Chapter 201
"Yes, thank you, but don't worry about me, I'm fine."
"What do you mean 'it's alright'? Do you think I'm blind?"
Shinomiyami Nami stared intently at Efnir. Efnir had already changed into a new combat uniform, with half her face buried under the hood of her long coat, but the bandages on her neck, wrists, and forehead couldn't lie.
"I know about Yukina's situation, but you're not doing much better, you know? Yukina has been very worried about you..."
She sat down next to Efnir, then patted her side, and a series of dull echoes came from the huge iron barrel.
"Just keep me company, come sit for a while~"
Efnir paused for a moment, then silently squatted down and sat down next to Shinomiyami Nami. Shinomiyami Nami pulled out a pistol and several magazines from her waist and handed them to Efnir.
"You've lost your sidearm, haven't you? Use this as a makeshift weapon."
Thanks.
"When I left headquarters, Nishizaki Yuki was already prepared. She should be here tomorrow."
"Wait a minute, what's she doing here?"
"Isn't it because she's worried about you? But she's actually quite interested in the 'Mutated Entity' discovered here too. She'll apply to the commander for detailed arrangements, and given her status, she'll probably be among the first to arrive."
After the Boundary Stele is stabilized, the Resonance between the Boundary Stele can form a barrier extension zone between Maesakagawa and Xijing City, which is a relatively safe area. This is a way to connect the central city and satellite cities. However, this method obviously cannot eliminate all dangers, so a lot of manpower and resources are needed for escort and transportation, and therefore an application is required.
"Um..."
Efnir nodded.
"By the way, Nami, Saori's situation has been discovered by Furan and the others. Is that alright?"
"It's alright, sending her here naturally took that into account."
"That's good. After the battle, may I let Saori and Rin meet?"
"Wait a moment!"
Shinomiyami Nami turned her head, her face full of strange expressions.
"Why are you asking me this? You're the deputy team leader... You're our boss, okay?"
"That works."
Efnir smiled, as if she had expected Shinomiyami Nami to say that.
"... Communication test, all squads, please note, a communication test is now in progress..."
A voice came through the headset, saying that the Corruption Energy within the Garrison District had been suppressed to a certain level, and communication connections had been largely restored in areas not close to the edge of the Garrison District.
"Test complete, basic feedback is good..."
"Can all squads hear me? This is the temporary command post. Please report the situation in your respective areas."
After a rustling sound, Efnir raised her hand and touched her cheek.
"This is Efnir, area A1 has been cleared."
"Anilas, I can hear you, area B1 has been cleared..."
"Lapith, C1 is cleared."
"Canary, there's no problem with Zone A2."
"Here it is..."
The agents successively made confirmations.
"Efnir, Anilas, and Lapith, the three of you will each serve as the on-site commanders for your respective areas... Now, let the operation begin."
91. Post-war
As a deep rumble reverberated through the air, a massive, semi-transparent light shield above the dome of the Maesakagawa Garrison District became clear in Efnir's eyes, then slowly crumbled like melting snow, the faint light shrinking towards the Boundary Stele.
Efnir has moved to team communications.
"This is Efnir. All members of Team A, please confirm the signal flares you have. In case of any emergency, please request assistance immediately, especially the Apostle and Angel. Report their appearance immediately. I will also be monitoring for any unusual activity in the area. If you detect my signal, please respond with extreme caution."
"Receive."
"Learn."
Less than two minutes later, the communication was interrupted again due to interference from the Corruption Energy, and the light curtain of the dome finally turned into stardust and disappeared into the sky.
The Erosion Entity wandering Beyond the Boundary quickly noticed the commotion and began to converge on the Maesakagawa Garrison District.
Efnir stood up, her entire body disappearing into a sea of swirling stardust amidst a silvery glow. When she reappeared, a magnificent dress draped over her body, her silver hair flowing, and her purple right eye fixed intently on the distance.
"Nami, the rest is up to you."
"No problem, just be careful, otherwise I won't be able to explain it to Yukina ~"
"Don't worry, I'm in good shape."
"Don't worry..."
Just then, Efnir's gaze suddenly stopped.
At the edge of the field of vision, faint glimmers of "dust" rose. Though faint, they were real, and the way this "dust" moved was unlike anything Efnir had ever seen.
"Wait a moment!"
"What's wrong?"
"Prepare signal flares! Anomalies detected in areas B13 and B14!"
Shinomiyami Nami couldn't see the dust, but she didn't doubt Efnir's words and immediately prepared a signal flare.
Area B is where the temporary team led by Anilas is located. Efnir must ensure that Area A, which she is responsible for, will not have any problems, so she can only transmit information to Anilas by using signal flares.
Is that all?
"Anilas will definitely notice... If she can't handle it, she'll definitely ask for our help again—no, or rather, if it's Apostle that she can't handle, then we can come in handy."
Efnir paused for a moment, and when she looked at the spot again, she could no longer see any "dust".
"Never mind, I hope nothing serious happens. I'm going to join the battle."
"Yes, I wish you good luck in your military endeavors."
"The same to you."
Efnir Shinomiyami Nami had handed her into the holster on her thigh, then leaped straight off the rooftop and instantly appeared on another tall building.
The final battle is about to begin.
On the other side--
After receiving Efnir's signal Anilas immediately went to check the place where the "dust" disappeared, but she didn't find anything special. So she dispatched a team of soldiers to search from the outside, while she provided sniping support for the battle at the front.
Soon, the soldiers made a discovery: they found an unrecorded underground passage in the basement of an abandoned factory. The passage led to the area marked by Efnir, where they discovered an underground train and the bodies of four Apostle who had escaped from Ayse.
There were no obvious Trace of battle here, which clearly indicated that the opponent was much stronger than these Apostle.
But who exactly is this vanished "third party"?
And what exactly are these trains used for?
The third party had obviously left, and there was no point in Anilas staying. So she handed over her discovery to the soldiers and went back into battle.
Without the appearance of Angel or Apostle, the final battle ended an hour later with the reconnection of the Relay Station and the re-rise of the Boundary Stele barrier.
Sparse starlight dotted the night sky, and a cool, moist breeze lingered even after the rain had stopped.
Footsteps echoed in the night.
When Efnir arrived at the temporary medical room where Yukina was receiving treatment, she found an acquaintance outside the room—nurse Kururina, whom Efnir had greeted with a farewell "salute" for her lover.
Kururina was squatting against the wall outside the corridor, her face buried in her arms and resting on her knees.
Her eyes were red, indicating she had just been crying.
Upon seeing Efnir, Kururina hurriedly stood up and saluted Efnir.
"Major General..."
"Are you alright? It's chilly outside, why don't you come inside?"
"Thank you for your concern... I'm fine, I just came out for some fresh air..."
"Is that so..."
Thinking of the soldier who died by his own gun, Efnir didn't know what to say to Kururina for a moment. After exchanging a few pleasantries with her, he learned that Kururina was the nurse in charge of Yukina's treatment, so he expressed his gratitude to her.
"Thank you for taking care of Yukina. How is she?"
Kururina stepped back, somewhat flattered.
"Shiomi is recovering quite well... her injuries have basically healed, and we are preparing nutritious meals for her..."
"Did you eat it yourselves?"
"Without..."
Kururina shook her head.
"It's okay, we can eat later..."
"I see..."
Efnir smiled.
"Leave the rest to me."
Meanwhile, in a room on the seventh basement level of the temporary command post, which had been emptied out—
Kusei Maki stood in front of the room, inside which lay several Apostle girls, tortured to the point of near death.
By this time, Kusei Maki had already obtained a lot of information from them.
One of the key questions is about the location of the Apostle's temporary base, the safe house, and the underground train. However, the most crucial information—about the Angel, the Apostle' headquarters, and specific details about the Apostle' activities in the Maesakagawa Garrison District —has remained stagnant.
Because all of this crucial information is in the hands of Fujisaki Ryoka, the captain of the Apostle Squad.
Fujisaki Ryoka was very stubborn; even after losing consciousness several times due to electric shocks and torture, she still didn't say anything.
Instead, a girl named Hatsukawa Fuka took the initiative to make a deal with Kusei Maki, offering to save Fujisaki Ryoka's life as payment and revealing some key information as a bargaining chip.
For example, by communicating with the Apostle Organization's headquarters through safe houses.
Hatsukawa Fuka didn't reveal much at once, Kusei Maki tried some methods, but she couldn't get any more information out of Hatsukawa Fuka — Hatsukawa Fuka was very resolute and it was difficult to get her to talk in an ordinary way.
Because Hatsukawa Fuka needs to ensure that her and Fujisaki Ryoka's existence is "useful," she cannot reveal all the information.
Furthermore, they cannot be too "stingy." If Kusei Maki doesn't get useful information, she will only force them in a more brutal way, which is not what Hatsukawa Fuka wants to see.
This way, they wouldn't be treated as "worthless" prisoners and subjected to torture or killed.
92. Anilas Saw
The night sky was clear and clean, except for the temporary camp, which was still brightly lit.
Centered on the temporary outpost, the area within two blocks was completely covered by lights, and soldiers stood guard on the top floors of buildings. Even though it was late at night, gunshots could be heard from time to time.
Dregs is easier to ignore than Erosion Entity because Dregs activity doesn't cause much of a disturbance, and it doesn't have the massive size of Erosion Entity.