Léon: The Cat Killer

"At the rear of our convoy is an armored sniper, and the order for that major to blast us up came from the governor himself. Thanks to that Stansfield agent's botched mission, the bombing in Lexington will be all over Colombia's newspapers and radio tomorrow, and will be common knowledge thanks to the Red Party's propaganda."

"Perhaps I should remind you that there are less than five months until the next state election, which is the time for campaign speeches. So do I need to describe to you how the governor, dressed in his pajamas, was spitting in the garrison headquarters?"

Faced with the lieutenant's relentless questioning, the deputy chief could only awkwardly wipe his sweat with a handkerchief. And now, it wasn't just the police and National Guard watching the spectacle... because the roads were blocked and everyone was ordered to stay home, the apartment building residents were all peering out their windows, eager to see how the drama unfolded below.

As the man in the beige suit finished his treatment at the end of his line of sight, though he still wore a smile, the deputy director seemed to have made up his mind and looked back at the aggressive soldier in front of him, seeing how he rudely pushed aside the medical staff and then called out to the CASA armed forces.

“Alright, Lieutenant, I'll share the case files with you so you can report back to the governor… but in return, you can't take Agent Stansfield with you… after all, he has a very important mission. Also, I think you'll soon receive Dr. Williams' request…”

As soon as the deputy director finished speaking, the lieutenant's terminal emitted the monotonous beeping sound characteristic of military equipment. When the lieutenant returned a moment later, the subtle tension between the two had vanished. Seven

The conversation began and delved into details, gradually becoming a private discussion between the two.

Seeing no excitement to watch, the apartment building residents lost interest and returned indoors… However, they probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, because soon, as the CASA team, led by Stansfield, left, fully armed soldiers replaced the police who were mainly responsible for setting up the defenses and began knocking on doors one by one.

“Madam! Please show your identification. We need to search the house… Do you know the Bruce family on the fifth floor, and their neighbor… the black-haired Film who supposedly works at the national lab?”

While rudely questioning her, the National Guard member glanced at the woman in front of him... black hair, not very tall... although her appearance somewhat resembled one of the targets described by the CASA agent, her identification indicated she was a medical practitioner, not a laboratory worker.

Furthermore, the clothing doesn't match. The fugitive was wearing a suit, while this woman is wearing a gorgeous lace nightgown… Most importantly, this person is completely different from the 'calm' demeanor described for the target; this woman's emotions are practically written all over her face.

"I know him! Of course I know him, everyone in the building knows him... Bruce is a jerk, but his wife is beautiful and memorable. However, his neighbors are hardly noticeable. Whenever I run into them, they're either at work or on their way to work..."

As he spoke, he opened a pack of cigarettes. The black-haired man, Filmin, picked up a cigarette but didn't light it, then stuffed the entire pack into the soldier's pocket: "Dove."

"And soldiers, you can search, but don't touch anything. If you frighten my daughter or break anything in my room, I'll let you know the coverage of this medical broadcast system... It's like the governor's newspaper, it broadcasts the news, right?"

After saying that, the black-haired Felin pouted and stuffed three coins into the soldier's hand.

He glanced at the gold coin in his hand under the light and immediately put it in his pocket. Then the squad leader took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit one, and handed the rest of the pack to his colleague behind him.

“You all heard that, so take it easy… Also, Madam, please wake up the children and your husband. We are just searching for the suspect, nothing else.”

As he spoke, the squad leader watched his teammates quietly begin checking the bathroom, kitchen, and even the cabinets and under the bed where people might be hiding.

First, he stood behind his subordinate and glanced at the wardrobe, the easiest place to hide people. He saw that it contained only various clothes and white coats that were convenient for wilderness operations. Apart from the ladder, there was only a toolbox. His attention was quickly drawn to the neatly folded underwear in the drawer below.

But as the drawer closed, the squad leader lost interest in the search. The soldier, bored, touched the potted plant on the table that was clearly well cared for, and then focused his attention on the ashtray on the table that looked like it had never been used.

Realizing he still had a pack of cigarettes, the soldier took out a match, lit his own cigarette, and then, shielding his mouth from the flame, offered it to the woman, who looked exceptionally beautiful in the firelight. However, she slapped it away with a look of disgust.

"I only smoke chewing tobacco... But you, you're quite bold to offer a cigarette to a surgeon. What if you get addicted and cut off some scraps during the procedure?"

"Ha... Look at what you're saying..."

As they searched the room at the end of the fourth-floor corridor near the emergency staircase, the soldiers relaxed considerably upon seeing the black-haired lady's daughter... a young girl with emerald eyes and similarly slick black hair. With the arrival of the lady's 'husband,' a similarly black-haired Dulin, the squad leader even had the leisure to joke around:

"Your husband... ah, I don't mean to question your interests, but it's said that the children of Phil and Dulin might have congenital disabilities... Your daughter's height... is quite normal, though..."

"Of course... after all, he's not my husband, he's just my lover..."

She rolled her eyes at the soldier, then the 'madam' angrily waved her hand to chase him away:

"Hurry up and leave after the inspection. Tonight has been such a bad night. I finally got a day off, and not only did I have to invite people over to stay overnight, but I also have to be interrogated by you guys..."

"It certainly sounds like an undeserved disaster."

While asking his subordinates with his eyes, the soldier immediately took his leave after everyone shook their heads in denial... His squad still had an entire floor to check.

As the door closed, the expression on the black-haired Filin's face, which had been full of impatience, returned to normal.

She quickly bolted the chain door shut, and listening to the noise outside, Nana gave an OK sign to the person behind her.

"Thanks for your hard work, we've passed the first stage..."

Accompanied by a bland narration, the girl first reached out and touched her 'daughter's' black hair... Matilda's hair color, which had been altered by Originium Arts, then returned to normal.

Meanwhile, 'Dulin' took off his wig. Colt took the wet wipe Nana handed him and wiped his face to remove the makeup. At the same time, he began to vigorously shake the cat ears that he had just folded into airplane ears and dared not move for a long time.

As for his twin brother Kevin, he had to wait for Nana to take the suitcase off the top of the wardrobe and open it before he could come out of the suitcase.

The first thing the three siblings did after reuniting and seeing the light of day again was to rummage around the wardrobe in the master bedroom.

Earlier, in the smoke, the three little ones only heard Nana tell Matilda to "hold me tight".

The three of them felt a dizzying sensation and were transported to the next room. Even though Felin had some vision in the dark, all the three siblings could see was Nana hugging a potted plant and pressing some kind of switch while hiding in the closet...

The explosion left the kittens, with their exceptional hearing, momentarily stunned. They instinctively followed Nana's instructions, climbing the escalator connecting to the wardrobe to the fourth floor. Then, under Nana's magic and makeup, they were completely transformed... The unlucky one at the end of the line was stuffed directly into a box because Nana said she didn't have enough time to do makeup for so many people.

"So... what exactly happened?"

The only one who could ask this question was Kevin Bruce, who had just spent half a day contemplating life in his suitcase. He reminded his brother and sister, and the three of them soon returned to their previous suspicious gazes.

Faced with the children's unanimous question, Nana first turned off the lights and went to the window, letting the red and blue police lights flash on her green contact lens... The killer, whose expression had returned to its original form, slowly revealed the truth that the children's families had been torn apart.

"...Dad...is he dead?"

“Mr. Andy actually passed away from illness, after all, his Oripathy was already terminal... But the problem now is Kate and Cole, who are gone forever. I am now worried about the situation your mother and sister are facing.”

Seeing Matilda lost in thought again, just like before, Nana sadly patted the girl's head.

Just as the youngest sister, seemingly at a loss and clinging to Nana's pajamas as if grasping at some straw, her silent brothers asked:

"Do you have any basis for saying that? Ah, we don't suspect you of anything..."

"After all, compared to those police officers who open fire on our door, you, who will protect us and fight those bad guys, are more trustworthy... Besides, there's probably nothing in our house that you would covet..."

"Because Mom said you actually work in a very prestigious place, but what you said... is really hard to believe..."

"Why on earth did we encounter such an unreasonable thing..."

The twins, each taking turns narrating their story with difficulty, sadly held each other's hands. In Nana's eyes, although the two of them were performing better than Matilda, who was completely stunned and unresponsive, they seemed to have only retained a slight ability to speak.

After experiencing gunfights, explosions, and searches by the security detail—things most people would never encounter in their lifetimes—the two still couldn't... or rather, didn't want to believe what Nana was saying.

The twins could barely accept their father's death, but the fact that their healthy mother and older sister were lured into an evil experiment only depicted in anime was something the twins simply could not accept.

The main reason the three children became listless was that they didn't know what to do next, having lost their parents' guidance.

After all, even the police and the military are on the other side's side. Knowing that their home has suddenly become the enemy of the entire city... anyone would be at a loss.

In response, Nana could only awkwardly stroke the tops of the three children's heads, hoping that such physical contact would reduce their stress response.

But even this simple comfort couldn't last, as Nana still had tasks she had given herself to complete:

"...Even if you don't believe me, it doesn't matter. I'm helping you for no reason other than to put my mind at ease... Mrs. Cole is my friend, and I can't watch Cole die like this. Kate was the first child in this neighborhood, besides Mrs. Jackson, to smile at me, and you are the children I've watched grow up..."

Seeing Nana put down Matilda and prepare to get up, the twins exchanged a glance, took hands, and asked Nana together:

“We need to confirm the situation.”

"...I'm about to go...Your mother and sister have been out of contact for nearly eighteen hours in the Loken Water Tank Laboratory. My comrades believe they are likely dead...The mastermind has been preparing for his plan for many years, and finding you this time shouldn't be delayed...Time is short. After confirming your safety, I'll go to the laboratory..."

The two little white kittens tilted their heads in unison to look at the wall clock, and then, as if acting as one person, spoke in unison:

"Are you going to leave us here?"

"Of course not... Although we managed to fool them before, CASA seems to have been led astray and started searching the city. But the military is still here, going door to door asking questions. Once people hand in their statements, our disguise will soon be exposed by the analysts... After all, makeup can fool strangers, but it can't fool the neighbors... Once the military finds out that this room is not used, and someone comes to search again, we won't be able to hide anything."

"...So you're going to send us away..."

Nodding in affirmation, Nana glanced at the twins who were staring at each other again and frowned slightly.

"You guys... don't say things like you don't want to leave..."

"That's not true, but we still can't confirm whether you're a good person or not... after all, there's the option of you being a competitor in the lab."

"For example, perhaps they approached us only to sabotage the lab's plans... Of course, if that's the case, there's no reason why Mother and Sister wouldn't call us all night... But even so, assuming Mother says you're a good person, your behavior of lying to the soldiers suggests that everything you say to us might not be true. I think we need to... verify the situation ourselves."

"You? How can you confirm that? I don't have the resources to slowly gather evidence for you to prove your claims right now..."

"Actually, there are."

As they spoke, the twins winked at each other, like two sides of a mirror. They simultaneously stretched out their hands and quickly, in unison and without any rhythm, made a series of identical sign language numbers.

"Although we don't know if this is Originium Arts... no matter how far apart we are, we can clearly sense each other's presence and what we see and hear..."

Seeing Nana's furrowed brows, the twins reluctantly but resolutely separated their hands:

"In this way, one of us will protect the younger sister, while the other checks on the mother and older sister... That way, it will be clear who the bad guy is—you or the lab."

As he spoke, Colt, the older brother, stepped forward:

“The police and the lab are in cahoots, right… In other words, if you surrender, you can go to where your mother and sister are… For you, this would not only lighten your burden, but also be a quick way to find out the condition of your sister and mother, as well as the location of the lab area… After all, as you said, there isn’t much time to confirm the condition of your mother and sister.”

The boys made that decision.

To save their mother and older sister, and also to protect their youngest sister despite their frail physiques, the two, who had been inseparable since childhood, decided to separate.

This is to uncover the truth.

It was also so that at least one person could survive.

The boys felt they would soon figure out what was going on... whether it was as the 'stranger' beside them said, or whether the world really did have such unreasonable accidents.

Just take one step forward—

You'll know soon enough.

P.S.: This chapter has been revised to improve its fluency, but even so, it still feels a bit confusing... Please remember to refresh.

PS2: I originally wanted to explain the upcoming plot developments a little... but then I thought that would spoil the anticipation, so I deleted it.

If I don't explain, I feel like I won't be understood; if I try to explain from a different perspective, I might still not be understood... The final conclusion is that, as the author, I must accept all of everyone's 'emotions'.

PS3: In the end, all I can do is hope that everyone can accept the author's feelings... Please vote for me, give me some food.

1st Rosemary Embrace: 012 Trustworthy?

[Number 77: Children who possess Originium Arts related to mind, or those who awakened such Originium Arts at a young age for various reasons, all have some kind of inner flaw because of their abilities...]

Even so... even taking their telepathic connection into account... even considering their collaboration as one, I still can't understand... why they would conclude that it was absolutely necessary to sacrifice one brother to confirm the so-called truth.

Life should be able to find its own way, but they stubbornly choose a path of self-destruction.

Without commenting on the manager's remarks, Nana didn't even respond to the boy's seeking gaze.

The assassin took off her pajamas without a second thought, and the red and blue flashes of light from the window barely illuminated Nana's slender waistline hidden beneath her bodysuit. Not getting a response, Colt, glaring at her, had his eyes covered by his younger sister, who had just realized what was happening… Kevin, seeing his sister and brother starting to interact, skillfully covered his mouth, took three steps back, and then continued blushing as he looked at the neighbor's older sister, who seemed untouched by time… her peers.

"Eyes! Eyes! Eyes! Mia, what are you doing? It hurts so much..." (Voices getting softer)

"What are you all staring at with wide eyes?! Can't you see it yourself?!" (Grinning and whispering)

"What does it have to do with me that she took it off herself... and Kevin was watching too."

The same quiet complaint was followed by the family's youngest kitten turning its head fiercely and staring at him like a hunter. Only then did Kevin reluctantly switch his hands from covering his mouth to covering his eyes... Colt didn't mention that his brother's fingers were sticking out of the gap, after all, he wanted to keep watching.

Just as Nana was taking out a neat shirt as usual to change into the medical uniform that matched her backup identity, Matilda stepped in to stand by the 'girl' instead of her brother who was rubbing his eyes:

"Nana-neechan, are you really a salesperson?"

"Yes."

"...Actually, isn't my sister an assassin, the kind you see in cartoons, the kind who gets paid to do things?"

"There's no money for saving you." Neighbor

“But we have money…I know where Dad’s Pure Origin Stone is.”

"Mia—! (Very quietly)"

Ignoring her brothers' hesitant reminders, Matilda stared at Nana, who only turned her gaze towards her after hearing about the money: I

"I want to hire you to rescue Mom and Sister Qiling Qiqi Skirt..."

"...I don't need your money, I'll go as soon as I'm ready."

“But… my brothers are worried, so… we need a ‘contract’.”

The girl's words made Nana pause slightly. Then the assassin continued to thread his tail through the hole in the waistband of his skirt. After smoothing the tail fur, which seemed to have its own ideas but had been unusually active lately, Nana zipped up the side zipper and meticulously tucked her shirt into the skirt. (Nine)

"...'Nai Nai' has already entered into a contract with you, and the assassins have begun their operation. There is no need for you to re-sign the contract."

"So you really are an assassin..." (Leek)

"That's awful. Even if you don't use the professional term 'salesperson,' I'd at least like you call me 'cleaner.'" — Ba

Looking at the black-haired Filmin who seemed like a completely different person, the previously silent twins once again pulled their sister back two steps, one on each side:

"So, who are you anyway?"

"Are you really Nana-neechan?"

"Perhaps... I could be."

Using Originium Arts, Nana ruffled the ends of her shoulder-length hair and the tips of her cat ears, adding a touch of brownish-yellow to her fur to complete the transformation. Finally, she put on a wide cloth headband with a cross-shaped medical identification mark and dark blue medical gloves to conceal her hands. Nana looked at 'Medical Nana' in the dressing mirror and nodded.

"There are canned fast food items in the refrigerator, and there are also convenient foods that can be stored for a long time in the kitchen cabinets. Please choose any clothes you like from the wardrobe in the room and change into them... I will take you away in about half an hour..."