Léon: The Cat Killer

The little girl with her backpack was nagging the chef to add more toppings to her pizza, which was nothing to worry about. The Liberian man sitting by the window in the shop quickly turned his head away, yawning and looking out the window again.

But after the Liberian man continued his shift for some time, as he refilled his coffee, his stomach soon began to rumble horribly.

"...I don't think this has anything to do with me...Um, should I call an ambulance for you?"

The owner's innocent tone made the surrounding diners half believe him, but the Liberian just waved his hand painfully, telling him not to cause trouble, and then trudged into the restroom.

The creaking old wooden door was slammed shut, and the guy who went straight to the toilet to vomit didn't see the guy who had been waiting for a long time after finishing his pizza coming out from the last stall.

The black-haired girl looked indifferently at the scene before her. In the trash can next to her was rat poison, which she had stolen from the kitchen and contained emetic ingredients to prevent children from accidentally ingesting it... After checking the window with discipline, she bolted the door. With a flick of her wrist, the girl produced an umbrella rope in her hand.

The leather gloves made a chilling squeak as they rubbed against the ropes, followed by a slight clatter and a drowning cry that couldn't reach the outside of the lattice door...

As the diners resumed their lively conversation, a dark-haired girl wiped her gloves with toilet paper and left through the main entrance unnoticed.

[The first, and only, sentinel~ Now for the main course, the target is the apartment building to your right... It looks much better than the one you're renting, even though your income is much higher than that guy's...]

Wasn't it you who introduced me to the place?

Although she doesn't usually talk during missions, Nana still rolled her eyes inwardly.

Looking around... one at the main entrance, one near the elevator... Wow! The one at the entrance is actually sleeping? Is it because the one at the pizza shop next door is the one with a proper job?

Ignoring the sleeping person in front of her, Nana continued walking inside... The apartment she was looking for was unexpectedly located on the fifth floor, just like hers, but this building was not only larger and more luxurious, but even the manager was different from Mrs. Jackson.

The old man was wearing a tuxedo and a monocle. When he greeted her, she heard a heavy Victorian accent... Unlike Cole's, Nana felt that the old man's accent was so heavy that it seemed like he was saying it on purpose.

As for her target... this tall, dark-skinned Pelo is looking at... a pornographic magazine?

Seeing the other person's bulging crotch in public, Nana's eyes twitched slightly, but she quickly found what was probably the most successful and quickest way to solve the problem.

The restroom was just a few steps from the elevator. With a barely audible whistle, Perot, who was still flipping through a magazine and making 'hehehe' noises, immediately looked up alertly, but her alert expression quickly turned into surprise.

At that moment, a shy-looking girl with a backpack stood at the bathroom door, tugging at the hem of her skirt with one hand and waving at him with the other... Judging from her neat suit and backpack, she was probably another student who saw him reading a magazine and wanted to ask him for 'compensated dating'. Her shy expression was almost exactly the same as the student theme in the magazine!

Immediately, the tall man coughed twice, straightened his collar, and quickly followed the girl into the restroom.

The manager, who was inside the counter not far away, watched the whole thing, but he only saw the tall man enter the restroom when he turned his body to the side... A potted plant deliberately blocked his view of the restroom door.

In fact, nobody likes seeing people coming and going in the restroom, so there's a reason for this arrangement.

Inside the restroom, the tall man then locked the door and immediately regretted it.

Turning his head, it seemed as if the shy girl he had seen earlier was just an illusion. Now, standing a few steps away, was a girl coldly holding a silver pistol, gesturing for him to enter the toilet stall.

In the city, those involved in gangs... or rather, mercenaries, are obviously no strangers to handguns... In fact, because the country does not prohibit civilians from possessing Originium weapons, the man was currently wearing an Originium-enhanced longsword at his waist.

But... he didn't want to use the speed at which he drew his knife to block the opponent's finger from pulling the trigger, which was only a few milliseconds.

"Um...what? Please calm down..."

"See that public phone over there? It has an internal call mode. Pick it up now and call your boss. Tell him someone is looking for him."

Listening to the girl's emotionless instructions, the tall thug slowly dialed the internal phone. Soon, he nodded to the girl, and the call connected.

"I'm the boss downstairs... someone's looking for you here."

'Someone's there? How does that guy look?'

Sweating profusely, Perot met the gaze of the icy blue-eyed girl. As the dark muzzle of the gun slightly rose and touched the corner of the man's mouth, he uttered a mournful sentence:

"Very...serious..."

Hearing what sounded like dressing on the other end of the phone, and to prevent the other person from escaping, Number Seventy-Seven said indifferently:

Tell him I'm going up.

"She said she wanted to go up..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of a skull shattering and a sharp gunshot whistling past the receiver startled Castor, who was listening intently, so much that his hair stood on end.

Just as the target upstairs was frantically calling for his men to assemble, the girl calmly walked out of the bathroom, casually grabbing a piece of toilet paper to wipe her gloves, which were stained with the blood of others.

She glanced at the sleeping guard at the door; since the radio on his chest was now in Nana's hands, he was still asleep, enjoying his last... perhaps eternal, peaceful sleep.

【Hey~ It's been a while since I've seen Seventy-Seven. You've actually taken action. You seem to be in a pretty good mood.】

"...This is only a contractual requirement...I do not find pleasure in taking other people's lives."

"Hmm, that's what I like about you... But informing the other side would turn it into a siege... Should I have someone send you heavy firearms?"

"There's no need for that. I'm just having them gather around the target."

Enter the elevator directly, press the fourth floor button, and simultaneously pull out a smoke grenade. Confirm that the smoke grenade will temporarily disable the elevator... unless that person wants to be suffocated by the smoke... and incidentally drive away any other residents on the other floors.

While the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, Nana climbed directly from the maintenance entrance to the ventilation shaft... This information about the passageways would be clearly transmitted to Number Seventy-Seven via the Bluetooth earpiece hanging on Nana's cat ears.

Just as the girl climbed out of the ventilation shaft, gunfire suddenly erupted from a nearby building...

[Is it really necessary? You're firing like crazy just because of smoke? If other residents call the police, are you still going to find your Originium? By the way, should I keep track of your 911 calls for number 77?]

"It's okay, I'll take care of it right away."

Use the master key to open the security door of the monitoring room where the security CCTV hard drive is located. Then, kill the mercenary who is definitely on the list through the wooden door. Although you don't know exactly who it is, as long as the final total matches up, that's fine.

After opening the door again to confirm the kill in the surveillance room, he then dumped the body under the other party's camera to indicate that he was on the top floor...

Listening to the target's shouts, Nana found a window, climbed out, and followed the protrusion on the exterior of the building to the top-floor garden... These mercenaries, gangs, and even foreign warlords seemed to like this unique garden design that led directly to the top floor.

At this moment, the deliberately shuffling footsteps of the girl's leather shoes could be clearly heard, and Nana could hear the target shouting, "I'm in the Hanging Gardens!" in a heart-wrenching voice.

However, this saved time. Number Seventy-Seven turned and left the other party's sight, leaving a remote-controlled bomb in place before circling around again. After hearing the sound and thinking that the time was about right, the girl pressed the detonator... Such a violent explosion naturally alerted the building's defense system.

The isolation door used to prevent theft fell down, but because the portable small explosive device had limited power, Number 77 still had to step forward and finish off multiple targets one by one.

Since these mercenaries were also unexpectedly equipped with firearms... when they went to finish off these people, another gunfight broke out.

Because they were all seriously injured by the bomb, the assassin didn't make things too difficult for them... The girl could only wait until the enemy ran out of ammunition and then kill them one by one. Afterwards, in order to enter the target's house, Nana took a detour back to the monitoring room.

Unlock the building security system from the monitoring room, then take the main road back to the target residence and open the door from the front... The two sides are actually not far apart, just a few steps away from the corner... In other words, a group of people just frantically circled around the U-shaped building, and they don't know how they would feel if they saw that Number 77 had just walked through the 'passage' and ventilation pipes outside the building and made them dizzy.

After counting the corpses, it seemed there was only one short of the number on the list. Nana entered the target residence silently, and the high-quality door hinges earned the assassin's five-star rating.

As for the Caster who had riddled the isolation door like a sieve with bullets from his submachine gun... the ghost that had just slaughtered his men outside the isolation door like a demon had now silently appeared behind him.

Just as he was crying into his phone, "Someone wants to kill me," a patterned steel fruit knife that looked very familiar to him, one that should have been a decoration in the living room, emerged from the shadows of the hallway behind him and pressed against the cheek of the fat man, Caster, who was either sweating or oily...

Okay, then I will transfer the call to the local police officer. Please do not hang up.

Just as the other person's phone rang with those words, the man stopped his hands and his seemingly hyperactive movements. Besides the cold blade on his cheek reminding him that he was about to die, he also felt the hard touch of the gun barrel on the back of his head.

Nana looked at the target with his hands raised, one of which was holding a phone with the 911 hotline number displayed on it, and tilted her head... So even if other residents don't call the police, you're going to call the police anyway? Where did your pride as an underworld broker go?

Of course, while Nana was pondering these random thoughts, the man from Caster calmly hung up the emergency call and then greeted Number Seventy-Seven in as steady a voice as possible.

“Hey… relax, girl… let’s talk this out calmly, shall we? See the briefcase on the coffee table in front of me? The black stuff is cash, old bills, 200,000 Colombian gold dollars and 100,000 Lungmen dollars… the silver box next to it, that’s made of a special container to protect against Originium radiation… inside are two pure Originium stones, worth enough to buy half of the city we’re in… go ahead, take it, it’s all yours.”

Ignoring the man, whose voice was calm but whose sweaty smell filled the room, Nana held the tip of a fruit knife to his neck with her left hand, while she put away her pistol with her other hand. Then she took out another Bluetooth earphone that she wouldn't normally wear from her pocket... She looked at it with disdain for a second, and then put it into the target's ear.

Hello... Mr. Agent...

"Hello...Hello..."

"I think you understand why you've been approached, sir... Big companies don't pay so easily. Sometimes what you think is a simple task can be deadly... So, the question is, have you finished the work Loken gave you?"

"No...no, we're a legitimate logistics company. There are many procedures for delivering goods. Everyone else has 'resigned', and I won't be doing it anymore either..."

"Ah, is that how it is...? You mean you're going to just leave this mess behind and disappear from my sight without a word? And then let us, the original inhabitants of this city, deal with all those mercenaries and bounty hunters you've recruited one by one?"

"Yes, no, no, no, it's not... Although some of the goods have been delivered to the hiding person according to the customer's requirements, I promise I will issue an explanation to revoke the commission, and then disappear without a trace."

"...Hmm...Well then, give the headphones back to our little one. Of course, you'd better wipe them clean before you do, because that kid is actually quite a germaphobe."

Then, in a flurry of activity, he returned the Bluetooth earphones to Nana. During the call, the manager threatened her in a voice audible to the fat man nearby who was listening intently:

Let him make sure he understands the situation before letting him leave.

Hearing her manager's seemingly determined request, Nana mentally calculated the time, and could faintly hear the sound of police sirens outside.

But the earpiece has a combat recorder attached, so leaving like this would be too disrespectful to the manager... So Nana wiped the spare earpiece, which was now mostly clean, and then calmly asked:

"Are you sure?"

The fat man nodded frantically.

“Good clothes ⊙ Yi Qi Shi Jiu IV Cu Ba”

Just as the girl appeared suddenly in the fat man's perception, she disappeared without a trace.

Because of the previous use of smoke bombs, many people thought it was a fire and ran out of the apartment in a panic. Nana mingled in the crowd and quickly arrived at the entrance of the apartment, which had not yet been quarantined.

Of course, before leaving, Nana didn't forget to put her hand into her bag.

As chaos erupted at the scene, the assassin girl secretly shot the last sleeping mercenary guard before disappearing into the crowd, accompanied by the brightening sirens of police cars. Part One

The manager, who had been silent the entire way back, suddenly spoke up again as Nana was almost back on the street where she lived: "Another..."

【That… number seventy-seven…】1

"Hmm?" V

[There are some questions that, after much thought, I still feel you might need to know. (Nan Jinqun – 1017459498)]

1st Rosemary Embrace: 008 Andy Bruce I

"Should I know?" Master

The agent's hesitant tone surprised Nana, as the woman on the other end of the phone had always been a cold-blooded figure who could decide the fate of countless lives with just a few words. To the assassin, the agent Nana knew was the same indifferent and aloof woman she'd seen with the fat agent on the phone earlier.

What's with her weak tone now?

"If you're unsure whether you should tell me, then don't... it's all work-related anyway..."

No, this is your personal matter... V

The words in her earpiece made Nana pause in her steps home. After giving a perfunctory smile to the person behind her who complained about her sudden stop, Nana quickly entered the shops on the street leading to her apartment building.

As the boss greeted her with, "Still just two cartons of milk?", Nana absentmindedly continued listening to her manager's explanation.

[...Andy Bruce appears to be considered by Loken Williams as the optimal recipient for the Originium Organs project.]

"This news is indeed very subtle."

She gently pressed down the hem of her skirt, which was about to lift up, and Nana instantly understood why her manager's tone was so hesitant.

Although Number Seventy-Seven doesn't have a good impression of Mr. Andy, for the sake of Mrs. Cole, Ms. Kate, and little Matilda, Miss Killer will probably try her best to prevent this family from going down the abyss under the guise of 'Salesperson Nana'.

However, this was futile, because neither the 'organization' nor the 'assassin,' nor Number Seventy-Seven's agent had the authority to stop this under the rules of the underworld. But this news would indeed change the assassin's current operational logic... No one could say for sure whether this would affect the upcoming missions, which explained the agent's hesitation.

After paying for the milk and putting it in her schoolbag, Nana pushed open the store door and continued walking home...

According to the assassin's logic, Nana should be completely indifferent to Mr. Andy's life or death, and the girl should just continue living her vegetative life. But 'heartfelt impulses' are not something that can be calmed down by simply ignoring them. The memory of the family laughing together not long ago keeps urging Nana to do something.

"So...why? Andy is just an ordinary infected person...Couldn't Loken find a more willing target?"

The specific reason seems to be related to the Originium Arts possessed by the Bruce family. In addition, based on the information we have, he is not an ordinary infected person... An ordinary infected person cannot work at such a high intensity for ten years, and the Originium crystals will still remain in the body stage...

"Kerr has said before that he is very strong."

[Indeed... even Patient Zero, who helped Loken organize his system theory, ultimately only had a maximum of 30% Originium permeation in a single organ. But according to Mr. Bruce's medical report three weeks ago, the crystallization in his medulla oblongata has already exceeded 48%... Number 77, you know Loken's pursuit, so you know what this means.]

"...natural organ petrification...but Mr. Andy has Oripathy symptoms..."

This involves detailed Oripathy pathology and specific clinical procedures for modification. Ultimately, why Bruce was chosen isn't important... What I want to know is, what are your plans for Number 77?

"I...I don't know."

Even through the combat recorder on her earpiece, watching the gradually darkening sky on the screen, the agent could sense the assassin's confusion. At this moment, the ordinary saleswoman named Nana and the assassin known as Number Seventy-Seven had a huge disagreement on their course of action.

The 'assassin' knew all too well that such situations were commonplace on this land... Just as Mrs. Cole said, you never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident... So, as an assassin, she was a rootless plant, a machine without emotions.

But the agent didn't want it to be like No. 77, and the machine did indeed respond to the user's expectations.

Now, the girl's inner 'killer' is beginning to be influenced by her external 'disguise'. Putting aside the decision regarding the strategy against the Bruce family, which she and her manager had not reached a consensus on, Nana is also very confused about the core logic behind her behavior... Is this what her manager expected?

Is this the kind of heartfelt encouragement she's been hoping for?

Is this... what they call 'love,' what they call... the power to change everything?

Miss Killer was unaware, just like when she greeted Grandma Jackson and returned home to find Matilda frozen in place.

"Nana-neechan?"

"Ah... um, hello, Matilda."

Stiff and uncharacteristically, Nana fiddled with the ends of her shoulder-length hair. Despite her swift and decisive killings earlier, she now showed an inappropriate surprise upon seeing the Bruce family... Then, the girl's killer instinct kicked in, and she managed to regain her 'disguise'.

You're just a salesman, you don't know anything about organ petrification, the girl in front of you is just a neighbor, you've only been talking to each other for less than a week...