Chapter 250

"Where is she... how did she end up in Boris's hands?!"

"Don't ask, I just happened to see it... Damn it, don't make such a fuss. If I go back and disappear, it's probably because I've been executed. You remember to stay away from these people right now. I only know that Boris has spies in the military and police, but I don't know who they are..."

"Where is Zhuoya?!"

Reaching out again to comfort his friend, who was on the verge of collapse, he hugged him tightly and patted his back, while quickly whispering an address into Loban's ear.

That place was known to Loban, or rather, to everyone in the administrative and military organization of Chernobog — the Sarcophagus Mansion, Boris's stronghold.

"Are you sure it's there?"

"I'm sure... but let me ask you this first, you're not planning to lead a group in to confirm it yourself, are you?"

"..."

Seeing Loban's stiff expression, the messenger sighed and took out a business card from his pocket:

"Go find Mercenaries... Although Boris doesn't seem to care about the current underground market, I know everyone's struggling to survive. You should have no trouble finding clients... but most of the time you'll have to rely on yourself."

The messenger waved his hand, looked at the stunned man before him, and sighed:

"May the blessings of the Holy Fool be upon little Zhuoya."

PS:

PSS: Attempting Rehabilitation

7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 281 Chernobog's Blood Money

Things are proceeding according to plan, and the presence of the 'Arius Special Operations Team' is overwhelmingly strong among the guards Mercenaries due to their uniforms, unified Halo, and Firearms Arts.

With most refugees having little recollection of Rhodes Island, aside from a few skirmishes caused by historical issues between the Sarkaz and Sankta, the only things that still haunt Nana's dreams, besides the Doctor being protected by Saria, are the two children who have been missing for so long.

The search for missing persons in war zones is inherently extremely difficult, often taking years. But Nana only has two days left, as the evacuation operation is about to begin. If the missing child isn't found through the refugee Safe Corridor, the two individuals will likely remain permanently marked as 'missing' in their status bar.

Command was delegated to Huang, allowing Jessica and the others to continue searching among the refugees with photos, reinforcing their impression of the 'Arius Squad'. Nana once again withdrew from the Halo and left the team alone.

On one hand, the assassin had to report to Ms. Dalia about the refugees' notification and the progress of the evacuation operation; on the other hand, Nana was mentally prepared to be scolded and reprimanded... After all, with the search mission and the main storyline of protecting the Doctor about to conflict, it was obvious which side to abandon:

"Regarding your daughter and her friends, my team is conducting a final search in the evacuation zone... I'm sorry, I've asked at all the refugee settlements along the way, and although many people know them and you and your husband, no one has seen your daughter recently... To be honest, the chances of finding her are extremely slim."

"Because my men will be leaving Chernobog soon, the task you entrusted to us will probably come to an end here."

Nana spoke in a low, even slightly hoarse voice. Even the halo above her head seemed to echo her emotions, flickering like the odds of finding the two children.

The agent had handled many failed projects in the past, and Nana had heard her complaints. Some clients, when faced with actual failure, would vehemently deny it... Mental hysteria was one thing, but some even resorted to physical violence.

Nana had already planned how to deal with any overreaction from the other party, but Ms. Dalia seemed calmer than Nana had imagined.

The Ursus woman, dressed in military uniform but wearing a simple long dress underneath, blinked and lowered her head. She then turned away, choked back a sip of water, took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling, and finally lowered her head again and turned back.

With reddened eyes, Ms. Dalia stared at Nana in silence for about ten seconds, then called out in a trembling voice to Nana, who could no longer bear the atmosphere and was about to turn and leave. "Nana Mio."

"... I'm sorry, I might have... another clue... but there could be a lot of risks..."

"Risk? Madam, we are Mercenaries. Aside from the mission objective, the only thing that can restrain me is time itself. Please be frank, where might your daughter and her friends be?"

"Because it might lead to a confrontation with the mayor's private army... I might not have enough money..." (Wife)

Seeing Dalia's still hesitant expression, Nana grasped her hands, which were curled up against her chest as if unsure of what to do: [Delete]

"You helped me realize my ideals, and in return, I should help you... Not revealing your employer's information is a basic quality of Mercenaries, so there's no need to worry about offending anyone." Hiss

Although Ms. Dalia probably didn't understand why Nana seemed relieved, since the actors themselves didn't seem to care about the foreseeable conflict, Dalia naturally wouldn't mind revealing a location that even she, as a citizen, was somewhat unwilling to believe:

"Yesterday, my husband brought me new information... He said... Zhuoya might be... in Boris's hands."

"... Were you taken hostage? What does Boris want to coerce you into doing?"

"That's the problem. We've been looking for Zhuoya for several months now, but we haven't received any similar 'ransom' demands."

Could this inexplicable source of intelligence be a possible attempt by the rebels to sow Chernobog Military Police and police and Boris?

But is it really necessary to sow discord between these two sides?

Completely baffled, Nana confirmed the location where Zhuoya was suspected to have recently been seen— the Sarcophagus Mansion.

Why is it that awful place again?

Although it wasn't face-to-face, Nana still wanted to thank Mika for her remote mouth-spoofing. Even Amiya, who hadn't participated much in frontline operations, had visited that building several times.

Having gone there and escaped under the guise of Rhodes Island, it's hard to say how everyone feels about returning to that area under a new identity.

However, getting close to that area now might be a bit difficult.

As Typhon worked hard to steer the conversation back on track, Huang finally managed to calm down the pink-haired girl beside him who seemed to want to take a grenade launcher and blast the target location into the sky.

[Ever since we completely ransacked Boris's mansion warehouse, the Sarcophagus area has become an outer fortress of the Central Control Tower. With the current theater control, those defenses probably have no loopholes left... Things could easily escalate into a direct confrontation with the regular army. Isn't that too risky?]

"But the information injection from the control tower is a necessary procedure, otherwise we'll have to abandon the Exploration Vehicle... Rhodes Island has invested a lot in that vehicle, and we've even lived in Exploration Vehicle for a long time. Giving it up like this... is unacceptable both emotionally and costly. Anyway, we still need to give it a try... Saria, do you have any suggestions?"

[... As long as you, Captain, aren't planning to force your way in, it's fine.]

As the atmosphere grew serious, everyone in the team channel fell silent, as if waiting for Nana to make her final decision.

Just as Nana was looking at the topographical map of the guerrilla squad's recent activity area sent by Huang and Typhon, and wondering where to begin with the fortresses layered around the Central Control Tower, the Doctor, who had remained silent throughout the previous discussion, coughed softly twice:

[Um, Medic... if you just want to gather information, you could ask your new ally.]

"A new ally... Black Snake? But, if we let Yi Lingyi and Si Wu, along with Si Jiu's Inner Guards, handle something like rescuing people..."

Whether they can even be rescued is another matter entirely. Just the sight of those two girls covered in black mist would surely scare Zhuoya and the others half to death... if those two girls are really in Boris's hands.

Hesitantly considering the Doctor's suggestion, Nana switched back to her more infiltrative Feline Form and, in the darkness, used a dark red flashlight to check the information on her notebook.

She seemed to understand what the Doctor was thinking.

[Well... I was just saying, there are actually many ways to get to the target location... You don't necessarily have to aim to defeat the enemy, surrendering can also achieve the same goal, right?]

[... Isn't this too dangerous? Leaving aside whether the objective can be achieved, the captain's life alone is at risk... What if the other side doesn't take in those who surrender, but executes them on the spot?]

[That... should also be within Medic's capabilities.]

As the Doctor spoke, his tone remained gentle and warm; Nana could even see his ever-present gentle smile through his voice. But for some reason, amidst this kindness that treated everyone equally, a certain indifference was palpable...

Like carelessly tossing away an empty paper cup, like casually stepping on a cockroach on the street... nonchalant, that's the impression the Doctor gives off now.

[Medic, Amiya has been telling me about you these past few days. Much of it is classified as Amiya Rhodes Island information, which I won't go into detail here... but the origins of those things are based on Amiya's Empathy with your adopted daughter, meaning their veracity should be guaranteed...]

[To be honest, your arrangements for this mission have pretty much reached their limit. Judging from a conservative development strategy, the minimum requirement of ensuring everyone's safe departure has been met.]

[However, the tasks you've set for yourself go beyond that... there are other things you want to do.]

Obviously, the Doctor was telling the truth, but the reason why Nana had been hesitant these past few days was revealed, which still saddened the assassin girl a little... After all, the Doctor directly pointed out that Nana was preparing to passively deal with the mission of I (II) Lin Shan Er Lin (VII) Si Ba Dai Zhuoya and the other person, and ultimately let it develop on its own.

"... Was I too greedy?"

I braced myself for a scolding from Dalia, accepted her seemingly unreasonable request... and then did nothing, symbolically completing the tasks I did along the way before giving up, saying, 'I've already tried my best'... Is that enough?

Nana felt she wanted to be even more greedy, but the Rosemary... Narcissa's precedent was right in front of her.

Standing in the cabin just a few hundred meters from the underground structure of the Central Control Tower of the Mobile City, and seeing the Doctor's inexplicably expectant gaze, Nana slightly turned her eyes away:

"I cannot place your safety, Doctor, on either side of my personal concerns... This is something that absolutely cannot be compromised."

[I feel safe, and Medic, you just need... well, a little extra motivation?]

The Doctor nodded his lips in the PRTS communication, murmured for a moment, and then tapped his palm:

[How about this, I'll give you the 'order'... You did say you would obey my reasonable orders, right?]

With a smile, the Doctor made the decision for Nana:

[Then Medic, I order you not to hold back in the mission to rescue Zhuoya and the other two... Whether you charge straight in or use underhanded tactics, don't treat this as a side task to infiltrating the Central Control Tower... I want you to seriously search for that clue. I remember the information you got from Ms. Dalia was...]

"Zhuoya's Backpack was found in the garbage dump outside the mansion."

[Well, so... tell me the truth, what do you think the probability is that those two kids are here?]

"Sigh... fifty or fifty, since there aren't any other clues."

She didn't know why she was sighing, but at that moment, as she twitched the corners of her mouth, Nana thought she was probably smiling.

[Well, Medic, if you need any further tactical guidance or life advice, feel free to come to me~ Also, I saw the escape routes you designed for the refugees... The two routes, one on the surface closest to the control tower and the other underground near the Exploration Vehicle parking area, can be set up in advance. As Rhodes Island's operations commander... could I start working on them ahead of schedule?]

Seeing the helpless Feline on the screen, the Doctor licked his lips, and the tablet in his hand emitted a notification sound indicating that PRTS had entered strategic command mode.

[Alright, let's begin our battle!]

It has to be said that handing over command to the Doctor was perhaps the best decision Nana ever made.

Although she was still very worried about Jessica and Typhon being sent out alone to meet her, with the Doctor's command, she could finally focus all her attention on the current mission... Other tasks, such as maintaining order in the refugee team, defending the outer passage, monitoring the Inner Guards along the same route, and even real-time monitoring of the progress of natural Catastrophes on the surface, were all under the comprehensive control of the Doctor, who had higher authority, through the PRTS system, with each operator as a unit.

[This is not good... Those who arrived on the surface early seem to have noticed something amiss with the weather...]

[There's nothing we can do about it. And even if we found it, why would someone go to the surface and then try to go back?]

[Please maintain order, Huang.]

[Okay~]

Hearing the shouts coming through her headphones, and the enormous noise that even the noise-canceling system made her want to droop her cat ears, Nana arrived at the underground street near the Central Control Tower. While observing the sentries and the weapon deployment of automatic cannons in the front compartment, Nana waited for the Doctor's tactical instructions.

[Actually, everyone's concerns are quite reasonable. Even if captured, escaping and retrieving equipment would be time-consuming and laborious... Nana, are you sure you can subdue those... uh... fellow agents with your bare hands?]

"No problem. I haven't found any opponents with the strength level of Top Operator yet... But if I had to say, Boris himself is probably the most difficult enemy to deal with in the opposing faction within Chernobog... I sensed it at the manor before; he should have received caster training, and at a high level."

[So let's just call the method of quickly entering the control tower a 'surrender' ruse, okay? The escape route is from underground all the way to the top... Did you remember the route and the usual route...? Um, maybe I shouldn't doubt you?]

Ignoring the Doctor's seemingly comical remark, Nana simply asked herself how she should proceed:

"So, when should we use the method of quickly entering the target area?"

[Of course, that's when you feel you don't have enough time. Right now, you still have some time to scout the target area...]

Just as Nana nodded in agreement, drew her Silver Dancer, and prepared to begin the infiltration operation, Typhon, the surface surveillance sentry, sent a new message:

[Wait! Something's up... An Ursus police officer was arrested at the mansion entrance... He seemed to be using some vulgar language... Weren't those dark-skinned guys saying the police and Boris had some kind of working relationship? What's going on... Wait, that guy looks familiar? Everyone, look at this photo, isn't that Zhuoya's father... the policeman who worked with 'Rhodes Island' before?]

Glancing at the screenshot in the team chat, Nana immediately confirmed Typhon's statement, and almost simultaneously, the Doctor's soft chuckle came through the earpiece:

[Heh~ Medic, looks like you won't need to bother finding the location of the hostages being held at the mansion... Can Typhon track down that person?]

[Not good. Although the mansion wasn't in the most concentrated bombing area, only about 50% of its basic structure remains... Ah, he was dragged into the mansion, and judging by the direction, it seems to be heading towards the underground section.]

[Medic.]

"Clear."

Dark magical light spread from the gun, Nana immediately appeared from the passage, then silently pulled the trigger.

"Target: the underground prison and warehouse area."

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: Bloodshed... Kurushio...

7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 282 Chernobog's Blood Money (2)

Nana returned to the Sarcophagus without saying a word, as it was mostly just fighting and killing.

If there's anything to be aware of, it's that Boris has more men than Nana imagined. Perhaps the war has led Boris to recruit a number of social groups to act as his henchmen. Fortunately, most of these young men don't cause Nana any trouble.

But halfway through her mission, the assassin suddenly realized that continuing to fire so recklessly was incredibly wasteful. If Kal'tsit saw the ammunition bill, she'd probably be kicking herself for it... So Nana pulled out the baton she'd swiped.

Nana has become quite adept at using this device over time. Nana is skilled at both throwing and wielding it, and she will never let her target die if she wants them alive. It is worth mentioning that if the electric shock function is turned down, it can be used for interrogation quickly and efficiently... After all, even the stereotypical tough guys from Ursus will become docile when an electric baton is inserted between their legs.

"So... who are Boris's men imprisoning here?"

She wore a Chernobog Agents uniform over her combat suit to confuse the area, and after asking around, she arrived at a place called 'prison'. Through the fence that she didn't know what it was for, Nana turned on the small red flashlight she carried with her.

Because of the diverse backgrounds of the people she saw, even Nana was taken aback for a moment. However, after scanning several cells and ignoring the reactions of the awakened prisoners, she realized that the people imprisoned here could be roughly divided into three categories.

"An officer in the uniform of the Old Nobles' Army, family members who appeared to be local merchants from Chernobog... and... a beautiful child..."

Because these people were imprisoned separately, Nana didn't need to use her brain or ask many questions to figure out that their grouping and classification were based on standards.