0p0 Chapter 183 Countermeasures
Chapter 183 Countermeasures
"They're getting more and more outrageous..."
Brett Carter, on the front lines of the fight, looked at the map covered with dense red thumbtacks, each marking an attack.
Since the Alice attack, the perpetrators have become increasingly emboldened, and the frequency, number, and intensity of their attacks have become more and more aggressive. In the past, they used broadswords and rifles, but now military firepower has begun to appear at the front-line crime scenes, most of which are various types of decommissioned military machine guns and breech-loading rifles with metal cartridges.
This firepower put immense pressure on frontline officers, prompting Brett Carter and the Joint Command to decide on a curfew in Versailles, with armed police beginning to patrol the main streets in place of regular officers.
This was certainly a last resort. The curfew and martial law were another major blow to the city, which had just begun to recover. Under such circumstances, it was hardly a business environment.
But who would want this? Brett Carter's gaze fell on some gray tacks in the city, marking the entrances to Versailles' underground network that had been identified so far.
During the emergency operation over the past few days, the police have uncovered many underground structures. With the city's sewage pipes as the main arteries, various people have dug out various underground structures with picks and shovels over thousands of years, forming a huge underground network.
"Your Excellency Minister... Operation B-3 has sent intelligence that they have located an underground stronghold of the Harvin Gang... and launched a raid, arresting the criminals at the stronghold and killing 10 militants... They revealed the central hub for the Harvin Gang's escape and underground command."
"Where is that central hub?"
"According to our current intelligence... it's beneath the old palace..."
"The old palace?"
Brett Carter immediately summoned the municipal council, whose representative explained to him: "That's right, since the recapture of Versailles, the old palace has ceased to serve its original purpose, so it has been closed for renovation. Currently, there is an engineering team repairing the damaged structure of the palace in that location."
"So your construction team didn't report anything unusual at the palace?"
"No... The repair work is still proceeding normally..."
Brett Carter was taken aback. Normal operation? Given the current situation, with most of the Versailles farmers' market closed, how could the palace renovations still be running normally?
It would be a miracle if you believed that.
He nodded, subtly telling the representative, "I understand."
Immediately afterwards, he summoned Lavinia, who was also completely bewildered. The secret intelligence agency had indeed received some information, but there was no intelligence indicating that something fishy was going on in the capital.
“Damn it…”
Brett Carter looked at the towering building, its gilded exterior a testament to its former unquestionable authority, but now, to him, it appeared utterly dark.
"Assemble the SWAT team!"
The special forces soldiers, dressed in black welding helmets, each carried a weapon, including an M870, a short-barreled FAL, and several M3 submachine guns.
Black armored vehicles made their way to the old palace, a building that had stood for a thousand years and was now surrounded by blue barriers. The lead armored vehicle crashed through the blue barriers, and the stone staircase was littered with scattered repair tools.
"right here."
At the same time, Brett Carter commanded all the armed police forces and police in the city to raid the identified gang strongholds. Gunfire erupted throughout the city, covering the SWAT teams that were striking at key locations.
Beneath Versailles lies a vast underground space. As operations began on the surface, the Magical Hermitage, an organization chaired by a five-member council, held a meeting.
Dozens of purple-robed mages sat on one side, while the five council members in the very center wore golden robes. With a flash of magical light, a huge crystal carved from a giant magic crystal began to glow, revealing words and simple patterns one by one.
"That so-called presidential proposal was for us to form an alliance with her."
"What right does she have to talk about alliances?"
"But the Halvin Gang isn't qualified either..."
The council members and the purple-robed councilor mage began a heated debate: Halvin's Gang or Amelansi, that was the question, and the possible outcomes would be projected onto the giant magic crystal screen after the debate.
"They were the ones who hunted us down, and now you're talking about this? Ha~"
“Those so-called nobles also hunted us down; they were no different from any other group.”
"I believe the nobles are the unreliable ones... Don't forget who proposed destroying us a hundred years ago..."
"Currently, the nobles have an advantage, but not by much... If it were us..."
One line of text after another began to appear on the magic crystal board, with the golden-robed council member being the last to speak.
"For now, I think we should continue to cooperate with the Halvin Gang... because she, the so-called descendant of vampires, is the one who started the hunt for us."
A female board member stood up and stated her opinion.
“Generally speaking, our cause is incomprehensible to those who are short-sighted. What is rare is that the so-called vampire president has expressed her understanding of our cause. As far as I am concerned, I choose to form an alliance with her.”
After she sat down, many people nodded, and then a second person stood up.
"They have their share of victories and defeats... but we can't stay underground forever. Science can exist here, but our people can't. I'm willing to risk accepting her offer. Don't you think so? Rather than cooperating with fools who see our research as a 'gift of magic,' we should cooperate with those who appreciate our creations."
A commotion erupted as some purple-robed mages voiced their opinions, but then a magical wave burst forth, silencing everyone.
"Quiet!"
"This so-called president's words are nothing but empty rhetoric; I refuse to listen!"
The fourth person refused, leaving it two against two. Everyone looked at the last person, a woman with beautiful blonde hair beneath a golden robe. She spoke, "Of course, of course, there's a risk, isn't there? But if she truly understands us, then the risk is worth taking. If she can keep her promise, we will usher in a new era... My suggestion is..."
The woman paused for a moment, then said, "Let her conduct our trial. If she passes, then I agree to cooperate with her and let our future be in the sunlight."