Chapter 262

With a sigh, Folinic tugged at Typhon, who, thanks to his newfound Halo of strolling freely without being chased away, was now carrying a handful of Typhon.

"Alright, back to the main topic, Typhon, have you seen that An Xinyuan?"

"No, but everyone around the food street knows her... but when asked where to find her, everyone becomes wary and falls silent. Some even ask me why I'm looking for her..."

"So... that messenger has a good relationship with small business owners and the Infected at the bottom of society... By the way, what did you reply to them?"

Chewing on a sweet kebab dipped in cheese sauce, Typhon reminisced, saying between chews:

"I just said I wanted to find a trustworthy messenger to help me... I didn't say anything else."

"Hmm, that's good... But this is troublesome. If we can't get any information, are we really only left with the clumsy method of staking out the location?"

"Waiting is part of the hunt; it's you who are too impatient, Folinic."

Hearing Sami's advice, Folinic was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook her head... This time she was indeed too eager for quick success. After all, this was Folinic's first time participating in a front-line mission with Nana, and it was not wrong for her to want to perform well in front of Kal'tsit's appointed mentor.

Taking a deep breath and regaining her composure, Folinic gestured towards the Laterano Church not far away.

"So, the next step is to get into position at the observation point... How do we get to the church roof? Can we do it under the guise of a visit?"

Hearing Folinic's question, Typhon wanted to say that he could help Folinic climb up to that height himself.

But looking at the area around the church, which was actually part of the old town, densely populated and a melting pot of families, the Infected, small vendors, and government officials... Typhon paused for a moment, then said something that, although Nana had said so, Typhon was somewhat skeptical:

"Kitty Teacher said it's perfectly normal for Sankta to ask the church for help... We should just tell the church staff we want to go to the rooftop to see the view... right?"

Seeing that neither of them seemed very confident, Folinic and Typhon exchanged a glance, then sighed and shared the snacks Typhon had bought along the way to bolster their courage.

As the sun was once again obscured by the clouds, and a light drizzle began to fall again, Typhon and Folinic, along with those who had sought shelter nearby, headed toward the church.

PS: Waaaaaaah!

The armed speedboats, originally intended to appear in the 'Stultifera Navis' storyline and assigned to Rhodes Island... Of course, it's too abstract for Landship to carry these things, so it was ultimately decided to assign them to all-terrain vessels for TDD use.

Of course, it will probably only appear in the Stultifera Navis segment.

PSS: Depending on my wrist condition... if it's good, I'll write another chapter... or maybe I'll work on the outline? The outline for this volume is still half-finished, sob sob...

The 8th Spring of Siracusa: 295 So-called 'Justice'

"Nana, Typhon and Folinic have confirmed they've entered checkpoint one. Quite a few people in the city know that messenger, but they're very cautious and united... I'm afraid we'll need to give them some more time to observe before we can find him."

Nodding to confirm Su Sulo's report, Nana turned off the car and brought it to a stop, then made a 'shh' gesture.

As the assassin's cat ears stood upright and spun left and right like radar, confirming there were no engine sounds or magical fluctuations in the sky, and apart from the pitter-patter of raindrops, all that could be heard was the hissing sound of water evaporating from the hood of the car cooling the vehicle... This discovery gave Nana an instinctive feeling that something was wrong.

"... There's no sound... Hopefully, the safe house is well-insulated..."

Muttering to herself, Nana drew her gun and got out of the car with Su Sulo. The former put the gun behind her back and pulled up her uniform hood with her left hand. The latter took an umbrella from the glove compartment and, after seeing Nana's actions, belatedly touched the back of his head and pulled up the rain hood that was pressing down on his ears, which was a little uncomfortable.

While Su Sulo was fiddling with her clothes, Nana had already leaped off the car as nimbly as a real cat.

The girl lightly touched the muddy ground with her toes without leaving any footprints, and her steel-plated boots were spotless... Su Sulo, who was also wearing waterproof wilderness boots but had stepped into the mud as soon as she got off the vehicle, opened her mouth slightly, but ultimately said nothing.

Scanning her surroundings, Nana confirmed the condition of the area.

On a hillside covered with forests and shrubs, facing the city, sits a wooden house.

It looks like it's made of logs, and it's no different from any other cabin in the woods that are used by travelers.

However, compared to those places where anyone could find a place to stay, this area has clearly been tidied up by human hands. The bushes and weeds around the wooden houses have been cut down, and the muddy mountain roads and the land used for parking have been deliberately cleared.

The dangerous cliffs facing the city were carefully fenced with woven vines. A few scenic spots were decorated with withered wreaths, while the more distant viewpoints had small chairs and tables that could probably only be used by people of Su Sulo's size.

Looking back at the area around the house, the footprints on this purely muddy road surface were not completely erased even after rain.

Around the wooden cabin disguised as a forest camping house, the footprints of a child, possibly his target, were scattered throughout the area. Another footprint, slightly larger than his own, suggested a woman who was probably over 1.7 meters tall but not much heavier, and that might be the footprint of his client... Miss Lisa's mother.

"... There's a third footprint, 1.8 meters tall, male... He went straight through the gate after arriving here, and left just as quickly..."

The little girl's footprints mostly circled around the viewing platform, with a few extending to the tree next to the wooden house. Nana saw a swing made of hemp rope swaying ominously in the rain.

The footprints, presumably belonging to the client, mostly extended along the wooden cabin and the mountainside behind it... Was it a habitual attempt to occupy high ground? Or was it an unexpected development, a sign of insecurity?

What's most intriguing is the male footprint that left the least information, yet is the most unsettling.

Was he the client's assistant? Or simply her husband? Judging from his straightforward gait, he must also know about this safe house.

So, if the other party is either a relative of the client or an employee of Rhodes Island's overseas office, but since this city-state is not a large city and there is no permanent office, Rhodes Island only provides a transfer-based telephone consultation service here. Therefore, it would be too arbitrary to assert that the safe house is still safe.

After considering this, Nana, keeping her right hand, which was holding the Silver Dancer's hand, slightly behind her back, maintaining a polite yet potentially dangerous stance, knocked on the door.

"Hello, we are employees of Rhodes Island Medical Center. Is Ms. Lisa here?"

The thumping sound echoed in the wooden house. Nana waited for a few seconds and called out again, but there was still no response.

At this moment, Nana's ominous premonition had reached its peak. The assassin frowned and pointed her pistol at the door while signaling to Su Sulo with her eyes not to leave her side.

Just as Su Sulo thought Nana was going to keep knocking, the assassin took a deep breath... Without even thinking of using a key or lock pick, the assassin kicked the not-so-sturdy wooden door.

Although it looks like a camping hut for any passing traveler to use at will, as a disguised safe house for Rhodes Island, the hut naturally has a lock... But why should an ordinary lock be treated so seriously by the legendary Silent Assassin? With a loud cracking sound as the wooden planks shattered, Nana rushed into the hut, gun in one hand and casting a spell to create a bright light with the other.

Frontal confirmation! Left and right confirmation! Top confirmation! The entire room is clear! No enemies.

"... Safe, Su Sulo, come in."

Even Su Sulo could sense the strangeness of the safe house now that things had come to this. The bed was still covered with bedding, and the pot on the stove and the cartoon bowls and chopsticks that were clearly for children were not dusty, but there was no one in the house or the surrounding area. The atmosphere was eerily unsettling.

"Did they hide in the safe room?"

Su Sulo was referring to the storage rooms that every safe house has, or rather, these 'storage rooms' are what make a safe house a safe house. Because they are built with the premise of storing supplies and sheltering from Catastrophes, these prefabricated rooms with metal interlayers are usually in the form of basements.

After a short search, the two quickly found a pull ring on the wooden floor. After lifting it, they could open the 'safe house' that Rhodes Island spends a lot of money to maintain throughout the land by swiping their employee card on the card reader or entering the password set by their respective office.

Is anyone inside, Lisa?

As she descended, calling out the mission target's name, Nana glanced at the supplies that had been partially used and searched the entire area inside and out... Then she returned to the ground through the safety door and shook her head at Su Sulo.

"Strange... it's really not here."

"Most importantly, this place wasn't unused; someone lived here for a while and only left in the last few days."

The air fell silent. Su Sulo watched as Nana checked the small bowl and chopsticks that appeared to be for children, and the small blanket placed against the wall on the bed... Hesitantly, she asked:

"So what do we do next?"

"... wait."

"Isn't this putting us in a passive position?"

"Of course, we're not just going to wait here... While waiting for them to return, we need to confirm the intelligence gathering and inquire in the city about any news of the target... But before that..."

As Nana spoke, she went out to the car and returned with a briefcase containing a sniper rifle. Then, the assassin moved the table to the window of the cabin facing the city and climbed up to sit down... Su Sulo followed Nana's gaze and turned off the cabin light that she had just turned on.

As the drizzle pattered against the solar panels on the roof, Su Sulo watched Nana assemble the guns, especially the way she lifted the huge silencer, and her mind began to wander... Before Su Sulo could figure out whether installing solar panels in Siracusa, a place with a long rainy season, would be profitable, Nana's group call came through her earpiece and in front of her.

"This is Medic. Unfortunately, there's no sign of the target in the safe house... Folinic, how are you all doing?"

"Medic, our mission is still ongoing... We are currently searching..."

Secretly putting on her headphones, she quietly gave her report... Mixed in with the crowd of tourists and locals, Folinic, fully armed, was still quite eye-catching even though she tried her best not to make any movements.

As for Typhon, although he was carrying a 'fanny pack' and a 'backpack', the way he was happily eating and drinking the freshly baked bread and apple juice that the church had just sold blended perfectly into the scene:

"We haven't found it yet... Also, the tickets here are so expensive, and you have to pay extra to go to the top floor..."

It seemed to be the first time Typhon had truly grasped the importance of wages. Sami, a young hunter still largely living in an era of barter trade, retained the habit of grabbing whatever food he could to replenish his nutrition anytime, anywhere. However, the fact that the city was not the wilderness, and that food cost money, gradually gave Typhon a real sense of 'money'.

Although Folinic didn't know Typhon's exact salary level, as a frontline combatant under Nana and a Level 6 privilege holder... she hoped that Rhodes Island's high salary wouldn't turn the little hunter into someone with a strange view of money like Rosemary.

"Furthermore, we overheard quite a few things, though we're not sure if they count as intelligence... The tourists here don't seem happy, and some of the backpackers we met seemed to be talking about murder cases. They're all considering leaving..."

Although Folinic would occasionally try to stop the Sami hunter beside her from feeding her with her eyes, their reporting didn't stop. While Typhon with apple juice in Folinic's mouth, the little hunter began to recount what she had learned from the merchant:

"It's not as simple as a murder case... I heard from the locals that it's a massacre involving the 'family'... although I'm not sure if it's the one mentioned in our mission file."

Listening to the reports from her two students, Nana sat sideways on the table by the window, her legs spread and knees bent, holding a gun in her right hand, her left arm bent and supported by her knee while also supporting the gun... This is the standard seated bullpup shooting posture.

As Nana nodded to Su Sulo to alert him to his surroundings, she looked at the scope. With the large optical sight locking onto the white church bell tower and the magnification adjusted to the appropriate level... at the top of the bell tower, Nana quickly saw Typhon's faintly glowing Halo.

[According to Rhodes Island's intelligence, the so-called 'family annihilation tragedy' stemmed from a clandestine power struggle between two families. Our client, the daughter of a gang leader—or, as the 'gang boss'—was attacked with a doll bomb containing Active Originium, resulting in her Oripathy... and after her daughter's attack, she launched a vengeful campaign against the rival family, seeking to wipe them out completely.]

"... Extermination... So it was a massacre of the entire family... But I remember you said, senior, that in Siracusa... that Lady Sicilia established a law forbidding family wars from resulting in such annihilation?"

[Yes, so this is a very risky act. But on one hand, there's the risk of her daughter's life being forever filled with hatred and thorns; on the other hand, there's the guarantee that her family will provide ample funds for her treatment... If the person involved goes along with the tide, and then her family adds fuel to the fire... no, perhaps it should be called upholding justice.]

Whether it was contempt or a sigh, Nana's tone rose slightly in everyone's ears:

[After all, when the enemy uses Originium Bomb to spread the war to an innocent child, the nature of the situation completely changes.]

[Based on perspective, the question of justice is highly subjective... Just as when people discuss the massacre of an entire family, expressing their hope that judges and courts will uphold justice, how can they not know the heartbreaking and desperate situation that mother endured... And going back to the root of the matter, is the fate of her daughter, as a henchman of the family, a form of karmic retribution...? As outsiders, it's difficult for us to have a truly fair discussion.]

[Therefore, regardless of whether it's Siracusa, where the rule of law is controlled by families and justice and conscience are distorted... I hope everyone can have some basic methodologies.]

[When encountering a situation, whether in discussion or as a party involved... first observe the behavior, then the stance, and only then listen or 'speak'.]

[Whether our actions are effective will supersede the theory of whether our actions are fair and just...]

As soon as Nana finished speaking, the indigo fox that had been keeping watch on Nana's surroundings chuckled softly over the communicator, "Hey!"

[This sounds like we're the bad guys instead?]

Regarding Su Sulo's teasing remark, Folinic gave it serious consideration: Scar

"Is it because... our own stance?"

[Yes... just like what we did in Chernobog before...]

Recalling the battlefield that severely tested one's patience, a battlefield so nauseating even to the memory, Folinic sadly took another sip of apple juice... Considering Nana's swift and decisive killing of the Inner Guards, and her past insistence on prioritizing the Doctor's life above all else... Folinic roughly understood what Nana was trying to say.

While Folinic was still processing her memories of the battlefield, Typhon, who had shown little interest in the topic, suddenly frowned and sniffed the murderous intent lurking in the misty rain: Jin

"Hmm... is it just my imagination...? Why do I smell blood?"

Listening to Typhon's words, while waiting for the client on the hilltop, Nana, who was holding a sniper rifle, quickly surveyed the surroundings.

As she saw through the scope that many mid- to high-rise buildings had their windows open and people sticking their heads out, Nana warned:

Something's definitely wrong. I can't see the street from here, and what are all the people in those surrounding buildings looking down at?

"Uh... the screamer?"

Just as Folinic tried to peek out, chaos spread from the church outwards like a shockwave:

"Die!!! Someone's dead!!!"

"Murder... murder!! The priest is dead!!"

It was as if a bomb had been detonated in the crowd, and for Folinic, who was 'armed', it was a completely undeserved disaster.

Just as people would be wary of anyone carrying a sword upon hearing of a murder, everyone's attention was focused on Folinic, who was carrying a bow and arrows and had what appeared to be a scabbard at her waist, even though no one knew who had shouted "murder."

"Judge! Where is the judge...?"

"Quickly go find the family... go find the Sicilians!"

Even the small church bell tower was now in complete chaos.

Folinic herself remained remarkably calm in the face of this unexpected disaster. As she raised her hands, family members dressed in suits arrived from afar, armed with weapons, and surrounded the scene.

Although Siracusa's legal education materials are based on those of Columbia, Siracusa does not have any violent institutions such as police... These tasks are all handled by family henchmen.

Before the situation was completely taken over by the family thugs, Folinic nodded to Typhon, who had his hand on his lower back, and Nana gave instructions on the other side.

[The residents in the nearby building are talking about 'the judge'... Those people are the Lady Sicilia's representatives. Don't worry about Folinic, Typhon, you go and continue searching for the messenger... Folinic, you need to wait a little while. Don't answer any questions about our mission until I come to find you.]

"I am Mingling Wuling (nine) Liu Jiubai."

"Folinic, please be careful."

As they said this, the girls nodded to each other, Folinic stopped looking at Typhon, who had climbed over the clock tower and left... A chaotic series of footsteps echoed down the stairs, and a group of family thugs rushed over, yelling:

"Is that her?"

"The one who killed the priest?"

"... Did she kill him?"

"No way, I remember this guy... Isn't 'Rhodes Island' something another gang (a gang leader's moniker) is responsible for monitoring?"

"Let's take it first!"