Léon: The Cat Killer

At this point, Nana noticed Jessica was trembling even more, and tilted her head to add:

"Of course, the car will be reserved for you and your partner then..."

"...that is, the final distance..."

"Run over there."

At this point, Nana looked at Katie, who had become quiet and even seemed to have become more refined after the boys got off the bus:

“We’ll run the last stretch… Vanilla will protect you… And Katie, I remember you’re very good at and love running… You’ve been recovering from your injury for half a year, so could you go on a forced march with me then?”

"Of course!"

Once she opened her mouth, Katie seemed to revert to her usual cheerful and enthusiastic self... but judging from her clenched fists and slightly trembling legs, she might not be as resolute as she appeared.

Seeing this, Nana added a sentence:

"Don't push yourself, and this isn't even certain yet... Who knows, the final plot might connect directly to Tikkarendo's intercity network via vehicle communication equipment..."

The suggestion from Huang earlier, "Don't always talk about failure," echoed in her mind. Nana tapped her transparent mask with her fingers. With the three people who were probably going to be unlucky looking at her, Nana gave a professional smile:

So let's hope everything goes well.

"Nana, as you requested, the transport of supplies is almost complete... Just like you said, even if the bunk beds in the rest area are piled high with stuff, the supplies that can fit will probably still not last a month..."

"But the vehicle crew doesn't actually need to support everyone for a whole month, right...? If the confirmation fails, the car has air conditioning and filters... The only problem is finding water, but we can still drive away..."

Seeing Nana's explanation, Huang, who had assembled the chainsaw and hung it on the back of his power armor, shook his head:

“You know that’s not what I wanted to say… The vehicle crew is Jessica and Vanilla, right… and maybe Katie too. I have no problem with you leaving the vehicle to them… but do you really have to put yourself in such a dangerous position? Your eyes haven’t even started treatment yet, and even if we’re talking about breakthrough ability… I don’t think I’m that much worse than you…”

"You mean I'll stay at node two and you'll go to node four yourself?"

With that same business-like smile, Nana tilted her head and then showed Huang a map of the Columbia Wilderness, marked with weather information such as wind speed and direction...

"Come on, tell me, this is node number two, where is Tikkarendo's address... where should node number three be placed?"

"This...this is probably...this place?"

Watching Huang gesture the distance between number one and number two, roughly tracing a third area towards Tikarendo along a straight line... Nana shook her head:

“No, that area is the main battleground where cold and warm air masses clash. Even excluding the interference of Originium, it is undoubtedly experiencing a severe rainstorm... Considering the Originium dust, there may be a rapid growth of Originium clusters there... If you park the vehicle there, everyone will die as the running gear and axles are damaged by Originium penetration…”

Nana waved her hand, not wanting to look at Huang's expression any further.

“Huang, I appreciate your consideration, but my arrangement is based on my abilities and everyone’s survival rate… The main reason I placed myself in that position is… I am the most suitable person in the team for that mission.”

After saying that, Nana left to check on Razer and the others' preparations.

After Huang silently turned away, Jessica hurriedly called to Vanilla to start operating the terminal at the front of the vehicle to prepare for removing the cargo box... Only Katie remained silent, clenching her fists.

"...Is it...most...suitable...?"

………………

As Nana stepped out of the train car, her first impression was that her movements seemed more restricted...

The fierce wind made it difficult to even open the car door. If she hadn't been wearing heavy power armor, Nana felt she would have been blown into the sky the moment she got out of the car.

Fortunately, the power armor sent by Rheinland seemed to have resistance to it. As the 'adaptive' mode of the Havoc system was automatically activated, the wind pressure that could previously press people to the ground suddenly disappeared.

Looking at the 'System Cooling' percentage that suddenly popped up on the projection interface and barely increased... the only thing Nana understood in such a short time was that, with the help of natural air cooling, the Havoc system could eliminate the interference of strong winds on users while consuming very little energy and having minimal impact... This activation didn't even reduce the number of times the Havoc system's active mode was used, which puzzled Nana.

"...So, what exactly does this thing consume to start up...a ​​battery? Or some kind of special medium?"

Remembering the instruction manual's warning "Do not let the shockwave devices interfere with each other," Nana did not recklessly try to touch her chest with her arm to see if she could pass through herself... Through the friendly signal from the vehicle intermediary, the assassin saw Razer and Franka on the edge of the highlands, whose armored grilles had also activated their shockwave devices and turned red as a warning.

Like Huang, they also took their own equipment, and with the difference in height, Nana easily distinguished the two of them.

"How's the situation? Have any pincers been spotted showing interest in this place?"

"...Yes, after we got off the vehicle, at least four large pincers noticed us from the direction of the lair...If you were the captain, how would you handle this situation?"

Seeing that Razer seemed very serious, Nana blinked and thought for a moment:

"They're neither civilians nor government assets. Leaving them alone now could affect our mission later... If it were me, I'd blow them all up..."

As she said this, Nana's mind was filled with images of the heavy drones and even manned combat aircraft that the Colombian Ministry of Defense frequently featured on television in the Battle of Glassval.

Because it couldn't keep up with old-school empires like Victoria in building land-based warships, the Colombian government invested heavily in the use and upgrading of various aircraft...

Although you can see the territory markers built by the Pincer Beasts due to their false estrus after driving for several kilometers, if it were Columbia's Thunder Strike aircraft, just two of them, carrying Originium bombs and replica guns, could blow up the entire habitat of these dangerous creatures.

Lost in thought, Nana glanced back at the exploration vehicle... and just then, Huang got out of the vehicle:

"It's a pity... This vehicle is clearly a mechanical hunter transport vehicle... If the mechanical hunter on it were still there... With it, eliminating these Originium creatures would be very simple..."

"Um... well, my dear squad leader~ neither I nor Razer have any experience or training in using those steam-powered armor-like things..."

"It's okay, I'll... joke around."

Franka, who was pretty much used to Nana's dry, hard jokes, shrugged and didn't continue the topic. Just as the black-haired cat and Razer started whispering to each other, Franka saw Blaze, who was silent.

"Oh dear, although this is our first time working together, your serious demeanor makes it seem like you don't trust us at all... It's really disheartening."

"...I'm sorry, that's not what I meant..."

Seeing the usually carefree cat suddenly start apologizing earnestly, Franka quickly waved her hand:

"I understand, I understand... You want to help our squad leader, you think she's just putting on a brave face... right? Don't make that face, you haven't hidden your true intentions at all~"

Franka nudged Blaze slightly, as was her habit, and only after hearing the scraping sound of armor did she realize that she was still wearing power armor... Having worn it for almost a whole day and a whole night, the big fox, who was used to that kind of tanky armor, had almost forgotten that she was wearing Columbia's most advanced technology collection.

Franka coughed twice, looking embarrassed, and continued:

"In short, based on my current observations, it's impossible for us to stop her with our current capabilities... Don't glare at me... Glaring at me won't do any good~ I can tell at a glance that our captain is the same kind of person as that defense chief at Rhine Labs..."

"Ah, according to the evaluation in our line of work... we should call her 'a person as hard as a rock'? Razer is like that... so when she usually tries to do something like this, I just step in and stop her... but the situation now is, are you confident that you can overpower her with force? Of course, it's okay if you can't beat her, after all, it's just a hypothetical situation. If all else fails... harassing her too intimately is also a method. I used this method when I wanted to stop Razer... Um, Captain, don't look at me, we're just chatting casually."

Hearing Franka's unrepentant expression, Nana simply called over the still somewhat sullen Huang and Franka to come to the edge of the platform.

Following this gentle slope filled with Originium crystals, faintly visible markers of infected creature territories, ranging in height from two to four stories, spread forward below.

Nana first tapped Franka's helmet, then sent a text message to Huang saying "Don't overthink it," before gesturing below:

"Let's get down to something constructive. To ensure your safety here, I can't just send you into an endless battle against these countless pincers... After all, you also need to keep an eye on whether the landships are arriving in the vicinity..."

"Captain, what do you want to do with them...? Are you really going to blow them all up?"

"...is that okay?"

Seeing Nana start to think, the other three exchanged glances, then hesitantly nodded.

"...It seems like it really is possible...but the question is, can we actually do it?"

"...Yes, but..."

Seeing Nana take out a signal flare from her waistband, everyone understood what Nana wanted to do.

Of course, Razer, a 'top student' that always prioritizes task completion rates, was the first to raise objections:

"...I remember you said that this signal flare has an extremely high heat level and can even cook the user...but my question is...what if we use valuable mission items here and then can't guide the land-based ships to their course?"

"If it's just one, it shouldn't be a problem. Puff actually gave us a few extra when she prepared our ammunition..."

"Then the question is, how many infected organisms can one signal flare deal with?"

Listening to Franka's incisive analysis, Huang stopped trying to stop Nana's idea. After all, firstly, she felt she couldn't defeat this agent specially recruited by Kal'tsit, and secondly, she felt that she and Nana weren't close enough to have the kind of intimate interactions that Franka and Liskarm had...

"If it's a small one, that's fine, but if it's a large one..."

Before Huang could finish speaking, Nana, who was standing at the front, suddenly knelt down... The black-haired kitten scratched the ground a few times, and then grabbed a claw beast the size of a palm from the ground, waving a large pair of pincers.

The poor little thing's carapace was covered in Originium crystals, and its pincers, which had been corroded by Originium due to excessive nesting, were like saw marks.

In Nana's hands, the palm-sized pincer beast bared its fangs and claws, displaying its aggression... but upon seeing this little creature, the others breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems to be a small species...that's great."

"That way, just kick down a few nest markers to make them form a formation to fight off the enemy, and then focus fire and burn them down. Simple!"

"...Is it really that simple?"

As Huang hesitated, Jessica in the car and Vanilla behind her started a video call:

"Um... Captain, and all of you seniors, I'm ready to unload the carriages..."

After Jessica finished speaking, Vanilla, who had been behind the crying cat, quickly moved in front of the camera and frowned:

"Oh dear...poor little thing...turned into an Originium creature at such a young age, so pitiful..."

"Small?"

"...Hmm, judging from the texture of its shell, it's probably only recently hatched. But the pitted and uneven surface from the Originium corrosion makes it unlikely to grow much bigger... However, is it the breeding season for Claw Beasts now?"

Just as Vanilla was asking a question in confusion, the four people outside the car saw the 'abnormal vibration' warning light suddenly light up and moved away from the gentle slope. Then, a huge object swung its several-meter-long pincers, which seemed to be inlaid with Originium crystals, out of the ground and then slammed down on the spot where they had just been standing.

The loud noise caused the newcomers on the other end of the communication line to scream, while the combat team members outside the vehicle simultaneously drew their prepared weapons.

"Ugh...this thing...is it committing suicide?"

Watching the massive pincers, weakened by insufficient Originium erosion, break off on their own, and then, under the vehicle's spotlights, a gigantic, bright red beast crawled out of the ground...

The Originium creatures, their bodies riddled with craters and their backs covered in crystal clusters, emerged from the craters amidst the storm of wind and Originium dust. One after another, numerous Pincer Beasts, none of them in much better condition, crawled out of the ground... as if determined to fight the intruders, the 'Hunting Cubs,' to the death, even against the storm.

Unfortunately, the natural storm was indiscriminate. Compared to the group who stood firm like rocks in the storm thanks to the activation of the Havoc System, the large Clawed Beasts, who rushed to the scene because of the pitiful cries of the small Clawed Beasts, seemed to be facing a wall of despair when confronted with the gentle slope chosen by Nana. (Seven)

The wind carried the recklessness and howls of the Crystal Claw Beast… Watching the sickly beast, its leg broken yet still crawling towards her, Nana, for some reason, felt an unexpected sense of self-reflection.

However… she wasn't so fragile that these pincer beasts would break at the slightest touch, and her kitten… wasn't one to be crushed with a pinch either, and it seemed unlikely to live past next year—a short-lived Mio…

Seeing the dense swarms of Pincer Beasts already climbing towards them against the storm, Nana casually tossed the screaming Pincer Beast cub down the slope and pulled a signal flare from behind her. Guilt

The massive carriage, slowly and steadily placed on the ground by the robotic arm… accompanied by the resounding crash of explosive stakes piercing the surface Originium crystals and eight long rods driving into the rock strata.

The girl pulled the trigger, the blinding light stretching the vehicle's shadow and extending its connection to the ground... Flames and storms raged together, the Originium explosion triggered by the high temperature posing a greater danger to these severely corroded Claw Beasts than to the onlookers watching coldly from above. Nine

As the sphere of light, as bright as the blazing sun, struck the horde of Pincer Beasts, a third of them instantly perished under the intense heat. Their carcasses, still burning, began to decompose and explode like bombs, splintering off fragments of their chitinous carapaces. Dad

The remaining third of the Claw Beasts on the outer edge were caught in the chain of explosions, and Nana watched as the remaining third of the Claw Beasts fled in panic...

These pincers seemed to be somewhat different in combat strength from the 'infected creatures' she knew.

After consulting the relatively knowledgeable Franca, Miss Fox gave this answer with a strange expression:

"...Generally speaking, wild animals infected with Originium do experience a berserk increase in combat power due to the erosion and pain... But just like Oripathy's boost to Originium Arts in humans, this kind of enhancement is essentially the Originium's exploitation of life..."

"It seems that those pincer beasts don't only come into contact with Originium during natural disasters... Their nests are probably built on underground Originium veins... With their carapaces weakened by long-term Originium radiation to the point where they can break with force... It's quite normal that their combat power doesn't match their size, isn't it?"

Seeing that his partner hadn't gotten to the point, Razer, already prepared for a tough battle, lowered the shield and carried it back on his back.

"...The main thing is, who would have thought they would explode when exposed to high temperatures... It's just fortunate that these are pincer beasts, not some high-energy stone worms... Not only do those things explode when stimulated, but they also pounce on your face before exploding..."

"...That scary?"

Seeing Nana, who seemed to be all-powerful, show such a surprised expression, the three, including Huang, who often fought against infected creatures in the wild, nodded frantically in unison.

Nana, gripped by fear of insects, mentally amplified the threat level of the high-energy stone beetle to its maximum. She glanced at Jessica, Vanilla, and Katie waving to her group… After checking the still-dark sky, realizing she couldn't tell time from it, she activated the internal projection of her power armor to check the time:

"...It's the second day since the natural disaster began, with fifty-seven hours left in the countdown. The second node has been confirmed and set up... It seems the efficiency is acceptable... Razer, I'll leave this to you. Aside from the combat aspect, the second node is also an important figure who will cover for Camp One."

"When the large equipment in the carriages lost contact at the first station, as long as the land-based ships continued to advance, the transponders at the exploration vehicle level could guide the warships behind them onto the correct track. And even if something happened to Captain Blacksteel, TDD should come back and search for him..."

“Your equipment is better and your experience is more extensive, so your mission may be more demanding… I require you to remain stationed here for more than a month and a half… Can you do that?”

Seeing everyone exchange glances to confirm the situation, and finally nod in unison, Nana breathed a sigh of relief. Then she and Jessica and the others boarded the huge exploration vehicle with only a driver's seat.

"Since the communication equipment is all located on this side of the train, our communication will probably be cut off very soon... So if you have anything to say, it's best to say it within the next few hours..."

This kind of channel hogging is a violation of communication regulations. I think that playing music like that in TDD is already the limit...

Hearing Razer say that, Nana, who had replaced her as the main pilot, blinked:

"That's easy to say... Razer, why don't you sing a song?"

Nana wasn't surprised that Razer and Franka were making a ruckus on the other side, and that Huangmao was sighing... but the atmosphere in the cockpit was just too stiff... Without Franka's banter, Nana felt that Katie and Jessica could be scared half to death by a gust of wind.

"Never mind, how about... I sing..."

【…Eh? Nana, you can sing?】

In response to Huang's questioning, Nana subconsciously winked at Wu Yiqi Ba Ling Qi Liu Yi Ke Er, who was cheering beside her... Following Kate's prompt, Nana found a guitar in the cabinet in the driver's seat and began to strum the strings.

As for songs, not to mention those from ICA training... just judging by her own taste, she knows at least one song.

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair..."

Facing the storm, the girl sang a song that gave her strength and continued forward.