Léon: The Cat Killer

After all, Nana felt there was a high chance she could drive this car back to Rhodes Island.

You guys are scratching the anti-rust paint on the chassis like this... Considering that Rhodes Island's shipping department only has Kal'tsit, they'll definitely have to find someone to do the paint repair themselves.

So, in a deep breath as her heart and lungs stopped, Nana stepped out from behind the Ursus ancestors who were blocking her way... She quickly walked up to the troublemaker and slapped him across the face.

What does a slap from a Rheinmetall armorer mean?

Although she didn't know how the person felt, seeing the other person do a backflip and knock down one of the jeering people, Nana took another deep breath... and quickly went over to take a look.

It's alright, it hasn't come to the point where I need to kneel down and beg him not to die.

Looking back at the now quiet crowd, the cat, who wasn't particularly tall, thought for a moment and, amidst the varied gazes of those around her, took off her helmet.

Without the obstruction of that transparent material, people could now see the girl in front of them, and Nana had, in her shallow memory, retained the concept of what a 'natural disaster' was.

"...The Oripathy inhibitor has been completely used up. The remaining drugs are emergency medications such as cardiac stimulants and morphine... They might be useful to you, but you definitely can't use them right now... This is a good thing, it means that you won't die for the time being."

Under the pitch-black sky, the cat assassin remained unwavering in the face of the suspicious gazes cast upon her by the ragged people. She hadn't forgotten what she was supposed to do... As an assassin practicing her 'disguise,' Nana believed she had fulfilled everything a paramedic should do when encountering refugees.

Using up his Oripathy potion was less about the strange sense of satisfaction and more about giving himself a reason to leave.

"Because of the communication disruption, you may not know that Rhodes Island, together with the Columbia government, Crisis Contracts, and Blacksteel International, jointly launched this rescue operation... Don't say that doing this is impractical, after all, we are here now."

"Next, we must continue forward. The relief from the natural disaster is only temporary. The sharp drop in temperature after the storm will be the ultimate challenge for survival... If you want to use this vehicle to get away from the natural disaster, I can only say that we are not on the same path... If you are willing to trust me, then follow me. My team will set up camp in this vehicle at a high point about several tens of kilometers ahead to guide the subsequent land-based ships... If all goes well, then there is still a high chance that you will be rescued by the land-based ships."

"But I must warn you beforehand that my vehicle only contains supplies for my team members. If you wish to enter our camp, you must abide by our rules... First, you are not allowed to carry weapons. In addition, all food and water must be handed over and distributed daily..."

Seeing the group whispering amongst themselves, seemingly unwilling to give up, Nana raised her right hand... Perhaps still vivid in her mind was the guy who had just been slapped away, Nana's single gesture silenced the hundred or so people.

"This isn't coercion. If you don't want to accept it, just continue on your original route... After all, our route is to return to the depths of the disaster zone, so it's perfectly normal for you all to be unwilling... But let me make this clear beforehand: there are so many people here, and I've looked around and I know how much food each of you can carry. Essentially, having you come along means that my team members are going hungry and have shared their supplies with you..."

"The food for two people is not enough to share with a hundred people. Even if the landships advance smoothly, everyone will have to wait hungry for the next few days... Let me make this clear from the outset: under these circumstances, I will not give anyone a chance to repent if they challenge the fundamental principle of 'keeping everyone alive'!"

"Those who are unwilling to accept this can get off the bus and head towards the hill in the northwest, where there will be far less Originium crystal deposits due to the wind direction... But those who remain here from the start of the next departure will be considered to have accepted all the above conditions... If anyone causes trouble, incites public sentiment, possesses weapons without authorization, injures people with weapons, or steals food... I will treat them all the same."

Having said that, listening to the guy who had just been knocked away and seemed to have regained consciousness at some point uttering slurred accusations that sounded like "you've broken the law," Nana twirled the pistol in her hand, twirled it, and then tucked it back into her belt.

"Perhaps... But whether I am guilty or not, the judge will decide according to the law... And I obviously will not abandon a rescue team of tens of thousands and a city of millions just because of a few hundred of you... Alright, enough time has been wasted, make a decision!"

………………

Telling Jessica to slow down, Nana sat on the roof of the vehicle, looking at the railings made of iron bars, ropes, and even iron sheets twisted together, and the 'cart bed' made of cloth strips tied together on the frame, and sighed.

The refugees, some sitting and some standing, tried their best to secure themselves to the huge, hollowed-out frame of the exploration vehicle. The 'social group' that had previously been intentionally or unintentionally surrounding the barrel-helmeted monster was now as obedient as chicks.

"In the end, you and your underlings surrendered first... I was originally thinking of splitting the group apart, with some going to the barren mountains and the rest staying with my team... That way, the pressure on supplies would be much less..."

"Ha, I don't think this is something that can be achieved simply by my guards laying down their weapons... The reason everyone is willing to follow you is ultimately because they trust you..."

"Even if you have the confidence, a hundred people would have enough food to eat in three days even with a ration system... And if the landship doesn't arrive by then, let alone break out after the natural disaster is completely over... the ownership of the vehicles alone would probably be enough to cause a fight among the people present."

Seeing Nana's very realistic analysis, Mr. Kannot, wearing a barrel helmet and calling himself a wandering merchant, dusted off the Originium dust that had once again accumulated on his clothes. Looking at the billowing crystalline smoke beside the vehicle, he seemed to say with a smile:

Would you let things get to that point?

"...If it were me, I definitely wouldn't... But I still have to keep going, but the remaining team members... I think they are still just kids... The military-style rationing system not only requires the strength of the first, second, third, and second divisions, but also the same adherence to the rules... And once this fragile order collapses, it will eventually become a battle royale where whoever gets the supplies survives."

"...Is it possible that in the natural disasters of recent years...this kind of 'battle royale' is the normal situation? It is very difficult in itself for one person to be willing to stand up and restore order and gain the trust of the masses."

Nana, not bothering with further pleasantries with Kannot, pouted:

"Although I am a company employee, I also have civil servant status... You can take it as a reflection of the country's credibility..."

"Ha...you're joking. Colombia's credibility...was probably completely destroyed during the Bologna War...now the country is entirely reliant on the president's personal abilities...this has also instilled in the people a strong admiration for power..."

"If you don't want people to bother you, maybe you should just ignore the acute Oripathy patient's life or death, and don't use the medicine so carelessly... and finally, ignore that person's provocations... that way you'll just be an ordinary passerby, and only in this way will you not attract attention."

Hearing the other person's very reasonable explanation, Nana sighed:

“I was indeed that kind of person in the past… but, with a different identity, the things I need to do are also different… do you understand what I mean?”

Seeing the strange man who stubbornly refused to take off his helmet nod as if they were telepathically connected, Nana scratched at the helmet that she had once again pulled onto her head... This guy, who claimed to be a merchant and whose behavior was indeed as smooth as a merchant's... is troublesome.

"Boss, we're getting closer to the inner edge of the storm again..."

That's right, this Ursus ancestor who looks almost two meters tall and more than a meter wide might be the most troublesome guy... Nana is very worried about whether Jessica and Vanilla, the two people who are planning to set up camp, will be able to maintain that fragile order in the face of such a person after she leaves.

If they can't hold on, even the completion of the mission will have to be postponed... After all, given how things have developed, it's uncertain whether these two children will even survive the refugees.

But that's not even something Nana should care about... After all, she still has to move on.

After bumping along the way for several hours, the car finally stopped at its destination... an unnamed hill. This time, it wasn't so unlucky... or rather, lucky, that its wheels got stuck in some refugee vehicles parked in the fog. And seeing that Nana seemed to be really preparing to get out and leave... the refugees, who had been somewhat skeptical before, now just watched the girls make their preparations silently.

Just as Nana and Jessica met and Nana told Vanilla to protect Jessica well... then as Nana and Katie set off, Kannot once again appeared in front of Nana with his Ursus native bodyguards.

Nana had also told Erlingba Wu (9) Sanliu Jiu Xiangcao about the concerns of these two people.

Just as Vanilla frowned slightly, assessing whether she could withstand a direct confrontation with the First Man using her Vayvan physique, Kannot, still wearing his barrel helmet, lifted his cloak and pulled a gift-like box from one of the hard pockets.

"It's been a long time since I've met someone as...pure as you. I'll kindly give you some news...While most of Ticalendo's cities ignored the unfamiliar disaster warning, thanks to the good condition of their equipment, all areas have successfully activated...If your mission is really just to determine the flight path and then lead the rescue team to Ticalendo...I suggest you immediately use your vehicle's communication system to drive back, and then notify the subsequent reinforcements to detour to intercept them along Ticalendo's evacuation route...Maybe that will make the government's aid seem more...timely."

“I know that news, but my goal is to aid Tikkarendo’s fourth district… It was left in the Disaster Center because it’s an old district, didn’t you know that?” Mio

“Oh, of course, I know… but generally speaking, the city of Ticalendo considers those infected as non-citizens… so, are you really a government employee?”

Seeing that Nana's eyes had turned cold again, Kannot quickly changed his tune: Chess

"Alright...alright, Rhodes Island, is it...though this is the first time I've heard of you, I am indeed interested in you...generally, I would be promoting my products now, but since this is our first meeting, and you've even prepared a backup plan for us, please allow me to give you a gift." —

As he spoke, he presented Nana with a white gift box wrapped in silk. Kannot then opened it, revealing a short sword inside, its white and azure colors blending harmoniously… Nana knew at a glance that it was definitely not made of metal. *Sigh*

Judging from the pearly white and enamel blue chitinous material, this was probably made from the shell of some creature... Wait, was this thing actually polished? (Nine)

Seeing the girl's seemingly delighted expression, Kannot placed the box in Nana's hands with a melodious, rhythmic tone. The cat-killer's eyes seemed drawn to the serene blue, the same color as her own. This coincidence made the usually wary girl feel an unusual closeness to the artifact.

But as the girl picked up the butterfly knife and swung it in a fancy arc in her hand, Cannot was startled and took a step back: I

“Oops… Be careful, friend. This thing is sharp and extremely threatening… If I were you, I wouldn’t so casually unfold and wield it… It’s rare to see someone as pure as you; it would be such a pity if you died admiring the gift I gave you…” X

The merchant's advice prompted the assassin cat to quickly sheathe its blade, and then it asked:

"what is this?"

"An ancient Iberian kingdom... a toy? Obviously, while its palm-sized length isn't quite up to par as a weapon, its sharpness is enough to satisfy even the most discerning customer... Most importantly, it possesses the special ability for its nicks to heal automatically... It's perfect as both a weapon and a tool..."

"So why did you give me something so... expensive?"

Watching Nana put the pretty blue and white butterfly knife back in the box and then try to hand it to him, Kannot smiled and shrugged.

"Of course, it's a thank you... You can also consider it a small investment... Just as I remember Rhodes Island, I hope this little gift will also make the name of the Wilderness Merchant Kannot in your heart."

"Those people looked at me like I was about to die on the street... and you said you'd invest in me?"

Glancing at the pretty box in her hand, Nana initially wanted to refuse, but as an assassin, she was naturally curious about the extremely sharp knife... In addition, the pearl white and azure blue color scheme was indeed something Nana really liked.

This easily reminded her of her own girl, Film, who was like a cloud, while the blue spreading across the blade reminded her of herself... the color of her own eyes, which was this azure blue.

"How much……"

"...No need, it's just a gift...I hope you won't ever need to use it."

As he spoke, the merchant, wearing a barrel helmet, breastplate, and cloak, and dressed entirely in grey, bowed slightly to Nana.

"I hope you can continue to maintain your purity..."

Watching Nana leave with another girl from Pero, Kannot turned around and prepared to join the camp... or more accurately, the camping and modification work of the vehicle body.

"Don't let yourself be so easily stained with the colors of this land..."

P.S.: Finally got it... but the price was missing my injection tonight. Time to squeeze in for morning rounds...

PSS: Now we can reveal the information—the butterfly knife that Kannot gave to Nana is actually Hai Si's chitin-shelled dagger... It just looks more like a folding knife, but a butterfly knife is definitely more visually appealing for fancy tricks.

PS2: Waaah, today's illustration looks a bit painful... but in order to let everyone have a clearer understanding of the scene Nana saw among the refugees, I'm still posting this painful-looking picture.

Students who are considered to have strong empathy can skip this...

The Mystery of Medic 2: 059 The Hollow Killer, What Is It That You Crave?

Gifts are affirmation, gifts are praise, gifts are encouragement... However, including the potted plant that her manager gave her, Nana's feelings about 'gifts' may still be in a very confused stage.

She didn't know what kind of feelings she should put into the gift.

Just as a book's explanation of the word "gift" extends to the ICA course, it becomes a tutorial on various metaphors and implicit expressions.

Even with the same actions, the same items, the same people, and the same environment... what they express can be completely opposite.

Understanding the world is obviously too difficult for someone who doesn't know where they came from.

So far in her studies, the only thing Nana has learned is that "if you don't do it, you won't make a mistake"...

But... how should we respond to other people's emotional expressions in this way?

Without needing an agent's guidance, the assassin instinctively learned a versatile approach: she would simply do exactly what her opponent did.

A well-intentioned person will naturally know that the same behavior is a response to goodwill, while a malicious person... it doesn't matter what they think.

Nana, who has successfully completed the ICA's so-called "Difficulty 77" training, may be eccentric in various ways in life, but when it comes to open and covert attacks... she can call herself an expert.

However... the so-called universal coping method is ultimately a means of responding by borrowing the actions of others.

Rather than saying she has a pure heart, it would be more accurate to say that Nana's heart is completely empty... She doesn't yet know how to properly express herself.

Just like her rush to go back to find the little white cat, perhaps the essence of this desperate symptom... is that she still sees her as a gift left to her by Cole.

How Cole treated her that night was how Nana would treat her.

With Cole gone, Nana could only channel her pent-up emotions into the 'gift' itself.

And what do the dead souls, who have been silent since time immemorial, think?

The woman who was always by Nana's side only saw one pitiful person, bound to her daughter by her own polite gentleness.

"...The shattering of the crystal clusters seems to have reached its limit, while those that remain intact in the storm are more stable crystal structures... Although this is essentially a symbol of the expansion of active source dust into distant pollution, the increased visibility within the disaster area is a good thing for us."

The light between the clouds and the earth on the horizon became dazzling. Nana looked at the countdown... Previously, considering the difficulty of the refugees setting up camp, and ensuring the range of the signal flares while also taking into account the dangers of natural disasters... this process took a lot of time.

Nana had originally planned that she would be almost at Tikarendo by dusk the next day, but now, the two of them had only just set off.

Just as Katie said in the file, this girl is very good at running... Even wearing heavy equipment like an exoskeleton and a considerable amount of supplies, she can still keep up with Nana who is leading the way and maintain her speed, which speaks volumes.

Because Felin's group excels more in explosive physical combat than endurance fighting, there is no significant difference between Pero and Felin in this respect. By keeping up with Nana, Katie already possesses the foundation to become a combat team member.

Watching Nana, who was also carrying a large backpack, follow in her footsteps as if probing a crevice above the snow line in a mountain range... Katie finally understood what the two of them were doing—it was a silent forced march.

For Katie, who has always loved lively and bustling places, Nana's silence was almost a form of passive-aggressive behavior... And in the silence, the distracted girl, Pero, inevitably turned her attention elsewhere as time passed.

As the last rays of light faded from the sky, it was as if the stars had been poured down upon the earth, their shimmering light reflecting off the power armor helmet's HUD...

The shimmering light blurred the distance, and finally... Katie kicked a sharp crystal and tripped and fell.

Fortunately, the metal shell of the power armor was sturdy enough, and the activity of the Originium crystals had already been reduced; otherwise, the explosion alone would have been enough to make the girl say goodbye to her legs forever.

"I'm...I'm sorry! I'll get up right away..."

"Don't move... Don't rush to move after being injured, otherwise it will cause further injury and be difficult to handle..."

As she spoke, Nana examined Katie's legs and the exoskeleton, which was covered in Originium crystals all over its chest... Rhine Lab used a multi-layered patented material with excellent sealing, but the fabric, which was supposed to be for defense, was severely scratched by sharp Originium crystals, but there was no fatal damage.

The sheer amount of active Originium crystals covering her body was frightening enough... and quite a few of them even ended up in her storage bag, but Nana couldn't worry about that for the time being.

Upon inspection, thanks to the internal master-slave buffer structure, Katie did not suffer a head injury from falling inside the armor and hitting her head on the mask.

After confirming that the girl was indeed alright, Nana reached out and pulled Katie up.

“In this environment, I can’t have you take off your protective suit for the examination… Although you don’t feel any obvious pain, considering your history of fractures… I will walk slower from now on.”

Seeing Nana make this judgment, Katie became a little anxious:

"It's okay, I can keep running..."

“There’s a problem. I’m not capable of continuing the mission with a sick person… Also, it’s getting dark, and your night vision doesn’t seem to be very good, otherwise you wouldn’t have fallen… This is my problem.”

As they spoke, they looked around at the Originium crystals that had become reflective of light due to the storm's impact. As the two continued their journey, the changing viewpoints and light sources created a dazzling display of refracted flames.

Like the magnificent crystals of nature, Originium crystals, after completing their solidification process, are undoubtedly a beautiful sight, like paradise... the kind that can truly transport you to heaven if you're not careful.

And seeing that Katie sometimes gives him a curious look, Nana has no choice but to continue in her role as captain... teaching the team members is also part of her job.

"...Besides the reflection, you must pay attention to the self-illuminating Originium crystals...that's proof that they still retain considerable activity. It might not be easy to notice during the day, but it's much easier to distinguish at night..."

"Really? But...they all look the same to me?"

Hearing Katina's tone, which seemed to have perked up a bit, Nana gestured to the lights on their chests and helmets... As the artificial light source briefly disappeared and the sun completely set, the active Originium, which had been flashing in the dark environment, became clearly visible.

However… Katie’s sudden inability to move her leg behind her was one of the possibilities Nana was considering…