Chapter 753: The Fantasy Society Under Surveillance
Chapter 753: The Fantasy Society Under Surveillance
At the same time, in Tranquil City.
In a forgotten corner of the city, an abandoned steel mill stood silently, like an elderly sage amidst the dust of time.
Moonlight silently illuminated the ruins, casting a silver lining on the cold steel structures. The rusted blast furnaces and chimneys now stood as markers of a bygone era, resembling giants eroded by the passage of time.
This place had become a forgotten corner of the city, and the original owner of the steel mill had gone bankrupt. The site was scheduled for demolition next month, and rumors circulated that the Kaiba Corporation was about to purchase the land to build a new Kaiba Land.
But that was a matter for the future. For now, this place, like many docks and abandoned factories, was a favored haunt for underground workers and criminals who preferred to stay in the shadows.
Take today, for example.
"Currently, over thirty members of the Hammer Gang have been spotted at the site."
In the corner of a truck parked outside, a communicator wearing a headset sat before several screens, surrounded by surveillance footage from hidden cameras placed throughout the steel mill.
"The transaction is expected to take place on the second floor."
"Good. The assault team will take up positions on the second floor, while the backup team secures the exits, allowing no one in or out."
The person commanding the operation from within the truck, with his chest puffed out and head held high, was none other than Cark Dixon, a Card Professor under the Phantom Hawks and the original Mech Guy in the story.
Cark Dixon, the man who had dueled with two generations of Duel Kings, had been thriving lately. He had received consecutive promotions within the company, and his status among the Card Professors was now at the top tier, making him one of the leading executives.
This was why he was leading today's operation.
Today's operation involved a group of card thieves and a local gang called the Hammer Gang engaging in illegal transactions. Normally, smuggling and such illicit activities wouldn't require the involvement of elite members like the Fantasy Society's forces, but when it came to cards illegally flowing from the International Fantasy Society, it was a different matter.
That was the current situation. Someone had stolen a batch of experimental cards not approved for market release from within the International Fantasy Society and was attempting to channel them into the underground illegal Duel Monster activities.
Such issues were sometimes handled by law enforcement, but on occasions when the circumstances were deemed severe or posed a high risk, the company would dispatch its own personnel.
Cark Dixon, now a high-ranking Card Professor and a formidable Duel World combatant, was not someone ordinary Duelists could match. This wasn't his first time leading a team, and it should have been a straightforward operation.
Or so it should have been.
At nine o'clock sharp, a car pulled up outside the steel mill. Three men stepped out, standing side by side.
"Card thieves spotted," a voice reported immediately on the Fantasy Society's communication channel.
"We can take them down at any time."
"Wait until both parties are in position for the transaction," Cark Dixon instructed, "then confirm that we have all the cards we're after before taking action."
He was confident that everything was under control.
Until now.
The next moment, all the screens inside the truck went dark, and static filled the screens where the surveillance footage had been.
"What's going on?" Cark frowned, "Where's the footage?"
He pressed his earpiece, but there was no response.
Communications seemed to have been cut off as well.
Only then did Cark realize something was amiss.
He immediately got out of the truck, donned his Duel Disk, and headed towards the steel mill. As he rounded the back entrance, he found that the backup team, which should have been positioned there, had also vanished without a trace, and there was not a soul in sight.
His anxiety grew, knowing that their operation had likely been exposed, and the enemy might have been aware of their plans in advance.
He tried to push open the back door, only to find it bolted shut as well. He stepped back and activated his Duel Disk.
"Mech Soldier!"
As he spoke, the card in his hand was already slapped onto the Duel Disk. The disk activated, and a projection was released in front of him, materializing into the form of a steel warrior with a silver blade that glinted with a cold, piercing aura under the moonlight.
Cark Dixon was not a Duelist with dark powers, and in fact, very few individuals in the Card Professors possessed such abilities. Most of them relied on technology.
The International Fantasy Society and Kaiba Corporation had a close partnership, and although the Duel Disks they used were developed by the International Fantasy Society, they also incorporated the latest military-grade technology from Kaiba Corporation, enabling them to materialize 3D projections and unleash the true power of Duel Monsters to some extent.
This was why the Card Professors were the elite forces under the command of the Phantom Hawks.
The Mech Soldier raised its blade and, with a swift motion, sliced through the door lock as if cutting through butter. Cark burst through the door and quickly entered the steel mill.
However, there was still no sign of anyone.
The communication channel remained dead silent, and no matter how he adjusted it, there was no response. The intended teammates at the sentry posts were also nowhere to be found, and there was not a single living soul in sight.
Cark swallowed hard.
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An instinct deep within him told him that he shouldn't continue any further. This was a terrible idea, and perhaps the operation had already failed. He should retreat immediately and seek backup.
But he didn't.
Partly because he couldn't just abandon his subordinates who had already been dispatched, and partly due to his confidence in his own abilities.
He was one of the top Duelists of the present day, having faced the very pinnacle of the Duel World not once, but twice.
And now, equipped with the strongest weapon capable of unleashing the power of cards in reality, he had nothing to fear.
However, even after reminding himself of this, when he reached the second floor and witnessed the scene before him, he couldn't help but feel as if his heart had stopped.
He saw them—the teammates who had been dispatched earlier and had mysteriously disappeared. And the thief they were supposed to capture, along with the trader.
Everyone was here, standing amidst a serene yet eerie glow.
They stood there, belonging to three different factions, yet at this moment, they looked like one big family, standing in perfect unison, their eyes hollow as they stared straight at him, sending shivers down his spine.
"What's...wrong with you all?"
Just as he was about to say something else, Cark suddenly felt as if he had seen something in their eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he shouted, "Mech Soldier!"
The Mech Soldier, already summoned, instantly appeared beside him, and with a swift motion, its blade slashed out.
But a "clang" sounded as a white cane firmly blocked the blade of the steel warrior. The man in the white suit casually spun the cane along the blade, lightly tapping the Mech Soldier's wrist.
With seemingly no effort at all, the soldier's iron armor shattered with a loud bang.
The man in the white suit flipped his cane, and the tip touched the soldier's chest again, an invisible force directly piercing through the soldier's chest, causing it to explode with a loud boom.
Cark Dixon's eyes widened in disbelief, almost unable to trust his own eyes.
What had he just seen?
A man, bare-handed, taking down the Mech Monster he had summoned?
(End of Chapter)
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