Chapter 236
But strangely, Lapith always felt "like something was missing," and this intuition kept welling up from the depths of her heart.
"Cough cough... What's wrong? Why did you stop? Are you not playing anymore?"
The girl chuckled softly, blood oozing from her mouth and nose, a truly gruesome sight.
Now that the battle is over, with the combined attack of Lapith, Trilice, and the other agents of the Funeral Bird Squad, her struggles are futile.
"You don't seem afraid at all?"
Lapith squinted at the girl—the girl's attitude was strange. Whether in the battle or now that she knew she had no way out, she didn't seem like prey trapped in an ambush, but rather like a fearless bystander.
Yes, the term "bystander" is very fitting for this girl.
Even though her body was covered in bloody wounds and stained with shocking bloodstains, the girl's relaxed and nonchalant expression was genuine. She was easily lifted up by Lapith, yet she looked at Lapith with great interest.
The girl's breathing was very unstable, but there was no sign of fatigue on her face. "We will meet again, Agent."
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl's eyes dimmed, a flash of silver light appeared, and her body suddenly relaxed completely, held in Lapith's hand like a rag.
Lapith frowned as she looked at the girl. Where was the life in her? -- No breath, no heartbeat or pulse, her eyes were empty and lifeless, and her muscles and bones seemed to have melted away, hanging down.
"Huh? What happened? She's dead?"
"No... she probably escaped," Lapith frowned, recalling the intelligence data related to Codename H. "I thought she would disappear from my sight like Codename H, but I didn't expect her to do it in such a strange way... Although I don't know what method she used, it seems that we have been fighting her 'puppet' all along."
"Huh??" Trilice opened her eyes wide and came to Lapith's side, pinching the girl's corpse. A soft, overly soft sensation washed over her.
Rather than calling the girl a corpse, it's more accurate to describe her as a human-shaped sack filled with water.
"Hey... no way..."
Trilice suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. "Could this thing be a mollusk in human skin? Or maybe an alien?"
"What do you think?" Lapith handed the body to Trilice.
"What?! How can you look at it?!" Trilice jumped back in horror. "Wait, don't bring it here!!! This thing looks like a bug, it's so disgusting!!"
On the other side--
A commercial street near the Youcheng Girls' Academy in the Xijing City.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of the girl, stretching into the dim alley, and a faint, dim light flickered in her eyes.
"The power has been restored..." She looked up at the horizon, in the direction of the Maesakagawa Garrison District. "An agent... Even though it's an imposter, it's still surprising that he could do this much... If there's someone like this, how did this city fall? Because of the Apostle?"
She muttered a few words to herself and continued walking forward, "I have to find that guy."
Behind her, Saori's figure appeared at the end of the alley.
"Target spotted."
Saori spoke into her earpiece.
161. Exposure
"Codename J??"
Trilice tilted her head, looking at Lapith suspiciously—the nickname seemed a bit perfunctory, yet also seemed to have no problem.
The "H" followed by an unknown enemy +1, isn't that "J"?
"For people whose origins and purposes are unknown, we need to use somewhat mysterious code names."
This is Lapith's perverse sense of humor.
"Tch, it's certainly mysterious, but it doesn't seem that impressive," Trilice stood a good distance from the corpse of Codename J, seemingly reluctant to approach this "mollusk" carcass. "I wonder if Codename H is just a name without substance, being described in exaggerated terms, completely different from the reports we received before... Is this just individual variation?"
The report described the strange power of Codename H in detail. In fact, the power exhibited by Codename J was largely consistent with these descriptions, with the biggest difference being in "intensity".
Based on the power displayed by Codename J in the battle, Trilice believes that Codename J is not as terrifying as imagined. Although any member of the Funeral Bird Squad, except for Lapith, would likely be killed in a one-on-one fight against Codename J, two, three, or even a whole squad together would only be able to crush him.
"For her, the battle just now was more like a game than a 'fight'..."
Wearing a mask and gloves, Lin collected samples from the body Codename J. "She didn't seem serious at all, easily slipping away from our encirclement. I don't know where she went."
This is the only tricky part.
If you can't kill them, or if they escape every time, then the meaning of the battle is greatly diminished.
Perhaps that's why Codename J has always seemed so at ease.
"Codename H might be even more difficult to deal with than Codename J —the agent in Xijing City, especially the chief, she would never say something unrealistic. She considers Codename H a formidable enemy, so we cannot afford to be careless."
Although they hadn't known each other for long, "Efnir" didn't leave her with the impression of being someone who liked to exaggerate. Since Codename H was described as an enemy that "must be treated with caution," then that must be true.
"That's true..."
Trilice wholeheartedly agreed, but still gritted her teeth fiercely, "Tch, no matter what, this guy is so arrogant as to call us 'imposters' and 'watchdogs,' next time I'll teach him a lesson!"
"Hopefully... if we continue to stay in Western Capital," Lin sighed, "It would be best if these troublesome guys didn't show up in our city."
"Speaking of which, after Codename H comes Codename J... and then there's the Apostle. This city really has had a lot of troubles..."
Apostle are so rare, yet they've all appeared in clusters in Xijing City, along with a whole host of other things I've never heard of before, all concentrated in this small city.
This contrast gave Trilice a strange illusion.
"Did that Apostle say anything?... What is the purpose of Codename J? She doesn't seem to have appeared for these Apostle."
So far, information about Codename J has come primarily from Hatsukawa Fuka's oral account and the records of the Funeral Bird Squad —before this, no one had ever seen this person, not even the soldiers on duty in the control room.
Codename J appeared suddenly like a ghost on the eighth underground floor where the Apostle were imprisoned, and Hatsukawa Fuka did not deliberately hide what happened afterward.
"There's probably some reason," Lin said. "What exactly that reason is, perhaps even the agents here don't know themselves—otherwise they wouldn't be in such a passive position."
"This is probably the current state of the Human Federation's understanding of the Apostle Organization."
"Oh, that's true."
Trilice looked up at the wall riddled with bullet holes.
"Well, forget it, it's none of my business. Let's finish this quickly and get out of here... I don't want to stay with that mollusk corpse for another second."
"'Imposter' and 'Watchdog'...?" Lapith pondered silently for a moment, then turned around and stared at the corpse left behind by Codename J.
Rather than feeling insulted, Lapith felt something was more "unsettling" and inexplicable...
Even if it's insults and belittling, who would call someone a "fake" for no reason? Codename J's words seem to have something else in mind.
Counterfeit goods naturally coexist with genuine products.
Lapith pursed her lips, lost in thought.
Besides, why is Codename J searching for Codename H, and even trying to extract information from the enemy and imprisoned Apostle prisoners?
And the word "Hell" mentioned by Codename J... This word caught Lapith's attention. In fact, she had seen this term in a very confidential document. The so-called "Hell," or the "Hell life form" mentioned in the document, actually refers to the Erosion Entity.
But... the record document that Lapith saw came from an excerpt, deciphering, and translation of the text, images, and sounds recorded within the Ruins. Of course, the original words were not like that, but if it is transliterated according to those scholars, then it is indeed like that.
Simply put, it is "Ruin Script" that circulates among a small group of Ruins.
"Krilina, bring that guy over," Lapith said, pointing to the prisoner, Hatsukawa Fuka, who was receiving treatment. "I have something to ask her. Also, Lin, contact the commander in Xijing City; I need to speak with her."
Maesakagawa could reach the Orderkeeper Headquarters the Xijing City headquarters, the girl referred to as Codename J by Lapith —or rather, the girl who looked exactly like her—was slowly walking down an alley behind the shopping street.
Saori followed behind her at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
"Target spotted."
Saori and Fushihara Ayaka maintained communication, but Fushihara Ayaka did not rush to give orders to take action.
"Okay, let's leave it as it is and wait a bit."
Fushihara Ayaka is currently waiting for the data analysis from the Orderkeeper Headquarters to be completed. In addition, this operation requires Saori and other special forces members to work together, Fushihara Ayaka is waiting for personnel to be assigned.
For Fushihara Ayaka, caution is her style and habit, which allows ordinary people like her to have the greatest chance of survival in the face of the Erosion Disaster.
However, things immediately took an unexpected turn—
"The Bushiyuan, the target has been lost!"
Saori's voice came through the earpiece, Fushihara Ayaka immediately switched the communication over, "What's going on?"
"It happened in an instant, she suddenly disappeared, right before my eyes... I don't know how she did it," Saori said. "She probably spotted me."
"Wait, don't chase after them."
Fushihara Ayaka instinctively sensed something eerie about the whole affair, and her unease grew heavier. She thought of the gruesome corpses and said, "Shadow, let's get outside first."
"Receive."
From the shadows deep in the alley, Saori's figure slowly emerged.
She stared ahead as her target disappeared, hesitated for a moment, then cautiously turned back along the path. However, just as she turned the corner of the alley, a girl's figure blocked her way. The girl had pink hair and wore somewhat unique clothing. She leaned against the wall by the alley, staring intently at Saori with a deep smile.
Saori stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowed tightly. She tilted her head slightly, a strand of hair falling from beneath her hood. "Bushiyuan, I've been exposed."
The instant Saori finished speaking, Bushiyuan's urgent voice rang out. "Saori! Get out of there!!"
In just a few moments, Fushihara Ayaka had already obtained the data analysis results.
And now, the thing she least wanted to happen has happened.
162. Testing
"The target is likely someone with the Codename H! Get out of there now! You can't beat her alone!"
The most urgent task now is to retreat and ensure the safety of the Saori.
Having received the data analysis results from the anxious-looking researcher, Fushihara Ayaka contacted Saori immediately before even having a chance to look at them.
The target that appeared this time had a different energy wavelength than the Codename H, and the fluctuation range was very small, suggesting that it did not use much power, making it easy to confuse with the fluctuations caused by White Hole. If it weren't for the Special Disaster Division's longitudinal comparison of the time and location of its actions, even data analysis would not have been able to easily determine its existence.
Some time was spent on data analysis, so Fushihara Ayaka was ultimately a step too late.
"Sorry... she's already got her eye on me."
Saori's voice drifted over, "She knew I was following her all along. I might have fallen into her trap."
"Tsk..."
Fushihara Ayaka realized the seriousness of the situation.
If the enemy were Apostle, even a "genuine" one like Sakurai Sachi, Saori could at least escape unscathed.
Unlike Canary and Ayse when they first encountered the Apostle, the agents in Xijing City now have received specialized training in "dealing with Apostle attacks" and will no longer be easily defeated due to a lack of understanding of the Apostle.
But if the enemy is something like Codename H, the outcome will be different.
The power of Codename H is groundbreaking.
Now we can only hope that the enemy that appears this time is not as powerful as the one Codename H, so that Saori can deal with it with ease.
"I'll send someone over!" said Fushihara Ayaka, simultaneously initiating communication requests to the Orderkeeper Headquarters and Shinomiyami Nami. "I'll contact Siyejian and Efnir right now. Saori, you have to hold on."
We must seek support as soon as possible.
When an individual's strength rises to the point where they can single-handedly confront or easily defeat a squad of dozens of people, then their very existence undergoes a qualitative change. If the opponent is indeed an enemy similar to Codename H, then Saori and those special forces members alone are far from enough; to subdue her, they must rely on Efnir.
The problem now is, if the enemy is indeed as dangerous as the one Codename H, will Efnir still be able to save Saori?
In the alley, Saori had already adopted Exile Form, assuming an offensive stance, her crimson eyes fixed intently on the girl in front of her.
Is this girl an enemy?
Saori was unaware of what had happened to Maesakagawa; otherwise, she would never have thought this way.
Because in Saori's eyes, the girl never showed any "overstepping" hostility, and there was no direct conflict between the girl and the Orderkeepers or the Special Disaster Division. If the girl hadn't taken care of the target that the Special Disaster Division had their eye on, Fushihara Ayaka would not have noticed the girl's existence.