Operation at the Port

Maybe she's saying that out of concern for him. Leo knows that. 

Because the person Jenny thinks of as Ban is just a trainee magician who came down from the wilderness. 

But Leo couldn't stop himself from laughing at her words. 

Where in this place was there any time to prepare for him? 

The environment surrounding him has always been harsh, and Leo has always made his own choices to move forward. 

At that moment, I resolved not to stop from the moment I pulled the trigger towards the supervisor's forehead. 

Even if it means bearing the contradiction of risking death to live 

"Once you start running, you have to see it through to the end." 

"…. half?" 

"Tell him I'll take on the request." 

The encounter with the Ascended One, whether intentionally or not, changed Leo's thinking significantly. 

Leo's goal is to get what he wants by prioritizing safety and reducing risk. 

Precious relics, rare elixirs. These aren't things you can get your hands on just because you have a lot of money. 

Eventually, there had to be a way up, and Leo just needed the opportunity to do so. 

I want higher reputation and qualifications. 

Growing resentment, shrinking time, and looming danger. 

The time given to him was too short to give meaning to all of those things and to be afraid of them. 

Don't overthink it. If the stakes are greater than the risk, jump in. 

That was the only justification for caring on this street. 

Did he read something in Leo's expression? 

The two people said nothing more. 

Port 

As soon as Leo expressed his willingness to take on the job, things moved quickly. 

Panoa, as if she had been waiting, sent information about the first objective to Leo. 

Jenny entered the office and gave a briefing, while Leo quietly bit into a cigarette. 

"The first target set by Dyke's side is Paul Ackerman, a drug dealer operating mainly in the 48th District." 

A photo appears immediately on the screen prepared in advance. 

A middle-aged man with thick red hair, freckles and a beard. 

"They started their business two years ago and quickly established sales channels, and their business grew rapidly. There was a lot of talk about their capital coming from an unknown source, but there was a rumour that they were one of Juice Master's subordinates. If that's true, you should be careful." 

Drug lord Dominic Cavaro, aka 'Juice Master'. 

He is the head of a huge cartel that directly controls intercity drug trafficking and even sells drugs to the National Guard. 

Recently, his name was even mentioned in the Bokmajeon, and there was a lot of speculation that he had taken the cartel he was running directly into Pandemonium. 

"That's probably why Paul Ackerman's personal bodyguard is so high-level. It seems he uses a mercenary from the bottom as his bodyguard. His name is Jude Russell. He's a well-known and skilled person among mercenaries." 

The face of a noticeably young black man appears next to the screen. He has a sharp and rough expression. He is quite handsome and has a large sword strapped to his back. 

"According to information provided by Dyke's side, Paul Ackerman is scheduled to hold a meeting with his distributors at the port side of Area 48 in three days." 

"Is this information reliable?" 

"I've checked with you, and I've heard that access to certain ports is being blocked, so I'm sure it's not a lie." 

"Hmm…." 

Leo looked over the request outline sent by Dyke in silence and then opened his mouth. 

"I wonder why they want to kill drug dealers when they want to build a weapons industry." 

"It seems that he is continuously investing money from selling drugs in illegal arms trade. He is said to be one of the major investors there. He is probably talking about cutting out a corner where money can be made first. It's not a bad plan." 

"What about other people?" 

"There are five people participating in this event. They probably chose people with similar evaluations to you and planned the event. I told you the meeting time and place. Everyone will gather then." 

I get it. You can't make a project like this successful with just Leo. 

Perhaps they will try to change the situation all at once by hiring additional people who are in a comparable situation or treated similarly to Leo. 

"The top priority target is Paul Ackerman himself. He has notified us that he will pay us additional compensation if we kill Jude Russell. A 20 million cell deposit, and a 20 million cell success fee. He said that the team member who kills Jude Russell will receive an additional 10 million cell." 

"Why do you want Russell to die?" 

Even though we will have to collide to kill Paul Ackerman anyway, what is my intention in singling him out and asking for his elimination? 

Jenny also didn't seem to know that much and just shrugged her shoulders. 

"Anyway, that's all the information Dyke has given us. To be honest, since it's a company that grew out of selling industrial equipment, the quality of the information they give us isn't all that great. This is definitely different from Balitz." 

This is certainly the case, considering that Balitz presented detailed scenarios and commissioned work even when the client was not specified. 

But Leo nodded as if he was satisfied with this and got up from his seat. 

Since Leo lacks mobility anyway, the tactics he can use are fixed. 

If it was a way to outline the overall picture, it would have been better if Leo had decided on the detailed strategy himself and then launched into the operation. 

"Are you going?" 

"In three days, we need to start preparing little by little. Especially if the opponent is a mercenary, it won't be easy to see them." 

Of course, a monster as ridiculous as Croken won't pop out, but even something as powerful as Dylan would be a threat to Leo. 

Up until now, I have been careful not to put a strain on my body by thoroughly calculating the expected risks, but it seemed like I needed to prepare a little more equipment than usual. 

"Yeah. I'm sure you can do it on your own." 

Jenny smiled as she picked up the incense and lit it. 

"Let's live and see, Wizard." 

"That's obvious." 

Leo left the bar immediately. 

I had to hurry to buy the things I had thought about in advance. 

# 

3 days later. 

It is dawn and the chilly night air tickles the tip of your nose. 

As Leo walked through the unusually bright night sky and arrived at Area 48, cold smoke came out from the corner of his mouth. 

He has a long leather bag hanging from his back and a cigarette in his mouth. 

Because my bag was a bit heavy, I needed to forget my fatigue by smoking a cigarette on the way here. 

"Phew…." 

It's true that I feel nervous when I actually arrive at the port and breathe in the chilly air. 

Even more so when I think about what he's going to do from now on. 

Leo lightly patted both cheeks, sent a text message to Jenny to let her know he was starting, and headed straight to the agreed upon location. 

"You came. You are the last one." 

First, the four people who had gathered together and lowered their heads slowly turned their heads. 

A skinny woman, a man with a bandit-like build, and two people with their faces hidden by blue iron masks. 

The two people wearing masks had their entire bodies covered with thick cloth, making it difficult to tell their gender or even their body shape. 

'There are all kinds of different types of people…' 

As Leo approached them without saying anything in response, the four of them quickly took a step back. 

A look that clearly shows caution. 

The team members' discipline did not seem lax ahead of the operation. 

The mask on the far right opened its mouth first. A thick voice. It was definitely a man. 

It seemed like he had the most say in the situation. 

"Everyone knows the general outline, so let's just summarize the details and get started." 

As he said this, he manipulated the device on his left wrist and projected a simple hologram into the centre of the crowd. 

This is a technique that was demonstrated in front of the mercenaries under Dray Krimgaldo's command. 

"There are seven entrances to the harbour of Area 48, which is currently blocked by Paul Ackerman's private soldiers. Excluding the entrances for sailors and cargo transporters, they are neatly divided into five. Take charge of one entrance at each and subdue the private soldiers and wait." 

The mindset that each person should do their own portion thoroughly is not bad. 

His tone was quite overbearing, but everyone nodded without complaint. 

"The distributors and Ackermann will each take separate routes to hold talks. Once the meeting place is determined, the one who has confirmed it will begin the operation first, and the rest will join right away." 

Five small ear sets popped out from the masked man's arms, and the other team members took them one by one. 

"This is a disposable communication device that can be used for contact. It is designed to have its circuitry damaged after one night, so do not store it for long. Let's get started." 

Judging from the way he speaks; it seems like Mask doesn't have high expectations for the other team members in the first place. 

It was obvious that they were just trying to buy time by fighting moderately. 

Leo also understands that feeling to some extent. 

If you were to gather five strangers and ask them to work together on a mission, it would be stranger to trust them. 

Rather, the more simplified the operation is, the more room there is for individual excellence to shine, so it is not necessarily a case of only having disadvantages. 

"But you guys are really careless." 

Just as everyone was roughly convinced of the plan and about to disperse, another mask standing next to the mask opened its mouth. 

"Don't you even think about covering your face when you come to a place like this? Dyke may have a lot of money, but he won't take responsibility for your safety." 

A relaxed yet high-pitched tone, different from that of a masked man. This is a woman. 

Did you accept this request as a male and female pair? This could be considered an unusual arrangement. 

At the masked woman's words, the three people, including Leo, looked at each other in silence and then burst into laughter. 

The skinny woman responded with a strange, mocking expression on her face. 

"You guys, you're not the ones working here." 

"…. what?" 

"If you want to raise your value in this business, you have to expose your face and name, whether you like it or not. Do you think people would care about exposing their faces unless there are special circumstances?" 

Special circumstances… Are there such circumstances beyond Dylan's bizarre mask? 

Leo was suddenly lost in vague memories as he recalled the first time, he had been commissioned to blow up a factory. 

The masked woman seemed momentarily taken aback by the thin woman's words but quickly collected herself and turned around. 

"Huh, as long as you do your job well, it won't matter. Just don't hold me back." 

'Judging by your attitude, you really aren't the type of person I am.' 

As Leo watched the masked men disappear among themselves, he roughly selected candidates who could be hired by Dyke. 

It wouldn't be surprising if they brought in mercenaries, gangs, freelancers, soldiers... corporate armed forces, or even criminals. 

Meanwhile, a man who looked like a bandit tapped the skinny woman on the shoulder. 

"Hey, where are you going?" 

"…. It doesn't matter were. I wasn't chosen here because I'm good at fighting anyway. I'll do what I have to do." 

"Really? That's too bad… If you were just as skinny as me, I would have wanted to go to the same place as the lady." 

The woman looked at the man with a sinister smile and ignored him with a cold face. 

The man turned to Leo and smirked when the woman showed no reaction. 

"You don't seem like the type to put in a lot of effort either… Don't die and follow me to the port. If you make things difficult for me because you're outnumbered, I'll tear off your limbs." 

Leo turned away without even replying. 

I've been through so much of this nonsense now that I'm sick of it. 

It's not too late to properly decide who's superior after the work is done. 

Until then, if that man is still alive. 

# 

[Three, two, one. Go in.] 

A dry voice could be heard through the ear set. The masked man insisted that the timing of the rush must be synchronized. 

We take a deep breath of cold air as we enter the harbour. 

There is no sound around, only the low sound of waves crashing against the edge of the harbour in the distance. 

A messy cement street lined with hundreds and thousands of containers. 

Even though he turned his head and saw nothing but metal containers that looked like cardboard, Leo already knew that there were a lot of people gathered around this area. 

His vast magical powers allow him to accurately detect those hiding in various places and spying on them. 

They all hold large rifles in their hands and wear sturdy bulletproof vests. 

From the mask worn on his face to the sharp murderous intent flowing from his entire body. 

They must be private soldiers that Paul Ackerman personally hired and carries around. 

That's right. 

Those gathered here today will by no means be the kind of people who walk around with their faces open in broad daylight. 

'Paul Ackerman hasn't arrived yet. It was worth arriving early.' 

No one was able to withstand the illusionary magic that was binding the eyes and ears of the soldiers. 

The sounds of other team members entering the harbour in their own ways can also be heard. 

[Crack!! Crunch!] 

Frontal assault. 

[Ah, can you hear me? Jayden, everything is fine. I just need your cooperation in changing the patrol route.] 

Modulate your voice. 

[Wheeeeeeek…!!] 

Even unknown mechanical sounds.