Léon: The Cat Killer

Even Razer, which is usually very serious, clearly went too far with its statement at this moment:

Your willingness to disassemble the equipment and vehicles in this way... is clearly for the sake of the overall mission success rate... I am honored to work with you...

Even Franka, who was widely considered the most fun-loving person among them, didn't say anything at this moment, and everyone agreed with Nana's decision...

After all, this captain was at the forefront of the danger... Others might underestimate their own tasks now because of what they are about to be assigned, but everyone has reached a consensus on who will face the most difficult stage.

Seeing that no one objected, Nana nodded: Skirt

"So, apart from the tents, all other supplies will be distributed equally among the people... This will be the toughest part of this mission, so everyone be prepared."

P.S.: Sick...family member sick too...sick person taking care of another sick person...Kurushi...Lin

PS2: Woof Woof Cat Device

The Mystery of 2nd Medic: 055 Barriers

Many say that to combat natural disasters, "we" created ships that could sail on land... Ships docked one another, and cities began to roam the earth.

Observe the wind direction, listen to the earth's tremors, and keep your eyes fixed on the sky... By avoiding the dark clouds, the city was spared. (5)

People rejoiced, as if the natural disaster had been averted and they had conquered nature.

But only when one truly stands beneath the cloud anvil and recalls the heavy hammer of heavenly thunder striking the ground will one understand that natural disasters have never changed, have never been conquered, and have always existed.

"Susuru?"

"Ah... um? Um, sorry, I spaced out. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Seeing the little fox inside the power armor twitching its ears sheepishly, Nana didn't say anything, but simply pointed to the top of her head. X

A colossal black shadow, even more oppressive than the natural disaster clouds, slowly replaced them, obscuring the occasional faint lights that echoed with thunder. Artificial lights shone from the base of this massive structure, and under the Tyndall effect, Originium dust, like shimmering black snowflakes, scattered in all directions as it was crushed by the wheels…

"The camp's anchor points are in place. Next, we will transport the supplies to the contaminated area... Pay attention to differentiating the types of supplies and their placement direction, and ensure that the camp's robotic logistics arm can open the isolation boxes and deliver the supplies into the internal circulation shelves..."

"Have you remembered the special usage guidelines for the power armor? If the duty mission goes smoothly, the landship will catch up within a week. If it doesn't go smoothly, there's no need to keep wearing the power armor and putting up with it..."

"Make good use of these devices, adjust your mindset, and make long-term material plans... You can observe the environment according to the driver's escape manual in the powered armor system, and the main reference part is the 'Natural Disaster Countermeasures' section."

"The supplies I've given you are enough for three people to use for three months. And considering the use of air and water purifiers, even an ordinary person without any planning should be able to last for more than a month..."

Realizing she had been rambling on and on, Nana tilted her head at Susuluo, who seemed hesitant to speak, and finally decided to continue:

“Sussuro, we are members of the medical department. Doctors should rationally view all injuries and illnesses, as well as the problems they face. I won't say anything like the mission will definitely succeed. After all, even if weather data shows that this area will be the lowest Originium condensation rate for the next two weeks, no one can guarantee that this camp will be safe…”

Watching Jessica equip the power armor with engineering tools and build an external grille for the tent with countless triangular stress-resistant supports, Nana's tone was flat and cold... but full of care that she herself was unaware of.

This was the first time Miss Killer had dealt with a moving friend, and she prepared everything for Sussuruo as meticulously as if she were planting soil, fertilizing, and scheduling light for a potted plant... But whether these preparations would be effective, Nana could only honestly say—she didn't know.

"...But even if we separate, our fates are still intertwined...after all..."

Susuluo could see that the little black cat in front of her was helplessly curving its lips, as if it was trying hard to make a smile.

The newly appointed team leader, the government's executor, the super agent recruited by Kal'tsit, and the HR guy who was given an almost impossible mission on his first day on the job, looked at everyone around him who had their ears perked up and said:

"Blacksteel, Rhodes Island, Tikkarundo... including TDD... we all have our own missions, and if any one of us, any link in the chain... fails to complete our mission, we will die..."

Watching the tent, which was being propped up by compressed air, gradually become habitable, Nana patted the grille on the outside of the tent. After confirming that the equipment, which Colombia used to ensure the survival of valuable mechanical hunter pilots in harsh environments, was working properly, she sighed.

"All I can do is distribute the methods and equipment to improve survival rates to everyone, hoping that we can meet again someday..."

Nana reached out and poked Susuluo's transparent mask. After two soft clinking sounds of metal against metal, Nana reached out and circled her hands twice above her head... This was the signal to gather and set off.

At this moment, Nana displayed her highly militaristic behavior, which the Black Steel members were quite used to. They saluted the three who remained and then left... As for Katie, who had a certain level of ability to deal with natural disasters, she bit her lip as she looked at her other two companions.

“…Andercher, Stewart…you know I won’t die. I survived all that danger on the mountain, and now we have the captain and professionals like Blacksteel, so I absolutely won’t die…you can’t die either! You must follow Dr. Sussuro’s instructions!”

"...That's what we need to say! You idiot, you must listen to the captain's orders and never run off like you did on the mountain before!"

"Yeah...you always scare us, we're used to it...but if you make the captain so angry that something bad happens to him, who knows what will happen to our new jobs..."

The serious atmosphere dissipated somewhat amidst the young people's banter, but as the four members of the Black Steel team stood on the freight elevator platform, Katie knew it was time to continue on her journey.

The girl, Perot, whose hair was also pinkish, looked at the pink-haired doctor who was considerably shorter than her:

"I'll leave those two idiots in your care, Dr. Sussuruo..."

Watching Katie run towards the elevator without waiting for her response, Sussuruo gave a wry smile, and in her voice came a message from the cockpit.

We haven't even seen what the Rhodes Island bar looks like yet, don't die so easily~

Although his words were understated, for Huang, this was probably a very carefree attitude... Susuluo knew that if it were a face-to-face farewell, that big guy might actually cry.

Despite her tall and imposing stature, Huang is actually a very sentimental person.

"...I don't drink alcohol, but you can buy me a non-alcoholic beverage later..."

After sending the voice message to Huang, Sussurro looked again at Nana, who had been standing on the elevator with the Black Steel group from the beginning... She was controlling the elevator. After waiting for Katie to return, she gently swept away the Originium crystals on the control panel with her power armor gloves, and then started the elevator without looking up.

Even as Sussuro watched the warehouse close, she never managed to make eye contact with the black cat.

"Heh...that's true...he says he became everyone's leader because of his abilities, but deep down he's as fragile as a child..."

As the massive exploration vehicle started up again, the sky-obscuring lights went out, and the crystalline rain and the dark cloud anvil began to patter against the outer layer of the armor once more.

Watching the massive vehicle drive towards the center of the lightning-streaked storm, until the mechanical roar was replaced by the crisp sound of Originium crystals growing, the white-haired boy… suddenly spoke up out of nowhere:

"...They really left...So, we are indeed in the midst of a natural disaster...it's not a dream."

"Of course not. Would you dream that you have to stand guard during a natural disaster? Even those guys at university who are preparing to be messengers of natural disasters wouldn't think that way."

"really."

Listening to the two boys' relatively calm conversation, Susuluo touched the storage box placed on her lower back. Each of the three of them was carrying one of those huge signal flares, which looked like Originium mortar shells. And according to the supply list, the signal flares were also stored in the contaminated area and the uncontaminated area of ​​the camp.

Their task was to wait in this area.

Waiting for the ship to pick them up, waiting for the moment to launch the signal flare that would pierce through the natural disaster...

This is a mission concerning the lives of millions of people... For the boys who received such a crucial assignment on their first day of work, it's a testament to their strong resilience that they didn't go weak in the knees.

But for Sussuruo, she unexpectedly discovered that it wasn't difficult.

Essentially, this wait was the same as the nature of her previous work... and she had experienced similar waits many times when she worked as a surgical assistant in the past.

It's just that this 'surgery' might take a little longer...

It might be tough for patients, but for 'doctors', it's something she's already used to.

Opening Nana's 'to-do list', and after confirming that the exploration vehicle and its sounds had blended into the darkness, Susuluo flashed her headlamp, drawing the attention of the other two as well:

"Everyone, let's get to work. The captain has already prepared the mission checklist for us... Although we'll be arriving with the Blacksteel landship within a week if things go smoothly, or even three days if things go fast... just like Nana said, if even one link in our mission chain breaks, everyone will have to face this catastrophe..."

"The captain's plan is for us to set up camp here for a month. After a month, the high-intensity natural disaster will surely stop, and then we can use the remaining supplies to survive in the post-disaster environment... With the equipment we have, I think our survival rate is actually quite high... right?"

Seeing the boys nod in agreement, Susulu smiled with satisfaction:

"Then let's begin preparations for a long-term stay. Nana has listed the priorities of the tasks... Let me see, our first task is... to dig toilets?"

………………

The three people at Camp One looking at each other in bewilderment were not something those venturing deeper should be concerned with. After all, Camp One had the most manpower and the most abundant supplies... Considering their lack of professional skills, all tools were given priority to Camp One.

Everyone has done their best to take care of them... If it still doesn't work... then we can only die... meaning we all go together.

So, forgetting about Sussuruo and the two weakest guys, everyone is now summarizing the impact on vehicle conditions after nearly half of the cargo space was removed:

"The cargo hold was contaminated with a large amount of Originium dust due to the activation of the disaster environment... The good news is that the contamination cleaning system is still working, and this vehicle itself comes with a large maintenance system... Although it's not for maintaining and decontaminating the power armor, but rather a large system for mechanical hunters, I think it should be fine to use it to give the power armor a bath..."

"Franka is right. Although the long-term maintenance system of the carriage has been in use for a few years, it is still in good condition... However, we need to be careful because the Originium cleaning fluid is limited, so it seems that we can't just go in and out wearing power armor at will... But if we are on duty, we usually live in the living area and don't go out, at most going in and out twice a day... In addition, the power armor itself consumes much less cleaning fluid than the big guys like the mechanical hunters... If we make do with it, based on four shifts a day, it can probably last for a month?"

Nodding, Nana checked the supply list given by Puff and tentatively divided the supply allocation for the two waves of troops stationed there. Then she looked at the calendar:

“From mid-October…that is, in about half a month, a cold wave will begin to appear in the wilderness…and the Originium rain will definitely stop a month later…that will be the best time to evacuate and survive…Rhine power armor uses pure Originium as its power source, so at least we don’t have to worry about heating after a mission failure…and with the power armor’s load capacity, as long as we manage the consumption rate of resources, crossing the wilderness to obtain aid shouldn’t be an impossible task…”

Listening to Nana constantly talking about 'mission failure,' Huang, who was standing to the side, said somewhat sullenly:

"So, can't you talk about something successful? It's because you've always been a 'failure'... that everyone looks so apprehensive..."

As Huang said this, he specifically glanced at Jessica, who always seemed on the verge of tears, while Felin, who also had black hair, frantically waved her hands in response:

"No...no...I'm sorry, I didn't..."

Seeing Jessica's stammering, Franka hugged the tearful cat tightly from behind, then looked at Huang with a bright smile:

"Well, what does it matter? After all, if we succeed, we'll send signals one by one and then be picked up by Blacksteel's landship."

Nodding, Nana looked at the data displayed on the vehicle's instruments and, while planning a route for the autonomous driving system, said:

"All the preparations are for the sake of everyone's survival in all circumstances... Of course, it would be great if everything went smoothly..."

At this point, with the warning from the autopilot system, everyone who had been chatting just moments before immediately returned to work mode, especially Razer, who, as the driver, switched back to manual transmission.

"Radar warning... Obstacle avoidance!"

As everyone immediately grabbed the handrails, Razer watched the footage captured by the optical lens and searchlight. The girl driving the vehicle then made the huge exploration vehicle drift wildly, clearing a multicolored obstacle that looked like molten metal and was even larger than the driver's cab.

"Hey! Razer, did you see that... that shape..."

"Ah, it's an infected creature... probably a nest built by a large pincer beast affected by a natural disaster..."

"Huh?! Is that a pincer beast? Where? Where?"

Compared to Vanilla, who was so interested in animals that her attention was immediately drawn away from the operation manual, and Jessica, the old-school operators of Blacksteel all looked quite grim at this moment:

"...The infected creatures in natural disasters are not easy to deal with..."

Seeing that Franka was no longer in the mood to cause trouble, Razer glanced at his captain, Nana, whose dazed look clearly indicated that she was not familiar with the situation of infected creatures.

After all, even among the Cataclysmic Messenger, the subject of infected organisms is quite specialized and niche... Compared to 'academics', it is more familiar to wilderness explorers and PMCs.

Of course, unlike what Razer thought... the main reason why Nana is not familiar with Originium creatures is that she has mainly been active in urban environments in the past... Compared to various 'beasts', Nana's main focus is still on 'humans'.

Back when she lived in the apartment, seeing a human-head-sized Originium Bug in the sewers was already a rare occurrence for Nana, enough to warrant taking out her phone to take a picture. Now, encountering a Pincer Beast in the wilderness is a first for Nana.

"Captain, the pincers in the natural disaster are extremely dangerous. Under the high level of pollution, they are probably in a state of 'false estrus' due to Originium radiation or symbiosis... And the pincers in estrus are very aggressive. Larger species can even pose a threat to the exploration vehicle... mainly to its locomotion mechanism."

"So those surface nests mixed with Originium and soil are a characteristic that only appears during mating season... Can we tell whether they are large or small from the appearance of the nests?"

Shaking its head, Razer once again bypassed a Claw Beast Nest... but as the vehicle veered further and further off course, the nest pillars before it seemed endless:

"The Pincer Beasts reside underground, and these pillars on the surface are actually nest markers used by them to display their courtship... They always build these things as big as they can... Even the smaller species, given enough time, can create these territorial markings in an exaggerated way... Damn it, just how far have their territories spread?!"

Seeing the vehicle's route deviating further and further from its preset path, Nana frowned as she looked at Camp One, which was getting farther and farther away from the sensors.

"parking……"

The Mystery of 2nd Medic: 056 Shall we sing together?

"Huh? Here?"

"Let's not even talk about the accuracy of the offline navigation system... the main problem is that if we go any further, the second group might not be able to see Susuluo and the others' signal flares anymore."

As she spoke, Nana glanced at Camp One, where the signal was intermittent, and estimated the distance. Then she looked at the time, which was already seven in the morning... It should have been daylight by now, but due to the cover of the natural disaster cloud and the shielding of the external armor, the inside of the vehicle was still like night. Only the light from the various equipment screens and radar system screens illuminated the faces behind the armored masks of everyone.

In silence, Nana located a small hill she had just passed on the map projection... Jun

If those massive, molten metal creations were the kind of territorial markers the Claw Beasts would forge using saliva to bind Originium crystals and soil, then this area was probably excluded from their lair by the Claw Beasts because the underground was stone, not soil… a safe zone. (Sheep)

"...To be honest, I don't know if it's safe or not, after all, the map is a military map, but we don't know whether the ground is soil or rock... At least we can confirm that there are no pincer beast 'nests' in this area... The second outpost is set up here, but because of the presence of pincer beasts around, and considering their aggressive nature, we need personnel with combat capabilities here..."

As she spoke, Nana glanced at Razer and Franka… The BPRS members were all too familiar with infected beasts. (Mio)

"The second outpost is now in your hands... The personnel stationed there are Liskarm, Franka... and Blaze... Considering the possibility of a large Pincer Beast, I'm leaving you, the assault team member, at node two." (Yo!)

"...Yilin Yiqi Siwu jiu Sijiu ba wait a minute, in that case..."

"In that case, the only person who can act as commander for the potentially most dangerous node three is Jessica... Yes, I know... but the reality is that node two is the most dangerous right now..."

"The danger at Node Three might be the Cataclysm, not the infected creatures... After all, Node Three is close to Tikkarundo, so there shouldn't be any large infected creatures there... And both Jessica and Vanilla... even Katie, have Cataclysm response training... They can't help in the fight against the infected creatures, but they won't be a hindrance in the subsequent operations... That's my assessment."

Seeing Nana set the tone for the operation, Huang opened her mouth as if to say something, but looking at Liskarm and Franka observing her, Huang knew that they were indeed convinced...

Nana had one more reason she didn't mention:

"Also... we need to put down the carriages at node two... which means most of the supplies will be stored here... the carriages simply can't hold enough supplies for six people. Huang, you're a tall, strong cat who eats a ton, so go and fight alongside Kurogane... I'll bring you some local specialties from Tikkarendo when we get back." (Toga)

"...Since you've put it that way, what am I supposed to do... But it's a deal, if we don't have any local specialties next time we meet, I'll... I'll force-feed you a super awful cocktail! Trust me, you definitely won't want to drink that stuff." Dad

Nana smiled at Huang and sent them a picture of the supplies transport list... While Razer, Franka, and Huang were moving things toward the cockpit, Jessica, Vanilla, and Katie also gathered and retrieved their personal belongings from the lounge at Nana's signal.

Although the driver's cab is much smaller than the living quarters at the rear, it still has a toilet, a sleeping bed, and independent communication and navigation equipment. It's just that the living quarters at the rear also have these features, and they are of a higher and larger standard.

Turning her head to look at Jessica's expression, which seemed like she was about to cry at any moment, Nana couldn't help but offer an explanation:

"The lowered carriages have a better communication range than ordinary beacons...and their defense and support capabilities are also better than Camp One. However, considering that this is already the core area of ​​the Scourge...and the threat of infected creatures, it is unavoidable to deploy the team towards combat personnel...moreover, you are the heavy machinery operator besides me, so it will be time for you to get off the vehicle at the third node."