Nighttime, Lungmen slums, inside a certain building.
"…So in the end, it is still the three of us acting together?"
While picking up the equipment that had been prepared in advance inside the building, Shirou looked at the other two and asked.
"Wei Yenwu said the three of us will handle it. Swire will stay on standby and provide support at any time."
Dressed in protective gear, Chen replied.
Even Shirou could hear the strong sense of helplessness in her tone.
"Well, the slums and the Guard Department do not exactly get along. If we suddenly launch a large-scale operation, it will easily provoke certain people and make things harder for us."
Hoshiguma added from the side. This was mainly directed at Shirou, Chen's current mood was more about wanting to vent at Chief Wei.
After all, with fewer people involved, most of the pressure would fall on the three of them.
She and Chen did not mind as they were already used to it.
But placing that pressure on Shirou was not ideal. Especially since several people claiming to be his "family" had already asked them to make sure he did not overwork himself, saying he had been acting strangely these past few days.
This was something the three of them had also noticed.
But whether it was those so-called family members or the three of them, none had managed to get any answers out of him.
Shirou seemed capable of getting along with anyone, yet at the same time kept a certain distance from everyone.
How should one describe it… cold on the outside, warm inside, but even colder at the core?
"That makes sense."
Listening to Hoshiguma's explanation, Shirou nodded.
He was familiar with the situation between the Guard Department and the slums, since he often moved between the two.
The Guard Department already had barely enough manpower to manage Lungmen's urban areas, let alone the more chaotic slums.
On top of that, gangs, thugs, and even some Infected residents did not welcome their presence, which further discouraged the Guard Department from intervening.
"Alright, time to move out. Shirou, you stay on the rooftop of this building to observe and provide sniper support. If necessary, you can change positions, but do not go too far. The terrain in this area is complicated and it is easy to lose sight of your targets."
While listening to the conversation between Shirou and Hoshiguma, Chen finished putting on her gear and began issuing instructions.
Their team composition was well balanced: one sniper, one guard, and one defender.
It was enough to handle many situations.
And with Shirou, who could switch combat styles at any time, their tactics could be even more flexible.
"Understood."
Shirou already knew all of this. This building had been cleared in advance by the Guard Department specifically to serve as his sniper point.
Even the protective gear worn by Chen and Hoshiguma had been pre-positioned here.
Otherwise, three fully armed individuals walking into the slums would be far too conspicuous.
His role this time was mainly reconnaissance and sniping and stepping in for close combat support if the situation became unclear.
"By the way, Shirou, are you not planning to wear protective gear? This mission might require close-quarters combat."
After briefly assigning roles, Chen looked at Shirou's light Guard Department uniform and asked.
It was too light, almost as if he were simply going to work rather than into battle.
"This is enough. Protective gear interferes with shooting and movement."
Touching his right arm slightly, Shirou nodded.
Armor did affect his mobility to some extent, but the defensive benefits were too limited. It was better not to wear it.
Besides, his right arm was wrapped in a holy shroud and when necessary, he could use that outfit.
It was not completely impervious, but it was far more effective than standard armor.
"Then be careful."
Seeing his stance, Chen did not insist.
Everyone had their own way of fighting. If Shirou were her subordinate, she would have forced him to wear it.
But they were cooperating as equals, and to some extent… he might even be stronger than her.
So she had no grounds to push further.
"Do not worry. I will block any attacks."
While raising her large shield Hannya Hoshiguma gave a bright confident smile.
Just looking at it gave one a strong sense of security.
"I will rely on you for cover. Keep communication open."
Hearing Hoshiguma's words, Chen nodded and pointed to the communicator at her ear.
She was cautious and she had to be.
Operating with fewer people reduced the chance of alerting the enemy, but it also brought many risks.
Maintaining communication and smooth coordination was crucial.
After confirming that their communicators were all on the same channel, Chen and Hoshiguma left the building.
Meanwhile, Shirou stepped forward and headed up to the rooftop.
The wind on the rooftop was strong. For late June, it felt a bit chilly.
As the cool breeze brushed past him, Shirou felt his mind clear up.
"Trace on"
A black bow and arrows appeared in his hands. Standing at the top of the building, Shirou kept watch over Chen and Hoshiguma, scanning their surroundings for danger or ambushes.
At the slightest movement, he would immediately inform them and stop the threat.
Fortunately, nothing happened along the way. The two of them reached their destination smoothly.
As for the transaction site… he could not see it.
The location they had chosen was well thought out, there were obstructions all around, and the terrain was quite complex.
After confirming that the two had arrived safely, Shirou assessed that this sniper position was not very effective and requested to relocate.
"Approved."
Chen's voice came through the communicator.
After receiving permission, Shirou looked around, searching for a better vantage point.
If he could not find one, he would have to regroup with them.
Of course, he could also choose to clear the obstacles with a few arrows or even a Noble Phantasm, creating a perfect sniping environment.
But before that, he would probably get arrested by his own side.
And unless absolutely necessary, Shirou did not want to go that far.
"That is…"
While searching for a new position and occasionally checking on Chen and Hoshiguma, Shirou spotted several figures moving on the other side.
Some of them even looked familiar.
If he was not mistaken… they were wearing Rhodes Island jackets?
Since he interacted with them often, Shirou was somewhat familiar with Rhodes Island's insignia.
"What is it?"
Hearing Shirou's faint murmur, Hoshiguma asked about the situation.
"Someone seems to be heading your way. Stay alert. I will go check what is going on."
Shirou did not guarantee that everything was fine, that would be irresponsible toward their lives.
The safest approach was for Chen and Hoshiguma to stay vigilant while he verified the situation.
"Understood. Be careful."
Chen did not stop him.
Putting away his bow, Shirou leapt straight down from the tenth floor.
Midair, his clothing emitted a faint blue glow, transforming into a red magecraft outfit before he landed smoothly.
He landed without a single sound.
After landing, Shirou ran toward the direction where he had seen the Rhodes Island group, switching his outfit back to the standard Guard Department jacket.
The other outfit was too conspicuous, this one was better for identification.
At the same time, he took out his phone, set it to silent and made a call.
"Shirou? Why are you calling at this hour?"
The call was quickly answered. Minmin's voice came through.
Cutting off the Guard Department communicator, Shirou asked:
"Does Rhodes Island have an operation tonight?"
"How did you know? Wait…do not tell me you are acting tonight too? Did you run into each other?"
Minmin was confused at first, then quickly realized that Shirou had been gathering related intelligence recently. It was very likely that they had chosen the same night.
If that was the case, things were bad.
What was going on? Had the Guard Department not been unresponsive this whole time? Why did they suddenly deploy people without notice?
"Yes. Can you contact them?"
Shirou continued moving at high speed.
"I can… hold on a moment. I will use my phone to relay the call so you can speak directly."
After Minmin said that, Shirou heard a few bumps, followed by the sound of running.
Why could he hear it so clearly?
Because the slapping sound of running in slippers was unmistakably loud.
"Hello?"
Soon, a slightly distorted voice came through the phone. Even with the distortion, Shirou could tell it was a young woman.
That was normal, considering the phone was being used as a relay.
"Are you heading toward the transaction site right now? Could you stop for a moment? My teammates are already in position nearby. If you proceed recklessly, it will cause trouble."
Without giving the other side a chance to speak, Shirou quickly laid out everything he had prepared to say.
"…Understood. We will halt our operation immediately."
Fortunately, the other party was easy to communicate with and very cooperative, stopping their actions at once.
"Stay where you are and do not move. I am heading over to your location."
A verbal agreement did not mean much. To be safe, Shirou decided to go over and confirm the situation himself.
As for how to find them?
Simply go to where he last saw them, then head toward their destination. He would likely run into them along the way.
"Alright, we are at… here. There is a very noticeable white building and we are in the alley next to it."
The other party reported their location.
"I will be there shortly."
With both the address and their position, it saved Shirou quite a bit of trouble.
Very quickly, Shirou arrived near the indicated location, slowing his pace as he approached.
His communicator was currently cut off on his end, though he could still occasionally hear Chen and Hoshiguma exchanging reminders.
While he trusted Rhodes Island, that trust was mainly limited to Minmin and a few others.
Under different circumstances, he might have been able to chat easily with these people too but unfortunately now was not the time.
"We have eyes on you. A red-haired Guard Department member? Or should we call you Mr. Shirou?"
The slightly distorted female voice came again from the still-connected phone.
As soon as they described his appearance, Shirou immediately looked up.
A tall and familiar Feline woman was observing him through binoculars.
It was Blaze.
Noticing Shirou looking at her, Blaze lowered the binoculars to glance at him directly, then raised them again.
Then lowered them again. Then raised them again.
She seemed confused about how Shirou had managed to spot her.
"I see Blaze too."
Recognizing her, Shirou's guard dropped significantly.
At least she was someone he knew.
"Alright, then please come over to Blaze. We are all here."
Hearing that, Shirou quickened his pace and headed toward where Blaze had been.
As he got closer, he saw about four people waiting there.
Among them were Blaze and Rosmontis, whom he recognized.
And beside Rosmontis the small… rabbit was likely Rhodes Island's leader, Amiya.
Out of the three, two were children.
That made Shirou start wondering whether Rhodes Island was really that short on manpower as not only were they borrowing help but they were borrowing it from a kitten and a little rabbit.
"This is Shirou. The situation here is resolved. I will regroup with you shortly."
Sensing no obvious hostility, Shirou finally relaxed. He ended the phone call and reconnected his communicator to report the situation to Chen.
After confirming that the message had been received, he turned his attention back to the group.
Rosmontis, Amiya, and a bearded man wearing sunglasses, holding a blunt weapon and a shield.
As for Blaze…
Shirou faintly heard something falling from above.
Looking up, a large black "cat" was descending from the sky.
Without hesitation, Shirou reached out and caught her.
He knew cats could jump from high places but jumping from this height seemed a bit excessive.
This thought came from a certain man who had just leapt from a ten-story building himself.
"Oh? Nice catch! Hey…ow, ow, ow!"
Blaze praised him after being caught securely.
Then Shirou dropped her onto the ground.
A small bit of his own complaint, everything had happened too suddenly, and he had barely used any magecraft to cushion the impact.
The force of gravity left his arms slightly numb, especially since she was quite heavy.
She was about the same height as him.
"Nicely done."
The bearded man beside them gave a quiet compliment, then turned and signaled in another direction.
Following the gesture, Shirou spotted a tightly wrapped figure holding a sniper rifle, watching from afar.
Including that sniper, Rhodes Island had deployed a five-person team.
That was already more than what the Guard Department had sent.
Looking at the group, Shirou could not help but silently complain about how much the Guard Department squeezed its personnel.