389 I was just kidding, I'll kill you even if you surrender.

Unfortunately, they celebrated too early.

They were indeed the orioles, but little did they know that a giant beast lurked behind them.

The battle started quickly and ended just as fast; in less than half an hour, all the men brought by Hels were wiped out, and the building's outer walls were riddled with bullet holes.

Although the Hepburn Family's armed forces were destroyed, the other two families also suffered significant casualties.

However, these casualties meant little to them; to achieve greatness, sacrifices were inevitable.

As long as the Hepburn Family was eliminated and they took control of this place, they wouldn't feel any heartache no matter how many people were sacrificed.

"To be safe, send men in to bring out the people inside. Leave no one from the Hepburn Family alive."

"Patriarch Kane, you're the truly ruthless one. That old fellow Hels didn't even get to see our faces before he died."

"Hmph, he's a defeated opponent; he's not worthy of seeing us. Not only must the Hepburn Family be destroyed, but after this is over, we must nail them to the pillar of shame. Otherwise, how will our monumental feats be recognized?"

As soon as these words were spoken, both men began to envision the future of their respective families.

However, this was merely a facade of harmony; who could guarantee that the other didn't have hidden agendas deep down?

As the saying goes, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

After the members of the two families entered the building, they encountered the same scene Hels had, and the same confusion arose in their hearts.

Why were these people not only unsurprised and uneasy by their arrival, but instead looking at them with a completely indifferent attitude?

"What's the situation? Have they been scared witless?"

"Yeah, I think that's likely the case. Ignore them. Find everyone from the Hepburn Family and execute them. Everyone, be careful; I'll take some men to find The Chief."

"Don't worry. With our two families allied, what kind of waves can the Hepburn Family possibly make?"

"Hehe, exactly. The situation is settled now. Once this is over, we will be the masters of this place. Just thinking about it is exciting."

Meanwhile, in The Chief's office!

Seeing the gunfire outside stop, Hels knew in his heart that the Hepburn Family was finished.

No! It wasn't just their family; all three families were doomed, and even the heavens above were about to change.

And he was the one who had pushed this whole affair forward, which made his heart incredibly heavy.

If only he could do it all over again...

(Joke: If he could do it over, he probably wouldn't choose Li Bai again.)

The thought didn't go any further because there is no such thing as a 'do-over' in this world, let alone a pill for regret.

"Enough. Things have come to this; there's no point in self-blame. Even without you, this would have happened in the near future anyway."

"This is their ultimate goal. It's just a pity that we have no way to get word of our internal affairs out."

"Is there really no way?"

"It's useless. I tried every possible method before you arrived. I don't know how they did it, but the fact remains."

The Chief's words filled Hels with a deep sense of powerlessness.

As they were talking, the office door was suddenly pushed open with brute force.

Men from the Kane and Nalanck families walked in with the air of victors.

"Yo~ What we expected didn't happen. I thought there would already be blood spilled in here, but I didn't expect you to be chatting so happily."

"Hels, our Patriarch has ordered that no one from your family be left alive. After all, our three families have been in balance for so long, so there's still a bit of sentiment. You can say your last words now."

Hels looked at the expressions on their faces; they were very familiar, exactly the same as when he had first entered.

They were just as high-spirited. He couldn't help but give a self-deprecating smile. "Although you won't believe what I'm about to say, I hope you'll inform your Patriarch immediately after hearing it."

Just as Hels finished speaking, an explosion rang out, and the entire building suddenly began to shake.

This explosion seemed like a signal. If they were outside, they would see countless black dots falling toward the building from the sky.

The sudden commotion stopped Hels from continuing, for there was no longer any need.

They... were here!

Outside!

The Patriarchs of the Kane and Nalanck families looked up at the sky, the expressions on their faces instantly freezing.

"Damn it, this can't be real."

"Why? Why is this happening? Everyone from our three families is here. Who would dare to act like this?"

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The crowd outside became panicked. Upon hearing their Patriarchs' orders to retreat, they scrambled backward.

The shells in the sky did not stop because of this.

Boom—!

Explosions rang out one after another, and the entire building was leveled in an instant. The people inside didn't even have a chance to escape; they were all buried within.

The aftershock of the explosions sent those who hadn't run far flying. Patriarch Kane, sitting in his car, looked back with lingering fear.

His heart was full of confusion. Who on earth had ordered the bombing of this place? There weren't many people with that authority; they were all either from the three families or from The Chief's faction.

Could there be a hidden hand behind this?

Just as he was thinking this, a shell grazed past.

The driver looked ahead in terror, his hands trembling on the steering wheel.

Because the road ahead was blocked, and it wasn't people blocking it—it was tanks!

"Patriarch, tanks!"

Hearing this, Patriarch Kane's gaze involuntarily fixed forward. Without time to think, he hurriedly shouted, "Stop the car! Scatter and run! Bastards, who the hell is it?!"

None of them had mobilized the military because they felt it was unnecessary. In their view, controlling the center of power was equivalent to controlling the entire situation.

Unfortunately, what they didn't know was that even if they wanted to mobilize the military, it would be to no avail; S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't give them the chance.

The people they had planted in the military had been rooted out by S.H.I.E.L.D. as early as when Helena was executed.

With tanks on the ground and attack helicopters circling overhead, they couldn't escape at all.

"Insurrectionists below, listen up! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons immediately, put your hands behind your heads, and squat where you are, or you will be killed without mercy!"

"Insurrectionists below, listen up! You..."

"Don't shoot! We surrender!"

"Surrender my ass! Do you know what you're saying? Doesn't surrendering mean admitting we're insurrectionists?"

"Damn it, we're clearly the righteous force, yet now we've become accomplices of the Hepburn Family."

"It doesn't matter. Surrendering offers a glimmer of hope. Otherwise, look at the attack helicopters in the sky and the tanks not far away. Don't those gun barrels look massive?"

"Surrender! The family cannot be destroyed, and we certainly cannot be branded as rebels."

However, they were too naive.

When they dropped their guns and squatted with their hands behind their heads, the people inside the attack helicopters smirked.

I lied to you; even those who surrender will be killed without mercy!

They opened fire directly on them.

Bullets rained down on them like raindrops. S.H.I.E.L.D. had never intended to let them live from the very beginning.

If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they will grow again when the spring breeze blows. Since that's the case, why leave any hidden dangers?