(Three Chapters in One)

…

Sikinkov noticed everyone’s concerns and said in a determined tone, “I don’t want to hide anything. I must admit, this is a high-stakes gamble, and I’m involved in the bet.”

“But I am confident that we can win this gamble, and it will become a starting point for me and all of you to reach greater heights.”

“Imagine if this crisis is handled properly, how would the elites of Lake Heart Island view you? How would the leaders in the courtroom view you?”

“Even those influential figures from Hegemony Company, Iron Blood Alliance, and Black Domain Group Headquarters would notice all of you. Think about it, how would that impact your lives?”

The conference room was silent, neither the middlemen nor the mercenaries responded, not showing a bit of emotion.

Su Mo thought to himself: Just like the original plot, no one is paying attention to him…

In the original plot, countless prominent figures in the Mercenary Realm were present, yet the commission was picked up by the lowest-ranked Ou Chenyu at the time, mainly because the risk was too high.

Don’t be fooled by Sikinkov’s passionate words; he’s merely painting a picture in the clouds, and everything he’s saying is hollow.

For the mercenaries taking on the commission, this will be a high-stakes gamble risking their entire fortune.

Winning the bet would naturally be good.

Losing would mean losing everything, not even their underwear would be left.

People with more wealth, like Zhou Hanyan, tend to be more cautious in various decisions.

They’re steadily rising every day, with a promising future, where even minor victories are good, but they cannot afford the cost of losing everything.

On the other hand, newcomers like Ou Chenyu, who have just emerged, have little to lose; if they lose everything, they can just start over, not needing much concern.

Such newcomers often have the most capital to gamble.

In the original plot, Ou Chenyu went all in and won the gamble, achieving in one go what others might take decades or even several generations of effort to accomplish.

Of course, Su Mo, as a Transmigrator, is the only one who knows this outcome.

Everyone present isn’t sure of what will happen, and they respond with silence at this moment.

Ivan glanced at everyone, coldly smiling, “I’ve told you, Mr. Speaker, mercenaries only have interest in mind, not responsibility or a sense of mission.”

“No matter how famous, mercenaries ultimately are just profit-seekers; they won’t make any sacrifices or contributions for the city.”

Sitting in the corner, Ou Chenyu heard this and was annoyed, his facial muscles twitched, but he temporarily held back and said nothing.

Zhou Hanyan sensed the atmosphere was a bit tense and proactively suggested in a soothing tone, “Perhaps it’s best to follow the procedure and let everyone understand the specific details first. Otherwise, it’s difficult to provide an answer with the situation unclear on site.”

Sikinkov nodded and began manipulating the holographic projection, introducing the details feedback from the electronic reconnaissance unit:

“The hostage event happened on the 12th floor of Moonlight Mansion at Xinghai Cinema, and the entire 12th floor is now occupied by the criminals.”

“According to the square’s surveillance footage, there are 28 criminals, led by Muto Dongying, a Public Security Bureau S-level wanted criminal, an extreme Prosthetic Implanter whose entire body has been replaced with military-grade level 2 prosthetics. The abilities of other criminals are assessed there as well.”

“The hostages this time are teachers and students from Chiyang Attached Primary School, originally numbering 315, one child has already perished. Infrared imaging scans show all hostages are congregated inside Xinghai Cinema.”

“This is the real-time imaging map sent back by the electronic reconnaissance unit, which you can use for reference.”

The holographic projection displayed the architectural structure of Moonlight Mansion, focusing on the 12th-floor location, showing each shop, room, pedestrian corridor, and ventilation duct.

All human bodies were scanned; hostages were marked in blue, criminals in red, clearly illustrating their relative positions.

Zhou Hanyan, as the most experienced mercenary present, immediately noticed the problem, squinting slightly and shaking his head: “This layout is terrible. The criminals have blocked all corridor hubs, making it impossible to infiltrate.”

“To perform a rescue, we can only launch a frontal assault… but frankly, in such a place, there will be significant casualties among the hostages.”

Audiana inquired, “Can special warfare tactics be employed? Like releasing anesthetic gas through the ventilation ducts to incapacitate all inside, allowing the rescue team to break in.”

Zhou Hanyan shook his head, “It’s useless. I examined the types of abilities of these criminals; most are Prosthetic Implanters, implanted with artificially modified lungs capable of automatically filtering harmful substances, so the anesthetic gas has limited effect on them.”

Audiana continued, “What about using high-frequency sonic shock grenades around the 12th floor of Moonlight Mansion?”

Zhou Hanyan still shook his head, “This tactic might work against ordinary criminals, but it’s the same problem; these criminals are powerful Extraordinary Beings.”

“To incapacitate Extraordinary Beings of this caliber with high-frequency shock grenades, you’d need sonic waves of immensely powerful magnitude.”

“If the shock intensity is that large, the hostages might be killed first.”

Dress took over the topic, “Hegemony Company is currently developing a targeted genetic missile. This weapon can identify the specific genes of an individual, causing fatal harm to them while not affecting those around.”

“We can send someone to negotiate with Hegemony Company, asking for their assistance in providing this weapon, which might produce magical effects in the rescue operation.”

Zhou Hanyan shook his head again, “The idea is good, but according to the intelligence I have, the targeted genetic missile weapon is still in early research phases, facing technical difficulties, and it cannot be deployed in actual combat.”

“Even if it could be used in combat, we don’t have the genetic information of these criminals. This plan has no executability.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep