Léon: The Cat Killer

"The only problem... is how long we can hold out in this wasteland that's already showing signs of natural disaster. Don't stop, Liskarm! Otherwise, we might really have to walk all the way to Tikarondo, just like our allies predicted in the worst-case scenario."

"Do you need to tell me that?!"

Seeing that the driver and passenger had resumed their playful banter from when they first met, Su Su Luo, who had watched them argue but felt guilty for not saying a word the entire time, blinked as she looked out the window.

"Perhaps...we don't need to hold on for much longer..."

Hearing Sussuro's explanation, the two members of the Black Steel Group looked at the rearview mirror together... After both of them frowned, Razer rubbed his eyes and turned on the van's dashcam.

After adjusting the focus of the rear camera, they saw a ship... billowing smoke and dust, seemingly without a locomotive... yet hurtling towards them at at least thirty times the speed of a conventional land-based warship?!

Before everyone could react from their astonishment, the strange landship had already arrived above them.

Through the skylight, everyone was surprised to find that the ship's hull was prominently engraved with the national emblem of Colombia, and the massive cannon at the bow clearly identified it as a warship...

Is that a Colombian warship?! A hovercraft, unlike anything ever heard of in the entire continent of Terra?!

[Black Steel International BPRS Team, this is the Colombian Department of Homeland Security special operations ship...]

"Homeland Security..."

Before Razer and Franka could respond via radio, the strange warship that had lowered its landing platform continued broadcasting:

[You're the Blacksteel's scouts, right? Board the ship... Don't worry, the terrain data along the way has been shared with the Blacksteel land-based ships via a powerful intercity network...]

Hearing that voice from someone with obviously flat chest, Susuluo and Huang quickly exchanged surprised glances:

"That voice—?!"

………………

Holding the broadcast terminal, Nana... put on her Rhodes Island uniform again, and with the Rhine Lab logo on her coat, the Medic mechanical exoskeleton structure once more wore the Crisis Contract Catastrophe Messenger armband.

Behind her, Vanilla, the dispatched operator already assigned to Rhodes Island, and Jessica, who had just lain down but was woken up again... wearing a Black Steel general uniform and holding a small note, was still pondering the true meaning of the universe.

Only Medic, sincerely holding the microphone, looked gently at the monitor at the bottom of the ship and said:

"You have completed your mission very well. Please board the ship and rest. Now, using this ship as a base, let's continue our mission."

P.S.: I feel a bit numb... It's the fourth anniversary of Arknights, Rosemary is getting a mod, and Rosemary is also in the Rhinestone 2 storyline. I'm afraid that Yostar will cut off the story's background structure right after I started writing it... I hope not, but even if they do... I'll try to figure out a way to cover it up.

PS2: Information that can be revealed now... Regarding Franka's seemingly insane actions in this chapter... Well, even I, the author, think she's insane...

I tried my best to portray a mercenary's disdain for meager gains, his envy of those who stood up for what was right, his self-destructive tendencies due to a bleak future, and his attachment to his comrades...

Readers who find the logic illogical can simply assume that she was just acting crazy and wanted to take advantage of the government agents' visit to have a moment of madness... She didn't want Razer to know that she had become infected, thinking that 'it wouldn't be bad to just disappear into the disaster'... In reality, her original intention was to help Tikkarundo, otherwise she wouldn't have contracted Oripathy in the original story because of her insistence on her rescue goal, resulting in her damaged mask.

According to the original trajectory, she should have used Rhodes Island's drug, heard that Rhodes Island was going to establish a cooperation, felt that this was an opportunity, and proposed to go to Rhodes Island. As a result, she was discovered and entangled by Razer, and the two continued to cooperate as partners.

But now, they're probably more frank.

PS一児澪彡ling翅肆疤3: 呜呜猫猫

I want to make Yi Qi Si Wu Jiu Si Ji Ba want to scratch Huang's belly...

The Mystery of Medic 2: 047 People and People

When faced with natural disasters, is what's above your head the sky? Fabric? Or steel plates...? The difference in the sense of security can be exponential.

But there are differences between people. Some, like Katie and her unidentifiable companions, seem to have escaped death and shout "Hooray!" Others, after being rescued, are like the Black Steel BPRS duo, whose first action upon getting out of the car is to grab their companion by the collar and demand an explanation...

Nana thinks that Sussuro and Huang are both a bit of both. The impact of Sussuro falling into the girl's arms can be counted as 1.5 cat headbutts... but how do you count Huang's action of picking up Nana and Sussuro and then spinning the three of them around together...? This is indeed a bit difficult for the assassin lady.

"Medic, you did it!"

"Well, to be precise, it was Director Kal'tsit who succeeded..."

As she spoke, Nana let Sussuro and Huang examine the exoskeleton armor bearing the Rhine Lab mark on her body with great interest, a smile playing on her lips:

"Even though a rational person would refuse a commission with a low success rate and unbearable costs, Director Kal'tsit gave the captain a reason that he couldn't refuse..."

"……reason?"

Seeing Susuluo wagging its tail and looking at it curiously in her arms, Nana's smile turned slightly awkward. After all, many details, processes, and unused backup plans needed to be kept secret.

"Without reducing their income, we can make their risks 'acceptable'... In that case, even the most cautious captain will naturally agree to our legitimate request... But, Sussuro, what if... the captain doesn't cooperate, what if our reinforcements aren't this 'flying ship'? I initially said that even if the persuasion fails, it doesn't matter, you can just stay on the ship and wait for further news, right?!"

Seeing the little fox's embarrassed expression, Nana expressionlessly scooped it up from under her arms. After awkwardly kicking its legs without its feet touching the ground, Susuluo's ears flattened out like airplane ears. It was the first time she had ever seen Nana angry with her.

"...So, they really will wait for Blacksteel's landships to arrive? Franka said they...would probably arrive soon? And she even said the departure of the landships was inevitable..."

Listening to Sussuruo's incoherent and rambling speech, Nana put one arm around Sussuruo and grabbed the collar of a certain big cat who was pretending to be innocent to the side with the other hand... She turned her head to look at another big fox who had been grabbed by the collar and questioned by his family history by his teammate. After exchanging glances and expressing their gratitude, Nana put Sussuruo down and then used her hair messing technique on Huang...

After a period of rough handling as punishment, and having vented her frustrations, Nana finally released them.

"...It's decided. I need to report this. I'm going to ask ACE and Kal'tsit to strengthen your obedience training... As for now, how are you all doing, new recruits?"

"Yes, it is!"

Seeing Katie and the other two approaching somewhat embarrassedly, Nana then gestured for the Security Bureau ship members, who had been waiting for a long time, to check the Originium radiation levels and other data for everyone. While they were doing this, the assassin carefully chose her words and said:

"First of all, thank you all for bravely taking the first step towards the catastrophe. Based on the authorization of Director Kal'tsit of Rhodes Island, as well as the Blacksteel International BPRS and the captain's orders, your command is once again under my control..."

"Let me introduce myself. I am Medic, an operator in the Rhodes Island Medical Department and the person in charge of personnel. I am the captain of this Rhodes Island field team, and also the Catastrophe Messenger who calculated the development model of the Tikkarendo Catastrophe."

"By order of the Colombian Department of Homeland Security, I and Captain Theresa Walter of the Colombian Special Agent Ship beneath us... also known as Agent Puff, will guide the rescue fleet to find a safe route to Ticalendo amidst the natural disaster."

Looking at the Rhodes Island operator wearing an eyepatch, Razer clicked his tongue:

"So, the 'Jessica' we saw on the ship earlier was you?"

"...I could never admit to something like this. What evidence do you have?"

"evidence?"

Razer glanced at the tearful cat head that had arrived with Vanilla, then pointed at Jessica, whose ears were drooping, and said:

"Jessica herself wasn't wearing a blindfold, isn't that evidence?"

"...Of course not. At most, it just shows that young people are physically fit and recover quickly from eye injuries, right? ...Besides, I have no ill intentions towards any of you, and I hope that in the future, Rhodes Island's cooperation with BPRS will not be mixed with such...personal grudges."

"...Who knows...it depends on your performance."

Having said that, Razer realized he'd been so angered by Franka that he'd said such hurtful things to a partner... So, after shaking his head and reflecting on his actions, Razer saluted and stepped forward.

"Heavyweight Operator Liskarm, on standby. I have participated in numerous special operations including VIP protection, outpost assaults, hostage rescues, and threat elimination. During this deployment, I will strictly adhere to organizational regulations and complete the tasks assigned to me... Also, please do not believe anything strange that Franka tells you!"

"Haha~ As you can see, my lovely partner is still a bit sullen... And I, Franka, the chemical defense operator, will also contribute my share to suppress the pollution caused by Originium to the greatest extent possible."

Instead of saluting like a soldier, Razer extended his hand to shake hands with Nana. Nana, whose identity had now transformed into a 'doctor' and 'messenger of natural disasters,' readily complied.

Seeing that Nana showed no disgust at her identity as a Oripathy patient, the big fox quickly changed the subject:

"And these two... Jessica and Vanilla, are they also going to be sent to the front lines of the Scourge with us?"

Before Nana could explain, the girl with watery eyes bowed several times to Franka... Nana didn't understand why she was doing this...

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!! Franco initially said that Vanilla would be transferred to Rhodes Island with you..."

"After all, Vanilla is learning from me... but why is Jessica here too? Isn't your teacher Razer?"

"This... because I think... Razer-senpai will definitely catch up with you, so I... eh? No, no! I don't dislike Razer-senpai, it's just that I want to go ahead... no, wait!! I was actually ordered to go to Rhodes Island!! My family... Black Steel decided for some reason that I should be stationed at Rhodes Island while I was sleeping... maybe it was Dr. Franco's... foresight?"

Basically, everyone thinks I'm completely outmaneuvered by this cunning fox, right? Lin

—An unnamed Razer operator.

Seeing Jessica's increasingly evasive and ultimately absurd statement, which sounded like she was smearing ink on Razer's face, Franka chuckled twice... Feeling Razer pinch the large fox on her waist again, she coughed twice, pretending she hadn't heard anything: Fin

“Alright, so now that the lone Rhodes Island member has returned to your command channel and the BPRS team is following your orders, I think we can begin the mission briefing… and maybe exchange some pleasantries… like, how about we talk about the ship's origins? Or perhaps, could you introduce us to… the captain of this 'special operations ship'?”

Seeing Franka's curious gaze, Nana turned around to look...

I don't know when it started, but the girl in the military uniform with platinum...or rather, flaxen blonde hair in a single ponytail, and the sprightly white-haired old man in a first mate's uniform, stood there, smiling but motionless.

"Bubble... Lord Walter!"

"Just call me Puff, okay? Or you can just call me Tessa... It's rare to meet someone your own age, so don't let military rules restrict you... Besides, this ship belongs to the Colombian military, but it's not a warship... Of course, just keep this to yourselves, don't spread it around." V

She adorably made a 'shush' gesture in front of her moist lips. Although Puff's eyes were playful and alluring, her demeanor was undeniably that of an extremely elegant young lady.

The girl bowed slightly to show politeness, while raising her voice to express immense pride: Nine

"Welcome to my landship..."

...strip

Wu Yi Qi Ling Qi Liu Yao…………

Quiet, stable... without the deafening noise of a typical land-based ship's propulsion system... If it weren't for the occasional glimpse of the rapidly receding, dimly lit fields through the portholes, the group wouldn't be able to say for sure whether they were actually on a land-based ship operating at full capacity.

"Well, after all, it's a hovering experimental ship... What I'm most proud of about this ship is its maneuverability... Although it showed some promise when chasing Black Steel's van, to be honest, thirty times the speed of a regular land-based ship isn't even the limit for this kid... In flat terrain, it once reached supersonic speeds indistinguishable from commercial aircraft..."

"Although traveling at that speed would cause considerable damage to the crew and the cargo... When the speed exceeds 120 kilometers per hour, even a slight bump can send the entire ship flying in a terrible ski-jump curve... Now, unless we are specifically chasing something, we generally do not use that high-speed mode."

"This...is truly an honor!"

Seeing the big fox still habitually shoving the bottle, Razer expressionlessly gave the big fox an elbow strike... Meanwhile, Nana ignored the youthful banter and began explaining the mission to everyone:

"This high speed and excellent maneuverability become the basis for our ability to probe deep into the disaster zone and maintain our safety as much as possible. The anti-gravity engine, combined with the attitude adjustment nozzles, is enough to allow us to evade Originium crystals falling from the sky..."

Puff: "But that requires a highly sensitive detector that can confirm the concentration of Originium and its location in the clouds under natural disaster conditions... I'm honored that Rhodes Island really has a powerful natural disaster messenger that can see through the natural disaster clouds... Only then can the foundation for opening up the road to Tikkarendo be established."

Franka interrupted the two people's mutual flattery and asked a question that the four members of Blacksteel present... and even the Rhodes Island team, were very curious about:

"So, what are we supposed to do?"

"My fellow action teams... your burdens are actually quite heavy... Although you may see us traversing the natural disaster as if nothing's wrong, this is based on the fact that His Excellency Medic has already shared the route map to the inner circle... Once we reach the inner circle, the concentration of Originium dust is even higher, and there are even more hidden Originium... With the exponential increase in the amount of information, the combat systems on the warship itself certainly cannot process the information fed back by Medic's operators in real time... After all, whether it's pen and paper or language, the amount of information transmitted is still too slow compared to the intercity network itself..."

"so……"

Nodding, Puff watched as Franka patted Nana's exoskeleton:

"Then the action team will need to protect Medic, allowing her to enter deeper into the disaster zone beforehand... and gather flight path information... Don't worry, Rhine Lab has provided a considerable number of exoskeleton devices, as well as several Originium-protected patented items for everyone to choose from..."

"...Will this clear a path for land-based ships?"

Seeing Franka's still doubtful expression, Puff smiled and nodded:

"Yes, even if we have to bombard it with the main cannon, we will blast our way forward amidst the natural disaster storm filled with active source stones."

"Ugh... those words sound... so resolute, they don't even sound like something a Colombian soldier would say..."

Miss Puff didn't pay much attention to Vanilla's quiet murmur, after all, that was her response:

"We're not actually Colombian military personnel... We're a special operations ship of the Colombian Department of Homeland Security... Our main job is to use our super-high speed to do some... supply transport work... We're quite surprised to be assigned to frontline work like today, especially such a noble task as rescuing refugees..."

"Ahem... Captain... you've said too much..."

As the first mate, who had been silent all along, coughed awkwardly twice, Miss Puff blushed, covered her cheeks, and stuck her tongue out at Medic:

"Sorry... that last sentence doesn't count... Anyway... the government officials will get votes, the mobilized soldiers will get salaries and leave, my technical team will get data on extreme scenarios that we've never seen before, and you guys... will bring higher survival rates to your comrades... everyone gets what they need."

"Well, after all, we're facing the same risks..."

Seeing that Franka understood Puff's explanation well, Nana nodded in agreement.

At this moment, everyone took the elevator to the officers' lounge below the bridge. Before reaching the boundary calculated by Nana, everyone could take a short rest here... Meanwhile, the engineering department personnel of the Security Bureau were also working hard to prepare the vehicles that everyone would use later.

"...all for the sake of more lives."

………………

Let's turn back the clock a day and go back to that afternoon before the natural disaster officially began.

In the Tikkarendo time zone, looking at the sky that was as dark as night, Matilda's ears twitched uncomfortably. From the beginning, apart from the thunder in the sky, the city beneath the girl's feet would occasionally emit loud noises.

Accompanying this was a gentle tremor, like an earthquake... Even now, with the girl and Amiya holding hands, Matilda, considering her friend's safety, wouldn't reflexively smash through the first deck of the moving city... But this startling situation had already put the kitten on high alert.

To this, the gang girl Elva could only offer an explanation with drooping ears:

"That's the sound of the city block changing its circulation pipeline before the emergency evacuation, and the engine preheating in the next block... Our equipment is very old, so there will be strange noises... I'm used to it."

Even so, Elva's airplane ear condition was much more serious than the kitten's... or perhaps what she was hearing was never just a simple sound.

"...Every time I hear this sound, nothing good ever happens..."

As she said this, Elva watched Finn, Kross, and Beagle, the three trainee police officers, directing people to the lower levels of the city for refuge, and pursed her lips... She couldn't quite describe her feelings for these three people... They weren't infected, they could have gone directly to the core city for refuge and left together... but now they were mixed up with the infected...

Honestly, I don't know what to say.

"Speaking of which, little CEO, have you found your employees yet? Weren't they told they weren't allowed into the shelters here?"

"Ah...yes, thank you for your concern, they are already with us."

"Huh? Where?"