Chapter 239

Thus, in the Sarcophagus Mansion in Chernobog, on the third basement level... looking at the newly closed vault door, Nana immediately forgot about the words Boris had previously urged her to pay attention.

Just now, when I was tailing them, I saw that there were at least a hundred pure, golden-orange Originium Prime on one shelf in this cold storage room... all separated from me by the steel gate and several iron fences.

Looking at the sealed and sturdy concrete structure around her, Nana pondered for a moment, then dialed everyone's number.

"Gather... we might have a big deal coming up."

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: QAQ As usual at the beginning of each month, I'm experiencing writer's block... I took two days off and my writing is definitely a bit rusty. This chapter is 5700 words long, and I've revised quite a bit. Please refresh, everyone... sob sob...

7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 266 She decided to take responsibility

Nana's goal was clear and unambiguous: 'protect the Doctor,' and this requirement was consistently upheld throughout the operation.

Initially, the Rhodes Island agents merely infiltrated Chernobog... Subsequently, the Inner Guards who forbade the Silver Dancer from setting foot on Ursus land was killed, and another Inner Guards investigating his death was recognized by outsiders as 'a Patriot' and included among the dead.

The Sarcophagus of Chernobog, the calamity surrounding it and within the body of the Inner Guards, and countless lives falling one after another into the lies woven by the assassin lady.

Neither side in the Ursus civil war took the small Rhodes Island seriously, especially since Nana's infiltration was completely undetected.

This was nothing more than a routine infiltration by Ghost Assassin, an effort by a cat-eared agent to ensure the mission's objective was properly secured, the silent disappearance of an Inner Guards, an unexpected Pollution of a Previous Civilization ruin, a public impeachment of the mayor, a headless robbery at an unnamed mansion, and the collapse of trust between the two sides in a war...

To say that Nana never expected what would happen next would be a lie; there's a Victoria fable in Columbia nursery rhyme as well.

"Because of a nail... a king died."

Terra calendar, December 23, 1096.

Listening to the roar of naval gunfire that has been going on for over six months, and the occasional loud noises that affect the lower structure of the Mobile City, Nana still recalls a year ago when she insisted on moving Boris's Originium Prime while checking the status of the Exploration Vehicle's reactor 'fuel'.

To this day, Nana still doesn't think there's anything wrong with her decision to 'rob whoever has money.' After all, in the year or so from September 1995 to December 1996, apart from a few public hospitals and large military and police camps in Chernobog, Miss Killer couldn't find a second Originium storage site similar to the underground vault of Boris's mansion.

Despite Nana's repeated claims that she would do anything for the Doctor's safety, it was definitely more in line with her assassin's virtues to source supplies from Boris's private inventory than to take the medical system's backup energy or the military and police's weapons and Originium supplies.

This also means that without this batch of Originium, the operation of the Sarcophagus cannot be guaranteed, let alone the maintenance of the Doctor's life and the repair of his multiple fatal wounds...

But the consequences of taking this batch of Originium... as everyone can see, the roar of artillery fire outside is the price of this action.

Nana could roughly guess that the conflict between Boris and the Old Nobles' Army outside the city was based on this valuable Originium Prime. Regardless of whether it was a deposit or, as Boris had publicly stated, a stockpile needed for the defense of Chernobog, Nana could not possibly return these items that had been converted into Doctor's life.

For Agent Number Seventy-Seven, the past year had been filled with countless replays in her dreams of that day when she summoned everyone and, against all odds, insisted on launching a surprise attack on the mansion.

The seemingly impenetrable vault door was as fragile as a boiled eggshell to the assassin who had hunted down several suspects in heinous bank robberies. The seemingly impossible underground vault could actually be breached with just a roll of industrial hoisting rope mixed with D32 Steel wire, a steel ladle hook found in an industrial smelting area that had been bankrupt for who knows how long, and an industrial load-bearing rail system that Mobile City's industrial zone.

Because of its proximity to the Sarcophagus, the mansion is located 150 meters directly below the now-shut-down railway hub of the Chernobog Industrial District... Due to Boris's martial law order and the previous Sarcophagus Pollution crisis, the buildings below the mansion are now empty, giving Nana and Huang a great deal of room to maneuver.

Even before the banquet at the mansion above ended, the Rhodes Island team had already connected this Mobile City structure, which spanned more than dozens of floors.

On the roaring underground industrial tracks, Weedy's industrial locomotive, driven at full speed, caught on the hook that was originally used to transport industrial raw materials by the ton... The extremely strong rope tightened instantly, and the end of the thick rope that contracted... connected to the mansion's vault door itself, which was welded shut with magic.

The sound of the vault door, along with part of the wall, being torn apart by an industrial locomotive, smashing through dozens of layers of the Mobile City structure, and then being dragged away... remains deafening in Nana's memory.

For an assassin, demolishing a permanent vault door and walls might be too conspicuous, but for a 'robber' with a sudden inspiration, such a spectacle is just right.

When Nana transported the Originium Prime away via the second industrial locomotive that came from the 'underground' track, Nana considered the possible consequences of her actions, but the option of being directly drawn into the Ursus Civil War was definitely not among them.

Now, watching the Doctor's fatal wound heal on the countdown and the Sarcophagus's energy gradually reach zero, Nana, while checking the surgical instruments, still can't help but ponder a question—whether she should take responsibility for this war.

"Nana, the countdown to the Sarcophagus is about to end... According to Weedy's settings for the Sarcophagus lid will open immediately at the last second... While the Previous Civilization's repair fluid is being drained, we will take over Sarcophagus unfinished awakening and heart repair surgery..."

Having obtained a sufficient amount of Originium, Saria, who had returned underground to protect the camp for a full year, looked at the Sarcophagus with a complex expression:

"... Although I've marveled at it many times, this machine actually restored a fatally wounded soldier with more than 50% of his organs missing to over 99% completeness... I no longer know whether to marvel at the Previous Civilization or at Lady Kal'tsit for transferring the target from Kazdel to Ursus."

Instead of looking at Saria, who was equally on high alert, Nana turned to Amiya, whose eyes were brimming with tears of excitement upon hearing that the Doctor was about to wake up, and who even seemed to be relieved of the atmosphere.

"Everyone has seen the surgical procedure after the Sarcophagus was opened. After 300 seconds, Saria, Ptilopsis, Folinic, and I will fully commit to the resuscitation procedure for the Doctor... Amiya, Weedy, take your command positions..."

As Nana gave her usual emotionless, indifferent command, the Little Bunny shakily turned on the speakerphone of the communicator. Accompanied by the faint echoes of naval gunfire and the mosquito-like noise generated by the communicator, the 'final moment' that everyone had been reminded of many times had finally arrived.

"Everyone, except for the medical emergency team members, now for the final report on your respective team operations and composition."

[This is the Liskarm Guard Team... consisting of Franka, Jessica... We have now left the industrial area for the camp. A few civilians witnessed our move. The Mercenaries at Scar Market have promised to continue maintaining order in the area, but we have not made any commitments to them regarding their requests for assistance...]

"All our actions are based on ensuring the Doctor's safety... Liskarm, your decision is fine. I'll coordinate with them afterwards. Blaze, what about you?"

After checking the surgical supplies, the black disposable surgical gloves were placed in front of her. Nana tilted her head, waiting for a response, but the voice coming from the earphones above her head was not that of the boisterous big cat.

The roar of chainsaws mingled with the shouts of Rhodes Island warriors, the twisting sound of crossbows shattering steel, and the playful responses of young girls—all blended together.

[Hey hey~ This is the guerrilla squad! Captain Huang is temporarily unavailable, and Mika is also very busy!]

The pauses between each word were emphasized by the symphony of battle, and Mika's shrill "You actually hit my headphones!?" mixed with the static from the broken equipment made Nana once again involuntarily doubt whether her robbery a year ago, which she suspected had driven Boris mad, was the right thing to do.

Before Nana completely lost focus, Typhon, who had already shed the Sami Forest aura and was now a qualified city hunter, took over the communication:

"As planned, we are engaging in combat with Chernobog's intelligence network to divert their attention..." Lin

As he spoke, Typhon placed his hand back on the crossbow. Clad in a city camouflage cloak, concealing himself in the shadow of a ruined building, he aimed the spear-like arrow at 'Swallow,' who held the casting unit, and pulled the trigger without a flicker of emotion.

"We're now far from Safe House Number Two... We plan to return to Safehouse One to rest after dealing with these enemies." Whoosh

The Number Two safe house Typhon was a safe house with a basement that was found in the old five-story housing complex near Chernobog Public Middle School, under the pretext of Amiya going to school.

Originally, to maintain the ostensible purpose of this safe house, Amiya was supposed to transfer to Chernobog High School for a year.

However, in reality, because Nana obtained enough Originium to keep the Sarcophagus running until the Doctor was out of danger during the raid on the mansion, and for unknown reasons, Boris's tacit understanding with the Ursus Nobility army completely disappeared during this Originium heist, Amiya's Ursus school experience actually only lasted for less than five months out of the year.

Liskarm and Franka used Amiya's poor health as an excuse to take a lot of leave, but in reality, those leave were a precaution to avoid investigation by local intelligence agencies. However, Amiya did indeed develop a strange impression of being frail and sickly in middle school because of her frequent disappearances.

As for why the mission only lasted five months... it was around June of this year, the second year after the Rhodes Island forces arrived in Chernobog, marked by the departure of the Nobles' Army fleet and their subsequent firing on Chernobog that very night, that the smoke of the Ursus Civil War officially spread from the northern Snowfield to the southeastern part of this land.

"Don't worry, Master, Captain Huang is injured, but he doesn't seem to be seriously hurt... Senior Mika has suppressed the ranged attacks and is now clearing the battlefield..."

After saying that, the little hunter subconsciously wanted to peek out to check more of the situation, but the shadow of the naval cannons that had shrouded everyone over the past year had not disappeared. Typhon did not know whether the battle here had been discovered by the Chernobog Military Police and the Old Nobility scouts, so he cautiously maintained a low profile.

[... We expect to resolve the battle within twenty minutes, and shake off the pursuit an hour later... We will not let anyone discover our true purpose until that person regains consciousness... just as you have done for the past year.]

Nana didn't comment on Typhon's words... but if possible, the assassin hoped that such a bitter choice that would involve tens of thousands... even hundreds of thousands of people would not befall children.

After all, Nana herself still couldn't figure out where the guilt she felt towards the people of Chernobog came from.

As the surgical light specially installed on the Exploration Vehicle was turned on, Nana watched the countdown on the Sarcophagus, now down to a single digit, and put on her surgical gloves:

"Alright... let's begin the VIP activation process... countdown..."

Three, two, one...

The timeline of the Previous Civilization was no different from that of the present. In Nana's mind, the timer on the Sarcophagus had a higher priority than the cannonballs. The opening of the Sarcophagus was accompanied by Amiya's worried groans, and at that moment, everything else faded away in Nana's mind.

Murdering innocent Inner Guards, harming the Chernobog Military Police, dragging innocent people into potentially unnecessary war... all of this was for this moment.

But... as the surgery began and the Sarcophagus was opened, Nana was stunned the moment she saw the strange state of the person in front of her.

In her memory, although it was only a brief encounter, Nana still vaguely remembered that the Doctor was a woman taller than herself with silver-white hair... But in the Sarcophagus, what appeared before Nana was a girl with short black hair similar to her own, only slightly taller than Rosemary.

Fortunately, Rhodes Island's black cat only hesitated for a second... Kal'tsit said the Doctor was in the Sarcophagus, so the Doctor is in the Sarcophagus.

Meanwhile, the medical records extracted from the Sarcophagus also came into play at this time, Nana was about to begin completing the small part of the work that the Sarcophagus had ultimately failed to finish for the Doctor.

"Surgery begins... Ptilopsis, block the ascending aorta, initiate cardiopulmonary bypass..."

"Pump-stopping fluid injection complete."

The white-haired Liberi woman's mechanized voice was reassuring. Amiya, who was at a loss, was being led by Weedy. The engineer comforted her CEO while keeping her eyes glued to the screen in front of her, which displayed surveillance footage of everything around the Exploration Vehicle.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the surgical procedure that Nana and Saria had checked countless times was now running smoothly like precise gears, and the loss of the temperature control function after the Sarcophagus failed was also expected.

"... Hypothermia..."

Normally, Huang should be the one making adjustments at this point, but she was out working as part of the action team. Nana then started making adjustments herself according to the pre-arranged plan. As the surgical nurse, Folinic stared intently at the monitoring equipment brought down from the Exploration Vehicle. Following Folinic's gesture, Nana switched her spell output to constant temperature. On the other side, Saria took over the responsibility of being the main surgeon and began the next step of treatment:

"Dexamethasone 20cc, intravenous push..."

"Completed, no inflammatory response detected... Resection permitted."

The Ptilopsis's indifferent tone revealed the details of the Doctor's surgery: it was a procedure to repair the Doctor's newly repaired heart... Nana and the others didn't know what the original Sarcophagus was supposed to achieve in terms of internal organ reconstruction, but saving the Doctor from a life-threatening situation was enough as long as his injuries were treated to a level that modern medicine could handle... At least, the Doctor's injuries were now within the scope of what they could manage.

The portion that the medical team is currently allowing to be removed is because the final repair was not complete, resulting in a somewhat deformed aortic arch... Yes, this was an aortic arch resection surgery performed in a non-sterile environment, accompanied by artificial blood vessel replacement, branch vessel angioplasty, and descending aortic stent implantation.

"Removal of the brachiocephalic trunk and left common carotid artery..."

"Artificial blood vessel anastomosis, suturing... tsk..."

The surgery proceeded in silence, but everyone could sense Nana's growing discontent... Even though the Sarcophagus had been moved inside the Exploration Vehicle, and everyone had done their best to create a surgical environment for the Doctor that was slightly better than the battlefield... Chernobog was now under the shadow of the Ursus Civil War, and the clash between Chernobog's main cannons and the Nobles' Army fleet had been going on for half a year.

With both sides suffering losses of their main guns, the mere firing of the mobile train guns of the military and police within the Chernobog would cause a perceptible earthquake... not to mention the roar of the Nobles' Army's artillery shells falling into the city.

External interference greatly affected the medical team's surgical treatment of the Doctor... and as the precision of the surgery decreased, the operation time was repeatedly prolonged, just like Nana's increasingly dark expression.

But ultimately... this torment reached its end... As Nana tossed the bloodstained instruments into the nearby recycling bin, and as Ptilopsis counted the equipment, Nana nodded to Folinic, and to Amiya was clinging to the glass wall of the makeshift operating room behind Folinic:

"Preparing for rewarming... Surgery complete, Amiya. The Doctor may have some changes in appearance due to the treatment in the Sarcophagus. Also, due to the limitations of the onboard equipment, the Doctor may have suffered brain damage due to prolonged surgery..."

Having said that, the black cat from Rhodes Island bit the edge of its glove, tore off the blood-stained surgical supplies... and put on its own gloves, along with the equipment that had been hanging at the operating room door.

Amiya, who was allowed to enter, watched Nana change her clothes in silence and asked with a worried look in her eyes:

"So... Doctor, she..."

"... There might be some degree of amnesia..."

"Is this... is it permanent?"

In response to Amiya's question, Nana remained silent for a moment before shaking her head... The assassin, who had been inseparable from the Sarcophagus for the past year, conducted a brief inspection of her weapons, and finally left Amiya with only her back turned.

"I don't know, it might be permanent, or it might recover over time... It's all uncertain... In any case, we did our best... And now, we should start thinking about how to get the Doctor out of this war zone."

Without turning back... Nana was a little afraid to face Amiya at this moment.

With her slightly drooping ears, the black-haired Feline lowered her head, cocked her pistol, and then looked into the distance.

"... The number of refugees seeking refuge in the upper industrial zone has been steadily increasing, and our position could be exposed at any moment... Saria, if a situation arises where we really need to hold our ground, I'll be counting on you."

The white-haired Vouivre he listened, but then looked at Nana with a puzzled expression:

"But... according to the plan, we just need to find a suitable night to leave... Captain, why are you leaving on purpose...?"

"I'm going to meet up with Huang and the others now..." Nana originally wanted to say that... but the memory of how the situation between Chernobog and the Nobles' Army outside the city suddenly deteriorated a year ago after she ordered everyone to destroy the mansion's treasury reappeared in Nana's mind.

Sporadic explosions echoed overhead, and the plight of civilians who had taken refuge in the industrial zone during the past six months was a testament to their desperate struggle for survival... Liskarm, under Nana's orders, only reported this to Nana.

This is the assessment of Rhodes Island Medic...

Excessive emotion is like poison for Rhodes Island operators who are already full of feelings... but this emotion might just be right for an assassin who has never deeply understood the meaning of his actions.

"I want to end this war."

With that, Nana left the coat with the Rhodes Island markings on the hanger and left the Exploration Vehicle wearing only her close-fitting combat suit.

She decided to take responsibility for the war.

PS: Waaaaaah, cat meow QAQ

Belated New Year's Blessing ↑

PS2: I revised the outline, skipping some character development and the background of the civil war... but actually, this is a very natural thing... I feel a bit foolish for insisting on including this part in the past...

PSSS: So let's start the new year with perfect attendance QAQ, thank you everyone for waiting.

7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 267 No Ursus Language Allowed

Although she said some cool things to Amiya, Nana knew perfectly well that war is not something one person can start, nor can it be ended by one person alone... As a former cog in the Columbia war machine, she understood this perfectly well.

However, if the broad proposition of preventing war is narrowed down to 'stopping Outrage in a certain place,' then Nana may indeed have a lot of room for maneuver.

"So, is it time to get back to our regular jobs?"

In response to Franka's playful and lighthearted question, Nana glanced at her watch and softly hummed in agreement.

Compared to Liskarm, who seemed to understand something and whose eyes held a hint of pity, Jessica, oblivious to the difference between Nana's current actions and those of the past, kept pace with her admired target, carrying a weapon case that had been used for a year and was no longer as brand new as before.

"Is your essential job... maintaining order in the war zone?"

"... This is different from the previous low-intensity missions; we might be directly involved in the front lines of combat."

As Liskarm spoke, he touched his shield, which bore many scars from his interactions with Mercenaries in the industrial zone.

"Perhaps it would be more convincing if Ms. Saria said that... Captain, we can actually leave now... According to the original plan, the Rhodes Island main ship should arrive at any time, right?"

"That's precisely why we need to complete the arrangements as soon as possible..."