Chapter 275

"Speaking of which, can you tell which number this is?"

"... Please do not obstruct the military's mission. Even if Governor Wei were here today, we would absolutely not move without the Celestial Master's order."

"No, I'm confirming something related to your safety... How many is this?"

Seeing that the guards did not respond, Nana turned to the two police superintendents beside her.

Ch'en Hui-chieh, of course, gave a 'you're crazy' look, slightly opening her mouth but not responding. Meanwhile, Hoshiguma, perfectly in line, maintained her smile.

"Of course it's three... Are you really asking us to distinguish numbers?"

The black- Feline nodded, and in the dim, flickering light, her heterochromatic eyes shone even brighter. Ch'en Hui-chieh noticed that a faint glow seemed to begin to linger above her head... Was it some kind of magic?

Or was she seriously asking herself this seemingly idiotic question?

"Now it's four... So, what does your question have to do with the danger you mentioned?"

"Regarding... so gentlemen, what number should follow four?"

"Of course it's number five. This is the final warning. Please do not obstruct official business!"

As the folded short spear pointed at Nana, another person made the same movement, then paused for a moment, belatedly exclaiming, "Huh?"

"Shouldn't this... be seven?"

The flickering of the corridor lights reached its limit, and with a snap, the light tube shattered, instantly switching to emergency lighting.

The orange-yellow light strips on the baseboards of the corridor cast shadows that seemed to come alive on the empty faces present. After a series of bewildered glances among the group, Ch'en Hui-chieh broke the silence first:

"Are you making fun of us? Or are you playing along with her joke? I have to say, this isn't funny."

"... Four isn't followed by seven? Huh? No... it really isn't... So what is it? Three? No, one plus one is one, one plus two is two..."

"What utter nonsense are you spouting?! Can't you even count?!"

Just as the atmosphere became tense, a gentle light, like moonlight, spread out from among them. As Nana unleashed her Halo, the heterochromatic-eyed Feline stepped forward and removed the helmet from the confused soldier. Only then did everyone notice that the soldier's face was covered in black sweat.

"Don't panic... It's just a very basic 'Dequantization' reaction... Come on, don't think about those things for now, take a deep breath, dizziness is a normal reaction..."

Although it wasn't quite appropriate, the medical armband on Nana's old uniform seemed to have a calming effect on the patient at that moment, and as others noticed the person's unusual reaction, they no longer doubted the 'danger' Nana had mentioned.

"... Dequantization?"

"The boundaries of numbers are starting to blur, meaning he's lost some of his ability to recognize natural numbers... but because he's still quite far from the core, the reaction isn't severe. He needs to rest and recuperate, and should do more math problems in his spare time."

At this point, Nana looked at the soldier who was trying to wipe away the black sweat streaming down his comrade's face. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't touch those black, unusual things, as if they didn't exist in this world at all. The soldier, somewhat dazed, remained silent.

"Now you should believe me, I wasn't lying... My equipment is designed to handle these kinds of situations, but its method of combating them is derived from the same source as this Pollution... If activated incorrectly, it will naturally cause the wrong effects. So please inform that Celestial Master... no, perhaps it's the Celestial Masters who need our help..."

"I don't think now is the time to state our position; we need to act immediately... Medic, right? This... can we just leave the wounded here unattended?"

Ignoring Ch'en Hui-chieh's slightly agitated interruption, after all, Nana already knew the general personality traits of this police superintendent: age

"... Leaving it here definitely won't work; this is still within the Pollution zone... If possible, move it to a safe area... Judging from the distance, returning to the gate where you stopped me from going home should be about right... Also, please seal off the entire radius from that gate to my equipment location. Otherwise, the aftermath will be very troublesome." (Covering his face)

There was no need for Nana to elaborate; Ch'en Hui-chieh was the type who, once she confirmed that your actions were upright and reliable, would see it through to the end. The true dragon bloodline then asked earnestly:

"We need to go deeper... how many people do we need?"

"If possible, we only need strong individuals... There are still many similar anomalies that Dequantization, and sending in too many ordinary soldiers might actually become an obstacle for us." Qi

"I understand, Hoshiguma. Help this man retreat to a safe area with the wounded, and seal off the surrounding area as Rhodes Island requires! Is there anything else you need to do?!"

The last question was directed at Nana, but Nana always dealt with Collapse objects using bullets... so there was no need for that now, and the girl silently shook her head.

Typhon did know some Sami remedies used by the Cyclopes, Nana secretly remembered, planning to ask the little hunter for similar methods later.

However, although there was no treatment available, Nana tied sleeves that looked like they were woven from flames to everyone's arms.

In the dimly lit corridor, ribbons, like torchlight, slowly released specks of light. Just as she protected the people of Rhodes Island in the Chernobog Sarcophagus, Nana would now help those she met without regard to her allegiance.

After all, he had no reason to stand by and watch them die.

"This way, I can maintain this condition for a while and ensure it doesn't worsen..."

Seeing Nana's reaction, Ch'en Hui-chieh first tried placing her hand on the hilt of the crimson longsword at her lower back... but then instead drew her Guard Bureau standard-issue sword from another scabbard:

"You're the expert, and I'll follow your advice on handling and rescuing people from this kind of 'Pollution' during an emergency... But this is Lungmen, so please don't take out your guns without permission. Using live ammunition here is illegal."

Hearing what the police superintendent said, Nana tilted her head as if she had been greatly shocked, then reluctantly removed the Silver Dancer magazine from her hand... Seeing that Nana seemed to be using the gun only as a casting unit, Ch'en Hui-chieh nodded in satisfaction:

"Then, I'll play forward! Please remind me of anything else I need to pay attention to... I'll leave Hoshiguma outside to you, Miss Medic, let's go!"

PS: Waaaaaaah!

It's Yuka!↑

PSS: Although Nana's statement looks impressive, the actual Pollution in Lungmen is probably not as high as the concentration of Pollution Nana cleaned up on the entire Rhodes Island ship when she stopped at Columbia... After all, the Great Yan itself can also deal with Demons.

9th Lungmen Seafood: 311 Martial Arts and Dance

The gate was opened, and the two rushed in.

It's understandable that Nana felt a little flustered holding an empty-bore gun for the first time. Guns require ammunition, and the quality of the Etch Rounds directly determines the quality of the attack. The better the Etch Rounds, the less burden the caster will bear... This is an almost golden rule of experience that Nana has accumulated over decades as an assassin.

However, when faced with the choice between her own usage habits and the goodwill she felt towards the official Great Yan City, whether considering her own situation or from the perspective of Rhodes Island operators, Nana unhesitatingly chose the latter.

After all, an empty gun isn't unusable, but you're saying you want to fight the garrison of a metropolitan city like Lungmen yourself... well, please spare Nana.

Seeing that the revolver magazine in Nana's hand resembled a small vortex, constantly drawing in black magical particles from the air, Chen had already run through two corridors with Nana and was now waiting for the door to be verified, glanced at it curiously:

"... Don't you need to reload? Although live ammunition is prohibited in Lungmen, non-lethal ammunition such as rubber bullets is still frequently... well, frequently used by some lawbreakers to exploit loopholes in the law..."

As the isolation gate authenticated Ch'en Hui-chieh's permissions, and the yellow alarm light began to slowly rise, Nana checked again whether their 'ribbons,' or the Halo System's Pollution countermeasures, were functioning properly, then glanced at her with a slightly helpless expression:

"You yourself said it's exploiting legal loopholes. Legitimate people wouldn't use Firearms Arts except in training grounds... Also, I need to remind you that even the training rounds you mentioned, excluding the Originium Etch Rounds, are still quite expensive in terms of Originium... As far as I know, apart from the paradise of Sankta under Laterano's protection, few people can afford such extravagance."

"... I think so too... but that person might be a little different. As far as I know, she doesn't have much money, but her boss is very rich..."

"What does that have to do with me Firearms Arts user who currently has no suitable bullets to use?"

"... If only they were half as law-abiding as you... no, even one-fifth."

Hearing Chen's sigh, Nana looked away, slightly embarrassed.

Is the phrase "obeying the law" really something that can be applied to oneself? Now I can't help but feel sorry for that colleague I've never even met.

"It's about to start... The armband you gave me seems to be 'burning' even more."

"That's the beginning of a fierce battle against 'Pollution.' Now, please follow my instructions."

Seeing the other party nod, Nana, holding the Guardian Gun, pressed down on the airplane's earpiece first, a new habit she had developed since returning from Siracusa.

As an auxiliary facility of the checkpoint, the area used to confiscate contraband, apart from its thick armored steel walls, was naturally decorated to resemble a simple warehouse.

The empty room seemed to be shrouded in a light mist. Various shelves were neatly arranged, and large items were piled up in a designated area and categorized. If it weren't for the flickering lights and the rustling sounds that resembled someone rummaging through items, this would surely be an area that would satisfy collectors and those with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Once it was confirmed that it was safe, the cat's ears perked up as it carefully tried to pinpoint the source of the sound. Nana turned to look at Chen, who had seemed quite agitated before but was inexplicably obedient during the fight, and whispered:

"... Is anyone on duty in this area?"

"No, the dangerous goods storage area contains contraband seized by Customs. The Lungmen's automated system and monitoring operate 24/7, so under normal circumstances, no one stays here... That sound should be from the smuggled goods on shelf S-A2-2031, a set of blue and white porcelain from the mainland."

"Smuggled goods... were they stolen?"

"No... The contraband warehouse has a lot of high-value items. I remember the A2 shelves are full of valuable luxury goods that have been detained and are waiting for the paperwork to be completed. And the ZE and even XG shelves have more dangerous advanced spellcasting units, as well as high-purity Originium products... If you're going to steal, why not steal things with higher value per unit weight? After seeing what my colleague encountered before, I don't even think that the person in this warehouse at this time... is human."

Nana nodded in satisfaction at the explanation Chen gave while peeking out with a frown. However, as the clicking sound gradually came into their view, Nana's brows furrowed involuntarily.

"This... is definitely not human. But are all the porcelain pieces from Yan... the kind that can transform into human form?"

"(Lungmen profanity) How is that possible!? Is it possible for that black 'Pollution' to have the ability to turn inanimate objects into living things?"

"Yes, it is... I think. It 'looked' at me. Can I fire?"

"Tsk, attack permitted!"

After receiving permission from Chen, Nana did not hesitate to raise her gun and fire at the 'monster' shrouded in black mist. Because she had no ammunition and was indoors, Nana restrained the power of her magic, converting it all into high temperature and impact.

A violent storm erupted indoors, and flame-like plasma dispersed the black mist on the 'humanoid' body, revealing the ominous humanoid shadow to its true form... Large porcelain ornaments formed the body, vases of varying sizes formed asymmetrical limbs, and matching porcelain tableware of different lengths formed fingers. Under the 'gaze' of the head constructed of round plates, those fingers twitched rapidly.

The stiff yet agile anthropomorphic creature rushed toward the two in a chilling, fast-forwarded manner, as if time itself had been compressed.

"... Attack ineffective, I need to increase my output."

Because of the urgency of the situation, Nana fired a second shot as soon as she finished speaking. Chen did not object to the muzzle flash, which was three times larger than the previous one. After all, the increased power of the 'shot' only caused the other person to land straight on the back of the head and slide a distance on the ground.

Watching the other person get up unharmed, Nana could only curse inwardly, "Damn Collapse Entity." After all, that shot had already exerted maximum power while causing minimal damage to the warehouse's contents.

Based on Nana's experience, the special resonance from her spell should have shattered not only porcelain but even tempered glass, so the fact that the other party was completely unharmed was very counterintuitive.

Could it be that the level of Collapse Pollution has mutated? Has the convergent consumption evolved to the point where it no longer requires human intervention, allowing objects to move and function as living things?!

I've never heard of such a situation in either Ursus or Sami!

Seeing that Nana's attack was ineffective, Chen immediately drew his sword and stepped forward. The standard-issue sword of the Guard Bureau clashed with the porcelain, producing a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

"Attack ineffective? Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?!"

"... If you agree to let me use live ammunition!"

As they spoke, the longsword in Chen's hand clashed with the twitching anthropomorphic monster's arm multiple times. As the monster regained its balance, it became Chen appeared to be retreating step by step.

Unsure of the number of similar monsters deep within the warehouse, Nana and Chen retreated while fighting. Once they were some distance from the hazardous materials warehouse shelves, Ch'en Hui-chieh grave, gripped another red longsword. As fine red lightning crackled near the hilt of the sword Ch'en Hui-chieh held, the longsword was drawn!

"Chi Xiao--!"

The sword's strike was like a dragon's roar, its sharp light slashing at its target and knocking it over, leaving horrifying marks on the corridor walls in the process. Seeing this, Nana's brows furrowed just as deeply as Ch'en Hui-chieh's.

Clearly, unlike Nana, who could wield the power of Firearms Arts with ease and precision, even to the point of not blowing away a single package in the warehouse... Ch'en Hui-chieh's control over this sword was nothing short of disastrous.

That attack just now was less of a strike from Ch'en Hui-chieh and more of a blow from the sword that nearly dragged Ch'en Hui-chieh headfirst into the warehouse... No wonder the superintendent carrying two swords seemed to have a deep aversion to that red sword; she hadn't yet become its master.

Unlike Nana, who still had time to observe her companions, Ch'en Hui-chieh was Chi Xiao Chixiao, focused all her attention on the anthropomorphic creature.

The Guard Bureau's warehouse was located inside the Mobile City. Due to the importance of storing items, there was no dust rising up to create an atmosphere... Ch'en Hui-chieh stared intently at the fallen 'figure':

"Did you take them down?!"

"It doesn't seem like it has... Also, as far as I know, 'Pollution' doesn't have the ability to make inanimate objects move out of thin air. Chen, are you sure this isn't some kind of Great Yan specialty?"

Nana's words made Ch'en Hui-chieh start thinking about the origin of those items again. While the other person was getting up, Ch'en Hui-chieh's eyes twitched as she remembered something else:

"Speaking of which, this set of porcelain... seems to have been ordered to be confiscated by the Sui's Office..."

"Sui's Office?"

Although she wanted to know more details, seeing Superintendent Chen's sour face that he didn't want to say anything, Nana wisely refrained from asking further... Since even she, who came from the ICA, didn't know, it was probably some kind of secret service system in Yan.

"Leaving those things aside, I request again the use of live ammunition... As you can see, it seems exceptionally resilient."

"The warehouse contains many dangerous items... Unlike your simple impact, if Originium missile were to penetrate the packaging of those items, it could easily cause secondary damage... Logically speaking, I don't have the right to place the safety of all the colleagues in this module on the other side of the scale of 'trusting you'... So, I'll prioritize using my method!"

Seeing Chen grasp the hilt of the red longsword again, Nana tilted her head, giving him a look of seeking his orders.

"I'll try my best to attract its attention afterward... Could you push it further away? To unleash Chi Xiao, we need to move it even further away from the warehouse..."

"I understand, that's quite simple."

With that, the two took action again.

To Ch'en Hui-chieh's astonishment, Nana suddenly ran from the floor up the wall, and then from the wall up to the ceiling.

It was as if gravity had no effect on Nana. The anthropomorphic defense that Ch'en Hui-chieh had expected the two of them would have to work hard to break through was simply broken through by Nana strolling around.

"Superintendent Chen!"

Although it was different from what he had thought, Chen's eyes lit up when he heard Nana's suggestion... With a backflip, Ch'en Hui-chieh drew her Chi Xiao, red lightning swirling around her, and the Lungmen Dragon Lady assumed a starting stance at the end of the corridor.

Nana's shooting followed immediately. First, a shot from the ceiling, like a storm, caused the anthropomorphic monster to stumble forward and lose its balance. Then, the assassin landed silently and fired again at the unbalanced monster. Accompanied by the sound of porcelain hitting the corridor floor, the anthropomorphic monster was pushed directly into the depths of the corridor.

To prevent internal Pollution, the gate at the end of the corridor where the two had come was closed.

Standing in front of the closed gate, Ch'en Hui-chieh's ears were ringing, and her uniform jacket was whipped up by the storm.

Watching Rhodes Island's unassuming operator's 'attack' is clearly a completely different experience from actually doing it. It's easy to see that even without bullets, the power of that shot that could move that monster couldn't have been insignificant.

Even when she was almost ten meters away, she could feel the discomfort caused by the rapid increase in air pressure, which gave Ch'en Hui-chieh a new understanding of 'Rhodes Island'.

Speaking of this kind of company, this kind of operator... you call her a 'medic'?

That's absolutely outrageous.

With these muttered thoughts in mind, Ch'en Hui-chieh launched a full set of sword moves with an upward thrust at the monster that was swinging its asymmetrical legs at her, struggling to regain its balance.

Although Nana didn't know it, this was already one of Chi Xiao's ultimate techniques.