Léon: The Cat Killer

Nana silently repeated this three times in her mind, then slightly raised the corners of her mouth—a standard business smile.

"What's wrong? You're sitting... on the floor."

As soon as she took two steps closer, Nana immediately noticed the bruise around the little white cat's eye.

Because Nana's gaze and the pauses in her tone were quite obvious, Matilda also noticed Nana's gaze. Then, the little white cat slightly shook its head, letting strands of hair cover the corners of its eyes.

"I fell off my bicycle."

"...Your dad hit you? No, he got up very late today...So, you got into a fight at school?"

Seeing the little white cat's surprised, slightly open mouth followed by a guilty look away, Nana wanted to say something... but now the assassin's mind was filled with the speculation that Matilda might lose her father forever.

Not knowing what to do, Nana could only remain silent in the face of Matilda, who was equally at a loss. The assassin, who had been placed there, looked at the ceiling with relief, then turned around and started to open her own door.

"Fighting is bad... It's bad whether you hurt others or yourself."

"...They provoked me first..."

The little white cat watched Nana go back to her room, muttering to itself. It looked at the neighbor's new backpack with a puzzled expression... Hasn't that lady been working for many years? Why is she still carrying a backpack?

It looked like a schoolbag from a prestigious private high school; the material was very high-end, and the girl was genuinely envious.

Seemingly feeling ashamed because of her sister's jealousy, the little white cat kicked her legs in mid-air. As she heard the sound of the door lock opening, the girl moved herself up from the floor... The conversation between her father and the guest was over... She could go home now.

Because the apartment's soundproofing was generally poor, Nana, who had just changed her shoes, overheard Mr. Andy's conversation with another man next door.

"...So, the item has indeed been handed over to you..."

I will report as soon as possible.

【It's not "as soon as possible," it's "now"... Go before the end of today at the latest. The whole project team is waiting for you, Andy... You've got a huge sum of money. I've withstood pressure from both the CDC and the lab to help you... You won't put me in a difficult position, will you?】

The voice of Mr. Andy sounded surprisingly familiar. Nana's killer instinct quickly went through her memories, and she remembered Li Boli in a beige suit who had once been arm in arm with Andy at the intersection.

And what they were talking about... was obviously about getting Andy to report to the Loken Water Tank.

Knowing what kind of experiment was taking place at the Loken water tank, the 'saleswoman' instinctively wanted to stop it, but upon hearing the 'deal' the other party mentioned, Nana stopped in her tracks.

Previously, the assassin was complaining about why Loken didn't find a more willing person to participate in the experiment... But now, Nana suddenly realizes a blind spot she had never considered before...

Who said... Mr. Andy's participation in the experiment was not voluntary?

Listening to the ongoing small talk next door, Nana took out her phone and sent a text message to her manager:

"You previously said you'd sell affordable Oripathy inhibitors to the Bruce family using my share... How much would that be?"

'Sixty-six thousand Colombian dollars per month, or ten thousand Lungmen dollars... This is already quite affordable, basically only covering logistics costs.'

'The Bruce family's current monthly income is...'

'...Well...the savings are around 700,000 gold coins...'

'It seems my monthly income... isn't enough to cover the treatment costs.'

Mrs. Cole works in a low-end handicraft factory in the old town, while her husband, suffering from orthostatic hypoxia, does odd jobs... Their daily life is only maintained thanks to the subsidies from their three older children who work near home...

'Therefore, the most basic premise for me to help them doesn't exist.'

After a moment of silence, Nana typed another line:

"Agent, do you have any jobs that can support their medical recovery?"

"...It's unlikely that a legitimate job could provide for both livelihood and medical treatment, and in the underworld, aside from those jobs explicitly stated in criminal law...unless you say someone in their family is registered as an assassin with the ICA, or is even a member of our organization, then perhaps their lives could get back on track."

Looking at her manager's almost death sentence-like words, Nana hugged the potted plant and stared blankly for a long time with a towel in her hand. Only when it was completely dark did Nana get up.

Surprisingly, the manager didn't seem to be off work either. She checked Nana's actions through the combat recorder:

Have you made up your mind?

"It's just showing concern as a friend... Doing our best and leaving the rest to fate."

The visual combat recorder showed the corridor again. As the black-haired girl knocked on the door of the next room, the manager sighed and shut down the connection.

Nana didn't know what she was sighing about, and the assassin didn't even know why she had come to knock on the door.

Perhaps when a killer's rationality and instinct fail to explain the situation, all the inexplicable events can be attributed to an "uncontrollable impulse from the heart."

However, if this impulse were directed at Matilda or Kate who took the initiative to approach her, or even Mrs. Cole, who, once they became familiar, was more like a beast than a human, Nana wouldn't say much... After all, being with them was pleasant.

But could Andy Bruce, someone Nana dislikes, also trigger that kind of impulse?

Isn't the condition for the spread of so-called 'love' too arbitrary?

Staring at Mr. Andy, who opened the door for her, Nana's gaze was so serious that Andy wondered how he had offended this neighbor he hadn't spoken a word to in years... Of course, Nana could smooth things over... or rather, this serious opening was just right for what she was about to say.

"...It seems like things are alright for now...but did Cole tell you? I did, Loken Williams' project is dangerous..."

"Yes, my wife told me that before she went to work."

Hearing this silent man speak in a normal tone for the first time, Nana took the teacup Kate silently offered her:

"I'm sorry, I happened to overhear your conversation when I got home earlier."

"Ok, I know."

"...Won't you reconsider? I found a channel for affordable inhibitors at my workplace...If I could combine it with a slightly higher-paying job...or lower my family's standard of living..."

“That would have been like opening a bottomless pit for the family. Cole and I actually tried it in our early years…”

He shook his head and put down his teacup.

The man's gaze wandered around the room, then he reached out to Matilda, who was lurking in the corner. The little white cat pouted, glanced at her sister, and then reluctantly walked over.

Andy looked at his daughter's hesitant manner and didn't say anything. This man, who had once blamed his inability to get treatment for his illness on the birth of his youngest daughter, first opened his mouth in silence, and then silently touched Matilda's bangs... revealing the marks left by his youngest daughter in a fight at school today.

Matilda had her eyes tightly shut, bracing herself for a beating, but she hadn't expected her father's unexpected silence.

"...Does it hurt?"

Blinking, Matilda looked at her father, whose face appeared sunken and cheekbones prominent under the pale yellow chandelier, and responded unhappily:

"pain."

Hearing his youngest daughter's words, the man said nothing, but simply stopped. The little white cat thought she was about to be beaten and shrank back, but she got nothing today.

Andy Bruce remained silent for a long time, then looked at Nana again:

"I still can't understand why you chose to help me back then."

"I don't know either. I only made eye contact with your children for a few moments."

"So, does my child have some special talent?"

Seeing the man suddenly starting to daydream, Nana looked around in confusion. Seeing that even Kate and Matilda looked bewildered, Nana breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed only Andy was acting strangely. (Lin)

"No, your children are all quite ordinary..." Yi

"So you're after the dowry that Cole and I left for Kate?" Qi said.

"...Are you serious?"

"It can't be that you've taken a liking to my wife... Or perhaps you want my twins?"

This time, Nana simply rolled her eyes and didn't even bother to respond, but since she didn't see the optimistic woman step forward to refute her... the black-haired girl looked around in surprise: five

"Where's Cole?"

"She said she didn't want to see me...she went to work overtime today."

"Because of the Loken water tank?"

"Yes." Jiu

“You should listen to her. My information is that the experiments at the National Laboratory and Loken's place will kill you… Don't worry about Oripathy, I can get you the medicine. You just need to be patient a little longer… Aren't you busy arranging Kate's wedding? At least wait until Kate gets married…”

"Right now, getting that money is the most crucial thing..."

“I’m an insider. While I can’t go into specifics about the national laboratory, I can offer you other job options. You don’t need to pay any attention to Loken Williams… His project is unreliable; after all, he’s on the verge of collapse himself.”

“I know the way they approached me wasn’t like a big company at all… but I don’t want to deal with that. All I want to do right now is die.”

These words made all of Nana's persuasive skills suddenly shut up. She had indeed tried her best, but faced with Andy who was unyielding, Nana had nothing to say.

Faced with their father's words of giving up, Kate and the twins sitting on the kitchen floor remained silent and did not comment, only Matilda glared fiercely at her father:

"You'd be better off staying sick..."

Andy didn't seem angry at all, watching Matilda run off to her room immediately after speaking.

"She seemed to think that pain was the same as pain... but whether that illness was the same as the pain of a child fighting... adults can make their own judgments. Besides, the reason I gave up was that I really didn't live much longer, not that I gave up... I didn't give up, I still had to make a final deal with Loken's water tank."

"Let me tell you about my preparations... You and Mrs. Wilson are among the few people who know about my illness and are still willing to help us. Cole trusts you... and as for me, even if I don't trust you, there's no one else I can trust."

Nana was somewhat puzzled by the man's serious demeanor.

"What do you want to say?"

"After I left, four children were still too much of a burden for Cole... Even if the savings could support Kate's marriage, the other three wouldn't be doing well... Originally, I was thinking that since you're Cole's friend and neighbor... if you were interested in my second or third child, or if anyone has a special talent, it would be great if you could take them on as an apprentice..."

"...My job is rather specialized, so I haven't considered taking on apprentices yet..."

"How about raising two little boys? I'm quite confident in my children's looks."

"If you keep doing this, I'm going to call Cole and have him come back and talk to you."

"...So what if I say that's Cole's idea?"

The man's words made Nana's expression even twist slightly; she was starting to wonder if this couple was normal or not.

“I used to work at CASA… I know those people all too well. If even one person is infected, they’re subject to mandatory testing. If you can’t pay the fine, your whole family has to become infected…”

"...Wasn't there supposed to be a dedicated community for infected individuals? - Group VIIling玐午师六扒七妻"

"Yes, there are... but what does that have to do with some corrupt cops and gangs colluding to exploit the poor... Kate is almost an adult, which is fine, but Colt and Kevin, although boys, are premature twins and even weaker than their sister... Matilda is overly fond of strength because of me, and without a reliable teacher to guide and educate her, all she can do is join gangs. If she becomes an adult and gets to be someone's mistress with her pretty face inherited from Cole, that's a testament to her mother's talent... In the end, I'm most worried about Cole."

In the end, Andy, who had always been the only person Nana knew who yelled and shouted, and who could only remain silent in the face of his youngest daughter to whom he felt so indebted, now spoke of his wife's plight after his departure, as if weeping:

"Can you help her? Please..."

"...If you just find another way to make a living, you can support your own family however you want...Are you serious about begging a stranger like me like this?"

Upon hearing Nana's sigh, the man smiled through his tears and produced a pre-written inheritance contract:

"After all, I'm in so much pain, all I want is to die."

PS: Regarding the names of animals in Ark, they are basically all "beasts"... However, because I am not familiar with this setting, you should have seen me write real-world names like "cat," "cat ears," and "milk" before... This is mainly to make it easier for everyone to form an impression in their minds immediately, and to save the need for conversions like "XX beast."

If you're really concerned about the Ark: The Fundamentals world setting, please feel free to bring it up, and I'll pay attention to that aspect in future descriptions...

PS2: Today's update was actually a bit of a writer's block... Miss Assassin's dilemma and Andy's determination were unexpectedly difficult to write... But it's okay now, I don't have to struggle with it anymore.

PS2S: Also, I'd like to add something about the value of Pure Originium... It's not that Originium is valuable, it's that the real estate in this city isn't valuable... because this isn't a mobile city, it's just a second-tier city built and developed using mobile city routes... After all, Yostar didn't say anything about the situation in Rosemary's hometown, so I can only make something up.

PS3: Shamelessly begging for monthly votes, recommendations, razor blades, anything!

1st Rosemary Embrace: 009 Experiment Successful

Andy's agreement was ultimately rejected by Nana.

The reason was not that Andy's conditions were harsh or difficult for Nana to fulfill, but rather that Nana was instinctively at a loss about the outcome of the contract.

Whether she's an 'assassin' or a 'salesperson', all the contracts Nana has handled since she started working... or rather, since she woke up with amnesia, have been against others—whether it's murder, protection, theft, or framing... she's never said that any contract would change or affect Nana's own life.

However, in the contract drafted by Andy Bruce, he used a pure Originium... which, even at the international market's suggested reserve price, amounted to a full 35,000 Lungmen Dollars, and was a valuable item that was almost never sold for less than five times its value on the black market, as collateral. He required the contract executor to guarantee, under the supervision of his wife Cole and eldest daughter Kate, that either Matilda or her twin brother Colt or Kevin would receive the 'careful attention of a direct blood relative' from the signatory.

In exchange, the second party to this contract will be considered as the first party agreeing to guardianship... In other words, if Nana signs this, she must, under the supervision of Cole and Kate, take care of Matilda or her brothers as if they were her own children.

This isn't a task that can be easily passed by simply following the organization's training in how to respond to business situations. Nana was completely unprepared for the idea of ​​revealing her 'complete self' to others.

"When one person suddenly starts to change another person's life trajectory, if it is not part of the plan, then it can only mean that both of them will end up in ruin... I don't think you did anything wrong, Number 77."

"In the end... aside from neighbors and friends, relationships you don't know how to manage because you've just met them, in this world where a pizza with extra toppings costs a dime, a weekly salary of ten dollars can be considered well-off, but a company's weekly revenue is in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, a single pure source stone is far too little compared to an entire life."

"Seventy-seven, I don't deny your act of expressing goodwill to your friend... but you need to see yourself clearly..."

Facing her manager, who had been shrouded in smoke since the beginning of their meeting, Nana seemed to behave no differently than before. If one didn't study No. 77's micro-expressions, they would probably believe her nonsense.

"I didn't think I could save everything... In the end, I'm just an assassin."

"...I think you already have a contingency plan to stop the experiment, don't you...? Actually, you're more concerned about how to deal with your own psychological issues than the Bruce family's problems... Don't glare at me. From my perspective, I'm actually quite satisfied with your reaction. As a trainee combatant, you've shown sufficient restraint, which is why I think the organization can accept you."

"You should know that for many people in this line of work, the so-called 'disillusionment' often begins when they extend violence without restraint... and despair is usually the beginning of a greater tragedy."

As he spoke, he shook the paper in his hand, and Andy Bruce's portrait flashed by on it.

As the next key focus of the Loken tank experiment, the agent, like the organization's senior executives, obtained this medical examination data through public medical channels.