Chapter 170

After running more than a hundred meters, Nana finally put Takina down and looked into the distance with a headache:

"This is troublesome... If it stays burning like this, the firing windows in the northern courtyard will be unusable. It seemed like firing grenades from there was quite effective..."

Have you confirmed the kill?

"No, it's just that my drone caught a glimpse of their disheveled state at the end... Although you were also badly injured during the exchange of explosives, considering the bloodied face of the assault rifleman on the other side, they were in a much worse state."

While speaking, he lifted Takina's arm again, confirming and asking:

"Is there anything else that hurts? It's very dark around here, so you can only feel your own injuries... If I had known there were so many explosives on the other side, I should have brought you an blast detector..."

Listening to her senior's calm, muttered words, as if the recent firefight was nothing more than children setting off firecrackers, Takina's mood quickly calmed down. After stretching her body slightly, Takina picked up her weapon again.

"I'm fine, and there are no obvious signs of dizziness or internal organ damage..."

"Then let's continue the fight... But even so, the fire seems to be getting bigger and bigger..."

Looking at the same fire that Nana was watching, which had now engulfed all the second-floor shops in the north-central area, including the burger shop from before, Takina took another look at the central atrium, which was brightly lit by the fire. It was clear that this place could no longer be used as a position for attacking downwards... It wasn't just a problem of not having suitable cover; even if one were to fire from a prone position, crawling over in such a brightly lit environment would expose them.

However, hearing the occasional shattering of glass due to the fire, Takina suddenly turned to look at her senior:

"Um... I have an idea..."

... wuyiqi shangba lingqi liuyi...

It's a complete mess.

Listening to the crackling of flames engulfing the shops on the second floor above and the explosions caused by the heated compression containers, and watching Number Four bandaging Number Two, Number One thought to himself.

"Damn it, if Number Three hadn't been reset, if it were the previous her, the V-Machine would never have flown so rigidly according to the tutorial. That saturation attack just now... the target shouldn't have been able to escape at all!"

Faced with a teammate complaining so much while holding an HK416, the person being evaluated, Number Three, showed no reaction whatsoever. The cat-eared girl holding an MGL had a blank stare. If Nana were there, she would realize that this Number Three was completely identical to the Number Three she had killed in terms of equipment and appearance...

Number Two seemed to find Number Three's lack of reaction annoying. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, but in the end, he angrily put it down without saying anything.

After all, she knew that getting angry with a 'baby' would only drive her crazy.

Number One spoke only after confirming that the flames had spread to the midfield and that the enemy's grenade launchers could no longer easily threaten him, while also having the cover of the burning sound:

"It seems the target isn't coming after us. Let's check the situation now..."

"The situation? Isn't it obvious? We're being overwhelmed."

Ignoring Number Two's clearly emotionally charged statement, Number One looked at Number Three, whose eyes were vacant:

Can you confirm what stage the target is at?

"Analysis confirms that the enemy used Laterano- style ranged magic and Sarkaz- style Witchcraft in past engagements, and we also observed that the target provided significant aid and protection to enemy comrades..."

"Based on the police testimonies provided before the battle, it can be confirmed that Ama-77's emotional fitting system was fully activated, her empathy ability entered a dangerous range, and her Chimera physique was deeply utilized, entering a positive cycle of spell iteration..."

The four remained silent for a moment. Number One touched the bandage on his face, where he had just suffered burns from being exposed to thermite at close range.

"Although we haven't yet confirmed the Originium reaction within its body at close range... considering the above conditions, we can now confirm that the target has entered a 'state of emergency'... Number Four, is the item still there?"

Hearing Number One's explanation, Number Four, who carried a light machine gun and was responsible for sustained fire support and medic duties within the team, nodded and took an injection gun from a hard-sided underarm holster.

But clearly, when Number Four took out this thing, everyone except Number Three took a slight step back... including Number Four himself, who leaned back as much as possible, obviously not wanting to touch it.

However, since things had already come to this, the four of them still each received two sets of medicine and the corresponding launchers.

"Memory-Erasure Drug... As long as we successfully inject the target, even if we can't defeat the Eternal Constant, we can restore her influence on AMa-77 to its original state... Master is right, this 'Zero' who acts on her own will is still too dangerous. The Eternal Constant is playing a game of friendship with Zero, risking Columbia's fate... There are too many unknown risks involved."

Seeing his companions remain silent, seemingly accepting the fact but showing no hope for what needed to be done, Number One sighed: Ryu

"... Since the situation has now been confirmed to have escalated to a crisis level, Master has given permission to use the final measures."

"The final resort... now? Here?"

Seeing Number One's affirmative look, Number Two revealed an expression of pain mixed with a sense of relief:

"Fine... Anyway, the outside is completely surrounded by the National Guard, there's no way we can escape..."

"After all, we're not Zero; we don't have that kind of genetic disguise magic."

"... In principle, we might actually be able to achieve that level, right?"

"No, it's impossible."

"Number Three, are you so sure?"

The cat-eared girl tilted her head, her expression blank, and nodded in affirmation:

"I have memories of the laboratory where we were asked to conduct experiments..."

"Ah, back when the enhancement potion department was still around, right? I remember now... If you forcibly activate it, Originium Arts will go berserk, and you'll turn into a crystallized monster..."

"That's the 'last resort'."

Seeing that Number Three had once again rendered everyone speechless with a single sentence, Number One clapped his hands, half-laughing and half-crying, to draw their attention back to himself:

"Don't be afraid. 'Final measures' is the body's instinctive reaction after an individual dies. In essence, we've already reset by then... Master also said that we can reset as many times as we want to fight Zero, as long as we don't forget our ultimate goal."

They rallied, nodded, and the four of them bumped fists.

Resetting Ama-77 back to safe mode... This is something only they, as the research results of her clones, could do.

'Eternal Constant' did something incredibly foolish, activating 'The Creator's' weapon and re-imbuing it with emotion... She had no idea how terrible this land was...

Therefore, even if it's criticized for being heartless and turning a city into a battlefield, it's still within the acceptable range. Ama-77 must be transformed back into something that can be controlled and whose actions can be predicted.

Emotions are clearly unnecessary when it comes to 'weapons'... no, to threats left over from the old era.

They also agreed with Number One.

Clearly, they did not see themselves as the same kind of thing as Zero.

After all, AMa-77 is clearly not a life form belonging to the 'human' category.

Qun]Seven Forests Four Hundred Flags "So, are you ready?"

In order to force the target into close combat, after confirming that burning the second floor to block the opponent's movement range was effective, Number One finally placed the target on the load-bearing pillar on the second floor.

With a precise detonation, under the combined effects of catalytic magic and gravity, the reinforced concrete second-floor slab will bend inward and eventually fall to the first floor, forming an inverted K-shaped structure. One side of the panel at the two corners is burning with fire... Therefore, the opponent's position has been compressed to its minimum.

If they were to sweep inwards from both ends now... this Number One be their final operation.

After a fierce exchange of missiles, explosives, and drones, coupled with the ammunition depleted in the previous car chase, they no longer had the necessary supplies to sustain the fight, as they were no longer able to achieve their objective.

After the four of them made arrangements for more than ten minutes, Number One checked the radio and confirmed:

"All, one last count..."

[Number Two is available anytime.]

[Number Three is ready.]

[Number Four is fine too.]

"So, as always, the last survivors must remember to tell others what kind of people we've always been... all for Columbia."

Saying slogans that he himself had never truly understood, but had only heard from his 'master', Number One pried open the detonation fuse and quickly pressed the piezoelectric switch twice.

The demolition began.

PS: Waaaaaaah!

I wonder if this picture will get me killed...

5th Laytonson's Ghost Assassin: 186 Little by little, he accumulated strength, and finally, victory was achieved.

Outside the supermarket belonging to the Continental Hotel, rows of industrial-grade lights illuminated the massive building. Huge humanoid machines were hidden among the trees and bushes in the parking lot's green belt, while further away, police cars with red and blue warning lights formed a cordon, and groups of fully armed soldiers stood guard.

Journalists are the kind of people who will always find their way out of some strange corner, even if you try to drive them away. Fortunately, the Raisington City still has enough administrative power to order them to enforce news control.

Jaeger didn't care whether what happened here would become the talk of the town in Colombian Political Sphere again. He had even given up on the idea of retiring safely in two years. The deputy sheriff, who was no longer young, thought it would be a great victory if everyone could get through Christmas safely.

"So, those people up there have made up their minds today?"

"It's hard to say, our police officers haven't received any permission to fire."

As he lit the last of his fifth pack of cigarettes for the day in the open space, Jaeger silently watched the occasional flashes and explosions between the second and first floors of a distant building, his brow furrowed.

"I heard the argument between the military and politicians in the conference room was even more intense than the battle on the front lines. Major, do you think it's true or not?"

"Whether it's true or false doesn't matter. Anyway, the investigation has revealed that the attackers who turned this city into a war zone were key figures in the National Laboratory's projects. And the people being attacked, demanding an investigation, and disarming... in the end, they were also first-class specialists from the National Laboratory... Anyway, that's the gist of it, a political disagreement that escalated into a fight."

Listening to the Mechanical Hunter's pilot complain, Jaeger silently took a drag of his cigarette, as if the pungent, bitter smoke was a reflection of Colombian Political Sphere itself.

"As for Trimounts, I hope the hearing on Melander can be resolved quickly... Our police station received a warning from Lycoris, but in the end, both the order-giver and the warning-giver had higher security clearance than us. Supporting either side will be considered illegal by the other side..."

"... National Laboratory are not purely research institutions after all. The internal group interests... or ideological differences have reached the point where a distinction must be made."

Hearing the major in his close-fitting driver's uniform summarize it this way, Jaeger frowned and stubbed out his cigarette.

"In the end, isn't it always us at the grassroots level and the masses who suffer? Does the National Laboratory even consider itself a part of this country?"

Just as the two men, who had not yet received permission to fire, were still grumbling to each other, the Mechanical Hunter's high-precision optical sights suddenly captured two clear life signals.

As another standby Mechanical Hunter instinctively activated its head-mounted searchlight to illuminate the two who rushed out, Jaeger, though far away, was still astonished, his mouth agape at the sight of the short blonde and long black-haired girl crashing through the glass and bursting out... They had jumped out from the second floor!

And what was with that gesture of theirs? Covering their ears Big Mouth...

"Oh no!!"

Before Jaeger could give the order, a violent explosion suddenly rang out, and gray-black smoke and shockwave swept out of the first floor of the building and outwards. The sound of the reinforced concrete building collapsing plunged the surroundings into chaos, but the two figures that Jaeger had been watching, the blond one actually performed a double jump in mid-air and rushed back into the first floor with the black-haired one on his back in this state.

Watching that absurd movement, the major pursed his lips and patted the dust off his driver's uniform:

"I think we need to apply for permission to fire again... If this continues, they might not be satisfied with just demolishing one shopping mall."

Nodding, Jaeger watched in silence as flashes of light and gunfire rose and fell amidst the smoke and dust.

Clearly, the girls' battle was still raging fiercely.

Takina never imagined that her suggestion would lead to such a thrilling scene: charging out of the battlefield amidst storms and flames, defying common sense, and launching a final assault on the enemy.

Considering that the personnel securing the outer perimeter were there at the request of the ICA, it is highly unlikely that the personnel outside the building will launch an attack. Takina was even discussing with Nana the possibility of finding the staff staircase to the top floor and then using ropes to rappel down.

But before the discussion was finished, the 'Ghost' senior suddenly picked her up and rushed out of the building.

Why is Lycoris no longer using ropes for her chief rappelling attack?

With these questions in mind, Takina, in a daze, used muscle memory to deal with the explosion, and together with the guy who kicked directly into the smoke and dust on the first floor, they moved from the second floor to the battlefield on the first floor.

There wasn't even time to ask, "When did you plant the bomb on the first floor, senpai?" As she burst in, even with her eyes half-closed, Takina managed to spot the two black-haired "senpai" hiding behind cover... in reality, only one of them turned around in surprise.

Then came the explosion, which suddenly filled the first floor with smoke and dust, and the command to 'fire' in my ears.

Before her brain could even process it, her body acted on the command. The moment she landed, Takina immediately raised her gun and fired at the back of the unsuspecting enemy, following her memory. During this time, she clearly heard a muffled groan of being hit, so after her gun was tethered to an empty magazine, Takina quickly discarded the empty magazine and immediately completed a tactical reload before firing again.

Until she was out of commission again, her left hand and shoulder, which were controlling the gun, were numb from the shock of the M995 armor-piercing rounds. Takina lost sight of her target because of the smoke and dust, but not far away, the roaring shotgun shells clearly indicated that Nana was exchanging fire with another 'agent'.

Unlike Takina's side, which launched a sneak attack and then carefully concealed themselves, Nana chose the guy who clearly noticed the anomaly behind him and looked surprised.

The timing of Nana's sudden movement into cover and dropping Takina was exactly the same as the time it took for the other person to retreat into cover and raise their assault rifle. As Nana activated the shotgun's flashlight and advanced, the girl using Feline HK416, with her azure eyes identical to Nana's, also placed her left hand into the 'Master Key' mini shotgun hanging below her.

The thick smoke from the explosion and the occasional falling cement chunks affected everyone in the battle equally. Then, the Tyndall Effect of Nana's gun light caused the agent with bandages wrapped around his head to raise his gun above his head and pull the trigger.

The sounds of six semi-automatic shotgun shells and forty-six fully automatic M995 armor-piercing rounds firing suddenly merged into one, but the unnatural flow of smoke in the air still made Number Two look to the side with concern...

As all the glass shattered, and as the artificial silver light outside cast a silver veil over everything in sight, Number Two saw it: a blonde girl holding a silver shotgun, pointing the muzzle directly at him.

But at this moment, Number Two couldn't help but wonder... if the target hadn't used a gun light to scout the area through the corridor, then... what was the target he had just fired at?

The answer is nothing at all; it was just a gun lamp that Nana had suddenly decided to ask Kate to temporarily light up.

The sound of shrapnel roared--

The first shot severed the hands of the rifleman who was trying to adjust the muzzle direction but was essentially out of ammunition and in a bolt hold-open state.

The second shot shattered the knee of the man who was attempting to move but was clearly slowing down due to pain.

Finally, she stepped forward and slapped away the spell that the other party was whimpering and conjuring up, which seemed to be a self-inflicted suicide attempt. After tearing off the other party's ammunition and deactivating the shoulder spell unit to confirm that the disarmament was complete, Nana touched the other party's thigh armor. Obviously, just like her own habit, the other party would also keep the medkit in a convenient place.

The problem is that the medical kit Nana found only contained a few dressings and bandages; it seemed like all the medications were used up.

With no other option, Nana could only gag the other person with a dressing, stop the bleeding from their severed leg with a bandage, and then find a carton of fresh milk from some unknown shelf on the dusty mall floor. She then found a container and soaked the severed finger she had just knocked off in it.