Sky-cracking Rider

Hanna Gagel was not new to the scene; others might bow down immediately, but she could hardly trust someone without reservations.

With a career as an inspector for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a department noted for its cunning within the Apocalypse Defense Group, where they specialize in intricate tasks like unwinding complex cases and discerning truth from lies, she naturally understood that while providing timely help could earn loyalty, more often than not, real life is filled with ungrateful wolves showing their fangs.

In the ruthless underworld of Jianghu, the naive are long buried under three feet of grass, let alone the old players openly flaunting the Blood Lake branding.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Claude Hughes. Effective immediately, the Blood Lake Security Company will cease operations. All personnel are to assemble for restructuring," he said.

The seasoned Claude Hughes faced the bewildered bearded men and others.

These men were of the wolf kind; they couldn't be kept like dogs at home. Locking a wolf inside would only lead to it turning on its owner. Thus, it had to be released to keep attacking and feeding it

The bearded man hesitated for a moment before finally bowing his head in submission.

"Yes, sir!"

From that moment, the deeply indebted Blood Lake Security Company no longer belonged to him, or even to him and his gang; they all now depended on that one-eyed woman for sustenance.

"'Rookie,' Claude thrives using his brain and professional skills; you just need your fists. If guys like this don't obey, beat them senseless!"

Hanna Gagel directly instructed Chen Fei in person.

Different strokes for different folks. What about wolves? In the face of absolute power, even s**t would smell tantalizingly fragrant.

For a small team like this, Chen Fei alone could annihilate them with his bare hands.

When Boss Hana said this, she didn't hide her intent, and many from the Blood Lake Security Company heard her loud and clear. They felt a chill run down their spines; the boss had been knocked down with a single punch, and a few more hits could be fatal.

Enjoy more content from empire

If it were up to them, maybe they could have taken a few less punches before their lights went out!

-

After a day filled with chaos, Chapala City gradually returned to tranquility, but the employees of the Apocalypse Defense Group were still unsettled, as the administrative office building had turned into a pile of rubble, now a horrifying "scar" within the city.

Journalists, smelling blood, hunted everywhere for valuable information, their relentless energy penetrating day and night, an effort even the top spies couldn't match.

Although Erik Anthony, the chairman of Apocalypse Defense, had explicitly issued a gag order, it was clear that the company couldn't afford to lose face.

Yet, two shareholders still let something slip to the media, hinting at something tactical about the newly established Jiu Defense Company.

Although there was no explicit evidence, blaming the monk for being bald was suggestive enough.

However, Chairman Erik Anthony outright denied it all. He was a wise man and knew better than to upset the last influential Gagar; one more scandal, and the already embarrassed Apocalypse Defense Group might not survive.

Somehow, a well-connected journalist with extensive networks managed to locate Hanna Gagel's temporary residence.

When there's one leak, there might as well be countless others.

After the first flash of light outside the yard, it took less than half an hour for the yard walls to be surrounded by countless flashbulbs, and the sky swarmed with at least a hundred drones buzzing menacingly.

There were even daring reporters, overconfident in their agility, who tried to climb over the wall.

As soon as they climbed over, they were surrounded by men who had been waiting, fists ready, and were thoroughly thrashed on the spot.

They couldn't handle 'Rookie,' the guy. How could they not deal with these recklessly brave individuals?

Suddenly, numerous slender beams streaked across the sky, and the dense swarm of drones dropped like dumplings into boiling water.

"Tweet tweet!"

A tiny black-feathered Little Bird hopped on the rooftop, asserting its dominance over the airspace, declaring it off-limits unless invited.

Moments later, it flew to the wall, engaging in a flashing duel with the flashing cameras.

A sudden "Light Burst Flash" slammed down coldly, doing some serious damage to those cameras!

The delicate, sensitive light-sensitive elements were collectively crippled and damaged.

It really is Jiu Defense!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Both Chen Fei and Boss Hana suddenly felt that the name of the company wasn't a mistake at all. They would later clip the surveillance footage and hand it over to an expert for editing, making it yet another classic advertisement video.

"Have you all memorized everything?"

The Deputy General Manager of Jiu Defense Company, Claude Hughes, who is in charge of managing external affairs, was spot-checking some new recruits on their recitation of training materials.

Acquiring Blood Lake Security Company was just the beginning; soon, several other small military contractors that had previously gone against Jiu Defense also voluntarily submitted themselves, apparently struggling to survive. Once a strong support became available, they were eager to convert their weapons to gifts of silk.

"Manager Hughes, rest assured, we all have at least a high school diploma. To be in this line, one must understand policies and know the laws, it's just memorizing a document, we can handle it!"

The leader of Blood Lake Security Company, Alfred Jean Patrick, dressed in a white suit with a goatee beard, pounded his chest vigorously, his words flying with excitement.

The leaders of seven other companies, including Black Wolf Defense, Sacrilege Security Company, and Indiana Crusader Security Company, all urged their subordinates to rehearse their responses thoroughly to avoid any breaches from being exposed by journalists and official inquiries.

With two shareholders who couldn't keep their mouths shut on the Apocalypse Defense Group's side, Hanna Gagar was not unprepared. She and the old fox, Chairman Erik Anthony, unspokenly had an understanding.

Some things didn't need to be said outright. Naturally, they could make accurate judgments based on the situation. Those who should understand would understand; those who didn't would never grasp the real scenario.

The two parties played their moves cunningly, step by step, effectively keeping both journalists and officials isolated from the truth.

Those two shareholders received a warning that very day. If they couldn't keep their mouths shut, a board resolution would be triggered, and the other shareholders would forcibly buy out their shares, kicking them directly out of the Apocalypse Defense Group.

That was not even the worst-case scenario. Once they lost the protection and balance of the Apocalypse Defense Group and considering that they had also offended the ruthlessly decisive Jiu Defense, it was indeed a case of bringing trouble upon themselves; a misdeed they could not live down.

Following Hanna Gagar's instructions, Jiu Defense's official announcement was extremely simple. It avoided direct contact with journalists and other media, only appearing on the company's official promotional platform. The statement subtly expressed regret over the attack on their former company, Apocalypse Defense Group, hoping the perpetrator would be caught soon.

It dismissed the two shareholders' absurd claims as completely unfounded, emphasizing Jiu Defense's recent focus on acquiring several small military contractors, with no time to engage in trivial matters. It strongly condemned those who manufactured and spread rumors, reserving the right to pursue legal responsibilities.

Displayed in an official tone, the announcement caused media in both Chapala City and all over Mesoamerica to feel puzzled; the grandiose language left little room for criticism.

Meanwhile, the eight small military contracting firms that had become peripheral subjects of Jiu Defense officially announced that, after lengthy negotiations, they had finally completed an acquisition agreement with Jiu Defense Company for a token sum of one Star Yuan.

One Star Yuan was practically just like obtaining something for free.

But now, what mattered was Jiu Defense's command. The eight small companies were positioned in every way imaginable, as long as Boss Hana was pleased.

Upon the release of this announcement, the news media were again stirred.

The suspicions around Jiu Defense were largely dispelled.

On one hand, conducting business negotiations, and on the other, attacking large military contractors—it was simply not something a start-up small military contractor could achieve.

Some suspected that it was the eight small military contractors that had been acquired; together, their combat personnel and logistics staff totaled nearly a thousand, making it not impossible to target Apocalypse Defense Group.

But the fact was they hadn't done it; there were no flaws. Some thought they were clever, misguided to investigate in this direction, doomed to fruitless efforts, gaining nothing.

However, Apocalypse Defense Group now truly dreaded Jiu Defense, suddenly acquiring eight small military contractors to bolster its periphery.

Not to mention, instantly being able to gather a combat force of nearly a thousand people, this kind of power had the capital to directly confront large military contractors.

Chairman Erik Anthony couldn't understand what kind of charisma Hanna Gagar possessed to make those eight small military contractors submit without hesitation.

Actually, there wasn't much to say. Beating each one firmly, those killers only respected whoever had the strongest fist. If one beating wasn't enough, then two; if two weren't enough, then three. After all, they still had to earn a living, and eventually, they half-willingly submitted.

Some heard the winds of change too late to join proactively and were left pacing and regretting their tardiness!

Hanna Gagar wasn't indiscriminate; she only chose small military contractors with good reputations to join her ranks, on one hand to serve, handling logistical tasks while also absorbing resources transferred from Apocalypse Defense Group, and on the other, as a talent pool for selection, effectively filling Jiu Defense's mid-level ranks, building a solid framework for the entire defense company.

As a military contractor, there could never be too many auxiliary logistics staff; the ratio of one combat personnel to a hundred logistics personnel wasn't an exaggeration. The more meticulous the work, the higher the combat effectiveness and tactical level could be raised.

In sovereign airbases, the ratio of combat pilots to ground crew was even higher.

Those small military contractors were poorly managed, sometimes overloaded with personal side jobs. The so-called multi-skilling, overwhelmed with tasks, led to inadequate maintenance of equipment, lack of detail, frequent staff errors, naturally affecting combat effectiveness, thereby impacting reputation and task completion evaluations, further deteriorating into a vicious cycle.

-