Chapter 169

"But why is there only one eye...?"

The blonde girl, who was looking at the mall map on the wall, didn't answer. The assassin simply pointed casually at Takina's gun lamp.

"... Are you worried that the gun light will interfere with the low-light night vision spell? However, I have been trained to quickly switch spells, and I can hit the target more accurately by using my eyes for night vision directly."

"Oh? What if they shine a gunlight on you?"

Stunned by Nana's question, Takina considered the situation, then her expression changed slightly as she shrank back.

"It... it has a dazzling effect..."

"Not only that, it will actually cause blindness... If it were 'myself,' the wattage of that gun light should be enough to illuminate the supermarket from one end to the other... The one you're holding is too."

"Understood, I will use it properly... Also, are you looking at a store brochure?"

Nodding, Nana pointed to the pharmacy and gun shop on the map... Since it's a market under the Continental Hotel, the medicines and weapons here are probably quite impressive.

"Understood, these are tactical points that need to be secured... Shall we go and capture them now?"

Looking at where Nana pointed, it was on the second floor.

"No, before that, let's go here first."

"... A hamburger shop?"

Hearing Takina tilt her head in confusion again, Nana rubbed her stomach, then frowned and looked at the long, straight black hair that had been rumbling in her stomach not long ago:

"Takina, aren't you hungry?"

"Hungry, after all, it's been twelve hours since I last ate anything... but... now?"

"If we don't find something to eat now, who knows when we'll have time to stuff ourselves again... Let's go, we came up from the glass curtain wall on the second floor via the stairs, and the burger joint is the closest food supply point to us..."

"The Continental Hotel probably used the pretext of a terrorist attack or Fire Department drill to drive away the crowd. The manager likely turned off the Originium power and gas supply before leaving. The burger shop should have some food in their insulated boxes, or at the very least, plenty of buns. Takina, look at their menu, they not only have beef patties, but it seems they also offer alcoholic beverages..."

Seeing the legendary Ghost seemingly engrossed in the product brochure, Takina, clutching her automatic rifle, had a strange expression. She felt like she'd seen this eccentric behavior somewhere before.

While Takina was pondering, the blonde assassin seemed to notice her partner's silence. She even turned around and raised a finger to instruct Takina:

"However, Takina, it's best if we don't drink alcohol during missions, and the same goes for carbonated drinks. Also, only eat until you're about 80% full... Do you need me to elaborate a bit more?"

"No, the intensive courses at school cover that..."

Chatting casually, the two crouched down and slipped into the red-brick-decorated burger joint. Judging from the various uneaten dishes left on the tables, the evacuation arranged by the Continental Hotel was quite rushed. Takina easily picked up a few burgers that seemed to have been left uneaten... Unfortunately, due to the sudden drop in temperature at night and the fact that the mall's heating had been turned off, the food was already cold.

Takina didn't seem to mind, but Nana didn't want Takina to have to go to the toilet later when the two were having a fierce shooting session. After searching around, Nana and Takina's dinner was confirmed to be hamburger patties from the store's insulated box, and a box of Snickers energy bars that some employee had left at their workstation.

The hamburger patties were warm, and the two of them quickly ate more than five pieces. Judging from the fact that Takina ate three pieces by herself, she was indeed starving in the police station cell.

Although the beverage machine lost its heating function due to the power outage, the black tea and milk were still warm and drinkable. Finally, they each put half of the energy bars they had scavenged into their miscellaneous bags... Now the two of them, whose food had been completely divided up by the people in white, had an emergency reserve.

"Finally, this is it..."

"Is this... emergency water?"

Taking the foil packet from Nana, and seeing the words "Self-heating bag for water" on it, Takina was momentarily disgusted. However, after looking at the sizes of the other beverage packages she had scavenged, she nodded understandingly and placed it into her miscellaneous bag.

"Is everything ready now?"

"Hmm, probably..."

Seeing Nana's knowing look, Takina checked herself with some confusion, then tilted her head and asked in a low voice:

"Is there anything else to do?"

"Takina, aren't you going to the toilet? Once things get moving, you won't have a choice."

After the two men emerged from the burger shop's staff restroom and checked their watches again, it was now 6:40 PM Columbia Standard Time, more than half an hour after the conflict that erupted when they stormed into the mall at night.

During this time, aside from the sounds of the two of them eating, drinking, and taking care of their personal hygiene, Takina did not perceive any other noise in the mall.

"It's so quiet... Could the other person also be dealing with personal issues? Or perhaps..."

Or did they sense something was wrong and choose to leave?

The thought flashed through Takina's mind and was quickly dismissed. After all, the opponent was the one coming on strong, and there was no such thing as four people being afraid of two.

Nana, however, was not at all surprised by this situation:

"The firefight we had before we parted ways was actually quite intense... Takina, the bullets I gave you were all M995, which are anti-armor Etch Rounds specifically designed to target crustacean-infected organisms and light armored vehicles."

"Furthermore, in addition to the barrage of armor-piercing rounds, they were hit by one of my high-explosive rounds and one thermite round... Judging from the fact that the four of them fled without engaging in combat, at least one of them must have been completely incapacitated... Otherwise, it's hard to believe they would have run away so quickly without even fighting."

"So, they're actually very weak right now?"

Shaking her head, Nana's bucket of cold water quickly calmed Takina down: 1

"A condition where one is unable to fight can be treated with a little medical care, and with the right medication, they can continue fighting. As long as their hands can still pull the trigger, the Firearms Arts user is not considered to have lost their fighting ability... Takina, never let your guard down."

Watching the assassin take out her shotgun and release the safety, Takina also got up to check the condition of the rifle and nodded... The spare magazine had been fully loaded using Nana's loader, and her physical condition was also at its best. With her long black hair expressionless, she gave her partner a thumbs up.

Seeing this, the two stood up, peeked out slightly to check, and then began to move.

"Although I don't know the extent of their injuries, judging from their distressed appearance when they left the vehicle, I think their first choice for destination is most likely a pharmacy..."

"So, senior, you determined the other party's location entirely by guessing?"

Nana shook her head, a smile curving her lips: n

"No, because they can't go anywhere now... This battlefield was deliberately set up by us. The ICA's statement is that anyone who wants to leave here can be dealt with at will."

"You know what kind of people work and rest in Continental Hotel. Now that we've kicked them out like this, there's probably a bunch of people waiting to see what happens... Plus, with the police Rapid Response Force already reacting, and to uphold the dignity of the city government, I expect even the National Guard will join the lockdown this time." (Wife)

"... Wait, if the guards get involved, that means..." (Sulfur)

Seeing Takina's sudden tense expression, Nana's smile widened. If the enemies had properly scouted their surroundings, they'd probably have the same expression as Takina right now. "Yo!"

"That's right, it means that there's a very high chance that the outer perimeter of this battlefield has been sealed off by the 'Mechanical Hunter'... Although I think that out of consideration for the laboratory, the government won't directly send the Hunter mechs in to interfere with our battle... The current situation is that, regardless of the outcome of our battle, those guys whose names no one knows yet will have to explain to the surrounding ICA, the Continental Hotel, and the government forces... who they are, and where they came from."

Seeing the slightly rude expression on the blonde girl's face, Takina glanced around for any possible hiding places and said:

"Hmm, it sounds like we've achieved our tactical objectives? Then... should we continue to stall them until dawn, and when the blockade line can't wait to enter the battlefield, we'll be able to find out detailed information about the person who has been opposing that lord?"

"It's definitely not that easy... After all, it's my clone, and they'll probably all come to see what I know... If we just do nothing, by the time they realize what's happening, the success rate of our reverse infiltration and breaking through the external blockade is probably one hundred percent."

"Furthermore, after what happened at the police station, I no longer want to leave the initiative in the investigation to the government... Nobody knows whether the officials we have high hopes for are from the other side's faction."

After inwardly marveling at how complicated adult matters were, Takina crawled back to the central courtyard of the building. After checking that no one was around, she returned and shook her head at Nana.

Looking from the second floor, the pharmacy's main door was tightly closed, but compared to the weapons shop across the street, it was clear through the shop windows that the pharmacy's security shutters were not down, and one could vaguely see what was happening inside.

"Has the security system been hacked?"

"The mall's electrical system wasn't activated, and how could we miss such a loud noise from the roller shutter resetting? The pharmacy staff probably didn't close the door when they left."

Of course, Nana understood that it was a low-probability event for employees who relied on the shop for their livelihood to forget to close when leaving. It was more likely that the ICA had specifically instructed them not to close shops that could provide support for the fight... That was the case with the previous burger shop, and it was the same with the current pharmacy.

As a shopping mall operated by Continental Hotel, there are too many things that ICA could consider as part of their operations, and Nana has no intention of collecting them one by one.

At the same time, in order to prevent the audience outside from getting bored to sleep, Nana had to make some noise.

Thinking this through, Nana touched the medical kit she had brought from the base. Realizing she didn't need any additional medical supplies, she raised the grenade launcher downstairs.

The grenade, imbued with a penetrating spell, drew a strange, eerie Blacklight in the darkness. As the projectile struck the thick bulletproof glass wall, the Blacklight drilled a small hole in it, followed by a violent explosion that shot through that hole into the entire pharmacy.

It was a fragmentation grenade with added explosives; the horrifying glass shattering and impact repeatedly washed over the confined pharmacy... Now, looking in from the outside, nothing could be seen at all.

All vision was obscured by the cracks created by shrapnel, and after that, the mall fell silent once more.

"It seems it's not inside."

"... Why do I suddenly feel that your fighting style has become much more aggressive?"

"Didn't your agent teach you that?"

As Nana moved westward along the courtyard to assess the surrounding area, she said:

"'Dazhe, blow it up for me'... That's the agent's exact words. Although in most missions we rarely have the opportunity to use such a straightforward explosion to take out the target."

Just as Takina was about to say something, Nana suddenly grabbed her and pulled her down. Then, a magical wave that made Takina dizzy and even nauseous swept across the area. Looking in the direction from which the magic came, a gust of air swirled up dust in some dusty corners of the mall.

"This is?"

"Scan... Don't be careless, Typhon was found by this spell."

As she spoke, countermeasures were activated simultaneously. With a bright red halo appearing as a three-dimensional projection on her shoulder, Nana instantly constructed a scanning spell identical to her opponent's.

To the warlock, the spell waves from both sides were like clashing waves. With perfectly synchronized 'force' and 'angle', Takina discovered that the opponent's second wave of scanning hadn't even reached her.

"Although the operation was based on magical principles, we can roughly determine the directions of both sides... The first floor of the building is towards the north... Tsk, there's a waiting room for a Continental Hotel medical team over there. Did they choose the wrong location...?"

With a sigh, Nana pulled a dark object from the mesh pocket on the outside of her backpack. After looking at it for a while, Takina realized it was actually a magic drone?

"The next phase will still be primarily about information gathering, but we're only a few steps away from a gunfight. Be prepared for a long battle and to be ready to dodge at any time, Takina."

"Yes."

Picking up her weapon, she crouched down and followed the figure wielding a shotgun ahead. Soon after, the buzzing of multiple drones appeared overhead in the mall, Takina was the first to react, raising her gun.

Nana- senpai is clearly not the type to throw out props without saying a word.

As Takina used her right eye, which was equipped with a faint night vision spell, to aim at her target, a streak of light flashed by, and several arcs in the distance rushed towards her with familiar 'thump thump' sounds.

"It's a grenade, Takina--!"

PS: Waaaaaaah!

Woof woof cat. jpg

5th Laytonson's Ghost Assassin: 185 Desperate Situation

Even with a silencer, the M995's firing sound is still very noticeable indoors. While our side instinctively countered with drones, the enemy chose to launch a roundabout attack on Takina, who was firing from a gun.

The rapid, continuous sound of grenade launches blended together. Grabbing Takina by the collar and dragging her away from the area of fire, Nana had already determined the equipment used by the enemy.

"MGL (Multiple Grenade Launcher)... Their equipment is really impressive."

While calmly expressing his thoughts, he simultaneously pulled out a handheld launcher to retaliate, and the aerial drone that had been hit by Takina exploded in mid-air.

These flying machines, carrying powerful explosives and activating their collision seals, were extremely sensitive. Under the control of the flight control software, the fireballs induced by the explosions in a long, serpentine formation were quite spectacular... And what followed were the grenades from both sides, seemingly produced by the same arsenal, the same 40mm grenades, which indiscriminately splashed flames and fragments all around.

"Takina, run... Is she dead?"

That was obviously a joke; Nana could sense that she was still alive.

However, Takina wasn't as familiar with close-range explosions as Nana. The shockwaves and shrapnel sweeping across the surrounding shops, the plasterboard walls shattering one after another, the dry lime fragments hitting her face, the thick smoke choking her mouth... This series of close-range battlefield scenes was still too stimulating for a child who considered street gunfights as a 'battlefield'. Takina was temporarily speechless and unable to move in shock.

But dragging an unresponsive person doesn't affect 'Ghost's' actions. Nana can grab her partner by the back of the collar, run, call for Kate and Cole to help load grenades, and return fire at the enemy. Because Nana can use the invisible hand, she won't be forced into a passive counterattack just because one hand is occupied.

Furthermore, although MGL's firepower was very dense, Nana's grenade loading was much more convenient and faster than the enemy's... In addition, from the enemy's footsteps, Nana could sense that they intended to use the explosion to reach the second floor via the escalator in the northern passenger terminal. They obviously did not ask their own drones or the grenade launchers in Nana's hands for permission.

As Nana fired her tenth grenade, the last image transmitted by the drone was of "herself" holding an HK416, cat ears drooping, face covered in blood but expressionless as she shot down the drone... Clearly, the other side had also suffered terribly from the grenade explosions while trying to storm the second floor.

So the question is on our side: in this exchange of explosives, did no one get injured?

The answer is, of course, no.

Nana put down Takina, whom she was carrying, and saw the usually energetic girl with her long, straight black hair slightly open and her pupils dilated. Startled, Nana quickly shone her flashlight on the girl.

After discovering that she was merely stunned and unconscious from the explosion, Nana tried the wake-up procedure with some slight distress...

After a series of methods including patting her back, rubbing her limbs, slapping her, pinching her philtrum, and using a combat stimulant Takina, whose hairstyle had become somewhat unsightly after all this, finally managed to wake up.

By the time she fully regained her senses, spat out the hair and sand she had ingested, and rejoined the fighting force, several minutes had already passed since the two sides clashed.

In the dim light, dust and smoke swirled about ten centimeters above the floor. The shop that once sold luxury clothing was torn to shreds, and flames, seemingly ignited somewhere, burned eerily in the darkness.

Because the water and electricity were cut off, the automatic Fire Department system, which should have been activated, was now silent. Only the occasional mutual 'scanning' of the two systems stirred up smoke and dust throughout the building.

"... Nana- senpai?"

"Hmm, they're learning very quickly... although I don't really think I can use the Security Bureau's magic to find anyone from the Security Bureau."

As they were talking, another round of MGLs was fired. However, this time, both Nana were hiding behind the shop's cover, so the grenades triggered the explosion seals from a distance... But because the sound of the explosions was a bit strange, Nana gestured for Takina to be quiet and peeked out. Immediately, the blonde girl, terrified, picked up Takina and retreated to a distance.

"How..."

"It's an incendiary bomb!"

Hearing Nana's unusually agitated state, Takina glanced at the shops in the north-central part of the second floor of the mall. The two had only run away a short while ago when bright flames, visible to the naked eye, licked through the plasterboard building materials and penetrated their cover.

Because the boards used in those shops had already been damaged by shrapnel, they already had various cracks and holes. What Takina couldn't understand was how the other party could so quickly set fire to those shops and ignite such a fierce fire.

"It was the previous scan, wasn't it? Although it couldn't capture the entire panorama, if it only showed half of it, then the distance between us and the incendiary bomb would only be two drywall panels."