Before returning to the Metropolitan Police Department, Matsumoto Kiyonaga had already contacted the special operations force to depart immediately. The base of this killer organization was linked to human experimentation, and it clearly did not resemble an ordinary killer syndicate.
Moreover, intelligence suggested they held a large cache of weapons and were even connected to the garrison. This forced him to treat the matter with the utmost caution.
Naturally, Matsumoto also informed the action team of these details.
After obtaining the necessary approvals, the team advanced toward the target with the best preparation possible.
"Here they come."
In the private room, Ren, who had been keeping watch over the Pharmaceutical, immediately noticed the Metropolitan Police Department's action team.
"It can be undone now."
He tapped the black cat's forehead with his fingers.
The cat meowed softly, obediently dispersing the dark prison.
In that instant, the sound of gunfire, like endless firecrackers, shattered the silence.
"!?"
The sudden eruption startled the advancing special operations troops.
Their formation shifted immediately. The front line raised riot shields, while the ones behind readied their submachine guns.
If anything happened, they would open fire without hesitation.
But the moment they passed through the gate, every member gasped.
The scene before them was like a battlefield covered with corpses.
Bodies lay everywhere.
Blood pooled beneath them, dyeing the factory floor red.
And not all of them were dead. More than a dozen were still locked in life-or-death struggles, utterly ignoring their own survival, fighting like beasts that had lost all sense of humanity.
"These people are insane."
Someone muttered the words.
And everyone silently agreed.
This kind of slaughter could only be described as madness.
But that single voice broke the rhythm.
The fighters who had been locked in combat froze for an instant, then their glowing green eyes turned toward the action team.
"…"
The oppressive silence sent a chill down the officers' spines.
Then the killers charged.
Their speed was unnatural. In a single stride, they closed the distance to less than ten meters.
"Come on! Fight me! Prove I'm the strongest!"
One of them roared as he kicked at a riot shield.
"Huh?"
The shield bearer barely had time to react before his arms were twisted like rags.
A tearing pain surged through him.
"Aaaah!"
The miserable scream snapped the others out of their shock.
Those in the back instantly raised their rifles and opened fire.
The battle had begun.
"…The corruption is quite severe."
Ren watched from a distance, noting how the guards had become so frenzied. He knew it was due to the contamination of the Chaos Sea.
Corruption from polluted power made the infected excel at combat. Each act of killing worsened the corruption, drawing out more power from within.
Judging by their strength, these men were equivalent to Sequence 9 on the Warrior Path.
No wonder people said depravity made you three times stronger.
Falling meant removing all the body's limiters, squeezing out every drop of potential for this single fight.
After confirming this, Ren sighed to himself.
Am I just adding fuel to the fire for both the Crows and the police?
But he felt innocent. His only intention was to give the Metropolitan Police Department a glimpse of what kind of drug the Crows had been developing.
Who could have guessed helping Akemi rescue her sister would lead to such a twist?
Still, it was only a small twist.
No matter how corrupted they were, at most they could reach the level of Sequence 9 Warriors.
But against heavily armed police officers, once gunfire began, things would become clear.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Just as Ren expected, a barrage of rifle fire thundered in the air.
He wasn't surprised. When facing enemies who no longer resembled humans, the only option was not close combat but overwhelming firepower.
Even mid-sequence Beyonders would be forced back under such concentrated heat.
But these corrupted killers, akin to Sequence 9 Beyonders, were not easy opponents.
Bullets tore through them, yet they charged on with twisted grins, looking like demons out of hell.
One took a bullet through the chest and still rushed forward.
The action team had about forty men. The first ten carried riot shields, while the remaining thirty wielded assault rifles, giving them heavy firepower.
But facing thirteen crazed opponents who didn't even fear bullets…
The shield bearers all collapsed, arms broken. Two were impaled and on the verge of death.
The thirty shooters behind had also taken heavy losses despite opening fire quickly. Over twenty had broken limbs. Five were shot in the head. Almost none of them remained uninjured.
The team was completely crippled.
Of course, all thirteen lunatics were eliminated.
But the result could not be called a victory. It was closer to a devastating defeat.
"Cough…"
The captain's right arm hung uselessly as he struggled to lift his communicator with his left.
"Report! We were attacked by a group of maniacs. All of us are injured, many seriously. Request immediate rescue!"
Understood. Support is on the way. Stay conscious!
Stay conscious… The captain looked at the battlefield, his mind on the verge of collapse.
A group of lunatics who had been killing each other had nearly wiped out his heavily armed squad.
It was absurd.
Such a tragic scene was hard to accept, especially when he realized their opponents had been only thirteen people, fighting with fists and feet instead of guns.
(To be continued.)