Book 12: Chapter 3: Natural Fortress

Chapter 278 middle reaches of the Valley of Sin.

Constable Park.

Having taken command of the government soldiers from the public security annex of the central government office, he asked his junior constable.

“Did you finish organizing the night shift?”

“Yes, it is neatly finished.”

The junior constable, who had returned to the government soldiers' temporary headquarters after completing a round of patrol, plopped down in his seat and continued speaking.

“Senior. Having done a round, it really feels real now.”

“What does?”

Constable Park took out two cigarettes, lit them with an oil lamp, and handed one to his junior.

Since the headquarters was under a nighttime blackout, only a minimal number of oil lamps were provided.

“Oops, thanks,” said the junior constable as he put the cigarette in his mouth, enjoying the smoke as he replied.

“The fact that we are actually stationed in the conquered Valley of Sin.”

At that answer, Constable Park let out a hollow laugh and nodded.

“Indeed… It is a wondrous thing.”

The notorious reputation of the Valley of Sin was not made in a short time.

Though there was a history of some rulers attempting to clean it up for a brief period, as a result, 'normalizing' the Valley of Sin had always failed.

“Senior, have you heard the rumor?”

“The rumor that this place might become a holy land for the Fairy Cult?”

“Yes, that rumor.”

Thanks to that, the Heavy Armored Squad of the House of Benevolence and Love stationed together with them was currently in a festive mood.

It was visible to the eye that even the residents living in this hellish slum were also swelling with hope.

“This time, it might really be possible. To truly make the Valley of Sin be reborn.”

“Indeed.”

The junior constable also agreed.

“When looking at what the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family is doing, I get a feeling that Luoyang might really change somehow.”

The senior constable looked down at the valley through a narrow window.

The stone buildings constructed in the style of the previous dynasty, with the slums' extensions added on top, created a forest-like scenery.

On a night without even moonlight like today.

That landscape which appeared chaotic, disorderly, and even inspired fear, for some reason felt like the strong will of those who wished to survive.

“…Is it called 'hope'.”

The junior constable, sitting next to him who was lost in sentiment, chattered to himself.

“…The valley is south-facing and even overlooks the Yellow River. It is a prime location. If it is properly developed—” his words could not be finished.

Because the senior constable sprang to his feet.

“A messenger…?”

The junior constable also stood up accordingly and looked out the narrow window.

“It is a warrior from the Fourth Young Master's side!”

Whether he recognized his face, the shout of the government soldier standing watch at the rooftop post could be heard.

The one carrying a messenger flag on his back was running up the steep alley exceptionally well despite panting.

“I have come from the Allied Headquarters!”

The Allied Headquarters was the command center of the Eldest Young Master's side, which bound together individuals from different affiliations to centralize their command authority.

“It is an emergency order! Is the commander of the government soldiers present?!”

An emergency order at this hour?

After exchanging puzzled looks with each other, Constable Park shouted outside.

“I am Park, who has taken command of the government soldiers! Just what is going on?!”

The messenger, perhaps because he was in a great hurry did not even think to verify his identity and first began to shout.

“Information has come from Crescent Moon Pavilion that there are suspicious movements near the docks in the direction of the Yellow River and they are verifying it!”

“The Yellow River, the docks?”

The valley was peaceful with a cool breeze blowing, and today of all days, there was not even the sound of neighbors arguing.

The Yellow River looked down upon from here was shrouded in darkness, and the docks could not be seen properly.

“Precisely which dock are you talking about?”

“That is not what is important!”

The messenger waved both hands.

“The Allied Headquarters has issued a first-class alert status to the entire army as of this hour, and ordered each command to prepare for battle!”

First-class alert status.

Battle preparation.

Without needing to think twice, Constable Park instructed the junior constable.

“Immediately issue instructions to all troops!”

“Yes!”

The junior constable put back on the helmet he had taken off and rushed out of the headquarters building.

“……?!”

At that very moment.

Whether the sound of something cutting through the wind like a "ssssing—" was first whether the shock of heaven and earth turning upside down with a "bang" was first whether the explosion heard from afar was first or whether something flashing in the direction of the Yellow River through the narrow window slit was first, constable Park, who lost consciousness in an instant, could not distinguish.

* * *

“…ior! Senior!”

The voice of his junior was heard faintly.

“Open your eyes!”

This fellow.

Is a grown man crying?

Constable Park, who was about to click his tongue thinking that, snapped his eyes open.

“Argh…!”

As he regained consciousness, flashes appeared before his eyes.

He realized that severe pain was coursing through his entire body.

Whether it was because his ribs were broken, or because he could not breathe properly due to the dense dust everywhere he could not judge.

“W-What on earth is this situation—?!”

Through the dense dust, he could see that the temporary headquarters building where he had been just moments ago was half-destroyed.

“Senior!”

It seemed he had only lost consciousness for a brief moment.

“Aaagh—!”

“My leg, my leg!”

The surroundings were filled with the screams and groans of government soldiers.

“Give instructions for a response…!”

The face of his junior, which had been clean just moments ago, was covered in dust and sweat, looking extremely messy.

“Response, right. Response…”

At that moment as he muttered that and tried to raise his body somehow, a hand pressed him down.

“Everyone, get down! Take cover!”

The one who pressed him down shouted in a booming voice carrying deep internal energy.

“Soon, the second wave is coming!”

A second wave?

Rumble—!

Was an angry Indra casting thunder and lightning down to the earth?

An ear-splitting roar.

Even though he was held down by a strong hand, his limbs bounced randomly against the ground that trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

“Uaaah, aaah!”

“Mother…! Mother…!”

Dirt piles and gravel that had flown up showered down like rain from the sky, and the government soldiers, fallen into chaos, covered their ears and screamed.

“Get a grip! You fools!”

Even amidst that, the voice of the one holding Constable Park down was heard so clearly.

“This neighborhood is surrounded by stone buildings! As long as you take cover properly, you will be fine unless you take a direct hit from a shell!”

Those who regained their senses at that voice crawled and squeezed behind the stone buildings by any means.

“Direct hit? Cover?”

Constable Park also grasped the situation.

“Is the valley currently undergoing bombardment?”

Even while a shower of shells was falling, someone who managed to catch Constable Park's words answered him.

“Yes! It is naval gunfire! Looking at the direction of the falling shells, it seems to be roughly from the direction of the Yellow River docks!”

Did he actually check the direction of the falling shells in this situation?

Anew, his gaze drifted to the one holding him down and protecting him.

Shabby clothes with armor that seemed patched together here and there.

Yet an extraordinary sword that did not suit it.

“A warrior of the War Advisory Council…?”

“Yes!”

At Constable Park's words, the warrior of the War Advisory Council showed him a smile.

“It seems you are regaining your senses a bit!”

“Th-This is no time for this.”

Just as the War Advisory Council warrior said, Constable Park, who regained his senses, tried to raise his body again.

“If it is bombardment, I must issue a scatter order—!”

“Stay still!”

The War Advisory Council warrior pressed down once more on his body as he tried to get up, and at that moment, a shell fell in close proximity.

“The scatter order has already been issued! Do not worry, and you just lie down as you are!”

The warrior grabbed the shoulder of the junior constable who was lying down holding Constable Park's body and shouted.

“I will take command here, so move this commander to the rear immediately!”

“W-Where is the rear?!”

Despite the dazed question, the warrior replied kindly.

“Naturally, the upper reaches of the valley is the rear! Get a grip!”

“Yes, yes! Understood!”

The junior constable nodded and began dragging Constable Park's armor like crazy.

“St-Stop…! I can walk on my—” hearing the voice of the junior constable who was dragging him through the alleys with all his internal energy, Constable Park gave up resisting.

“Senior! Your head is split open right now and blood is streaming down! Please just stay still!”

‘My head is split?’

Cole to think of it, one side of his vision was dyed red and he could not even see properly.

And a lukewarm liquid flowing from his head was passing over his face and dripping onto his body.

‘Is my skull fractured?’

“There is a wounded person here!”

“Drag him! Watch his head!”

Several people nearby rushed over, grabbed Constable Park, and began dragging him together.

“Listen, everyone!”

The voice of the War Advisory Council warrior reached Constable Park's ears.

“Once this bombardment ends, we will all retreat to the rear and regroup! The assembly point is…!”

They said the warriors of the War Advisory Council were well-versed in battles large and small across the entire Central Plains.

Indeed, he was handling the bombardment with skillful coping and instructions.

Bang!

Boom, boom!

Into the field of vision of Constable Park, who was being dragged with his neck supported and shoulders held, the sight of the valley entered.

Boom, boom!

Crash!

Although the shells flying out of the darkness could not even be seen properly every time a shell exploded, the earth shook.

Buildings collapsed with a crash here and there.

And there were places where smoke rose as if a fire had broken out.

To think there is bombardment in the middle of Luoyang.

“M-Madmen…”

Constable Park lost consciousness.

* * *

Near some dock on the Yellow River.

Although the surprise bombardment was proceeding smoothly the faces of the Second Young Master's side watching it were not very bright.

“Are you actually firing properly right now?”

An elder asked an officer of the Fresh Blood Fleet, the pirate mercenaries.

“It does not seem like there is much of a significant result?”

At the strangely sharp question, the officer of the Fresh Blood Fleet shrugged his shoulders.

“What can we do about the fact that the foundations of that neighborhood over there are all stone buildings?”

Chewing on a piece of beef jerky, the officer looked out the window at the Valley of Sin.

“Due to the stone buildings, and perhaps because a scatter order was issued immediately, everyone has dispersed.”

His sharp eyes scanned the battlefield.

“Seeing that they are even retreating in timing with the pauses in the bombardment, I suppose they are regrouping in the upper reaches.”

He snorted as if finding it interesting.

“It seems there are proper war experts over there as well.”

At his nonchalant tone, the elder dealing with him flew into a rage.

“How incredibly peaceful of you! If so, is there not no reason for us to have taken the extreme measure of bombardment in the middle of Luoyang?!”

If he had been someone associated with the Luoyang Sword Family or Luoyang, he would have trembled at the elder's murderous aura, but.

“Have we not already smashed most of the military and business strongpoints we identified beforehand, including the enemies' business headquarters?”

Not a single trace of fear could be found in the pirate mercenary of Evil Tyrant Heaven.

“Since the landed main force should be approaching the valley entrance about now, if you are unsatisfied, why do you not go and lend those old hands of yours?”

“What, what did you say?!”

What stopped the elder's movement to grab the collar of the pirate mercenary officer was the low voice of Elder Hahou.

“Even if it is not us, there are plenty of hands to add.”

At that voice, everyone's gaze directed outside the window.

“Is that…?”

The eyes of the elder who had tried to grab the pirate mercenary officer's collar widened.

“…What an enormous number.”

The elders who approached the window wore pale expressions.

* * *

“What are you doing?! Are you scared of some bombardment noises, you bastards?!”

All kinds of un-unified attire.

Their hand-held weapons were also varied.

As dozens of people emerged from the alley, hundreds of people were already moving along the main road.

“Move, right now!”

“Are you going to let the other bastards take all the credit?!”

An countless number of people was passing through the streets of Luoyang, to the extent that the voices of those shouting at the top of their lungs were drowned out.

“Fuck, which bastards set the fires?!”

“Madmen! I told you to just pillage moderately?!”

Plundering, arson, murder.

Every shop on the path they passed was looted.

And fights with guards defending the shops were even breaking out here and there.

A certain large shop.

“Where are the government soldiers?! Why are they not even to be seen?!”

There were those blocking the entrance using a huge cabinet as a barricade.

“Fuck!”

A guard martial artist who was desperately blocking the shop's door shouted to his companion.

“It seems they are underworld bastards. Just which organization's bastards are they?!”

A companion who had looked outside and returned, putting his weight onto the barricade to block it along with him, shouted.

“The Severed Finger Society, the Armor Destruction Gate, the Five Dragons Branch, the Luoyang Mountain and Sea Gang, the Ma Family Six Forests…!”

The guard martial artist shrieked at his companion who was listing off the names of Luoyang underworld organizations.

“Which of those bastards is it?!”

His companion shrieked back in the same way.

“All of them! All of them!”

Blood drained from the guard martial artist's face.

“All of them…?”

His companion, lacking not only internal energy but pushing the barricade with the weight of his entire body, shouted.

“Just the ones I can recognize amount to that much! Virtually the entirety of the Luoyang underworld has poured out—!”

Crash!

As if showing how many underworld gang members were pushing the barricade from the other side, the two martial artists were crushed under the barricade and lost their lives.

“Now, loot everything!”

Just like a swarm of rats escaping an earthquake the underworld gang members began pouring into the shop in a rush.

“……!”

“……!”

However, to the extent that such deviant behavior of those gang members had not the slightest effect on the overall movement their numbers were enormous.

* * *

The pinnacle of the organizations ruling Luoyang's underworld.

Six Men Association.

Under the general mobilization order they issued, the entire underworld of Luoyang was moving.

Their target was only one.

The Valley of Sin.