Geoffrey’s throat bobbed as he swallowed again, his fingers curling tightly into his sleeves as if that alone could steady him. This was crucial information.
The Eastern and Northern camp was feared not because it was unbeatable, but because it looked unbeatable. Its population alone created an illusion of inevitability, one that scared away smaller factions before a fight could even begin.
However, he knew there was no escaping this question, and he also knew that lying at this point would only make things worse.
"Around forty to fifty thousand," he answered finally. "That includes otherworlders, mercenaries, and native fighters trained under the eastern and northern command."
Anna’s expression hardened slightly at his side, her grip tightening unconsciously as she processed the numbers.
"And among those," Geoffrey added quickly, as if afraid of leaving anything out, "only a few thousand can be considered elite."
The room went quiet.
That number was still massive. Broken Dawn was still at a huge disadvantage compared to their measly force of about two to three thousand combatants.
Gabriel nodded slowly, his mind already rearranging strategies and outcomes.
"So the rest," he said, his voice calm but cold. "What use are the rest?"
He already had an idea. They were being accepted because of power. After all, the more people you accepted into your camp, the stronger you become...Literally speaking.
That was the logic of this world.
Geoffrey stiffened, but he did not deny it. His silence alone was answer enough.
"They keep refugees and unawakened close to the camps to discourage direct attacks," he finally muttered. "Any large scale assault would cause massive civilian casualties."
Gabriel’s eyes darkened slightly at that revelation, a familiar disgust stirring in his chest.
"Typical," he said quietly. "Hide behind people who cannot fight."
He glanced briefly toward the single window, watching dust motes drift lazily through the beam of light, his thoughts moving faster than his expression betrayed.
The lords of the Eastern and Northern camp had not built their power on strength alone. They had built it on fear, numbers, and leverage.
And that made them dangerous.
But there was still an important question at hand.
"How many Hero Rank fighters?" Gabriel asked next, his tone serious.
Geoffrey hesitated again, but this time the pressure in the room was heavier, suffocating.
"Confirmed," he said carefully, "after you killed two, Bai Young and Dante, around eleven or twelve are left. Possibly more hidden or kept in reserve."
Gabriel exhaled slowly through his nose, his fingers tapping once against his knee before stilling.
That number was not impossible, but it was not something to take lightly either.
Especially not when Broken Dawn was still recovering, its forces fragmented, morale bruised, and its population reduced to barely over four thousand.
Currently, including Scarlett, he had two Hero Rank fighters.
One might wonder who the second was.
It was him.
Gabriel knew very well that his current strength far surpassed that of normal Hero Rank fighters.
He was confident that he could take on two or three Hero Ranks at once.
He also trusted that with Scarlett’s experience and her status as one of the major NPCs in the game, she should be able to handle two at most.
Then the core members like Sophie, Ragnarok99, Sniperbowlegend, Bunny, Alice, Lilly, Cassie, and the rest could hold back the remaining Hero Ranks.
At least until either he or Scarlet stepped in.
Gabriel understood that planning always sounded easy, but reality unfolded on the battlefield, and all their plans could be thwarted if the enemy was smart enough.
Still, he was not afraid.
If anything, clarity settled in.
"So that’s it," he murmured quietly. "A massive body held together by a small spine."
He raised his gaze back to Geoffrey, electric blue eyes piercing straight through him.
"Tell me," he said calmly, his voice dropping just enough to make the man’s heart pound harder. "If the spine breaks, what do you think happens to the body?"
Geoffrey’s lips trembled, but no words came out.
And in that silence, Gabriel already had his answer.
’Our major target would be the spine of the base,’ he thought. ’If we bring them down, the army would surrender willingly without much struggle.’
"One more thing," he suddenly spoke.
Geoffrey’s heart nearly stopped. Just when he thought the interrogation was over, that calm voice returned, heavier than before.
Gabriel leaned forward slightly this time, elbows resting on his knees, his fingers still loosely interlocked. His gaze sharpened, no longer cold calculation alone, but something more focused.
"Tell me about their ammunition."
The butler hesitated. He took a deep breath, as if bracing himself before speaking.
"They have modern military assets. Battle tanks salvaged from old military bases. Armored personnel carriers. Mobile artillery units modified to function with monster cores."
"Tanks?" Anna repeated quietly, eyes widening.
"Yes," Geoffrey nodded rapidly. "At least twelve fully operational ones. They are reinforced with alloy plating and runic inscriptions to resist elemental attacks."
The room’s atmosphere subtly shifted.
Conventional numbers were one thing. This was another layer entirely.
"And it doesn’t stop there," Geoffrey added quickly, panic creeping into his tone again. "They possess long range mana cannons. Railgun type weapons powered by condensed mana crystals. Capable of leveling sections of a battlefield in a single discharge."
Gabriel did not react outwardly, but inside, his mental map updated once more.
Now it was not just the enemy’s absurd numbers he had to worry about.
It was their weapons as well.
After moments of silence, he muttered, "So that’s how they’ve lasted this long. They don’t need to win battles. They just need to make sure no one wants to start one."
After a few more questions, he did not remain in the stuffy interrogation room. He left quickly, knowing he could not afford to delay preparations any longer.
He checked his Extraction Points one last time and clenched his fist.
It was time to put all his points to use.
...
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