After that day, Shirou's life hovered sowhere between being peaceful and not peaceful.
It was not just Shirou either. Lungn's recent state was more or less the sa.
There was no helping it. Too many people had their eyes on Lungn, and even more wanted to take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters.
It was said that Officer Chen, Hoshiguma, and Swire had already been living inside the Guard Departnt for several days straight.
With the three of them already this overwheld, the rest of the Guard Departnt naturally was not doing much better, so the atmosphere there lately had been rather grim.
All because of excessive overti work.
Lin Yuhsia's side was the sa as well. Apparently she had learned about Shirou drinking tea with Old Mr. Lin last ti. She rely left behind a sentence saying she would handle everything properly before continuing to talk about other matters.
Later, when Shirou visited the candy shop again, the one receiving him was no longer Old Mr. Lin, but another employee instead.
Regarding this, all Shirou could do was sincerely hope in his heart that Old Mr. Lin was still alright.
These candies and biscuits had also been sothing Swire asked Shirou to buy, saying they would be placed inside the Guard Departnt for everyone to freely take and enjoy.
Otherwise, the atmosphere here was so oppressive that even she felt like she could barely breathe.
"Mm… this should be about enough."
After separating the candies and biscuits he bought and placing them in the break rooms on every floor, Shirou was in quite a good mood.
After all, tomorrow would be Rembrance Day. This was also the first ti Shirou had celebrated a holiday here that felt sowhat similar to the ones from his past.
Although there was no trick-or-treating, it still gave him a certain sense of familiarity.
As for other holidays?
Penguin Logistics did not really celebrate holidays much. Rembrance day was only popular among them because, in a sense, it fit very well with the the of holding parties.
After that would probably be Christmas and New Year's… those two also gave Shirou a strong sense of familiarity.
"Mr. Shirou! We are heading out on duty! We will leave this to you! Please put it on Officer Chen's desk for us!"
Nearby, several mbers of the Guard Departnt dragged their exhausted bodies toward the entrance. When they saw Shirou along the way, it was almost as if they had spotted a savior. They shoved the docunts in their hands toward him before continuing on their way to their assignnts.
"Alright, travel safely."
After briefly morizing who the docunts were supposed to go to, Shirou stuffed them into the pile of files he was already carrying under his other arm.
Quite a few people along the way had asked him to deliver docunts to Officer Chen and Swire.
After all, throughout the entire Guard Departnt, he was probably the only person who could still regularly co into contact with those two while also being comparatively free.
Though saying he was "free" was not entirely accurate either, because he had basically been spending all his days inside the Guard Departnt recently. If any ergencies occurred, Shirou would have to head out on assignnts just like before.
Of course, this had all been arranged through a request.
His most beloved boss had sold him out once again, though Shirou himself did not really mind. Besides, his boss had at least asked for his opinion beforehand.
As for whatever shady deal existed between the boss and Wei Yenwu, Shirou had no interest in it and did not bother listening.
After delivering all the docunts he had collected along the way to their respective destinations, Shirou returned to the seat reserved for him within the Guard Departnt.
The desk was still relatively clean. After all, he normally did not handle paperwork, so most of the things there were miscellaneous odds and ends.
A Guard Departnt jacket was draped over the back of the chair. It was the one he wore during his newbie work. Unfortunately, it no longer fit him properly now, so it had simply been left there.
"Sigh… at this rate I really am going to lose my mind."
After seeing Shirou return, Hoshiguma quietly complained from nearby.
"Was it not said that every Rembrance day is like this? Or is this year especially exhausting?"
Hearing Hoshiguma's complaint, Shirou instantly understood what she ant. He walked over to the refrigerator in the nearby break room, took out a can of her favorite energy drink, and casually chatted with her.
"The total number of cases from the sa period in the previous two years combined might not even compare to this ti… Old Chen already said it herself. If she catches the people behind all this, she is definitely going to make them understand the anger of Lungn's people."
Hoshiguma was more than willing to chat with Shirou for a bit. Constantly throwing herself into work was exhausting, so slacking off slightly while drinking an energy drink to recover so spirit felt rather nice.
"Uwah… so is she going to use a sword or her fists?"
Hearing Hoshiguma say this, Shirou imdiately understood that Officer Chen was genuinely furious.
After all, she had already skipped past the stage of using Lungn profanity and moved straight to planning physical violence.
"Well, obviously both of…"
Before Hoshiguma could finish speaking, an extrely terrifying voice suddenly ca from nearby:
"You two seem to be having quite the pleasant conversation, hm?"
It was the very person they had been talking about.
At a glance, it was obvious that Officer Chen's mood was absolutely terrible.
The enormous pressure from work alone was already crushing her, though she was used to that by now.
But hearing people nearby gossiping about her? That she could not tolerate.
"Cough cough… it was nothing, really. Would you like a drink?"
Caught red-handed by the person herself, Shirou coughed awkwardly twice and imdiately handed over the energy drink originally ant for himself, attempting to use it to extinguish her anger.
If reality had visual effects, then Officer Chen probably would have been surrounded by blazing flas at that mont.
"It had better be nothing."
Taking the energy drink from Shirou's hand, Officer Chen opened it and gulped it down in one go. After finishing it, she looked slightly more energetic.
Who knew whether the energy drink actually worked, or whether it was simply psychological.
Just as Hoshiguma had said earlier, the number of cases this year had clearly increased dramatically. One could practically say it was the busiest year since she took office.
If next year ended up like this too…
Just imagining it gave her a headache.
Still, the main issue this ti was that mysterious infected organization stirring things up behind the scenes. The overwhelming majority of cases were related to the infected.
This had also caused Lungn citizens' opinions of the infected to worsen even further. Although public opinion had already hit rock bottom before, the trouble caused by these people had made the infected's situation even more precarious.
She could understand what those people were thinking, but unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong thod.
"I know everyone has been exhausted these past few days. Just hold on a little longer. Things will improve a lot after Halloween."
Looking at the exhausted Hoshiguma, Chen spoke reassuringly.
These next two days were extrely critical. The other side would very likely make a move when Halloween festivities reached their peak, so as long as there was even the slightest suspicious clue, the Guard Departnt would dispatch people to investigate thoroughly.
Better to be more exhausted than to let even one suspicious person slip through.
"Understood."
Both Hoshiguma and Shirou nodded at the sa ti.
This was not the mont to provoke her further. If she exploded, the two of them would definitely beco the first victims. Better to leave that special honor to soone else.
For example, Swire?
Speaking of Swire, Shirou suddenly realized he had not seen her bickering with Officer Chen for several days now. Presumably neither side had the energy for it anymore.
Strangely enough, he kind of missed it.
Just as Shirou was about to help Hoshiguma deal with so paperwork, the phone on Officer Chen's desk rang several tis before she picked it up.
"This is the Lungn Guard Departnt Inspection Unit… Understood. I will head over imdiately to take a look."
After putting down the phone, Officer Chen rubbed the space between her brows, trying to wake herself up a little.
"Is it a particularly troubleso case?"
Seeing her expression, Shirou's first thought was that the case must be very difficult.
The result, however, was completely different from what he expected.
"It is sowhat troubleso. We received a report that several wanted criminals have gathered together."
Officer Chen had no intention of hiding it, because Hoshiguma would be participating in the operation, and Shirou would be coming along as well.
The danger posed by a single wanted criminal was already severe, let alone an entire group.
Who knew why these people had decided to stir up trouble at a ti like this? Did they think the Guard Departnt's workload was not high enough already?
Still, since they had gathered together, they might as well be wiped out in one go.
She did feel slightly apologetic toward Shirou, though. It was basically ti for him to get off work, yet now he would be forced into overti because of this mission.
After silently repenting for two seconds, Officer Chen directly addressed the two before her:
"Hoshiguma, take two squads with you. Shirou, you are coming along as well. The targets this ti may be extrely dangerous, so if necessary, lethal force is authorized."
"I understand."
Hearing her words, Shirou finally realized just how troubleso this case truly was. Otherwise, Officer Chen would not have spoken beforehand about being permitted to kill the suspects.
Usually, she only issued such orders when the targets were highly likely to endanger people or frontline Guard Departnt personnel.
"Do not put too much pressure on yourself. Did Old Chen not say it too? They only might be very troubleso. Relax a little."
Seeing that Shirou seed sowhat nervous, Hoshiguma stood up and patted him on the back several tis, trying to ease his tension.
After those pats, Shirou was no longer nervous.
His back just felt burning hot with pain.
Well, compared to before, when a single pat felt like his entire body was about to fall apart, this at least did not hurt quite as much.
"I am fine."
Forcing out a sowhat strained smile, Shirou replied.
Although the smile was stiff, Hoshiguma did not pay much attention to it. She directly went to gather the squads while Shirou headed off to change into tactical equipnt.
Mainly tactical clothing, protective gear, and a higher-quality communicator.
After all, whenever Shirou mobilized slightly too much power, there was always a chance that the communicator would be destroyed on the spot. So they simply gave him a sturdier model instead.
This communicator had already survived longer than most of the others.
Its only drawback was that it was rather expensive.
Very quickly, Officer Chen's and Hoshiguma's squads assembled, and together with Shirou, the unofficial extra mber, they departed.
Inside the vehicle, Officer Chen briefly explained the known situation through the communicator.
"The location is in the factory district, specifically an abandoned factory. I should not need to explain what kind of place that is. Also, the targets are multiple wanted felons, all highly dangerous criminals. Be careful."
Since Shirou was riding in the sa vehicle as Officer Chen, he received the information directly on-site.
If he rembered correctly, the abandoned factory district… did not really have any good sniper positions.
Which ant this ti he would probably have to move directly alongside the other Guard Departnt mbers.
That was not too much of a problem. After all, not every operation offered a good sniping location. Shirou's close combat ability was not weak either; he was simply more suited to operating alone.
The reason was simple.
His destructive power was just a little too great.
It was technically possible to assign teammates to Shirou and force him to hold back, but that was not particularly practical. That was why, during Guard Departnt operations, Shirou usually served in a sniper role instead.
Officer Chen naturally understood this, so she directly assigned him to move together with her.
Coincidentally, both of them were the type whose destructive capabilities beca a little excessive once they started fighting.
After the vehicles reached the designated area, everyone got out and began organizing their equipnt and weapons.
Although the group only consisted of Shirou, Officer Chen, Hoshiguma, and two squads, the number of vehicles was still fairly high due to the weight of the tactical gear and weapons.
"So the plan is to infiltrate without alerting them?"
Noticing that the parking location differed sowhat from the target location they had originally discussed, Shirou asked.
"Yes. We do not have enough manpower to establish a complete encirclent."
Officer Chen, who was adjusting the tactical gear on her body, spared the ti to answer briefly.
The reason they parked farther away was naturally to avoid making too much noise and alerting the criminals inside.
Under normal circumstances, they might have been able to spare enough personnel to completely surround the abandoned factory and launch a direct assault.
Unfortunately, the Guard Departnt was currently short on manpower, and most personnel were already in poor condition. Conducting a full assault under those circumstances would be extrely dangerous.
A smaller assault force required a far more precise battle plan.
The factory's interior terrain, the number of criminals, their positions, their weapons, and even possible Originium Arts all needed to be considered…
At this mont, Officer Chen was trying to formulate a detailed operational strategy using the extrely limited information available to her, and to do so within the shortest ti possible.
At present, the Guard Departnt did possess drones capable of confirming such information.
However, the mont the drones were deployed, they would almost certainly alert the people inside. As such, drone deploynt would only be considered after Guard Departnt personnel had already been positioned.
The second option was Shirou's eyesight.
Unfortunately, there were no suitable vantage points nearby for reconnaissance. Otherwise, she would have been able to create a far more complete and safer operation plan.
Under the current circumstances… they could only adopt a gradual assault strategy.
In other words, they would control the entrances and exits as much as possible while suppressing enemy firepower and dividing the enemies' attention, gradually securing victory step by step.
This was the safest thod.
Once the entrances and exits were secured, they could send drones inside. The more information they gathered, the more advantageous the situation would beco for them.
"..."
Seeing how busy Officer Chen seed, Shirou had no intention of disturbing her and quietly organized the supplies inside his tactical backpack instead.
Most of what he carried consisted of ergency dical supplies.
Other people usually packed Originium explosives or crossbow bolts, but such things were largely useless for Shirou. After weighing the options, he chose bandages and dicine instead.
These were the items Shirou carried on almost every mission, and they were used quite frequently.
After all, injuries during combat were unavoidable. Not everyone possessed the ability to tank bullets or Arts with their bare body.
After finishing his preparations, Shirou looked toward the abandoned factory in the distance.
For so reason, he could not shake the feeling that all these people suddenly gathering together at a ti like this… seed a little too coincidental.
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