Chapter 171
"I actually have a lot more questions I want to ask you... but you probably don't feel like talking about that right now."
Holding two shotgun shells, Nana tactically loaded the magazine in one go, then, having severed her Halo connection with Witchcraft, she indifferently looked at the 'herself' before her:
"I hope you have prepared a plan for how to explain your hostility to me... Attacking without communication is the behavior of wild beasts... You are nothing but dangerous wild beasts right now."
"Even if we kill them randomly, there won't be any loss. If we have to say something, it's just a waste of your face..."
Just as Nana was trying to get the other party to surrender, a sudden whooshing sound made Nana turn her head. After dodging a throwing knife, a palm-sized insect-shaped drone suddenly separated from the back of the knife. Wu
Because it happened so suddenly and quickly, Nana's attention was immediately drawn to the strange thing that hit her face, and then her eyes suddenly rolled back.
Was that 'bug' a flashbang?
With this question in mind, hearing two footsteps approaching from afar, Nana lowered her body, turned, and ran.
"Number Two, you..."
It seemed they had reunited. With a spirit of give and take, Nana treated her left eye, which had been augmented with dim vision, while simultaneously checking on the situation with her right eye, which could barely see after treatment... all the while firing a fragmentation grenade.
However, contrary to the expected scenario of directly suppressing the enemy, the explosive that should have completely incapacitated the enemy was suddenly extinguished as a vaguely familiar figure lunged at the grenade he had fired.
The detonating spell immediately severed all connection with Nana... Well, that was originally one of Nana's specialties.
Seeing the third figure seemingly setting up a machine gun, Nana had no choice but to cover her head and roll into cover. But then, the sound of an AR-15 rang out from another direction... The guy who had just set up his bipod weapon on cover instantly ducked back inside.
"Takina?")
"It's me!" Liu
The long-haired, black-haired girl, occasionally suppressing the mist with pinpoint fire, loudly responded to her teammates. Takina, not skilled in magic, could only distinguish friend from foe through this extraneous information of sound.
Now that the target's location was confirmed, Takina immediately pulled out a grenade after suppressing the belt-fired machine gun... But just as Takina pulled the pin, as she poked her head out from behind cover again, she was suddenly shot at from her twelve o'clock position, not from the two-and-a-half-point direction where Nana had been fighting.
MP5... that guy who ingested thermite...
As Nana ran and pondered, nine-millimeter military-grade bullets were fired in a fan shape. About three bullets hit Takina's chest armor. Fortunately, the expensive bulletproof plate worked, and Takina barely swayed. She successfully threw the grenade at the enemy group at 2:30.
"Use mobile cover immediately!"
Number One, who had just been shooting at Takina, reminded her, but the killing intent emanating from Takina's direction still made her turn her head uneasy... She had just been shot, could she immediately retaliate?
With this in mind, Number One unfolded the built-in folding shield on his arm armor.
But looking into the distance, she saw the 'target' holding the WA2000 and merging it with Takina.
The sound of three hundred bullets fired from a bullpup rifle is even more dizzying than that of a shotgun. After all, to prevent the accidental jamming of the muzzle being too long and getting stuck in a door frame, Nana did not install that huge silencer that was more than forty centimeters long.
As rifle bullets with kinetic energy far exceeding that of shotgun pellets struck the shield, Nana visibly confirmed that all five bullets had completely penetrated the shield before putting away her rifle. Changing the magazine at this point would only delay the battle.
But continuing to shoot... would be too much of a burden for me, and it wouldn't help with any subsequent conversation.
Nana didn't forget that her goal was to help her agent, and if she could control these agents, whether as bargaining chips or simply to give her side more information, she would gain something in the end.
Although she can't see anything in her left eye except for the burn marks on her retina, Nana happens to be quite experienced in acting with only one eye... Even if she can't accurately judge distances, in this situation, all she needs to do is throw bullets, right?
The blonde girl charged forward, spraying bullets at her opponent with pistols in both hands... and as she got closer enough to smell the fresh scent of burn ointment on her opponent's body, Nana quickly switched her Silver Dancer weapon in her right hand with the hand axe that had previously cleaved the opponent's large shield.
As if wielding a torch burning with black flames, Nana smashed the bullet-riddled folding shield to pieces in one fell swoop, and with a second swing of her axe, knocked away the submachine gun that the opponent was holding tightly.
"That's about it, it's time to realize that I'm not as skilled as others!"
With a sudden spinning slash, she slammed the opponent, along with his equipment, into the first combat zone... Watching the bipod machine gun being set up again in the distance and the person who looked exactly like her firing without hesitation, Nana sighed.
It seems these four are prepared to remain in a stalemate.
PS: Waaaaaaah!
Fa Dian has been worried about Nana's cat ↑
5th Laytonson's Ghost Assassin: 187 Confirmed Kills
The enemy is No. 0 Prototype, Catastrophes capable of contending with the legendary deep sea or Beasts.
Although they have a human appearance, they are essentially immortal monsters, possessing the biological characteristics of all races in the current civilization. They have special attack abilities against the physical characteristics of all races, including the Sarkaz, as well as all spells, which is strong evidence for the 'Pre-Civilization Creator Existence Theory'.
Based on the support and research provided by the President and the Maylander Foundation, its Previous Civilization identification number has been confirmed as [AMa-77], while the Columbia Archives identification name is -- Apostle Seventy-Seven.
Based on its abilities and its 'human' appearance since its excavation, the Archaeology Division of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has unanimously confirmed that its humanoid appearance predates the ' Originium Catalysis 'Archaeology Division period in the local area.
In other words, she was already walking on the earth in human form when the existing civilization on this land was not yet 'human'.
The initial AMa-77 sample slices, along with isotopic dating of equipment fragments, framed the era in which it appeared in the past, and those time points corresponded to the time points in which the historical figures of the Elders appeared in the oral traditions of many people.
Whether it was burning city-states down with fire from the sky, or mercilessly washing rice paddies with salt water... the recorded attacks range from ancient humans searching for new homes due to Catastrophes to the recent centuries of inexplicable massacres of unarmed archaeologists... the recorded Ama-77, in the form of Angel wielding steel wings, is active across the entire land.
Having ruled out the [Ama-10] operational route, which, while also a classified file, served as a distraction option but was never as lethal as Ama-77, it can be basically confirmed that...
'Ama-77' is essentially a weapon from a Previous Civilization -Previous Civilization that was used to restrain the current civilization, and was given the name 'Angel' in the history of the current civilization.
The fact that it treats 'humanity' as an enemy will not be affected by the change in appearance caused by 'Originium Catalysis'... In fact, the existence of 'Starpod' is an obstacle set up by 'Angel' to trap and kill humanity, which is also a mainstream topic of conversation in the Archaeology Division.
As the blood flowed away, the above information did not become blurred in Number One's memory; on the contrary, it became clearer.
Because this is the source of all her memories, the first thing she 'learned' after leaving the laboratory Salaru Organization... This is also the information that all 'Artificial Angel' need to understand as soon as they gain consciousness.
Even though the 'Artificial Angel' was originally created to counter Ama-77, Number One never intended to fight No. 0 Prototype at its peak... But when it lost all its Previous Civilization equipment and was using modern Firearms Arts designed to limit its 'combat inertia,' the fully armed elite special forces team was completely helpless against it. Number One absolutely did not want to admit this.
If Master were to confirm that the final product of the 'Artificial Angel' project was indeed so utterly worthless, then forget about maintaining the subsequent memory data and resetting the body... the very existence of himself and the entire team would be rendered meaningless...
"... no longer exists..."
The rhythmic barrage of light machine gun fire gradually brought Number One back to reality from his dazed state. A slight feeling of shortness of breath and the sensation on his face made him realize that he, like the others watching him, was wearing a mask and fighting.
However, this type of equipment is generally only used in chemical warfare or underwater operations; the current issue is simply an excessive amount of suspended particles...
Seemingly sensing Number One's confusion, Number Two, who had barely managed to touch his hand with a healing spell and was still using the mobile medical station to treat his knee, gestured behind Number Two Number One:
"Number Three just inhaled particles from the enemy's magical staining technique and subsequently experienced difficulty breathing... He is now unable to continue moving..."
"That Number Four..."
"She can't breathe, but she won't die anytime soon. I'm busy, don't make a sound."
Watching the figure propping up the machine gun on the mobile cover and occasionally firing bursts of fire at the suspiciously drifting mist, Number One glanced at her own right hand, which was also being treated. Under the bandages, green magical light spread from the outside of her palm all the way to the center... If half of her metacarpal bone had been severed, it was no wonder that she could hardly feel anything from her index finger down to the three fingers below it.
As Number Four's ammunition belt gradually approached the bottom, sweat poured down his temples. He knew perfectly well that the occasional sound of cans being thrown in the distance was just random litter being tossed around, but he couldn't ignore it... If Number Four didn't fire to disperse the enemy along their possible routes, he might end up like Number Two.
Knowing that continuing would only lead to a dead end, they had to persevere... because Number Four had no other effective countermeasures.
The special agent team had already used all their most effective attacks during the car chase. Now, their weapons were exhausted, ammunition was running low, everyone was injured, and they had lost the possibility of getting close to the enemy.
Is this really the No. 0 Prototype? What makes Master and the others think that the 'Artificial Angel' can stand against it...?
"Now that things have come to this... since the 'last resort' is permitted, then using 'that' directly probably shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Hearing Number Four's sigh-like words, Number One blinked and looked at the others, including Number Three, who was lying on the ground barely breathing:
"... Once you've used that thing, you'll truly be at the mercy of others..."
"Let's leave things to us after we die. We've tried everything we could while we were alive, haven't we...?"
Looking at Number Four's deadpan eyes and seemingly indifferent tone, Number One choked up for a few seconds in silence, then smiled and sighed:
"You're clearly the oldest among us... yet you're always the first to give up on yourself."
"Do you have any other way to complete the task?"
"If you try a little harder..."
"You think we, with just four people, can't even muster eight legs and eight arms?"
Seeing Number Four's droopy eyes as always, Number One glanced at himself, who would likely lose the ability to move once he was no longer supported by the medical station's magic... and chose to face reality.
"So, really no one objects? Number Three should hate it the most..."
Seeing that Number One was still relentlessly pestering her, Number Two kicked her with his intact leg:
"Come to your senses, Number Three has been reset."
There's nothing we can do about that.
Having convinced himself of this, Number One accepted the spell Terminal handed to him by Number Two... Finally, just as they had rehearsed countless times before, the four of them huddled together in a corner surrounded by man-made shelters amidst the ruins of a dilapidated building, as if in prayer.
The girl began to pray--
[What we long for is the Jericho's Lament.]
[What we remember is the Seven Ancient Laws.]
From Takina's perspective, Nana has once again lowered the Takina for what is acceptable in red-clad behavior.
She had seen those who dedicated themselves to fighting only to die a violent death, and she had also seen those who wholeheartedly supported others but ultimately succumbed to a direct confrontation with a large army...
But it wasn't just that he kept saying he was eating canned military rations, and then throwing empty cans at the enemy's machine gun positions after he finished eating... Every now and then he would go for a run, and if he found the enemy still had guns at the ready, he would throw trash at them to deplete their ammunition... This was truly the first time Takina had ever seen such a thing.
Is it fair to say that Nana's behavior is cunning and treacherous, or is it better to say that her strategy of attrition warfare is simply shameless?
However, regardless of how one perceives it from a third-person perspective, Takina greatly admires Nana's actions for being safe and effective.
"Hmm... no more grenades to counterattack, no more rifle grenades to probe, and it seems even the machine gun firing rate has changed from bursts to two or three-round bursts..."
Listening to Nana's analysis, Takina glanced at her watch with a red flashlight:
"It's already 4:30 AM. After more than six hours of relentless harassment, regardless of their mental state, we can at least confirm that their supplies and ammunition are running low..."
"Besides, they blow up one floor themselves, and the gun shop is buried in the rubble and can't be resupplyed... Maybe we can try persuading them to surrender again."
As she said this, Nana glanced out the window, which was brightly lit by searchlights. Even with the ICA mediating, Nana felt that a day was about the limit... Any further, not to mention whether the agent's supporters could continue to stall for time with their words, the accountability from the president in Trimounts was something that Laisenton officials were unwilling to bear.
Ultimately, it will likely devolve into the National Guard indiscriminately attacking both friendly and enemy forces, following orders from the central government.
If the city is completely placed under emergency military control, it will be very difficult for relevant personnel to evacuate. Therefore, Nana will take Takina away by dawn at the latest.
So, Nana had already started thinking about how to escape, thought for a moment and took out a magnetic card from her backpack. It had no distinguishing features, was just covered with medical tape, and had a strange code written on it.
"They didn't run away, but it seems impossible for them to launch a proper attack... Takina, take this magnetic card and wait in the women's restroom at the burger shop we went to before. I'll go to the parking lot to turn on the emergency power for the mall. After that, go check the first sink faucet... Press it down hard, and a card reader should appear. Then just swipe that card."
"... Does that restroom require a black market card payment point?"
"Why would you think that? It's just that one of my safe houses here needs to be activated this way... We can leave using the emergency exit of that safe house."
Clearly, Takina understood that she couldn't very well pull off a face-changing act in front of hundreds of people; the police, who had already been fooled once, probably wouldn't be so cooperative again.
Just as Takina took the magnetic card, the long-haired black-haired girl suddenly noticed that the blonde girl in front of her had become serious.
"Nana- senpai?"
"... I have a bad feeling... Takina, you might have to go and turn on the power and open the safe house yourself."
Peeking out, Nana watched the four figures in the distance, their impact even dispelling the entire fog, their bodies enveloped in red, blue, and green magical light. She then released the safety on her shotgun.
"The mall's emergency power supply is in the electrical distribution room in the underground parking lot. Look at the map and find it yourself... If you really can't find it, leave here and go to the security guard's rest room in the large parking lot at the back of the mall... The mall's transformer is right next to it; you'll have to find the gate yourself..."
As she spoke, she stood up, noticing the magical erosion marks on the other person's cheeks, the wounds gradually being covered by emerald crystals. Nana added, "I..."
"If you come back before the fighting is over on my end... and you can't participate, you can surrender to the police, and the ICA will try their best to get you out."
"And what about you Nana?"
"I have something I need to confirm... something very important."
Having thus driven Takina away, Nana watched as the leader of the opposing group, using the E-01 Number One, once again brought out the folding shield that she had slashed open, losing its ability to transform. Nana's attention was entirely focused on the magical light surrounding the four opponents.
That green glow was a healing spell he frequently used; the four opponents were clearly in a state of severe Overheal.
The blue armor is a general-purpose defensive armor, effective against both physical and magical damage. Even though it consumes a lot of energy and puts a lot of strain on the body, Nana chooses it as her final defensive choice.
However, Nana's usual method is to only deploy defenses in the attack area when she's certain there's no way to dodge, while the opponent's method of completely blocking herself... besides a sense of utter despair, it probably also suggests a desire to die and a disregard for the Originium content in her body.
Is it a do-or-die battle?
As for that crimson magical particle that made Nana's scalp tingle just looking at it, which ultimately burned like flames on the opponent's weapon... simply 'seeing' it caused Nana's passively triggered 'prophecy' to accumulate many inexplicable memories.
But those memories didn't feel like they came from modern society. Judging from the people's clothing, many of the images weren't even from the 'future,' but rather seemed to be memories of the 'past' that belonged to them personally.
But... can my past really be 'past' to the Dark Age?
There was no time to process the overwhelming amount of information in that instant; using this almost reckless spell overload, the opponent had already launched an attack.
Leading the charge was Number One, who charged towards her with a shield wielded in both hands. Nana tried to shoot at the shield, which was surrounded by blue light, but the shield, enhanced with defensive spells, continued its charge without even trembling. Nana had no choice but to pull out her already slightly warped axe again.