At the same time, Tongshiyi City.
In a forgotten corner of the city, where once stood a steel factory, it now silently stands in the dust of time like a quiet old man.
Moonlight silently blankets the ruins, coating the cold steel structures with a silver edge. Rust-stained blast furnaces and chimneys have now become symbols of a bygone era, like giants eroded by the years.
This is a neglected corner of the city, the original owner of the steel factory has gone bankrupt. Rumors say that next month Kaiba Group will buy this land and build the new Kaiba Park here.
But that's for later. For now, it is favored by shady underground workers and criminals like various docks and old factories.
Just like today.
"Currently, there are over thirty Hammer Gang members observed at the scene."
Outside in the corner of a truck, a liaison officer with a headset is sitting in front of multiple screens. Around are surveillance feeds transmitted by hidden cameras from various places in the steel factory.
"The transaction is expected to take place on the second floor."
"Good. The assault team should position themselves on the second floor; the backup team should guard the exits to ensure no one enters or leaves."
In the middle of the truck, Kak Dixon, the card professor under Pegasus Nightwalker, originally known as the mecha guy, is commanding the operation with confidence.
The man who fought against two generations of Duel Kings is doing quite well recently. He has been promoted several times within the company, and now ranks as one of the top leaders among card professors.
That's why he can lead today's action.
Today involves an illegal transaction between a group of card thieves and a local gang called Hammer Gang. Usually, such illegal smuggling transactions wouldn't require the attention of Illusion Association's elite, but when it involves cards illegally leaked from the International Fantasy Association, it's a different matter.
That's exactly the situation now. Someone has stolen a batch of experimentally-used cards unauthorized for the market from the International Fantasy Association and is attempting to introduce them into illegal underground dueling activities.
Such matters are sometimes handled by law enforcement but when deemed serious or high-risk, specialists from the company are dispatched.
The mecha guy Kak Dixon is now one of the top card professors, common duelists can't match him. This isn't his first time leading a team, it should be a smooth operation.
That's how it should be.
At nine o'clock sharp, a car stopped outside the steel factory gate. Three men got out side by side.
"Card thieves spotted."
Someone in the Illusion Association's action team's communication channel immediately reported.
"Ready to take them anytime."
"No rush," Kak Dixon said, "Wait until both parties are in position, make sure the cards we want are there before acting."
He confidently believed everything was under control.
Until now.
The next moment, all screens in the vehicle turned off simultaneously. Snowy static replaced the original surveillance feed.
"What's happening?" Kak frowned, "Where's the feed?"
He pressed his headset but there was no response.
Communication seemed to have been cut off too.
That's when Kak began to realize something was amiss.
He immediately got off the vehicle himself, put on his duel disc, and headed toward the steel factory. When he got around to the back door, he found the backup team that was supposed to be stationed there had disappeared, with not a person in sight around.
His anxiety increased, knowing the operation was definitely exposed, and the enemy might have already known about their arrangements. He tried to push the door but found it had been locked from inside. He stepped back a couple paces and instantly activated his duel disc.
"Mecha Team - Soldiers!"
As his words fell, the card in his hand was slapped onto the duel disc. The duel disc activated, projecting onto the field before him, transforming into the form of a steel warrior, its silver blade gleaming coldly under the moonlight.
Kak Dixon wasn't a duelist with dark powers. In fact, there were very few such individuals among card professors. They mostly relied on technology.
The International Fantasy Association cooperates frequently with Kaiba Company; while their duel discs are independently developed, they also incorporate Kaiba Group's latest military-grade technology, possessing the ability to materialize holographic projections, thus unleashing the true power of Duel Monsters to a certain extent.
That's why card professors are considered Pegasi Nightwalker's elite forces.
The mecha warrior's blade sliced through the door lock like cutting through mud. Kak broke through the door and quickly entered the steel factory.
Still no one in sight.
The communication channel remained silent, no matter how he adjusted it, there was no response. The posts designated for teammates were now empty, with no signs of life.
Kak swallowed.
Some instinct inside told him he shouldn't advance further. It was a terrible idea; maybe the operation had already failed. He should retreat now, seek reinforcements.
But he didn't.
Part of the reason was that he couldn't just abandon the subordinates who were already sent in. Another part was his confidence in his own skills.
He was among today's top duelists, having faced the pinnacle of the Duel Realm... twice.
He was now equipped with the strongest weapon capable of drawing the power of cards into reality; nothing to be afraid of.
Yet, despite this self-assurance, when he reached the second floor and saw the scene before him, he could only feel as if his heart stopped.
What he saw were those teammates who mysteriously disappeared after being dispatched, the thieves they were supposed to capture, and the traders.
Everyone was here now, standing in a strangely serene yet eerie light.
They were just standing there, divided into three different factions, yet now looking like a family, gazing at him with void eyes, making his skin crawl.
"What... how...?"
Before he could say more, Kak suddenly seemed to discover something in their eyes and shouted without thinking, "Mecha Warrior!"
The already summoned mecha warrior moved with his thought and flashed behind him, its blade slicing violently.
Then came a "clang," a black cane steadily blocked the steel warrior's blade. The man in the white suit turned the cane lightly along the edge of the blade, casually tapping on the mecha warrior's wrist.
It seemed as if almost no force was used, yet the mecha soldier's iron armor on its hand burst apart with a bang.
The white suit man's cane flipped, its end tapping on the steel warrior's chest again, an invisible force piercing through the mecha warrior's chest directly, exploding instantaneously.
Kak Dixon's eyes widened, almost unable to believe what he saw.
What did he see?
A person, barehanded... took down the mecha monster he summoned?