusted aide: "You can't rely on people like this! Get everyone ready for battle! Hold out as long as you can—I'll find a way to contact outside help!"

"... Yes!"

The aide replied, then turned and ran outside.

In fact, voices calling for surrender had already spread within the Luo Qi Group—after all, their top boss had been captured, their leader Luo Qi was bedridden, and the other group refused to lend aid.

With no way out before them, the lower ranks had no confidence.

The Sandflow Team deployed nearly half of three squads; they had only one squad's manpower, and had to also guard against the mole Jiemate Group—how could they possibly win?

Unless a powerful external force appeared—

It did appear.

But this external force wasn't here to support the Luo Qi Group; it was another top cadre who had secretly negotiated a deal with another faction, bringing in their own security forces to prevent the Sandflow Team from swallowing the Luo Qi Group and then turning on them.

When this news spread through the Luo Qi Group, the lower ranks' will to fight weakened further—no one wanted to fight a meaningless battle with no hope of victory.

At this moment.

The Quicksand Team's ground forces had already arrived at the scene.

To successfully blockade three blocks, the Quicksand Team members used the key entry and exit points as their starting positions, launching surprise attacks against important facilities within the Hound Team's block, such as signal towers, power supply stations, and sewage treatment plants.

The Hound Team's ambushers had long been lying in wait; when the Quicksand Team members drew near, Luo Qi's group immediately sent out Pokémon to take the initiative and attack.

Sparks, lightning, and torrents of water came flying over as if they were free.

Yet the Quicksand Team members who had arrived did not rush to retaliate with Pokémon.

Instead, they first used Flying-type Pokémon to seize air superiority, dropping paralysis gas and sleep gas onto the enemy's positions, while focusing their suppression on those Pokémon attempting to disperse the gas.

A wave of combat that could only be described as well-trained left the Hound Team's people completely stunned; they had no choice but to abandon their immobilized companions and flee in panic deeper into the block.

Clearly, the Hound Team members did not understand the importance of the transit hub.

Once they gave up the transit routes, they had already lost at least half the battle.

The Quicksand Team took the first move and immediately dispatched personnel to install magnetic-field-disrupting devices at every entry and exit, rendering the hover-bikes and hover-cars attempting to ram through checkpoints useless.