Léon: The Cat Killer

"...Do you have an appointment? Which person would you like to meet with?"

"No, it was an emergency after all... As for who's in charge, it doesn't matter, I'm just here to get an explanation... After all, such a big thing as an explosion in the city, and you're all on duty armed today... Don't you have any sense of responsibility?"

Faced with Ms. Felin's sour questioning, the security guards wearing chest brass exchanged strange glances. Then, one of them covered his earpiece and began to ask something in a low voice, while another brought out the register.

"Then, please register here. Also, we prohibit you from bringing weapons inside... including firearms and bladed weapons longer than nine centimeters. Please leave them at the checkpoint... We will keep them for you."

Nana obediently drove the car into the checkpoint and dutifully registered her identity...

Yes, it's just about entering an experimental area. Why would we need to cut through walls, or activate a force capable of cleaving through space or stopping time? Isn't this something that can be accomplished with just a few words?

Having completed the registration, Nana swaggered into the checkpoint, watching at least two shifts of security personnel. And Nana didn't just swagger in; she also wanted these security personnel to do her work:

"Speaking of which, do you have safe deposit boxes for valuables? My equipment is very valuable... You don't want me to have a falling out with you when I leave, do you..."

"Yes, what is it?"

"The Lateran Gun...a weapon, an essential item for the elderly Eight-Winged Leek Three-Kicks to travel on land..."

She opened the weapon case and showed it to them, then locked up the expensive WA2000 and handed it to them... She then took out the silver dual pistols from her bag, and thus all the blatant contraband was inspected without arousing any suspicion.

Nana generally doesn't consider this kind of 'safekeeping' as equipment loss. After all, as long as her own people can get in, her equipment is stored in the warehouse behind the checkpoint, so she can take it whenever she wants, right?

There's another advantage to proactively handing over equipment: it makes the other party believe you're genuinely there on business. Subsequent body searches and checks of personal belongings generally won't involve 'liquid detection' or 'destructive testing'... Many second-rate and lower-level agents try to cleverly smuggle dangerous items in disguise, as if they can't do their mission without them...

Nana didn't have this problem, so she was generally relaxed about checkpoints. And things turned out just as she expected. Her 'medical' bag contained legitimate medical supplies. After removing some modular scalpels, which were barely considered lethal, the only thing explicitly prohibited was Nana's portable medical magic medium... which was also Nana's medical license badge, not a fake, but one that Nana had legitimately ordered from the ICA.

In the hands of a doctor, this thing is a tool for saving lives, but as a medium for casting spells, it still cannot escape the identity of a 'staff'... In addition to casting medical spells, it can also be used for serious destructive spells, so it is normal that it is not allowed to be brought into private territory.

Let's just gloss over the subsequent body search; everyone knows that Nana managed to fool the Loken water tank checkpoint. Besides offering Nana cheap candy and ordinary tea with little flavor, these people even specifically hired a female security guard, Film, to conduct the search, showing them considerable respect.

"So, your registration is complete... Also, aside from these contraband items and weapons, I have a few more questions for you... The messenger from the Crisis Contract arrived here recently, but after inquiring, they said they knew nothing about your arrival... Could you explain this?"

"Because it was a last-minute decision due to an emergency... who knew things would suddenly escalate into an explosion in the middle of the city... Besides, isn't it your company's actions that are making things even worse? Although I originally intended to say these things to the person in charge of the lab, you can hear them if you want... Don't think that no one knew about the series of traffic accidents this morning..."

Seeing that the black-haired man, Fei Lin, was really about to launch into a long speech, the security guard, who had received some instructions from his superiors, immediately waved his hand to interrupt, as the confidential matters he had been given were about to become common knowledge within the team.

"Alright, alright! These are not things for us perimeter security guards to hear... We don't want to know what you're going to argue with our superiors about... Also, since you didn't make an appointment, we arranged for you... or rather, the messenger requested that you meet with the person in charge together."

"That's it, no problem."

Although she said this in a flat tone, the way the black-haired film stood up was also very natural. However, compared to that seemingly calm 'mask', the tail swaying from side to side under Nana's skirt might better express the girl's current state of mind.

The woman, Felin, who had previously searched Nana, was now leading the way. The smiling girl was asking about strange and unusual things happening in the wilderness. The black-haired girl could only tell her about her past experiences during her missions while quickly thinking about how to remedy the current unexpected situation.

Nana's original plan was to deal with her escorts...or rather, her surveillance personnel, once they passed the checkpoint...and then begin her infiltration operations. (Lin)

Without ICA assistance, Nana was forced to rely solely on her personal skills and proceed cautiously, taking things one step at a time… The only good news was that, without a combat recorder, none of Nana's direct kills would be counted in her file as part of her evaluation criteria.

Under normal circumstances, Nana rarely attacks non-targets directly.

Usually, they'd just be allowed to sleep in some secluded corner for a while... at most, their bodies might fit their bodies, and then some clothes might be removed for later camouflage or something.

What's giving the assassin girl a headache now is that the real messenger wants to meet her... Although Nana, who was talking to the security guard, can really launch into long-winded discussions about the wilderness, Originium, and natural disasters, her identity as a doctor under the Crisis Contract is ultimately a fabrication by the manager.

While a suitable disguise coupled with well-chosen words could restrain other forces due to the influence of the Crisis Contract, the Crisis Contract is essentially a small organization… Nana's understanding of this organization is still very basic; she barely knows that it consists of top experts from various fields and the most ambitious idealists.

Nana had never encountered a blunder like this before. (Silk)

She only knew that the more idealistic a person was, the more likely they were to go to extremes in their behavior... Would an idealist who walks so noblely on earth and works so hard for others tolerate her 'offense'?

"This is the administration building. Look out the window; that brick building is the recently completed sanatorium… and the experimental area is in front of the sanatorium… If you wish to visit later, you can enter through the disinfection tunnel at the end of the administration area."

"...So, that project that caused such chaos around here is located there?"

"Haha... Don't let those lab technicians hear you say that. They seem to have made some important progress lately, and they look all high and mighty..."

While chatting, Nana checked the security situation of the 'administrative district' through the transparent glass of the building's exterior wall.

Clearly similar to the heavily armed and prepared checkpoints outside, the administrative hall, which serves as the second gate to the experimental zone and guards the 'disinfection channel,' requires verification of both the guide's and the visitor's identities just to enter the building.

Miss Felin, who seemed to yearn for the wilderness, could only bring people to the gate. After confirming the handover of the 'visitor,' she waved goodbye, clearly indicating that the outer security guards did not have the authority to enter the interior.

However, compared to the security guards on the outskirts who only wore chest armor and used light shields and swords as weapons, the atmosphere and security force in the administrative district were noticeably stronger.

Upon entering the gate, the girl first saw lightly armed agents patrolling back and forth, their magical longswords slung at their waists.

In the distance, benches and a rest area with vending machines in the corner of the hall were casually placed with crossbows and staff-type spell units at people's side. The technical soldiers using them seemed to be either playing cards or adjusting their drone units, and the atmosphere was much more lively than that of the agents guarding the door... But if you think they are slacking off and underestimate them, you will probably suffer a great loss.

Those resting corners are good locations to immediately build defensive positions against the walls and furniture. If someone launches a strong attack, whether it is an attack from the outside towards the test area or a breakthrough from inside the test area towards the outside, the crossfire of these positions can eliminate any invading enemy.

Clearly, the Loken tank was not only prepared for infiltration, but they also armed the entrances and exits of the test area from both sides.

Finally, blocking the way in the depths of the experimental disinfection corridor and hall were heavily armed operators wielding massive double-handed shields. Nana had only ever seen guys dressed like that when she was escorting hazardous materials.

These people wore fully enclosed, internally circulated armor, and their thick shields were strong enough to withstand direct hits from the etched bullets of large guns.

If Nana were to encounter such an enemy head-on, she would probably have no choice but to use magic to launch a direct attack... and for a place where Colombian regular army reinforcements could be called in at any time, a direct attack would be the worst possible option.

The agent who took over the task of guiding Nana didn't give her much time to look around. After all the signatures and documents handed over by the security guard had been processed, an agent wearing sunglasses, whose gaze was so obscured that it was impossible to make out his identity, approached Nana with a cold expression:

"Doctor, I'll take you to the reception room now... The entire district is under martial law right now. Don't say I didn't warn you if you get attacked while looking around..."

Nodding silently to indicate that she understood the situation, the assassin sighed inwardly. Clearly, Loken's defenses were perfect. By physically blocking the entrances and exits and strictly guarding everyone moving in the area, Loken Williams had indeed prevented outsiders from probing the test zone to some extent.

So Nana immediately changed her approach, changing the nature of the operation from disguise and infiltration to preliminary reconnaissance... In this way, every piece of intelligence that could be obtained during the day could be used after nightfall.

But before any action can begin, Nana must first deal with the incident where she was impersonating a crisis contract agent.

In that instant, the assassin once again chose a new identity from her pool of potential ones... If she were a reporter, it would be quite normal for her to disguise herself and visit the Bruce family after learning about their ordeal.

As for credentials... it's probably normal for reporters to go undercover without carrying credentials, right? Anyway, the reason doesn't need to be very convincing, as long as it's plausible.

Given that the agents themselves weren't particularly vigilant, but would be surrounded by enemies from all sides if they made a move... Nana basically gave up on the idea of ​​taking action at this moment and place.

The assassin quickly adopted her imagined identity as a 'journalist,' and then it occurred to her that... with the ICA turning against her, perhaps the Crisis Contract's intelligence network was the best platform for releasing news?

Yes, with exclusive intelligence from his agent and corroborated by his three children, once the people from the Crisis Contract get involved, regardless of whether the Loken Tank project can continue smoothly, the level of public discussion will definitely skyrocket.

Once public pressure builds up, even with the support of the military, the Colombian government will have no choice but to respond in order to secure votes. After the military is forced to remain silent, their own agents' factions can then exert their influence... In terms of the greater good, our side is the one on the side of justice!

It seemed that a breakthrough had been found, and Nana's tail curled up slightly.

The question then becomes how to prevent Loken Williams from resorting to desperate measures and throwing Kate and Cole into the experiment... or perhaps, Williams had already taken the lives of the mother and daughter in the preceding hours.

The thought had barely crossed Nana's mind when she bit her lip to suppress it. Even an assassin wouldn't take someone's life so easily.

Even if we disregard their human attributes... but even if they were experimental animals, a family of six was a special sample... less than a day had passed, and half of them were gone in just a few hours. Williams, you used them way too fast!

Reminding herself of her original purpose for coming, Nana was about to reveal her identity after being invited in by the agent... when a sudden, familiar feeling of being hit by a 'blow' immediately interrupted the girl's professional expression.

With a crackling sound and a sudden burst of black mist, Nana's smile froze on her face. Then, although her smile remained unchanged, both the agents inside and outside could sense the sudden somber mood that descended upon the girl.

"...Are all the Sarkaz of Laterano this rude?"

"...This is quite unexpected...I only sensed the arrival of a 'comrade' and activated empathy according to the precepts. I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be so...special."

The old man wearing a cowboy hat stood up with slight surprise and bowed to Nana, who displayed a shattered halo and wings, to apologize. But by the time the old man realized what was happening... the agents inside and outside the meeting room were still confused about the situation.

All they saw was that Dr. Felin had suddenly transformed into a 'fallen angel', a sight rarely seen in daily life.

"Hello--!"

Before Nana could explain, the elderly woman from Sakota, wearing a cowboy hat, waved her hand to stop the agents' impolite behavior as they instinctively reached for her cat ears to check if it was a disguise.

"Gentlemen, please be quiet. What we Sakotas were doing was just a normal exchange of feelings... She is a special hybrid of Felin and Sakota, a 'Chimera,' which is rare but not unheard of. This is not a disguise. If you continue to shout like this, it will only further lower our opinion of Loken Tank."

This explains why the old man's empathy spell disappeared. Nana smoothed her cat ears, which had slightly perked up due to the stress of her own spell, and her dim, broken angel features returned to transparency.

The old man handed Nana a business card and then gave her a kind smile:

"Nice to meet you, my fellow countryman. As a local doctor and also a 'colleague' in the Crisis Contract, I must introduce you to my organization, Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals... Could you spare me some time?"

Nana accepted the man's business card with pursed lips, and had only one comment on the smiling old man:

She must be very uncomfortable lying... What does it mean to be a chimera that is a mix of Felin and Sakta?

The Sarkaz should all know that Sarkaz cannot reproduce with other races... that's a commandment.

But... well, just like the assassin can use witchcraft, it's not surprising that Nana can also use the Sarkaz's 'commandments'... Although the aura is broken, the other Sarkaz can empathize with Nana, this 'fallen angel'... The situation is just that absurd, and Nana herself doesn't know what's going on with her.

So let's not talk about things that have no fixed formula.

Thus, the black cat girl, who seemed to have transformed back into Film, shrugged and gestured to the old man to "please go ahead."

PS: Today... I don't really want to post Nana's usable disguise anymore... It gets boring if you use the same joke too much.

Let's have some rosemary today.

Speaking of which, a kind person who usually helps me find pictures complained that... when she's looking for pictures of cats, it's easier to find pictures of them without clothes than with clothes... but I can't post pictures of them without clothes here... so this is a stalemate...

PS2: I unconsciously slowed down the pace as I wrote this... Oh well, I'll ask for a vote... I feel like the exciting days of this book are almost over.

1st Rosemary Embrace: 016 Negotiations failed, offensive action begins

Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals... Nana vaguely remembered that name.

Although Columbia's companies had some business dealings with Nana, her impression of Rhode Island probably wasn't due to any 'business activities'... This company had once appeared on the agent's watch list.

The warning item is...

Rhodes Island's actions themselves have no political bias, but its employees all have, to varying degrees, sensitive political backgrounds.

Their research and development projects are mostly related to Ore-related diseases, but also include engineering and even physics-related topics. On the surface, they seem to be relying on a small group of elites to conduct unsystematic and fragmented projects, making their future prospects uncertain compared to top-tier companies supported by major universities.

In terms of military strength, its operations team is comparable to a normal pharmaceutical company, with average ratings but a strong sense of idealism. However, considering the past performance of sensitive individuals within the organization, its hidden combat capabilities are likely consistently at or above first-rate... But because its scale is relatively small, careful avoidance is sufficient.

It's not just the ICA; even the agents' 'organization' makes the same demand... This speaks volumes about Rhodes Island's political background.

Is it a place similar to a semi-public 'exile'?

Nana doesn't know, and doesn't care...

Perhaps she should now thank the Sarkaz race's 'empathy' ability. Although exposing the broken halo and wings of light greatly increased the possibility of 'Number Seventy-Seven's' identity being exposed, the telepathy between angels greatly reduced the time cost of explaining herself.

The old man's aura responded to himself, the miracle of Lateran... that was said to have given rise to things like 'law,' 'command,' and 'reason' in place of words, responding to the black-haired Felin.

Although they had never met, they shared the same goal... Surprisingly, Nana was able to continue using her identity as a 'medical practitioner under the crisis contract'.

In this silent understanding, while waiting for Loken Williams, the two began to talk familiarly about medical equipment and treatments for Oripathy.

The conversation, filled with technical details, quickly lost the interest of the agents watching. After the agent who had been watching the old man yawned and left, only the person who had brought Nana into the room remained in the conference room.

At that moment, Nana glanced at the messenger who called himself 'outcast,' then turned to look at the agent standing in the corner, his head slightly lowered, his eyes looking sleepy, perhaps hidden by sunglasses:

"...While waiting itself isn't a problem, we've been sitting here for at least half an hour, and your representative still hasn't arrived...Ms. Outcast, did they say which representative is coming to see us?"

In response to the kitten's question, the elderly woman, whose long, white hair was simply braided, still smiled and touched her hat, the brim of which now obscured her eyes.

"They said Loken Williams would come in person... but I've been waiting here for over an hour, and you've been sitting here for a while too... whether he comes or not, I'm actually not that concerned anymore... Speaking of which, I'm the one investigating the illegal experiments, so why are you here, Kitten?"

As her thoughts raced, Nana quickly reviewed the entire process, then inserted her new identity into the past 'incident':

"Because of the request from the upstairs neighbor..."

"Commission?"

"Well, she said... her neighbor, a family I know well, whose adult male participated in the Loken tank experiment and was declared dead... There's nothing wrong with that, but it seems that when the deceased was critically ill, his wife and eldest daughter went to visit him at the Loken tank... and they haven't returned since."

“This in itself doesn’t seem like a problem… but just this morning, when my friend upstairs was telling me about it, my apartment was suddenly attacked. The explosion reached my apartment, and my friend had to flee with his remaining children… and I came here to ask about it…”

With each short sentence emphasizing her point, Nana's gaze toward the agent grew increasingly hostile:

"Is Williams here to provoke me... or to challenge our crisis contract?"

Just as Nana had expected, the old woman didn't care at all about her using the Crisis Contract's name; she was even exchanging information with Nana:

"So, you're actually just here to check on the mother and eldest daughter's condition?"

“Yes, illegal experiments are already egregious enough. If it's confirmed that illegal detention and abduction were also involved... I think we can directly submit a protest to the governor, or other opposition parties as well…”

"That would indeed be feasible... but..."

Clearly, the old man also had doubts about Nana's plan, to which the 'medical' woman sighed:

“Yes, following the proper procedures to confirm things will be too late... so I need to check on Kate and Cole's condition now, otherwise..."

At this point, the woman who had previously ignored the two talking to themselves chuckled lightly:

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise...otherwise...otherwise I'll write you all down in my little notebook and send them all out..."

Watching the kitten's face turn bright red as it pulled a waterproof notebook from its bag and began writing something furiously with a pencil from the pencil case above, the agent struggled to suppress his trembling lips. His remaining professional ethics wouldn't allow him to laugh out loud here... unless he couldn't help it.

Then the agent started slapping his thigh and laughing: