Chapter 117: The Fall of the Federation

Watching the Stars and Stripes slowly drift down and be completely consumed by the flames, the "Queen" raised her hands and stretched languidly, perfectly showcasing her graceful curves. Yet, facing this beautiful sight, passersby kept their eyes fixed straight ahead—the corpses at the Queen's feet were more than enough to explain the consequences of doing otherwise.

"Finally, we beat the 'Doctor' to taking down the Federation..."

Looking at the scene before him, the "Butcher" was filled with profound emotion. Thinking back on the past period, they had barely managed a good night's sleep. The Doctor’s "Treatment Declaration" had been like a thorn in their sides; especially after learning that the Doctor had completely annihilated three Federation settlements, the other members of the Seven Giants had accelerated their pace as if possessed. Even the "Emperor," far away in the rear, had sent people to transport supplies to them without interruption, all to ensure the maximum pillaging of Federation assets.

To use an analogy, the Federation was more like a wealthy landlord with vast estates, while the Ninth District was a band of bandits who drank wine by the bowl and ate meat by the slab. The bandits were brave and skilled in battle, but the territory they occupied could never compare to the endless fields of the landlord’s estate. Now that such an opportunity to ransack the landlord’s home had presented itself, the bandits naturally brought forth the spirit of thirty years of hard labor. It was as if a starving ghost had laid eyes on a grand banquet; even if it meant bursting, they could not leave what was within their grasp.

"Indeed... I can finally get some sleep too..."

As she spoke, the Queen opened her mouth in a yawn. This was not a calculated display; in truth, the Queen was exhausted. Because of the threat posed by the Doctor, they had been forced to begin scavenging immediately after attacking a settlement. Once they had finished "foraging on the spot," they would depart instantly, with everyone forced to snatch whatever rest they could on the speeding transport vehicles. Upon reaching a target, they would immediately rouse everyone to launch an attack. After several rounds of this, everyone was nearing their limit, yet they had gritted their teeth and managed to bring down the Federation headquarters.

Of course, the reason the Seven Giants were able to break the Federation in such a short time, besides the pressure from the Doctor, was the Federation’s own personnel composition. The Seven Giants were all "Ability Users," while the Federation, conversely, possessed not a single one. This was essentially a pride of lions leading a flock of sheep against a ram leading a flock of ewes; the outcome was a foregone conclusion. As long as the Seven Giants displayed their formidable powers upon entering a settlement, the Federation garrison troops would effectively collapse.

A large part of this was also due to the Federation’s "education." They had constantly taught their citizens and soldiers that Ability Users could be defeated by ordinary people like them, and that they were nothing special. Therefore, when the Seven Giants showed them power that was utterly impossible to resist, these people—poisoned by the Federation’s rhetoric—were the first to crumble. On one occasion, outside a settlement, the Queen merely performed a flashy opening stance; before she could even exert her power, the enemy had already opened the gates and surrendered, crying and begging for mercy.

Taking the Federation headquarters had been even easier than the Seven Giants had anticipated. After Feron killed Monks, the Federation headquarters had fallen into total chaos. The combination of power struggles and those looking to flee as disaster loomed meant that when the headquarters faced the combined assault of the Seven Giants, it offered almost no serious resistance before meeting its end.

"Still, this place is really nice..."

Looking at the underground bunkers and fortifications, the Butcher couldn't help but stroke his chin, a look of longing on his face. One had to admit that the Federation’s ability to grow and flourish owed much to its headquarters. It was a complete, undamaged military camp. From walls, bunkers, and guard posts to command centers, living quarters, underground bunkers, and warehouses—everything was there. With just a little repair, it could serve as a frontline command base, capable of withstanding most enemies.

Of course, Ability Users were always outside the definition of "most."

"Hey, should we tell the Old Man to just incorporate this into the Ninth District?"

"The Old Man doesn't want it. Says it's too far away and he's not interested. He told us to burn it down once we've finished clearing it out."

"Sigh... what a waste..."

Hearing the Queen’s reply, the Butcher shrugged helplessly. They lacked the ability to neutralize a regional network energy core, and if these settlements were left vacant, they would easily be occupied by others or rival factions. As the de facto rulers of the wasteland, the Ninth District certainly would not allow anyone to revive the dead or grow their own influence. Therefore, for the settlements they conquered, the Ninth District adhered to the "Three Alls" principle: burn all, kill all, loot all.

Everything usable was to be taken away; anything that couldn't be moved was to be smashed. In short, they would never let anyone else benefit.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the Old Man must be thrilled. He’s always complaining about a lack of manpower. We must seize this opportunity to squeeze some more benefits out of him."

At that moment, another voice rang out from behind them. A man came skipping merrily toward the Queen and the Butcher. He did not look strong; in fact, he looked somewhat frail and effeminate, dressed in a tight-fitting striped sweater and wearing a military cap of unknown origin. The man walked with a cat-like strut, smiling as he approached them, and gave the Butcher a flirtatious wink.

"You’re still so strong, it’s truly charming... I feel like eating you up..."

"Heh, if you aren't afraid of dying, you can try, 'Sailor.'"

Hearing the Sailor, the Butcher smiled at him, then cracked his knuckles, producing a sharp, rhythmic popping sound. Seeing this, the Sailor pouted and took two steps back.

"Don't be like that. You're so fierce, you're scaring me... Look, Queen, this brute is bullying me again... how annoying..."

"Enough talk."

Glancing at the Sailor, who had already taken out a handkerchief and was chewing on it, the Queen rolled her eyes, having no intention of entertaining his banter.

"How are things on your end? Don't drop the ball. If we get blamed for failure, all our hard work will have been for nothing."

"Honestly, you're both so cold-hearted, not a care for me..."

Seeing that his coquetry was ineffective, the Sailor complained discontentedly before speaking up.

"Alright, alright... rest assured, my lovely subordinates are already registering and sorting everything. There’s quite a bounty here..."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and swiped across a virtual screen. Through the network connection, the Butcher and the Queen could see a neatly organized table. Looking at the lists of personnel, supplies, and equipment, everyone felt a genuine, happy smile.

If there was one thing the Ninth District gained most from the Federation this time, it was technical personnel and military supplies.

The Blackrock Group had started as a service-oriented commercial conglomerate, which meant the Ninth District it ruled was branded with the same mark. In fact, the Ninth District had always felt more like a massive commercial settlement. The benefit of this was convenient material circulation, but the downside was that some things could not be bought with money. The Ninth District could spend money to recruit talent and purchase various military equipment and vehicles, but they lacked enough personnel skilled in military industry. Most technicians in the district were limited to repairs and modifications. Clearly, the Blackrock Group hoped to advance further, and these military technical talents from the Federation were exactly what they needed.

Furthermore, the Federation’s vast array of military equipment made the Seven Giants green with envy: attack helicopters, main battle tanks, armored transport vehicles, mine-clearing vehicles, and a variety of standard-issue firearms and artillery. They even discovered several production lines dedicated to manufacturing guns and ammunition... These good things were, naturally, the more the better.

"Hmm...?"

At that moment, the Queen seemed to notice something. She turned her head curiously, gazing into the distance—under the dark, gloomy clouds, the distant wasteland appeared dim, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"What is it?"

Noticing her movement, the Butcher and the Sailor looked up as well, staring into the distance. Naturally, they saw nothing.

"Nothing. Perhaps I'm just too tired. Just now, I felt as if something was watching us... Forget it, let's finish up quickly and go back to sleep!"

Inside the Federation headquarters, the lights remained bright.

A dark shadow stood silently on a hillside, watching the Federation headquarters not far away. The cold wind whipped his tattered cloak, making the figure look like a stubborn rock on the mountain. In the area of his eyes, two faint red lights flickered and vanished. Then, the shadow raised his hand to his ear and spoke.

"The Federation has been defeated."

A hoarse, gloomy voice, which did not even sound human, emerged from his lips.

"...No sign of the cargo. It seems Monks failed... I will conduct an investigation immediately to track the whereabouts of the cargo... Yes, going now."

Having finished, the shadow lowered his hand, turned, and limped away behind the hillside.