Chapter 251

Ignoring the glaring Old Nobles' Army prisoners of war, Nana tried uploading photos of other people. Soon, the Doctor sent her a comparison from PRTS, revealing that several of them had attended Rhodes Island's gathering at the manor as companions... and their identities could then be roughly confirmed:

"Aren't you the families of the local chamber of commerce who provided assistance to the Sarcophagus Campaign? How come you're being held here?"

"... You... you are not one of Boris's men..."

In short, after a quick conversation to establish her identity as Mercenaries and calming the group down from their sudden frantic cries of "Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me!", Nana found an older, seemingly the most composed woman in the group to speak on behalf of the others.

She claimed to be the mother of a baron in Chernobog, and that she was assisting her daughter-in-law and family in business, while her son was a member of the city Council: Qi

"As you can see, these are all Boris's opponents... or at least their families. The cells closer to the inside are mostly occupied by rebel officers, who, according to the rules of engagement, are waiting for their families to pay ransoms... and the last few children seem to have been sold simply because of their appearance, how pitiful..."

Seeing that Nana didn't react much, even though she was in prison, her clothes were dirty and tattered, and her face bore what appeared to be whip marks, the old nobleman still dragged his limping leg and tried his best to stand upright in front of Nana.

Nana could see the other person's belt, which they had likely tightened to combat hunger.

"May I ask, what is the current situation of the war outside?"

"It's still a one-sided infiltration and a tug-of-war; it's hard to say who has the upper hand. However, there's been a temporary ceasefire for the past three days. The Nobles' Army, the city government of Chernobog, and the military and police have temporarily provided a Safe Corridor for refugees to leave the war zone... So now it's my turn to ask, has anyone seen these two children?" Jiu

While showing the children the photos, Nana placed the food and water she carried with her into their cells.

Although the rations, enough for Nana herself for three days, certainly wouldn't be enough to feed dozens of children, under Nana's watchful gaze, the children spontaneously shared their military provisions. Then, one of the older girls among the children stood up and said: (

"I've seen them. Since most of the people in our cell are trafficked, it's rare to see someone taken out for interrogation like she did. When they came back, one person was missing. Then, a few days later, that girl named Zhuoya was also taken out... and then there was no news." (Three)

"... Could you elaborate?"

Perhaps because she had eaten some sweets, the girl's mind started working again, and as her narration became clearer, Nana also understood the situation of Zhuoya and Fufu.

"So... the two of them were brought in together first, and after being questioned by the guards, they were separated... only the brown-haired Zhuoya was told by the guards to 'change cells'... the white-haired Fufu didn't say what she was called away to do, right?"

Seeing the girl nodding vigorously, Nana felt slightly troubled. Then, the assassin dragged in a guard she had knocked unconscious from outside the cell, and then switched the stun gun to torture mode to wake him up.

"Tell me, of the two girls brought in two months ago, one was moved to a different cell, and the other went missing... Where was she moved to? And where did the missing one go?!"

Because the torture was somewhat bloody, even though Nana stuffed the other person's mouth with a sock, the groans and screams were enough to make one's hair stand on end... The whole process was carried out out of sight of everyone... As for those curious Old Nobles' Army who were peeking out to see what Nana was doing, Nana didn't want to pay them any attention for the time being.

As the unfortunate fellow spilled out most of what he knew, Nana used her baton to knock him unconscious again and returned to the fence where everyone was being held.

"Does anyone know where that special VIP room the guard mentioned is? Also, does 'shipping' mean... what I'm thinking?"

Seeing the girl holding the children's hands silently, Nana shook her head, then took out a lock pick. A few seconds later, with a crisp click, the cell door opened.

"See this road? Follow the open door outwards, being careful not to touch the closed doors. At the end, a black-haired Sankta girl with a red Cross-Star Halo will meet you... Jessica, I've released the trafficked children being held at the mansion. You'll meet them and lead them to the 'Life Corridor'."

[Don't forget to register! Amiya said PRTS can help with the filing.]

The Doctor's orders threw Jessica into a panic again. Nana ignored the scene of the children scrambling to get rid of the guards she had knocked unconscious and then looting them. Instead, she looked at the equally excited merchants and noble families who had gathered in front of the gate and noted down the approximate location of the 'VIP room' in the mansion, as mentioned by the old woman.

"As for you all... you all seem to be injured..."

"There's no other way. After all, we're not like those children, being treated as 'commodities'... As hostages, all we need is to stay alive."

"Well then, as payment for providing the intelligence, I can release you... however, some of you seem to be unable to move."

Even so, Nana still opened their cell doors:

"What are your plans for dealing with the injured?"

"Of course we'll leave together... We'll be impeaching Boris later, and everyone here is a witness."

Watching the old woman briefly direct those in better condition to lead the wounded, these people thanked Nana and immediately left, following the voices of the children from before.

However, the old woman did not leave immediately. She stood beside Nana and looked at the Nobles' Army officers who were also watching the situation closely:

"How do you plan to deal with these rebels?"

"You don't want them to come out?"

"Yes, although we were also insulted by Boris, they are, after all, our enemies... We, the old, weak, and disabled, have no way to resist the regular army..."

Seeing Nana nod in agreement, the Ursus officer who had been peeking around earlier let out a flippant whistle.

"Don't say that, Madam. You want to be enemies with Boris, and we are enemies with Boris anyway. We should be on the same side. Besides, you see, I am also a knight. We are both nobles, so it's time to help each other, isn't it? After all, you see, Boris even sold young girls to Grand Duke Baikal. I don't want to give that guy Boris any money. How about I give you the ransom or something?"

The old lady completely ignored the 'Knight's' attempts to get close to her. Seeing that the young Mercenaries had taken her words to heart, the old woman took the spear handed to her by the person next to her and used it as a cane to slowly leave.

"This... they really left without hesitation... Well then, Mercenaries, let's talk."

"I don't think we have much to talk about... but..."

"That little girl who got bought, right? She was bought by Baikal. Although white-haired girls are not uncommon in Ursus, that girl named Fu is quite beautiful... Boris has been using pretty children as bargaining chips to make deals with the Legion for quite some time now. I know this stuff well."

Watching the Ursus officer sitting in front of her, who was only a head shorter than her, say such things so casually, Nana listened to Saria's heavy breathing through her earphones with a blank expression, and could even imagine the stern woman's furrowed brows.

As she watched the other person launch into a long-winded explanation, promising to help her find Fufu, Nana tilted her head slightly and said:

"No matter what you say, I won't let you out... That old man is right, they are all family members of important local figures. It's too dangerous for you to travel with the elderly, weak, and disabled of Chernobog, especially since there are quite a few underage children in that group..."

"Don't say that. I know the Noble Faction has indeed been quite disliked in recent years, but there's still a possibility of cooperation... You're going to the mansion to find that girl named Zhuoya, aren't you? As fellow comrades who also dislike Boris, haven't you considered the possibility that we can act as your helpers? Not to mention helping you kill that guy... We can go together to the first floor of the mansion, and then go our separate ways, okay? You see, we don't even need to take the same path as those people before. We'll find another Life Corridor to the ceasefire and rejoin the group, right?"

Looking at the seemingly sincere Old Nobles' Army in front of her, Nana began to play with the lock-picking tools in her hand:

"... But how can you convince me that you will obediently return to your units through the Safe Corridor... and instead add more casualties to the people seeking refuge in this city?"

"No? Big sister... I call you sister! Although I'm considered a noble among us junior officers, my monthly salary is only a few Chelerv... Not everyone can sneak in undetected like you... Fighting is a life-or-death job; you can get injured, and you might even die there!"

"Look, we just don't want to keep suffering here with Boris. You want me to play Predator in Chernobog all by myself? We definitely can't do it... Honestly, if the group that left before us hadn't been so old, weak, sick, and disabled and completely non-combatants, we would have just defected on the spot and said Chernobog Garrison."

"We can also lend a hand in your subsequent cleanup of the manor. After that, we'll travel from the surface, making sure we don't follow the same route as those people... Finally, I'll give you some extra information: I know which cabin that Baikal bastard will put the children he bought in. What do you think of this deal?"

Seeing the other person rubbing their hands together with a big smile, Nana thought for a moment, and after communicating with Jessica in the underground area, the assassin used magic to blast open the passage she had created.

As the piercing alarm rang, Nana opened the cells holding the officers. Seeing the ceremonial sword and pistol Nana handed them, the somewhat stunned officers straightened up, pursed their lips, and sighed as they accepted the weapons.

"Alright... at least we're out."

Watching the four Ursus men emerge one after another and begin donning the guards' equipment, Nana nodded.

"You have 30 seconds, then we'll begin the raid on this mansion."

"Actually, we're better at infiltration... Well, it doesn't matter anyway, once we've cleaned up this mansion and found that girl named Zhuoya, we're even."

Drawing his saber, listening to the hurried footsteps approaching from the outside, and watching his 'employer' gleam with a silvery Halo, the Knight Marquis... or rather, this veteran of Ursus's hundred battles, revealed a cruel smile:

"Come on, the war must continue."

"What's going on?! Where's the alarm coming from?"

"Your Excellency, it's the basement, the underground prison! None of the guards in that area have responded!"

Watching his subordinates operate the transponder with trembling hands, Boris irritably pushed them aside and took over the operation himself... Just as his new subordinates, who hadn't even passed their special agent training, had said, all communications to the underground guards went unanswered, and reports of fighting emerged near the mansion's staircase.

Seeing this, Boris switched the command channel to the combat personnel's side while operating the mansion's surveillance system, starting to play the recent audio and surveillance footage from the area near the underground prison... This system was originally installed to collect and use information and intelligence about the mansion's personnel, but now, due to a lack of manpower, it can only perform a surveillance function.

"Who are you fighting?"

"No... I don't know! They're wearing our uniforms, but this tactic... it's the Veterans! They're Ursus... no, the Veterans of the Rebels!"

Hearing the sounds of battle cries, wails, clashing weapons, and flesh being torn apart on the other end of the radio, Boris's right eye twitched. He immediately realized that his prisoner had been released, and then touched the cell key on his body.

He couldn't fathom how the enemy had managed to break into the D32 Military Alloy cell, secured with the latest cross-gear lock, without losing the key... But this was clearly not the time to dwell on such matters. Boris clicked his tongue and switched the communication to all communications:

"This is Boris. Mansion Guard Operation Plan C: Block Staircase Number Two. After the operation, contact the Royal Guard via radio to report the situation to me!"

As he spoke, the 'VIPs' standing nearby, dressed in urban camouflage resembling that of the Columbia regular army, unlike the suits and uniforms of the mansion staff, immediately sprang into action. They were heading to Staircase Number One to activate the passage leading to the Central Control Tower.

That's right, Boris is going to run away.

While making these preparations, he looked at the man in front of him who was tightly bound to a chair, barely breathing, and completely naked... Who else could it be but Loban?

"I knew it! How could you be so bold as to come to me all alone all of a sudden... So it was to cover for those guys down there?"

"... wrong..."

"Oh?"

With his face swollen and deformed from a brutal beating, Loban struggled to lift his head, looking at Boris as if he were already dead.

"This was our last chance for reconciliation, but you were useless... If you had simply returned the people to us, and then I had negotiated with the invaders, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation of actual armed conflict..."

"Ha~ Let's not joke around, your killing intent is so strong it's practically overflowing... I could tell from the Sarcophagus Pollution incident that we can never go back to the way things were."

As he spoke, Boris took out a spellcasting unit that resembled a cane and pointed it at Loban. But seeing that the other party remained silent, Boris silently changed the direction of the cane... In the corner of the room, a brown-haired girl was hugging her knees, staring intently at Boris with the same look as her father.

At this moment, Loban, who had been silent, suddenly softened his attitude:

"Boris... no..."

"Ah ha~ my friend, what are you saying?~"

"I said, don't drag Zhuoya into our business... You're just unhappy with me, aren't you?!"

"But... you don't seem to care about punishments like beatings or humiliations, do you? Sure enough... a tough guy like you deserves some tough-guy treatment... Brother Loban, I admit you're dedicated to your position, loyal as a subordinate, and unafraid of authority... but honestly, you should be a little afraid of me... otherwise, how could my authority have fallen to this state!"

"I'm so sorry you can't understand the heartache I felt losing this city... so let me give you something similar."

"...!"

Before Loban could stop him, a beam of green magic pierced straight through the small cage. Then, amidst the sound of the girl falling and the man's agonizing screams, Boris ordered his guards to put a coat on him... Amidst the sounds of the mansion guards charging forward, he headed towards the refuge passage leading to the Central Control Tower.

On the way, looking at the Catastrophes observation data handed to him by his personal guard, Boris took out the Mobile City unlock key and glanced at it:

"Damn those ordinary folks, take a good look at the Catastrophes, and then think about whether they want to go to the wilderness to wait for death, or go back to the Mobile City..."

PS: Waaaaaaah!

7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 283 Chernobog's Blood Money (3)

Thunder rumbled outside the dimly lit mansion, and raindrops fell before the Catastrophes.

The outermost Nobles' Army had long since disappeared. To avoid further damage to the fleet from the Catastrophes, the Third Army Fleet made a very decisive move.

Meanwhile, on the outer edge of the Catastrophes, the Landship with the Rhodes Island logo painted on their sidewalls showed no intention of leaving.

The porthole armor was lowered layer by layer, and the top communication mast and floating meteorological station were all retracted... Now, even with just the naked eye, one could see the Catastrophes gathering its strength like an anvil above Chernobog.

A massive walking mechanism was supported by reinforcing piles tens of meters high, which were directly connected to the chassis. Accompanied by a series of explosions that sounded exactly like thunder, the reinforcing piles were driven into the ground one after another.

This is not the first time Rhodes Island has faced a natural Catastrophes, and it certainly won't be the last.

In a place closer to the heart of the Catastrophes than Rhodes Island, Inner Guards in black military uniform stood on Customs platform far from the city, leaning on his sword and gazing into the distance. Behind him, the first group of refugees had already arrived at this neutral location provided by the Nobles' Army. Obeying Black Snake's orders, he and his colleagues kept their eyes off the 'Ursus Blood' with their ulterior motives.

But looking directly at the Mobile City block still standing there from the Customs, the 'Safe Corridor' that was previously connected in a line had been split in two under the command of the military police and Inner Guards. Although the Customs and the outer outposts of Chernobog had been trying to retrieve personnel, as the black rain fell to the ground, both sides closed their gates in panic, leaving the military police and Inner Guards outside.

"Wait! Wait, we haven't gone in yet!"

"We have children here, please, just let the children in..."

"No! We all have excessive Originium right now. Going in would just turn us all into the Infected!"

"... Then... what should we do?"

Although they belonged to different factions, both the Chernobog Military Police and police, and the Nobles' Army sent to assist the Inner Guards, made the same judgment.

"Cover your mouth and nose with a clean, folded piece of cloth, dampen it, and run beneath the Mobile City (Customs module)! Quickly!"

The black rain poured down, the dirty droplets mixed with Active Originium unable to form snowflakes like normal rain... What should have been a normal white Christmas was now shrouded in black rain, the raindrops pattering and clattering onto the ruined city.

As the crystal content of the black rainwater increases and the concentration of Active Originium rises, the critical point of its energy release reaction arrives precisely as calculated by the Catastrophe Messengers.

Heat is released first in the air, atmospheric energy begins to accumulate, and the dark rain clouds become thicker. As the sky visibly darkens, the thunder, which is rare in winter, begins to roar more fiercely.

Like the sky collapsing downwards, a massive, anvil-shaped cloud slammed into the city, accompanied by a powerful downdraft that blew away parts of the ruined battlefield. Chernobog officially faced its test of Catastrophes.

Flames erupted in the black sky, and the Active Originium continued to grow as they fell, creating a massive fireball that rained down from the heavens. The city's wailing drowned out all the fighting... but a father's heart-wrenching cry still reached Nana's ears through several floors.

"... Don't block my way!"

Recognizing the voice, Nana, already in a fit of rage, no longer had the energy to control the additional damage according to the agent's manual. At this moment, the assassin dared not even think about the meaning behind the man's tears.

[Give it your all!]

Recalling the orders of the girl codenamed "Doctor," the assassin snatched the sword from the mansion guard as her self-restriction was lifted. Like a highly skilled martial artist, the petite girl, clad in a guard's coat of the same color, rose and leaped over the forest of guns formed by the veterans of the prison cells. Her slightly oversized standard military knife slashed precisely and elegantly across the neck of the veteran in the front row.

Completely different from her previous indifferent demeanor, with the drumbeats of the Catastrophes Thunder, the Sankta girl's blade flashes and splattered blood formed flowers together. As Nana's pistol was holstered, the girl put it back in its holster and hooked a second military knife with her foot, holding it in her hand.

The passionate and wild Baroque dance steps, accompanied by the flashes of light that seemed capable of cleaving through lightning, instantly cleared the entire corridor.

"Oh... Miss, what you've done..."

You don't need our help at all, do you?