Chapter 300

Hearing Nana's questioning tone, Orchid pursed her lips slightly and then rolled her eyes at the two Top Operator present:

"I think anyone who teams up with that bunch of clowns would be exhausted."

"Clown?"

Seeing that Nana still didn't understand, Weedy, who also had experience in the action team, realized what was going on:

"Oh, you mean the people in the A6 Reserve Action Group? I remember you were the captain?"

"Well... that's how it is... I have a bunch of weirdos under my command, but I can't just leave them alone. I feel like I've become a nanny or a mother hen, and the fact that there's a kid in the group makes that feeling even stronger."

The three of them sat down at the tea table in Nana's room, chatting and drinking the Columbia coffee—which Puff would probably call soulless—while waiting for the test results of the neutralizing agent spraying.

"A little girl? Oh, her name is Popukar, right... I used to see her playing with my Little Cat quite often. Has that child joined the Reserve Action Group now?"

"Yes, after all, they need to earn money for treatment..."

"Speaking of treatment costs... Weedy doesn't have Oripathy. Orchid, how are you feeling? Would you mind if I accessed your monitoring ring?"

Orchid readily complied with Nana's gesture of pointing to her right wrist, but looking at the 6% fusion rate of somatic cells and Originium, and comparing it with past monitoring data, Nana felt slightly worried:

"At this rate, the infection continues to spread at a steady pace, and regular monitoring and control measures are still necessary..."

"That's what my attending physician said... Ah, I forgot you're also in the Medical Department, Medic. Don't worry about me, I'm cooperating with the treatment... But Medic, you're also the Infected, right? Is your infection rate okay? Your eyes... looking closely, they seem completely Originium."

Hearing Orchid's slightly surprised words, Weedy also moved closer to Nana and said nervously, "Ah! Really... Nana, you've been on field missions for the past few years. I didn't even know your condition was so serious until Orchid told me!"

Although they were just colleagues, they were now talking like friends. Nana subconsciously covered her left eye with her hand, then gave a slightly melancholy smile.

"Actually, it's okay... I'll tell you something that might reveal secrets: the fusion rate of my somatic cells with Originium has actually been steadily declining every year..."

Of course, given that the infection rate is over 70%, even with a steady decline each year, Nana's infection rate is still alarmingly high.

"And this eye of mine was actually transplanted..."

"Is it a prosthetic eye?"

"No, it's the Little Cat's sister... my neighbor, my friend, Kate's eyes."

Hearing this information-rich description, Weedy and Orchid paused slightly in their teacups, exchanging a glance involuntarily.

In the past, Medic had never talked about this topic with anyone else... but because it sounded so heavy, and Weedy and Orchid weren't social terrorists, they found it really difficult to continue the conversation.

As complete strangers who had only met at the training ground and exchanged greetings afterward, Weedy and Orchid changed the subject with the tacit understanding of close friends:

"... Although it looks like Originium, that emerald green color looks like a gemstone... Considering the Little Cat's appearance, that girl named Kate must be a beautiful girl who could be a fashion model... I've also heard about the Rosemary, what a pity."

"Well, since it's classified, let's not delve any further... Speaking of which, it seems my testing on the neutralizing agent is finished. Shall we check the results?"

As Weedy beckoned over the bionic machine called 'Sea Dragon,' the three of them huddled together to look at the fabric that had been sprayed with a neutralizing agent.

"... The material... doesn't seem to be severely corroded. Has a new coating formed? Performance... doesn't seem to be affected."

Compared to Weedy's optimism, Orchid's brows were furrowed quite deeply.

"Isn't this color fading a bit too much? The city camouflage gray is almost pure white, and the fabric has turned into something resembling leather..."

"Is it the reflection of metal? The gaps in the paint have all been filled and smoothed out like this?"

Seeing her equipment specialists deep in thought, Nana checked the time on her phone. It was probably another hour or two before she had to return to the front-line base to meet with the combatants.

"So, I'm about to participate in tonight's operation. Will I still be able to get my combat uniform in time?"

"Hmm... I just need to protect a few areas with chips and gemstone circuits, and then I should be able to start spraying the neutralizing agent... What did you say, Orchid?"

"Me? I'll have to see if our protagonist can accept a combat uniform that might have color variations due to different materials and is slightly revealing in public areas."

"... I understand color difference, but what about exposure?"

To address Nana's confusion, Orchid pointed to an inconspicuous piece of fabric in the sample. Now, under the influence of the neutralizing agent, it appeared as a thin layer with a sheen like silicone or leather.

"This is the elastic thermal insulation material in the abdomen of the combat uniform, and many other parts that need to absorb sweat and breathe also use this material... Spraying that neutralizing agent might cause these fabrics to yellow or blacken... That's easy to fix, as long as it's sprayed as evenly as possible, the color difference can be made as uniform as possible... But the original cotton-like material will become thin like silicone and leather, which will inevitably expose a lot of body lines... Medic, can you handle this?"

When Orchid said this, Weedy was slightly surprised and covered her mouth slightly. Obviously, for the Aegir wearing protective suits with transparent material, the design that was too close to their body lines... seemed to remind Weedy of the Aegir homeland.

Bodysuits, especially those with smooth outer materials, are widely used in the sea.

However, for land dwellers, this seems a bit too advanced.

But Nana didn't care; she nodded so quickly it was as if she hadn't even thought about it.

"I've worn similar styles of clothes a lot before, so it doesn't matter...and I have a coat to cover it up."

"... Just a heads up, if I remember correctly, you need to take off your jacket when you're equipping your tactical gear..."

Nana shrugged at Orchid's deadpan expression.

"It's okay, if I can't beat you, I'll just put your summer uniform design inside."

"Wow... you remember that? Never mind then."

While talking, Nana installed spray cans on Weedy's bionic mechanical device, and at the same time, she took out the 'Summer Set' series that she had prepared along with the combat suit from her wardrobe.

"So, are you sure you don't want to change it?"

Seeing Nana nod without hesitation while holding a set of blue clothes, Weedy said, "I don't care what you'll do if you can't wear it out later," and then pressed the button.

The hissing sound of the spray can immediately filled the entire room.

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: By the way, Nana's summer combat outfit looks like this ↓

After spraying on the neutralizing agent, the actual effect is roughly like this ↓

Combat uniform (Summer. jpg)

PSSSS: In addition to the footed socks that cover the thighs, I was thinking that since it's Black-footed Cat, it must also have black gloves.

But should Nana wear long-sleeved gloves that extend to her elbows, or the regular gloves shown in the picture, or the short gloves the Little Cat gave her...? It's a difficult choice.

The biggest problem is the conflict between the actual need for waterproofing and the desire to make the character wear a suede-like outfit... I just wanted the cat to wear a nice latex suit, why does it have to be so complicated...?

9th Lungmen Seafood: Type 344 Type-77 Variable Tactical Armor

Just as initially predicted, Nana's combat suit successfully 'rebooted' as expected.

Fortunately, the significant changes in materials did not affect its most important function, and Nana can still wear it normally. After applying the neutralizing agent, the next step is the key modification.

Opening the liquefied metal storage box, which resembled a miniature safe and had a password, Weedy stroked her chin with interest and touched the material that, in her hand, scattered like mercury, but in Nana's hands, transformed into a form that could take shape and spread across the body like 'cloth':

"This is the 'Liquid Fabric' produced by a certain group. Not only can it self-shape itself by absorbing pre-programmed Originium Arts, but it can also be customized for different uses through spell programming... Let me guess, the reason why such a near-omnipotent property hasn't been mass-produced or seen in the news is—it's very expensive."

Nodding in agreement with Weedy's guess, Nana let the Liquid Fabric spread from her arms to her entire body according to the initialization program, allowing it to complete the fusion process with her original combat suit. Nana recalled the price of this thing.

"Yes, I'm not entirely clear on the specific technical details, but its unit price is dozens of times that of Red Gold of the same quality... Although the prices of certain specific precious metals are even more outrageous, considering that it is an item that can be programmed through Originium microcircuits, as equipment, it has probably already exceeded the level of a luxury item."

As she spoke, the originally pure black liquid slowly spread over Nana's body. The originally impenetrable black gradually became transparent as the liquid stretched and diffused... until it completely permeated her original combat suit and covered Nana's body, starting to extend towards her head, its color becoming faintly visible through her skin.

"... It seems to be covering your face, is that normal?"

"Yes, this is a new generation product, including Full-Coverage Mode headpiece. This is a specialized feature designed to counter enemies like Seaborn... But don't worry, it will form its own mask, and the eyepiece will also serve as an eyepiece."

Even so, as Nana was gradually covered entirely by the black liquid, from head to toe, even with red lenses forming around her eyes and a mask gradually taking shape around her mouth and nose, Orchid's words hit the nail on the head:

"I don't think you can go out wearing that..."

What does it look like now?

The other two tacitly made way for Nana, allowing Nana to look in the full-length mirror... And seeing the outfit in the mirror—a black bodysuit with a tight-fitting combat jacket that accentuated the girl's figure—even Nana, who had worn many clothes to accommodate her manager's strange interests, couldn't help but admit that this initial outfit looked suspicious no matter how she looked at it. It resembled those thieves in Yan who wore thin black clothes.

However, this is the necessary process for the liquid metal to link with the original combat suit. Fortunately, Nana can control it through the panel of the Tactical Unit. Compared to the pure magic operation of the past, the Liquid Fabric can now be reprogrammed through the visualization system.

After the hardened mask and goggles softened again and were folded and stored away in the neck brace of her combat suit, Nana looked at the maintenance and design personnel of her equipment with a slightly speechless expression:

"It seems like this is the Full-Coverage Mode. What are your thoughts?"

"Hmm... how should I put it? If you only look at it when the buffer layer isn't in place, the way the artificial muscle bundles bulge out... it's actually quite aesthetically pleasing..."

"Doesn't it look more like nudity? Or like an unknown humanoid creature that's been skinned? I remember only seeing similar curves on some bodybuilding shows with professional trainers... But Nana, your figure is very well-proportioned and beautiful... but it's really suspicious."

"I myself find it very suspicious, but it is indeed a necessary setting for using the accompanying spells. Without full coverage, the external muscle enhancements cannot take shape in human form, and the three-defense system will not function properly..."

As she spoke, she reverted to the default mode that covered her head, Nana tried to activate its newly added important function according to the instructions.

It is based on the SHD protocol and will not burden the practitioner. Instead, it is a new technology that reconstructs the Liquid Fabric itself using a biomimetic system.

"Strength Mode."

Accompanied by a voice prompt that seemed to be based on her manager's voice, 'Maximum Stronger,' a bright red magical light spread across her body along the contours of her enhanced muscles... Considering that she was in her own room, Nana did not try to punch or sprint to test the equipment's performance.

However, if the instruction manual isn't misleading, the new spell amplification mode is based on the user's physical attributes and simultaneously provides a percentage-based attribute enhancement.

According to the instruction manual, the Strength Mode is specifically designed to address the insufficient power output of the user in the 'Feline' Mode. Furthermore, if activated in Full-Power Halo Form, the power amplification, based on the Vouivre, can increase exponentially.

Aside from the Strength Mode, the instruction manual also records speed, armor, and what appears to be a 'Invisibility Mode' specially designed by Nana... This Optical Camouflage Spell was even written by Nana herself.

If the Liquid Fabric itself can perform spellcasting in place of the user, Nana could even cast multiple spells simultaneously while remaining invisible and using armor-piercing shots...

For skilled casters, multicasting might not be a particularly impressive skill, but the thought that if similar equipment were mass-produced, Columbia would have a group of Firearms Operator capable of consistently multicasting... is quite frightening.

But considering the price of Liquid Fabric, this idea remained just a thought... Compared to the Columbia military's reconnaissance, Nana felt that figuring out how to go out tonight was more important.

During her conversation with Weedy and Orchid, Nana discovered that once the Liquid Fabric fully covered her and formed an artificial muscle structure, it would be extremely unsightly... Nana found that her new equipment, which enhanced her combat power, seemed to have become a problem for her, and she appeared slightly discouraged.

Seeing Nana's reaction, Weedy tried to reconsider Miss Medic's equipment needs:

"Therefore, the more realistic the system becomes, the more complex the structure of the Liquid Fabric becomes... When the artificial muscle bundles are fully deployed in Strength Mode, their thickness can bulge by three centimeters..."

"The more liquid metal is used to enhance the biomimetic properties, the more human-like the structure of this system becomes... Even with a full-coverage helmet, the lines of artificial muscles will make you look like you're running around naked... That's the problem."

Holding the Tactical Unit control interface shared by Nana, Orchid tried adjusting the spell-assisted functions of the Liquid Fabric. Then, she used the stylus to write and draw on the tablet. Weedy's eyes lit up, and the two looked at Nana again.

"Since performance and requirements cannot be fully met, let's prioritize tasks within the urban area and try to reduce performance requirements, how about that?"

"Subtraction... does that mean removing the normal external muscle mimicry and restoring it to its original form as liquid metal existing only as 'cloth'?"

Nodding in agreement with Nana's guess, Weedy followed Orchid's lead, completing the calculations on the artificial Sea Dragon's Terminal before looking up and continuing:

"Yes, although doing so almost completely loses the mimicry muscle bonus in Strength Mode and 70% of the mimicry muscle assistance in Speed Mode... but according to the spell feedback of liquid metal, even if you temporarily switch to those two modes, this set of... liquid metal equipment will still reconstruct muscle bundles at a speed of 150 milliseconds and 75 milliseconds respectively."

"So the solution is actually quite simple: just avoid forming simulated muscle bundles in your daily life..."

Following Weedy's suggestion, Nana immediately configured the liquid metal in the newly added subsystem of the Tactical Unit... And as Nana's external silhouette returned to that of a 'little black woman' clad in full black stockings, Orchid, recalling the properties of the liquid metal, tried to suggest:

"Then there's the issue that this set of equipment is essentially a full-coverage headsuit, which looks suspicious even when it's not being used... Speaking of which, Medic, since you can customize the structure of this equipment, why don't you try to divide its distribution on the body by key areas? Right now, it should be evenly distributed all over the body, right?"

That's right...

"It was originally pure black, but it started to become transparent after being spread out... What if you try spreading the color evenly from the head to the body? Make it thinner... Wouldn't the color lighten again?"

"Give it a try?"

As she spoke, the mask, glasses, and helmet, which were assembled together, began to soften and be reshaped... After going through several stages— Nana suspicious person with a strange mask, a suspected bandit with a black veil, and a dark-skinned Iberia— as the liquid metal became almost transparent, if it weren't for the fact that the girl's short hair was still lying flat on her head, no one would still think that Nana was a purely suspicious person.

Nana is now a suspicious person in the city wearing a diving suit!

Now that we've found a method, the next step is simply to make gradual adjustments.

First, the liquid metal is soaked into the hair strands, allowing the hair to fall naturally. Then, the arms and thighs are outlined with a light layer of skin-colored liquid metal. Any excess liquid metal can be used for defense of key areas such as the chest, as well as for shock absorption in the grip areas.

After a period of dedicated adjustment by everyone, Nana's new battle suit finally returned to a look very close to the original version.

However, this did not solve the problem of the performance of the equipment Nana needed.

Although the thin liquid metal still maintains a minimum level of biochemical protection, its physical thickness is so thin that the physical defense of areas such as the head, face, neck, arms, and thighs (the "absolute territory") is difficult to describe.

It's not even suitable to describe it as 'paper' anymore; it's more like an invisible 'coating' or simply a physical thickness similar to 'sunscreen'.

Clearly, this single-film form has said goodbye to defensive capabilities. Fortunately, at the cost of response time, Nana still has a way to restore it to its combat form.

To avoid the problem of the simulated muscle outline in the Strength Mode making her look like she was naked, Orchid temporarily designed a set of armor for the 'skin' that needed to construct the simulated muscle pattern.

"... Actually, letting the liquid metal instinctively form a 'skin' is the best way to keep it most sensitive, since shaping it into 'armor' still takes some extra time... But, compared to letting mimic muscles define your body's outline, it's definitely better to cover it up with armor or something to look normal... But this stretches the response time of Armor Mode to three hundred milliseconds... Compared to the original default two-digit millisecond units, this performance loss... doesn't seem unacceptable?"

Looking at Nana, whose face mask had been reshaped, her entire body a matte black, without ribbons but perfectly modeled after modern Kazimierz sports armor... Orchid, holding a tablet with various design sketches crossed out on it, wiped the sweat from her brow with satisfaction:

"Let's set it to Standby Mode as it is now, and then try switching from Low-Power Mode to other modes?"

Hearing Orchid's words, the black matte knight nodded. The angular helmet folded into the neck guard, and the red visor and breathing mask liquefied and dissipated only after the helmet had completely disappeared.

We've now switched to a 'Low-Power Mode' for normal city movement.

In this state, Nana's head protection is almost non-existent, with only a thin layer of liquid metal film for passive breathing filtration.