Chapter 208

While grappling with these complex emotions, Shirou pondered the aftermath of what had just happened at the Knights of the Round Table.

After he finished explaining his reasons for applying for funding, both Hoshiguma and Chen seemed quite agitated.

"Pfft, hahaha... That's very much in your style, Shirou."

Hoshiguma, who had been laughing for a while while holding her stomach, wiped away the tears that had streamed down her face from laughing so hard.

"That's right, I've approved the funding."

Compared to Hoshiguma, who was laughing heartily, Chen was a little more reserved.

But it's only slightly better; she's still more relaxed when no one else is around.

"..."

Looking at the two of them, Shirou couldn't help but think of the pictures that Exusiai and Croissant often used.

The two professional police officers were laughing loudly, except that he was the one in the lead role.

Sigh, it's not a huge amount of money, so we shouldn't have applied for this funding.

I've just gotten used to being frugal, so I thought I'd give it a try.

"Don't make that face! I'll pay for it first. Remember to make plenty, and include our share too."

Seemingly noticing Shirou's somewhat disdainful look, Hoshiguma took out a few Lungmen Dollars and said...

"Alright, do you want to eat the Scale Beast Meat?"

Shirou didn't refuse and accepted the Lungmen Dollars that Hoshiguma handed over.

This funding was secured through his own abilities! There's no reason not to take it!

Although it was a bit much, Hoshiguma said she would include their portions as well, so let's just consider it as the meal cost.

He had been watching the two of them laugh for quite a while, so he wasn't going to be polite now.

"You'll eat everything, don't worry."

Looking at Shirou's current state, Hoshiguma knew that he was throwing a tantrum.

They were definitely in the wrong just now, but when I heard that Shirou was using the food he made as a reward for information... it seemed quite reasonable!

"Then I'll be going now. I'll ask around in other places later to see if there's any relevant information."

After checking the time and glancing at the battle plan that Hoshiguma and Chen were devising, Shirou decided he could head straight back to his dorm.

After all, he himself didn't understand the battle plan, so staying behind probably wouldn't be able to help the two of them.

In any case, he only needs to be in charge of the henchman role in this operation; let the two professionals handle the battle planning and other tasks!

"Then I'll trouble you again."

Chen actually felt a little guilty about bringing Shirou in as a laborer.

Moreover, the other party was going to such great lengths to help, which made her feel even more indebted.

I only asked the other party casually, and they agreed without hesitation after hearing my question.

Although having the other side join the team can simplify many combat plans, this is reality, not a game where you can just recruit the other side and that's it.

Even though the other party might not care much about this, Chen would not take advantage of or exploit them; he would still give them what was due.

Aside from the compensation, the only other thing was that they treated Shirou better.

There has never been a major problem with this, since the other party is excellent in every aspect and it's hard to find any flaws.

To be honest, he's a bit young and lacks experience, so he probably has to learn a lot from scratch.

But if the other party is willing to learn and learns quickly, then this problem naturally disappears.

These are just some of the things Shirou has shown.

Although the other party did not say it explicitly, it can be seen from the observation over this period of time that Shirou is quite helpful.

This is also one of the main reasons why Chashu Cat wanted to poach the other party's talent.

More than ability, Chen cared about this aspect, and Shirou was almost the perfect candidate.

The only problem is that they work for Penguin Logistics, and they don't seem to want to change jobs right now.

That's really disappointing.

However, thanks to Wei Yanwu's efforts, a cooperative relationship was still established, which is not bad.

In this respect, Wei Yanwu has done a good job.

"Yes, I'll come again tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Shirou put away the Lungmen Dollars he had just received and left the office.

Then he heard very loud laughter coming from inside.

"?"

He quietly pushed open the door and peeked in. Chen and Hoshiguma were working diligently. Hoshiguma even looked up with a puzzled expression.

If it weren't for their serious expressions and the slight trembling at the corners of their mouths, Shirou would almost have believed it.

Good night, and please remember to get some rest.

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Shirou slowly closed the door and left.

Surprisingly, the people from the Knights of the Round Table can be just as cheeky as the people from Penguin Logistics.

I thought everyone here was a decent person!

However, it's understandable, since the Knights of the Round Table's work is already very busy, and the two of them even sacrificed their rest time to work overtime.

He would understand even better if he weren't the one laughing.

As for now?

Go back to your dorm and get some sleep! Wait for the intelligence Isv will compile tomorrow morning!

The reason for waiting until tomorrow is simply because Isv currently working overtime and needs more time to organize the information he needs later.

Shirou sincerely hoped that Isv's body could hold on.

It seems that Minmin hasn't replied yet either. After all, she's busy, and it's quite late now, so Shirou can understand.

However, when the other party asked him to draw blood, he replied almost instantly... which is a bit realistic.

Back to the present, he finished a segment of his training in the room and put away the stack of Lungmen Dollars that evoked complex emotions in him. He glanced at his phone and found that he had received the overall battle plan from Hoshiguma.

Of course, it's a simplified version; the details will only be known when he goes to the Knights of the Round Table tomorrow.

It was just to let Shirou know roughly what to do, so that he could have some time to prepare for the operation.

However, he didn't immediately start reading. Instead, he put his phone aside to charge and then lay down on the bed.

It's getting late. When he got back, the dormitory was already dark, and everyone had already gone to rest.

"Infected people..."

When a person has free time, they tend to overthink, and Shirou is no exception.

But compared to pondering these questions, mental exhaustion quickly lulled Shirou into a deep sleep.

In a daze, Shirou murmured again:

"An infected person...?"

"..."

When he opened his eyes again, Shirou found that he was no longer in his dormitory.

After so many times, he was no longer flustered.

First, I looked around at my surroundings and realized that I had no recollection of them.

It was a dim sky, and the surrounding area was a dilapidated ruin.

Judging from those dilapidated ruins, it must have been a modern city made of reinforced concrete.

To be honest, it's somewhat similar to the fire scenes I saw when I was a child, except there aren't any raging flames burning here.

"Archer?"

I called out tentatively, but there was no reply.

"Isn't it him?"

Shirou, not having received a reply, did not act rashly. After all, every time he encountered such a situation, there was a clear target that would attract him to it.

For example, himself, or someone else.

Although he had no recollection of this place, Shirou felt that it looked somewhat familiar.

"This way?"

After hesitating for a while, Shirou decided that instead of waiting idly, he should follow his instincts and look around; perhaps he would have an unexpected discovery.

After randomly choosing a direction, Shirou began to walk.

As he walked through those dilapidated ruins, Shirou felt that the place was becoming more and more familiar.

"If we turn right here..."

Swallowing hard, Shirou already knew the answer in his heart.

We just need to verify it with some other things.

For example, after turning right here, you should see an izakaya (Japanese pub).

Unfortunately, all that came into view was still ruins.

But that was enough; the dilapidated sign on the ruins had already confirmed Shirou's guess.

This is Fuyuki City.

This is where he used to work.

"Is it a memory from which door? I don't remember. Or is it a new door?"

Having confirmed the facts, Shirou felt a slight headache and began to think about why he had come here in the first place.

However, there were no clues.

The last thing he remembered was lying in bed, recalling the events of the day, and then he seemed to fall asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself here.

"Let's go home and check on things first."

After learning that this was Fuyuki, Shirou acted swiftly.

He ran wildly towards the house that Shirou had left behind, Kiritsugu he had lived for many years.

The dilapidated buildings, the cracked ground, and the dust floating in the air.

Shirou tried to search for survivors along the way, but found nothing.

It seemed like he was the only person in the entire Fuyuki City.

Same location, same ruins.

The only difference is that he has grown up and there is no fire around him.

But there is still inner pressure.

"Sure enough, it's here too..."

Back at his home, Shirou didn't see the familiar building. It wasn't just ruins; it was a huge, empty crater.

"Hoo... ha..."

Even if he ran with all his might here, he wouldn't feel out of breath, but looking at Fuyuki City in front of him, Shirou couldn't help but pant.

But he still had to keep going.

He already had his next destination in mind.

Ryuudou Temple, the place where the Holy Grail is located.

If Fuyuki City has become like this, it's definitely all the fault of the Holy Grail War.

Even if it wasn't the Holy Grail War, it's still the Holy Grail's fault.

So Shirou plans to go there.