Under Shirou's lead, the group encountered almost no danger along the way.
He had no intention of confronting the drones head-on. For most of the journey, they simply avoided them whenever possible.
There was not even any need to attack.
Once they attacked and destroyed a drone, their position would be exposed and what followed would likely be even more drones.
In short, although Shirou had the ability to brute-force his way through this situation, doing so right now would have no real benefit.
It might even slow everything down.
So instead, he relied on his vision and hearing to detect and evade the drones in advance.
"Are you somehow connected to the surveillance system around here? How are you dodging them so precisely every time?"
After watching Shirou repeatedly guide them past the drones, Blaze could not help but ask once they reached a safe spot.
She was certain that he was making these judgments on his own, not through any information from a communicator.
It was honestly absurd.
"…Just looking and listening more?"
Facing her question, Shirou did not hide anything.
That was exactly what he was doing.
It was just that others did not have his level of vision and perception.
"Then I will pass. Maybe Scout or other snipers could manage that."
Blaze had already experienced Shirou's eyesight firsthand.
Things she could not see, he could. And things she could see, he could see even more clearly down to reading the serial numbers on them.
She was not exaggerating. Just earlier, Shirou had pointed out a number and asked them what type of drone it was.
He said he had never seen that model before.
And Scout had recognized that it was a reconnaissance drone.
Blaze clearly remembered that it had only flashed by briefly and it was at quite a distance.
Yet he had seen it and memorized the number?
Ridiculous.
"When you meet Chen later, be careful… do not get startled."
Pressing his communicator, Shirou turned and gave them a warning.
He was worried that when they met Chen, they might be startled by her powerful voice.
Although it was unlikely she would start scolding people in this situation, it was better to be safe.
"I can hear you. I will settle this with you later. Also, the plan has changed…"
Even though Shirou had tried to cover the communicator, as long as it was not fully cut off, some sound would still get through especially in such a quiet environment.
Chen and Hoshiguma had basically been passing the time listening to Shirou's side of things during the stakeout.
"…Understood."
Hearing her voice, Shirou felt a wave of helplessness.
There was nothing he could do, he had underestimated how sensitive the communicator was.
"Is something wrong?"
Seeing his expression suddenly fall, Amiya stepped forward with concern.
Even if it was only a small contribution, Rhodes Island still wanted to help.
"No, nothing. The plan has changed, I need to flank from the other side."
While Amiya was checking on him, Chen had already instructed him to approach from another direction.
If Shirou were alone, regrouping would not be an issue. But with others behind him, it was not appropriate and they might expose Chen and Hoshiguma's position.
For some reason, Chen had the faint impression that these people were subtly on guard against something.
She was not entirely sure, but it was better to be cautious.
In addition to redirecting Shirou to flank, she also notified Swire to be ready to provide support at any moment.
If this were in the city center, they would have already stormed in. There would be no need to wait like this.
Even as she complained internally, Chen continued planning her next move.
The most dangerous part would fall to her and Hoshiguma.
After all, Shirou had already taken the brunt of an Originium explosive before. Even if he was unharmed, miracles did not happen repeatedly.
At the end of the day, Shirou was here to help them and she would not put him in unnecessary danger.
"Do you need us to come along?"
Amiya asked, since Shirou had not mentioned them just now.
"You can, but it is going to be dangerous from here on."
Chen had not given any instructions regarding them, and she seemed busy at the moment, so Shirou had to make the call himself.
Even before Amiya and the others answered, Shirou already knew what they would choose.
After all, this was exactly why they had come.
"Do not worry. This kind of operation is relatively low-risk for us. We are professionals at this."
Ace, standing nearby, gave a thumbs-up.
"So you are supposed to be a pharmaceutical company… right? Why do you feel more like a mercenary organization?"
Hearing how experienced they sounded in combat, Shirou could not help but complain.
He had been trying hard to convince himself that Rhodes Island was a proper medical company, but they really should stop casually talking about fighting all the time.
It made it very difficult for him to believe that.
"Of course we are a pharmaceutical company! Hahaha…"
Standing to the side, Amiya replied a bit awkwardly. Seeing her expression, Shirou immediately knew he was definitely not the first person to ask this question so directly.
"Let us talk about that later. We should deal with this first."
Watching everyone force out awkward smiles along with Amiya, Shirou decided it was best not to pursue the topic further.
After a quick regroup and notifying Scout who was not currently stationed with them, the group prepared to move toward the other side.
From this point on, the number of drones they encountered increased significantly.
"The number of these drones… does it feel a bit too high?"
Seeing several drones flying in the distance, Ace began to feel something was off.
Including the ones that had attacked them earlier…
It seemed likely that either they or Shirou had been discovered early on and were already being monitored.
If that was the case, then there might be a problem with the intelligence source.
As he analyzed the situation, Ace voiced his suspicion.
"Indeed… for a transaction of this scale, this number of drones is excessive. Rather than a trade site, this feels more like a large-scale trap. Amiya, do you still want to proceed?"
Scout, providing support from afar, also gave his opinion.
Both of them were experienced elite operators of Rhodes Island, capable of identifying issues from subtle clues and pinpointing the key problem.
"…A trap?"
After hearing their analysis, Amiya began to think it through. If that were true, continuing deeper would be dangerous.
Putting operators in harm's way was not what Rhodes Island stood for.
However, everyone present were elite operators.
Even if it sounded strange for a pharmaceutical company, their combat experience was undeniable.
Besides, they were not exactly a typical pharmaceutical company to begin with.
What kind of medical company would treat infected individuals regardless of cost?
Rhodes Island's original goal had never been profit from medicine.
It was to help the infected change their situation…
to change a reality where they were despised, discriminated against, and even hated.
Lifting her head, Amiya looked at everyone present and said:
"We move forward. Even if it is a trap, we have to proceed and we are not the only ones fighting, the Lungmen Guard Department is also engaged we have no reason to retreat."
Looking at the small and slender Cautus girl in front of him, and hearing her words, Shirou could feel the strength of her conviction.
"So your name is Amiya? I am starting to like this organization called Rhodes Island."
It was not only Shirou who felt that way even Hoshiguma, listening through the communicator, thought the same.
Even without seeing her, judging by that youthful voice, Amiya was clearly very young.
To possess such conviction at that age… perhaps Rhodes Island really was—
Thinking this, and recalling the earlier conversation she overheard, Hoshiguma was no longer entirely certain.
"…"
As for Chen, she paused briefly after hearing Amiya's words, then quickly returned to her usual composure and continued coordinating personnel.
Once Shirou's team reached their destination, the operation would begin.
At that point, both sides would pin down everyone inside, while Swire would immediately lead reinforcements to support them.
Even if she did not like to admit it, having Rhodes Island's people involved had indeed reduced a lot of pressure.
At the very least, they were cooperative and had not acted recklessly.
If it were the old her, she would have strongly opposed letting them remain on standby from the very beginning. But after working with Shirou who was an external ally from Penguin Logistics she was now no longer as resistant.
Still, there was a difference.
Shirou was from Lungmen. It was perfectly natural for someone from Lungmen to help Lungmen.
So when necessary, she would still reprimand him, no matter how noble his ideals were.
If Shirou had not noticed earlier, the entire operation might have been thrown into chaos.
As for Shirou himself, he did not have much reaction at the moment.
Right now, the safety of the entire team rested on his shoulders.
If they were in a relatively safe place like before, he might have had the time to think more deeply. But now…
It was better not to.
The issue Ace raised was actually something Shirou had noticed quite early on. He had simply assumed it was normal as they got closer to the enemy.
But from what the others were saying…
What concerned them was that the number of drones was suspiciously high.
That was an angle Shirou had not considered before but thinking about it carefully, it did make sense.
Compared to previous operations he had participated in, the number of drones he was seeing this time was probably the second highest.
As for the first?
That had already been completely blown away that night by his Caladbolg. They had barely taken off before being wiped out.
And… Shirou could not shake the feeling of an extremely strong malice in the air.
With his past experience and what had just happened, he was certain that the enemy's target was him alone and Rhodes Island had simply been dragged into it.
He did not know where this ability came from, but whenever someone harbored ill intent toward him, he could sense it.
If it was something minor that was manageable, after all that was just everyday life at Penguin Logistics. But anything beyond that would put him on guard.
Because that meant the other party had already begun thinking about how to deal with him… or even eliminate him.
It was not very useful in direct combat, but for reconnaissance, it worked quite well.
The downside was that it seemed ineffective against drones.
Still, since it was an ability he had gained out of nowhere, there was no point nitpicking.
"Have you all decided?"
To be safe, Shirou asked Amiya and the others once more.
"Yes. Rhodes Island will assist the Guard Department in capturing those people in this operation. I have already called for support from Blacksteel. Please do not worry."
Amiya's expression was full of determination. Beside her, Ace, Blaze, and Rosmontis shared the same resolve.
"I see."
Looking at them, the tension that had been building inside Shirou over the past few days eased considerably.
"Then stay close! Things are going to get very dangerous from here on. I will not be watching over you the whole time!"
Turning around, Shirou spoke.
At the same time, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands.
For some reason, Shirou felt unusually good at that moment.
Over the past few days, he had been angered by the actions of those people, and fearful of the version of himself tainted by black mud. But after seeing Amiya and Rhodes Island make their choice, he felt much lighter.
There were still many who stood up for the weak against evil.
Was that not a good thing?
Just like allies of justice.
"…"
Seeing the black-and-white twin blades suddenly appear in Shirou's hands, Amiya opened her mouth to speak but before she could, he had already rushed forward.
"Follow him!"
Swallowing her words, Amiya directed everyone to keep up with Shirou.
The others were briefly stunned by the twin blades in his hands, but quickly snapped back to attention at Amiya's command and followed after him.
"In the front… and the left too?"
Throwing Kanshou and Bakuya, Shirou destroyed the drones before they could even launch an attack.
There was no longer any need to worry about being discovered.
As for why he had suddenly changed his combat style, it was because of what Rhodes Island had just suggested: that this might be a trap.
If that was the case, then his role was to draw as much attention to himself as possible.
The more drones or enemies they sent after him, the easier things would be for Chen and her side.
And if it was not a trap… then it did not matter. The end result would be roughly the same.
As for the Rhodes Island members behind him, although he had said he would not watch over them, that was only half true.
If he had the spare capacity, he would still lend support.
Or perhaps… they would not need his help at all.