Léon: The Cat Killer

"Um...you really do look young..."

And so they stared at each other awkwardly, I don’t know who started it… probably Cole and Kate. Anyway, this house, which used to be filled with yelling and crying, was now unexpectedly filled with laughter.

Rubbing her eyes, which were almost watering from laughing, Mrs. Cole clutched her stomach and said:

"Alright... It was wrong of me to treat you like a child... How about this, please allow me to give you a song passed down in my family?"

The lady's words excited the children even more. The boys nodded with their mouths agape and immediately said they would go get the instruments, while Kate and Matilda asked in unison in surprise:

"Mom, would you like to sing?!"

"Which song is it?"

"Hmm... Mom doesn't know any other songs... But... I really miss it. Ever since Andy got sick, I've been storing this violin away... Oh, to reduce wear and tear, so I can sell it for a good price later..."

Reaching out to take the guitar from the children, the wife glanced at her sleeping husband, seemingly reminiscing about the past, and with a wry smile, gently plucked the guitar strings.

……

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair~"

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

"Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..."

Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme...

"Remember me to one who lives there~"

Please give my regards to someone who lives there.

"He once was a true love of mine."

He... was once my beloved.

……

As the song ended... Nana's eyes gradually distorted with the lyrics, and now they basically showed an expression of great shock.

The black-haired kitten listened to a married woman singing this kind of thing to her... and couldn't help but check several times to see if Mr. Andy was awake, afraid that the big cat, who was still sick and had a bad temper, might misunderstand something:

"Um...aren't these lyrics a bit ominous...?"

"Yes, after all, it was a farewell song given by my mother when my father was buried back in Victoria... It is said that this is a composition that has been passed down in the family. My father also said that my grandfather instructed that this is something that the Bruce family must pass down... Of course, I think it is just an ordinary piece of music... From the perspective of the performer, it is probably not about parting, but a piece of 'love'."

Playing with the strings to produce a gentle sound, Mrs. Cole squinted slightly, pulled the sleeping Matilda against her and covered her with her coat to keep her warm, before continuing:

"Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme... these are all names of plants from ancient myths, plants with magical uses... sweetness, strength, loyalty, courage... they can embody such concepts."

"Oh. (Without emotion)"

Seeing Nana's reaction, Mrs. Cole looked a little sad, then hugged Matilda and, together with Kate who had puffed out her cheeks, moved closer to Nana:

"Although I don't know what it feels like to have amnesia... all I can do is place my hopes on you... rosemary... legend has it that it can make those who can't face their memories brave..."

Looking at the bewildered black kitten, Mrs. Cole smiled slightly:

"If you're in pain, sing this song... I don't know whether the future or an accident will come first... but at least allow me to give you some tender memories."

in this way……

silence……

Ultimately, Nana IIlingba Wu Ling IX 彡 Liu (nine) did not refuse.

She genuinely wanted to learn this song.

"...What's the name of this song?"

1st Rosemary Embrace: 006 Operation Preparation

Nana learned a new song, and afterwards, she spent the whole day at Bruce's house...

Taking the Bruce family kids leaving one after another as a starting point, it took about several hours of observation... When the person involved woke up, Nana also confirmed that he should indeed be out of danger.

Afterwards, Miss Killer went home with Mrs. Cole's farewell, and the first thing she did after taking off her shoes was to bring her beloved potted plant back from the balcony.

Although the factories in the old town have been relocated to new development zones as the city has expanded, the problems of dust and harmful feathered animals still exist... While the problems in Columbia are not as devastating to life as those in Rembiton, Nana's potted plants have indeed been pecked at in the past because they were not moved back to the house for a long time due to missions.

When the agent heard about this, he asked with a smile if she wanted to switch to some poisonous plants, but Nana felt that it was unnecessary.

She really likes the evergreen plant now... Back then, after Seventy-Seven passed the organization's training, her agent gave this plant to Seventy-Seven as a gift.

It is a good friend, it is always happy, it never asks questions, and it is very much like a young girl herself... It has no roots.

Take out a special, slightly faded but very clean blue towel and basin, leisurely wet them and wipe the leaves, cleaning the plant so it can continue to happily bask in the sun.

Afterwards, she took out the last of the fresh milk from the refrigerator and drank it all in one go. Licking her lips, Nana finally felt that she had returned to her usual daily routine... However, because Nana's work schedule was irregular, she did not need to ask the messenger to deliver fresh bottled milk.

Going downstairs to replenish her supplies every few days is a rare ritual in the assassin's life... but today, as she was leaving, Nana remembered her manager's instruction to maintain her lethal strength.

So the girl opened the wardrobe, ignoring four or five uniforms and dry-cleaned suits, and focused her attention on the various bags piled up to half her height at the bottom of the wardrobe.

Although a quick search of Nana's room would reveal a ton of contraband, a simple 'look' would be perfectly normal... An aluminum suitcase with a Siesta travel tag, a high-end leather briefcase with a reflective sheen... Hard containers like these are stored against the wall, a soft black leather handbag in the middle, and a messenger bag with an Originium dust-proof coating peeking out from below... Because she had touched a guitar again after a long time since learning to sing with Mrs. Cole yesterday, Nana's gaze lingered for a moment on the violin case deep inside the cabinet, but those weren't Nana's targets today.

Opening the disguised business-style items, Nana dragged out a safe from the bottom layer.

Five years ago, when Nana came here to sign the rental agreement with Mrs. Jackson, she was wearing the clothes in this suitcase... These were items she used to disguise herself as a student. Nana ignored the light blue school uniform with a red bow tie, the Katyusha headdress from Ursus, and the sailor uniform from the East, and took out a matte black backpack with a clear purpose.

Compared to business briefcases, which have relatively small capacity and are mainly used to store various documents and small items such as master keys, backpacks allow for a 'lightweight' level of equipment capability when not wearing gear.

The backpack that Nana pulled out was not just a simple container; it was a 'covert combat backpack' modified by the organization.

The gist of it seems to be that... by relying on various counterintuitive mechanisms, the holder can retrieve the necessary items without alerting others, and conceal small firearms while wearing non-tactical gear... In addition, the backpack's outer shell is made of bulletproof material, and it contains a bulletproof airbag that can be deployed to protect the entire upper body.

Giving someone an assassin... I wonder if the organization has confused 'assassin' with 'bodyguard'... Of course, that's Nana's own problem, since the organization has given her quite a few VIP protection missions before.

However, Seventy-Seven's way of protecting someone is mostly to get rid of the guy who is about to kill... But anyway, whether you use equipment or not is one thing, having it or not is another... It's the same as Nana's arsenal.

Speaking of weapons, Nana has been focused on maintaining her persona lately and hasn't carried any deadly weapons that would immediately arouse suspicion... such as swords, sharp weapons, or Nana's main weapon—a gun.

Nana's standard light main weapon, which she uses in her backpack, consists of two pistols purchased through the ICA platform. The etched bullets are caliber .45, the slide is made of mirror-plated chrome, and it uses green luminous iron sights. The grip is made of red pine wood with a soft rubber anti-slip sleeve.

To be concealed and to fit the smaller hand size of the 77, which is designed for adults, its magazine capacity is only seven rounds... not many, but enough.

Normally, No. 77 does not need to fire continuously. Instead, it uses a silencer in conjunction with specially made Originium-etched ammunition issued by the organization. Tests have shown that its firing noise does not exceed 40 decibels and its power is the same as that of conventional standard ammunition without the addition of Originium Arts...

This means that unless it's in an extremely quiet environment, members of the organization can use firearms without any scruples... Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the agent and her organization remain just an urban legend to this day.

He stuffed the two guns into the backpack, then added four magazines to the bottom and side 'magic slots'. He also put a few smoke grenades and a remote-controlled bomb, sometimes used to blow up disaster protection doors, in the pocket where he could easily reach for things. Finally, he transferred the small items he always carried with him from his briefcase into the backpack.

Lock picking tool kit... This is what Nana used to open the trunk of the car last time. In Nana's hands, this thing is a master key.

Paracord bracelets are often left to gather dust in bags because sometimes a serious outfit doesn't suit wearing accessories... Their core is made of extremely strong D32 alloy steel wire, making them suitable as a rope or for strangling targets, and even capable of withstanding the cuts of bladed weapons. Before we bought guns, this was the primary murder weapon of Unit 77.

Hanging from the bracelet, disguised as a small decorative bottle, was a deadly poison... This wasn't a mission item; it was something Number Seventy-Seven had kept for himself, according to the organization's manual, for self-inflicted drowning if necessary... But would he really need it?

Finally, he slipped a rubber duck remote-controlled bomb into his bag. It wasn't as powerful as the explosives used to blow up walls, but it should be more than enough to kill the person holding it.

This is something the equipment department is interested in... They made a batch of explosive weapons that didn't seem dangerous in the past, and Nana still doesn't know where to use them, but they definitely can't be put in the bathroom.

If it's not needed for the next mission, Nana will consider punching a hole in it to use as a bag charm... It might even be used to destroy equipment if necessary.

Besides these, Nana's equipment collection also contains many strange and unusual items, but none of them are needed now, and Nana won't bring them along, so we'll deal with them later.

One last look at the contents of the backpack, then picked it up and tested the quick take-out and take-in of the gun, and then the function of quickly removing the magazine from below... As for the airbag, Nana only checked the pressure gauge of the air cylinder and whether the pressure gauge itself was working properly, and then left it alone.

Despite its seemingly high-tech features, the airbag shield is actually disposable... Nana thinks it might be more suitable as a float when wading through water than for bulletproof protection.

With a sigh, Nana fastened her backpack and began the final steps before 'going to work'... tying her tie and putting on her socks.

Red ties, bow ties... 'Red' seems to be the organization's way of judging the rank of 'employees'. Although Nana has never seen anyone so brave as to wear clothes with red as the main color to 'work', the organization did issue Nana a suit dress uniform with red as the base color... She kept that thing in her closet, the color was too eye-catching.

As for the bodysuit that is usually disguised as stockings but is actually made of stocking material when activated, it is an Originium item.

According to V-chan's agent, it was something that reduced the difficulty of 'sweeping away'... Although as a piece of clothing and equipment it couldn't withstand bullets, cuts, or blunt force... it could negate the feedback from all exploration-type Originium Arts, and this ability alone made it an essential item that Nana carried with her every day.

Of course, it can usually only maintain sock mode, partly to save energy, and partly to avoid the misunderstanding where a Sentinel might discover someone standing in front of him 'invisible'...

The equipment department's description of this item is that it achieves the best effect when the skin coverage rate is above 90%. Anyway, when Nana uses it, only her head will be exposed... If necessary, her head can be completely covered, but such an outfit would definitely cause chaos in places like banks.

Finally, he put on a suit and casually stuffed the matching leather gloves into his pocket.

Looking at her slightly dark circles and puffy eyes in the full-length mirror by the door, the girl ruffled her shoulder-length black hair, which was the only thing that looked smooth and manageable, with a hint of distress, before sighing and heading out.

After all, I stayed up late yesterday, so it's not good to be in poor spirits... Anyway, I'm not exactly the energetic type.

After a listless greeting to Ms. Jackson, who was sweeping the doorway as usual, Nana headed to the secret base where her manager was located.

……

"Oh, I knew a lady like that wouldn't leave you alone. She's finally noticed your awkward lifestyle... It wasn't for nothing that I specially arranged for you to stay in that room..."

"...But if I continue to disrupt my rest, my concentration will be greatly reduced when I'm on a mission."

"Yes, that is indeed a problem... But this is normal social interaction, and your neighbors won't ask you to help them with medical care every day, right? Besides, since they've even said they'd take you in as their goddaughter, it wouldn't be right for me not to help them out... Here's what we'll do: if they call, I'll sell them affordable Oripathy inhibitors in your name... Of course, that's your share that was originally supposed to be yours."

She didn't ask her agent why she had a share of inhibitors even though she didn't have Oripathy... Nana didn't care about such things.

The assassin quietly found her usual seat and sat down. Seeing that Number Seventy-Seven showed no intention of continuing to share anecdotes, the agent, still eager to continue, produced today's materials:

"Okay, today's work... There's quite a bit of bad news for you today. First, Loken Water Tank's investigation into why its stock price plummeted was very effective. Although we don't know which third party helped them, going through the black market is indeed the best way to get information. They did discover that one of their executive directors had contracted Oripathy."

"The poor former Ursus Viscount has been kicked out just like that. Although we don't yet know how Loken Williams will shut this Ursus man up, or how he'll deal with the Ursus nobles... we're certain someone's gotten desperate..."

"Locken's HR department has once again increased its recruitment efforts for experimental volunteers. In addition, Locken himself spoke with public health officials late last night. He seems to still have hopes for the 'perfect receptor' and wants to find the best theoretical model for his experiment through national departments..."

"Logically speaking, no one would touch something that's like dog shit, where even if you get it on your hands, it still stinks even if you shake it off... But the problem is, some people don't want to be human, they just want to be dogs."

Accompanied by the click of a lighter's flint against the grinding wheel, the agent, still dressed in a business suit except for a striking white lace scarf, used the smoke to obscure his expression as he held a cigarette.

"A box of sixty-four pure Originium was moved out of the Loken Water Tank Laboratory, supposedly to be used to trade experimental supplies in Lungmen. However, after being allowed to pass by CASA (Columbia Tobacco and Alcohol Spell Unit and Originium Products Administration), your juniors who were specifically responsible for watching over it were tricked by the other side, and a huge sum of money just disappeared into thin air... And Loken Water Tank's perfunctory follow-up investigation was so passive that they didn't even bother to put on a show."

"It's not convenient for the organization to check the finances of national departments. We don't know if those Originium were used as 'election funds' (which are bribes in name only, but federal officials like congressmen call this kind of external funding 'election funds')... But the sponsors of Loken Water Tank must be furious right now. Research and development funds have been misappropriated... Even if it was an expenditure for 'finding the final recipient,' not everyone can accept it."

"In that case... if the patron gets angry, Loken himself will definitely get even angrier..."

"...Looks like we need to warn these hot-tempered guys?"

The manager smiled helplessly and snapped his fingers at this cold-blooded killer who only listened to the important points and seemed eager to leave work. A folder landed on the table in front of Nana.

“Being irritable is fine in itself, but it’s not good if you’re irritable and tempt those around you to madness… A whole box of pure Originium is nothing from the perspective of a company or a country, but for ordinary people, it’s something that can make people lose their minds.”

"And the escorts that Loken Water Tank hired were clearly even less professional than the ICA. Now the entire underworld knows that there is a tank in this city that can guarantee a group of people a worry-free life for the rest of their lives if sold."

"...Just tell me where to kill whom and how many..."

Seeing that Nana was nodding sleepily and seemed to have no interest in listening to the story, the manager waved his hand, and the file in front of the assassin girl automatically turned the page:

"Okay~ok~Let's resolve this before mercenaries from all over the country come running in, drawn by the scent, and turn our territory upside down."

"The target is the 'middleman' who's been targeting that box of goods and stirring up chaos in the entire underground labor market. Go and give that middleman a stern warning, Seventy-Seven... cut off his cronies, make him clean up the mess, and get him out of Colombia."

As soon as the words were spoken, the seat where the black-haired girl had been dozing was now empty.

The agent tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully, still not sharing the intelligence he had received with his most capable subordinate. (Ling)

She wasn't sure if this was work-related information that Seventy-Seven needed to know.

Unlike the outdated administrative methods of many locals who still rely on handwritten notes, Colombia's administrative system, situated in a mobile city-state, operates on advanced hardware powered by artificial intelligence. This makes information retrieval and transmission far more efficient than the slow pace of paper-based document processing in other regions…

According to intelligence received by his agent, Duncan has already obtained Andy Bruce's name through the National Medical Records.

The plot against the Bruce family will likely begin soon... but... no one in the organization's upper echelons thinks the destruction of a family is a big deal.

From the agent's own perspective, it seems that if the higher-ups consider a single infected person enough to shut down the twisted point like Loken's Water Tank as a warning to others, then it's definitely a win-win situation for Columbia.

Is that really the case...? Thinking that Number 77 would actually accommodate his neighbor and stand guard for hours for a complete stranger, the manager had a feeling that Number 77 might actually consider adding the surname Bruce to his name this time. (No further information provided)

Those high-ranking Colombian figures, accustomed to the grand scale of war and to calculating population as mere numbers, may never have experienced the silent terror unique to assassins in the city.

To prevent Number 77 from finding his way to his bedside through the deaths of the family next door, the manager felt he had to do something.

The simplest approach would be to directly send Unit 77 to sabotage the research on Originium-corrupted organs. Although just looking at them would be enough to send shivers down your spine, obtaining Originium spellcasting abilities without contracting Oripathy would be a dream come true, making this research incredibly promising…u

The military had high hopes for the plan, and the country couldn't possibly halt scientific research because of a killer. As his agent, he had no intention of forcibly stopping Loken.

"...We need to think of a solution quickly while Nana is still dealing with that bunch of onlookers...think it over carefully...Ichi (Seven) Eight-Ballin Willow I"

1st Rosemary Embrace: 007 Omen

When she left the warehouse, the sun was shining brightly. The black-haired girl, carrying a schoolbag, unusually hailed a taxi, a stark contrast to her past extravagant behavior.

As we drove through the streets, watching the surrounding area gradually transform from a spacious eight-lane new urban area back to a four-lane old urban area, Maomao got out of the car by the roadside and went to a roadside pizza shop to buy a slice of pizza.

Yes, it's almost noon, and she hasn't even eaten lunch.

With the addition of two Colombian gold coins, the Syracuse owner's request for an extra serving of cheese was obviously granted.