Léon: The Cat Killer

Nana positioned the three of them at the point where they would be most easily rescued.

Bright signal flares illuminated the cratered landship, and the massive, mountain-like warship slowly and steadily passed overhead. The roar of the Originium engine and its propulsion system drowned out the howling wind, and only the searchlights on the hull illuminated the camp, which was just as riddled with holes as the warship's hull.

Red ambulances marked with the Crisis Contract symbol and black steel infantry battlefields simultaneously drove away from the moving landship. People wearing heavy protective gear also emerged from the vehicles, and unfamiliar voices returned to the long-lost communications:

We are members of the Tecalendo Disaster Relief Team. Thank you for guiding us. Please report the situation.

"This is Rhodes Island... the vanguard of the Tikkarundo Disaster Relief Team."

Sniffing, Susulu suppressed the nausea and discomfort brought on by the blocking medication... Under the light, the little fox, whose lips were pale, stood upright with a body that seemed too frail to adults. She was about to entrust her patients here as a doctor.

"This is the first navigation node. There are three personnel stationed here, and three patients with Oripathy, two of whom are in an acute phase. Their physiological data has been synchronized to the command center. All three have been injected with four times the dose of acute blocking agent... Command center, the rest is in your hands... The direction to proceed is..."

One warship after another passed overhead. The doctors from Blacksteel International and Crisis Contract professionally loaded Sussuro into an ambulance... But just as everyone was about to leave, Sussuro struggled to ask them to take the other two onto Blacksteel's landship first.

As the land fleet sailed away from overhead, Sussuro pointed to the distant 'stars' that had lit up:

"The direction is...the next morning star..."

……

……

……

"The Vanguard has been successfully recovered, with three people remaining."

"...Um, which three are they? How are they doing?"

The captain's question made the first mate flip through the reporting terminal in his hand again. With medical tape still on his face, the first mate answered truthfully:

"It's the doctor who suggested to you at the meeting that we should help Tikkarendo, along with two other support staff... They are all currently experiencing an acute attack of Oripathy. Although they are being managed with medication, they still require medical attention... They have now been handed over to the Crisis Contract's specialized treatment team."

"...Are our hospitals already full?"

"Yes, there are currently four deaths and more than twelve injuries among the crew members in the navigation damage control operation, and a total of about four hundred people need to be isolated for observation for Oripathy... The damage is severe."

"……heavy?"

The captain glanced at the first mate with a puzzled look, as if he were seeing his younger self again.

That was the expression of someone who, driven by a surge of passion, rushed into a disaster to rescue their comrades, only to be filled with extreme regret after being terrified by the heavy casualties suffered by their fallen comrades.

"...Devastating...Considering the addition of over four hundred Oripathy patients at once, it may indeed be devastating...But compared to the past...only four people died, yet an entire fleet traversed most of the natural disaster itself...Do you know what that means?"

"Changes to the navigation method for natural disasters?"

The captain nodded, then squinted slightly due to fatigue:

“In the past, let alone crossing a natural disaster, even just brushing against it would cause a death toll starting in the four figures... And the reason for this is probably largely because there were only four figures of people on a ship.”

"Now that it has been confirmed that with the guidance of the Catastrophe Messenger, fleets can traverse catastrophes at minimal cost... then the attitudes of both merchant ships and high-speed fleets of various countries towards catastrophes will likely change... and the status of the Catastrophe Messenger will probably rise to a level unimaginable in the past..."

"Although this isn't the first time a land-based ship has safely left a natural disaster cloud, nor is it the first time an organized rescue operation has been carried out on a city in distress... but such a large-scale operation, traversing such a powerful natural disaster... Ticalendo... no, Columbia's operation will be recorded in Terra's history. It is a powerful testament to humanity's achievement of a phased victory in the fight against natural disasters, demonstrating that humanity's limits are far greater than this..."

Taking a breath, the captain opened the list of casualties, then waved to the first mate his wrinkled, calloused hand—a hand that belonged to a crew member:

"Go prepare your speech, share this history and glory with our lovely crew, and let everyone know that it was we, Blacksteel International, and its allies who created this miracle..."

"Yes!"

The fleet continued to advance, with the 2,000-meter-class land-based ships towing the 1,200-meter-class cargo ships behind them... The latter's tracks were blown off when it ran over an active source stone mining area.

But this did not prevent Black Steel International's large ship from towing the latter, which was fully loaded with supplies, to continue moving forward.

Light pierced the darkness as researchers in protective suits risked their lives on the ship's roof to collect data that could only be observed from afar in the past. They excitedly stored this data into Black Steel's database, which would help create more accurate budget models for future natural disaster predictions.

Man-made armor shielded the icy winds, massive tracks crushed obstacles, and storms could not shake the ark created by humankind; the cold and threats were completely kept at bay.

Hundreds of kilometers away, watching Katie launch another flare, Nana felt a mix of emotions.

She didn't know how to face the rescue team members who had risked their lives and arrived with such enthusiasm.

What could she say? There was no Tikkarendo here; they activated the walking mechanism themselves and escaped the dangerous natural disaster.

Standing in the pitch-black storm, looking at the faint lights on the horizon, Nana felt as if she were being swallowed by endless darkness. The touch of her outstretched hand in the gale was soft, tough, and endless... It was like sinking into an abyss of despair, and Nana could not grasp anything.

Perhaps this is the retribution for using a false performance to deal with everything around them.

Nana Ivy didn't see the kitten she longed for, and the people who came because of her would have to abandon the rescue because they lost track of their target... This operation would become a complete political charade, and those who paid for it would never return.

What should those who have been dragged into this do?

What will Kal'tsit and her manager do now that they've dragged so many people into this mess because they're supporting her wishes?

It's unlikely that an executive could answer this kind of question.

All Nana can do now is keep responding to the rising signal flares.

"...The last shot..."

Another brief moment of light illuminated the surroundings, but unfortunately, apart from the howling wind, Nana could hear nothing.

The already exhausted cat killer suddenly wanted some tea... She wanted to snuggle into Cole's arms and listen to her tell him about the stupid things her daughter had done at school that day.

Actually, Nana didn't know what was so stupid about those things... she just wanted to see the people around her smile.

A happy smile.

Unfortunately, the necromancer fell silent at some point.

Nana can no longer hear Cole's voice.

Should I continue?

Or should we prioritize life and start looking for a way out and leaving right now?

The agent will probably forgive himself... As for Kal'tsit...

Kelsey...

Remembering the bonsai-colored doctor who would quietly prepare hair growth serum for kittens, Nana subconsciously reached behind her as she watched the signal flares begin to descend from the horizon…

However, there were no more signal flares left to fire...

Nana had one less flare than the others...

She used that to kill the infected creature.

Nana froze, her hands stiff in the darkness.

The morning star in the sky went out...

Now, it's all dark around us.

The Mystery of Medic 2: 062 Rosemary

Perhaps, this is the final ending?

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar darkness around her, Nana held the signal flare launcher and drooped her cat ears.

Reason once again asked me: Should I leave?

I've already said that reason is the basis for this inquiry, so normally I should have started taking action immediately.

Why is he so wavering and indecisive?

Is the desire to see that little film really so important that it's worth risking everything else?

In the darkness, the cat killer, with its head bowed and cat ears drooping, nodded.

Yes, she was determined to see Matilda no matter what... especially now that she seemed unable to hear Cole and the others.

I promised the child's mother I would take good care of her...

Even if the rescue team can't reach Ticalendo in the end, they should at least reach this place they once passed through.

Nana was indeed unable to continue the tracking... Without intelligence support, the traces had been covered by the natural disaster... Even the most capable operatives couldn't continue the mission under the current circumstances.

Of course, this is indeed a completely unhelpful self-justification.

After all, if the mission isn't completed, it's simply not completed... there's nothing more to say.

Nana finally realized that she had forgotten something very important: human interaction is a two-way street... Just like some mission objectives won't stay in one place waiting for you... And even good intentions may not necessarily reach the other party.

So what should the next task be?

If you can't do it yourself... you should ask your manager and Kal'tsit, right?

Think about it carefully... If you really contact them, what will they say?

They would comfort themselves by saying, "It's okay, you've already reached your limit, haven't you? If you can't do it, you can't do it..." No, even if the manager said that, it would definitely be sarcastic.

And Kelsey...

"Nothing on this land is shaped or created by the will of any one person or organization... The cooperation between people has built industrial miracles such as land-based ships, and the combination of a mobile city requires the joint efforts of hundreds of companies and thousands of upstream and downstream suppliers..."

"Agent 77's success rate has never been solely due to his own capabilities. Without the equipment and intelligence support of the Security Bureau and the ICA, it's no surprise he's fallen to this state..."

So... what should I do?

"...Trust others...trust that captain, trust the Crisis Contract and Blacksteel International...trust that they can rely on the cutting-edge technology of Rhine Labs and Columbia to find the crumbling Fourth District in this wasteland..."

Believe... billion

I trust Rhodes Island, I trust that even in the face of natural disasters, the kittens will emerge unscathed. (Wife)

The 72-hour countdown had now ended. Agent 77 opened his eyes. The howling wind still obscured the sky, and the sunlight that should have fallen from the sky was still being absorbed by the natural disaster clouds… Even though it was already daytime, he couldn't see anything except for the light from his own equipment.

Is there any other way? (IV)

How to attract reinforcements here?

"Yes." Wu

He drew his sidearm... the ICA standard pistol gleaming silver in the overhead light.

Eject the magazine, which now holds a total of eight rounds...

After confirming that the ammunition was sufficient, Nana removed the suppressor, raised the gun above her head, and fired! (Nine)

The first shot was negligible compared to the gale, and the intense gunfire was nowhere near the scale of the storm.

But it didn't matter. The second shot was fired, and the gray-black light wings began to appear and disappear.

The third shot!

A halo of burning black flames appeared, and a jet-black bullet, carrying a beam of light, shot straight into the disaster cloud... Red lightning within the clouds roared as if in response to the gunshot, and there were strange phenomena on the horizon... They were there, but not yet obvious.

"The fourth shot..."

The black flames on the halo and wings roared like a furnace under the wind, and the incandescent light was sealed in the dark clouds, not yet released, and the precepts began to appear.

"The fifth shot."

Light tears through the darkness like flames, and a tiny human-shaped lighthouse stands in the storm.

However, those scattered lights were no match for the natural disaster that blocked out the light, and the booming gunshots were not as noticeable as the strange phenomena of the natural disaster...

As the sixth bullet entered the chamber, as if by premonition, the halo and wings of light, like those of the blazing sun, began to tremble violently…

As a commandment, shooting is done through the power of the 'Lord'... or rather, 'judgment'. Five shots in a row is the limit, because 'six' is the devil's number... This is what the instructor who taught Nana to shoot during her ICA training told her...

Although it was the priest who had already been buried at Nana's request who fully told the girl this story.

Before being forced to become a nun... Nana was taught by the ICA to be very materialistic.

She clearly possessed a halo and wings of light, yet she never even cared whether the Lord existed.

But... if God truly exists... then please listen to my prayer, which may be both the first and the last.

Even if this power was stolen through blasphemous means, please allow me... to use the miracle unique to the Lateran...

I hope this light can penetrate the disaster, I hope this light can bring hope, I hope my small wish can be fulfilled, and I hope that my actions can truly bring happy smiles to others.

"May this spear shatter all obstacles..."

The sixth shot—the trial!!

A blinding light descended from the sky, instantly turning the girl's world into pure white.

The gun in his hand vanished without a sound... along with it, the exoskeleton glove holding the gun and his right hand, covered in lacerations and completely exposed to the natural storm, also disappeared.

By the time they realized what was happening, the cat assassin, stripped of its halo and wings, was already lying on the ground... The warning of the damaged protective suit projected on the screen in front of them was emitting a piercing sound.

Because the outer armor detected the Originium components seeping into its interior, Nana's protective suit under her right armpit automatically tightened to stop the bleeding, while also severing its connection with the main circulation system.

"what……"