The employer, wearing a bizarre mask, gazed at the building.
Despite its artistic appearance, the structure concealed sinister, sharp thorns.
Inside, there surely lay an array of devices set up for security.
Mechanical devices crafted using Japan’s superior technology.
Military equipment developed with advanced magical science.
Artifacts installed in advance for repelling intruders since the building’s construction.
Even divine objects meticulously created to detect foreign shamans using Onmyōdō.
No matter how notorious a thief might be, sneaking inside would be impossible.
Even if a phantom thief attempted it, they would surely fall under surveillance before reaching their target.
Of course, the more rigorous the surveillance equipment, the lower the quality of personnel inside compared to Korea.
They hadn’t deployed soldiers like Korea, nor were they linked with military units.
However, to say it was easy… would be misleading.
In fact, it would likely be more difficult than in Korea.
Given the current ambiguous situation between the two countries, both were unable to pay much attention to warehouses or research institutes housing divine objects. Naturally, there were no exceptional talents dispatched for war, and the individuals remaining during peacetime were also lacking.
Both countries had only a minimal number of personnel for show in their warehouses and research institutes.
With that in mind, they could breach it easily if they teamed up with mercenaries.
Hence, what must be noted are the variables.
And these variables stem from the security devices installed to repel intruders and the alarm system requesting external support at the research institute.
Having developed in a bizarre direction within an isolated environment… artifacts and security devices that deviated strangely from common sense. Security apparatuses built using know-how from World War II, along with devices related to Onmyōdō, magic, and divine power that Korea lacked.
All of these elements would be more than enough to cause him and the mercenaries considerable trouble.
Moreover, that was not all.
External support also needed consideration.
Onmyoji might arrive, or warriors from Osaka could flock in.
Perhaps the Self-Defense Forces would come from a nearby base, or capable individuals might arrive by helicopter.
The police would undoubtedly come, and if things went awry, the counter-terrorism unit from the police station might also show up.
While it would not be impossible to deal with them if time and effort were invested…
There was no reason to go that far, nor did he have any such intention.
In the shortest time, with the least effort, to gain the maximum benefit.
Isn’t this the proper attitude?
“No matter how tight the security might be, it’s probably designed with ordinary thieves or robbers in mind,”
the employer said with a bizarre voice.
“Foolishly so.”
And in response to the employer’s ominous voice, the team leader, leading the mercenaries, replied.
“That’s right. I think so too.”
The team leader smiled and signaled to the other mercenaries with a glance.
At that, the mercenaries began to move busily, retrieving hidden items one by one.
A large backpack that had been seamlessly hidden under a camouflage cover.
Drums and boxes concealed using optical camouflage artifacts.
Even a carrier that emitted an ominous aura.
Before them, items piled up in a manner reminiscent of moving day.
The team leader grinned at the sight.
“In front of so many bombs… that level of security is practically nonexistent.”
With those words, he signaled the mercenaries.
The signal to create usable weapons with these ‘parts.’
Thus, the mercenaries began to spring into action.
All the know-how they had gained from various terrains and battlefields was unleashed as items were assembled.
The carrier opened, and gunpowder and bombs poured out, while the now-useless carrier was dismantled. The handle attached to the drum provided support, while the carrier’s panel disassembled along pre-scored lines, revealing its interior.
What emerged from within the carrier were white powders.
Methamphetamine procured from the Airin District of Osaka, known as a slum area.
Of course, not all of that white powder was methamphetamine.
The price wouldn’t be feasible just for a mere request.
That white powder was a blend of methamphetamine and locally sourced chemicals, along with scopolamine extracted from anti-nausea medications and toxins they always carried.
While it wouldn’t possess the strength to incapacitate immediately upon ingestion, it was powerful enough to cause confusion.
As the chaos died down and calm settled, the drug’s effects would spread, preventing proper judgment.
They placed the white powder into a small rice cooker.
And not stopping there, they tossed in the broken pieces of the carrier, which didn’t seem like your average carrier when it made a metallic sound upon entering the rice cooker.
Meanwhile, on the other side, items wrapped in paper were being shoved into the drum.
The paper-wrapped items were packed neatly inside the inclined drum, with thick lines resembling detonating cord extending outwards. Once filled to a certain extent, they pulled something resembling a shell from the box.
It was a bomb that appeared to have been modified from a gas canister, with roughly attached wings made from scrap metal.
Thus, one by one, preparations progressed.
Inside the drum were gunpowder and bombs.
In the rice cooker were powders and bits of the carrier.
On a projectile, attached to a thin chain, were nails and glass shards smeared with poison.
The drone was filled with a special bomb made from aluminum powder.
And then.
Click.
“Employer, do you have any means of protecting yourself?”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Understood. Then I shall commence.”
In the team leader’s hand was an EMP bomb.
The grotesquely designed bomb, with various mechanical devices glued onto it, displayed red numbers as the team leader pressed a button, and the countdown began rapidly.
Holding the activated EMP bomb in hand, the team leader sent a warning message to the employer and raised his gaze, focusing on the upper part of the building.
The inner qi, dormant within his energy points, began to rise in response to his will.
In an instant, his body swirled as it achieved max condition, strengthening the muscles in the hand that held the EMP bomb.
Enhancement.
Muscles turned resilient.
Providing greater strength with lesser force.
Allowing explosive physical abilities impossible to achieve under normal circumstances.
Thus, the team leader’s arm swelled, and his waist twisted.
With added rotational force, the EMP bomb, weighing a considerable amount, shot into the sky like a toy made from twigs.
It sliced through the air at high speed as if thrown by a machine.
And as the countdown in mid-air reached its climax.
Boom!
The EMP bomb erupted with a deafening roar.
With an explosive sound that could deafen, an immense wave of electromagnetic pulses spread, frying the circuits of every electronic device placed throughout the research institute.
And with this explosion as a signal, the mercenaries began to move.
Crack!
The first to act were those near the drums.
They used their tools to ignite the detonating cord, swiftly retreating from the drums to avoid the oncoming explosion.
Boom!
Bang!
The detonating cord exploded rapidly, igniting the gunpowder stacked neatly inside the drum.
The gunpowder, bursting forth, forced out the bombs stuffed within the drum, while the bomb with wings shot off towards its predetermined direction.
The bomb transformed from a makeshift cannon created from a drum into a shell launched high into the air, tracing a curve as it accurately advanced towards its target.
The front gate.
Directly at the point where security devices and alarms converged.
Boom!
The shell reached its target, unleashing an explosive power that was hard to believe for a homemade bomb, obliterating the front gate.
Reddish flames burst forth with a blinding light, scattering and burning everything it touched. The intensity was so fierce that security guards at a distance were blown away from the impact.
Boom!
The guards flung through the air by the shockwave tumbled several times before crashing against the wall of a nearby building.
Though they wouldn’t die, having calculated for their survival, they were likely nursing a few broken bones.
Whoosh!
Whooosh!
With the front gate blown open, the next to spring into action were those wielding projectiles with thin chains.
They grasped the chains and spun their bodies around, and once enough rotational force was developed, they released the projectiles like throwing discs.
Thus, the hurled projectiles sliced through the air, perfectly entering the shattered interior of the gate.
Kaboom!
The projectiles embedded themselves into the walls inside the building.
With their heavy bodies, and the power of the Qi enveloping them.
Boom!
As the projectiles struck the walls, they triggered timers and exploded with immense noise.
The cracks on the projectiles formed outlets for the pressure surging from within to escape, causing thick, black smoke to spread in all directions.
At that moment, the building was engulfed in a thick haze of black smoke.
It appeared as though a colossal fire had engulfed the building.
