Chapter 171

After sweeping away the crime organization disguised as a trading company in one fell swoop, all that remained were the petty thugs.

Given the scale of the operation, I couldn’t kill ‘everyone.’

As a result of the simultaneous Violet strike tactics, all of the organization’s executives were dead, and some were captured.

However, among the rabble, there were those who managed to escape or had already fled upon hearing the news.

“It would be right to catch and kill those guys too, but we have urgent matters to deal with first.”

“That’s right, it’s something we can handle at the Brotherhood level.”

Since the Violets set the table for us, the rest should be handled by others.

“Alright, let’s focus on our work!”

The conversation among the Violets shifted to future plans. First, the one in charge of drugs, Subject 912, announced.

“I secured Black Ice! It’s enough for a box, so we can use it anytime we need. I also found out where we can acquire more drugs through interrogation, so we can check that out if needed.”

Drug acquisition is progressing according to plan. If we can harness the power of drugs, we can throw more variables into our enemies’ plans.

Next to speak was the interrogator, Advisor 444.

“I interrogated a few of the surviving executives and the boss, you know? They’re from this Pinnacle Trade Network or something. They are really nasty people!”

Their human trafficking methods were extremely cruel.

They kidnapped orphans and homeless people from within and around the academy city, forcing others under the pretense of job placements, only to confine them.

Some of those gathered were sent to brothels, while others were forced into debt and hired as dungeon miners or porters, exploited for free.

But the most horrendous thing was yet to come. Human experimentation!

“Just look at the case of Kalia’s abduction, they are dealing with Laplacian. There are several other large clans involved too.”

The abominable biotech company, Laplacian, that created and tormented the Violets, was outsourcing them to supply test subjects.

Perhaps, it was these people who kidnapped our Violets.

“I don’t know about that. There are other organizations that do this sort of thing. But there’s something more important.”

At that moment, the Violets sighed in irritation.

It was just testimonies and circumstances, but there was a familiar name among them.

“MagnaVis was also involved. They’re everywhere!”

The pitiful patients in their suspicious laboratories and the ones with opened skulls, I wondered where they had come from.

“Horrible…!”

Seeing the dirty side of the alliance between clans and the criminal society left us feeling sick.

As furious Violets condemned the clan and the horrors of memory, Subject 1085, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.

“Wait a minute, we haven’t killed the executives and the boss yet? I have a good idea.”

“Why?”

“They said those guys are dealing with MagnaVis, right? If we use the human trafficking routes, we might be able to sneak into their secret labs, just like when we rescued Uncle Kalia last time.”

“Whoa, what a thought!”

The Violets nodded in admiration.

We needed a way to access the secret facilities and information about those guys that we couldn’t simply know through investigation, and the idea of securing a backdoor from an unexpected place made our hearts race.

“There probably are some bad scientists there too, right?”

The Violets recalled the faces of Ponytail and Backcombed Hair.

Names like Josef Mengele, Ishii Shiro, and John Cutler came to mind.

Unfortunately, those mad scientists roamed free without any punishment, indulging in their long lives.

Moreover, those malicious scientists in this rough academy city were likely living even more happily, thanks to the backing of clans and corporations.

Fueled by the blood and sweat of innocent girls!

However, that was before Violet’s possession. If we see those kinds of people in our sights from now on, we won’t let them go.

Of course, this wasn’t just about personal vengeance.

“If we wipe out the entire research and development department, the future of the clan will vanish.”

MagnaVis is a clan of mages, famous for not just pure magical skill but also for their application of magical and scientific integration.

The MagnaVis Group earns significant profits from this. Every time we destroy a laboratory, their future will evaporate.

“If we take Yurik or Ennis, we can use them as slaves, and with Ponytail, we kill him. What do you think?”

“I agree!”

With that, the fate of the prisoners was decided.

The Violets’ discussion shifted to military formation plans.

“When can we unleash Rugilinn’s Iron Fist?”

“The tanks are our friends. We can’t leave friends like that behind!”

Our innocent light tanks, who love slaughter, are currently well hidden in a corner of the dungeon.

Unfortunately, it was too difficult to bring out Rugilinn’s Iron Fist and the second vehicle right now. Somehow, the federal guys, who were fixated on the relics, kept lurking around the dungeon.

If the Atlas Clan hadn’t helped, Rugilinn’s Iron Fist would have fallen into the hands of the federals.

“Isn’t this going to expose us?”

“Don’t worry. We’ve got our clan leadership’s back. The lower ranks don’t know what’s going on. The captain and the remaining soldiers also don’t know our true identity.”

Even in the worst-case scenario, the federals wouldn’t be able to discover much.

All they would know is that a suspicious organization appeared and opened fire, wiping out the MagnaVis people.

Everyone imagined a future where they were driving around in tanks, but the Second Clone objected.

“We can’t do that for a while. We can’t use a tank if we bring it out now.”

“That’s right, I guess…”

Thinking it over, even if we brought it out, we wouldn’t be able to use it right away.

We still had to learn how to operate the equipment, and there were parts that were damaged during combat. We didn’t have a trailer to transport the tank or spare parts and ammunition.

Fortunately, we had Uncle Ospri and the car experts from the Brotherhood.

If we buy and modify a pickup truck, jeep, or bus, we could use it as a substitute for the tank.

The question is how we would utilize it.

We activated our collective intelligence. Soon the generals of the Violet Network emerged. It was the second time since Vittorio Dungeon.

From the front, a strange singing sound could be heard.

A vast prairie unfolded across the network, and from over the hill, arrows soared into the sky. The ominous screech from the flute attached to the arrow echoed loudly.

Soon a Violet dressed as a nomad rode in.

“Let’s make an armed truck equipped with a machine gun and mortar. And we kill anything bigger than the truck’s wheels.”

“That’s the best tactic!”

We’ve been pondering for a long time. How can we live joyfully and contentedly in a world full of scoundrels?

The answer was simple. Making good friends and earning enough money is all we need.

However, judging from what Violet gathered, the outlook for her friends wasn’t particularly hopeful.

According to my memories, in five years, her friends would be in a very depressed state.

“Kalia became a back-alley resolver, and Irene became a ruined clan leader addicted to booze and cigarettes!”

Nearly half a year after escaping the lab, our Violet began to hazily understand why her friends ended up in such situations.

She had been given the chance to see the inner workings she had previously been ignorant of up close.

“If we hadn’t rescued Uncle Ospri, the Brotherhood would have crumbled as we know it and turned into a gang, right?”

It’s a sad story. Violet’s friends are all people without parents.

Daphne lost her family to monsters when she was young, and for reasons unknown, Kalia’s family has only her uncle.

“That seems right. And Irene… it must be that uncle of hers causing the problems!”

And if I know the setting correctly, Irene will also lose all her parents.

Her mother passed away when she was little.

To make matters worse, Irene’s father, the clan leader, literally got split in two fighting a high-level monster and is barely hanging on.

Her uncle must have some schemes to seize control of the clan.

Wait, something feels off.

Suddenly, a truth popped into my mind. Our barracks is an orphanage!

“Now that I think about it, all our teammates are parentless!”

In this Trist planet where the gate opens when bored, orphans and widows are common. Still, it’s astonishing how all the people without parents are gathered around me among the many heroes and students of the Crimson Scholar.

“Not necessarily! Our Doctor and the slave girl have parents. They call to check in from time to time.”

Hmm, they only send necessary messages under our surveillance. Suddenly felt a little envious.

I need to work them harder.

But I must not step back.

If they have no parents, we can be their family. We at least have the ability to ensure they aren’t lonely.

“And we have strength!”

What if there’s someone teasing our friends about being parentless? I’ll make that person one of them too!

One problem is, how do I deal with those who already don’t have parents?

There’s a scary fact that the current chairman of Polaris, who acts behind the scenes of MagnaVis, is one such being.

“Chairman Valefor is an old man! He’s already without parents.”

“Ah! He’s invincible. No parents…!”

From what I’ve investigated, that chairman is from a ruined old noble family, born long before the two-dimensional invasion.

He maintains his youthful appearance, with no need for dentures or implants, but hidden within is a 120-year-old lunatic who inexplicably plans large-scale experiments at the academy.

Being the student council president and in the board of directors is a hassle, but the biggest obstacle in the revolutionary plot to overturn the academy and the clan is that parentless old monster and the vast array of combat units beneath him.

“The ones who open the era are young and cute girls. We don’t need old folks at the academy!”

So if we want to succeed in this terrorist… no, revolutionary plot, we need more firepower.

I don’t plan to deal with him directly, but in the worst case, we need to force him into early retirement physically.

Fortunately, I’ve gotten a promise of cooperation from Uncle Ospri and the handy guys from the Brotherhood, leaving only the weapons to be mounted on the car.

I’ve seen the catalog provided by the weapons merchant, but I’m not sure what the actual equipment looks like.

“I’ve poured all the money earned in the dungeon into this! If they scam us, we’ll turn them into Skullcat food.”

“Let’s see how it goes.”

If we secure heavy weapons, I plan to reorganize the Violet Brigade into a regiment.

If everything goes as planned, the Violet Infantry Brigade will transform into a Violet Mechanized Brigade equipped with artillery and armored vehicles.

“We are preparing for war!”

“For peace!”

After concluding the meeting, the Violets resumed their duties.

As the days passed, the trading date drew near.

A few days later, the Violets and the intermediary crossed the moonless night sea on a borrowed yacht.

Violet felt as if the world was on her side.

That night, the sky was thick with clouds. With such darkness, the transaction would not be discovered.

After a long journey, we arrived at the rendezvous point just past midnight.

The place agreed upon to meet the weapons merchant was well out in the sea, far from the main island.

As they shut off the engine and waited, the communicator emitted a regular beep. A signal that a boat was approaching.

The manager nodded at the captain piloting the ship. Soon, a reply came back.

Moments later, a massive silhouette emerged from the darkness.

While Leslie, the manager, fumbled around with the binoculars, Violet focused her gaze on the ship’s direction.

A faint red light blinked three times. Without the vision of an Awakened One, it would be hard to see from this distance.

Violet raised her sword and sent out a small amount of magical power, swinging it three times. The dull shimmering red light responded as a signal.

A few minutes later, the Violets and the intermediary boarded the cargo vessel.

On the deck stood the weapons merchant, with ebony-like skin, waiting among his men in suits. In front of them was a table set with wine and a few fruits.

“Long time no see, Miss Ariel. How have you been?”

“Yeah, we’ve been well. Let’s get to the point. You kept your end of the bargain, right?”

At Violet’s question, Armas lowered his sunglasses slightly before responding with a smile.

Amidst the laughter, Violet could catch a glimpse of his confidence from his neatly arranged gleaming white teeth.

“I told you during our first transaction. I never lie in trade. There’s no way items can be forced back to me, so how would I deceive you, my customer?”

“Well, I’d hope so. We’re busy, let’s see it quickly.”

“That’s a shame. I specially prepared some fine wine for you. Wouldn’t it be better to see it in person than hear a hundred words?”

Armas gestured to one of his waiting subordinates.

The subordinate opened the door of a nearby container.

The door creaked open, and Violet shone a light into the container.

Potatoes cascaded down like an avalanche.

“…What is this? Are you kidding me?”

Masked Violets glared with intense stares. Armas burst into laughter.

“Of course not! This is just the wrapping paper. Inspections are usually rigorous. Now, let’s see the real deal!”

Armas’s subordinates cleared the potatoes and the boxes behind them.

Once the task was done, Violet could finally see the metallic objects that embodied fire and rage hidden behind.

Violet’s eyes filled with astonishment.

“…This is real?”

“I told you before. I was lucky enough to acquire an abandoned supply warehouse. It’s second-tier, but the quantity and firepower are guaranteed. The night is long, let me show you everything.”

As his speech concluded, Armas could see the customer, filled with excitement, walking into the toy section of a department store like a child.

“Alright, show me quickly!”

He was sure. This deal would definitely be a hit.