So the policewoman simply dragged Kevin onto her own bed and settled him there, then made do with the sofa for the night.
Thank God... thank God...
He wasn't cold yet. There was still hope!
Kevin let out a soft breath of relief. Fortunately, things had not reached the point of no return.
The last time he had merely accidentally seen Jill bathing, he had nearly been tortured half to death.
He could still pass off last night's impropriety as drunkenness. If he had really taken that final step, he figured he could have gone ahead and ordered himself a coffin.
"Shut up! Let's talk business! The news is here!"
Lara, who had brought the laptop out from the bedroom, placed it on the round table, switched on the screen, and played a video.
In the video, the once-prosperous district known as Toko City had become Ruins. Black smoke filled the sky, abandoned vehicles littered the streets after crashing into one another, and Walking Dead with purplish-red skin wandered everywhere.
Even stranger, bizarre purplish-red crystals had grown throughout Toko City, covering both collapsed buildings and shattered roads.
At the edges of the coastal city, dense forests of purplish-red crystals had erupted from the ground, encircling it completely.
"Fourteen hours have passed since Toko City suffered a bioterrorist attack at six o'clock yesterday evening."
"Electromagnetic Interference here is continuously intensifying. Television stations are unable to conduct close-range coverage. Please understand."
"According to reliable sources, after twelve drones lost contact, the Ministry of Defense has decided to deploy the Fourth Armored Brigade and three F-15 Eagle fighters into Toko City to uncover the truth!"
Just as the bespectacled middle-aged reporter in the video clung to the helicopter hatch and struggled through his report, the roar of engines came from the distance.
A vast armored ground force and Eagle fighters streaking across the sky charged into Toko City together.
"They're here! They're here!"
"May the Self-Defense Forces be blessed with martial fortu—"
The middle-aged reporter's delighted, feverish cheer was instantly choked back down his throat by the sudden change before his eyes.
Along with a piercing cry that rang out across the island, the purplish-red crystal forests around Toko City shot out hundreds of sharp crystal thorns.
Whether it was the tanks' reactive armor or the special steel on the fighter jets, all of it was pierced without exception.
The Fourth Armored Brigade that had marched in so grandly, along with the Eagle fighters supported by Papa Eagle, all became dazzling fireballs of explosion.
Almost at the same time, the middle-aged reporter's broadcast abruptly ended as well.
The outcome was obvious.
Countess Lara's expression darkened. She had originally sent members of the Crawford family to Toko City to search for her father.
She had never expected this complication. Forget whether the contact could complete the mission; whether they could survive at all was now in question.
"At five this morning, Tokyo submitted an application to the United Nations for a joint investigation into the bioterrorist incident. The higher-ups unanimously agreed to dispatch the most experienced BSAA field team to investigate the truth."
After speaking, the Countess turned an inquiring gaze toward Kevin.
Is this really the Toko City I remember? This is ridiculous, isn't it?
Kevin was beyond shocked. A hellish place that could instantly wipe out an armored force and three Eagle fighters was practically a graveyard for the living!
"The second-stage Calamity Mission has begun!"
"Mission objective: Uncover the truth and eliminate the crisis!"
"Time limit: 7 days!"
The scarlet words flashing through his mind made Kevin's pupils contract.
The information for this mission was pitifully scarce. He could already faintly smell danger in it.
Yet when Kevin turned back, he discovered that there seemed to be no fear or hesitation in everyone's eyes.
They had even begun changing into combat uniforms and checking their equipment.
No one wanted to die, but someone had to face it!
Kevin felt somewhat relieved, and the worry and reluctance in his heart gradually melted away.
"For this mission, Group A members Leon, Chris, Barry, and Rebecca will be responsible. Alice and I will lead the team together. Countess Lara will participate as an operational consultant! We depart in half an hour!"
Then the commander glanced again at Countess Lara, who was practically eager to charge in. He knew that even without his approval, this crazy woman would secretly follow them to see her father.
Thus, Kevin simply included Lara in the mission.
"I object!"
Policewoman Jill rose and stepped forward upon hearing that, questioning the commander's order.
"Why is Group A carrying out the mission alone?"
"It's too dangerous there. If Group B joins them, we can at least support each other!"
Kevin neither agreed nor disagreed with Jill's suggestion, the smile on his face unchanged.
"Next time, next time I'll take you on vacation by ourselves..."
"I promise I'll max out your affection meter, score in one move, and make up for last night's regret..."
Those ambiguous and frivolous words instantly left Jill speechless, a blush spreading across her face.
While the policewoman stood there dazed, the commander quietly departed with the fully equipped squad.
"Group A members, prepare to board!"
Half an hour later, Leon and the others, fully equipped, boarded one after another under the commander's strange gaze.
"Oh, right. Put parachutes at every seat! Two each!"
Before leaving, Kevin seemed to remember something. He pulled Lara aside and gave the order through gritted teeth.
I must have been kicked in the head by a donkey to choose you lot of jinxes for a dungeon run!
Do you think I want this? With Toko City looking like that, plot-fodder like Group B would just be walking into their deaths no matter how many went!
Sure enough, only people with tough luck deserved the difficulty of a Calamity Mission?
But couldn't this kind of thing screw over someone else for once? Couldn't it give me a way out?
Kevin clutched his parachute tightly the moment he boarded the aircraft, nearly on the verge of tears.
P.S. If possible, dear readers, please vote for this book consistently in recognition of my steady updates. Better stats will attract more readers. Thanks.
Aegis Shield
Over Tokyo Bay, a Black Hawk helicopter hovered in the air.
Kevin accepted the binoculars Alice handed him and looked toward Toko City in the distance, wrapped in purplish-red crystals.
Collapsed buildings, wandering dead, ruined streets, crashed vehicles on the roads, smoke and dust everywhere, and the island that resembled a crystal royal court... Kevin could barely see any signs of living people struggling to survive.
Everything together painted a corner of hell on earth.
When the second small drone carried by Group A completely lost its signal ten minutes after flying into Toko City, Kevin's scalp tingled.
But what puzzled him even more was that a faint golden-blue mist seemed to hang around the city.
Any purplish-red crystals that tried to spread and grow seemed to gradually disintegrate and shatter upon touching that mist.
It seemed that this was precisely what had temporarily contained Toko City's special virus.
And just as the commander had expected, the situation could be seen from above with the aid of binoculars.
Every road leading out of Toko City had either been forcibly severed or covered in these special floating golden-blue particles.
This city, like an inferno, had become an isolated island of despair!
"This aircraft's identification signal has been verified. The Japanese Ministry of Defense has unilaterally issued an invitation for entry."
Lara removed her headset, blinked, and reported the identification code verification results to Kevin.
The arrogant Countess even imitated the Ministry of Defense's lowly request perfectly.
"Ask the Ministry of Defense what the stuff above Toko City is. If they have finished weapons, we must equip them immediately. Otherwise, the BSAA bioterror response team refuses to enter!"
Kevin popped a mint into his mouth and chewed, his tone firm.
Lara, always eager for trouble, happily accepted the order. After a brief silence on the other end of the call, they received part of the classified information.
"A mixed dust of Soul Steel and Osmium metal?"
Kevin flipped open the first page of the documents, and his head instantly began to throb.
Fuck! Both of those deadly things are here! What the hell is growing inside Toko City?
"As for equipment, the ground forces currently have only three daggers, ten grenades, and around two hundred rounds of standard ammunition stored in secret... They are willing to provide unconditional aid to their allies..."
"I guessed they definitely had more stock than that, so I demanded... declared some additional supplies. But the other side is keeping a tight lid on it."
"They said this protective membrane consumes massive quantities of Soul Steel and Osmium metal every day. Their inventory can only last seven days at most."
"And they currently lack the technology to forge this Special Metal. If more is needed, they can only apply to Tokyo headquarters."
Lara curled her lips in disdain at the submission of the weak.
Kevin was not surprised. Ever since World War II, Japan had been allowed only a very small number of conventional forces.
They were indeed elite, but losing an entire armored brigade and three fighters in one blow was enough to seriously cripple them.
And Japan's national mentality of respecting strength would naturally make them, as victims, take the initiative to seek aid from Papa Eagle as represented by the United Nations.
But now, the "righteous" White Eagle was already overwhelmed by the virus leak from Umbrella Corporation on its own territory. How could it have time to deal with its "adopted son's" troubles?
After all, it was not their biological child...
(Note: This really happened. When the Japanese Government experienced several major floods and earthquakes, it sought help from Papa Eagle's forces stationed in Japan. Trump immediately ordered the Third Fleet to withdraw and preserve itself, completely disregarding the fate of its "adopted son.")
After all the passing of the buck, Kevin's newly formed BSAA team was sent to the front lines.
As for how useful they would be, who the hell knew? Those politicians who were unaffected by it could not be bothered to care.
In any case, the BSAA team bore the United Nations' name, with the five permanent rogue members of the Security Council backing them.
Therefore, even when facing the Japanese Ministry of Defense directly, Kevin and the others did not need to be timid. They could just extort as much equipment as they liked.
The bold starved the timid.
How much was integrity worth per pound? He had to take responsibility for his subordinates and raise these people's chances of survival as much as possible.
"How long will it take for the next batch of equipment to arrive?"
Kevin was tempted and made no effort to hide his intention to keep fleecing the other side.
Lara looked at the response on the computer and replied to Kevin in an offhand manner.
"According to the documents, ownership of these things belongs to the two conglomerates, ME Company and Sima Heavy Industries..."
"As for the Aegis Shield—oh, this flimsy membrane that breaks with one poke—its design concept came from ME Company's president, Raiden Ryoma..."
"It will take about three days to allocate and transport the supplies..."
"So, Commander, should we continue applying pressure?"
"Hiss!" Kevin's teeth began to ache. He could ignore the Ministry of Defense, but he could not disregard the weight of those two companies.
Not to mention that the forces they represented behind the scenes were all major players...
"Ahem, what pressure? These allied forces, rich in humanitarian spirit, are voluntarily providing assistance. We can hardly refuse their generosity."
"Besides, giving is kindness, while not giving is their right. Don't push too far. Accept the equipment quickly, then we'll head into Toko City to investigate."
Lara was somewhat confused by the commander's abrupt change in tone.
Would this bastard really let this fat sheep in front of him go without squeezing every last drop of oil from its bones?
Kevin skipped over that dangerous subject and focused his attention on tactical planning for Toko City.
The "friendly" equipment delivery was quickly counted. The commander divided the supplies equally among everyone and instructed them to use them carefully in case of emergencies.
Of the three Soul Steel Daggers, Alice, Lara, and Kevin each carried one.
Then, beneath the gaze of people eager to send off a plague god, the Black Hawk helicopter flew toward the temporary opening in the Aegis Shield.
"The individual combat plan has been uploaded..."
"Now check your weapons, secure your parachutes, open the helicopter door, and prepare for an airborne drop!"
Before you continue