Chapter 224

Of course, this was no big deal after Nana told everyone not to eat seafood... and compared to this boring banquet, Nana's attention was mainly on those two things.

The banquet featured two areas emanating a chilling aura that made people reluctant to approach: one was the 'Emperor's Blades,' where people were dressed in formal attire but clearly wouldn't remove their helmets to eat at the buffet...

The presence of the Inner Guards signifies the Emperor's attention to Chernobog, and also represents the political implications behind Boris.

Although Nana's analysis suggests that Chernobog is actually an isolated city... if we consider it from the perspective of specific factions, the fact that Boris was able to develop a city caught in the trap of the Undying Black Snake to its current state clearly demonstrates the existence of a powerful political backer.

Nana only knew that this was a blind spot where neither the Old Nobility nor the Loyalist Faction could easily take action, but she never cared about what it was that allowed a city that was disobedient, non-participatory, and not even considered in the political struggles to thrive.

Boris neither sided with the Loyalist Faction who banded together for mutual support, nor with the Old Nobility... The only reason he could receive such preferential treatment was that he was directly loyal to the emperor himself.

Thinking about it this way, this banquet is less about introducing Rhodes Island to its 'friends' in the city, and more about Boris putting on a show to appease people.

After all, it wasn't just Rhodes Island; even their Inner Guards were brought in to bolster the squad.

In another corner, echoing the Inner Guards, a bar, half-hidden in the shadows of the lights, became another source of low pressure in the area, with key members of the Rhodes Island Special Operations Team present.

Against the backdrop of raindrops falling on a windowsill, a white-haired girl without racial features sits on the windowsill, gazing at the rain outside. A mysterious machine floating beside her, carrying what appears to be a heavy weapon, projects time in mid-air.

White-haired Vouivre, dressed in Blacksteel uniform, stood between the bar and the venue, seemingly leaning on his shield and meditating with his eyes closed. In reality, the atmosphere of "do not disturb" was already overflowing, and the electric sparks that occasionally flickered around him were frightening.

Behind Vouivre of Blacksteel, in front of the sofa, on the coffee table... various Firearms Arts were laid out in a row. Feline, wearing the Ticarondo Navigator Medal, was wiping down an expensive heavy Firearms Arts... A few merchants with some knowledge of international trade would show puzzled and incredulous expressions upon seeing the girl Feline... Their mutterings, mixed with 'Blacksteel' and 'Raythean Industries', would eventually turn into discussions about Rhodes Island's connections in Ursus. It's safe to say that Amiya was having a tough time dealing with those people.

And now, the source of the low pressure in Rhodes Island's rest area is Medic, whose coat Feline has been undone due to the waste heat, revealing her tight-fitting tactical attire and various weapons and robotic arm-like equipment... Medic, Elite Operator of Rhodes Island, whose 'Light of Ticarondo' armband shines brightly even in the darkness, looks at Amiya, Blaze, and Folinic walking towards her... and Boris and his Inner Guards following behind them.

After holstering the pistol on the bar, Nana stood up, as if she hadn't drunk the fifty-odd cocktails on the table. Having rested enough, she let the poor bartender go.

"Are the pleasantries over?"

Amiya's smile became more genuine at this moment, clearly indicating she had gained something. But Boris... his overly eager approach annoyed Nana somewhat.

"Yes, with everyone's help, the city's entrepreneurs have also gained confidence. I have raised some equipment and supplies that are currently in short supply in the city, including small generator sets and Originium solutions that were originally stored in warehouses as goods... The government will use those equipment and supplies as a basis to temporarily guarantee the city's power supply and ensure the normal operation of people's lives. In addition, the cooperation with Rhodes Island and the supply of materials to everyone have also been agreed upon... Chernobog will provide them entirely."

"However, as you all know, as long as the Third Army doesn't lift the blockade, Chernobog won't have a single day of peace... Therefore, Rhodes Island needs to pay close attention to how to deal with the enemy."

Listening to Boris's enthusiastic flattery of his group, Nana merely glanced at Amiya's nod, blinked, and then looked at the Nana 'Emperor's Blades:

"Honestly, you're the Emperor's envoy... and also a warrior who has undergone the most rigorous training. As someone from Ursus... aren't you prepared to contribute your strength in this area that's almost become a civil war battlefield?"

"... My mere presence before those traitors could send things spiraling into an unpredictable abyss. As I said at the beginning, my purpose here is simply to investigate... matters unrelated to you all... But the people of Ursus should not suffer in civil war. Rhodes Island, you are dealing with the rebels as non-citizens, while I will go to check on the energy supply situation in the Core City... Rhine Lab's experts will assist my operations, and Rhodes Island..."

"The battle on Rhodes Island will be supported tactically and technically by the Chernobog Military Police."

Seeing Boris and the Inner Guards's coordinated statement, Nana and Saria exchanged a glance. The latter nodded, confirming the statement and that it wasn't just empty talk. Nana then found a single sofa, sat down, crossed her legs, interlaced her fingers, and sighed:

"We will uphold the spirit of the Contingency Contract; Rhodes Island will do everything possible to prevent a potential humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Nobles' Army... but we cannot afford to directly engage in conflict with a fleet..."

"In short, the current division of labor is that Rhine Lab will restore the city's operations, while Rhodes Island will act as the agent for Operation Chernobog... to prevent the enemy from encroaching on the city's key departments as much as possible... Is that a fair understanding?"

"That's a general understanding, but I'm not Mobile City electrical specialist, Ptilopsis is just a clerk; she won't enter the danger zone... Mr. Inner Guards, although I only saw it from afar at first, the upcoming mission may involve setting up and modifying the 'Relic' pipeline system."

"Which company is the same one that originally installed the cabling in Chernobog?"

Although she didn't know if Saria did it on purpose, seeing Boris and the Inner Guards fall into a silent, bewildered state because of Saria's question, Nana, as a professional, suppressed the urge to laugh. But another person... Folinic, who was directly involved with the Sarcophagus Laboratory and knew about the fate of the Chernobog wiring team, let out a cold snort.

"Those people are probably all dead... with my mother."

"... Um... Ms Luisa, I'm very sorry about Researcher Lilia and her team... I'm also very sorry that Chernobog, in order to reassure the surrounding military and to prevent the Sarcophagus from being used for horrific military research... not only was the Sarcophagus itself completely sealed away, but now even the blueprints..."

Seeing Boris shake his head, Saria pretended to stroke her chin, then looked at Weedy, who still didn't seem to care about what was happening.

"If there aren't even any blueprints, then we can only hope that a senior engineer can analyze the situation on-site... Weedy, if I remember correctly, you..."

Upon hearing her name called, Weedy sat up straight on the windowsill and answered seriously:

"... I am a top-level engineer from Iberia, specializing in bionics and mechanical engineering... but you shouldn't be asking me this kind of thing."

Following Weedy's prompting, Amiya took a step forward:

"Weedy is one of only two people at Rhodes Island with the title of Senior Engineer. The accident you two mentioned sounds extremely dangerous... and it seems to involve exploration of ruins lacking blueprints? If safety cannot be guaranteed, then please allow me, in the name of the CEO of Rhodes Island, to refuse the secondment of personnel."

"Safety... So, what exactly constitutes safety?"

Seeing Amiya flinch and back down in the face of the Inner Guards, Nana stepped forward, shielding Amiya behind her, and stared expressionlessly at the 'blade' that she had to look up to.

"Naturally, we need to inform them of the scope of danger, clarify the work content, ensure a clear plan, and guarantee that equipment is in place... and also, don't call us if you don't listen to professionals... I won't tolerate something like yesterday a second time."

"Of course not."

The Inner Guards.

Both sides believed that the other had fallen into their trap.

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: As I was writing this, Nana's team suddenly started to look like some kind of 'powerful forces'... Mai

6th Patriot's Gun: 248 Light Rail Station Strategy Plan 1

The banquet ended, but the rain didn't stop.

Regarding the electrical repairs to the Sarcophagus, it was finally decided that Weedy from Rhodes Island would provide technical support under Saria's supervision... However, out of a desire to 'protect our company's key technical personnel,' Amiya argued her case with Boris and obtained her own qualification to work alongside him.

Although everyone else knew Amiya only wanted to see the Doctor, from Chernobog's perspective, Rhodes Island's arrangements were undoubtedly using the Sarcophagus's security capabilities to protect their important personnel.

After all, keeping the CEO and engineers in the Sarcophagus protected by military and police is far more reasonable than having them operate alongside the field teams dealing with the rebels.

Boris may have thought he had appeased Rhodes Island by using Rhine Lab as an intermediary, but in reality, Rhodes Island had rightfully entered the Sarcophagus.

Huang and Aye followed Amiya in the name of her bodyguards, while Typhon and Mika acted as Wendy's assistants... Of course, Wendy's official assistant was the bionic machine she made herself. These two people who were originally supposed to be Nana's assistants were intended to be insurance against head-on conflicts with internal guards.

Typhon and Nana have the Warp- level link. As a last resort to open warfare, Typhon's weapon case can serve as the target point for Nana's Collapse Flash.

Mika, who possesses an 'Halo' and the Non-Entropic Applications, is the only member of the team, besides Nana, who can directly fight against the Inner Guards in the 'The Dominion'.

By placing them around Amiya to maintain control of the Sarcophagus, Nana could temporarily set aside her vigilance against the Inner Guards and deal with the Third Army's pressure on Chernobog.

"So, what do we do next?"

Franka adjusted the pointed aluminum heating element on her lower back, glanced at the others around her, all carrying large bags and bundles, and tugged at her hooded raincoat.

"We can't really go and fight the Third Army to the death, can we?"

"Our goal is simply to maintain order in Chernobog. Considering the ongoing drug business with the Landship, we can't go too far... Rhodes Island isn't a professional Mercenaries like Blacksteel, although Boris seems to really want us to play that role..."

Seeing Nana, who was also wearing a hood and revealing the mechanical auxiliary structure on her back, say this, Liskarm had been silent until now, finally spoke up:

"I'm very curious about what Boris is planning... It seems almost impossible for Rhodes Island to stop the Nobles' Army from annexing Chernobog. A task force that forcibly inserts itself into the Landship battlefield will only become fragments under the roar of naval guns... Is he just stalling for time?"

"Whatever happens, we're just stalling for time... So control the intensity, avoid casualties, and don't give the Nobles' Army an excuse to attack... Don't forget we didn't go through the Third Army's Customs procedures, so nobody should want to go through the immigration formalities, right?"

Nana's instructions drew chuckles from the group. Finally, Jessica, carrying two long gun cases, glanced uncomfortably at the eyes of the Chernobog intelligence agent known as 'Swallow' who was monitoring the four of them from afar.

"So, Captain, where do we begin?"

"First, we need to break the Nobles' Army's blockade of the city's light rail system... If they continue to occupy it, the price of bread in the Core City will increase to thirty times its original price."

Ignoring Boris's spies, Nana led her team away in a grand display, disappearing into the rain.

After turning the corner, 'Swallow' lost track of her target... Looking at the empty, rainy sky, she could only sigh and take out her radio to reply to her superiors as always.

Nana remembered hearing a widely circulated doggerel in Ursus.

Five Shieldguards can slaughter a squad of knights; four Inner Guards can sweep through a settlement.

Three Wendigo can conquer a small town; two army groups can destroy a principality.

A single ruler can wreak havoc on an entire land.

As a record of the late emperor's tyrannical acts, these sentences served as proof of military might within Ursus's own army.

But, as adversaries who chatted and laughed with the Inner Guards, there were two high-ranking Columbia agents...

The Optical Camouflage that blocks all visible light across the entire spectrum not only confuses Chernobog's own agents, but when combined with sound-absorbing magic, even SHD's own agents can easily fall for it.

With Nana and Jessica's magical cover, shaking off the surveillance personnel wasn't too difficult. The main purpose, though unnecessary, was to help everyone confirm a place to stay outside the mansion.

After returning to the rented safe house and resting briefly, the four of them took showers to wash away the damp chill from the banquet and the heavy rain. While waiting for nightfall, Nana unfolded the Chernobog structural diagram given to her by Kal'tsit, as well as the subway and light rail station route maps for various districts that she had bought at a newsstand.

"The Core City of Chernobog has more than double digits of Mobile City blocks connected to it. Although we don't know if the outer blocks have fallen into the control of the Nobles' Army, as long as the Core City itself does not riot, it is still within our control."

"The current focus is on the Third Army's control of the Core City elevator, the Customs dock, and the district's light rail."

As she spoke, Nana marked the controlled areas with a red marker:

"Considering the importance of these areas to the Nobles' Army and the urgency of their impact on Chernobog itself... we can tentatively specify a basic order of recapture... light rail station, Customs dock... and finally, the main elevator located on the outermost edge, which may face the threat of the Nobles' Army cannons."

"The light rail's capacity is related to the flow of goods within the city, the Customs dock affects the subsequent arrival and docking of the Rhodes Island main ship... and the elevator, as the most frequently used access point by civilians, is, in unspoken rule, the one who controls it is the master of the place."

At this point, Jessica, wearing a tank top and drying her cat ears with a towel, raised her hand:

"So now, doesn't that mean everyone knows that Chernobog is going to change hands?"

"Silly boy, think about it again. Right now, all the light rail stations around the elevator are under control. No one can check the elevator's status through the light rail stations."

Nodding in agreement with Franka's statement, Nana continued:

"Boris had previously explained that he was using the excuse of paying taxes to the Nobles' Army to delay their occupation of key parts of the city. Since the taxes were to be paid to the entire Third Army, the Third Army itself had not yet decided how to take over the city... But we all know that Grand Duke Baikal just wants the city to disappear, so it's very uncertain how long Marquis Boris can hold out."

"If we can't dissuade Grand Duke Baikal from this idea, then we can't guarantee that the Third Army can coexist peacefully with Chernobog... In my view, war between the two sides is practically a foregone conclusion..."

"Is it simply a matter of seeing what reason Grand Duke Baikal will use to make Chernobog disappear...?"

"Yes, the other side is also waiting for a reason that can convince their own people."

Nana's words made everyone look at the map again. Liskarm, whose ponytail had come down, bit her lip:

"So, the current lockdown is just Grand Duke Baikal's way of forcing Chernobog to launch a fierce counterattack... so that his colleagues who only want money will agree to his physical annihilation methods?"

"... That's not the case. After all, shells cost money. The other high-ranking officers of the Third Army were probably really lured in by Boris's tax incentives. Otherwise, the Third Army's calm demeanor is hard to explain."

"What I'm more worried about now is that Baikal is bypassing the other officers and directly inciting the lower-ranking soldiers to 'loot' Chernobog ... Although modern armies generally don't get out of control like that, you saw the corrupt state of the lower-ranking sentries when we arrived... If someone is deliberately instigating it, I don't think those scoundrels can resist the temptation of a commercial tourist city."

Seeing Nana fall silent again, the atmosphere grew heavy. Franka made an "um" sound and pointed with her finger, saying:

"Then we can't provoke them, we can't give them a reason to attack... So how are we supposed to take back those areas? We can't just rush into their blockade zone, tie up all those soldiers, and chant sutras in their ears, can we?"

"Reciting scriptures? Our target isn't the soldiers themselves, so what's the point of reciting scriptures...?"

With a wave of her hand, Nana released the baton from her hand, locking it with a crisp click. Wearing only a bodysuit in the safe house, Nana used the baton as a pointer, gently tapping the magnetic whiteboard.

"All we need to do is get the light rail running again and get supplies back to the city... As for those soldiers of the Third Army, as long as they're not dead, remember to send them to the Chernobog Military Police for arrest warrants so the Nobles' Army can come and take them away."

With the strategic objectives thus confirmed, the next step is to take concrete action.

Since Nana was to be the vanguard in this operation, and the WA2000 rifle was not suitable for close combat, Jessica became the team's only long-range support personnel.

Although everyone is worried about Jessica's M200, wondering if such a heavy Firearms Arts might just rip a person in two, Nana has to step up and explain.

Without magical enhancements,.408 caliber Etch Rounds cannot shatter a person... at most, they will hit the head, causing the target's skull to explode like a watermelon hit by a hammer.

Amidst laughter and conversation, everyone changed back into their field uniforms and left the safe house. The Blacksteel trio went to find a sniping spot and familiarize themselves with the surrounding environment, while Nana took out the bicycle she had bought earlier and found the military police officer who was supposed to support her in the evening rush hour crowds of Chernobog.

"What?! You're going to restore the light rail station's operation?"

At Chernobog Police Station, the leader of Rapid Response Force Two, Loban... speechlessly stopped the receptionist from ringing the siren when he saw Nana, fully armed, appear at the police station entrance. Nana felt a strange sense of déjà vu about this chaotic scene at the police station, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

Of course, that's not important:

"It wasn't just me, it was my squad... Didn't Boris tell you that my men had successfully entered the city?"

"No, I thought our cooperation was just about arresting that instigator from last time..."

Seeing Loban's completely bewildered expression, Nana pursed her lips... The assassin was momentarily unsure whether to criticize the Chernobog government's inefficiency or Loban's lack of involvement in the 'welcoming' of Rhodes Island... In other words, Loban wasn't one of Boris's trusted men, right?

Shaking her head to temporarily clear her mind of this useless information, Nana took out her phone and dialed Boris's number... In short, after a quick conversation, Loban silently conveyed to his superior that the police department would fully support the Rhodes Island operation.

Although her attitude changed to glaring angrily after hanging up the phone, accompanied by authentic Ursus curses, Nana raised an eyebrow and snatched her phone back from the other person... This was a high-end item bought on the Columbia black market, worth several Lungmen Dollar.

"Suka... I'm sorry, I have no problem with Rhodes Island ... but entrusting this kind of thing to a corporation instead of the military or police? I don't understand what the mayor is thinking..."

"Let's just consider it his effort to avoid getting involved in the civil war... Anyway, tonight I'll try to clear the light rail route between District 52 and the Core City. I heard the merchants complaining this morning that orders for daily necessities from District 52 have filled several carriages... Gather your men, and come clean up after I notify you..."

"Closing things up? Do you mean we have to clean up the mess?"

"Don't worry, we're just taking the soldiers we've detained to treat their minor injuries, providing them with some food and drink, and then sending them back to their barracks... I remember you went there after being alerted by concerned citizens in the area. Just to be on the safe side, I'll make a little noise before I leave to get you some jobs... We'll bring along some Fire Department and paramedics... Don't worry, this is to prevent you from taking the blame."

Watching Nana wave goodbye and leave, Loban frowned and asked:

"As a member of the military and police, I do have to thank you for doing this... but what if the other side finds out that Rhodes Island messed things up... wouldn't they retaliate fiercely? You're just a pharmaceutical company, do you really need to go to such lengths?"

"... all for the sake of more lives."