Léon: The Cat Killer

Seeing that she didn't seem willing to move off him anytime soon, Nana knew that if she continued to hide, she would have to hide on Razer. So, she patiently asked:

"Captain... doesn't seem to be attending this meeting..."

"It's unnecessary, after all, the former Sulfur Zero San (IV) Scarface was a great victory for the shipping department faction twice... It seems that things have been settled... Compared to this kind of internal strife, our captain probably thinks that guarding against natural disasters is more important."

On alert for natural disasters... so his location might be in the central command post, the bridge at the bow of a land-based ship... or the air traffic control tower?

These places, without exception, were all heavily guarded. If Nana had simply dressed up as an ordinary Kurogane employee, it might have really taken some effort...

Silently thanking the unlucky cat-head and her manager for their foresight, Nana glanced at the meeting—which was no longer worth paying attention to—and, hunching over and clutching her stomach, prepared to leave.

"Um... I'm not feeling well, I'll have to leave for a bit..." Ling

"Ah, Agent Jessica, please wait a moment..."

Seeing that her words had drawn everyone's attention, Sussuruo could sense Medic's anxious gaze even without looking. So, Sussuruo instinctively grabbed Jessica's hand and said to the puzzled Black Steel group: Qi

"I have some follow-up treatment for my wound to discuss... Let's go outside, so as not to disturb everyone."

Seeing Sussurro unceremoniously pull Miss Black Cat away from the conference room, Razer and Franka exchanged a puzzled look before turning to Vanilla: None

"Their relationship has become that good?"

"Did Jessica know them before? Their relationship is progressing so quickly..."

"Hmm...maybe she's in a bad mood because of the injury? Or maybe the pain makes her more reliant on the doctor...? I don't really know, but Jessica-senpai was definitely acting strange today..."

As the two figures disappeared from sight, Franka smiled and looked at Razer: Pull...

"Did your outrageous homework assignments finally drive that kid crazy?"

"...How could that be... Anyway, let her rest more after the meeting."

Despite saying that, the two, who were perfectly in sync, could see the hesitation in each other's eyes. As teammates, they exchanged opinions with just a glance; they wanted to visit Jessica after the meeting.

Unaware that some people had already become suspicious, Nana and Susuluo had already left the meeting room. After confirming that no one was paying attention, Susuluo asked:

"Next, you're going to continue... the mission? Can I know what you're going to do? It's not... anything dangerous, is it..."

"My mission is simply to persuade the captain to take the risk... What danger could I possibly be in... The danger lies with the captain... and everyone else who enters the disaster zone... Sussuro, you mustn't wander off again. If you're separated from Blaze and encounter danger..."

Shaking her head, Nana didn't continue. She removed the bandage from her head, sighed, and said:

"After that, just say 'Jessica' went back to rest... You also worked hard in the conference room just now..."

"No... I didn't do anything... Blacksteel still hasn't changed his mind..."

"It's alright, now it's my turn to do my job."

With her eyes closed, Susuluo felt the gentle touch of the other person using their slight height advantage to stroke her ear. But when she opened her eyes again, the black-haired film had already disappeared... The anxious little fox returned to the venue and was naturally questioned by the Black Steel Trio. Susuluo readily followed Nana's instructions and told her about Jessica's real condition.

But... another problem arose during this period.

Nana left a note in Jessica's room. If they arrived before Jessica woke up, then the presence of outsiders on the landship would have been exposed.

Although BPRS and Jessica, a dispatched employee, are both allies of Nana, regarding whether allies will cause trouble... Nana, who has had many things ruined by ICA employees in the past, said that as long as she handles things quickly enough, trouble won't catch up with her.

Putting her blindfold back on to cover her horrifying wounds, she quickly confirmed the route in Jessica's guise... Meanwhile, as the replacement for the captain who had been killed and was to take command of the ship to Ticalondo, Nana also took the opportunity to visit the lower-level facilities.

Although it's an old-fashioned warship, the Originium engine and propulsion system seem to be in decent condition...

"I'm not good at engineering... especially high-energy fossil engineering... If you say it's okay, then I'll take it as okay."

[Should I thank you for your trust? Also, my partner sent word that the target recently moved location, and it's confirmed that he's no longer in the armored command center or the bow bridge...]

"...Air traffic control tower."

Having confirmed the location, Nana noted down the shortest route to the control tower and immediately began moving.

……

……

……

The air traffic control tower, as one of only two places on a land-based ship with a wide field of vision, was compared countless times by countless people to the bridge at the bow of the ship throughout the old man's life.

Countless people have asked whether the view from the cockpit is better or the view from the air traffic control tower is more magnificent... The old man still doesn't know how to answer this emotional question.

He often looked down at the land from the bow of the ship, where yellow sand, smoke, mud, grass clippings... The resilient nature bowed down before the man-made metal obstacle-breaking shovel. Without a doubt, the land-based ship is the benchmark for mankind's conquest of nature.

However, land-based ships also have impregnable fortresses and insurmountable barriers. Faced with natural disasters, land-based ships become mere rubbish that can be easily shoveled away... Back when the Victoria was in service, ships that directly faced natural disasters for various reasons all met exceptionally tragic ends...

He even felt as if he had returned to those days when he closed his eyes...

[Captain, we can't let our allies be stranded in this natural disaster... Three ships, just three auxiliary ships or one capital ship and we can bring them back... Captain... Captain!!]

"captain?"

Startled awake, the old man looked to his side and saw his first mate holding a cup of coffee with a wry smile. It was he who had just called him.

"Ah...did I fall asleep?"

“Captain, you’ve been working too hard lately… Now that you’ve made up your mind, you should conserve your energy for what’s to come… Isn’t that what you said…”

Taking the slightly cold coffee from the first mate, the old man took a large gulp with an air of utter disregard for the dignity of a fleet nobleman:

"Yes, I said it. But how could I let it go... There are cities with millions of people ahead, and hundreds of thousands more have been left behind because of the forced decoupling... People are dying every moment, even in my dreams... How can I sleep... Discuss the situation at the meeting?"

"Just as you expected, although everyone still voted primarily for their own safety... morale is very low... after all, we are openly defying the crisis agreement, and many young people seem to have a lot of complaints."

"It's alright, just let me know if you have any complaints... and have them come to me with the crisis contract as well."

"This……"

Ignoring the first mate's hesitation, the captain took a tissue from someone nearby and wiped his already graying beard. After nodding slightly to the person, the captain adjusted his posture. Even just sitting and watching the swirling clouds in the sky, the old man's figure still looked tall and robust.

"Sailing a ship is never a matter for one person alone. There are already differing opinions within the ship about whether to risk providing support. Sailing during a natural disaster cannot afford internal strife. Rather than creating fertile ground for discontent to erupt, it's better for me to make the decision from the beginning..."

"Does the captain think everyone's silence... is a sign of pent-up discontent?"

Looking at the bewildered first mate, the captain glanced behind him at the girl in black steel-marked casual clothes:

"...Otherwise what? Most of the Blacksteel soldiers are young people. They have no idea what driving into the Cataclysmic Land means... All they see are praises for courage from all directions. They only see the glittering glory beckoning to them... But what is the cost? How many people will feel halfway through that it's not worth giving up and putting more people in danger... If the army were fully prepared and everyone was prepared to sacrifice themselves on the road, then we could set off immediately... But right now, everyone is clearly not prepared."

"So... exactly how do you know when you're ready to get everything together?"

Hearing the soft question from the girl behind him, the captain closed his eyes as if thinking, then said, word by word:

"Undaunted by hardship, yearning for glory, unafraid of sacrifice... these are the most basic psychological preparations... In addition, we need at least two ships of 300 meters or more to cross the geological disasters accompanying the natural disaster, 500 professional damage control engineers to prepare to repair the ships beneath their feet, and more than 3,000 crew members to be mobilized at any time, ready to sacrifice their lives on the road of clearing obstacles and repairing... This will cost at least 10 million Colombian dollars... to solve the problem of compensation for the crew members."

"Finally... we need cutting-edge technology licenses from leading research companies, including Rhine Lab and the Melander Institute for Extreme Climate Engineering, military exoskeletons from the Colombian Ministry of Defense to enhance the crew's physical fitness and working condition... and the National Meteorological Service and the Association of Disaster Messengers to dispatch national treasure-level disaster messengers to lead the way at the forefront at the risk of their lives... Only in this way can we hope to reach Ticalendo by sailing our ship."

At the end, the captain even laughed out loud:

"That's great. In the end, it seems like Colombia alone was able to do it... Times have really changed... In the past, this would have been..."

"But a feat that even an entire Victoria cruise fleet couldn't accomplish... is that right?"

Hearing the voices coming from behind them again, the captain and first mate finally noticed the girl standing alone behind them in the control tower.

"You are...Miss Jessica?"

"No, I am not... but please forgive me for not being able to reveal my name here. Please just call me 'Jessica'."

Just as the first mate was about to reach for the spellcasting unit at his waist, the captain raised his hand to stop him... Looking more closely at the girl behind them, they saw that she had somehow gotten a small, gleaming silver gun in her hand, which she was pointing at them.

Upon seeing this, the first mate instinctively raised his hands:

"...Where's the guard? What did you do to them?"

"They're fine, but when I mentioned that the captain and first mate might need some alone time, they went outside to wait for them..."

Before the assassin could finish speaking, the first mate stomped his foot impatiently... and with a loud bang, the tall, burly man lunged at 'Jessica'... and was knocked unconscious to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw.

Nana clapped her hands and spread her hands towards the captain, who was still sitting in his seat, mainly to indicate that the hostages at her feet were still breathing as a gesture of goodwill:

"Of course, they can't hear us... I wouldn't be so foolish as to not even take this small precaution of confidentiality..."

"Hmm... I think so too."

"Your first mate's reaction was very strong. Have you never encountered a situation like this before?"

"...Blacksteel has never been successfully infiltrated before, this is the first time...you remind me of some bad memories."

"Hmm...you mean the memory of your past warship mutinying after passing through a natural disaster cloud, and being suppressed by Victoria's secret agents? I'm sorry to remind you of bad things...but...I'm sorry, I and those gray hats...were also colleagues."

Looking at the girl before him, who should have been one of his own operators, with her left eye burning with a crimson mist like flames, the captain, who had never intended to fight her since they met, wore a look of utter disappointment.

"Is that so... So, although Blacksteel is a registered company, it's essentially still a Colombian militia... and it was suppressed again because of a 'mutiny,' what a repeat of the past..."

Seeing the old man's sudden vulnerability, Nana raised her hand somewhat embarrassedly, feeling that he might have misunderstood her intentions.

"Again, I apologize... Time is of the essence, so let's get straight to the point... If the conditions you just mentioned are met, can you take Blacksteel through the Cataclysm?"

"...I see. So you're not planning to execute me for disobeying orders... Compared to those hat-wearing men, you're quite... gentle..."

The captain lowered his head slightly, tilting his head to cover one eye with his slightly wavy, graying hair, and then calmly said:

“Indeed, if you can meet my previous requirements, then I am confident that I can lead the young men and equipment and supplies to Tecalendor... But... there won't be enough time to just deploy the equipment and obtain the necessary technical licenses... This is not a feat that any organization or department can accomplish, and there is no way to coordinate between companies... And in the end, what natural disaster messenger would... and be able to move forward in such a violent climate.”

Hearing the captain's dejected tone, and listening to the conversation between the manager and Kal'tsit in her earpiece, Nana shook her droopy cat ears:

"Not always……"

"...Are you serious?"

"certainly……"

As they were talking, a box suddenly appeared in front of them, accompanied by a distortion of space...

As Nana reached out, the metal box opened, and the exoskeleton machine bearing the Rhine Lab logo stood up and then attached itself to Jessica's body.

The metallic medium spread upwards like a fluid, the folded skeletal joints unfolded and locked, and tiny, folded metal sheets flew everywhere, forming a three-dimensional helmet shape that fit the girl's head... In the end, the pinnacle of Columbia's technology was completed here, and a protective suit that could allow an individual to walk in a natural disaster was formed.

"Please allow me to introduce myself... Although neither I nor the Colombian team behind me quite understand what level of national treasure you're referring to... as the person who calculated the scope and type of the Ticalendo catastrophe, I'm willing to find the path to Ticalendo for you..."

Extending her hand, Nana's tone was incredibly firm:

"The crisis contracts include special equipment and patent licenses granted by 125 companies, including RheinLife. The Colombian Department of Homeland Security and the Colombian Army Armored Combat Group, totaling 12,000 personnel, are ready to deploy at any time… All 572 registered engineers from RheinLife's Engineering Department, Rhode Island Shipping Department, Ironforge Third Shipyard, and the Department of Homeland Security's Engineering Department have assembled. Additionally, a 1,200-meter-class supply ship and a 600-meter-class special operations ship are simultaneously heading towards Ticalando…"

Seeing the captain's dazed expression, though his eyes seemed to be brimming with tears, Nana continued to speak through the exoskeleton's amplification system:

"We are not helpless in the face of natural disasters... Regardless of how future generations judge your actions in coercing that captain with the warship's crew, your good deeds cannot be denied... I wanted to save them, and this has nothing to do with Columbia... If you won't act, then I will..."

Before Nana could finish speaking, the captain's phone suddenly rang. The two looked at each other awkwardly, but the captain still answered the voice message:

[Captain! I'm a low-level member of the shipping department... Rhodes Island's partners...]

"Rhodes Island? What happened to them?"

The old man glanced at the power armor beside him and vaguely remembered that she had just mentioned Rhodes Island.

They said... since Blacksteel wants to continue waiting, they won't keep them company... they're going to the disaster area on their own... saying they'll take one of those city cars...

"Nonsense!"

This wasn't said by the captain, but by Nana... Even though they were more than a meter apart, the person on the other end of the communicator was still startled.

Nana's annoyance was understandable... after all, her orders were that it was fine to stay in Blacksteel until the disaster was over before regrouping... What was Susuru doing?!

"The natural disaster in Tikkarendo is extremely intense. Aren't they just throwing their lives away by going out like this? Please stop them immediately!" Lin

Although Nana said that, the other person still stammered and said: One

[But...they've already left...after all, their attitude was very firm...we can't really say we have control over their personal freedom...besides...] Qi

Seeing that Nana leaned back as if she might faint at any moment when she heard there was more to say, the captain, still mature enough, continued to ask: "Think..."

"Anything else?" V

[And...the two from BPRS went along too...] Jiu

"Dr. Franco... Jennifer allowed them to act so recklessly?"

[...It was Director Franco who ordered the BPRS to bring back the Rhodes Island members...but, we haven't seen them yet...] (blame/reproach)

"...How long have they been gone?"

It's been ten minutes.

The captain glanced at his watch and at the distant, seemingly celestial clouds on the horizon, then looked at Nana:

"There's still time... Besides... although I heard that the doctor said she would go herself if we didn't go... I didn't expect her to actually do it... Is this what Colombians are like..."

"...She's from Syracuse, where people seem to value etiquette and manners..."

"Oh, really?"