Listening from the side, Jeanne couldn't help but joke; this really felt like someone finding a better company and immediately packing their bags to jump ship.
"I'm serious! Since I have nowhere else to go right now, I might as well act alongside people I can trust. Besides, as an Infected, wandering Ursus alone is very dangerous."
Lyudmila explained that her decision wasn't a spur-of-the-moment whim, but a request made after careful consideration. Given her current situation, she really couldn't find a more suitable place to go. Even Azazel wasn't entirely safe for a wanted fugitive like her.
Furthermore, now that something had happened to Sergei, the intensity of the manhunt for her would only increase. It was currently only being sidelined for more important matters; once things settled down, it would be her turn. Additionally, Jeanne had already helped her twice without asking for anything in return. Even if Jeanne didn't care about the debt, Lyudmila felt she had to repay it somehow—joining them and contributing her strength seemed the best way.
The two in the front seats glanced at each other, seemingly communicating through their eyes. After a moment, Talulah spoke:
"If you've truly made up your mind, then we have no objections. Our organization doesn't have many requirements, and the career prospects at Reunion are actually quite good..."
Talulah began introducing the current state of Reunion to Lyudmila. However, she kept certain secrets regarding Jeanne hidden; those matters were far too shocking and would be better left for a later time, depending on how things developed.
Little did they know, their assassination attempt on Sergei had already evolved into a high-profile incident. The storm had even disturbed the Mayor, who hadn't appeared in public for a long time—Count Boris.
"What is the exact situation with Sergei? Can you still not find out who did it? I entrusted such an important task to you, and you can't even identify the culprit?"
Outside the hospital room, Boris, having seen Sergei's severe injuries, looked extremely displeased. He directly summoned the officer in charge of the team monitoring Sergei to interrogate him. The officer stood before Boris, bearing the brunt of the scolding, too nervous to utter a single word.
Despite the room not being particularly warm, he was drenched in sweat, letting it slide down his forehead as he dared not even wipe it away.
"According to the investigation, the wounds on Sergei's body are consistent with the ones that assassin—who failed to kill him previously—inflicted on my soldiers. It is highly likely the same person returned to finish the job."
The officer spoke tremulously to the City Lord, terrified that a wrong tone or word might further enrage him. He lacked any of the arrogance he usually showed his subordinates, looking instead like a dog that had misbehaved, not daring to speak loudly.
He had no choice; he was just a minor military police officer, not a general of the regular army. One word from Count Boris and he'd be forced to pack his bags and get out. As for his subordinates standing up for him? Impossible. Those people were currently hoping his rank would be stripped so they could compete for his position.
"And how do you explain that room full of unconscious people? Did they all decide to have a drinking party and pass out simultaneously? The enemy has the ability to silently subdue such a large group of men—have you considered what would happen if they came to assassinate me?"
This was what truly terrified Boris. The soldiers guarding his own home wouldn't be configured the same way as Sergei's; the guards protecting him were elites and high-priced retired veterans. Yet, even those hand-picked elites couldn't claim they could achieve such a feat. They weren't even fully confident in ensuring his safety if such an intruder appeared.
Furthermore, this was the most sensitive period for Chernobog. An incident like this occurring now was essentially telling the Emperor that his management was incompetent. The Emperor might even use this as a pretext to move against him in the future.
Agitated, Boris walked briskly down the hospital corridor. In his distraction, he didn't notice his surroundings and brushed past a nurse at a corner. He didn't pay it any mind; he had more important things to deal with. At a time like this, a murder case—let alone a robbery—could become a laughingstock.
The nurse looked back at the disappearing figure of Boris for a moment before entering Sergei's room. Looking at Sergei, who was wrapped in bandages like a mummy, she observed him for a bit before leaving.
Along the way, the doctors and nurses nearby gave her strange looks. Was there such a nurse in our hospital? Why don't I have any memory of her?
"Hey, have you seen that Feline nurse before? I don't recall her at all."
"I certainly haven't. If I'd seen a nurse with looks like that, how could I not remember her? She must be new."
The nurse did not linger. She entered the rooms of several unconscious soldiers to check their conditions before stepping into a room and vanishing.
Kal'tsit let her Mon3tr carry her as she landed smoothly from a high vantage point. She casually tossed the Chernobog hospital nurse uniform into a laundry bin and left the area.
She had come solely to confirm the specifics of Jeanne's situation. Based on the information gathered so far, the other party's speed and strength were off the charts, not to mention the seemingly strange abilities. Her primary goal was naturally to observe the actions of Jeanne and Talulah. The more she tested them, the more questions arose in Kal'tsit's mind; she hadn't felt this curious in a very long time.
This group didn't just have unknown ties to Laterano; their existence was significant enough to warrant surveillance by the Emperor's Blades (Inner Guards)...
She had done nothing today but quietly track Jeanne and Talulah's movements from a distance. This had allowed her to discover some discrepancies—the route they took to find those children was far too accurate!
That was the problem. How did they know where the children were? Throughout the day, Kal'tsit hadn't seen them take a single wrong turn. In the Doctor's words, it was as if they had "God's perspective."
By the end of the day, Kal'tsit had roughly guessed that this was likely Jeanne's ability. To her knowledge, the Draco race possessed no such power, and during the expedition, the team was clearly following Jeanne's lead.
The reason she had come to the hospital was to confirm the outcome of the battle. Truth be told, when Jeanne had rushed in with Lyudmila earlier, Kal'tsit had actually lost their trail.