Léon: The Cat Killer

"Fear? What's there to be afraid of? They're just old legends, rumors our parents made up when we were kids... I don't discriminate against Sarkaz because I've never seen them outside of books... It would be ridiculous if we didn't let your men in, and you all ganged up to cause trouble and nobody survived... Our goal is to survive, isn't it?"

Seeing the man's face twist into a terrifying yet comical smile, Amiya, still immersed in the sadness of her emotional connection with Theresa, timidly accepted the candy he offered... Then the man smiled and distributed candy to all the children, including the three trainee police officers, Nafen.

Seeing that everyone had accepted the gifts, the burly man laughed heartily and continued:

"Alright! Everyone, have a sweet treat and get back to work~ Elva! How about you and your friends come and lend a hand?"

………………峮

15:30 Colombian time, Leitania Crisis Contract Office.

Holding a stack of documents, Sussuruo shifted her gaze from Medic, who had been diligently scribbling away... Sitting next to her were three members of the preparatory operations team who hadn't officially joined Rhodes Island yet and were currently looking around, unsure of what to do.

What made the newlyweds so uneasy was Huang, who radiated heat and paced back and forth in the distance.

"Medic, isn't it ready yet? Can't we go back to Tikkaren?!"

"No... what can we do going back empty-handed? Eat all of Rhodes Island's food supplies?"

Although it was just a joke, Medic's casual remark not only made the big cat, Blaze, scratch her head like a monkey, but even Merry and her two friends blushed... After all, when it comes to truly benefiting from Rhodes Island's resources, you have to look at these three who have undergone six months of treatment.

"But... if we go back, we can either help prepare for evacuation or help move supplies. There's bound to be something we can do..."

"You mean to say that going back and doing something is better than staying in a safe place and doing nothing, right..." Seven

"Isn't that right? Susuluo, what do you want to say too..."

Seeing the conversation suddenly shift to her, Su Su Luo glanced at Huang, whose expression was one of surprise and fear, and tilted her head. The petite girl now looked as calm and collected as Medic:

"If you ask me, Medic did the right thing. Going back empty-handed wouldn't have helped at all... Now Medic has calculated the timing and type of the natural disaster. All we need to do is wait for reinforcements, for Blacksteel's landships and biohazard response team to arrive, and then we can use the supplies donated by the Letania Crisis Contract branch to help the citizens of Ticalendo... So, waiting quietly and conserving our energy is the right choice, Huang." —Witch

"...Aren't you two being a bit too cold-hearted? Medic, aren't you worried about the kitten?"

Faced with her friend's questioning, Su Suluo covered her face in anguish. Huang was deliberately rubbing salt in the wound.

Fortunately, although Medic's breathing became slightly rapid, she managed to suppress her potentially explosive emotions with a deep breath :(

"Huang, your idea isn't wrong... When there's a disaster, we should go to the rescue, like putting out a fire or saving lives... The earlier we get on the scene, the more damage we can reduce... But natural disasters are different."

"First of all, we didn't have time to return before the natural disaster, so providing the other side with data on the situation's development is already the best I can do... Secondly, we can save lives by quickly arriving at the scene of a car accident, and we can extinguish flames by quickly arriving at the scene of a fire... But a natural disaster... an Originium rain composed of activated Originium dust crystals... how can we intervene?"

“How…how can we rescue them from this natural disaster…I don’t know…I’m sorry…I’ve left Matilda alone in that dangerous place again…I’m so sorry, so sorry, so sorry…”

Seeing Medic clutching his ear in pain, Sussuruo could only sigh and gently pat his back. And Sussuruo wasn't the only one doing this; Cole and Kate were doing the same thing.

[No problem, Dr. Kal'tsit has been keeping an eye on things, she's very reliable... she'll definitely be able to take good care of Mia.]

[Exactly, stop listening to your colleague's nonsense... You were the one who contacted support, analyzed the data, and did the calculations... She can worry about it herself, but don't worry about her... Didn't you also contact your former boss? What did she say?]

The whisper of the dead soul reminded the black-haired Philin that just as Huang was thinking about how to apologize, Medic suddenly snapped out of his PTSD as if he had a seizure and quickly took out his phone.

Taking advantage of the fact that Medic had temporarily returned to normal, Susuluo quickly pulled Huang aside and led the three newcomers to the side:

"Hey! Have you forgotten Nana's relationship with the kitten? Teacher Touch Mark and Headmaster Kal'tsit specifically instructed that Medic's own psychological trauma is closely related to the kitten's safety. How dare you mention the kitten in front of her! Also, newcomers, you might be a little confused, but you'll understand later... I'm just telling you what you need to pay attention to now... Don't mention her daughter in front of Medic... especially when her daughter might be in a natural disaster or some other dangerous situation, understand?"

Just as the group nodded to each other in bewilderment, Medic, who was some distance away, looked at his old boss's reply and exclaimed "Ah!"

"Varied……?"

"...There's hope..."

"...Medic?"

"Tikarendo is saved!!"

Seeing Medic rush towards her with his phone, Su Su Luo, who thought he had finally gone mad and was going to smash her to death with that brick-like phone, shrank back in fear for a moment. But then she realized that Medic probably wanted her to see the phone screen.

Above, in a communication interface that Susuluo had never seen before, a string of numbers that she couldn't understand at all... but which were probably some kind of heavy machinery serial number, was displayed.

"What's this?"

"It's the Colombian fleet... They've sent a supply ship and a high-speed sand patrol vessel to support Ticalendo!!"

As he spoke, he excitedly shook Sussuro. There was a reason why Medic was so excited.

After all, even Agent 77 herself never imagined that she would have the authority to mobilize the Department of Homeland Security... and she never imagined that the support her agent mentioned would actually be two land-based ships that were not much smaller than the Rhodes Island.

Although he didn't know what tasks the agent would assign him as compensation afterward, a supply ship fully loaded with provisions, a security bureau land vessel to transport disaster relief equipment... plus the Blacksteel Security Company, which, although operating independently, had a reputable biological and chemical defense division...

By connecting, integrating, and unifying command through the crisis contract... yes, Tikkarendo is saved.

But... can that child hold on until I arrive?

Medic didn't know, she just kept praying in her heart... hoping that the child would wait for her... and that these people and supplies would successfully cross the thousands of kilometers of wilderness... she prayed that this distance would not become a distance that could never be reached.

Just as she was holding Sussuruo in prayer, her phone suddenly rang, interrupting the girl's prayer.

"...A call from Black Steel International?"

Watching Medic nervously connect the call, Su Sulu blushed and straightened her slightly disheveled clothes. Ignoring the three blushing rookies, she tugged at Huang Hou and asked:

"Have their landships arrived?"

Despite asking this question, Susuluo knew from Medic's increasingly blank expression that things might not be going as smoothly as her friend had expected.

But... it's okay, right? After all, Medic is known for being omnipotent on Rhodes Island. Logistics, shipping, personnel, medicine... now even natural disaster studies and geology can't stump her. What else can stop her?

Just as Susuru was thinking this, she suddenly noticed that the girl in front of her, whose eyes had lost their sparkle, hung up the phone without saying a word, and then took out a folded heavy crossbow from the side of her backpack, seemingly wanting to leave... This action startled the two who knew Medic's ability test results.

"Wait, wait, wait... Let's talk this out. Put down your weapon, please... Huang, hurry up and use your strength!"

"I'm pushing! How come she's so much stronger than me... Um... Medic, didn't you say that just worrying won't solve anything?! You need to tell us what happened first!!"

"...I'm not coming..."

"what?"

Seemingly realizing she had lost her mind, Medic released the crossbow, allowing Huang to lift the heavy Rhodes Island-standard crossbow above her head.

"The Black Steel Landship... said it's not coming..."

"...Why?!"

Although he was holding a crossbow and acting as if he didn't want Medic to consider a violent response, it would be a lie to say that Huang wasn't even slightly inclined to use violence at that moment.

But now, what needs more attention is Medic's mental state after a day of intense stress, dealing with customs, and then finding the crisis contract and doing a lot of mental work... So Huang can't care less about his little temper.

If Blacksteel's landship doesn't arrive, then the Crisis Contract rescue team and the transportation of relief supplies will be out of the question... The first wave of rescue that Medic sought to reach the scene as quickly as possible suddenly only had the Security Bureau's forces left.

But what can one department do in the face of a natural disaster? Crisis contracts are the main force in relief efforts!

Thinking about this, Medic really felt like killing someone.

"The Blacksteel landship commanders... seem unwilling to allow the landships to approach the natural disaster directly, saying their ships lack adequate Originium protection... He said they could allow the landships to enter after the disaster ends, once the Originium activity drops to a safe threshold... but..."

"But they're already at the safety threshold, why would they need to go?! Go on TV and then quit? Is this some kind of Columbia-style show?! Blacksteel should be nearby, they should be able to contact them via the intercity network! I need to get a good look at what's going on with them!"

Seeing that Huang was also getting irritable, Susuluo couldn't hold onto one of them... Just when the little fox was having a headache, a voice that they had both heard before suddenly appeared from the side.

That was the voice of the host in the lobby of the Crisis Contract application area. Behind the host, Meryl and her friends were winking at Sussurro... clearly, this was someone they had managed to bring in during a lull to the situation, someone who could explain the current state of affairs.

With the explanation from the security guard, the host, dressed in a solemn suit, quickly understood the situation. After a moment's thought, the host said to Medic:

"...Since that lord recommended Black Steel, it's impossible that Black Steel is unqualified...The more likely scenario is that the personnel in charge of that land vessel are not willing to take responsibility for allowing the land vessel into the heavily polluted area...Similar lack of cooperation from middle management is also a major headache for us during contract execution."

"But it's possible that the landship itself does have some shortcomings in its protection. However, a landship used for bio-chemical protection shouldn't have such a flaw. If it does, then he should be even more responsible for this crisis contract. Blacksteel is not a small company. For specific cooperation, I suggest communicating more with Blacksteel's senior management and executives... that is, the bio-chemical protection specialists to understand the situation."

Looking at Medic... this disaster messenger, who was quite impressive even in the eyes of an experienced contract host, seemed to have regained some of the charm he had when he was explaining disaster theories and calculating disaster threats.

Because of the nature of his job, the host, who was always required to maintain a serious demeanor, also revealed a smile that Medic was very familiar with:

"Then I won't disturb your preparations any longer..."

PS: Waaaaaah, kitty

Today I was originally going to show you the gender-swapped 47 pictures that everyone mentioned in the comments section... but those pictures are too long when viewed horizontally, and they don't look good when compressed in the background... so I'll skip that and show you some cute quill pens instead.

PS2: Actually, this is two chapters... I wrote a little in the morning, but felt it wasn't enough, so I wrote a little more in the evening and put them together to release...

PS3: Although this might contain spoilers, I'll just take it as a preview for the next episode and shout, "Old space enthusiast—!"

Well, here comes another incident... where neither side is at fault... but it's all about positions and needs...?

You can treat it as an accident.

Because that's what Medicaid does.

The Mystery of Medic 2: 040 Continental Hotel

I won't disturb your preparations any longer.

This phrase, "旗陵紦武斯锍VII奇裠," is the agent's catchphrase... Ever since Number Seventy-Seven's first mission, this phrase, along with ICA support, has accompanied her throughout the major cities of Terra.

There is no doubt that this contracted host has a close relationship with his agent, as evidenced by the note passed from his palm during their farewell handshake.

She checked the contents of the note behind everyone's back, and then the string of numbers turned to dust with the witchcraft in the girl's palm.

"Medic?"

"...let's go."

"Where?"

"Go to a place where things can be resolved."

As he said this, Medic glanced at Mary and her friends... In fact, the preparatory action group plan should have been put on hold at this moment, and he should have found a place to settle these newcomers first... Considering that he might be acting as an ICA assassin next, it would be best to find an excuse to keep Sussurro and Huang away from him.

However, considering that Letania is also currently affected by the natural disaster, if he abandons them, only God knows if he can find them again next time... After thinking it over, Medic decided to take this group with him.

First, Medic needs to confirm the situation using the coded message he just received, as he needs to know what surprise his agent is preparing for him.

This step is also quite simple; just go to a phone booth on the street and dial the number the host gave you.

Hello, this is the Mainland Hotel. We hope to bring you the warmth of home in this land... How can we help you?

"..."

Pressing the dial, Medic hesitated slightly before entering his work number... Seventy-seven.

[...Okay, please wait a moment...You booked a General Business Suite, and the agreed name is Medic...Is that correct?]

"Yes."

【Understood. We will complete your room arrangements within forty minutes. Have a pleasant stay.】

After hanging up the phone, Medic could now confirm that his agent had indeed assigned him a mission. And since he was contacted through the Crisis Contract side, it was highly likely that this mission was related to the natural disaster he had previously announced.

Unfortunately, because the intercity network is monitored by the cybersecurity departments of various mobile cities, Medic can only communicate with his agents through mobile devices, such as the hull number of the Colombian support vessel... In reality, more private conversations can only be conducted through an independent network under the security agency.

The Continental Hotel is the ICA's liaison point in this region. In addition to serving as an intermediary platform for mercenaries, assassins, and bounty hunters from all over the world, it is also a secret line of the Department of Homeland Security independent of the Colombian government.

As for why government departments need to have communication lines independent of the government... Medic didn't care about such things. She took her friends directly to the mainland hotel and picked up her room key and elevator card at the front desk.

Seeing the little cat who was just crying suddenly bring them to a hotel room and do it all so smoothly, Huang, who was carrying a weapon, was a little confused:

"So...this place can solve our problem?"

"No, but... that's exactly where our problem lies."

"Medic, are you starting to sound more and more like Kal'tsit?" Zero

As Huang reluctantly followed Medic into the elevator, muttering to himself, the cat pulled out a card to unlock the elevator and inserted it into the access interface reserved for staff. Huang noticed that the elevator, which should have been ascending, suddenly began to descend. (Part 1)

"Um...Medic?"

"Next, you all follow me, and it's best not to show any surprise no matter what you see..." Seven

"Is it...is it a secret base for special agents?"

Seeing that Medic didn't refute Sussuruo's question, Huang nervously hugged his weapon, the chainsaw: it seemed...

"Does looking around mean we'll be shot as spies?" Wu

"...No, the main problem is that my men were just loitering around like country bumpkins in the mercenary area...I might want to pretend I don't know you."

Seeing their seniors' seemingly plausible but ultimately unreliable statements, the two white-haired boys on either side of Mary fearfully grabbed her, terrified that this audacious girl would rush into the so-called mercenary common area... The pink-haired girl, Pero's, curiosity had always been a great worry for Stewart and Anderscher.

After all, a legitimate pharmaceutical company shouldn't have anything to do with mercenaries, right?

But seeing the 'doctor' and 'guards' seemingly surprised yet unfazed reaction, the boys had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue following. After all, they were terrified that turning back would result in being shot on the spot… So, after witnessing these 'secrets,' perhaps they had no choice but to board Rhodes Island's pirate ship?

Even when pulled back, Mary remained energetic, and the straightforward dog girl excitedly raised her hand: Eight!

"Um! Captain, is that place down there the legendary mercenary black market or something?"

"...I guess so...Although the currency here isn't Lungmen Dollars or anything like that, it requires some other kind of voucher...Speaking of which, I was supposed to buy you some daily necessities, right? Here...let Huang and Sussuro take you to buy three tents or something...I'll ask Kal'tsit for reimbursement later."