Chapter 237

Stopping Typhon's impatient actions, Nana led the little hunter back to the side path. Suddenly, a group of armed men appeared in front of them, shouting that they had been exposed. They then joined the dozen or so Mercenaries and gave chase.

"... Judging from the attire of those who chased us at the beginning, they should be companions of the guys who caused trouble yesterday... and those who ambushed us might be henchmen hired by these Mercenaries, or they might not have that many professional protective gear... it seems like only a dozen or so of them could be armed?"

Tilting her head to dodge the crossbow bolts fired from behind, Nana continued to lead Typhon around again:

"Anyway, I don't like having unrelated people following me around when I'm doing serious work... Confirm their numbers, then get rid of them all."

"Yes!"

As Sarkaz, Typhon indeed displayed the robust physique expected of him after his enhanced nutrition. After circling around the Scar Market, a well-connected intermediary location, with Nana, he triggered two ambushes, with a total of about forty people chasing after him.

Finding a slightly narrow path, Nana turned around, looking at the tightly closed gate... As the path behind her became densely packed with people, the Mercenaries who had been chasing the two from the beginning was starting to feel breathless.

"You... you... how dare you... provoke the Assault Squad... Now you're doomed!"

"Why don't you catch your breath before you speak?"

I took out my phone, opened the power company's backend software, and intervened in the relevant circuit overload gate through the pipeline number... With a click of the circuit tripping, the gate to this dead end suddenly closed.

This sudden turn of events left the Sarkaz Mercenaries sent by Scar Market to observe looking at each other outside the alley, while the Mercenaries trapped inside the sealed alleyway were even more terrified... After all, after chasing someone all the way, they were already out of breath, but the other person seemed to be completely unharmed; anyone would sense that something was wrong.

As Typhon drew back the massive bow—a bow so heavy even for an ordinary person to hold—blue-black Thunder and eroded space itself. Nana, letting the cold light from her phone screen illuminate half her face, said expressionlessly:

"Now, I'll ask, and you'll answer..."

"Damn it, here she comes again?! Brothers, no talk to her! Let's fight side by side!"

Before the leading Mercenaries could rally his troops, a black lightning bolt, accompanied by a shockwave that distorted the surrounding light, struck him.

It's clear that Typhon showed considerable mercy by not directly targeting his opponent, but the black Thunder, like monstrous claw marks, tore through his weapon, and the resulting shockwaves distorted space and spread outwards... Calling it a shockwave might be inaccurate; it was more like the swirling fabric of space itself...

Seeing the lead Mercenaries, who looked as if he had been run over by a road roller, gasping for breath and slamming to the ground like a rotten tomato, immediately silenced the rest of the Mercenaries.

As the arrow, crafted from a special alloy and resembling a spear with a hint of crimson, disappeared into the darkness, the little hunter drew her bow again. Suddenly, a long arrow appeared in her empty bow rest... Judging from the smoky, slightly reddish arrowhead, as if it had just been taken out of the forge, wasn't it the same arrow that had been stuck in the ground earlier?!

Watching her disciple complete a close-range shot, Nana looked at the mangled mess on the ground with a slight unease:

"... It seems, Typhon your arrows... even if they are simply fired, are still too powerful for ordinary people."

"Hmm... After all, my bow was never intended for combat against people... But didn't you say you were going to deal with the pursuers? Why are you so concerned about my bow having too much power?"

"Because I suddenly became interested in what he was saying... Hey, what's the Assault Squad?"

"Huh?! It's... it's our gang's name!"

Watching the other Mercenaries she had her eye on retreat while talking, Nana started playing with her baton. After all, it was difficult to replenish Etch Rounds in Ursus... So, apart from the first time she instinctively drew her gun in her haste to save someone, now that she had other weapons, Nana wouldn't fire unless absolutely necessary.

As the lightweight baton flew up and down in the girl's fingertips, Nana would take one step forward and the other person would take two steps back. However, since the outermost gate seemed to have been closed, the group was clearly left with nowhere to retreat.

"As Mercenaries, you've acted far too unprofessionally... and as a gang, you've been far too eager to get involved. How much is your gang subsidizing you? You're so enthusiastic..."

"Yes, there are subsidies! Five hundred Chelerv per person per operation... and, there's also injury compensation..."

"Hey... a generous sausage platter is only fifty Chelerv now... you guys make pretty much money? Where do you earn money? Tell me about it!"

"This... this can't be said!"

Seeing the other person struggling to back away, causing those behind them to yell and scream, Nana felt she had applied enough pressure, so she used her baton to brace against the other person's shoulder.

"Then let's answer with a yes or no... Is the Assault Squad a gang that was established with outside funding?"

"No... no... we've been doing this for a long time, ahhhhhhh!"

The baton became a stun gun again, and Nana's previous smile and attitude turned cold along with the other party's lies.

After all, lying to an agent who can force Empathy is not a good idea.

"Lying is punishable... The next question, you can answer with anything other than yes or no, is: Who funded you?"

"I... I don't know! Aaaaaaaah!"

"Is it the Chernobog government... Boris?"

"No... it's... ahhhhh!"

"Those are the rebels outside the city, hired by Grand Duke Baikal?"

"Waaah, no, no..."

It was a pleasant surprise to obtain the information I was looking for in just a few words and learn that the Nobles' Army was still tirelessly trying to infiltrate Chernobog. But as the saying goes, when you find one cockroach, your house may already be full of them.

The Nobles' Army's winter offensive is still being prepared in full swing, and the fact that a large number of young and middle-aged civilians have already been conscripted into the army... Nana is not happy about this at all.

The victim's final scream only lasted once, because Nana changed the location of the stun gun from the shoulder to the neck... In this way, the continuous high voltage was no longer a means of punishment or torture, but a death sentence.

As Nana stood up, Typhon, seeing Nana gesture, also released the bowstring that had been drawn like a full moon.

Black Thunder bolts shot straight into the crowd, tearing apart and crushing more Mercenaries before they could even react... turning them, like their leader, into a smear of sauce covering the entire corridor...

For the little hunter focused on improving her own abilities, she didn't particularly care who the prey was. In Sami, it wasn't the first or second time that troublesome Ursus soldiers had been pinned to the Snowfield and turned into ice pops... However, after Nana warned her that the power was excessive and the damage was too great, Typhon recalled the arrow before it even pierced the gate at close range.

This not only reduces the traces and characteristics left by their actions, but also confuses the outside world... For example, the Sarkaz Mercenaries waiting for the gate to open didn't realize that the dead end had already ended until Nana and Typhon left through the other gate.

Once they returned to the ground, Typhon put on his coat hood and folded away his large bow, while Nana zipped up her clothes... They looked like two truant students, and their walk down the street didn't attract much attention.

Typhon finally lowered his guard a little and walked to Nana's side, level with her.

"Master Cat... those people just now..."

"Hmm, not professional Mercenaries, probably only received basic military training... They're hired by the Nobles' Army. This explains why they had people spying on Scar Market, and their strange modus operandi... Five hundred Chelerv per person per operation, the Nobles' Army is quite generous."

After all, a sausage platter that could satisfy the three of them only Chelerv... Five hundred Chelerv was already the daily wage of a proper Mercenaries during wartime.

However, these people are not combat personnel, so they are paid based on the number of operations.

It's hard to say whether they were unlucky or Nana was lucky, but they discovered a group of guys hiding around the Exploration Vehicle, ready to jump out and wreak havoc on the industrial area at any moment... It just goes to show that asking a few extra questions every now and then always brings Nana unexpected gains.

"In short, contacting the people in the industrial zone and the lower-level area surrounding the Exploration Vehicle also needs to be put on the agenda... Given that there is a high probability that most of the people stranded in the industrial zone are the Infected, let Amiya handle this matter... That girl has excellent communication skills."

"And we will continue with our original mission."

At an age where learning abilities are highly developed, Sami, Typhon comes from a technologically barren place, can now use a mobile phone proficiently. Following Nana's instructions, he quickly completed the text input. Hearing Nana's reminder, Typhon turned his head again to look at his 'mentor' who was only a few centimeters taller than him:

"Should we continue searching for the Originium Prime?"

"Yes, just as Saria thought. Due to the impact of the war, the value of precious items like Originium Prime has increased rapidly... In addition to individuals with the means to collect it as much as possible, the Nobles' Army and the local military needs of Chernobog are also driving both sides to hoard this strategic item."

Because Nana had previously emphasized the concept of maintaining a stable balance between Chernobog and the Nobles' Army, Typhon instantly had an idea. The little hunter, whose hood concealed his horns, tapped his palm:

"Got it, we're going to steal from the Nobles' Army, right?!"

Nana responded with a look that suggested she was an idiot.

"The Nobles' Army's strategic resources are all stored in large, high-speed warships. How could I possibly be so foolish as to take you on a trip back to the Nobles' Army's headquarters..."

"But, isn't it a bit wrong to steal Chernobog's strategic resources...? Don't we have a good relationship with them?"

"What does our good relationship with Chernobog have to do with our plan to obtain Boris's private army's Originium Prime...?"

Seeing the purple-haired twin-tailed girl's slightly open mouth and the look of sudden realization, Nana looked at the circular dome of the resealed Sarcophagus in the distance.

Next to that landmark location in Chernobog is the headquarters of Boris Johnson's agents, the Chernobog Security Committee.

Previously, it seemed that most of the enemy's personnel were playing spy games with Baikal's people. In addition, Boris, who had the support of the Inner Guards, did not pay much attention to Rhine Lab and Rhodes Island. Therefore, taking advantage of the information asymmetry between the two sides, Nana pulled off a trick of bringing people back to life from the Sarcophagus.

Nana didn't believe the other party would have no reaction after this incident, after all, Rhodes Island had genuinely weakened Boris's control over Chernobog... If Nana wasn't mistaken, the other party definitely wouldn't let it go.

However, they are currently burdened by something far more significant—a rebel siege—preventing them from pursuing the small Rhodes Island.

But precisely because of this, Nana, who advocates stealing from whoever has money, sets her sights on Boris's secret stash.

After all, when it comes to the person in Chernobog who might have the most Originium Prime... it's definitely Boris himself. As for going to the Scar Market specifically to buy information, that was just Nana's disciplined operation to reduce useless information.

"According to the middleman, the most likely location in Chernobog to hoard a large amount of Originium Prime is... this is it. This time we're going to conduct an infiltration search, and the target is only Originium Prime. Don't kill anyone, don't complicate things, and it's best to do it without anyone knowing."

"I'll handle the main operations; Typhon, you'll provide support from the outside... If things go wrong, your ability to break through enemy lines will be my guarantee of escape... I'll be counting on you then."

Seeing the Kitty Teacher's unusual dependence on her, the purple-haired twin-tailed girl happily picked up the straw and took a sip of the milk tea the other had just bought for her, then nodded emphatically:

"Okay! Leave it to me."

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: It's a bit late and a bit early, but Happy New Year!

PS3: Received the Golden Treasure Chest... I've received recognition! I'm so happy! Thank you to my fellow reader, Lotus Terrace No. Usami, for your support! And thank you everyone for accompanying me to this day.

Bowing, bowing, bowing.

7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 264 Typhon's Solo Mission - Part 1

If Nana had brought Jessica with her on this mission, then Nana might have given that Little Cat a good lesson on how to conserve her energy while killing time... After all, Jessica's mission habits are still the Mercenaries: she becomes highly focused once she enters mission mode, and then explodes at any moment when the mission pressure gets too high.

Typhon, with the hunting habits of a Sami hunter, would habitually seize every opportunity to replenish her energy, eating whatever food she could find along the way. If she stood still for more than fifteen minutes, she would start nodding off like a computer Terminal going into hibernation mode... Fortunately, she was always in a half-asleep state, and with a little reminder, she could immediately re-enter a highly focused state for combat.

Watching Typhon eat the sandwich they handed him, then curl up on their laps like a homeless person from their hometown, looking rather like a vagrant in their hometown... the cat agents, who as usual emerged from their own consciousness to get some fresh air, began to discuss the situation of the battle between Number Three and Typhon that they had retained after their memories were mixed.

Nana casually picked up a magazine to kill time... mainly to cover her face and avoid being noticed by the hurried agents. She listened to the meowing chatter of the Little Cat beside her, and it seemed Nana had learned the truth about how Typhon was almost killed.

'So, did Number Three notice it too?'

[Hmm, although the specific details are unclear due to memory deletion... but if this child is indeed the type who can't concentrate for long outside of combat, then it's normal for Number Three to seize the opportunity... However, it's still strange that being ambushed with Optical Camouflage only resulted in an arm injury.]

[Our gunshot spell damage multiplier should be about the same as yours, Primarch...] Phosphorus

Seeing the four agent cats around her prying at her and Typhon's violet hair in the sunset, seemingly quite indignant, Nana could only hold onto the sweet biscuit that Number Four offered her to avoid attracting attention, and then replied to them in a sullen voice:

' The Sarkaz physique, isn't that amazing?'

Chewing on the supplies she'd bought along the way, Nana glanced at the third 'Dead Soul' besides Kate and Cole who would proactively help her... It seemed that because she was a medic, the Number Four cat had a good relationship with her; it was the rare type that would actively help her and reach out to the outside world. (Sulfur)

Because she didn't want Kate and Cole to become 'weapons' after their deaths, as that scoundrel Loken had planned, Nana rarely used their 'Invisible Hand' in direct combat, even though the two had offered to help.

However, if Number Four were willing to become a more significant asset, Nana might be able to utilize unpowered Tactical Unit simply through Originium Arts, like Rosemary... instead of being able to inflict real damage on herself or the fuel provider simply by activating a Tactical Unit and glancing at the fuel bill.

To reiterate, these Heavy Tactical Unit designed for war purposes are simply not something that individuals or small, underdeveloped organizations can use.

As a user of this device, Nana now considers how she would handle a situation if the other party suddenly provided a similar device while on a mission.

Just as the Inner Guards can mobilize Ursus's war drones at any time, and even occupy the drones' operating frequency bands through Collapse Pollution, thus giving themselves a third eye... the Columbia government agents' instinct to call for support from powered armored units when encountering tough opponents they can't handle seems to be ingrained in their DNA.

And now, his target, the headquarters of the 'Chernobog Security Committee'... this 'mansion' that was once used to 'protect' members of Rhodes Island and Rhine Lab, isn't there anything shady going on there?

Why doesn't Nana believe it...?

"Master? It's time."

Whether the Sarkaz girl had gotten enough rest or not, as Nana's phone alarm rang, the little hunter with his braids hanging down casually climbed off Nana's lap.

Although Nana had previously mentioned that the implementation of the Tactical Unit would further enhance Typhon's resistance to Pollution, Typhon now rarely sees the black Kitty Mountain in his dreams, even when he's fast asleep next to his cat master.

But Typhon could feel the tangible reality...

Master's thighs, clad only in hot pants, revealed a patch of absolute territory through his footed socks. Leaning his face against that patch, he was Typhon satisfied with both the temperature and the soft, delicate touch... Although the steel jungle of the so-called "Mobile City" lacked the tranquility and mystery of Sami, just as Alki had said years ago when he asked him to leave, he was truly content with his life with Master.

Watching Typhon sit up and stretch, Nana glanced at the street scene where ordinary people were starting to leave work and gradually entering the evening rush hour, patted her clothes, and stood up.

"It's time... Let's go."

"Oh~"

The Sarkaz girl's gesture of waving her little fist and her quirky, whispered reply made Nana's lips curl into a slight smile; that tone of voice was clearly learned from Mika.

Nana hopes Typhon won't just copy Mika's immature personality. After all, that pink-haired girl is the real Lycoris in red, with strength, personality, and strategy... If possible, Nana hopes Typhon can learn something good.

But Typhon isn't like Jessica who can just grind experience; Sarkaz siege fighters are inherently incompatible with infiltration missions... Nana previously said she wanted Typhon to secure her escape route, but in reality, Nana just wanted Typhon to have more experience in non-siege missions.

You're a genuine Rhodes Island Sarkaz beauty that I've painstakingly nurtured for years, so please don't turn into someone like W who's barely human when she's quiet and doesn't speak, and is just a complete lunatic the rest of the time...

Typhon, of course, noticed Nana's complicated gaze as she looked at him. The little hunter glanced at himself uneasily, and after confirming that he didn't find anything strange, he tilted his head... Nana sighed.

The Kitty Killer still couldn't bring himself to slander his colleagues behind their backs. All he could say was that he hoped Typhon would realize as soon as possible that the main reason he took her to the Scar Market was to let her know that most of the Sarkaz had been corrupted by this land... becoming unlike normal people.

Whenever the topic of the Sarkaz race comes up, Nana feels sorry for the White Emperor... If only that princess she had met once were still alive, that princess would definitely be a better fit to educate Typhon than she is.

After wallowing in melancholy for a while, Nana put on an earphone on one of her cat ears:

"There aren't any high vantage points around the target area, but fortunately, the security situation in Chernobog is still declining... The flow of people decreases rapidly after nightfall, so you can try to observe and provide support from the overpass over there... Of course, backup mobility is also very important. We'll confirm more detailed preparations in the PRTS team channel..."

"Typhon, you've been on Rhodes Island for almost a year now. Let me see how you're capable of carrying out a mission on your own... And as insurance, here you go."

Seeing that Nana had sent him an app, Typhon curiously downloaded and opened it. Looking at the densely packed urban power grid structure on it, Typhon's mouth gaped slightly... Although this Sami village girl had lived with the Rhodes Island crew for over a year and was no longer unfamiliar with technological products, this was her first time encountering a more specialized system software.