Miss Witch Doesn't Want to Become a Songstress-Chapter 198

The next day, having secured the fuel and gained a preliminary understanding of Lebion, the group felt slightly more relaxed compared to their initial unfamiliarity upon arrival.

"Should we leave, or stay here a bit longer?" the group discussed.

"I’d like to get some funds, but it feels like it might involve a lot of trouble," Guro said, leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head.

"That Red Hat guy from yesterday seemed like he was up to something, but I don’t trust him, especially after learning about the strength of the two major corporations."

"Getting involved in a conflict between two factions just to earn some money isn’t wise. Besides, we’re not actual mercenaries. If it comes down to killing, what do we do?"

"That’s a fair point," Jinzerk admitted. Although he enjoyed a bit of excitement, he wasn’t reckless.

"Should we ask Thilan?" At this point, the black-haired girl was still asleep.

"Well, while we shouldn’t get involved in their conflict, this is a good place to gather information. Today, we can check out other places and see if there are any opportunities elsewhere in Northern 2nd District."

After some more discussion, they had breakfast. By then, Thilan had come up from the lower level, unusually dressed in a dark blue dress today.

"Here you go," Ruby placed a bowl of hot oatmeal in front of the girl.

"Thank you, Ruby," Thilan said, picking up a spoon and eating slowly.

"We were just discussing today’s plans. What do you think, Thilan?" Ruby asked.

"What do I think..." Thilan stirred the oatmeal in her bowl, recalling the information they had gathered the previous day.

She shook her head.

"It seems like the two factions are about to go to war. We shouldn’t get involved."

"This morning, let’s restock our supplies, and then we’ll leave in the afternoon. If we stay too long, I’m afraid that Maziza guy might come looking for us."

"Alright, fine," Ruby sighed.

Although they hadn’t seen any excitement, staying out of trouble was the wise choice.

With that decided, the group planned their day.

However, things changed faster than they expected. Perhaps the tensions had been building for a long time, or perhaps they had reached a breaking point. At around 10 AM, they heard explosions in the distance, and people on the streets began running in panic.

Soon, the roar of jet engines echoed through the sky, and they saw several crimson mechs leaping across the rooftops of abandoned buildings. The mechs’ legs bent slightly, and hydraulic jump mechanisms at their joints propelled them into the air. Orange flames shot out from their back thrusters, carrying them to the next building.

Bright flashes of gunfire erupted from the mechs’ shoulder-mounted machine guns, their rotating barrels unleashing a torrent of bullets that swept through the distant buildings like a storm. Amid the flames, a rocket shot out from inside one of the buildings, striking the crimson mech. However, after the explosion, the mech only bore some scorch marks and remained unharmed.

"So that’s the power of Burning Iron Energy’s mechs. Impressive," Simu remarked, watching the scene from afar.

"A Sequence 4 pilot with mech support can easily defeat multiple opponents of the same level. Even against a Sequence 5 transcendent, they can maintain an advantage," Alen analyzed using the scanning device on his glasses.

"Looks like an older model of a fourth-generation mech. Although a bit outdated, seeing mechs in action is still thrilling," someone commented.

The Federation had been peaceful for many years, and even during occasional security incidents, mechs were rarely deployed. Exoskeleton-equipped soldiers were usually enough.

"Let’s go. While it’s chaotic, if we don’t leave now, it might be too late," Simu said, climbing into the driver’s seat and urging everyone to get in.

Today, N also sat in the passenger seat, monitoring the situation.

The large truck started up again, leaving the parking lot and speeding toward an exit.

Along the way, they saw people running in panic, and occasional gunfire rang out. As they drove through several streets, they encountered a blockade at an intersection. A group of people in black protective gear, armed with guns, stood guard, preventing anyone from passing.

"Should we stop?" someone asked, but everyone knew that stopping now would make it harder to leave later.

"Don’t stop," Thilan shook her head. She moved to the front of the vehicle, holding onto the seat, and looked at the scene ahead.

The guards at the intersection shouted for them to stop and raised their guns, aiming at the truck. Their shoulders bore the emblem of a black hammer and gear, indicating they were members of Black Hammer Heavy Industries.

"This is troublesome," Thilan sighed, covering her forehead.

She hadn’t wanted to take action, but now she had no choice.

A barrage of bullets struck the windshield, leaving spiderweb-like cracks but failing to penetrate. As they continued firing, a wave of frost spread from the ground, freezing the guards in place. A burst of compressed air then knocked them aside, clearing the path.

After passing the intersection, Guro and Valk, who were on the roof, relaxed a bit. It had been their combined efforts that froze and pushed aside the guards.

The truck continued forward, but as they advanced, more black-clad figures appeared on the streets. Gradually, they realized they might have chosen the wrong direction to leave the city—this area seemed to be the stronghold of Black Hammer Heavy Industries.

Sure enough, two black steel mechs appeared ahead, crouched like giant beasts. Their thick black armor gleamed, and their rectangular heads flickered with orange indicator lights. Their shoulders carried massive cannons, the edges of which bore clear spiral guiding grooves.

A bright energy glow began to build within the cannons, and then a thick stream of particles shot down the street, sweeping toward the speeding truck.

In a moment of desperation, N twisted the steering wheel with one hand and pressed down on Simu’s foot with his own, slamming the accelerator. The truck veered sharply, avoiding most of the particle stream, but the side of the vehicle was grazed at a shallow angle.

The high-temperature heat melted part of the truck’s side, and the molten pieces fell off, exposing the interior. The truck swayed violently, forcing everyone to hold onto fixed objects inside to avoid being thrown out.

After leaving the main road, the truck faced gunfire from armed personnel. Bullet holes began to appear on the body, and as the truck swerved, it crashed through benches, fountains, and trash cans, finally avoiding the street with the black mechs and entering an alley.

"Prepare to jump! It’s a dead end ahead!" N shouted from the driver’s seat, and the group quickly sprang into action.

Valk and Guro, already on the roof, were the first to jump out. Those on the lower level climbed out through the melted side, while those on the upper level and in the driver’s cabin had a harder time.

Xelian used his plasma dagger to quickly cut an opening in the truck’s wall, then kicked it open, helping the others on the upper level jump out. Finally, in the driver’s cabin, N locked the steering wheel, smashed the reinforced windshield with his elbow, and pulled Simu out.

Thilan, the last one remaining, glanced at the shattered front window, then opened the side door of the driver’s cabin and leaped out gracefully. Moments later, the truck crashed into the dead-end wall with a loud bang, shaking loose various objects before finally coming to a stop.

As the group debated whether to retrieve their belongings from the truck, footsteps approached from behind.

"They went in there. Get them!" The voice belonged to members of Black Hammer Heavy Industries.

Time was running out. Under N’s guidance, the group climbed over the alley’s dead end, searching for an escape route.

Facing a three-meter-high wall, the students of Edess Academy, all talented and capable transcendents, easily scaled it. However, their pursuers, armed with guns but only at Sequence 1 or 2, needed tools to climb, delaying them significantly. By the time they reached the other side of the alley, the group was already far away.

Moving away from the area controlled by Black Hammer Heavy Industries, the group followed the fleeing locals and eventually found themselves near the bar from the previous day. This area happened to be in the northern part of the city, sandwiched between the territories of Black Hammer and Burning Iron.

Due to the chaos, the bar was closed today, and many of its staff were scrambling to find a way out.

"Hey, over here!" A familiar voice called out, and Ruby spotted the short man hiding in a corner, waving at them.

"Follow me," he said, leading the group through a series of twists and turns to a small house. He opened a basement door and ushered everyone inside.

The basement wasn’t large, and the compacted dirt and stones inside suggested it had been dug out later, not part of the original structure.

Pulling open a hidden compartment in the wall, Red Hat led the group through a dark passage, descending until they saw a faint light ahead. They emerged into a damp, foul-smelling underground waterway, likely part of the city’s original drainage system.

A large hole had been dug into the side wall, forming a room. Inside, a few people were already present.

"Boss, what’s this?" The three inside were curious as Red Hat brought in a group of strangers.

"Our partners, hehe," he chuckled, then turned to introduce the group.

"Welcome to my secret base. This is my underground kingdom. Don’t worry, neither Black Hammer nor Burning Iron can find us here."

"This is quite unexpected," Guro remarked, marveling at the unpredictability of events.

"They blew up our truck. I won’t let this slide," Jinzerk said, thinking of the electromagnetic gun he had painstakingly bought and modified, now lost.

"So, this is Red Hat’s base? It seems a bit... crude," Ruby looked around. Indeed, the place was far from impressive. The air was foul, and the guns hanging on the walls were crude and makeshift, as if hastily assembled.

"Though crude, my dreams are not limited to this. I aim to end the two major gangs and become the king of Lebion!" Red Hat declared, standing on a box to gain some height. Though it looked somewhat comical, his voice was filled with conviction, earning the admiration of his followers.

"Boss is the strongest!"

"We are the ones who will end the chaos!" Cheers erupted sporadically.

This man certainly has a way with words, Thilan thought to herself.

There’s a type of person in the world—call them arrogant or overconfident—who always exudes an inexplicable self-assurance. Even with no achievements to their name, they insist they will succeed in the future. This kind of confidence can be highly deceptive, as people subconsciously believe that those who are exceptionally confident must have some real ability or talent, leading them to trust such individuals.

For now, the group settled into the underground base, deciding not to venture out. The fighting aboveground was intense, with armed personnel and mechs clashing. Going out now would only make them targets for both sides.

"Why did the fighting break out so suddenly?" Alen wondered aloud, feeling that everything had seemed normal the day before. Although there had been some tension between the two factions, it hadn’t seemed like it would escalate so quickly.

"That’s thanks to my brilliant decision," Red Hat said, sitting on a high box with one foot propped on a stool, proudly explaining.

"Last night, I had someone blow up one of Burning Iron Energy’s fuel depots. They had no choice but to act."

"What? Why would you do that suddenly?"

"Because the time was ripe! Did you think I was just spouting nonsense? That it was just me?" Red Hat adjusted his crumpled hat.

"No, no, I have many people behind me. What you see here is just the tip of the iceberg."

"I have people in Burning Iron Energy, in Black Hammer Heavy Industries, and even spies in the bars. There’s nothing in this city I don’t know about," he continued.

"I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity, and your arrival yesterday provided the final piece of the puzzle. That’s why I acted immediately."

"But we haven’t agreed to cooperate with you yet," Alen said, looking up at the man on the box.

"No, you will agree," Red Hat jumped down.

"What’s the downside of working with me? If we win, you’ll gain a massive fortune from both corporations—enough to live in luxury for ten years, or even a lifetime if you’re frugal. Why would you refuse such an opportunity? I’ve never met anyone who turns down easy money."

"As for the risks, I’ll handle them. I’ve done the research, made the preparations, and so on. All you need to do is wait a few days and then reap the rewards. Why wouldn’t you join?"

"I can’t think of a single reason for you to refuse."

"But..." Alen felt something was off but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

"You haven’t told us the whole truth," Thilan stepped forward, shaking her head.

"You talk about reaping the rewards, but what exactly are we facing? Those mechs? And the things you’re promising come from the enemy—you haven’t put up any of your own resources. If we fail, you’ll probably escape easily, leaving us to bear the consequences and become your scapegoats."

"Though your words sound bold, you’ve prepared everything in advance. It’s essentially a con, and you’ve even found the perfect fall guys."

Young, strong, and with several strikingly beautiful girls among them, the group was far more attention-grabbing than Red Hat. If Black Hammer Heavy Industries and Burning Iron Energy were to prioritize capturing anyone, it would undoubtedly be them.

"So, Mr. Red Hat, your pitch isn’t convincing enough for us to agree."