Chapter 243

Now, these completely sealed boxes have been violently interfered with by magic, and intense sparks burst forth at the cut points. As the boxes are opened, under the black shock-absorbing foam, several items that are not brand new, but show obvious signs of use and look very familiar to Nana, appear before everyone.

"This... this is--!?"

"... The salvaged secondhand equipment... Don't ask me where they came from, I can only say they came from Columbia."

As she spoke, Nana ignored Agent Cat Number One, who had jumped out from the side and was protesting with puffed-out cheeks, and tossed a backpack to Liskarm.

"The D3 Survivor was originally meant to be used in conjunction with the Survivor Protocol, but when it comes to shields, Liskarm, you're still the best one here..."

"A shield? This one?"

Watching Liskarm's slightly clumsy but quickly masterful handling of the folding shield, Nana nodded and tossed her the MPX submachine gun, which was sealed in plastic, from under her backpack.

"If you're not used to rapid-fire, you can switch to single-shot as you like. As for the accompanying spells, use Halo Linkage... I used to help Rosemary practice spells this way when she was little..."

Reflecting on how quickly time flies, Nana picked up another backpack with a crossbow and tossed it to Huang:

"Logically speaking, I didn't receive permission to use these equipment, but since they're here, I'll assume that the higher-ups have tacitly agreed that my people have the right to use them... Of course, there will definitely be some disputes later, but that's irrelevant to what we're doing now."

"Jessica, teach Huang how to use the drone's deflection and healing functions, and also help her activate the authorization for the 'Roller' armor emergency repair device."

Hearing Huang's words Jessica put down her sniper rifle and nodded instinctively, but quickly tilted her head in confusion, her cat ears twitching as she asked:

"This statement... Senior, aren't you planning to give Huang a special Halo? Even if he can use the equipment, without SHD's magical support, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced, right?"

Nana can now share some things with Jessica that are considered secrets to herself and others, things that concern her 'Command System,' information that even Kal'tsit has never known:

"... Currently, my Halo grants permission to a maximum of four people, and besides you, Franka, and Liskarm, Narcissa... Rosemary also has one permission... Unless I remove Little Cat from the list and stop giving her spell support, we won't have any more 'Halo users' for the time being."

Listening to Nana's explanation, although he had no interest in inquiring about those classified details, Huang, who was playing with his yo-yo-like spherical drone, still had some thoughts:

"According to this logic, Nana, shouldn't you reconsider who to 'incorporate into the system'? Let's not even talk about how Liskarm is the backbone of the team and needs your magical support the most... Franka and I don't really need 'Halo' much... Compared to that, doesn't Little Typhon need it more?"

Following Huang's reminder, Franka, who was playing with the large toy in her hand, which was about half her height and resembled Originium projectile cannon, looked at the large toy in her hand, then at the sword at her waist, and nodded seriously:

"I think Huang makes a good point... While the dominant races in Laterano are Sankta and Liberi, it's normal to have Vulpo and Feline ... But Typhon will have a tough time in the upcoming disguise... Or Nana, do you really want Typhon to have his horns sawed off like your maid did?"

Nana did indeed think seriously about Franka's suggestion for a while.

After all, the 'Chimera' spell that he and the Blacksteel Squad used for disguise was essentially a composite illusion created based on the racial characteristic concealment plugin in the 'Command System', combined with the common spell system of the Command System.

If the goal isn't to completely destroy Typhon's racial characteristics like Eileen did, then adding Halo and embellishing it with 'Chimera' magic would be the easiest way to disguise himself.

The reason Typhon wasn't included in the Halo list from the start was mainly to consider Typhon's racial and historical legacy... After all, a proper Sarkaz probably wouldn't want to have Halo above their head.

However, when Nana voiced her thoughts, Typhon's reaction was not what Nana had expected.

"... Is disguise necessary? I really don't want to saw off my horns... Then let's use magic to turn them into Halo, I'm fine with that."

"Are you sure it's okay? The history and grudges between Sarkaz and Sankta..."

"I grew up in Sami, and my parents... and Master Alki, never really told me any of this, so I'm pretty indifferent."

The suggestion that would normally draw criticism within the Sarkaz Mercenaries group seems to be completely ignored by Typhon... Although Typhon isn't exactly a legitimate Sarkaz Mercenaries, and hasn't gotten involved in the Sankta Holy War, she naturally has no aversion to the Angel Halo... If it were W, she probably would have already half-pressed the trigger on the bomb the moment the suggestion was mentioned.

"Alright, then... Franka's Halo will be transferred to Typhon, and the disguise spell will be transferred along with it. We also have cosmetics here. Franka, you can decide what to do with your disguise. And Huang, remember to use hair dye..."

Seeing the chaos around them, Mika, who had her own Halo and wasn't famous herself, and wasn't afraid of revealing her appearance, glanced at the dazzling pink Halo above her head that resembled a nebula... and yawned.

By the time the others had finished their disguises, collected their new equipment, unlocked new spell licenses, and done all the other miscellaneous things, it was already late at night.

With the appearance of a white-haired nun that could be seen everywhere in Laterano, wearing a red cat hat and scarf, Nana looked at the completely transformed team and nodded. In their current state, even an Inner Guards would have to admit that this was definitely a special operations team from the Laterano Sanctuary.

Let's set aside Nana and Mika, the two real Angel, one in a black nun's habit and the other in a white monastic dress... and take a look at the rearmed 'Laterano Special Operations Team'.

To embody 'purity', it's nothing more than pure white and black, just like Nana and Mika, everyone changed into white coats and black tactical uniforms.

Unlike the yellow warning decorations on the Blacksteel garments, the interplay of pure white and pure black tones, along with the different styles of clothing in the same color scheme, highlighted the sense of unity among the group.

The assassin distributed white trench coats to Huang and Franka, who were still serving as guards. The coats were different lengths, and the black tactical outfits they wore underneath were also slightly different... Considering Huang's Originium Arts, the big cat wore a crop top that exposed her belly.

Franka said her makeup skills weren't good enough to make her look perfect, so she chose the most basic style: a hooded sweatshirt with pockets. However, to ensure ease of movement, and after confirming that these seemingly thin 'second-hand' outfits had good temperature-regulating properties, Franka wore hot pants and tights.

With the added heating from the Thermite Sword lamp, she said she wasn't cold... Nana hoped she wasn't just putting on a brave face.

As marksmen with different focuses in the team, Jessica and Typhon also have similar but different outfits.

7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 272 Arius Special Operations Team

The archers were equipped with a half-length cape that resembled a scarf but was actually integrated with their clothing. Nana vaguely remembered that her manager called this style the 'Attila Jacket'.

However, unlike the flashy and extravagant attire of the Laterano Special Operations Team in my memory, their archer capes were longer and covered a larger area.

The original intention of Nana was to cover the operator's actions of drawing a gun or taking out tactical equipment... or when designing to crawl in the snow, a half-length cloak can better disrupt the human body's outline than a simple solid-color trench coat to achieve a stealth effect.

Of course, the team needs more practice and understanding to get everyone used to it and achieve Nana's tactical goals. At present, whether it's Jessica wearing a cloak and soft hat, or Typhon who is not used to the coolness on his head and chooses to cover his head with a cloak, letting his purple twin Typhon hang down from both sides of the hood, they are still in the simple understanding that 'this outfit looks good too'.

Finally, Liskarm stands out as the only one in the team with a shield. Her attire is different from the others, with a simple white short trench coat, black tactical suit, and jeans. She also practices her cool posture of quickly drawing and folding her shield. Unlike the others who emphasize 'purity' or 'cuteness', Liskarm, with Liskarm single ponytail that remains unchanged even after dyeing her hair, is responsible for all the 'coolness' in the team.

Having discussed the costumes, let's move on to the weapons, which have a greater impact on actual combat.

As usual, we'll exclude Nana and Mika, the two proper 'Laterano,' and start with the melee fighters.

Because of its overly obvious chainsaw-like features, Huang was forced to be sealed away by Nana's orders... But this does not mean that Huang has lost its purpose.

Although the weapon has changed from a highly intimidating chainsaw to a seemingly ordinary small demolition axe, you can't underestimate SHD equipment... That set of axes that can be thrown or grabbed is the equipment Nana used in Laisenton.

Back then, Nana used it to defeat a clone with superior equipment, and the folding shield that Liskarm is holding now still has repair marks on it... There's no reason why it would become scrap metal in Blaze's hands.

In Nana's vision, even if Huang simply heated the axe blade and swung it, its power would be enough to break through most mass-produced shields... not to mention that after shedding the heavy chainsaw, Huang's agility as Feline would be fully utilized.

This combination of fully protective yet lightweight SHD armor and a drone that can follow and repair you creates a big cat that leaps around, unleashing its hunting instincts, and is virtually indestructible—and might even get back up after being killed. Do you like this combination?

The enemy will likely provide the answer later.

Franka's weapon is so unique that it's hard to spot its special features without close inspection, so Nana lets her use her own sword... But Franka hasn't returned Liskarm's spare pistol. She's currently working hard to learn the skill of multitasking, and she'll probably be able to pierce through anything with Thermite Sword followed by a cold shot, which would leave anyone momentarily stunned.

Besides the new shield and the repair and healing equipment that are very useful for melee fighters, Liskarm's main focus also had to be adapting to a short, automatic assault rifle that was an order of magnitude more complex than her previous pistol.

Although Nana initially said that Liskarm only needed to focus on using the shield, as a fellow Firearms Operator, how could Liskarm let her gun become a useless weapon... Besides, opportunities to handle Columbia's latest Firearms Arts are rare, so Liskarm unusually ignored all of Franka's provocations during this period... and devoted herself wholeheartedly to familiarizing herself with the new equipment.

As for the equipment changes for the two ranged operators, Jessica and Typhon, there's more to it than meets the eye... First and foremost, of course, is the shelving of Typhon's giant bow. That thing is extremely recognizable, especially since Nana took her to the Scar Market site, so it's hard to say that a little disguise would make people forget Typhon's features.

So instead of a bow and arrow, Nana gave her a weapon more befitting her 'Sankta' identity... It was the heavy Firearms Arts that had riddled the entire car with bullets during the chase in Laisenton, a proper Guardian Gun, Laterano identification code 'TAC-50', along with the special armor-piercing rounds used by Agent Cat back then, which now belonged to Typhon.

While Sarkaz generally aren't 'qualified' to use Firearms Arts... Nana's Halo was undeniably powerful. Even with no prior experience using Firearms Arts, Typhon, with his white thorn Halo, could pull the bolt quite skillfully, then activate the spell and pull the trigger...

Hearing the triggering sound of the Orundum needle, a sound that was originally only heard by those who had put in tremendous effort or possessed exceptional talent, Typhon was initially caught off guard.

But after Nana reminded her to interpret the ammunition and the activation ritual as the recoil from drawing a bow and string... Typhon inexplicably came to understand everything.

Perhaps she is actually the type with natural talent.

Finally, aside from TAC-50, the last two heavy 'Firearms Arts equipment' items were the two largest ammunition boxes dug out of the floor... One of them belonged to Jessica, and was the long-barreled Originium ammunition launcher that Franka had been observing for a long time.

Unlike those inferior, outdated Originium explosive launchers that use spring-driven mechanisms or require additional manpower and spells to reload, Columbia's missile launch system, codenamed 'TOW,' belongs to Columbia's latest squad-level heavy firepower.

Its dual-aiming mode, combining wire-controlled and optical spell tracking, allows conventional Firearms Operator to unleash the devastating power of this six-kilogram weapon, with an armor penetration depth exceeding one meter, without hindering Firearms Operator normal operations. This power would otherwise require a caster of similar skill, even sacrificing their life, to achieve.

Its range of nearly four kilometers is already within the maximum suppression range for small warships and vehicles against infantry. Possessing this equipment also means that even without using those extremely demanding enchantment spells, Jessica can launch explosive attacks on vehicles that were previously unattainable.

Although, as a Columbia weapon, the TOW is not a heavy firepower unit specifically designed to counter aerial threats, and its 4,000-meter straight-line range might be slightly short for shipboard equipment, it should be just right for visual observation by Firearms Operator.

The ICA Equipment Department's decision to supply the Dow Stinger, rather than the Stinger which specializes in tracking high-speed aerial targets, likely took into account the performance characteristics of the Ursus heavy aircraft.

Compared to specialized air-to-air missiles that prioritize tracking capabilities, the TOW anti-armor weapon might be more suitable for the heavy multi-rotor aircraft of Ursus, which are jokingly referred to as "flying toilets."

Obviously, if the enemy is trying to approach in the open air using a flying vehicle, what awaits them might be something even more terrifying, like being shot in the head... or being shot down by Originium explosives, surviving, and then becoming the Infected.

Of course, the ammunition delivered by the ICA is all of extremely high quality, high-quality missiles with a very thorough Originium reaction, so the probability of becoming the Infected after being hit is quite low.

After all, high-quality ammunition means a more complete release of Originium energy... and its power is naturally greater after being activated by magic. As for those targeted and killed, the Infected.

The other 'heavy Firearms Arts,' Nana ultimately assigned to Mika, who also had some training— the Columbia Army's codename 'MK19,' a fully automatic grenade launcher.

Although it belongs to the same category of explosive launchers as the Dow, compared to the former, which specializes in sniping high-value, heavily armored targets, this grenade launcher, originally planned for installation on heavy powered armor and various vehicles, is a true heavy military installation.

Honestly... while the agent sending anti-armor missiles could be attributed to the possibility of conflict with the Ursus army, even Nana felt this grenade launcher was a bit excessive.

As a fully automatic explosives launcher using belt-fed ammunition, the MK19 can unleash over 350 rounds of 40mm grenades per minute... This means that even if the user isn't a magic master like Nana who can inflict status effects like fire, freeze, or electrocution on grenades, they could still turn an Ursus reinforced company into mincemeat in a minute.

It was only upon seeing this that Nana became certain that her manager had indeed prepared this equipment with the premise that Nana would fight her way out of the battlefield head-on.

Of course, as an infiltrator, Nana herself would naturally be reluctant to use something that lacked the killer's spirit... Moreover, because of the weight of the MK19, if Nana didn't carry it, then only Mika could use it to avoid affecting normal marching.

Besides the grenade launcher, Mika also grabbed an MCX to show off... Compared to the Firearms Arts that were not powerful enough in her own hands, she preferred the more direct close-range violence and crushing.

But Nana wanted Mika to be positioned as a versatile unit, capable of handling both close and long-range combat, similar to a squad's multi-functional saber.

Although, to make the team appear less menacing, Mika, at Nana's instruction, packed this weapon—capable of destroying a small to medium-sized shelter—into a white suitcase... given the weapon case on Typhon's back containing the giant bow, and the anti-armor missile launcher and spare ammunition that Jessica couldn't fit in and had to secure with straps to the side of her backpack... perhaps this team is already 'Laterano' enough, maybe even completely 'Laterano'.

Before departure, let's do a final check on the team's condition.

Nowadays, everyone carries backpacks with special agent equipment. Except for Nana herself, everyone carries a suitcase containing their original equipment, as well as supplies from the safe house.

At Nana's suggestion, everyone agreed to fix it in the external slot of the backpack system... to see if they could store it when passing by the Exploration Vehicle later.

While, in terms of infiltration and disguise, perhaps it's necessary to carry some luggage to appear more like a Laterano agent whose identity was unexpectedly exposed.

But now, in this seven-person squad, five members possess Halo, all are equipped with Firearms Arts, and possess powerful explosive weapons... anyone who sees this squad would have to say that this team is very 'Laterano'.

Nana glanced at her watch, then put her red cat hat back on.

"One last team check, prepare to depart, target: industrial zone. There's a high probability of encountering Sarkaz Mercenaries en route, everyone must be on high alert."

"The formation is arranged as follows: two-two-three Shieldguards and myself, ranged operators, melee operators, and free agents. The anti-armor missiles and grenade launchers are tentatively named 'Tao-Tao' and 'Little Steel Ball'... Due to limited ammunition, lethal fire clearance is required before using them... And once the mission begins, we'll have to adopt the appearance of a regular army... Although, apart from Typhon, everyone else here probably has extensive experience..."

At this point, the members of the Blacksteel group, including Huang, revealed complicated smiles.

"So, the mission begins... Our next step is to contact war refugees, inform them of the official shelters, and clear the roads between the shelters to prepare for opening refugee channels in the future 'Contingency Contract'."

Following the example of a priest, Nana made the sign of the cross and led the way out of the emptied safe house with Liskarm.

"For that paradise that remains on earth..."

"Wait a minute, Nana, have you forgotten something?"

As the team members left the safe house one after another, Nana puffed out her cheeks slightly, waiting for Huang's explanation. The big cat, wearing a white trench coat but with its belly showing, saw Nana's unusual expression and chuckled, waving its finger.

"So, what exactly is our 'Laterano Special Operations Team' called...? Although we could use 'secrecy' as an excuse, we still need a name that can keep things confidential, right?"

Seeing the curious gazes of everyone around her, Nana randomly began to recall the limited religious information she had in her mind.

False, nihilistic, nonexistent, meaningless... does it actually have a name that fits this description?

"We are the Arius Special Operations Team, and our prayer is Vanitas Vanitatum Et Omnia Vanitas... which means 'all is vanity.' Doesn't that suit us perfectly?"

Seeing everyone smile again, Nana turned around and waved to them:

"Set off."

Although Nana had predicted that they would inevitably encounter battles on their way to the industrial area and to find their way... after all, five of the seven members of the team had brightly lit art lamps above their heads, and the underground of Chernobog was the activity environment of the Sarkaz Mercenaries. If they didn't encounter two or three battles on their way, they would think they were living in a dream.

But that's often how it is; you need logic to think and dream, but not in reality... Nana and her group openly headed from the third basement level to the industrial area, covering nearly a hundred floors and marching over twenty-five kilometers. From midnight to daytime, they even found a place where the dust and water weren't too bad and used the frying pan that Little Typhon carried with him and the ingredients he brought from the safe house's cold storage to cook a hot lunch.

The group even encountered scavengers twice along the way... Perhaps because everyone looked too 'Laterano', these Ursus people carrying large travel bags and tools and weapons at their waists didn't seem interested in testing the group's Firearms Arts. So Nana told them about the official shelter and added the shelter's location and the currently connected subway line to their map.

In exchange, they also marked the route for the 'Arius Special Operations Team'... However, their map timeliness is about the same as Nana's, not as good as Huang's.

After all, Nana had been guarding the Doctor for a whole year, and during that year she had never strayed more than a kilometer from the Exploration Vehicle. She was no different from the refugees who had been living in darkness underground until now.

Of course, the scavengers knew nothing about Zhuoya and Fufu... but they did bring some useful information to everyone.

"... The people in the industrial zone... the gangs organized by plot of land, have been confirmed to be fighting each other... I mean, the fighting has begun?"

"Yes, after all, it's been over a year, and everyone's food supplies are almost exhausted... Even if we wanted to establish a planting area underground, the supply of sunlight, electricity, and water would all be problems... If we can't even get food, naturally we'll all find our own way..."

As he spoke, the scavenger, whose clothes were already badly worn, shook his head painfully:

"Those who sought refuge in the company formed gangs with a corporate structure, like thugs; those who used to be in school formed groups by class, living like warlords... They fight each other on the surface and underground. I think in a few months, this Chernobog will be practically deserted."

"... Students from the school were involved too?!"

Seemingly puzzled as to why the Sankta seemed surprised by such a thing, the weathered Ursus man simply shrugged.

"It's the same old story: when there's not enough food and everyone goes hungry... then cannibalism will be the only option... However, if your information is true, and the army starts paying attention to underground order, then maybe there's still hope... Of course, that's assuming everyone is willing to listen to you."

After bidding farewell to the passing scavengers, Nana and the others exchanged glances:

"It seems we need to speed things up..."

PS: Waaaaaaah!