Chapter 71 02.0071: "Return to Vegas"

In the F-4 block, a low-key black bulletproof hovercraft slowly drove into the alley and stopped, turning on sentry mode.

The interior of the vehicle and the trunk were filled with enough armor and helmets for four fully armed Chuji Marines, as well as weapons that might be used, including plasma and melta.

It had been the property of the Admiralty, but was now at the disposal of Horatio.

Louise sat in the passenger seat, while Leidos and Fideo sat in the back seat.

Horatio originally requested to go alone, but for safety reasons, Brigadier General Peru decided to mobilize the entire team.

The entire series of missions was named 'Draining' by the Military Intelligence Command.

As an attendant of the Inquisition, Horatio is the key leader of this mission, and the others play auxiliary and guarding roles. Even though Louise is the team leader, Brigadier General Peru hopes that she can accept Horatio's arrangement.

However, Louise herself didn't care about these details at all. She only focused on the success of the mission and the safety of her teammates, and accepted the mission without hesitation.

As it was a secret mission, no one wore their navy uniforms outside. Horatio and Louise changed into shirts and windbreakers, while Leidos and Fideo both wore leather jackets to cope with the cold temperature and biting dampness underground.

But without exception, everyone's clothes have a hood to cover their faces when performing certain actions.

Although they were wearing casual clothes, everyone wore soft armor under their clothes that was both bulletproof and stab-proof, much like the bulletproof soft armor of the 3K era, allowing the team members to still have the protection of bulletproof armor in the dangerous underground world.

Four men got out of the car, each carrying a Lucius-type Hell pistol equipped with a large energy block.

This quiet, fully automatic, energy-storing, high-penetration, precious burst laser weapon is handcrafted by the technical priests of the Lucius Forge World adjacent to Abyss Port, allowing the vanguard of this special operations team to be able to fight any enemy.

Horatio also carried his father's legacy, the Gothic MK3 Navy revolver bolt pistol and a matching speed loader.

He discovered its name while cleaning the gun - the word "Luculus" was engraved just below the hammer.

This was the name of the last consul of the Roman Republic of Terra, forming a triumvirate with Caesar and Pompey.

Horatio didn't understand the thoughts of this father he had never met, but the dead were gone, and now he had his own things to do.

This is the hiding place mentioned by Deacon Jonathan, and it is also the largest base of the "Labor Gang" so far.

The sentries at the gate blocked Horatio's way, but when they saw his face they gave way in surprise.

"Welcome back, boss." Deacon Jonathan walked out of a house made of steel and quick-concrete, and looked at the person following Horatio.

"My fellow comrade."

Deacon Jonathan understood and turned his gaze away from these imperial elites.

"What is the current status of our intelligence network?"

"We can barely maintain it, but we are in a situation where we can't really take care of it. Apart from the F-4 block and the two places where we made our fortune in the port area, our intelligence network in other areas can only be said to be better than nothing."

Deacon Jonathan pointed to the ledger on the table.

Horatio walked forward and flipped through it. The handwriting was neat and the calculations were precise, but the red deficit that came to his face made him frown.

“Who’s doing the accounting now?”

Horatio asks this because this used to be his job.

"The daughter of a restaurant cook in Block F-4. Besides mixing drinks, she also does accounting for other people."

From the description, Horatio already knew who was doing the accounting.

But this girl didn't know who she was working for. Horatio had registered several shell companies to legalize the business activities of the labor gang.

"The labor gang must first solve the problem of survival, and then consider the intelligence network. No one can build good intelligence on an empty stomach."

"What do you need?" Horatio asked directly without hiding anything. "Funds, raw materials, ready-made food, heating energy batteries, and... qualifications and licenses. We can talk about other needs later."

Horatio looked at Deacon Jonathan and motioned for him to continue.

“Ready-made food and functional energy batteries are meant to address pressing needs.

But the workers need jobs. Although we have lost a lot of factory industries in Zone Zero, we still have a mechanical and electronic processing plant and a canning factory under our control. However, the lack of raw materials makes it difficult for the factories to operate.

To make matters worse, your previously forged inspection certificates were reported by your competitors, and the rival gangs bribed officials to cancel several of our legitimate qualifications and seal off our warehouses. These are all issues that need to be resolved urgently.”

Zone Zero is a densely populated factory area adjacent to the PW-P-15 giant starport cargo area. It is called Zone Zero because its last digit is '0'.

"What about the 'Working Men's Club'?"

On the surface, it is a restaurant and bar run by a labor gang, and also a place for rest and entertainment.

In fact, the underground part is equipped with secret passages, thinker arrays, armories, and advanced monitoring devices. It was once the intelligence transfer and assassination hub of the Labor Gang.

Some experienced killers who know their business would also hang out in there, waiting for Horatio to ask them for money to do something.

"One night, the place was robbed by armed men from the long-planned 'Poison Spider Gang'. Many people were killed. Now it has been transformed into a dirty brothel."

It was the building he saw when he first arrived at the F-4 block, with many sexy girls dancing inside.

The building was significantly remodeled, with many floor-to-ceiling windows installed to showcase dancing, and nearby roads widened and replanned.

When he came back here after such a long time, he couldn't find the building at first glance. Finally, he inferred the three-dimensional terrain in his mind and was sure that it was the building he passed by.

"How's the underground situation?"

"They didn't find it. The security inside was very tight. I wanted to mobilize people to take it back, but many workers had families to support and couldn't afford the cost of a fight, so they just left it there."

Horatio got a rough idea of ​​the situation.

These are the things he needs to solve next, otherwise the intelligence network cannot be restored.

Fortunately, with the support of the Fleet Military Intelligence Command, he no longer needs to rack his brains like before and calculate the prices and costs to decimal points before taking action.

"By the way, during this time, has any half-cat come over and tell me my name?"

"Yes. Over there."

Deacon Jonathan pointed to the house across the way.

The door was pushed open, and the half-cat girl was startled and quickly put down the half-disassembled gun in her hand.

After the improvement in her diet, her complexion looked much better than before, and there was some meat and fat on her skinny body. Although she was still thin, she looked presentable.

"Yoyo is now our scout. He has helped us warn of three attacks by hostile gangs. He has developed good physical skills after working in the middle and lower nests for a long time. He is good at hiding his whereabouts."

“You did a good job.”

"Thank you... Boss." The half-cat girl pursed her lips and thanked him, "I can eat on my own now."

Horatio looked into the half-cat's eyes, smiled, and said, "Soon, you will have a new mission."

Yoyo nodded with curiosity flashing in her eyes.

Horatio went outside and said to Louise, "Prepare for an infiltration strike now."

(End of this chapter)