[Number of unintended casualties during mission: 35 (amended; previously 0)] [Cause of unintended casualties: Incorrect intelligence led to the mistaken conclusion that the Shark Gang in Brielle's Slums was sheltering important members of the Carls Family, prompting the gang's elimination. Verification found no important Carls Family members among the dead. These were mistaken killings.]
In the office, Zero sat quietly on the sofa with her hands folded.
After bathing and changing, she had put on a light blue shirt and short skirt. Blood no longer stained her fair skin, and she had neatly concealed the cold, merciless presence of an operative working behind the scenes.
Instead, she looked as exquisite and charming as a finely crafted doll, so adorable that one wanted to squeeze her and play with her a little.
Dorothy stared at the newly submitted report in her hand, then glanced at Zero's stiff attempt to look obedient. Suddenly, she was at a loss for words.
"Next time, you don't need to put this sort of thing in your report. If you want to kill them, go ahead."
"All right." Zero nodded.
Seeing the girl answer so readily, Dorothy felt a flicker of helplessness.
Answering that quickly? Not even bothering to hide it anymore, are you?
Still, so be it. The gangs entrenched in the Slums were a chronic affliction that had plagued the Federation for years. Dorothy had begun dealing with them after taking control of the Federation, but compared with seizing District 25 and suppressing Parliament, their existence was rather insignificant.
Although Zero's unauthorized actions had caused quite a stir, they had also dealt those lawless gangs a sharp blow, keeping them from acting rashly for the time being.
That could count as a decent outcome, at least.
"You did an excellent job on