Kitty Killer Wasn't That Cold

Medic said this as she took out a gold coin and handed it to Su Sulo.

Everyone hurried over to inspect it. The gold coin had no denomination. One side bore a scale topped with an eye, while the other showed a relief of the Victoria Royal Family's red dragon facing an Aslan... ICA was said to have originated in Victoria, though why it was now controlled by Columbia's Homeland Security Bureau... Medic did not care.

As the elevator reached the lowest level, its doors opened onto a plaza lit by chandeliers. Crowds dressed like mercenaries, nearly all carrying weapons, moved back and forth through the area. At a glance, it felt as though they had arrived in an underground city of Durin... While everyone stood there with their mouths agape, Medic was used to the sight. She merely pointed at a counter bearing a Victoria-language logistics sign:

"That is a token. One gold coin grants one request... Go to the equipment counter over there and ask for three sets of wilderness gear... Some of what they give you might not be useful, so choose what to carry yourselves... Blaze, you keep an eye on them. Do not let them bring too much dead weight. We may need to go to many more places after this."

Seeing the big cat nervously swish her tail and nod, Medic looked at Su Sulo, who seemed unsure whether she was nervous or excited, before leaving.

"Do not worry. Fighting is forbidden at the Continental Hotel... If anyone comes over to flirt, chat, or hand out cards, just have Blaze turn them away... Blaze, you should be careful too. Refuse them verbally. If someone keeps pestering you, refuse them louder... Listen carefully. You absolutely cannot fight here."

"...Will fighting get you killed?"

"Yes. It does not matter who starts it. Whoever throws a punch dies... So bear with it if anything happens. There will always be a chance to settle accounts once you leave these doors... In any case, remember this. We can deal with things slowly later... I am going to make a call now. Once you have bought what you need, you can rest in one of the shops around the plaza... Wasn't Su Sulo disappointed that she could not visit the restaurants from those travel magazines? The food here should not taste any worse than those trendy places... Anyway, keep your strength up. Contact me by phone if anything happens. I will be right back."

After giving those instructions, Medic finally settled them in a safe spot at her side. Then she showed her operation code to the Continental Hotel staff... After that, a hotel attendant led Medic into a meeting room that contained nothing but a red button.

Already familiar with the process, Medic pressed the button, pulled over a chair, and sat down. She fished a can of cola from the little refrigerator in the corner, gulped it down to soothe her killing intent with sugar, and watched as the windows and lights around the room dimmed. The projector activated silently, and two figures appeared before her.

"Broker... Kal'tsit is here too?"

[Ah ha~ Number Seventy-Seven really did enter the meeting room alone. I won, so do not forget the wager, Kal'tsit.]

As the plant-colored Feline looked at her in confusion, Medic took off her backpack and tugged at her heavy medical uniform.

"The others are outside. Other than the Catastrophes themselves, this is the safest place in the city as long as you follow the rules... Do you need them to come in too?"

[...There is no need... Medic, how much do you know about the current situation?]

"Rhodes Island set sail for emergency shelter. A large number of squad members are temporarily taking refuge in Ticarondo's Fourth Block. Kal'tsit herself and E3 Squad are in Ticarondo Core City for commercial negotiations... In other words, aside from my team, everyone from Rhodes Island is within the range of the Catastrophes."

[...Correct. Let me add some details... The various blocks of Ticarondo are gradually disconnecting from the Core City. However, Fourth Block's equipment is too outdated, and its response speed cannot keep up. To ensure that the Core City itself has enough time to leave the Catastrophe zone, the Ticarondo Municipal Government will likely not wait for Fourth Block...]

"A forced separation... Then the energy, water, and gas pipelines that had been connected to the Core City..."

[Yes. Fourth Block's internal circulation will fall into chaos, and subsequent adjustments will certainly take additional time... It can be said that our personnel being forced to remain in the Catastrophe zone is now essentially an irreversible outcome.]

Her hand beneath the table clenched uneasily into a fist, but Medic's expression remained blank. It was Number Seventy-Seven's work expression.

"Broker, what does the government say?"

[The nation's rescue ships and the Security Bureau's Landship sent to support you have already departed... From our perspective, aside from the Ticarondo Municipal Government's failure to update Fourth Block's operating system, their actions themselves also constitute part of their emergency evacuation... Legally speaking, abandoning Fourth Block was also an act of self-preservation... The federal government cannot hold them accountable.]

"...I never said I blamed them. But Little Cat is undoubtedly in danger right now... Do you know Blacksteel's response?"

[Ah... This is also the main reason I activated Contingency Contract personnel to contact you... Kal'tsit, would you explain?]

Kal'tsit nodded. The emerald-furred lynx displayed several photographs in the projection.

[This is a Blacksteel Worldwide subordinate biochemical defense specialist unit, the so-called BPRS... In order to persuade Blacksteel Worldwide to dispatch a Landship to help Rhodes Island and Ticarondo, I am negotiating with the person in charge of BPRS regarding a cooperative employment agreement... Originally, we had already reached an agreement to use treatment for the Infected as payment...]

"...The person in charge of that Landship said Blacksteel's Landship did not have high-grade Originium Dust protection measures. Is that true, or just an excuse?"

[Judging by BPRS's supervisor's response, it is certainly a lie... It would be a very poor joke if a PMC Landship that frequently entered war zones had no appropriate protective measures...]

"Then... that person in charge simply does not want to enter the Catastrophe zone."

[A very realistic thought, is it not? From a third party's perspective, protecting his own crew is understandable. But from the perspective of those directly involved... the closest Landship to the Contingency Contract is unwilling to fulfill its Contingency Contract obligations... Put harshly, he is abandoning the lives of millions. Put selfishly...]

"Rhodes Island desperately needs Blacksteel Worldwide to fulfill its promise."

Kal'tsit nodded. Compared to the Broker's faintly amused expression beside her, the big lynx looked as obedient as if someone had a gun to her head... Her meaning was already obvious. The question was...

"So this still looks, at least for now, like Rhodes Island's matter... Why are you here, Broker?"

[Oh my... Having an adopted daughter really is different. Your temper seems to have grown much bigger... Well, I am here because I have work for you.]

"ICA's?"

[No... The Security Bureau's... You need to understand that Columbia is a young nation... It has been ten years since Gaul, which once supported us, fell. Although Victoria is plagued by internal strife, Columbia itself still has shallow foundations and needs extensive foreign manpower...]

[Just as we must pave the way for foreign Infected to live within our borders... Blacksteel Worldwide has grown through Columbia's commercial environment, yet its Landship captain does not wish to fulfill the Contingency Contract itself... As Kal'tsit said, from a third party's perspective, this is undoubtedly a correct decision made to protect his own employees, one that outsiders cannot criticize... But what about from our perspective?]

"...A Columbian company refused the Contingency Contract..."

[Yes. That is what makes this such a headache... If he truly had some fault or character flaw, the public departments could expose it at this moment, stir up public opinion, and directly replace that captain... But that old Victorian captain is upright and accomplished in battle. There is absolutely nothing to criticize about either his private life or his command of the ship. Because of his ties to the Victoria Fleet, he enjoys considerable prestige among Blacksteel's management and ship personnel... Even state government officials were sent back after being sternly rebuked by him. It is truly regrettable.]

[Number Seventy-Seven... From the perspective of an ordinary citizen, he is a superior worthy of respect, a captain whom Columbia should treat well.]

[After thoroughly analyzing this Catastrophe called Black Edge, he personally took responsibility for violating the Contingency Contract... At the same time, he spared several thousand Blacksteel employees from the Catastrophe's ravages...]

[But that is not what we want... At this moment, we do not need his reputation, his responsibility, or anything like that... We only need Blacksteel's Landship to appear on the evacuation route to Ticarondo.]

[But he has completely cast aside everything we prepared for him... Money, honor, flowers, applause... He does not want any of it. He only wants his ship and the crewmen he treats like his own children...]

[Originally, I said we could simply kill him, but Kal'tsit said it would be a pity for such an experienced person to die in a dishonorable assassination... So this task falls to my trump card after all, my dear Number Seventy-Seven... Medic.]

[As a third party, we have no standing to make others assume risk... Therefore, we need an invisible hand to make him change his mind... Coerce him, persuade him, remove him directly... Any method will do. The Security Bureau only wants Blacksteel's Landship to be where it should be...]

[For this mission, you will receive assistance from Columbia's Homeland Security Bureau, ICA, Rhodes Island, and Blacksteel Worldwide's BPRS department.]

[We will not disturb your preparations any longer... Number Seventy-Seven.]

PS: Waaah, kitty...

This one is even more of a man than I am...

PS2: My memory exploded... My computer froze three times. I do not even know what expression I had when I ordered new RAM...

I know, I know, four thousand words is not enough, right... I will keep writing.

The Mystery of the 2nd Medic: 041 Begin the Operation

[Sometimes, you may not know whether what you are doing is truly right... But, Medic... At the very least, we must be certain that every decision we make now is justified and best suited to the current situation... Do not wait until the future to regret it.]

After hesitating for a moment, Medic responded to Kal'tsit with a nod, put her backpack back on, and got up to leave.

Perhaps for an assassin who had nearly lost her mind, right or wrong had long ceased to be the main reason driving her actions... But... justified?

Medic could only say that she would do everything possible to set things right through justified means.

"Ah... Medic is back."

Medic found Su Sulo and the others in a dessert shop just one street away from the remote meeting room. They did not seem to have rested much. She shook the hotel keycard in her hand. After asking whether they truly did not need rest, Medic accepted the ICA briefcase handed over by the front desk and headed to the parking lot with them.

As she watched everyone quickly get into the car... Medic herself remained outside. After handing Su Sulo the briefcase provided by the Hotel, she instructed them to head for Blacksteel Worldwide's Landship as quickly as possible.

"To Blacksteel's Landship?"

"Yes. Your next task is to meet up with Blacksteel's biochemical defense specialists as Rhodes Island employees... Do everything possible to meet with that captain who insists on waiting for the Catastrophe's intensity to decrease before entering the area, and persuade him not to miss this golden opportunity for disaster relief... This is the current situation in Ticarondo Fourth Block, sent by Kal'tsit. It needs Contingency Contract personnel and the help of Blacksteel's Ship Affairs Department... Only with professional personnel and heavy equipment can that mobile district regain its mobility as quickly as possible... That way, our employees and citizens in that block can be saved... Of course, it does not matter if you fail. You can head to Ticarondo with Blacksteel afterward and meet up with Amiya."

Seeing that Medic was not preparing to get in the car, Su Sulo vaguely realized that the agent lady intended to act alone... Little Fox opened her mouth, wanting to ask Medic to consider that she was still injured. But when she remembered that not only Amiya, but also Little Cat, was in Ticarondo... it seemed that even without Kal'tsit's orders, Medic would still take action without hesitation.

Thinking that, Su Sulo swallowed her attempt at persuasion and reached out to take the briefcase Medic handed her.

"...All right, I understand... But it is a moving Landship. How are we supposed to find it?"

"That case contains an Intercity Network Caller... There is no professional caster here to operate it, so its active calling range is much smaller... But as an important device used by Catastrophe messengers to contact nearby mobile cities over long distances and access the Contingency Contract network, it can still passively indicate the locations and planned routes of Landships with their navigation callers activated..."

As she spoke, Medic taught Su Sulo how to activate the device. She could not teach Su Sulo every function in such a short time, but as long as she understood how to bring up the intercity network search and network map, it would be enough for their current mission.

Watching Su Sulo operate the device somewhat clumsily, Medic brushed at her bangs, trying to cover the overly conspicuous medical eyepatch as much as possible.

"I still have another task to carry out, but I will probably regroup with you all soon... Meli, Stewart, Adnachiel... Although the three of you have not had time to sign employment contracts yet, please help us get through this crisis together..."

At that point, Medic paused slightly. She suddenly realized that Rhodes Island might genuinely be a poisonous company.

When she first joined, Touch had used unsettling lines like, "I hope this company can become your home." But now that it was her turn to introduce Rhodes Island to newcomers, things like, "Helping us is helping yourselves. You do not want to work on a pile of ruins, do you?" had somehow come out of her mouth... Medic found herself speechless.

Seeing Medic suddenly fall silent, Meli tilted her head in confusion.

"Captain?"

"...Mm... Of course, this counts as fieldwork too. You can ask this senior of yours about the action team's more specific benefits and compensation... Blaze... I am counting on you to keep everyone safe along the way... Also, worrying yourself sick will not help anything. You need to rest later. Once you reach Ticarondo with Blacksteel's Landship, there will be plenty that needs you..."

As if Medic's lecture was not enough, this little cat, who only came up to Blaze's chest, actually reached out and rubbed her ears. Blaze endured it helplessly for a moment, then called out to Medic's retreating back.

"You too... I do not know what you are going to do, but be careful. You are no longer someone who only lives for Little Cat... You have us too!"

Perhaps even Blaze herself felt that phrasing carried too many possible meanings. She watched their vehicle, driven by Blaze, speed toward the Customs port as though it were fleeing, and Medic revealed a faintly lonely smile.

"...I have you too... is that it..."

Without arguing about Blaze's wording, Medic returned to the Continental Hotel... She took the elevator to the room the Broker had booked for her. Upon opening room 7777, the first thing she saw was a neatly pressed suit hanging from a clothes rack.

This was Nana's work uniform: a black suit jacket, a pleated skirt of the same color, made from cashmere. A white shirt of pure cotton, with white enamel buttons... The tie was vivid red silk, the fabric imported from Yan, with an ICA tie clip to distinguish internal identity... Finally, there was a set of ear-mounted combat mission recorders, something ICA employees generally did not wear, but Nana did...

If the mission was simply to kill someone, then the assassin would wear this.

But this time was different. Considering that she would need to regroup with Rhodes Island afterward, and that the goal of this mission was ultimately persuasion rather than killing anyone... Number Seventy-Seven turned her gaze toward the bed.

Her alternative was there: Columbia Homeland Security Bureau equipment. After all, for persuasion... it was better to fly Columbia's banner.

Otherwise, how could an assassin whose duty was to deliver death threaten a captain who had crossed countless deaths, devoted his life to his Landship, and cared for his crew like children?

She aimed her watch at the briefcase bearing a phoenix shield insignia. As the mechanical female voice from the watch Terminal announced in a cold tone, the briefcase's built-in lock clicked open.

[Security Bureau agent equipment detected. Clearance level six. Authorization confirmed.]

[Agent Number Seventy-Seven, Nana Ivy, online.]

A golden ring of light appeared around the outer rim of the watch. Unlike the "ICA work uniform," which primarily considered concealment in cities, agent equipment was designed more for wilderness operations and combat... It was also predominantly black, but used extensive synthetic polymer materials resistant to Originium radiation and Originium Dust.

The seemingly light sleeveless one-piece combat suit could withstand cutting and puncture from sharp objects. Its hard cape and hooded lining could even operate in Catastrophe conditions of up to Level Two Originium Rain.

Perhaps considering the assassin's own combat habits, the Broker had not added armor or protective modules that would overly restrict movement. However, the equipment itself was designed to integrate with the stealth system—the caster bodysuit design. With the combat suit's built-in stealth fabric, Nana could apply thicker Liquid Fabric over her arms and legs.

That way, even without gloves or boots, Nana could still have a basic level of protection.

It was just that... after changing into the combat suit, Nana felt that the Broker's taste had become even more... perverted.

Never mind that this combat suit covered about as much skin as a swimsuit... Aside from the sneakers, the shoulder casting unit equipped with scanning functions and access permissions for most public institutions, and the cape that felt somewhat stiff and ended exactly ten centimeters below the bottom of the bodysuit...

Was that all?

Where was the skirt?

Where was the jacket?

She could overlook the lack of headgear, considering the need for vision during infiltration work and outfit coordination... But they would not even give her gloves?!

"...Right, because the cape covers them, the Liquid Fabric on my hands is invisible most of the time, so it is fine not to wear gloves..."

My ass!

Annoyed, she removed the pleated skirt from the suit and fitted the belt of the combat suit over it as a waistband. Then she added the standard ICA pistol and a quick-draw holster to keep her skirt from exposing anything during large movements.

Her arms looked like they were covered by a black bodysuit because of the thick Liquid Fabric protection, so Nana could make do with that. But gloves were not merely protective gear... Considering that she might need to fight with braided rope and steel wire, Nana took the leather gloves from the suit for protection.

Finally, though she did not particularly want to wear it, Nana put on the ICA earpiece out of habit and because it was necessary for communicating with the Broker.

[Oh, oh, it connected, it connected... Let me see... Eh...]

[...I told you, even from an agent's perspective, your personal preferences are far too perverted...]

Not only was the Broker still connected, even Kal'tsit's line had not disconnected... Nana had already had no privacy before Kal'tsit back at Rhodes Island, but medical examinations and wearing strange clothes were not the same. They were not the same!

"...Broker, are you betting on me with Kal'tsit again?"

[Hmm... Are you angry?]

"No."

[Uh... You do look angry... But it is not as though I did not prepare a skirt for you... How about you look at the last gift in the case and forgive me?]

The last item in the case...

Hearing the Broker's ingratiating tone, Nana turned toward the bottom of the Security Bureau briefcase. She removed the divider separating the clothing and saw something that had been disassembled into parts, but which she recognized at a glance.

"A Laterano Gun..."

[A rapid-fire gun using Victoria-made .300-caliber suppressed rounds... Considering the difference between you and ordinary Sankta, someone like you who has one more chance at Judgment than your peers is best suited to a high-capacity rapid-fire weapon, is she not? The Laterano Law excavation codename Honey Badger is yours now.]

"...Will I need something like this?"

[Considering that, in the worst-case scenario, you might need to purge the entire captain faction aboard the Landship... You should bring it...]

Kitty Killer looked into the mirror, as though meeting the eyes of the two people beyond the earpiece camera through her reflection. Then Nana picked up the weapon, folded it, and hung it in the weapon slot on the belt at the back of her waist...

"...Without the suit jacket, I can use this to hold down the skirt..."

[Mm-hm. It can also conceal the weapon beneath the cape and maintain secrecy... Very suitable... Finally, since you are wearing that, you can use the Security Bureau's aircraft. The crew is already waiting for you at the Customs helipad.]

[However, boarding under the Security Bureau's public identity basically means giving up violent confrontation... You would not be foolish enough to swagger aboard dressed like that and kill that captain, would you?]

"...I will meet that captain privately... Do not worry."