Chapter 47 : Black and White

Reina’s expression hardened as she listened to the tip over the phone.

“Red Dog’s on the move?”

Red Dog. She knew the weight of that name too well to dismiss it lightly.

The idea that they were the most honorable mercenaries was a dusty old tale. The reemerged Red Dog was still the strongest mercenary group, but separately, they were unjust, sparing no sacrifice for their missions.

In short, Red Dog was a deep, near-black shade of gray.

Such a high-risk group mobilizing their full force was unprecedented. Whatever their goal, chaos in the city was inevitable.

Realizing the situation, she grabbed her gear and reported to her superiors. But the response was baffling, incomprehensible.

“What? No support? Why!?”

[Rat Town’s affairs don’t need outsiders meddling. It’ll only stir backlash. Don’t provoke them; monitor their moves, and they’ll settle it among themselves.]

What nonsense logic. Settle it? How many deaths cross that line?

The best way to handle this is firm control to prevent it outright.

And outsiders? How is police maintaining city safety outside interference?

This dawdling mindset lets preventable crises explode. Rat Town became this underworld because authorities ignored the problem.

Suppressing her rising anger, Reina declared into the receiver.

“Then as Rat Town precinct, I’m not an outsider.”

[…What? Hold on…!]

“I don’t need support. I’ll go alone.”

Cutting off the reply, she swapped her pistol’s magazine and left the precinct.

A memory from five years ago surfaced.

She knew roughly the stature Lycan, Red Dog’s leader she arrested, held among mercenaries. And that Red Dog in his time was far more just and good.

…Maybe her choice that day was wrong. If she’d let him go, Red Dog might not have fallen this far.

No. Such hypotheticals mean nothing now. As a cop, she upholds law and justice, punishing evil to protect the city.

No exceptions apply to that standard. Not even for Reina herself.

“Here?”

Ruby scanned the destination with a sharp gaze.

Behind her, Red Dog’s members stood in orderly rows. Their disciplined formation and universal red dog emblem made them feel less like mercenaries and more like a gang.

“Search.”

At the leader’s command, her subordinates stormed the building in unison.

Pausing to watch them, Ruby slowly began to move.

Soon, gunfire erupted, screams and shouts filling the air.

“Ambush!!”

“Argh…!”

“Die!”

In the chaos, Ruby walked leisurely, as if in another world, humming lightly, hands behind her back, glancing around like on a stroll.

Searching intently, she finally spotted her target deep inside the building.

“There you are.”

A woman stood alone in the room. Stopping at the threshold, Ruby faced her, the two locking eyes.

“Red Dog… Finally baring your fangs openly.”

Ruby stared briefly, then smirked.

“No clue what you mean. We’re just here to bust some shady drug dealers. How’d we know this is Ikazuchi’s secret facility guarded by White Wolf? Right?”

Rat Town teemed with crime and filth. Naturally, no better place existed for corporations’ dirty deeds.

But Red Dog’s target wasn’t Ikazuchi’s “something” here. It was the security assigned to protect it.

The White Wolf before her was the goal.

At Ruby’s brazen reply, the woman gave a hollow laugh, cracking her neck confidently.

“A minnow gets cocky after a few flips. I’ll teach you how mighty Ikazuchi is.”

Spotting the lightning-shaped emblem on her shoulder, Ruby’s smile faded, her gaze sinking as she stared at her foe.

“Do it if you can.”

“Gladly!!”

The woman’s staff morphed into a vicious sledgehammer, swinging at Ruby. Unfazed, Ruby dodged nimbly, aiming her revolver.

Bang!

“That’s it!?”

Deflecting the bullet with her hammer, the woman unleashed the full strength of her implant-enhanced body. A normal person would be crushed without resistance, but this girl was different.

“Scary. Like a gorilla.”

Casually commenting, Ruby pulled something from her pocket. Tossing a cute, handmade rabbit bomb, its adorable look belied the ferocious explosion that swept the space.

As the black smoke cleared, the White Wolf stood, visibly damaged by the blast.

“You think cheap tricks can fell a White Wolf!? Die!”

A surprise attack from the smoke. Assuming Ruby thought her down, she’d let her guard slip. Seizing the perfect counter, the woman swung her hammer, certain of victory.

The girl stared ahead, unmoving. No, not unable to react—she was deliberately still…?

Sensing something wrong, the hammer stopped just before crushing her head.

“What…?”

Shocked by an unfamiliar sensation, she turned to see something attached to the hammer’s head.

A small device, like a rocket thruster, spewing flames, countering her swing’s force.

‘When… Wait!’

Recalling blocking Ruby’s bullet with her hammer, she froze in disbelief.

Click.

“Pretty fun. All brawn, no brains.”

Bang!!

Mercilessly putting a hole in her forehead, Ruby blew the smoke from her barrel and took the brain chip.

“Finally.”

The White Wolf’s brain chip in hand. With this, she could track other hunting dogs, nearing her mission’s success and her personal goal.

Then, a member rushed to her.

“Boss!”

“What?”

“Uh… Cops showed up.”

Unexpected news tilted her head.

Cops?

This isn’t a posh, safe place like Goldridge—it’s Rat Town, Neotopia’s pus.

If it dragged on, she’d understand. Ikazuchi’s secret facility could’ve called for backup—not odd.

But considering how fast they raided, it made no sense. The police must’ve been watching their moves from the start.

Whatever the case, it’s not good. Ruby clicked her tongue and asked.

“How many?”

“Well, uh…”

“Why the hesitation?”

As she toyed with her revolver, the startled member blurted the truth.

“Looks like one!”

“…Ha. Interesting.”

Snorting in disbelief, Ruby strode past him.

“Let’s see what kind of hotshot shows up alone to this dump.”

Normally, it’s best to avoid cops. Mercs messing with corporations is their own fight, overlooked, but touching cops or uninvolved citizens draws retaliation.

That’s not an iron rule, though. Just an unspoken agreement to avoid hassle—when it breaks, they bare teeth and fight to the death.

Ruby was no different. Even if it was the police chief, she’d eliminate anyone blocking her goal without hesitation.

Finally, at the building’s entrance, she faced the fearless cop.

Ruby and Reina’s gazes clashed in the air.