Chapter 22 : Join The Fight

The hawk guy found himself surrounded by the controlled mercenaries, who relentlessly attacked him, leaving little opportunity for retaliation. They always positioned themselves at the front, acting as a shield, making it difficult for the hawk guy to strike back.

Aaron, witnessing the intense battle unfolding before him, felt an increasing urgency to assist the hawk guy. He knew that he would need to intervene, sooner rather than later.

After a few minutes, the hawk guy was covered in blood, wounds marking his body, but none of them seemed to be fatal. Aaron couldn't help but be impressed by the hawk guy's resilience.

He pondered whether every 5-star mercenary possessed a special physique, a requirement to attain such a high-ranking status among the mercenaries.

"All right, time to make a move. I should prioritize neutralizing the emissary to prevent the mercenaries from being used as meat shields," Aaron thought as he retrieved his warhammer from his spatial ring.

In an instant, he vanished from his previous position and reappeared ten meters above the emissary's car. As he descended, he prepared himself to strike the front of the vehicle. He made sure to control his strength, aiming to disable the car without accidentally taking the emissary's life. After all, this operation was still in progress, and Aaron was unsure if the HQ wanted the emissary captured alive or not.

5000kg Hammer Drop!

In a flash, the front part of the car was reduced to a twisted mass of metal as Aaron's hammer made contact. The resounding crash reverberated through the orphanage area, momentarily causing the controlled mercenaries to cease their movements. They turned their attention toward the source of the powerful strike, their eyes locking onto the figure who had just shattered the car with his hammer.

Observing the turn of events, the hawk guy swiftly reacted by throwing several smoke grenades, creating a cover of thick smoke to buy himself some distance and time for recovery. He speculated that Aaron must be another 5-star mercenary who had been keeping an eye on the situation. The headquarters had indeed informed him about the presence of another 5-star mercenary in the vicinity.

Wearing a full-face mask resembling a crow, the emissary emerged from the wreckage of the car and fixed his gaze upon the person standing before him.

"WHO THE F*CK ARE YOU?" he bellowed.

Aaron responded nonchalantly, his voice steady and calm.

"I figured you were searching for the individual responsible for your brother's death. I assume he was the shorter, more boisterous one," he remarked.

"YOU PIG!!!"

Without flinching, Aaron faced the sudden rush of 12 individuals under the emissary's control. However, in a moment of calm, he vanished from his original position, leaving those in pursuit bewildered. Just as quickly, he reappeared behind the emissary, his hammer swinging horizontally and connecting with the emissary's right shoulder.

The impact propelled the emissary through the air, crashing forcefully into the wall of a nearby building. Simultaneously, the 12 individuals under his control fell to the ground, indicating that the emissary had lost control over his puppetry skills.

As the smoke from the grenades engulfed the area and obscuring visibility. The hawk guy pondered the fate of the emissary. His mission was to capture the emissary alive and he wondered if the impact had taken its toll.

"I know you're still alive and breathing," Aaron shouted into the smoke-filled air.

"Come on, where's the energy from before?"

Despite the dense smoke, Aaron could discern the sounds of debris and remnants being shifted from the location where the emissary had landed.

The red thin thread that Aaron had observed earlier now pulled towards the location where the emissary had landed. From within the dissipating smoke, the silhouette of a figure emerged and slowly making its way towards Aaron's position.

"Hehehehehehe. You have done it!" echoed the eerie voice of the emissary, as a dark reddish aura began to envelop its form.

Four menacing tentacles sprouted from the emissary's back, a disturbing sight that would unsettle most. However, Aaron remained calm, his confidence in his close combat abilities unwavering.

With a swift and powerful movement, Aaron charged towards the emissary, swinging his hammer horizontally. However, all of the emissary's tentacles swiftly intercepted the hammer, blocking its path.

"BOOOOMMM!"

Despite the impact, the emissary was displaced, sliding several meters back. Aaron had struck the emissary with a force equivalent to a 1000kg weight, aiming to disable rather than kill.

"HAHAHAHA! YOUR SHITTY HAMMER IS USELESS NOW!" mocked the emissary, his expression filled with disdain.

"Huh?"

Confusion flickered across Aaron's face, but he quickly regained his composure. He decided to increase the weight of his hammer to 2000kg, determined to test the emissary's claim that the tentacles could block his strikes.

As the hammer made contact with the reddish tentacles, they were all obliterated. Just before the hammer could strike the emissary's body, Aaron reduced its weight to prevent causing fatal damage.

The emissary's body was propelled once again, this time crashing into the ground and lying motionless. Aaron approached cautiously, giving it a minute before getting closer to assess the emissary's condition. As he drew nearer, he could hear the faint sound of the emissary's heartbeat in the distance with his enhanced hearing.

"Haih... Luckily, it didn't kill him instantly," Aaron thought to himself as he observed the emissary's body on the ground. The impact from the hammer had likely shattered most of the emissary's bones, leaving him severely injured.

Aaron let out a loud sigh and walked towards the hawk guy and the awakening mercenaries, some of whom were severely injured and motionless on the ground.

"Are you the new 5-star mercenary... Chen's 'Golden Boy'?" the hawk guy asked.

….

Aaron was taken aback by the question, but then he realized that he had instantly become a 5-star mercenary through Garry's evaluation, leaving others curious about how he achieved such a high rank without prior experience. He pondered for a moment, considering how to respond.

"Don't worry... I used to work under Master Garry as well. In fact, I worked with him for almost a decade before starting my own company when I passed the 5-star mercenary test. Anyway, my name is Brian, but my code name is 'Countless Hawk'," Brian continued speaking as he noticed Aaron's unresponsive demeanor, removing his mask to reveal his face.

"Yeah... I should be the 'Golden Boy' you mentioned... I hope I didn't disrupt your mission," Aaron replied.

"No, not at all. You did well. Thank you for your help. The HQ personnel are on their way here to take them for interrogation in the Capital. We need to safely escort them there," Brian responded.

Aaron understood the HQ's protocol based on his previous missions, but he wondered if they were going to take Laura's father as well.

"Are they going to take that guy too?" Aaron asked, pointing at Edward's unconscious body lying outside his car.

"Yeah, they should. He has been under the association's monitoring for at least a year. Why? Do you know him?" Brian looked at Aaron's face and realized they might have some connection.

He continued, "If you really know him, you should inform the HQ for further action. As a 5-star mercenary, you have the privilege to advocate for him."

A few minutes later, several military vehicles arrived to securely transport the captured criminals back to the Capital. Brian and his subordinates expressed their gratitude before departing. Aaron engaged in a conversation with Brian and learned about the privileges of being a 5-star mercenary.

One of the privileges was the authority to save Edward and clear his criminal record for being associated with the evil organization. Aaron calmly contemplated whether he should use them to save Edward.

He also discovered that he could obtain the mask that Brian had worn from the HQ to conceal their identities. Brian mentioned that the mask was crafted by an artifact maker within the HQ, though Aaron silently believed it fell short of being considered a common-grade artifact.

Nevertheless, he kept his thoughts to himself. Lastly, Brian expressed his admiration for the hammer that Aaron wielded, stating that it was a practical and easy-to-use weapon. Lastly, Brian reminded that every 5-star mercenary owned at least an artifact.

"I guess my work here is done. Time to visit Laura. As for Edward, I should let the HQ handle him for now until they are done with the interrogation... Maybe I should visit the HQ to claim my mask. I hope I can still choose the design," muttered Aaron before teleporting back to the hospital.

It was only 4 PM when he arrived outside the hospital. The streets were bustling with vehicles and people.

"Eh, is that Laura at the main door?" Aaron thought as he saw Laura standing there.

"Is she discharged already?"