387 Who is the player and who is the piece?

"Reporting!"

From outside the door, the Colonel's voice rang out!

Atlantis knew that Helena had already been executed. Those people the Hepburn Family had arranged within the base couldn't stir up any significant trouble, especially since they had known about the other party's plan in advance.

"Enter!"

A second later, the Colonel opened the meeting room door, stepped forward quickly, and saluted. "Reporting to The Chief: Helena has been executed, and the base has been purged. Please provide instructions!"

"Very well. Stand by on-site. No one is to leave the base by even a single step without my orders."

"Yes, sir!"

After the Colonel left, Wang Jianguo couldn't help but ask, "General Atlantis, since we knew about the Hepburn Family's plan, why didn't we just order their direct suppression?"

In response to his confusion, Atlantis gave a mysterious smile. "It's not time yet. Since Hels has forced this chess game to begin, there naturally cannot be a lack of pawns."

Hearing this, Wang Jianguo and Wang Jianjun were both full of questions, not knowing what he meant by those words.

Could it be that the man before them had calculated this turn of events perfectly? Or perhaps he had a response plan ready long ago—even if the Hepburn Family hadn't revolted, would they have been forced down this path for various reasons in the near future anyway?

If that were truly the case, then the man before them was far too terrifying.

On the other side!

After Hels decided to act, undercurrents began to surge throughout Cambodia. Several underworld forces supported by the Hepburn Family emerged one after another at this moment.

Their goal was simple: to keep an eye on the people from the other two major families. As long as they didn't cause trouble, then for Hels, the matter was already half-successful.

But clearly, this did not align with the plan S.H.I.E.L.D. had long since formulated. According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plan, all three major families in Cambodia needed to be involved.

Not only did they need to be involved, but it would be best if they could cause a massive commotion; a free-for-all between the three families would be ideal.

The script that followed was for Hels to lead his men to kill The Chief, and then Atlantis would send troops to suppress all three families, pinning the blame on all of them at once.

By then, there would be both an excuse and the merit. Atlantis would step forward to settle the conflict, earning a massive wave of goodwill among the people.

With the people's support, The Chief's position would be within easy reach. Even if Atlantis didn't take the seat, S.H.I.E.L.D. would send someone else up.

Regardless, in the end, Cambodia would be firmly controlled by S.H.I.E.L.D., becoming the third country after Mexico and Myanmar.

Therefore, no matter how many underworld forces Hels had cultivated in secret, Hydra would not let things go as he wished. The other two major families had to participate; they had no choice in the matter.

What? You want to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight?

Fine. When the artillery shells land on your family lands, I'll see if you can still sit still.

Hydra's people moved out quietly, wiping out all of the Hepburn Family's lackeys in one fell swoop. Along the way, they used the Hepburns' banner to kill dozens of people from the other two families.

Meanwhile, at the Nalanck Family estate!

Inside the hall, several high-ranking members were holding a discussion on the matter.

"Bastard! That old fogey Hels—how does he dare? He actually dared to kill our clansmen!"

"Hmph, I think he's lost his mind. Not only does he dare to revolt, but he even dares to provoke us. Is he afraid he won't die fast enough?"

"I'm afraid things aren't as simple as we think. Hels is no fool; otherwise, the Hepburn Family wouldn't be standing alongside us as one of the three major families. There must be someone instigating this from the shadows, aiming to make us and Hels fight like dogs biting dogs."

"Watch your phrasing. What do you mean 'dogs biting dogs'?"

"Ahem~ don't worry about those details, just understand the meaning behind my words."

"Are you saying this was done by the Kane Family?"

Unexpectedly, the other person shook his head and said in a heavy tone, "The more we suspect that, the more the truth often exceeds our expectations. However, it cannot be denied that the Kane Family is the most likely candidate."

With this analysis, the entire hall suddenly fell into a dead silence.

Things were becoming a bit chaotic. Because the strength of the three families was roughly equal, if all three parties fell into competition, one side would certainly be the first to be eliminated.

The Patriarch, who had not spoken until now, saw that everyone had fallen silent and couldn't help but tap his hand on the table, drawing everyone's gaze.

"Have you found out why the Hepburn Family chose to revolt at this time? This is a grave matter; that old fellow Hels wouldn't do something he wasn't sure of.

If he didn't have absolute certainty, then he must have encountered some thorny issue that forced him to take the risk."

"What the Patriarch says is true, but our people haven't found any useful information. We only know that Hels began his move after leaving Atlantis's side."

"General Atlantis? If I recall correctly, Helena of the Hepburn Family serves under him. Could it be that General Atlantis has defected to them?"

"If that's truly the case, then we're in big trouble."

"Not necessarily. That's just our speculation. Right now, the military base where General Atlantis is located is under martial law. Outsiders can't get close, and we have no idea what's happening inside."

Sitting in the head seat, the Nalank Patriarch's brow twitched. Everything had happened so suddenly that it caught him somewhat off guard. Being too passive was very disadvantageous for them.

But regardless, they couldn't just sit here waiting for death. "Contact the Kane Family. Tell them we, the Nalanks, want to form an alliance with them. We'll dismantle the time bomb that is the Hepburn Family first. As for what happens after, everything is negotiable."

As long as the Hepburn Family wasn't eliminated, his heart would not be at peace.

Suddenly, a young man ran in from outside in a hurry, saying out of breath, "Patriarch, this is bad... a troop of tens of thousands from the border... has suddenly moved inland."

Hearing this, everyone in the hall changed expression. The Nalank Patriarch even startled out of his seat. "What! This is madness! Hels deserves to die! No! Everyone in the Hepburn Family deserves to die! They actually dared to lay hands on the border troops!

Does he not know what this means? Once..."

"Patriarch, are you perhaps overthinking? This isn't like the old days; the border won't fall into great chaos."

"Yes, and since Hels has already gone this far, would he even care about that much anymore?"

The Nalank Patriarch fell silent. It was true; at this stage, who would still care about such things? Whether they themselves could survive was still an unknown.

"Forget it. Contact the Kane Family. We must resolve the Hepburn Family as quickly as possible."

While they were seeking cooperation with the Kane Family, on the other side, Hels didn't seem to give anyone a chance to breathe.

He directly led his armed forces to surround the place where The Chief worked. When he arrived before the doors of this place he had dreamed of, he suddenly felt a sense of unreality.

Things seemed to have gone too smoothly. No one had come out to stop them midway, and the other two major families hadn't made a single move, which left him feeling uneasy.

A powerful enemy isn't scary; what's scary is a venomous snake hiding in the dark, because you don't know when it will give you a bite.

But having come this far, it was impossible to just retreat. He wouldn't be satisfied either; even if it was an abyss inside, he had to go in and take the risk.

"Patriarch, I didn't expect us to reach this point so smoothly."

"Indeed. It seems everything on Helena's side must be going well; otherwise, Atlantis wouldn't have remained silent until now."

"Yes, the military base is under martial law. Helena has been very successful. Not only did the plan succeed, but she's also taken control of the base. Now we just wait for the other two families."

"Let's go. It's time for someone from our Hepburn Family to sit in this seat."

Hearing the comments of his subordinates, Hels's mood instantly brightened. He hadn't expected things to proceed so smoothly. Had he known, he wouldn't have waited until now.

He felt as if he had missed out on countless fortunes and power.