"Six… one is still missing."
Sweeping her gaze across the scene, Chen assessed the situation. There was one fewer suspect than expected.
It had to be said, these people had chosen their positions well. Aside from the door, there was almost no other way to enter the room.
The floor-to-ceiling windows could be used, but without sufficient force, breaking through would be difficult and it would also interfere with Shirou's support.
Weighing the options, Chen abandoned the idea of a two-pronged assault and chose to rely on Shirou instead.
Sending five people in from outside might not even be as effective as Shirou firing five arrows.
Moreover, Shirou's support had not disappointed her. That first shot had perfectly drawn the attention of those inside.
Those suspects probably never expected the Guard Department to act this boldly.
There was certainly an element of risk, but it was all based on her recognition of Shirou's strength.
Since Wei Yenwu had placed Shirou under her command for observation, she would make full use of this powerful trump card.
"Hmm… so it actually works like that?"
Holding her shield and assisting in subduing several suspects, Hoshiguma muttered to herself as she glanced at the shattered window.
She truly had not expected Shirou to be this bold.
"Do not relax! One suspect is still missing!"
Seeing the Guard Department quickly suppress the situation, Chen reminded everyone over the communication channel.
Hearing her warning, everyone on site immediately became alert.
Several Guard Department members tightened their formation, keeping the hostages protected behind them.
"One of them is missing…? No, could they be mixed in with the hostages?"
Carefully observing everyone inside, Shirou kept his bow drawn as he frowned slightly in thought.
Although his vision had been interfered with earlier by Originium Arts, he had not seen anyone leave.
His mind raced, and he concluded that the last person was likely hiding among the hostages.
His gaze swept over the six hostages being protected by the Guard Department. For a moment, he truly could not tell who it was. He was not yet able to detect something off about a person purely from their expression or demeanor.
However, his solid combat experience kept him maintaining his drawn bow.
The enemy would not simply wait to be captured. They would seize an opportunity to take a hostage or attack the Guard Department.
As for whether the suspect might try to escape in the chaos, that was not something Shirou needed to worry about.
His task was to ensure the safety of Chen, Hoshiguma, and the other Guard Department members carrying out the assault.
Besides, Swire and her team had already surrounded the area below. Escaping would not be easy unless the person could fly.
"..."
What Shirou could think of, Chen had naturally already considered.
However, Chen accounted for more possibilities. In her estimation, the suspect could be hiding anywhere.
Among the hostages, inside ceiling ducts, beneath desks… she had seen people hide in all kinds of places during past missions.
While Shirou relied more on instinct, Chen relied on the experience she had accumulated through countless operations.
Holding her standard-issue sword, Chen carefully monitored her surroundings.
Aside from her earlier warning to the team, she made no further sound.
Alerting the enemy prematurely would be a mistake.
After cautiously inspecting the area, Chen did not find anyone under the desks.
"The suspect is among the hostages!"
Shirou's voice suddenly came through the channel. Chen immediately turned toward the hostages.
"Hah!"
In the next instant, one of the hostages suddenly extended a hand covered in Originium crystals and unleashed several fireballs toward Chen.
The nearby Guard Department personnel reacted immediately, using a standard shield to pin the attacker to the ground, but the fireballs that had already been released did not stop.
In that split second, Chen's hand moved to the sword at her waist, preparing to draw it.
But faster than Chen's draw were several arrows.
About six or seven fireballs were intercepted midair, shattered from the side by arrows. The one who fired them was Shirou from afar.
The moment the attacker raised his hand and Shirou saw the Originium crystals on it, he knew who the hidden suspect was.
However, because the suspect was too close to the other hostages and Guard Department members, Shirou did not attack him directly.
Although he was confident he could eliminate the target without harming others, he could not predict the movements of everyone else.
Taking that into account, he shifted his aim to the incoming spells, directly neutralizing them and successfully providing cover.
Originium Arts-based attacks could be blocked or countered by other attacks, provided one could react in time.
The speed of those spells was not slow, but to Shirou, it was nothing special.
They were not even as fast as that golden guy's thrown Noble Phantasms.
"Nice work."
The fireballs left only a faint layer of soot on Chen. Even that came from Shirou's arrows, which, after destroying the spells, continued on and struck the office floor.
Glancing at the small craters in the ground and the arrows dissolving into blue light, Chen could not help but twitch slightly at the corner of her mouth.
These are arrows? Are you sure they are not artillery shells?
Well, as long as they did not explode, it was fine. If they had, it would not just be the floor but this entire building might have been gone.
The other Guard Department members quickly reacted as well, forcefully subduing the Infected suspect who had attacked Chen.
The treatment for ordinary criminals and Infected criminals was not the same. For the former, confiscating their weapons and restraining them with handcuffs was enough to remove their ability to resist.
But the latter were essentially walking weapons themselves. Worse still, you did not even know what kind of attacks they could use.
Direct and forceful suppression was the best option.
Of course, proper protective measures had to be taken. Otherwise, even a small scratch during their struggle could lead to infection.
"…This is a bit excessive."
Hoshiguma looked at the several large holes in the floor, then at the small hole in the window, and could not help but comment.
She thought she had already seen quite a lot in her life, but Shirou's move made her realize her experience was still lacking.
"I feel the same way. You can probably understand now why Chief Wei arranged for Shirou to be a newbie at the Guard Department, right?"
Beside her, Chen moved her hand away from the second sword at her waist. All seven suspects had been captured, so there was time for a brief conversation.
Of course, that only applied to Hoshiguma.
If anyone else dared to chat like this, they would surely be reprimanded.
"I completely understand now. He is basically a humanoid tactical finisher! As long as Shirou is around, even the hardest missions become easy mode."
Holding her shield, Hoshiguma walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and reached out to touch the small hole in it.
There was still a trace of warmth lingering.
Normally, a typical attack would shatter the glass, just like Shirou's first shot.
…Actually, to correct that, from such a distance, a normal attack would struggle to break it at all.
As for creating a clean hole like this…
The only explanation was that Shirou's attack was so powerful that it pierced straight through.
That alone was not particularly surprising—there were people capable of that.
What puzzled Hoshiguma more was that there was only one hole in the window, but seven holes in the floor.
That made her very curious.
"'Tactical finisher'… that is a very fitting name."
Hearing Hoshiguma's words, Chen let out a small laugh.
Indeed, with Shirou present, she had barely considered complex tactics and had simply charged in.
No wonder she had always felt something was missing during the mission, a sense of unease. It turned out she had been influenced by Shirou's overwhelming support during their nighttime operations.
She had only just adjusted back over the past few days, and now it felt like she was about to be pulled off track again.
And not just her—the entire Guard Department might end up the same way.
At this rate, after a few more missions with Shirou, every commander in the department might start thinking that simply charging in was enough.
At that thought, Chen found herself worrying about the future of the Guard Department.
"Let us clean up the scene first. Take these people down."
Worry was one thing, but the priority now was clearing the situation.
There were only seven suspects who had fled here. That much was certain.
Not every mission would involve unexpected complications.
"Alright. Take care of yourself. Do not overdo it."
Although she did not know why her partner suddenly looked troubled, Hoshiguma gave her some space.
Taking over command, Hoshiguma instructed the Guard Department members present to escort the suspects away.
At the same time, she left some personnel to guide the hostages out.
Meanwhile, after receiving the order to withdraw, Shirou dispelled all the magic he had been maintaining.
It was still only morning. He still had Guard Department duties in the afternoon, and other work in the evening. Excessive use of magical energy would affect what came next.
And there was no telling if another field operation might come up.
At this point, Shirou truly understood just how physically and mentally exhausting it was for the Guard Department to carry out a single field mission.
If he were alone, at worst he would simply severely injure those suspects.
But when working alongside the Guard Department, Shirou had to consider much more.
Rules, hostages, command structure, and others.
The thing that pressured him the most was the expectations placed upon him.
He could feel that Chen had very high expectations of him.
Because of that, Shirou put in a great deal of effort to live up to those expectations.
So far, the results seemed quite good.
"Incredible! You can actually hit moving spells!"
A member of the sniper team nearby had originally wanted to get on friendly terms with Shirou, but after seeing him shoot down moving spells, he changed his approach.
He did not just want to befriend him anymore—he wanted to learn sniping techniques from him.
"Uh… it is nothing special."
Faced with such enthusiasm, Shirou quietly took a step back.
Even after spending so much time with Penguin Logistics, he still was not used to such direct enthusiasm from others.
More precisely, this Guard Department member's attitude was very different from that of the people at Penguin Logistics.
The admiration and reverence in his expression were almost overflowing, and Shirou did not quite know how to deal with that.
He did not feel that he deserved to be treated that way.
"Do not be modest. At this distance and under such poor conditions, being able to precisely hit spells like that already proves your ability."
Seeing that Shirou seemed uncomfortable, the member tactfully stepped back as well, giving him space.
After all, someone that capable might naturally have their own quirks. Respecting that was important.
"Thank you."
Seeing the other person tone it down, Shirou let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He had just been considering whether he should simply leave.
The two stood there awkwardly for a while, until Chen's voice over the communication channel broke the silence.
"Sniper team, pack up and regroup. Shirou, come down and report to me."
After clearing the scene, Chen began signaling everyone to withdraw.
Meanwhile, Swire had already taken custody of the seven suspects and headed back to the Guard Department first.
Before leaving, however, she seemed to be going on about needing to have another proper talk with Shirou about life goals, insisting she could not let him remain with that "good-for-nothing dragon."
Chen was not sure whether she had deliberately left her communicator on, as if looking to start an argument.
It did not matter. There would be plenty of time to confront her later.
As for calling Shirou down, the reason was simple. He was not part of the sniper team, so there was no need for him to stay and help pack up.
The sniper team was good in many ways, but every mission required carrying crossbows and a large number of bolts.
She even wondered whether Shirou's ability to create arrows could be replicated somehow. If it could, the sniper team's effectiveness would improve significantly.
However, she had no intention of asking him to teach it.
Originium Arts were a mysterious thing.
On one hand, basic techniques could be learned and used effectively through proper training and a staff.
On the other hand, some people could not even perform basic Arts, no matter how skilled their instructor.
Chen herself belonged to the latter group.
Ordinary staves did not work well in her hands, for reasons she did not fully understand.
Still, her main combat strength came from the two swords at her side, so she did not dwell on it.
Especially the one at her waist, that was her trump card.
Although it was unreliable and difficult for her to control.
If Shirou had not acted just now, she would have had to gamble on whether she could draw it successfully.
Even if she failed, her standard sword would still have been enough to block the fireballs, though she would likely have taken some minor injuries.
"Officer Chen, what should I do now?"
As soon as Shirou came down, he saw Chen standing beside a Guard Department vehicle. Her face was slightly smudged with soot, but there were no obvious injuries.
If nothing unexpected had happened… that soot was probably caused by his earlier attack.
Thinking that, Shirou's tone became a bit more cautious.
"You did very well this time. Get in the vehicle. We are heading back to the Guard Department."
Chen, who had been momentarily lost in thought, snapped back when she heard his voice and directly signaled for him to get in.