Chapter 218
Wait a minute, does a power outage in the Core City mean... the Intercity Network signal stations have also stopped operating?
Nana anxiously switched her phone to the Intercity Network signal band used by the Catastrophe Messengers. Only after successfully receiving regular communications from Saria and the Exploration Vehicle did she breathe a sigh of relief... Clearly, it seemed that only the Core City had a single power supply system for the Sarcophagus; the signal stations in other cities seemed to be functioning normally.
But this also means that the power systems in other urban areas are still working smoothly, so why is the main urban area now completely dark and looks like it's been smashed through by Catastrophes?
After sending a coded message through other channels that she had left the Sarcophagus and that the Doctor had confirmed her safety, Nana stood atop the lightning rod of the government building she had teleported to, took a breath of the cold wind—whether it was before dawn or just after nightfall—and then jumped down.
"We need to ascertain the current situation in Chernobog first... and the first thing we need to do now is meet with them and confirm their status..."
As expected, Saria had been assigned a task by herself and had been working alone for ten days.
In modern society, finding someone is not difficult in itself. After all, although the Core City is experiencing a power outage, the Intercity Network is not completely down. The biggest challenge in meeting Saria is probably not asking for her location, but rather the surveillance of Chernobog by the mayor of Saria.
Nana didn't believe that she could absolve Saria of all responsibility based on her own words... After all, two of the accompanying Chernobog agents had died in the battle with the Inner Guards... not to mention that one of Rhine Lab's agents was missing.
Judging from the fact that the Sarcophagus was properly sealed off according to laboratory-level management regulations, Saria did indeed reach a cooperation agreement with Boris, but there was a hint of malice in this cooperation. These are things that need to be confirmed immediately upon meeting.
However, before that...
"Is it that girl?"
"Yes, short brown hair, National Third High School uniform... exactly the same as the photo... the information is correct, she and her friends take the light rail home every week during their weekends... what do you mean?"
"Take the brown-haired girl alive; she's the police station's anti-government squad leader's Achilles' heel... As for the white-haired guy, if he cooperates, take him with us; if he doesn't, deal with him on the spot. We don't have enough manpower to guard him."
"Good."
Brown hair? White hair? The weakness of the police Rapid Response Force?
No, I've only been in the Sarcophagus the Dominion for ten days. On the first day, I noticed some quirks unique to the Ursus bears. You guys are actually pretty normal, right?
Ursus's public relations claims that its security is better than Columbia's, so how come you're turning it into someone daring to lay a hand on the families of police Rapid Response Force?
However, this has nothing to do with me... I should find Saria first...
Hearing the girl's scream that suddenly appeared in the distance but then stopped abruptly, Nana, who had stopped halfway, sighed... The cat, with its hands in its pockets, turned around with a stern face and stared at the speeding van.
Yes, the Kitty Killer knew very well that the decline in Chernobog's security was inextricably linked to him.
Ursus's Inner Guards... the Emperor's Blades is not just a group of simple combatants.
Each of them has a considerable political background, and even their mere presence signifies that the forces behind them have set their sights on the local area... and the death of one Inner Guards can become the source of countless chaos.
Will the Loyalist Faction seek revenge for that Inner Guards? Will the Noble Faction use this as a pretext to attack Chernobog? Will the officials of Chernobog be paralyzed and stripped of their power, leading to the city's collapse? These are all things that Nana is very worried about.
The Kitty Killer was annoyed and worried... She wished she could fly to Saria's side immediately to ask her what was going on.
But before that:
What are you doing to underage girls?
PS: Waaaaaaah!
PSS: Writing 4,000 words today feels really inadequate. I'll try harder and write another 4,000...
6th Patriot's Gun: 240 mixed in
For Zhuoya, the past week and a half, her life had been like a sudden, inexplicable disaster, a complete and utter ordeal.
First came the sudden war alarm, followed by a city-wide blackout... This was nothing unusual in itself, although it was indeed strange for a city that had been using what was touted as a revolutionary new energy source for decades to suddenly experience a power outage without warning. But what happened next was even more baffling.
First, her father started disappearing during her weekly holidays. When she asked her mother where he was, her mother could only shake her head with a bitter smile. Zhuoya could tell that her mother was very uneasy. The forced smile on her face showed that she was only worried about her and had no other considerations.
There must be some tricky case... but Father will definitely handle it well, as he always has.
Zhuoya's idea came to her when she saw the Ursus Army Group soldiers at the station a week earlier.
Although the soldiers bearing the insignia of the Third Army were merely standing there with their weapons, seemingly on duty like traffic guards in the past, Zhuoya, being from a military and police family, knew Zhuoya Chernobog had never allowed those 'corrupt army groups' to interfere in his affairs for decades.
Along with the Third Army's entry into Chernobog, a rapidly deteriorating security situation also emerged.
Zhuoya witnessed Chernobog's military police dragging drunken soldiers to military camps outside the city on more than one occasion. Later, during a physical education class at school, Zhuoya even saw Rapid Response Force under the military police confronting off-duty soldiers who were also carrying weapons.
She witnessed her father being brutally attacked by the leading soldier on the other side after a brief exchange. Although neither side drew their weapons, the scene of fists striking flesh and blood splattering everywhere still caused the students who happened to be watching to scream.
'No problem, just some troublemaking thugs.'
These were the words my father, who had a black eye, a swollen cheek, and blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth, said to me with a smile through the school fence after seeing me.
Zhuoya still remembers how stupidly she hummed in response... Of course, afterwards she anxiously urged her father to get treatment... But things weren't as simple as her father had described... Because after that conversation, Zhuoya clearly realized that she was being watched.
Those slackers at school who nominally formed 'clubs' but were actually just gangs started pointing fingers at me... When I went home for the weekend, the military personnel on duty at the station would also give me a sidelong glance.
Just as she didn't want to worry herself and had kept her father's work situation a secret for a while, Zhuoya didn't want her family to worry either, so she didn't tell anyone about this unusual thing.
However, just a few days later, Zhuoya, who was still considering whether to distance herself from Fufu and Lin Ba Wu Lu Ba Qi, found herself blocked by a group of students from her class who were involved in gangs.
They said they wanted to 'invite' me to sit somewhere else... as if it were as simple as a teacher asking a student to come to their office.
We barely even talk to each other normally, yet I'm a top student in the top 100 of my grade, aspiring to attend the National Defense University, and my childhood friend with the top student in my grade, Radrovna Alexandra Scaya... Who are you people? Why are you asking me out?
Could that be a good date?
Even Fufu could tell that the group had ulterior motives. Zhuoya refused them without hesitation, and then that day she was cornered on a street corner a little way from the school.
Of course, there's not much to say about Zhuoya, who treats gangs like fashion... Even with the addition of Fufu, who needs protection, Zhuoya, who gets trained by her father every summer, can easily take on three boys her age who only know how to throw wild punches.
However, if the opponent is a gang member who is truly ruthless and armed, and supported by vehicles and drugs... this is beyond the capabilities of a sixteen-year-old girl who is unarmed.
Despite it being a much-anticipated weekend, and despite having chosen the busiest and safest routes, Chernobog's nights have become a breeding ground for crime due to the current lack of police presence.
The planned operation of seven or eight burly men rushing towards Fufu in a speeding car, ruthlessly knocking him down with baseball bats, and then dragging him and Fufu into the car, shows that no amount of training could have helped.
Just as Zhuoya was thinking this, she vaguely heard... a female voice that seemed somewhat familiar yet completely unfamiliar:
What are you doing to underage girls?
"This is none of your business! Get out!"
Seeing the masked leader pointing a baseball bat at her menacingly, Nana's phone was still lit up; she hadn't finished reading the cipher text Amiya had sent her... Well, considering she used cipher text as a means of communication, at least Saria had contacted the Exploration Vehicle during this time, which was good news.
As for the group of reckless fools in front of her, Nana glanced at Fufu, whose mouth was stuffed with Fufu and who was trying to make muffled noises, and at Zhuoya, whose head was bleeding profusely from a head injury and who had lost Zhuoya:
"... Calling the police... it doesn't seem like that would work..."
As she spoke, Nana turned on her phone's camera mode and took a bunch of photos with the flash on.
Clearly, this seemingly reckless Feline angered the gang members who were actually quite nervous, with his foolish actions.
"Damn it, you're asking for it!"
"Yes, I think so too."
Amidst the bewildered gazes of the others, the leader's back, which had rushed towards Nana's face, suddenly froze. The baseball bat he was swinging abruptly stopped in mid-air, and even his voice trembled. "What?"
"... you..."
Biu--
The silent magic bullet ripped open the skull of the fallen thug leader, incidentally piercing another criminal who was holding Fufu hostage with a dagger... or rather, the guy holding a hostage with a weapon was Nana's real target... This guy with the wild imagination who fell was merely a shield delivered to her doorstep.
Before the person carrying Zhuoya could react, Nana's second shot was aimed at him... However, because he was wearing a vest and had large tattoos on his arms, he appeared unarmed, so Nana didn't aim for a vital area... Although unreliable, thugs were still a common source of information for Nana.
Only then did the thugs realize that the young Feline had stopped them was armed with Firearms Arts, and that he had casually and effortlessly killed their leader and his accomplice who was holding their target hostage.
"You! Do you know who we work for? You've fucking gotten yourself into big trouble! These two are people the army outside the city specifically wants. Do you want to be besieged by the army? You think you can fight the army with your crappy gun?!" Jiu
"I may not be able to beat the army, but do you think you can beat me?"
The third shot, Diffusion Arts, target: the guys in the back row trying to get something from the car...
As the sounds of bones breaking and flesh shattering, along with screams of agony, filled the air, the young men who hadn't even bothered to fight Nana to the end screamed and turned tail and ran.
It's unclear if making threats has become part of their DNA; even though their expressions were indistinguishable between snot and tears, they were still yelling at Nana.
"You're finished! You just wait! You're fucking dead!! The Grand Duke won't let you get away with this!!"
There was no intention to waste precious Etch Rounds on such a target. Nana shook her head as she listened to the standard, defeated howl... These three bullets were not entirely wasted. Judging from the current actions of the Nobles' Army in hiring active social groups as guinea pigs to kidnap the families of military and police personnel, her battle with the Inner Guards had indeed become the Nobles' Army's excuse to dismember Chernobog.
I wonder if the current power outage in the Core City is because the Nobles' Army has taken control of the city's gates.
This has nothing to do with Nana's mission. To ensure the safety of the Doctor in the Sarcophagus before Rhodes Island arrives, Nana, as the person directly involved in the cause of the destruction of order, is now tasked with maintaining the original order of Chernobog... I wonder what the Inner Guards in the Warp would think if they saw this.
Damn it, just thinking about how that idiot Inner Guards actually talked to her in front of the Chernobog agents made Nana's blood pressure seem to rise a notch.
The thought of having to keep Chernobog serving as a source of tax revenue for the loyalists—a task that was originally the responsibility of the Loyalist Faction Inner Guards —made Nana's head spin.
Having killed the Inner Guards, he's now truly becoming Inner Guards. He might even have to use that title to put pressure on the Inner Guards Nobles' Army. It would be quite a sight if he got caught red-handed by the Noble Faction's own Inner Guards...
What's this called? A mouse being a bridesmaid for a cat?
Sighing again, Nana's divergent thoughts did not affect the speed at which she performed emergency treatment on Zhuoya.
As for Fufu, who was whimpering and looking completely lost, Nana was offering her verbal comfort. But when she finished her work, Nana noticed two military vehicles with Chernobog Police Station markings speeding towards her at what seemed like an attempt to kill her.
"Zhuoya!!"
The guy who got out of the car and started yelling without considering the situation, pointing at her with Ursus military police's standard-issue magic unit, was undoubtedly Zhuoya's father... Although this seemingly Ursus- specific temper made Nana's mood worse, under the watchful eyes of the other military police surrounding her, Nana naturally chose to surrender.
On one hand, she really had no reason to leave, and on the other hand... Nana was wondering if the Nobles' Army's hiring of local active social groups could become an opportunity for the Rhodes Island team to enter Chernobog.
As the military police bound Nana's hands and legs with straps, Fufu only reacted three seconds later and tried to stop them:
"Wait... wait a minute!! Uncle Loban, it was she who saved Zhuoya and me... you've got the wrong person!"
Although the girl's words did cause the anxious police and military personnel to instantly show awkward expressions, looking at the four Firearms Arts, the obviously dangerous unknown potion, and the small gadgets of unknown purpose found on Nana, Zhuoya's father, Loban, the captain of the Ursus Police Department's Rapid Response Force, frowned:
"... But she doesn't seem like a good person either..."
"I feel that the fact that I haven't slapped each of you is the greatest respect I can show to the current legitimate government of Ursus."
As she spoke, Nana tore off the three layers of straps that had just bound her hands and feet, an action that undoubtedly caused the military police to pick up their spellcasting units again.
But Nana acted as if she didn't see anything and started asking Loban for her gun and belt, completely oblivious to everyone else.
"Alright, the children are fine, here's my stuff back. Except for the girl who looks like your daughter, who seems to have suffered a concussion from being hit by that group at the beginning and might need rest, the white-haired girl is unharmed..."
"Logically speaking, unless the kidnapped person struggles too much, they shouldn't be treated so roughly... You've implicated your family, haven't you? That beating with the stick was quite severe; it feels a bit like a personal grudge to see it on a child."
Of course, the confiscated weapons wouldn't be returned to Nana so easily. Loban waved for his men to take care of Fufu and, while taking her statement, glanced at Nana:
"And who are you? That's Rhodes Island's uniform, isn't it? But I remember Rhodes Island's office in Chernobog made no progress and has essentially withdrawn from here."
"Yes, but wherever there are the Infected suffering, there is Rhodes Island ... We came here for humanitarian aid, but because the main force was blocked by the Noble Faction army, our vehicle couldn't enter the country. Now we feel that the situation in the city is deteriorating very quickly, so we had to sneak in... Do I need to complete the entry procedures? Ah... Speaking of which, I have a video of your daughters being kidnapped... If it weren't for rescuing these two children, I wouldn't be here in front of you."
Seeing that Feline seemed to have a problem with him, he took out his phone and started playing the video of him dragging his daughter and his friend's daughter into the car, as well as the last, ferocious-looking photo of the deceased on the ground, Loban frowned in thought until his subordinate whispered something in his ear, which relaxed his expression.
"So, you mean... you did a heroic act?"
"I think I am, but what do the victims think?"
Seeing Nana looking towards Fufu, who was still sobbing in the distance, Loban, who was leading Nana by the belt, shook the object in his hand. Seeing the four solid Laterano Gun returned to the other's hands, Loban couldn't help but click his tongue.
"But I feel that you used excessive force in self-defense... Would you mind giving a statement?"
"... What do you mean by excessive self-defense? You suspect me just because you suspect me? You're thinking I'm like those people, here to cause trouble for the nobles, right?"
Donning her belt again, Nana displayed the composure and boldness befitting Mercenaries, perfectly suited to her current dashing attire.
"Let's go. I was just thinking of seeing what I could do for this city through you... After all, humanitarian aid only counts if it's officially recognized by you."
"... Humanitarian aid and all that, do you think we need it?"
In response to Loban's questioning, Nana got into the car and touched Fufu, who was unconsciously hugging her arm and choking with anxiety. Then, with deadpan eyes, she looked at the Ursus military police officer who was still putting on a brave face.
"By the time the armies of the Loyalist Faction and the Noble Faction actually start fighting over you, it will be too late."
PS: Waaaaaaah!
PSS: Double update today, tomorrow... we'll talk about tomorrow.
6th Patriot's Gun: 241 Who knows which bowl of noodles you ate?
Nana felt that she might have some special connection with the police station. Ever since she adopted Rosemary, she seemed to have been in and out of the station more often.
Although these are tactical choices based on the current situation, they cannot conceal the increasingly radical nature of their operational approach.
Of course, it could also be said that the direction of the situation is increasingly not allowing for a conservative approach... After all, Nana's strength has increased exponentially in recent years compared to the previous decades. From this perspective, the change in her own strength, leading her to favor a more concise and straightforward solution, is one of the explanations for her current mode of action.
As for why Nana is now able to drift off into thinking about such things, it is certainly related to the fact that the Chernobog police put her in a detention room and then left her alone.
But it doesn't matter. Seemingly out of consideration for protecting herself and her friend's daughter, the two high school students she had met once before were also in the same fenced house. Although Zhuoya was still unconscious, through Fufu's account, Nana had basically achieved her goal of gathering information.