Chapter 290

"After all, this arrangement is based on everyone's usual combat habits... Otherwise, if I suddenly suggested that Penguin Logistics take military-grade equipment into battle, they would be in a difficult position."

Ignoring the incident where Exusiai suddenly perked up and said "No, I'm not in a difficult position," only to be beaten by Texas, Nana watched Jessica intently loading her pistol magazine with a quickloader. Then, Nana pulled out several boxes and placed them in front of the Thunder Squad:

"Because this is a legitimate military operation and not Mercenaries order, in addition to your personal weaponry, Rhodes Island's Lycoris Cafe will provide you with the following equipment... First, the new Thunder Squad insignia, which you will use to replace your original Blacksteel Velcro. This mission is classified, so do not wear Rhodes Island or Blacksteel insignia."

"And then, Franka... how's your gun training going? Can you use a large gun now?"

Seeing the fat fox awkwardly shake his head, Nana put away the large box she had picked up earlier and replaced it with a small pistol case.

"Then use this one... Although it's not the same brand as the gun you're using for practice, I don't think you should continue using that pneumatic-assisted gun."

As Nana examined the pistol, which wasn't particularly expensive but was standard issue in the ICA, and placed it in front of Franka, a brand-new Laterano Gun, still smelling of gun oil, appeared before everyone.

The Laterano, codenamed Glock G17, uses 9x19mm ammunition and has a standard magazine capacity of Seventeen rounds. It boasts a well-balanced range of attributes, including handling and shooting feel, making it ideal for a 'newbie' like Franka who has only recently started using Firearms Arts.

"Consider this gun a gift from me; you don't need to put it back in storage after the mission... However, please be responsible for any ammo consumption outside of mission reimbursements... As for the Liskarm, since this operation will take place in an urban environment, many close-quarters battles will heavily rely on your shield for advancement... Therefore, you will continue with your pistol setup, using your shield as your primary weapon for advancement. Of course, considering the limited range of your own 'Taser,' which is specifically used for auxiliary spellcasting, I'll also give you a G17... You can adjust your combat strategy by switching it."

Hearing Nana's arrangement, Liskarm took the new pistol, but her expression became more worried. Then she looked at Jessica:

"In that case, Jessica's task becomes very heavy... It seems that all the assault missions for our Thunder Squad have fallen on Jessica's shoulders."

"Yes, so I'll give you this gun."

Watching Nana pull out a large weapon case from behind her, and open it, even though those who didn't know anything about guns were just watching for the spectacle, Jessica was genuinely astonished and covered her mouth in surprise:

"These accessories..."

"The Laterano, codenamed HK417... Although it's very similar to the MCX you used before, even the layout of the function buttons is similar... as you can see, it's a large Firearms Arts."

As Nana explained, she assembled the scattered Firearms Arts. As a new gun, neither the sound of the bullet when it was fired nor the laser rangefinder should have surprised Jessica, whose daily work involved handling various new guns.

After all, this tearful cat-headed person is someone who has taken out a heavyweight shooting system like the M200... What surprised him was the Originium Grenade launcher that Nana finally installed at the bottom of the fishbone, as well as the grenades that had been cut into the sea surface inside the box to hold several ammunition.

"This is a spell-activated grenade... This thing is already considered a heavy weapon, right... Can it really be used in urban areas?"

Regarding Jessica's question, Nana sighed after placing the gun in her arms:

"If possible, I would also prefer not to use it... However, considering that the PRTS data records that the Seaborn has large combat units, it would be difficult for us to eliminate such a large and incredibly resilient creature simply by using Etch Rounds... This is also the reason why I want you to switch to 7.62 × 51mm ammunition."

"By the time the Starlight Squad, responsible for the annihilation operation, arrives, the safety of the Penguin Squad and the civilians of Lungmen will likely depend on this gun... with its 40mm Originium Grenade."

As Nana mentioned the Starlight Squad, Typhon, who had already prepared his equipment, raised the enormous arrow in his hand—which, to others, looked exactly like a siege spear... Nana nodded in satisfaction. Little Typhon had always been very easy for her, and in return...

Seeing the pink-haired girl also rubbing her hands together, looking like she was about to punch the sea monster, Nana pursed her lips speechlessly and tossed over her... oh, what was probably Mika's M4 Shotgun.

"Mika, shotgun, tungsten steel armor-piercing bullets, paired with a folding shield. Remember to bring the D3 Bastion Casting Unit and the Originium Bomb launcher. These don't count towards the unit's roster; each member of the annihilation squad carries two. And this time, you're still the vanguard of the Starlight Squad."

"Typhon, aside from your bow and bomb launcher, don't forget this TAC-50. In long-range support, the accuracy of a gun is indeed much better than that of a bow."

"Finally... Takina, you haven't forgotten how to use this, have you?"

Seeing Nana take out another large weapon case and pull out a general-purpose machine gun that Takina was extremely familiar with, the long-haired black-haired girl, who had maintained a serious, soldier-like demeanor since appearing in front of everyone, also showed a slight smile after a moment of surprise.

"How could I forget...?"

"That's LycoLyco Café Modified PKM for now. The logistics team has prepared a matching 1,000-round ammunition belt backpack... Thankfully, they seem to have already loaded the ammunition belts before putting it in."

Looking at the increasingly heavy equipment of the Nana Starlight Squad, especially the two tubes each of them carried, Ch'en's mouth gaped open, but he was completely at a loss for words.

After Nana finished distributing most of the weapons, with only the last weapon case remaining unopened, Nana noticed the curious looks on everyone's faces and said with a smile:

"Finally... it's just me..."

"In this operation, I will continue to serve as the frontline commander and close guard to ensure minimal collateral damage. Thanks to Miss Nian's help, after obtaining this sword, I will prioritize melee combat when fighting sea monsters... And please note, you have all seen the information: unless I give an explicit order, your weapons are intended for dealing with cultists and exploring Pollution..."

Seeing Nana wave her hand, seemingly drawing the 'sword' that looked like a 'block of iron' from thin air, and then seeing the table she was leaning against creak loudly as Nana awkwardly held the sword, Nana immediately dispelled the noise.

Clearly, Nana will need quite some time to get used to using this.

"I need to familiarize myself with this sword for a while longer... For now, let's talk about what everyone already knows."

As he spoke, he showed everyone the four Firearms Arts he carried, as well as the Originium Beam Composite Halberd that he had disassembled and carried with him to Lungmen.

"That thing..."

"Yes, it's part of my Tactical Unit's melee weaponry."

As she spoke, she opened the last weapon case. Although everyone could tell that it was a streamlined Tactical Unit, as Nana assembled it, a multi-barreled Originium Cannon that was originally mounted on the Tactical Unit appeared on the table.

Now that things had come to this, Ch'en Hui-chieh and Hoshiguma no longer wanted to comment on whether the Rhodes Island's understanding of the words 'firepower' and 'annihilation' differed from that of normal people.

"Just to be on the safe side, in addition to the Originium Bomb launcher, I've dismantled a three-barreled Originium Cannon for fire support... And you all need to know that when I use this, it's time for a full evacuation... After all, my use of this to fire means the battle has reached a point where I need to deploy Tactical Unit. At that time, I will immediately call for fully armed reinforcements, and you all need to evacuate the combat zone immediately... because I will then conduct a devastating operation against the target area."

As she spoke, Nana looked seriously at Ch'en Hui-chieh and the equally serious Lin Qingyan again:

"And regarding this point, I also need Yan to know... the concept of annihilation warfare."

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: The usual weapons showcase... Although I only briefly mentioned armor, except for Mika's special resistance, I've already patiently cut down the word count to avoid making it too bland QAQ... Then, at the end, I realized I forgot about Nana's new combat suit.

Therefore, Nana's new combat suit features will have to wait until the next chapter.

9th Lungmen Seafood: 330 And so, the operation begins.

Without a doubt, even those present who weren't professional combatants could at least understand Rhodes Island's attitude towards this operation from Nana's preparation of firepower.

This is not a simple, straightforward campaign against some kind of 'bad guy' like in a storybook... This is war.

Nana reiterated this point to everyone as part of the most intense political action to protect her citizens and prevent the spread of the Seaborn infection:

"Our main enemy is an organization called the Church of the Deep, which secretly carries out illegal biological modifications against the will of those involved, and has long used the Laterano faith as a cover, making it difficult for the public and law enforcement to identify them."

"Given their long history of corrupting the Iberian State Church through frequent visits and forcing it to reorganize into the more extreme Iberian Inquisition, I want to emphasize again... Our enemy is a terrorist group that possesses biological weapons of a terrifying nature and Aegir's advanced technological capabilities."

"They believe that the life forms of the Seaborn can save the land, but Rhodes Island and Great Yan have reached a consensus on this point, namely that the Church of the Deep is actually endangering all life on this land."

"Therefore, during the battle, you don't need to pay attention to the enemy's possible statements. Any biological Pollution or physical discomfort should be reported immediately."

"Rhodes Island, together with Lungmen, has dispatched its best medical personnel and established specialized physiological and psychological intervention centers around the command post. With Lungmen's support in medical and public services, we can now focus all our efforts on fighting the enemy."

As for Nana's statement, since everyone saw the various equipment piled up throughout the safe house, neither the Great Yan Inspectorate nor the Guard Bureau would doubt Rhodes Island's determination to fight the enemy of civilization.

Exusiai Halo had already brightened by two points of excitement as she watched the Trauma Team members organize their weapons, was the first to raise her fist and say:

"So, the next step is to start looking for those cult members, right... They're even doing illegal human modification, and they're using the Laterano Church as a cover? How wicked! By the will of Heaven, Penguin Logistics will find them and bring them to justice!"

"... Exusiai, don't panic..."

With a sigh, Texas looked at Thunder and Starlight Squad... The names of both teams were meant to illuminate the dark night sky, and they also fit the fact that they were all equipped with Firearms Arts, so it was easy to understand.

But seeing Nana stuffing the assembled triple-barreled machine gun into the bass case, looking like she wanted to carry it on her back, Texas gestured to the boxes of bulletproof vests in the corner, which also bore the 'cafe' logo, and showed a slightly troubled expression:

"I understand why Rhodes Island and Lungmen are so on high alert, given that the enemy is an organization capable of toying with the Iberian Inquisition... However, I also understand that Lungmen and Great Yan's operational capabilities are generally a level above the enemy's, right? So, since we've prepared heavy armor, does that mean the enemy also possesses Firearms Arts?"

Nodding to Texas, Nana picked up a black tactical vest with double-sided inserts and placed it in front of Texas and the others with a 'thud'.

"Yes, but don't worry, even the reconnaissance team has been prepared with Level 6 ballistic armor that can withstand direct hits from the Inquisition's hand cannons... Ignore the product name that you might not be interested in, as you can see, it's a low-visibility, lightweight tactical chest rig, which I hope the reconnaissance team can wear under their coats."

"Although the name says 'light,' it's anything but light... It has double-sided 8-kilogram armor plates that can evenly distribute the impact of Firearms Arts across the entire upper body upon impact. To ensure the wearer's mobility is not affected, it primarily protects the vital chest area. As for abdominal injuries, with me by your side, plus the expert medical team that will absolutely not let you die on the spot... With this armor, the personal safety of the reconnaissance team during missions can be greatly guaranteed."

Hearing Nana's explanation, Texas didn't stop Exusiai curiously taking off her coat and putting on the chest armor, which had all its magic stickers removed... Meanwhile, Croissant, observing Exusiai's movements after putting it on, asked Croissant:

"Level 6 bulletproof... what kind of protection level is that? Can it stop Medic from carrying that thing on your back?"

Faced with this classic question about Firearms Arts, which clearly indicated a lack of familiarity with the subject, Nana tilted her head. Before Medic could answer, Exusiai adjusted his tone and began to explain:

"Defense isn't calculated like that... The so-called Level 6 bulletproof defense is roughly equivalent to being able to withstand the first shot of a Level 5 armor-piercing round, and then multiple Level 5 armor-piercing attacks might be able to penetrate that level of defense."

"Hmm... doesn't that sound a bit off?"

"Then let me tell you, the ammunition I usually use for field operations only has level one penetration. Even with the most expensive armor- Etch Rounds, which are at their maximum performance, they only have level three penetration."

Hearing Exusiai's explanation, Croissant blinked, counted on her fingers, and nodded hesitantly.

"It seems... to be very powerful... In other words, this bulletproof vest is something you, Exusiai, can't do anything about, and even Miss Medic, who is skilled in magic-based armor-piercing shots, would find it difficult, right?"

Exusiai tilted his head in embarrassment at his companion's superficial understanding, while Nana interrupted with a smile:

"We're all frontline combatants, so we should all know that combat isn't simply a comparison of weapon and armor stats... But, if I had to put it bluntly, yes. If the enemy is completely covered in this level of protection, and I only have a pistol, I'd be in a real bind. That's why Jessica from the Thunder Team and the Starlight Team are armed with gear designed for this purpose."

"As for this triple-barreled machine gun on my back... well, it's actually designed to simulate enemies at the level of Mobile City and Landship, so there's not much to worry about it being completely ineffective against small targets. But that's why I said that using this thing would call for higher-level support, because those kinds of enemies are beyond the capabilities of a simple tactical squad."

"So, going back to the reason for the assigned bulletproof vests... since the Iberia Inquisition widely equips its Judgment with hand cannons, the Church of the Deep has a greater than 80% chance of possessing similar equipment."

"However, because the Inquisition has not maintained extensive contact with the outside world for a long time, we do not have official information on the level of their equipment and technology... Currently, everyone is wearing the best defensive equipment on the market. In addition to the most durable but heaviest steel armor, you can also choose the most suitable plates from these composite materials, ceramics, high-molecular polyethylene, and other materials."

For example, although ceramic inserts are heavy and not very durable after being hit, they offer excellent protection against initial attacks and are well-suited for defending against surprise attacks.

Composite materials cannot match the defensive capabilities of pure hard armor steel and ceramics, but they offer a fairly balanced performance across various metrics, including defense per unit weight and durability after impact.

While polymer-based inserts are lightweight and require minimal physical exertion for extended wear, their durability and defensive capabilities are among the worst of all inserts available.

Nana patiently explained to the group, including Exusiai, who didn't know much about bulletproof vests, how to choose the right protective gear for themselves. This was clearly not just a simple distribution of equipment to her subordinates; Nana was giving a serious lesson.

This time, Nian, who had been very quiet since the start of filming 'location scouting', gave Nana a very high evaluation:

"Not only do you know what it is, but you also know why it is! Medic, you're not only a frontline commander, but also a great instructor!"

"... No, although I do have quite a few 'students'... I don't think I've ever really taught them properly... That's a gross overstatement."

As she spoke, Nana picked up a chest armor set... First, she stuffed an armored steel plate inside, then felt it wasn't enough, so she added a ceramic plate on the outside before putting it on Nian.

"Hello, hello, hello..."

"What's wrong? This is a low-visibility chest strap that won't affect your activities much, so it shouldn't interfere with your filming."

"It's too heavy! I can manage, but it's just too heavy! As an equipment craftsman, I protest against putting such heavy things on the operators!"

"... After all, with technological innovation, the spear has always been ahead of the shield, and this weight is a sacrifice for defensive capabilities. I think Jingzhe would agree with the arrangement I've made for you."

As Nana spoke, her gaze shifted to Jingzhe, and Nian's smile, which had been maintained throughout, began to twitch.

Of course she'd agree!? This guy practically wants to weigh a hundred or eight thousand tons on me, crushing me to the spot so I can't move... She might not understand Rhodes Island yet, but she certainly doesn't understand the people in the Prosecution Office's Division!

However, since Nana's addition of protective gear was out of good intentions, although Nian emphasized several times that she did not need it, because Nana ultimately said that she would not be allowed to film without protective gear, the director Nian obediently cooperated with Nana's arrangement.

As Nana assigned tasks to her partners one by one, Jessica had already adjusted the equipment for each small group—light, medium, and heavy—according to their respective strategic objectives. After completing this, seeing the somewhat bewildered Rope in the distance, Feline, whose ears were drooping, smiled slightly and beckoned the girl from Cautus's, who was probably only a few years younger than him, over.

"Come on, Rope... right? You're not a member of the combat team, which means you'll probably be investigating the target with the captain the whole time... You can't go without protective gear."

After helping Rope choose a composite material insert chest bracer and putting the secondhand black coat back on, Jessica glanced at the girl's completely lack of electronic devices, nodded her lips, and then took out a pair of wireless headsets and a spare Rhodes Island Terminal from her equipment and handed them to Rope.

"These earphones can be removed and used as a headband or accessory. Once connected to a phone, we can maintain 24-hour communication... During combat, they and the earplugs can protect your hearing, and you can choose to use the primary or secondary ear..."

Watching Jessica start choosing headphones for Rope, Nana glanced at the others... After confirming that only Rope needed such meticulous care, and that everyone else was fully prepared with tactical equipment, she took out her phone and sent a message saying they were ready.

Seeing Nana send a message to that 'Doctor', Ch'en Hui-chieh and Hoshiguma, who were also wearing armored steel plate bulletproof vests, came over:

"It seems Medic, you're all prepared."

"Yes, the current tactical arrangements are basically complete... Swire the Guard Bureau is personally overseeing the situation, and Customs is being heightened to be vigilant."

"The city area is being searched covertly by the action team commanded by the Doctor and members of the Guard Bureau. Although their team isn't as fully Firearms Arts as mine, I know the captain of the E3 Squad. The Doctor is probably using the E3 Squad, along with other Elite Operator and the main force of the Guard Bureau, to form the main force against Seaborn... The most troublesome place is still here."

Hearing Nana's words, Ch'en Hui-chieh frowned, her expression serious and tinged with sadness as she said:

"The slums have a strong resistance to the Guard Bureau, and I have failed several times in trying to get Guard Bureau to move in... Plus, the local gangs are mixed in, making them perfect bait for cults."

"This is also why all our elite troops are here."

Smiling, Nana patted Superintendent Chen on the shoulder and straightened the bass case on her back; everyone knew it contained a deadly weapon. Meanwhile, the others had also completed their gear-up.

"Next, we will begin the investigation directly. During the day, most people here go out to work, and our group actions would be too conspicuous. Therefore, the main time for the group investigation will be from evening to late at night..."

"At that time, I, Rope, Chen, Superintendent Hoshiguma, and the Penguin Squad will form an investigation team to investigate the most suspicious areas... During this time, we will deal with many gangs, and the connections of the Guard Bureau and Penguin Logistics are essential."

"Then, in the latter half of the night, we will take passive surveillance as our primary strategy... Whether the enemy is trying to replenish the manpower arrested in Siesta for missionary work, or to abduct new test subjects, they cannot remain inactive... And the dead of night is the best time to do shady things. The Thunder Squad will be responsible for deploying those surveillance devices and establishing a complete system for battlefield control of the mission area."

"Mice always show their tails eventually. The dumbest method is usually the most unsolvable one, and the people in charge of this kind of work must be the most patient and responsible team... I think even among my potential comrades, there's no one more suitable than Jessica and your team."

Seeing Jessica happily twitching her cat ears and blushing slightly, Franka teased Jessica's waist from behind, then patted her chest and assured Nana:

"Mission understood~ We went with you to deal with the Catastrophes, and monitoring isn't something anyone can do. The top student and I will take good care of your Little Cat, so leave it to us."

"... Actually, we need Jessica's firepower to protect ourselves. Fat Fox, don't you realize that you're actually a burden?"

"Huh? Well then, don't come begging me next time you get suppressed in melee!"

"I'll take those words back at you!"

Seeing the two bickering again, Nana smiled helplessly and finally looked at the 'Starlight' team, whose equipment was the most extravagant.

"The Starlight Team doesn't usually have specific missions, but during the day when the Thunder Team needs to rest, you can also use surveillance to maintain battlefield control... During the day, our reconnaissance team will also split up to look for clues, and once a suspicious area is confirmed, it's your turn to step in."