Upon discovering that Mo Wang had somehow, without their knowledge, officially registered himself with every major power in New Eridu, the members of Section Six wore expressions of profound awkwardness.
It was like that time Doggo went through a whole operation only to find out Jane was on their side all along.
"So, Mo Wang, why didn't you tell us about this before?" Harumasa asked, finally lowering his weapon.
"You never asked, so why would I?" Mo Wang said with a shameless shrug. Of course, what other secrets he might be hiding was anyone's guess.
"Oh, so that's how it is." The moment Miyabi heard Mo Wang's identity was legitimate, she sheathed her blade without another word. It had to be said, aside from her fur color, Miyabi's personality was a carbon copy of Sakura's. If she were in the Honkai universe, people would probably mistake her for Mo Wang and Sakura's daughter.
"Ahem, it seems we were overthinking things. We were right to trust you," Yanagi said, awkwardly retracting her weapon.
"But speaking of which, perhaps you could explain the Pullman situation to us, Boss?" she continued, ever the strategist, attempting to regain the upper hand. "Why is this wanted man in the Outskirts, and how did you know about it?"
But Mo Wang wasn't playing that game. "Would you believe me if I said I had no idea? I'm friends with the Sons of Calydon, but what does that have to do with Pullman? Caesar just told me he had a big secret, so I came along. Don't look at me like that. I'm just a helpful, law-abiding citizen. Isn't that right, Caesar?"
"Huh? Is-is that right? I think so?" Caesar, whose brain had roughly the same processing power as Kiana's, was working overtime. "Right? Yes, that's right."
"Fine, let's leave it at that." Yanagi could see that Mo Wang had already covered his tracks. Once he'd established his legitimacy, there was nothing they could do.
"Brother is amazing! He resolved that crisis so easily," Belle said, looking at her brother with admiration.
"Of course. A little thing like that is nothing to him," Nicole huffed, showing no sign of the tension she'd felt just moments before.
...
A short while later, after interrogating a Pullman who had lost about twenty pounds from stress, they had their answers. The organization he belonged to had not only infiltrated every industry in New Eridu but was also creeping into the highest echelons of power.
"In fact, it's not just the Peacekeepers. They have people in the military too, and in high positions," Mo Wang added.
"Well, that's just great," Harumasa said, his motivation plummeting. "One Peacekeeper is bad enough, but if we have to add the Defense Force, the HIA, and who knows who else to the list, we might as well just give up."
"You know," he said, looking at Pullman, "you're one unlucky bastard. The second you step foot outside the Outskirts, there'll probably be a thousand people waiting to kill you."
"D-don't say that! I told you everything! Please, don't let them kill me!" Pullman begged.
"Alright, here's the plan," Mo Wang said. "Pullman rides in my van. The rest of you follow and provide cover."
"Your van? Are you sure?" Harumasa asked, eyeing the vehicle with skepticism.
"Don't worry. You'll break before this van does," Mo Wang said with a wicked grin. "I've made some... modifications."
At the mention of riding in Mo Wang's van, the Cunning Hares crew broke out in a cold sweat, traumatic memories flooding their minds.
"I'll ride with you," Miyabi said, stepping forward before Harumasa could reply.
"Huh?! Wait, Chief! What are you doing?!" the rest of Section Six exclaimed.
"Pullman is an important witness. As the strongest one here, it's only natural that I protect him," she stated, matter-of-factly.
While it was true that Miyabi was terrifyingly strong, her bluntness still managed to ruffle some feathers.
"What?! How dare that damn fox just invite herself into the van! And who says she's the strongest?! The nerve!" Nicole shrieked.
"Nicole! Calm down!"
"Boss, you can't win against her!"
"Shut up! You want me to have Anby come back and cut you up?!"
"Anby couldn't beat her either!"
...
Outside Wildfire Town, a massive force of Outskirts criminals had gathered, numbering in the thousands.
"Hmph, look who it is. Haven't you rats learned your lesson from the Sons of Calydon?" one of the gang leaders sneered.
"Heh, look who's talking. Weren't you the ones who almost got wiped out? What makes you think you're worthy of a piece of this pie?" another retorted.
"What did you say?! Say that again!"
"Shut up!" a fierce-looking man, flanked by several soldiers in heavy military armor, roared. "Don't forget why we're here! If you fail the mission, don't blame me for being merciless!"
"Attention! They're on the move! Stop them from reaching the city, by any means necessary!"
A deafening roar erupted from the mob as they revved their engines and sped off in pursuit of Mo Wang's van.
"Just as I thought, an ambush," Mo Wang sighed. "They must have gathered everyone in the Outskirts who's unhappy with the Sons of Calydon's rule."
"S-so many of them!" Pullman shrieked, his face pale.
The pursuing mob saw the van as a mobile gold mine. "Get them! The bounty for Pullman is ours!"
Just as they were about to close in, Billy sped up on his motorcycle, his twin pistols firing with deadly precision. BANG! BANG! BANG! Tires and engines exploded, sending several vehicles tumbling into a fiery wreck.
"Heh, you call this a challenge?" he scoffed.
"Eat this!" Nicole yelled, and a cannon blast from her briefcase sent a cluster of vehicles flying. "See that? The Cunning Hares don't mess around!"
SWOOSH! An electric arrow from Harumasa's bow disabled another vehicle. Yanagi leaped onto the roof of the van, her electric razors a blur as she dispatched anyone who got too close.
"They're amazing!" Belle cheered from the driver's seat.
"Looks like I won't have to do anything," Mo Wang said with a smirk.
But the mob was relentless. Several heavy-duty motorcycles broke through the line of defense and charged the van.
"They're coming!" Pullman screamed.
"What are you panicking for?" Mo Wang said, and pressed a button on the steering wheel. Several smoke grenades rolled out from the back of the van, instantly obscuring the road.
He slammed on the gas, and the van shot out of the smoke.
Just as they thought they were in the clear, several armored cars appeared ahead, blocking their path.
"Damn it, it's the military!" Yanagi cursed.
"No, wait," Miyabi said, her eyes sharp. "The insignia on those cars... they're fake."
"Looks like they're pulling out all the stops," Mo Wang said with a cold smile.
"What do we do now?" Belle asked nervously.
"What else?" he said, cracking his knuckles. "If they want to play, then let's play."
He revealed a familiar-looking button on the dashboard.
"Buckle up. If you get thrown out, I'm not responsible."
The moment Miyabi saw the change in his expression, she instinctively gripped the handle. Her sixth sense was screaming at her that something terrifying was about to happen.