Chapter 133

"This is checkpoint 1... Isn't it a bit too spacious?"

Standing on the flight deck of the Exploration Vehicle, which was beginning to slow down, FrostNova, who was once again attached to Medic due to treatment, was looking around with binoculars. Ostensibly, she was checking the surroundings on behalf of Medic, but she was clearly having a lot of fun.

"Transporting supplies to Columbia requires considerable space, and the frozen lake is vast, making it difficult to set up an ambush in the center..."

Medic sighed as he recounted the various reasons:

"I was essentially following His Excellency Patriot's advice; proactively setting up an ambush with the Inner Guards would easily put us on the defensive... so I had no choice but to choose this head-on confrontation."

"What does it matter? Anyway, the old stubborn guy has tied up all the regular troops, hasn't he?"

The White Rabbit stuck out her tongue first, but then she remembered that Medic couldn't see... But that was fine too, ever since Medic performed that so-called 'seal', FrostNova felt that she was becoming more and more relaxed in front of the doctor, and she even started to act silly in front of Medic like a child trying to get an adult's attention.

While cats can sense the movements of people around them to some extent due to their sensitivity to airflow, they still can't quite read facial expressions by feeling the wind.

The cat is clearly thinking about something more important:

"The regular army... and even the Inner Guards themselves, because they are just as intimidated by Ursus's authority as we are, will not be an obstacle to our next operation if things go smoothly... The problem is Black Snake."

"Judging from Talulah's words, she is the very self-centered and confident type... She firmly believes in her own theory of the survival of the fittest. If Talulah's statement is correct, then someone like her certainly wouldn't care about the so-called emperor..."

"Yes, you said before that Black Snake probably despises leaders like the Emperor who are weak towards the Infected the most..."

At this point, FrostNova bit her lip:

"Even though the Infected is also from Ursus..."

"What He seeks is a nation operating like a machine under extreme oppression, although I'm certain that His methods, in practice, would only create a hell... But the question now is, how many jailers are there in this hell?"

Seeing Medic's worried expression, FrostNova looked at her hands, which had become much weaker and were now even wearing leather gloves, and frowned, saying:

"If that doesn't work, I can join the battle..."

"Save those words when you're actually facing a life-or-death situation... I can't let my patient protect me."

Just as FrostNova was about to say something, a military vehicle that originally belonged to the Reunion Movement... or rather, that the Ursus Reunion Movement had captured drove off and sped into the distance. FrostNova had excellent eyesight; she met the gaze of Talulah, who was sitting in the passenger seat looking at her... and the two nodded knowingly.

"Medic, Talulah and your men have gone to install the beacon you mentioned..."

"Yes, thank you for your help."

In the darkness, the assassin cat exhaled a few puffs of white mist:

"Next, we'll see how many divisions the Black Snake has."

P. S.: My current threshold is that if I have more than five temporary injections, I must go to the hospital... Today seems okay, because the person who gave me the injection told me that she starts work at nine... But isn't she on the night shift? The thought that I'm not the only one working late into the night makes me feel better.

PS2: Meow Meow Cat

4th Crimson Warm Winter: 140 Exploration Vehicle Resupply and Reception Operation

Perhaps it's because winter is approaching, but although it might be autumn in a typical habitable area, all the people on the Exploration Vehicle could feel was the harshness of winter.

The gloomy skies for two consecutive days made Medic feel uneasy, because Puff had already said that the most urgent supplies would be delivered by air. Even with radio navigation, if the weather continued to be bad, it was still a big question mark whether the plane could find them.

But ultimately... Medic was prepared.

The Exploration Vehicle switched to stationary mode on the wide, thick ice surface. An additional support frame leveled the vehicle, the communication antenna was erected high, and the red and green indicator lights flashed with each breath. The Reunion Movement and Rhodes Island members, fully armed, watched the Exploration Vehicle roll across the cracked ice surface, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Is it still safe to walk on this ice?"

"It's been frozen for two days already, it should be okay... but we still need to be careful, it's winter again on the Snowfield now, falling in can be fatal."

"I didn't notice it while I was in the car; I only heard the crunching sound after I got out."

"Ah, you really don't need to be careful in the car, it's amphibious..."

Talulah glanced at Huang and the Skullshatterer muttering to themselves, then smiled and looked at Alina:

"It seems everyone already knows each other quite well."

"That's good. And today is the day the supplies are supposed to arrive, right?"

Nodding, Talulah looked at Medic, who was being led to the ice by FrostNova and the Rhodes Island nuns:

"Yes, that's exactly what Rhodes Island announced... Everyone must be ready to engage in combat at any time today. Combat personnel will be fully armed, and non-combat personnel must be ready to load supplies onto the vehicles. Then we'll head towards Sami immediately."

"Does Patriot have any further reminders?"

Shaking her head, Talulah also wanted to know the situation with the Patriot, but the Exploration Vehicle had been unable to contact them since yesterday. According to the Shieldguards, the Patriot might have entered a state of communication control... On the bright side, they were probably in a standoff with the Old Nobility's army; of course, given that lord's personality, it wasn't impossible for them to start fighting directly.

Thinking this through, Talulah braved the biting wind and looked around. Rhodes Island's overall formation presented a resolute defensive posture... All combat personnel set up a defensive line around the Exploration Vehicle, and assault members like Blaze were even assigned to key entrances and exits, as if it didn't matter as long as the enemy couldn't get the vehicle up there.

But is that really the case?

Looking at the white flash in the sky that seemed to have sensed her gaze and responded, Talulah knew what it was... Rhodes Island's newly recruited elite operator, the war sorceress known as Rosemary.

Talulah's impression of the Ursus army's tactics did not show a clear tendency to rely on any particular type of unit, but the Ursus warlocks were of average level among all nations. However, comparing them to that Little Cat in the sky always made her sigh.

"... Are all war sorcerers in Columbia monsters...?"

"Talulah?"

"It's nothing... Just double-check the surroundings for anything unusual, but no matter what you find, don't leave your posts. Our only goal is to leave."

"Yes."

The bandages on his face had been replaced with ordinary dressings. Alex, now a member of the Assault Squad, was on Skullshatterer 'Talulah orders and began making calls using Rhodes Island's communicator.

However, Medic didn't take the series of "no problems" too seriously. After all, it was only a few hundred meters away. If something really happened and no one noticed, then Medic could only suggest that everyone scatter and run away. That way, maybe a few of them could survive...

Medic, which is designed to counter killers like itself by deploying a water-bucket formation, still relies more on the 'eye' in the sky for observation.

"Rosemary..."

[Ugh... I haven't found anything... Aren't the enemies coming yet?]

Just then, the Little Cat shook its head to itself above the clouds. It was a good thing that no enemy was coming... although waiting like this always made people anxious.

Six steel wings stretched out behind the girl, while the only two Tactical Unit, painted white and numbered five and six, seemed to possess self-awareness, constantly circling and rotating around the Rosemary.

Clearly, Durin's modifications were complete. Although it was an improvisation, the clumsy welding and flying wires on the Tactical Unit made it look like a fragile work of art. But the gun barrels hidden in the shadows remained silent, and with each rotation of the shipborne optical unit that adjusted the focus, it transmitted images of the surrounding tens of kilometers to Rosemary and Medic's minds after processing via PRTS.

A closer look reveals that the rotation speed of Tactical Unit five and six is exactly the same as the rotation speed of the ground Exploration Vehicle's electronic antenna and onboard radar. They can now undoubtedly be called the 'Lidar Pollution Exploration System'.

Unfortunately, PRTS's assistance only works within the range of wireless signal radiation. If you want to use this system independently, you have to identify enemies and process images yourself... Even with Rosemary, this process is too tedious and becomes less efficient. Only Medic can use it without any problems for a long time.

However, in the eyes of others, this Tactical Unit is clearly just Rosemary's equipment... In a sense, Medic has achieved the tactical deception that Kal'tsit had guessed half a year ago.

Just as the Little Cat sat on the gray cloud, trying to reach for the faintly visible white Cross-Star Halo above its head with its cat ears, a warning suddenly came from PRTS—

'Friendly transport planes have entered the warning zone.'

Blinking, watching the transport plane with its navigation lights on in the distance, the Little Cat operated a Tactical Unit, retrieved a flare gun from a compartment, and fired it... After firing, as the red tracer shone on him, the Little Cat carefully blew on the launcher to cool it down, then cautiously returned this device, which probably only had a lifespan of less than a hundred rounds, to the Tactical Unit's storage space.

All of Rosemary's Tactical Unit are equipped with something similar to a pilot's crash survival kit, especially flares; each Tactical Unit carries about ten.

To accommodate all those colorful signal flares, the Little Cat's "survival kit" lacked a whole day's worth of rations and drinking water... The Little Cat's instructor had offered suggestions, but Rosemary was the type to nod in agreement and then stubbornly refuse to listen.

Amiya, who trained at the same time as Little Cat, also received a message from the instructor hoping she could persuade Little Cat as a friend, but... those who know why Little Cat has PTSD about the number of flares wouldn't object to Little Cat arbitrarily modifying the survival supplies inventory.

Or rather, after learning of Medic's ordeal, Rhodes Island operators' habit of carrying extra flares is probably something they can't break.

[Narcissa, it seems there are two PRTS alerts?] fin

Hearing her older brother, who sometimes helped her with her homework, ask a question with a puzzled look, Rosemary looked back at the PRTS alert more carefully... Indeed, apart from the alert about the transport plane entering the country, there was also a message from Tactical Unit Five in the distance that 'Demons Pollution' had been discovered.

Although Rosemary missed the sudden disturbance of Pollution in the distance due to a momentary distraction, this small trick was useless against Medic. In fact, the fact that the enemy waited until the transport plane arrived before taking action only exposed their tactical intentions.

"Pollution confirmed, 3 o'clock position, 25 kilometers away... the intensity of the reaction is still increasing."

"We... wait here?"

Upon hearing Medic's report, Talulah instinctively wanted to engage in battle, but remembering the tactical arrangements, the silver-haired Dragon Lady stopped abruptly after taking her first step.

Medic acknowledged Talulah's rationality, given that she seemed to only think during battles; however, hearing the sound of the ice melting at Talulah's feet, Medic still pulled FrostNova and Mary back a few steps.

"Well, we'll wait here... Although we don't know if it's the Inner Guards himself or the Pollution he controls... Anyway, if it doesn't affect us, we'll ignore it."

"Hmm... whatever... is that right?"

Talulah wasn't quite used to the Terra City Cats' tactical arrangements, which were three centuries ahead of Ursus's. But looking at the gradually distorting horizon in the distance, Talulah asked, just to be on the safe side:

"It looks like they're about to cast some kind of spell. Are we really just going to ignore it all?"

"... Never mind, protect the Exploration Vehicle and the transport plane, ignore everything else... Mary, the battle is about to begin, you should go back to the vehicle."

Mary glanced at Medic, clearly ignoring the uneasy murmurs around them, but out of trust, she hesitated before letting go of his hand.

"Then... Miss Medic, please be careful."

Nodding, the cat took a chitinous butterfly knife from its pocket with its free hand:

"It's alright, I'll protect everyone..."

"Medic! Things don't look good on the horizon!"

Huang's voice drowned out Mary's sobs as she nearly fell over. As for the black 'light' in the distance that condensed into a spear pointing directly at the transport plane, Medic, of course, saw it clearly through the Tactical Unit and the eyes of Sky Rosemary.

"... Was that a real object? Or was it just a hallucination of fear, like those previous black ones?"

[This is a convoy... What the hell is that on the other side of us? Ursus's new anti-aircraft gun?!]

"Don't worry about it. The agents escorting you will ensure the safety of the crew. And some things need to be done even if you're afraid... I shouldn't need to remind you of that."

[Understood! We will now begin the drop. We will circle halfway around the base to enter the low-altitude drop trajectory. Please provide navigation!]

"Understood. A4 Action Group and PRTS will begin waking you up... Durin, please."

[Hmm... Gently~ Loosely~]

Durin still carried a slightly dazed tone, but a sense of ease wasn't a bad thing at this moment. As Yato continued to repeat Durin's orders, the air control tower began to correct the transport plane's flight path, and Rosemary, who was accompanying it, spoke up... well, she was on the communication line:

The Pollution on the horizon... seems to be taking shape... is that... a spear?

"Or rather... ballistas... the Pollution is using everyone's fear to construct weapons capable of attacking transport planes..."

What kind of ballista can fire at a distance of over 30 kilometers?

Just as the Little Cat was wondering this, a sudden flash of Blacklight appeared on the horizon. Was it a cannonball? Or a crossbow bolt?

The Little Cat only saw a flash of light before its vision was filled with the familiar interior of the Tactical Unit. What followed was the sound of metal clashing and a tremendous force that propelled it backward half a meter.

The Little Cat was clearly startled, its tail bristling... but judging from the feel of it, the attack didn't reach the level of a naval cannon. How could it achieve speeds exceeding those of a naval cannon?

[I don't understand...]

After calming her pounding heart, Rosemary instinctively prepared to throw out Tactical Unit to counterattack, but as Medic relayed Miss Assassin's tactical assessment through her intertwined thoughts, the Little Cat withdrew her hand.

[... incorporeal body?]

"Hmm, observation isn't enough... Even if we launch an attack, it would only destroy the formed parts... If we were to launch an attack, the target should be the source of Pollution that created these things..."

Rhodes Island's indifference seemed to irritate the enemy, and the supply of black ray cannons began to increase visibly. Their target was undoubtedly the transport planes hovering in the sky, but their attacks were steadily intercepted by the Rosemary in the sky.

The solidified Pollution and the sounds of Tactical Unit colliding were like thunder. Everyone on the ground used the support pillars lowered by the Exploration Vehicle as cover. Although they were on guard around, they still looked up at the battle in the sky from time to time.

Especially Talulah, Dragon Lady, looking out the side window, kept shifting her feet and staring blankly at the sky as if she wished she could go up to heaven herself. Alina worriedly clenched her hand, as if that would allow her to hold onto Talulah.

"Little Tal, calm down... Don't forget that fear can be Pollution and materialized... Never forget that your enemy isn't just the Black Snake; to control you, he doesn't just need your approval... Being Pollution and eroded can also lead to control..."

Alina didn't know if her worries could reach the silver-haired Dragon Lady. To everyone else, all they could see now was the Blacklight shattering in the sky, scattered around like mist or mud.

Even with the Exploration Vehicle itself as cover, the scattered black sludge would occasionally stick to the personnel who were defending in a dense formation.

Although the public learned during the science education process that only a few people would be touched and the Pollution would not be controlled, being touched by this disgusting substance still caused considerable chaos within the Reunion Movement.

The scent of fear was spreading, and the black fog was visibly thickening.

Seeing this, Medic slowly began to unwrap the bandage from his left hand:

"... So, your goal isn't 'delay' or 'persuasion,' but rather actual 'annihilation'... That's strange. I thought the Inner Guards... even Inner Guards who obey the Black Snake, would come here to persuade Talulah to return to the noble world of Ursus... After all, what the Black Snake wants is a powerful leader... Or are you using this... out-of-control Inner Guards as a test for Talulah?"

The bandages slowly fell off, and as the material the Sarkaz called Demonweave came into contact with the black mist and began to ignite with black flames, the black-haired Feline slowly opened her eyes. Her heterochromatic blue and green pupils scanned the mist that resembled a curtain, and a black figure slowly appeared, accompanied by breathing sounds like a broken bellows.

The military overcoat, a symbol of the Inner Guards's honor, was visibly covered in scars, and black mist continuously spewed out from the gaps in the helmet's various connecting pipes.

An otherworldly the Dominion began to take shape around the Exploration Vehicle, as black rain poured down accompanied by the clanging of metal.

The black-haired Feline frowned as he watched the other person... In his gloomy Foresight, Medic mostly saw the future where this thing in front of him offered only token resistance before fleeing into the deep mountains of Sami.

Ursus used the missing Inner Guards to launch a full-scale invasion of Sami. Due to Ursus's annexation, Columbia companies suffered heavy losses in exploration data and personnel in the north... Well, being held accountable by the president and subsequently placed in a black Sarcophagus was also one of his fates.