Chapter 289

Seeing Exusiai unpacked the box, even her Halo seemed to brighten a bit, Nana chuckled and took another cookie from Texas.

"It's just like unwrapping Christmas presents... Ah! This is..."

Looking at the neatly stacked box of Etch Rounds in front of her, Exusiai excitedly rubbed her hands together, then took out her magazine and prepared to stuff it in... But looking at the Etch Rounds, which could fit into her gear but seemed a size too small, if Exusiai's Halo could distort, it would definitely be a question mark at this moment.

"You idiot, Exusiai, don't load other people's bullets into your own gun!"

Exusiai a little flustered by Croissant's teasing:

"How could this be! And this... this isn't a.45 caliber Etch Rounds, it's a 9mm round!? Medic, do you even have 9mm Firearms Arts?"

"I don't have any, but others in my team do. They're probably setting up the safe house right now. I'll introduce you to the others once they're done."

Seeing Exusiai's slightly flushed face and her hands holding the bullets and magazines with a somewhat helpless expression, Nana chuckled and stepped forward, closing the pistol ammo belonging to Takina and the others. Then, she took out four or five Etch Rounds from a brand-new cardboard box that was still in good condition and had not yet been opened for inspection.

Aside from self-reloading ammunition like the WA2000, which she keeps in her ammunition box, Nana buys other pistol ammunition as needed... Nana rarely hoards ammunition for functional weapons like pistols.

"Alright, these are my.45 ammunition rounds, newly shipped from Columbia by someone I know... Exusiai, you can use these."

Looking at the cardboard box Nana handed him, Exusiai stared at the technical specifications on it, her mouth slightly agape, as if she had transformed back into the Silver Dancer had been holding Nana and making 'guhe' sounds earlier.

"This is that... the legendary High-Pressure Etch Rounds?! The one whose performance is more than twice that of a regular Etch Rounds?!"

"Yes... right... there are many types of High-Pressure Etch Rounds, this one is the kind used in conjunction with spells."

"Arts Armor-Piercing Rounds!? Aren't those the most expensive kind?! My specialty is rapid fire, not armor-piercing... Isn't it a bit of a waste to give me these...?"

Seeing Exusiai holding the box of ammunition with both hands, her eyes wide open, Nana chuckled and continued to tossing more ammunition from the box in front of Exusiai.

One box, two boxes, three boxes... Exusiai licked his lips excitedly as he unpacked these precious ammunition items that he had previously been reluctant to use and stuffed them into his magazine.

Four boxes, five boxes, six boxes... Although his eyes were a little dazed from looking at them, he was about to participate in a regular military operation, so Exusiai put them into his backpack.

But seeing the ninety, ten, eleven, twelve, three, four, or five boxes of ammunition piled up like a small mountain in front of her, even Exusiai but show an expression of sudden cardiac arrest and began to shout "Stop!"

"Wait, wait a minute... this... do I really need this much? Um... I'll return any leftovers to Rhodes Island after the battle... don't give them to me anymore! I won't pay for them!"

Seeing that Exusiai had finally given up on Rhodes Island's crazy way of piling up expensive Etch Rounds all over the table, Croissant, who already knew from the list that there were several more valuable Laterano Gun and Croissant Single-Use Etch Originium Cannon, immediately let out a cacophony of laughter at Exusiai was hiding behind Texas.

Nana's puzzled tilt of her head, Exusiai's sophistry telling Croissant"Exusiai do it, then you do it," and Texas's speechless sigh were all captured by the camera in the film...

"They really did record things we don't usually see..."

Even when faced with this mountain of ammunition, estimated to be worth tens of millions on the market, he couldn't help but gasp in amazement. And thinking about all the many unopened boxes behind it, Nian was now very glad that he had asked to participate.

Regardless of the scale of the spectacle Lungmen could create, the Rhodes Island crew alone is interesting enough...

"Is it possible that if I build a good relationship with Medic, I can get Rhodes Island to sponsor the filming of my next movie?"

Seeing Nian's daydreaming, Jingzhe, who already knew what kind of scripts Nian wrote, chuckled while holding her staff:

"Can't you be a little less serious?"

"Then... let's just join them!"

"Hello!"

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: Although the purpose was very clear, I felt it was definitely better not to have Seaborn and the others appear so quickly... I've always loved the arms display during Nana's preparations~

9th Lungmen Seafood: 329 The concept of so-called annihilation warfare

Time passed gradually, the sun rose and set again, and the area around the front-line base became lively as people from the slums returned to work. The last batch of 'deliveries' was delivered on time by Rhodes Island employees disguised as moving company employees. The transport route remained silent for the time being, awaiting its next opening.

With the Rhodes Island E3 Squad and the elite patrol officers of the Guard Bureau officially handing over the defense of the 'Frontline Command' at the LycoLyco Café, Nana's forces, who would play a key role in the upcoming battles, began to assemble at the frontline base.

For the sake of secrecy, Nana's team adopted a strategy of splitting personnel and equipment to conceal the intelligence of armed personnel entering the shantytown. The 'last batch of packages' transported during the day was actually the armed personnel who had gone ahead of them.

"I'm number one!"

Pushing open the roller shutter door and raising their hands in a cheer, the three members of the Lycoris Unit, who had previously been in charge of security at the command post, arrived first. Leading the way was Mika, whose long pink hair was tied up in a childlike bun at her temples, and who was wearing a shawl dress with the Trinity symbol.

As a high-level combatant under Nana with similar combat strength, Mika not only stands out for her beautiful appearance, but also has an undeniable Halo created by her Non-Entropic Applications... From the beginning, this child was unable to participate in operations that required stealth or disguise, so it was only natural that she joined the front-line battlefield unit.

"Mika- senpai, didn't I tell you not to get too excited? You're too conspicuous..."

Following Mika into the house were neither Nagisa nor Seia. The latter was still recuperating, while Nagisa's role was more important than participating in the battle, assisting the Doctor in coordinating Nana's frontline operations.

"The enemies in this operation are the Seaborn Cult hidden among the civilians and the potential Collapse Pollution. The former could turn ordinary people into informants, while the latter requires complete secrecy... Senior, if you're too conspicuous, the cleanup afterwards will be very troublesome!"

With her long, flowing black hair reaching her waist, and now wearing the upgraded blue Lycoris uniform of the Columbia armor, Takina, having recovered, has finally returned to the battlefield... After scolding her overly flamboyant senior, Takina suddenly remembered something, turned around, and made way for Typhon, pulling him in:

"Don't mind those guys... Come on, let's come in."

Seeing Typhon, who was wearing a beige Lycoris uniform, looking rather odd, Nana tilted her head curiously and asked:

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Nana was asking Takina, because as the only normal person in the Lycoris trio, Takina's answer would probably be the closest to the truth... But before Takina, who was holding Typhon's hand, could react, Mika 'squeezed' into Nana's field of vision:

"Ugh! Nana, we just ran into a bunch of Sarkaz... How awful! Those guys actually dissed Typhon!"

"Why are you looking for trouble...?"

"They said it was because I was shopping with little Typhon, and they knocked over the ice cream cones I bought for the younger generation!"

Watching Mika whistle as she spoke, her little fists flashing through the air, and the pink-haired girl's exaggerated expression as she described how she "fell into a rage and immediately unleashed two punches on that group!", Nana was speechless... but still worriedly went to Typhon's side.

"Are they other Sarkaz refugees...? It seems that even in Lungmen, Yan, where racial conflict is relatively mild, being seen with the Sankta by one's own race might still bring various questions and doubts... Typhon, are you alright?"

"I'm alright, after all, I don't really care about this kind of thing... it's just..."

"Only?"

Seeing Typhon's hesitant expression, Takina rolled her eyes and continued:

"But Mika- senpai really did punch those guys in the face twice... Typhon and I couldn't stop her... Sorry, Nana- senpai, we might have been quite conspicuous today."

"Those guys went too far. I won't allow anyone to say such hurtful things to my juniors. Little Typhon can be with whomever he wants; it's none of their business!"

Seeing that the pink-haired person involved didn't seem to care at all and everyone else looked dejected, Nana chuckled and ruffled Takina and Typhon's hair. Then, she flicked the head of the pink-haired person who had come over and said, "What about me? What about me?" Nana continued:

"I roughly understand the situation. The good news is that this time we are cooperating with the local government. Compared to traditional covert operations, even if we are more conspicuous this time, it won't have any substantial impact... As for the bad news, it's that your team has indeed become quite conspicuous among our group."

As she spoke, Nana turned to the others who had been waiting in the hall and began to introduce herself:

"So, everyone, please allow me to introduce you. These are the members of the Rhodes Island Emergency Medical Department Trauma Team... The team leader is, Inoue Takina."

As Nana called her name, Takina stepped forward and saluted the strangers in front of her. Texas's quiet nod was a normal sign of recovery, Exusiai's smiling wave and "hello" were considered warm and cheerful... However, when she saw Nian standing there with a camera set up, smiling and waving at her, Takina showed a slightly puzzled expression.

"Ah... she's one of our battlefield technicians. As for recording and filming, that's her personal interest... Also, Miss Nian is a VIP, level three, everyone please take note."

Following Nana's instructions, Takina and Typhon nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, the equally outgoing Mika had already huddled with Exusiai, who looked at Mika's rather artistic yet flamboyant Halo three times with deep sympathy.

"This... it must be hard to sleep..."

"Huh? It's alright, I'm the type who can fall asleep as soon as I lie down in bed..."

Seeing Mika's matter-of-fact attitude, Exusiai stared blankly for three seconds with envy... Then Exusiai immediately began to complain about her difficulty falling asleep and her need for an eye mask because of the Halo that was like a light bulb.

Seeing her red-haired ally in such a predicament, Mika thought for a moment and pointed to the empty pizza box on the table next to her:

"How about... you try putting the Halo in a box?"

"... No, you can't cover the Halo with a hat or anything, it'll make me dizzy..."

"Huh... are all pureblood Sankta this troublesome?"

"Pure... what?"

Seeing Mika slightly pat the Liberi wings on her lower back, Exusiai froze again, and Mika naturally continued:

"Fortunately, I am the Chimera of Liberi and Sankta, I don't have that weakness!"

Seeing the pink-haired girl's smug expression with her hands on her hips, the Penguin Logistics team couldn't help but look at Medic, who possessed characteristics of two species... But after seeing the cat's smile, the Penguin Logistics team remembered that Nana had instructed them to keep their identities confidential, so even Exusiai chuckled and quieted down.

Seriously, given how naive you Rhodes Island members are, with your pink-haired, gullible nature—no matter how much your allies try to keep things secret—it's only a matter of time before your special characteristics are discovered, right?

Of course, while complaining about this, Penguin Logistics was unaware that Mika would only act so 'unrestrained' in front of people she could trust.

If Nana's Command System had Exusiai as an 'ally,' how could Mika have been so overly friendly with strangers?

Seeing Mika already enthusiastically 'playing' with the new allies, Takina, who had been singled out by Nana to take command later, glanced at Typhon, who was tugging at Nana for comfort, and then looked helplessly at the captain of the new allies... It must be that Lupo.

The same long, straight black hair, the same black stockings, the same aloof persona... Of course, let's leave aside the fact that Takina is wearing liquid metal bulletproof underwear supplied by the ICA. Anyway, after seeing Texas, Takina felt an awkward sense of clashing with the same persona.

I can only say I'm lucky I came here to participate in combat and not some social gathering or dance party... So, with attributes being duplicated now, it's just embarrassing for whoever performs poorly in combat.

Having figured this out, Takina shook her head, putting aside the 'failures' that had haunted her in the past. After taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage and reached out her hand to Texas, who was watching Exusiai and Mika's conversation.

"Hello, you must be the captain of the newly formed team in the team channel... the Penguin Squad... I'm Inoue Takina, nice to work with you in the future."

"Hello... We are Penguin Logistics, or you could shorten it to Penguin Squad... but what's the team channel?"

Seeing the puzzled look on the other person's face, Takina suddenly realized that this operation was a joint operation with multiple departments and enterprises of Lungmen, and it definitely wasn't just using Rhodes Island's combat Command System... and Penguin Squad was Nana's label for Penguin Logistics in PRTS, so it's no wonder that Takina made a mistake.

Although it was a bit awkward as a misunderstanding, it was a perfect start as a beginning for both sides to get to know each other... Shortly after, Takina took out a tablet and introduced Texas to Rhodes Island's PRTS Command System and team channels, Nana's third squad arrived.

"Sorry we're late..."

Peeking out from behind the roller shutter was the tearful cat that Nana knew all too well. Nana, who was feeding Typhon Scale Ball Snacks, quickly waved to it.

"You're not late! You've arrived just in time. Mika and the others have just met everyone..."

"That's why I said there's still time~"

"Shut up! If I hadn't urged you several times on the way, do you think we would have arrived on time?"

"Traffic congestion in Lungmen is Lungmen's problem, what does it have to do with us?"

"If you're so capable, then say those words to Medic's face."

Even Nana couldn't help but sigh at the fact that Franka and Liskarm seemed to be arguing all the time.

"You two really have a good relationship..."

"Why don't you come to our dorm and see where this top student has hung my photo?"

Seeing Franka sigh, Jessica took the opportunity to sidle up to Nana and explain... It turned out that in Liskarm and Franka's dorm, Liskarm had been practicing shooting by sticking Franka's picture on the target... But that didn't stop Nana from thinking that they had a good relationship.

Nana took out her phone to double-check the Doctor's arrangements for the various combat units on PRTS, and nodded.

"In short... with this, Rhodes Island's frontline combat personnel—the 'Emergency Trauma Team' —are now assembled."

"... Even so, these three are actually members of Blacksteel Worldwide, aren't they?"

Nana shrugged at Hoshiguma's sarcastic remark after she had finally recovered from a day of rest.

"Jessica and the others are contract operators of Rhodes Island. Although they are still Blacksteel employees in terms of employment, they actually serve Rhodes Island for a long time... Their situation is similar to that of the Penguin Squad in Rhodes Island's organization, except that they have long-term contracts."

"In general, everyone can remember that, including Superintendent Ch'en Hui-chieh and Superintendent Hoshiguma as the liaisons, VIP-Nian as the on-site technician, and her bodyguard-Miss Jingzhe, everyone here is now a member of Rhodes Island's 'Emergency Trauma Team'... This organization will continue until the end of Lungmen's current operation."

"While I reiterate the operational functions and roles of each team, everyone can simultaneously check their own equipment."

Following Nana's gaze, everyone brought out numerous equipment boxes and placed them on the table...

As the click of the latches opening, the crisp clinking of ammunition, and the electronic sounds of tactical equipment such as explosives being tested mingled together, Ch'en Hui-chieh's eyes twitched.

"First, the Trauma Team will act in accordance with the instructions of the Frontline Command and Rhodes Island Commander-in-Chief 'Doctor,' and will have the authority to handle matters on-site... Our side will be the main force, participating in the subsequent investigation, siege, and final annihilation of the Deep-Sea Cultists... During this period, the 'Seaborn' and 'Demons' will be handled entirely by the Trauma Team."

"Correspondingly, in situations where the eradication of cult members involves the lives and property of local people in Lungmen, we will give priority to the opinions of the Yan, and when different departments have conflicting opinions, the instructions from local Lungmen will take the highest priority."

Seeing that everyone... mainly Ch'en Hui-chieh and Lin Qingyan nodded to indicate that they had no objections, Nana turned a page on her phone's PRTS system and entered the team configuration phase:

"Currently, the Trauma Team is divided into three teams. Apart from the original Penguin Logistics team members, who will still be referred to as the 'Penguin Squad' out of habit, the other teams will be identified by their new team names in the upcoming operations... Although my team will probably always have these team names in the future, everyone needs to start getting used to them now."

"The Penguin Squad will be the main force in the subsequent search operations. Texas, you are familiar with the terrain and the residents here. Searching for outsiders through gangs and cohesive groups will be the top priority of the subsequent search operations. Therefore, the Penguin Squad will operate as a reconnaissance team that values secrecy."

After seeing Nana finish speaking and turn to herself, Texas glanced back at her companions, and seeing that no one had any objections, she turned back and said:

"No problem, leave this to us."

"Well... although the Penguin Squad may not be able to carry heavy weaponry like large Firearms Arts or heavy body armor due to reconnaissance needs and the need to avoid causing chaos among residents, we will not be stingy with the supply of tactical equipment. You can use them according to your personal habits."

"Besides the Penguin Squad, which is responsible for reconnaissance, the next team is the Thunder Squad, a medium-armored mobile unit that is responsible for support and is required to provide immediate assistance in the event of combat."

After hesitating for a moment between Mika and Liskarm, Nana finally looked at Jessica:

"The members are Jessica, Franka, Liskarm... Liskarm will serve as the team leader."

"You two are old partners, and we've been together for a long time, so I don't need to say much more... Compared to the reconnaissance team 'Penguin,' the Thunder Squad will carry equipment that doesn't affect their strategic mobility level in frontline combat, including tactical shields, assault rifles, and various explosives, which you can carry normally."

"So, we can just do it our own way? It doesn't feel any different from before."

Hearing Franka's teasing, Nana shrugged.