At the same time, in Domino City.
In a forgotten corner of the city stood a former steel mill, like a silent elder, still in the dust of time.
Moonlight fell wordlessly over the ruins, giving the cold steel frames a silver edge. The rusted furnaces and chimneys had become monuments of a bygone era, giants eroded by years.
This was an abandoned corner. The steel mill’s owner had gone bankrupt. It was slated for demolition next month. Rumor had it KaibaCorp would buy the land to build a new Kaiba Land.
But that was for later. For now, like docks and derelict plants everywhere, it was a favored haunt for those working in the shadows and for criminals.
Today was one such day.
"We’ve got visual on thirty-plus members of the Hammer Gang on-site."
In a truck parked by a corner outside, a headset-wearing liaison sat before multiple screens. Around him were feeds from hidden cameras placed around the steel mill.
"Deal expected on the second floor."
"Good. Assault team, position on the second floor. Backup team, lock down the exits—nobody in, nobody out."
Standing tall in the center of the truck, commanding the operation, was none other than Kirk Dixon, an Industrial Illusions Card Professor under Yako Tenma, known in the original as the Mecha Guy.
The man who’d faced not one but two Duel Kings—Kirk Dixon had been doing well. Promotions had come in quick succession; his status among the Card Professors was now top tier, one of the leadership cadre.
Hence he was leading today’s op.
Today was an illegal deal between card thieves and a local gang called the Hammer Gang. Normally, smuggling and such wouldn’t require elite Industrial Illusions operatives. But if it involved cards illicitly leaked from the Industrial Illusions, that was different.
And that was the exact situation now. Someone had stolen a batch of experimental cards not approved for the market and sought to pump them into underground illegal dueling.
Sometimes law enforcement handled such cases; other times, when the threat level was high, the company dispatched its own people.
Kirk Dixon, now among the top of the Card Professors, outclassed most ordinary duelists. This wasn’t his first rodeo. It should have been easy.
It should have been.
At nine sharp, a car pulled up outside the mill. Three men got out side by side.
"Card thieves spotted."
Voices chimed in over the Industrial Illusions action team’s comms.
"Ready to take them anytime."
"No rush," Kirk said. "Wait until both sides are in position. Confirm our target cards are present, then move."
He was confident everything was under control.
Until now.
The next moment, every screen in the truck went dark. Snow and static replaced the feeds.
"What’s going on?" Kirk frowned. "Where’s the feed?"
He pressed his earpiece—no response.
Comms seemed to be cut as well.



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