“They’re coming. ETA 12 minutes.”

Almost at the same time as the Allen Family enforcers went on the move, within one of the underground tunnels, Alexander tapped his temple and said quietly.

In front of him were two dozen men and women. At a first glance, it was clear all of them were dangerous people. Many of them had scars on their skin. Almost all of them had weapons attached to their belts. Handguns. Shotguns. Even blades.

These men and women were all Alexander’s Disciples. They were neither from Darkbane Prison nor from the Allen Family. Instead, they were simply Imperial citizens who resided in the Southern Districts of Valoria. All of them had shady backgrounds and even shadier ways of making a living. Some of them were professional hitmen with no gang affiliations. Others were contract killers or former veterans.

They all had one thing in common. They were frequent guests of some Allen Family establishment that Alexander had control over. Alexander saw value in them, and soon, they found themselves a new master.

Now, they would be a part of Alexander’s plan to bring down the Allen Family.

Eric Allen was a careful man. There was no question about that. It was his caution that kept the Allen Family safe for years. He was also really good at keeping a calm mind. Cara told Alexander that when she was first captured, the CSF attempted to use her to lure her father and the Allen Family out. They kept her in an ‘unsecured’ position and leaked the news to Eric.

Even when he had a shot of rescuing his daughter, even as Jaime and his Lieutenants begged him to act, Eric made the right choice and refused to strike. He mourned his daughter’s fate, but he also knew this was too good to be true, and throwing away the entire Allen Family in a meaningless assault was nothing but idiotic.

A man like this wouldn’t send his forces on a mission unless he thought he had everything under control. Alexander knew that. So, in order to lure the main forces of the Allen Family into a trap, Alexander went through a lot of trouble.

The squad of attackers that had been attacking Allen Family establishments and looting them clean wasn’t from the Reese Cartel. It was made up of Disciples acting on the command of Alexander. And the supposed connection to the West Gangs? Another trick.

A lesser man would’ve turned on the West Gangs after the attacks, but Eric exercised restraints, just like Alexander knew he would. He knew Eric would sense something wrong in these attacks, something fishy, so he gave Eric the answer he so desperately wanted. He gave Eric the culprit, the mastermind, that the patriarch knew existed. Just...not the real one.

The employee who planted the tracker on the attacker didn't succeed because he was lucky. He succeeded because both he and the attacker were Disciples. This was all part of the plan, and Eric fell right into the trap.

At this point, the patriarch had no more reasons to doubt the narrative. Everything was logical. The Reese Cartel tried to create conflict between the West Gangs and the Allen Family. They failed and exposed their location in the process, and now the Allen Family could claim the vengeance they so desperately needed.

And now, 500 enforcers, the brunt of the Allen Family’s military forces, were heading to the underground tunnels. They thought they were taking on a fellow gang by surprise, but they had no idea what they were walking into.

Once these enforcers were handled, the Allen Family would be defenseless, and Alexander would be able to do things more...openly.

Alexander turned to the 20 or so Disciples before him. For a while, Alexander felt like they would hardly be happy about the situation they were in. After all, they just went from free men and women to slaves who had little free will. Alexander knew if one day he was suddenly drugged, tortured, and pressed into servitude, he would be pissed.

To his surprise, some of these Disciples seemed like they were enjoying their new roles. When they were first summoned, more than a few of them had been carving into their own flesh and skin and rejoicing in the sweet agony. Others have been sparring, moving and fighting at a speed they never thought possible before. It seemed like to these murderers and criminals who live on the fringes of society, their freedom was a decent price to pay for superhuman powers.

“You all know the plan.” The young Wolf declared as he scanned through the expressions of every single one of the Disciples. “Remember. Try to take them alive, and don’t be afraid to do permanent damage. Aim for the arms and legs. Once they become Disciples, their limbs will heal.”

“As you wish, my Lord.” One of the Disciples nodded. She was a tall woman. A professional assassin who walked into the wrong bar. “We have all the advantages we can possibly have. This battle is already won.”

The other Disciples nodded in agreement. They all shared the woman’s opinion.

“I respect your confidence, Sasha.” Alexander, on the other hand, frowned and came up with a cold reply. “But be careful. Make sure that doesn't turn to arrogance.”

“I...yes sir!” The woman immediately lowered her head and nodded.

“Very well.” Alexander nodded again before ordering. “Get into your positions. You will receive further orders through the psychic network. Now go!”

As the Disciples marched into the tunnels one by one, Alexander sighed. As the son of an Imperial Noble, he really wasn’t a fan of dealing with gangsters and criminals. Throughout his life, he had been working with high-level officials and generals. The troops he encountered were disciplined, and the servants that surrounded him were polite. Swearing the oath ensured the loyalty of his Disciples, but it couldn’t turn a random civilian or criminal into a professional soldier.

Still, the criminals were a good place to start with, and Alexander swore to himself that one day, he would have an army and a fleet under his command.

As it got closer and closer to its destination, the convoy started to split up and head for different entrances to the tunnel network. Each part that split off from the main convoy consisted of a few vehicles and two dozen men. In the end, when her vehicle arrived at its destination, Jaime noted that there were only around 30 men left around her and Serhant.

“Is this enough manpower?” She couldn’t help but turn to her father’s most trusted Lieutenant. “What if the Reese Cartel tries to fight a way out before we can fully surround them? None of the individual squads will have enough firepower to stop them.”

Jaime knew she wasn’t the smartest one in the Family, and most of the time she preferred to use her guns and muscles than her brain, but that didn't mean she didn't know anything.

“Good question.” Serhant glanced at Jaime, slightly impressed that the girl bothered to think about this issue. “Here is why that will not be an issue. First, the Reese Cartel likely doesn’t have too many men left either, and they will be caught by surprise. When they try to fight a way out, it will be too late. At the same time…”

He tapped his sidearm, an Arbiter-H handgun designed for Imperial officers.

“Remember where we will be fighting. In the tunnels. And the nature of the tunnels mean that only a few people will be able to open fire at once. Their superior numbers will be useless...well, they may still try to storm our squads with sheer numbers, but for this mission, we have gauss weapons. They can have ten times our numbers, but it wouldn’t take a few gauss rifles more than a few seconds to mow down if they attempt a charge. Even human shields can’t stop a gauss round.”

“Oh...I see.” Jaime nodded slowly, truly impressed by what Serhant just told her. It was no wonder the man was so trusted by her father.

The vehicles came to a stop in front of a building complex that contained a set of stairs leading to one of the tunnels. Serhant, Cara, and the other members of their squad quickly dismounted. As most troops secured the surrounding area, Serhant turned to two of the men.

“Listen up, boys. We are going underground, and it’s possible this will interfere with our MI signals and cut us off from HQ. So I want you two to stay here and pay attention to our channel. If we need to contact HQ, it will be your job to relay the message. Is that clear?”

All the enforcers on the missions were equipped with arm-mounted MIs and earpieces connected to these MIs. For the sake of efficient communication, they were all included in two different networks. The first network allowed communication within the squads and the second provided a way for different squads to exchange information. It was the standard method of communicating in different militaries.

“Yes sir.” The two enforcers Serhant was talking to nodded in unison. That was when one enforcer on the side suddenly spoke up.

“Sir, I am not feeling too well...my stomach is hurting a little. Do you mind if I stay up here?”

Serhant snapped to that enforcer and frowned. Such a suggestion indicated cowardice from the enforcer. At the same time, he knew the enforcer. Although the man was usually stationed at a local hotel, he had worked with Serhant a few times. The man was anything but a coward.

Plus, this was a covert mission, and the last thing Serhant needed was a man going on a toilet break.

“Fine.” He declared before pointing at a man in the original pair. “In that case, you will join us.”

He tapped his earpiece. One by one, the other squads have entered their positions. They were ready to strike, and Serhant wasted no time in giving the order.