Chapter 219: Untitled

"Damn it!"

Obadiah York, deputy chief of the Eastern District Police Station, couldn't help but unleash a string of curses as he stepped down from the left side of the armored police vehicle.

"These bastards, do they really want to turn our Eastern District into a battlefield? Listen to that sound—at least a hundred automatic rifles exchanging fire. Just look, I can already imagine the headlines in tomorrow's papers: 'Shock! Incompetent Eastern District Police Officers Sat Idly By as Mobsters Reveled Last Night—'"

Before he could finish his sentence, Colin Damon yanked him down, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Do you want to die, Deputy Chief? They have top-tier snipers who can blow out our bulletproof tires from seven kilometers away, and from fourteen kilometers, they shot Black Axe Richard through a wall. He could easily blow your head off."

"Close to legendary!" added one of Colin Damon's men. "That guy has at least 19S marksmanship, and a top-notch rifle to boot."

"Shit, you think I don't know that?"

Obadiah York snorted. "That bastard never intended to hit us—no police casualties so far, right? But I'm really starting to wonder if the one going to war with Antonio is really that Andre Lee Wieldenstein. I'll bet my ass that the one who shot Richard wasn't Sky Eye; he doesn't have that skill. They've got another sharpshooter!"

"It's hard to believe a sixteen-year-old kid could recruit a top sniper like Howard Eisenhower."

Colin Damon also looked thoughtful. "But it was Andre Lee Wieldenstein who hired a large number of magic-energy professionals through the Red Sparrow Club, and Antonio's retaliation is aimed at him too. Whatever the truth, for now we have to treat this young Mr. Wieldenstein as the mastermind. But that aside, shouldn't we be discussing the current situation? Sorry, but with over a hundred automatic rifles and more than thirty outlaws on both sides, this is beyond what we can handle. We can't even get close."

"Well, the brave Damon has vanished today."

Obadiah York muttered, but didn't criticize him for it. "I already called for SWAT backup; they said it'll take about ten minutes."

"Ten minutes? Wow, that's really helpful."

Colin Damon twitched his lips. "I bet in ten minutes, those thugs will be long gone. They don't want to help, do they?"

"I'm not sure. They said that five minutes ago, the Vanderrick family attacked a Ghost War Song Hunter Group outpost in the southern suburbs."

Obadiah said insincerely, "The situation there is probably critical too. They say both sides have a considerable number of outlaws involved."

Colin Damon understood immediately. One incident was in the city center, the other in the suburbs—which direction was more important went without saying.

Just then, the police vehicle's radio crackled with another call. Deputy Chief Obadiah rolled his eyes, then gestured to a nearby officer. He first pointed to a bloody mark on his own head, then shook his head.

The officer, bearing the rank of senior detective, caught on at once. He crawled into the driver's cabin and answered the radio: "This is police car E34. Sorry, Chief Ryder, Deputy Chief Obadiah has suffered a head injury. It's serious—he's nearly unconscious. He might not be able to speak with you. Captain Damon? He's up ahead with his men. I'll notify him. Please hold—"

After the quick-witted officer hung up, Colin Damon gave him an appreciative thumbs-up, then asked the nearly unconscious Deputy Chief beside him, "So, is our Chief about to be finished too?"

He knew Obadiah York's character well. If he wasn't certain that Yves Ryder's prospects were dim, the deputy wouldn't have deceived his superior like this.

"I don't know, but with the continuous shootings in the Eastern District, someone has to take the fall. Atlanta isn't Chicago, and this isn't the South Side."

Obadiah York spread his hands. "If it were just a war between two gangs, the chief might still be able to weather it, but that kid has the Nathan Sports Group behind him. Colin, the East District can't afford any more chaos."

"One of the two sides in the war has to fall?"

Colin Damon probed, "So do you have a chance this time, Deputy Chief?"

"No! This time it's likely an outside appointment, not an internal promotion. Our precinct is responsible for this series of violent incidents in the East District."

Obadiah York sneered indifferently. "Under these circumstances, who would want the chief's position? It'll be a scapegoat."

...

Seven minutes later, Li Mochen withdrew from the Naomi Building on schedule.

Sampson Brute and Thompson Adams's men had completed their operation. Before withdrawing, as agreed, they fired three magazines of bullets into the sky over Atlanta City.

At this moment, Li Mochen had no choice but to retreat. The Mad Blood Aonzo, in some unknown state, had taken four shots from him yet remained vigorous. Even the advanced holy armor-piercing rounds were ineffective against him.

Then there was another group of outlaws, who had approached the foot of the Naomi Building and were already engaged in combat with Li Tailai and Kermit.

With the 'Sun-Moon-Star Celestial Sword Art' in hand, Li Mochen was not at all afraid of close combat.

But he was worried about being entangled by these people and unable to break free from the police encirclement.

The Atlanta Police Department's strength should not be underestimated, especially the SWAT, a powerful riot force with a quasi-legendary powerhouse. He could not give Antonio the opportunity to use the police to eliminate him.

About fifteen minutes later, having successfully shaken off all attempts at tracking, Li Mochen awoke again in his main body at the Unicorn Building.

Just as he was calmly waiting for news from Sampson Brute and the others, Franks dialed his mobile phone.

"Hey, Andre! Someone asked me to pass a message: the war in the East District can stop now."

"Stop?"

A strange glint flashed in Li Mochen's eyes, then he laughed. "Can you tell me who it is, Uncle Franks? The Blood Hand Gang, or the East District business guilds?"

"A bit of both, I'd say."

Franks said in a casual tone, "Those Blood Hand guys definitely can't hold out. They know your war with Antonio and the Dragon Witch Cult won't end anytime soon, and they don't want to be dragged into a ditch by Antonio. The guilds are also troubled—if you keep fighting like this, you'll eventually tear down the entire East District. And a few councilmen have also asked me to speak, hoping you'll quit while you're ahead."

"Wow! Councilmen too?" Li Mochen was slightly surprised.

"Of course! Election season is coming up soon."

Franks explained with a smile, "Probably because they feel Mr. Karl Holton is too hard to deal with, these councilmen can only communicate with you through me. Don't think of them as too high and mighty. Those guys are just footrags for the rich."