Before the driver could make sense of what was happening, the car with the tinted windows that had crashed in front of him moved first. Whatever it had collided with shifted, and the car—which had been partly lifted off the ground—dropped back down, all four wheels thudding onto the street. The next moment, its doors flew open.
Men in black suits scrambled out, looking almost like regular bodyguards, except for the roughness in their appearance. It was clear right away that these weren't professionals. A second glance made it obvious some of them were Faunus, all probably hired from the Crater.
As they reached for guns hidden under their jackets, the driver heard the partition window between his seat and the passenger area slide open.
On the other side, Bole's confused and angry face appeared. He barked at the driver, "What the hell is going on out there? Was that a crash or an earthquake?"
The driver stared back, wide-eyed. "I- I don't know, sir! Something just fell from the sky. I think it came from an airship. It nearly crushed the lead car."
"An airship?" Bole repeated, still confused. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, then moved over to the side window and started to roll it down so he could see for himself, completely ignoring the anxious woman sitting near him, who was now clearly unsettled by what was happening.
That's when Bole saw them—two towering figures.
Insurgents.
As the dust finally settled, Bole heard the low hum of an airship overhead. He glanced up and spotted an Atlas Military airship—almost certainly the same one those two had just dropped from. Getting a good look at them now, Bole was stunned. He'd never seen anything like these figures before, but their connection to the military was a bad sign.
"Damn it… what are they, androids?" He muttered to himself.
"What could I have done to attract the military's attention?" The Atlas Police were one thing—he had ways to handle them—but he'd never crossed paths with the actual military. They never got involved with people like him, at least not until now.
At the moment, five of his so-called 'bodyguards' stood by, weapons drawn and aimed at the two armored figures.
The two insurgents scanned the scene briefly before one of them spoke, their voice amplified by the armor.
"Attention! I am Insurgent First Class, designation GRY-002-BETA, Section Zero. This convoy is in violation of Atlas federal law. Your employer, Bole Cye, is under arrest as a federal criminal, with evidence sanctioned at the executive level." The voice coming from the suit sounded almost mechanical—filtered and sharp—but there was no mistaking it for anything other than human.
Even the bodyguards seemed thrown off by that.
So, they weren't androids after all?
A second later, the other armored figure spoke up, this time a woman's voice, also modified by the suit.
"Insurgent JAD-158. You are all considered armed hostiles in possession of unauthorized weaponry. Directive 7-B is now in effect. Surrender your weapons, have everyone exit the vehicles with their hands visible, and cooperate. Failure to comply will result in an escalation of force. This is your only warning."
Hearing all of this, Bole's face twisted with anger.
He leaned all the way out the SUV window and shouted, "What are you talking about!? I'm not a federal criminal! This is illegal! Who sent you!?"
GRY-002 turned and stared right at Bole, the black, slitted visor of the Insurgent Armor unflinching as he answered, "Due to newly uncovered evidence, your prior cases have been reopened and reviewed. As of this morning, federal warrants have been issued for your arrest. Surrender now, and you will be judged fairly by a federal court, with your right to an attorney preserved."
Bole's eyes widened in shock. Gritting his teeth, he ducked fully back into the SUV and rushed up to the partition window.
"Get us out of here—reverse, now!"
The driver hesitated, glancing nervously at his boss.
"But they said-"
Before he could finish, Bole's arm lunged through the window and grabbed him by the collar.
"I know what they said! So if you don't want to get arrested right along with me, then get us the hell out of here—now!" The threat of getting swept into this was enough. The driver's hesitation vanished after a moment as he slammed the gas pedal, the SUV's wheels screeching as he threw it into reverse.
The sudden noise drew everyone's attention.
"They're running," Jade announced over the private channel to Gray.
"Yeah, I see them," Gray replied.
He reached for the Predator Pistol holstered on his leg. The lock on the holster released automatically as his HUD displayed the weapon's firing trajectory. At the same time, digital markers locked onto the precise target—predicting movement and adjusting aim. And all of it was being managed by Gray.
In less than a second, Gray pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the air as the round left the barrel, thrusters igniting as it streaked toward its target: the SUV's rear axle. The Predator Round punched clean through the wheel and exploded as it hit the axle.
In an instant, one of the rear wheels was gone. The SUV jolted, scraping against the pavement as it veered off course, climbing the curb and crashing into the metal fence that separated the sidewalk from the street.
Seeing this, the so-called bodyguards immediately opened fire on the two Insurgents. Gunfire echoed down the street, but the bullets did little more than spark against the armored suits.
Inside her armor, Jade's HUD lit up, automatically tracking the attacks. GAIA's voice spoke in her ear.
[Warning: Weapon detected. Individuals ID'd #1–#5 marked as hostile. Threat level elevated. Engagement protocol active.]
A moment later, Jade heard Gray's voice over comms: "Incapacitating shots. I'll take Bole."
"Right," Jade replied, pulling her IR-4 combat rifle from her back and opening fire. She fired five shots in quick succession, the muzzle flashing as each round left the barrel. The sound of her rifle completely overpowered the scattered pistol fire from the bodyguards. Even though Jade aimed for non-lethal spots, the armor-piercing rounds were more than enough to tear through flesh and bone.
In seconds, the gunfire stopped. Instead, there were only screams—the bodyguards now collapsed on the ground, clutching at what was left of their arms or legs, blood pouring out onto the street.
If Jade felt anything about the sight, she didn't show it. She calmly switched comm channels and reported in.
"This is JAD-158, Insurgency unit. We need a medical evac at our location—hostiles down, multiple traumatic amputations. Send multiple ambulances with a full trauma kit." It took less than a minute for her to get a response. The operator at the other end sounded a little rattled at first, but quickly collected themselves.
"R- Right, copy that, Insurgent JAD-158. Medical units on standby are moving to your location. Trauma team notified—ETA one minute. Please confirm the scene is secure; medics will approach when cleared. Advise if additional support is needed. Over."
Of course, with an operation like this, all precautions had already been taken. The neighborhood had been evacuated ahead of time, and the streets around Bole's convoy were blocked off to prevent any civilian casualties. On top of that, medical units and Atlas Police were on standby nearby, ready to step in if needed.
Meanwhile, the heavy footsteps of Gray's Insurgent Armor echoed across the pavement as he moved toward the wrecked SUV. Inside, the driver—realizing he had no chance—didn't bother trying to run or restart the engine. He immediately raised his hands, sliding over to the passenger door and getting out.
"I- I surrender!" He yelled.
"Get down," Jade ordered.
The driver quickly obeyed, dropping to his knees and putting his hands behind his head.
Jade walked past the surrendered driver and approached the rear door of the SUV. With a single, swift motion, he reached out and practically tore the car door off its hinges, tossing it aside so it skidded across the street. Inside, he spotted two people: Bole and the woman who had been with him in the back.
Bole had one arm locked tightly around her neck, and in his other hand, he aimed a gun directly at her head, his face twisted in a furious glare. The woman looked like she was about to sob, but she was so terrified that not a sound came out, only tears streaming down her face.
"You get any closer, and I'll blow her brains out!" Bole shouted, pressing the gun even harder against her head, making the woman freeze up even more. Gray stopped at those words, the expression behind his helmet twisting into a sneer. Still, he obeyed and didn't move a step closer.
Seeing that his threat worked, Bole's tension eased slightly, and he managed a crooked smirk.
"Good. Now put that gun away, and back away from the car."
Gray did as he was told, hesitating for just a second before holstering the Predator Pistol and taking a step back from the SUV. As he moved, he quietly muted his external comms and spoke directly to GAIA.
"GAIA, send Jade a live ping of the target's location and outline, as well as the hostages."
[Yes, sir.]
Just like the O.M.N.I Frame, the Insurgent Armor was constantly scanning and mapping the environment, creating an augmented reality overlay. Now, a wireframe model of Bole's position, relative to Gray, was generated and sent straight to Jade, who was keeping an eye on the injured bodyguards.
[Ping received.]
Jade's HUD updated instantly. She could now see an outline of Bole and the hostage through the SUV—not quite X-ray vision, but close enough for her to understand exactly what was happening inside.
Narrowing her eyes, Jade raised her IR-4 combat rifle and aimed straight at the live outline of Bole, tracking him through the car's layers and windows. Among all the Insurgents, Jade ranked fourth, right in the middle. Her scores across every area of training were considered average.
But with the kind of training Insurgents went through, "average" still meant she was one of the best in the world. And if there was one area where Jade truly stood out, it was her marksmanship. In that category alone, she was ranked second, just behind Auburn.
Without hesitating, she took the shot.
It all happened in an instant. The round followed her trajectory perfectly, punching straight through the SUV's rear window, then through the rear seat, and finally hitting Bole's arm—the one holding the gun. Before he could even react, part of his arm was blown apart, and the gun dropped to the floor.
Blood sprayed across the inside of the SUV as the woman screamed, but she felt Bole's remaining grip weaken. Without waiting, she scrambled away from him. Bole, meanwhile, could only clutch his bleeding arm, letting out a deep, pained howl.
"A- Ah! My arm! You shot my arm!" He yelled, collapsing against the seat.
On the private comms, Gray spoke up, ignoring Bole's yelling.
"Nice shot."
"Thanks. I just wish I could've killed him instead, though," Jade replied with a quiet sigh. In the distance, she could already hear the sirens of the ambulance drawing closer. Overhead, another airship hovered into view—not Atlas Military or police, but a news ship, covering the unfolding scene.
Unlike the streets and houses nearby, the airspace above hadn't been restricted.
Why?
That was simple. Asher had no intention of hiding what the Insurgents were doing.
Gray heard Jade's reply and nodded, but reminded her, "You know what the Commander said. We'll help a lot more people by arresting him properly than by killing him."
"Yeah. I can still think about it, though," Jade muttered, drawing a quiet chuckle from Gray.
"Sure. Alright, let's clean up the scene. You check on the hostage—I'll secure Bole."
"Yes, sir."
Of course, Gray and Jade weren't the only Insurgents out in Mantle tonight. The entire unit had been split into teams, each one carrying out its own operation across the city and even into the Crater. Every team had its own targets and objectives, all taken from the list Asher had given them during the briefing.
For example, Team 1—Sable and Auburn—had been sent into the Crater after Raj Jay. As the leader of a major gang based there, Raj's expected resistance was on a whole different level from Bole Cye's. Bole at least pretended to be a businessman; Raj was open about what he was.
While Gray and Jade were handling their part, multiple platoons from the Atlas Military had been mobilized under Asher's orders and sent straight into the Crater. Never before had so many military operatives gone in at once, especially just to deal with a gang.
News of the crackdown spread fast. Bole Cye's territory erupted into open combat with the military, but it was hopeless from the start. With Sable and Auburn leading the charge, Atlas troops took almost no casualties. Atla's training, weapons, and gear were simply better, and all Bole's gang had going for them was the environment.
But even that wasn't enough. Against two Insurgents and hundreds of soldiers, they could only slow things down—not stop them. And the scale of the operation sent a clear message to everyone in the Crater. The last time Atlas launched an operation like this, it became common knowledge, even if the real details were kept quiet.
Now that a second crackdown had begun, it set a new precedent. Atlas wasn't going to ignore the Crater or its problems anymore.
As operations spread across the city, working with the Atlas Military outside Mantle and the Atlas Police within, it was only a matter of time before the news caught on.
Down in the Atlas Military Compound, Asher was actively monitoring and commanding the Insurgency, issuing orders to all the branches involved. As before, video feeds from every Insurgent were displayed on the wall of monitors, but now there was more—off to the side, Asher could also watch live news coverage related to their operations in Mantle.
[We turn to breaking reports of a series of high-profile raids and arrests carried out by an unidentified unit in Mantle—and reportedly the Crater as well. Eyewitnesses describe heavily armored figures with faces concealed, operating under insignias that match no known military branch and…]
The reporter's voice continued in the background as Graz spoke up behind Asher, seated at one of the operation center's workstations. Liv was there, too, though she seemed more interested in the news than the mission feed.
"Are you sure this is the right move?" Graz asked.
"I know I don't have any real say, but I just want to make sure. You organized all of this fast and pushed it through using the General's permissions before anyone could verify the details. I doubt the higher-ups will stay quiet once it's all over."
Asher glanced back at him.
"If I were going to go through the usual process, then what's the point of having prioritized mobilization authority?"
Graz let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair and rubbing the back of his neck.
"I get it. Just letting you know—it's risky. Even if you want the public's attention, you'll get plenty of internal attention, too. The General's already under pressure because of how secret this division is. This is only going to add to it. Not that I think anyone can really corner him, but still."
Asher went quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone was a little sharper.
"If they want to complain to the General, they can. They'll learn soon enough that when it comes to results, complaints about procedure fall on deaf ears." He sounded certain as he turned his attention back to the eight display screens: a map of Mantle, the real-time locations and video feeds of the Insurgents, and the ongoing news coverage.
Results.
That was all Asher cared about. If it landed him in trouble later, so be it. As long as the numbers were on his side, he knew Ironwood would listen to reason.
And so, Mantle's cleansing continued.