Chapter 92 - Attempted Rescue

<---Chapter 91 - To The Table|Table of Contents|Chapter 93 - Ensnaring--->

A day later...

"Gunther. It's bad." A member reported in a hectic meeting room in the same hideout they started in, now filled to the brim with new recruits that came from all over the city, the most radical of them all fighting tooth and nail against the enforcers and Red Lion gang members. "Long Hua is going to be transferred to the Magda in less than a day."

"It's clearly a trap." Bronco immediately replied. "Obviously, it is meant to pull us out of hiding."

"So the Seven Snakes have finally turned against us." Gunther murmured to himself, sighing. He had waged war and sparked a violent revolution, spreading the cause as wide and and as far as he could. The teachings have already taken root in the city, touching the hearts of many and emboldening those who thought that a union uprising was not feasible.

"We should go even deeper underground. The success of the revolution depends on us. We cannot sacrifice the future for one man."

"Long Hua is our brother." Gunther retorted.

"Then he will know that we've made the right decision!"

"How large is the prisoner escort?" Gunther asked the member, ignoring Bronco.

"The escort will be compromised of a hundred Seven Snakes members and the South Sector's enforcers combined. It would be the most heavily guarded target that we have hit so far. The wagon they are travelling will be heavily reinforced."

"We don't have the weapons necessary to attack them. We would need mortars, grenades, explosives." Bronco frowned, his fingers running through a catalog of all equipment stored in the hideout. "Perhaps if we raided a military storage..."

"Out of the question." Gunther rejected the idea instantly, instead turning to an armoured arctech knight who stood nearby, overlooking the meeting room. "Can your master supply us?"

"No."

"No?!" Bronco fumed. "What do you mean, no? Wasn't your master supposed to be our patron?"

"My master's goodwill is not infinite. He would require compensation in some form or another."

"The designs for the Aspis MK1 Armour. As well as the improved rifle." Gunther did not hesitate at all.

"Then you shall have what you need by the end of the day."

"Good. Let us plan for the route. Any information on that?"

"No, it's a tight secret. But the final destination is certainly the Magda."

Gunther nodded, quickly mocking up all possible routes from the shopping arcade to the Magda. "Here is the plan. We will destroy the roads on these few streets as soon as the convoy comes into range, forcing them to stop. This is when we will launch an attack, but not a concentrated one. Each cell will act independently, attempting to kill or maim as many of the escorts as possible. Once the actual wagon holding Long Hua has been confirmed, then our strike team will move in to rescue him."

"What if we cannot destroy the roads in time?"

"Have the members launch an impromptu protest tomorrow, blanket out the main streets where the convoy is most likely to travel. We will swamp the enforcers with bodies and bog them down, making our rescue mission easier. Any questions?"

Most of the leaders were in agreement with the plan, but some still held doubts. "This is but one man. Sacrificing this much resources to save him is ridiculous!" One of the leaders complained. "Our resources should be focused on growing and expanding our reach."

"Are you implying that we should leave one of own behind, to suffer and be tortured?" Gunther retorted. "The union stands for all workers - their worth is immeasurable! I would not hesitate to rescue you myself if you were the one imprisoned. Not one soul is ranked above another, for all men are equal!"

Those who were still on the fence had no argument left, keeping quiet as Gunther continued issuing orders, distributing commands to the various cells embedded all over the South Sector. "This will be dangerous, as we only have a few hours to prepare. But we shall prove the might and solidarity of our cause through this, and our legend will spread even further beyond!" Gunther rallied them, eliciting a cheer from his followers.

As they dispersed to prepare for the rescue, Bronco hurriedly pulled Gunther over to the side, whispering urgently into his ear. "Look, we know each other well enough. Is it really worth all of this to save him? This is definitely a trap - many of us might die in this rescue operation."

Gunther grabbed Bronco's shoulder, staring at him eye to eye. "That is why I need you in the strike team. I have a special mission for you. No one else must know about this."

A day later....

"Eat up, maggot. Don't forget to wash your hands." The guard chortled as he tossed a mouldy piece of radish into the jailcell. The white chewy flesh was immediately pounced upon by a severly malnourished Guang Hwa, who knelt on the floor and use his mouth to bite into it, gobbling it down as fast as he could, uncaring about the algae-covered stone tiles that grazed against his nose and cheeks.

As soon as he was done, he used the back of his palms to hoist himself back up, lying face up on the cold slimy prison floor, staring at the dark ceiling crawling with insects. Some slithered down on their silkstrings, drawn to the exposed flesh beneath his missing fingernails while he panted, swallowing the remaining bits of radish still in his mouth. He was far from the only one in the cell, being accompanied by five others who were all clearly far too incapacitated to even move or talk, leaving himself alone to his thoughts.

Soon, a familiar pair of footsteps began to approach the cell, their shadows extending into the hallway from the dim lights. Guang Hwa instinctively shuddered, scrambling away from the grills with haste. Yet it was to no avail, the cell's door opening to reveal Niko grinning. "Time for a new house, friend! Looks like you are not doing too well in here."

"F...fuck you! I'm not telling you anything!" Guang Hwa muttered through short pained breaths as Niko grabbed the nape of his neck, dragging him out of the shared cell. His futile resistance only earned him a kick from Niko into his chin, his jaw knocked ajar from the force.

"And here I thought we had something special going." Niko chuckled. "Looks I'll really miss our time together."

"...wha...what? What do you mean?"

"You're getting a new house! Amazing, isn't it? Not many can afford a roof over their heads, especially in this kind of property market."

"What the fuck are you talking abo-" Another kick into his ribs shut Guang Hwa up for good, spit and saliva choking out of his mouth.

"Come on, boys, the princess needs a lift!"

Two Seven Snakes guards entered, cuffing his limbs and hoisting him up out of the cell, his mind dizzy from the gut-wrenching pain and forceful treatment. Bright white lights went past him in a hazy blur as he was hauled out of the prison, and unceremoniously tossed into what felt like the back of a wagon, the two guards boarding with him.

Guang Hwa could feel the rough bulbous surface of the cheap cast iron used to make the floor, struggling about to stand up. His hands clamoured for a grip, only to accidentally cling onto the armoured Seven Snakes guard's ankles, earning yet another violent kick that sent him sprawling.

"CEO... had the world and he gave it up." Another guard muttered as he placed the sole of his metal-tipped boots on the handcuffs of Guang Hwa, pinning him down.

"Teaches you not to mess with the Seven Snakes. Traitors get carved up just like him." The first guard shook his head in disappointment.

"At least he wasn't sent to the training caves."

"No, it would be too easy of a death for him."

Rage welled up within Guang Hwa as he mustered the strength to speak back. "Fucking brainless sheeps, you're worse than goblins at your best, and lower than a maggot at your worst. Mindlessly following those above you like cattle led to the slaughter!"

The two guards stared at each other, before breaking out into a subtle laugh. Guang Hwa sneered. "What's so funny? Funny that I'm right?"

"No, just thinking how you match the briefing perfectly. Niko did say you were gonna try to rile us up or hit us with a speech."

"Well that only proves my point that you lot are spineless cowards with not a single pinch of self-respect shared between the two of you - no, between all of the Seven Snakes. Kyle is leading all of you astray! He's part of the owning class, and we, you and I, are the working class!"

An awkward silence reigned in the back of the wagon, which was surprisingly stationary. Guang Hwa twisted his back, trying to get a good look at the two guards' face. "Well?!" He grunted.

"Uhh, were you talking to us?"

"Grrr!" Guang Hwa struggled against the weight of the boot pinning his cuffs down.

"Damian said that would rile you up as well."

In sheer frustration, Guang Hwa began to tug as hard as he could on the cuffs, the top of his skin shredding against the sharp metallic edges and drawing blood. Before he could even move another inch, the two guards immediately grabbed him and hoisted him up onto the bench built into the wall.

"What? Can't let me die?" Guang Hwa mocked as he tried again, only to be restrainted by the guards.

"I wish I could, but your new owner wanted you in tiptop condition."

"New owner...? You're selling me?!"

Guang Hwa's surprised expression earned another chuckle from the two guards, this time with one of them reluctantly handing over three rakels to the other.

"Told you he would be surprised! Niko said so too!" The other guard chortled.

"Damn it..."

"Enough! I demand to be informed where exactly are we going!"

Before the two guards could reply, the door to the wagon's cabin opened, with Damian entering the driver's seat. "We're going to the Magda, where you will be handed over to the proper authorities."

Guang Hwa immediately stiffened up. While his treatment was horrendous under Kyle's imprisonment, it was a well know fact of the sheer hostility that Versians faced in the local prisons. "Look, I'll talk, okay? I'll tell you all the hideouts, the attack patterns, the stashes!"

"You already told us most of that."

"W-well, not all of it!"

"Save the rest for the Bishop."

Guang Hwa tried to convince Damian further, only to have a cloth forced into his mouth, gagging him temporarily.

[First dummy wagon convoy was hit on Hullbreaker Lane. Suspicious activity gathering around Deogul Square. Suggest to avoid.] An observer's voice crackled through the radio built into the driver's cabin, a dim green light flickering on and off near the top.

Damian reached up to toggle the microphone. "Understood, taking route 53. Are the enforcers ready?"

[Ready when you are.]

"Good, let's move. Keep your eyes peeled."

The wagon convoy lurched forward, picking up speed as twelve wagons form a line snaking through the various streets and junctions with enforcer wagons leading the convoy from the front, their presence kicking up a huge buzz amdist the countless residents that ogled at the huge armed presence.

Guang Hwa could only stare in silence through the small grill windows of the modified wagon, watching the familiar sights and sounds of the Seven Snakes district roll past slowly. There was no escape for him this time round, not when Damian was in the very same wagon as him.

The two guards clutched the holster of their rifles tightly, their eyes continuously darting around as they scanned the outside surroundings. Their gazes met a few pedestrians, all of whom stared back in shock and confusion, unsure of what was happening.

"Something's wrong." One of the guards mentioned. "Way too many people on the street at this time of day. It's like nobody is working now."

"Maybe they are all on strike?" The other joked, before the wagon started to slow down noticeably, Damian cursing under his breath.

Guang Hwa peeked through the small little gap that afforded a view of the front, seeing another identical wagon in front, clearly part of the convoy. Damian remained calm, checking for any anomalies while toggling the radio again. "What's the hold up?"

[Some old man tripped when he was trying to cross the road.]

"Get out and help him move out of the way. Every stop is an opportunity for the enemy. Observers, any movements?"

[Seems to be a few separate mobs, but they aren't congregating just yet. We spotted a few picket lines further down, though they aren't budging.]

"Alternatives?"

[Take a left on the next corner, then a right. Should be clear.]

"Understood." Damian placed his hands on the wheel steadily, while two enforcers from the frontmost wagon went to help the old man. Instead of being grateful, the old man began to curse and swear, shrugging off their help.

Instead of being grateful, the old man began to curse and swear, shrugging off their help. "What are you two cunts doing, going this fast down the street? I can't cross the road that quickly!"

"Sir, please, let us help you up."

"You think I'm a chick? I'm a grown man, I can help myself." Yet it was painfully obvious that the old man was far from being able to support himself up, his legs wobbling violently as he almost collapsed to the floor again. While the two enforcers began to force the old man off the road, bystanders and onlookers simply walked past, far more intrigued by the wagon than the old man himself. They peered into the wagon, with a young grimy kid catching a glimpse of Guang Hwa himself, locking eyes with him.

As soon as that occured, the radio began to stir to life, the reports intensifying. [Damian, sir, lots of movement! Everyone in the vicinity is swarming towards you! You need to move, now!]

"Fuck!" Damian swore, flicking another switch on the radio dashboard. "Incoming enemy attack, all wagons move off immediately!"

[But sir, the front wagon is still held up-]

"Ignore them, drive around!"

The second wagon complied, leading the charge and mounting the kerb with impunity, the shouts and screams of the running residents blurring past the convoy as they followed along, bypassing the old man and the two enforcers. Damian gritted his teeth as he jolted the wheel a hard left, the wagon nearly tipping over as they entered another street. As soon as the convoy hit the next junction to make a right, instead of accelerating like expected, Damian was forced to hit the brakes hard, jostling the two guards and Guang Hwa behind violently. "Now what?!"

[There's a strike going on here - I don't know, hundreds of them just showed up!] The observer's panicked voice was starting to be drowned out by what seemed to be an impromptu protest march, taking up the entire street that they had been planning to enter.

"It's the damn union. I need an alternate route, now!"

[Go straight, then make a left-]

The convoy didn't wait around for the observer to finish explaining, moving to another street down a block, only to be met with the same situation. "They have us cornered. Get down and force a way clear for the convoy!" Damian roared, prompting Seven Snakes guards and enforcers to unload from the various other wagons, their rifles brought to bear on the marching protestors.

While the guards held the crowd at bay, the convoy moved ever so slowly, allowing the mobs from the other streets to begin flanking the convoy, smothering them in a sea of angry protestors and onlookers who had clearly no idea why they were there in the first place. "Get out of the way! Obstruction of enforcer duty will be punishable by law!" An enforcer shoved a protestor back, only to earn sticks and stones being tossed towards him.

"By law?! You want to talk about law when you barely even enforced any of it against the thugs and gangs that have been harassing us?!" Another protestor hollered back, riling up the crowd even more.

"This is your last chance - return to your homes immediately!"

"Fuck you!"

As the fighting and arguing became more intense, Damian began to watch the surrounding shophouses carefully, looking for any suspicious vantage points from where the union might be watching from. The convoy was precariously exposed, the people around clamouring to get closer while the guards and enforcers tried to hold them back. "This is taking way too long, we're sitting ducks here!"

Some of the more daring protestors threw their bodies right in front of the convoy, forcing the wagons to come to a complete halt while a wave of protestors crashed, fuelled by a mindless mob craze seemingly driven by instinct. Guang Hwa watched as hands clamoured onto the wagon's small grill windows, only to earn a sharp jab from the barrel of rifles wielded by the two guards. "BACK OFF!" A guard roared, threatening again with the rifle brought to bear this time.

Damian's eyes darted about, looking for an alternative escape route before he caught the glint of a bright metal flash from afar between the shutters of a shophouse window, instinctively ducking as a pellet shattered the side-mirror into a thousand dazzling glass shards. The pellet ricocheted into the crowd, maiming a lady and earning a harrowing scream while the protestors all cowered.

"They shot someone! They shot us!" One amdist the crowd fan the flames of rage, some of the more violent protestors taking it upon themselves to charge and try to flip the wagon. More pellets rang out through the chaos, the wagon suffering withering fire as Damian kept his head down, unable to clearly see where they were being shot from.

"ENOUGH!" Damian roared as he floored the accelerator while sharply twisting the wheel, the wagon brutishly charging forward without a care for collateral damage. Cries of pain and calls to violence hardly mattered in the face of an arctech wagon, but there were still far too many bodies blocking his way out. "Shoot to kill!"

The Seven Snakes guards compiled instantly, firing at anyone who was attacking the convoy physically without hesitation. Many of them were still fresh recruits, but their time in the training caves had successfully desensitized them to the carnage and suffering that they inflicted on the whimpering protestors.

Damian himself drew his own handgun, shooting down the protestors who attempted to block the wagon from moving with impunity. As the frightened unarmed protestors began to scramble, the union fighters behind the engineered swarm of people were slowly revealed, armed to the teeth with the same armor set and rifles as the guards and enforcers.

While the other convoy escort wagons were bogged down in the ensuing firefight that seemed to break out in all directions, Guang Hwa's wagon roared to life as Damian swerved through the panicking fleeing crowd, earning a few pellets to the side, the pellets bouncing off the thick armor harmlessly. "It'll take more than a few rifles to stop this wagon." The first guard grinned as the pitter-patter of whizzing pellets continuously barraged the wagon.

Damian could finally see the end of the street, a clear path beyond that led to the Magda. Yet suddenly, he noticed a small squad of three standing right in the middle of the road, mounting what seemed to be like a long metallic cylinder on their shoulders, the tip aimed straight at him. His battle instincts kicked in, trying to weave out of the way.

His eyes could only watch as a projectile burst forth from the cylinder, accelerated by the engravings along the side and nearly toppling over its wielder. The projectile slammed into the wagon, crushing the passenger seat of the cabin, narrowly avoiding him. It looked eerily like a spearhead, albeit far larger than what one would brandish on a regular spear.

Thick lines of engravings swirled around its surface, glowing for a sharp instant before Damian suddenly felt the wagon jolt to an immediate halt as if it were grounded, the motion far too intense and flipping the wagon forward. The world spun around him as the top of the wagon slammed into the smooth cobblestones with a loud bang, the ceiling caving inwards erratically.

Damian grunted while he found himself upside down in the driver's cabin, slightly crushed in with his rifle badly bent from the impact. Without missing a beat, he forcibly kicked the door open, the hinges blasting off while the door itself slammed into a union fighter head-on, allowing Damian to quickly slid out. Before he could even recover into a fighting posture, however, pellets were already shot at him, the union trying to kill him as fast as they could.

The tattooed engravings beneath his skin burned into life, hardening his skin under the modified Aspis MK1 armour he wore, allowing him to bear the brunt of the withering fire even if the pellet found a chink in the plates. In three leaps, he sprinted at the closest union fighter, grabbing the fighter's rifle with his left and driving his right fist deep into the guts of the fighter's stomach.

Even the union fighter's stolen Aspis MK1 armor was far from enough to withstand the blunt trauma inflicted by Damian's punch, the ceramic-filled honeycomb shattering easily and transferring the full momentum into his bones as he was sent flying into the nearest storefront. The mannequins and display figurines collapsed into a dishelved heap under the weight of the union fighter, while Damian swung the butt of his freshly-stolen rifle at another union fighter, the butt slamming right into the jaw and concussing him.

Under the torrent of pellet fire, Damian hugged the wreck of the wagon closely, putting what remained of the armoured frame between him and the union fighters. As he ducked instinctively from the barrage, he slammed the walls twice. "HEY! You two alive?"

There was no response, Damian fearing the worse. Nearly two dozen union fighters were pinning him down now. Even if he managed to climb over to the cabin and yank out his stuck tower shield, it would be certain death to attempt to fight back.

Yet he held strong, firing back over his cover and taking out as many union fighters as he could. Already in the distance, he could see the rest of the convoy escorts rushing over, preventing him from being fully surrounded on all sides. The firefight raged like thunder and hailstorm as he clambered to the back of the wagon, prying open the wrecked doors to reveal two unconscious guards and a clearly frightened Guang Hwa, still gagged and bound.

Damian slung the stolen rifle behind his back and gave a tight smack to both of the unconscious guards' face in a desperate attempt to wake the both of them up, but to no avail. "This location is too dangerous. Get up!" He hauled the shivering Guang Hwa to his feet, before motioning for three other Seven Snakes guards to move up as additional support while he tore out the broken door to use as a temporary shield. "Cover me to that lane!"

Guang Hwa let out a muffled shriek as he was dragged through the ravaged battlefield, the smell of burning flesh and clouds of fine stone dust wafting through the air while pellets tore through them to find their marks, earning painful grunts and shouts of battle. He scampered alongside Damian's makeshift door-shield unsteadily, keeping their heads and body as low as they could while the supporting guards laid suppressive fire.

"They are trying to escape with the prisoner! Get them!" A union fighter leader called out, the brunt of the firefight starting to shift towards Damian's shield. The force of the pellets slamming against the door-shield resonated through his arms, nearly making it numb while he watched one of the supporting guards take a pellet right into the neck between the chinks of armour, the white of bone visible as it shredded the spine apart in a single tear.

"RUN, YOU IDIOT!" Damian roared at the still shivering Guang Hwa, slapping him on the back and sending him tumbling towards the alleyway, earning scratches and slices from the rubble that drew beads of blood. While the remaining two guards blocked the entrance to the backlane, Damian hoisted Guang Hwa up with his free arm, running as fast as he could.

Guang Hwa's world spun as they turned sharp corners one after the other, Damian familiar with every nook and cranny. They snuck through rows of piled trash underneath the dripping soap from hung laundry high above them, losing their pursuers as the sounds of fighting were beginning to be drowned out by the ambient whir of arctech house machinery, pipes churning with filtered air or water along the sides of the buildings' walls that flanked them on both ends.

"Looks like we're in the clear for now." Damian muttered as he got his bearings, using the buildings and the streets as landmarks to orientate himself. Before he could make a move, he suddenly heard the tumble of a rock, a small circular ball of metal rolling right down to their feet.

Damian instantly held his door-shield up, but instead of expecting a storm of fragments bursting out, a soft, lighter-than-air gas tinged with a purple hue surged forward , enveloping both him and Guang Hwa by surprise. "Fuck!" He grabbed Guang Hwa by the nape of his neck and rushed off, only to find his limbs and muscles, his blood pressure starting to slow down significantly. Numbness crept into every pore of his skin, the tingling sensation causing him to loosen his grip on his surroundings.

He tried to speak, but his mouth didn't move the way he wanted it to, his words slurring around instead in a daze as he slumped too the floor, only able to watch as five union fighters appeared with gas masks fixed on their faces, the bright engravings on the covers filtering the gas with each hiss they breathed.

One of the union fighters aimed his rifle at the incapacitated Damian, only for another to shove the barrel out of the way. "Idiot, you want to bring the entire Seven Snakes onto us?" A familiar muffled voice spoke, Damian recognizing the owner. Bronco.

"We're already at war with the city, what's one more gang to us? We are the revolution!"

"Then you should know very well to not create more enemies than necessary. If we kill the underboss of the Seven Snakes, the very same gang who accepted all of our demands and is running the moderate union, what would the public think of us?"

"Gunther said no compromises."

"I'm the commander on the ground right here and now. Focus on saving Long Hua!"

Three soldiers moved forward to undo the cuffs on Guang Hwa's hands and the gag in his mouth. Having inhaled the incapacitating gas as well, Guang Hwa's head lolled to the side as he was hoisted up. "Ready to move, Bronco. Where to next? Hideout 5A? ... Bronco?" A union fighter asked warily as Bronco seemed to be checking his rifle intently, making sure he had enough pellets.

Without warning, Bronco flicked his rifle upwards, killing the three union fighters with a single headshot each in one swift motion. Before the remaining fighter could react, he bashed his elbow into the back of the fighter's head, knocking him out onto the ground and ending his life with three pellets to the chest.

Guang Hwa's eyes widened, his brain screaming to move, yet his intoxicated body hardly responded, his limbs only shifting slightly as Bronco walked up to him. "I know what you want to say, but I didn't want to hear it. Sorry for this, Brother."

A single pull of the trigger blasted Guang Hwa's brain out, the sickening grey flesh splattering with copious amounts of blood draining out of the fear-stricken face. Bronco instantly holstered his rifle on his back, taking out a knife and carving away at Guang Hwa's neck for a minute or two, stripping away the sinews and cutting right through the bones before yanking it off his body by the roots of the hair.

"One down, one more to go."

<---Chapter 91 - To The Table|Table of Contents|Chapter 93 - Ensnaring--->