Léon: The Cat Killer

The dark, fallen halo was now faintly shining with a dazzling light, like the blazing sun behind dark clouds, or like a raging fire in black smoke... For the first time, she fired a gun because she 'wanted to shoot,' and her heart was filled with confusion and anger. Along with the halo that was manifesting its form for the first time, Nana, who had never fired a [fifth shot] before, let the muzzle flash blow away the black mist attached to the halo and the wings of light.

That was the mist that had been dispersed and blown away by a thunderous roar; for the first time, the Sarkaz sorcery that had been tormenting Nana had failed.

Number 77, the second Mioba Wu Linjiu, stood before the goal with complete self-assurance.

Unlike Nana, who thought she would achieve her goal, at the end of the corridor was a staircase leading upwards, and through that gate, she had only entered a corner of a room... At this moment, because he was on the 'lookout' at the end of the room, he dodged the fifth shot from number 77, so all five bullets of that gun missed.

The assassin, who hadn't carried any more shotgun shells or etching rounds, simply discarded the gun he had picked up... The girl then opened her equipment box in the now-dried bloodstain corridor and took out the WA2000, which also had a capacity of five rounds.

But as the girl picked up her gun, the halo and wings that had been shining brightly suddenly dimmed and were covered by black mist again. The sudden loss of the power of discipline caused Nana's face to turn deathly pale... The cat killer had to hold his rifle and catch his breath several times before he could recover.

Looking up again, Williams, who had been behind the glass platform, had disappeared once more.

But... his voice came from the broadcasts from all directions... along with the broadcasts came chaotic and heavy footsteps behind him... the sound of mercenaries rushing forward.

So... you're the legendary Number Seventy-Seven...

Ignoring Williams, Nana activated her magic again, and thick, inky smoke filled the entire building once more... The previously continuous footsteps behind her suddenly became a chaotic mess...

This seemed to have no effect on Williams; he proceeded methodically, making his proposal as if devoid of any emotion.

Let's talk.

PS: 侕疚霖焐删巴齐依删啊...forgot about today's picture.

Although it's still many years before the Sea Infant arc (around 1090 in the current timeline of this book)... the Sea Infant part is one of my favorite storylines in Ark... well, that was after Nana kicked the Doctor awake.

1st Rosemary Embrace: 019 Hesitant Responsibility

The room was pitch black and filled with mist; there was no sound except for Williams talking to himself:

[You don't want to respond... huh... Although I'm pretty much used to this kind of reaction... I don't recommend you continue like this.]

[The traitor from the ICA gave me a lot of information, and as the executor, you should have already discovered that your mission is far more difficult than it appears... 100,000 LMD is nothing compared to what you have to do, but you still came here...]

My usual business mindset can't explain why you insist on this losing proposition; after all, assassins shouldn't have any 'sunk costs.'

So I started contacting people to investigate at eight in the morning, and after ruling out all reasons, including sabotage from competitors... I believe that the reason driving you to take action is definitely not those superficial business factors.

In business activities, we often encounter situations of "lose-lose" or even "multiple-lose" due to various forms of competition... Because a business company is not an individual, but an organization composed of many subjective individuals, I cannot guarantee that all units will truly work together. It is normal for some to betray their own interests or even work for external parties from the very beginning... We do not know each other's goals, and we can only inefficiently explore within our own field of vision.

But things are different now. In this dialogue, we are two independent individuals… We can negotiate, we can talk… If we understand each other's goals, we can understand one another and find mutually acceptable solutions before a lose-lose situation occurs.

[If you remain silent, I don't know what you're planning, but I know you're definitely going to sabotage my plans... So don't stay silent, state your objective. Even with what you perceive as the most superficial task, I leave room for negotiation... Ultimately, there's currently no evidence that we're enemies.]

[Of the Bruce family, all but Andy Bruce, who was in the late stages of Oripathy and passed away yesterday at 6 PM, are currently still showing vital signs.]

What do you think? Should we continue to remain silent? ICA's Killer Number 77?

Clearly, even as Nana's determined target, Williams's calm words, spoken with such high educated caliber, seemed to possess a convincing magic... The assassin, following her memories towards the laboratory, even felt for a moment that she had been persuaded, but she didn't stop, simply letting the voice altered by witchcraft ask her questions:

"Give me back the Bruce family, and this matter will be over."

"...I see. So you were indeed acting for irrational reasons... Then your insistence is understandable... But as a negotiation between the two parties, I also have my bottom line... Even if we return the Bruce family, that will only be after the entire experiment is completed."

"If you don't listen to advice, we'll flatten them all... and once we kill you, everything will be back to normal."

"...I need to explain something about this idea. Although I don't know where you are or what you're doing right now, you're probably aiming a second gun at me... I'll be blunt: killing me won't interfere with the experiment itself..."

[The Loken Water Tank boasts Columbia's most advanced fully automated equipment... minimizing external interference and the influence of human intervention while simultaneously nurturing the most powerful warlocks unaffected by Oripathy is itself part of the project.]

"Then I'll kill you, and then destroy the entire experimental laboratory."

The assassin's cold words silenced the mist for a moment, but then Williams spoke as if he understood something:

"...I see, that's what you think... Half an hour ago, these would probably have been good conditions... But not now... All the preparations I needed to make are complete, and the experiment has entered its final stage... After all, your commotion at the administration building checkpoint was quite significant, so I had to abandon the preliminary adjustments to the experimental subjects and proceed directly to the formal modification..."

"Oh, I'm not trying to shirk responsibility. I just hope you can listen to me rationally... The lab has entered its main operational phase. If you carelessly damage the equipment, all the individuals with experimental numbers on the automated medical systems will die, and your own mission will fail... Yes, that's what I'm worried about... Nobody gets what they want; that's utter failure."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of footsteps appeared beside Williams, making him break out in a cold sweat.

A black-haired fallen angel appeared before him, wearing a blood-stained white lab coat. Without her wings and halo, she looked like an ordinary girl... She held a rifle in one hand, aiming it at the experimental equipment behind him through the one-way glass, while her other hand held a pistol at Williams.

As the caster wished, the mist between the two cleared some space, allowing Nana to see the scene behind the observation room... Even though it wasn't broadcast, the roar of the electric drill and chainsaw, along with the children's cries and wails, could be clearly heard from this observation room... Eight mechanical arms were doing something on Colt, who was bound by straps, while the other two kittens were loudly calling out the name of their now motionless brother.

"...You call this a 'negotiation space'? Colt is already dead! Now, immediately, stop that machine!"

“I can’t do it. The program won’t stop at this point. Even if you kill me, it won’t help… Besides, his brainstem and spinal cord should have been completely extracted. This is to prevent the crystallization disease from spreading… They’re not dead… Or rather, what exactly constitutes being alive?”

Seeing Williams's resigned attitude, Nana immediately pulled the trigger of her pistol, and the middle-aged man collapsed, clutching his thigh.

Seeing that the black-haired fallen angel seemed to have done prior investigation, directly dragging him to verify his fingerprint and iris scans on the surgical terminal before starting the operation on the machine, Williams, who was trying to stop the bleeding from his wound, was panting, but his tone remained calm:

"As you...can see...I've already deleted my permissions myself, just to...prevent this situation...The cultivation of Originium organs will rely on the Bruce family's Originium Arts for stability, until the final test subject number five...Matilda Bruce...She is, a test subject destined for success...She will be...the strongest war sorcerer..."

"She never asked you to reform them..." Lin

The screen kept displaying "Insufficient permissions." Nana watched as the robotic arm next door rotated the hospital bed on the wheel a notch, and Kevin also entered anesthesia. Unable to wait any longer, Nana raised her rifle against the glass…1

Almost simultaneously, Williams, who had been sitting on the floor, seemed to press a button on the control panel. The side panel of the control room unfolded, revealing five upright culture tanks inside… The tube marked [00] was now lying down, its glass completely black. (Discard)

The other two inside the jar...brains and nerve components, even made Nana, who considered herself quite gory, stop what she was doing.

"I still advise you not to do that... The entire automated system of the test bench is self-coupled... If one step goes wrong, the whole system will lose power... Ah... As an industrial design, there's no system redundancy, it seems like the designer's fault... But, yes... it was intentional... Want to try it, Killer?"

Just as Nana recovered from her surprise and turned her gun to point at Williams, a synthesized electronic voice suddenly emanated from the side panel that had just risen. (Nine)

【…This…this voice…is that Nana?】

"Kate?"

The woman's voice not only attracted the assassin, but even Williams showed surprise for the first time: V

"...You actually managed to..."

"Shut up!"

Nana kicked Williams, who was about to say something, away, then slung her rifle over her shoulder and took two steps closer, unsure of what to do: I

“…Kate? You…can still see me…but…Lun Ling Er Er…”

But how did you recognize me?

Before Nana could finish speaking, the jar in front of her continued to communicate using that synthesized sound-like electrical current... or rather, the voice transcended the stage of electronic synthesis and began to appear in Nana's mind as Kate's real voice:

[It really is Nana... Well, I don't just lose my body, I do lose my glasses, and it seems to be because I was used for experiments before... Although I can't adapt to those strange organs... But after becoming like this, it seems that my Originium Arts have actually been enhanced... I can directly sense your thoughts like Mia... I can even empathize with you like a mother... Although that old man behind you is truly inhuman when it comes to being unethical, he seems to be top-notch in terms of technique~]

As a gentle breeze wiped away Nana's tears, the assassin dared not look directly at the life support tank... No matter how casually Kate spoke in her mind, Nana had no idea what to do next.

Mission failed?

Kate has become like this... but she can still talk to herself?

Is she even alive?

Or, as Williams himself said... what exactly does it mean to be alive?

Is the goal to ensure the survival of Matilda, who is still intact on the experimental platform?

But if we do that, Kate, who is currently being kept alive by machines, will...

……

In the few seconds that followed the tremor in Nana's mind, the fourth jar lit up and its contents appeared... Colt's questioning voice even echoed in Nana's mind, but Kate seemed to have instantly communicated with her younger brother, and the previously noisy boy now seemed to have returned to the shyness he had when they first met.

"...Nana, seeing you in so much pain makes me feel bad...I'm sorry for dragging you into this..."

"...What do you mean by 'involved'...Kate, how can you be so indifferent!?"

After all, I couldn't really react very strongly...

Williams was furious as he looked at the fallen angel that responded to the primal techniques remaining in the sample, as if it could converse with the sample.

In the field of vision, the halo above the fallen angel girl's head, which resembled dark clouds or mist, began to distort like a frequency band... It seemed to be searching for waveforms, just like a crown being forged and shaped.

In that instant, the disbelief in Williams' eyes was even more intense than when Nana first saw the sample maintenance tank... His experience and knowledge quickly confirmed the situation.

Sorcery – Sarkaz.

Trial – Sakota.

If it doesn't resemble a fake film, then it can only be a 'Chimera'... And as a Chimera, it can simply connect with other creatures using primitive techniques... even if it's just residual emotions from those creatures, and its manifestation is in the form of a 'Black Crown'...

"You are...you are the legendary finished product of the project..."

"shut up!!"

Just as Nana was about to pull the trigger for the second time, a hand suddenly grabbed her in the assassin girl's field of vision...

"Kate?"

[Nana, you can't kill him... The Ministry of Defense is waiting for his research, isn't it? Many people need him and his research... If you kill him, we, the samples... and Mia, whom he's certain will survive, will become their targets...]

You couldn't protect us all when we were able to run on our own, let alone now that we're in this state.

It was Colt who spoke, having remained silent until now... while the boy hesitated for a moment before turning his face away...

It's strange. He clearly doesn't have the concept of a 'face' anymore, so why can I see his and Kate's appearances... Is this the Originium Arts of the Bruce family?

We're sorry... we can't be of any help to the priest and nuns...

“Father…he was bound to do this sooner or later…I knew it…”

The priest ultimately met his demise, simply because the good man adhered to his faith.

Nana had never considered anything like this before... but now she only had one thought in her mind.

"But this is unreasonable..."

Whether it's the crying child in the laboratory or the priest who taught them how to live... they shouldn't have suffered like this. Why are those who are kind to them not treated kindly by life?

As Nana continued to hesitate, the fifth sample container was also filled with its contents.

The rifle in her hand was already ready, but Nana didn't even know which way to point the gun... In the end, Nana turned her back to the laboratory, refusing to look at Matilda's suffering.

In Nana's heart, the children are just as important as Kate and Cole, even though the twins were inexplicably declared 'dead' during the surgery... but aren't they still right in front of her?

Kate was comforting herself with words like, "There's nothing I can do," and even Cole was hugging her shoulder... They were still alive... If she fired, would she be saving them or killing them?

Nana had absolutely no idea what to do.

……

……

……

Go help Mia.

This time, it was a male voice.

"...Andy?"

[I agree with Williams... There's no way to resist anyway. You set a goal haphazardly and ended up achieving nothing... So let Williams do it, let Mia become the strongest war sorceress.]

【Honey, you can't say that. It's true we couldn't fight back, but Nana came to save us out of kindness... What right do you have to criticize her?】

“...Cole…”

The translucent phantom perched on her shoulder gently hugged her, and Nana could feel its helpless sobs.

[...How can one person withstand a sudden natural disaster? ...Trying to stop it without preparation will only result in certain death...Colt and Kevin told us about what happened at the church...If we had known so many people would die because of us, perhaps we would have agreed to Dr. Williams' request in the first place.]

"...Then...aren't your own lives important?"

[...This tragic state is the sad result of forcibly confronting the violence of the entire city...isn't it?]

"So... Cole thinks... it would be better to do nothing?"

Hearing Nana's question, the translucent Mrs. Felin, who was embracing the assassin girl like a ghost, revealed a strange expression:

No…we did it…we did everything…Andy has been working independently all these years, but Loken Tank bribed the entire city, forcing Andy to work in hiding. We also refused their invitations many times before…After learning of Dr. Williams's plan, our whole family tried to leave the city several times, but the truth is we are still surrounded by Loken Tank's influence…We were ultimately powerless, and this is how we ended up…

But...we did everything...

[Nothing was done...]

[Doing absolutely nothing...]

[I don't even know if I should or shouldn't be doing this...]

【Isn't it Nana herself?】

Suddenly... the phantom embracing him seemed to melt into a viscous, bubbling slurry, like boiling asphalt.

The terrifying shapeshifter writhed and boiled... then transformed into a Sarkaz with a halo above its head... which was Nana's own appearance.