Chapter 171: Lucci's Arrival
"Lucci, why don't we just grab that brat and be done with it? And where the hell is Blueno? That guy should've been able to escape!"
Jabra's voice echoed down the corridor, loud enough to ruin any notion of stealth.
He did not seem to care that they were in the middle of an infiltration. His temper had already gotten the better of him. Blueno's ability was exactly why they had sent him ahead to test the situation. No matter how badly things went, he should have been able to open a door and retreat.
But so much time had passed, and there was still no sign of him.
There was only one explanation.
He had failed.
The problem was that even failure should not have kept Blueno trapped.
"Who's there!"
Jabra's shouting drew attention almost immediately. A group of Marines rushed out from a nearby corridor, weapons raised.
"They don't have our insignia."
"And I've never seen their faces before. Enemy Marines!"
The Marines exchanged quick glances, then charged without hesitation.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses with one finger, her expression calm.
"Jabra," she said, her tone sharp with reproach, "we are currently on an infiltration mission. Lower your voice."
"Moonwalk."
Her body tilted forward, and she stepped lightly through the air. At the same time, she drew the thorned whip at her side.
The whip moved like a living snake in her hand. It lashed through the corridor in a blur, striking wrists, ankles, shoulders, and ribs with precise cruelty. In the next instant, the charging Marines collapsed one after another, their uniforms torn and their skin marked by bloody cuts.
Before they could even groan properly, Jabra rushed in from behind and kicked them aside like scattered pins.
"What's the big deal?" he said, rolling his shoulders. "The Marines here aren't much."
He turned back to Lucci, still waiting for an answer.
Lucci walked behind them with his usual cold expression, his black clothes untouched by dust or blood.
"The mission comes first."
Jabra clicked his tongue. "Isn't the fastest way to finish the mission exactly what that idiot superior said? Capture the kid, then search him properly."
"Jabra," Lucci said. "Do not forget the purpose of this mission. We are here to verify whether the Pluton blueprints were truly destroyed. Today's task is to search the base for any possibility that the blueprints are hidden here. Axel comes second."
Kalifa added, "As for Blueno, it is obvious his attack failed and he has been detained. Otherwise, he would have returned by now. Do not let the target's age fool you. A child who can injure Lucci is not weak."
"...Damn it."
Jabra's expression twisted. He was clearly still unwilling to let it go.
Kalifa glanced at him. "Besides, you would not want to lose to Kaku, would you? Imagine his face if he finds the blueprints before you."
That finally worked.
At the moment, CP9 had split into two groups. With Blueno missing, Lucci, Jabra, and Kalifa formed one team, while Kaku, Fukurou, and Kumadori formed the other.
Jabra and Kaku had never gotten along. Kaku's constant confident smile was especially irritating to him. Every time Jabra saw it, he had the urge to claw it off his face.
"Tch." Jabra suppressed his impatience. "Fine. Search first."
Elsewhere in the base, Lieutenant Commander Euleia sat in a quiet room and took a slow sip of tea.
One of his subordinates stood beside him, looking uneasy.
"Lieutenant Commander Euleia, shouldn't we join the battle?"
Euleia set the teacup down.
"We will. But not yet."
The subordinate looked confused. "Why not now?"
"If you enter the battle now and perform well," Euleia said calmly, "you become a hero among the Marines."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
To be admired by one's subordinates, to collect honor, to gain prestige—what was wrong with that?
Euleia looked at him.
"Many heroes have appeared throughout history. And what becomes of them? Heroes often lose control of power because they give too much for too little in return. Tell me, compared with honor, are you willing to give up your life?"
The subordinate nearly answered out of instinct.
Marine education had taught him what the correct answer should be.
But the words stopped at his throat.
After thinking it over, he realized that compared with honor, life and power mattered more to him.
Euleia continued, "Heroes sacrifice themselves for others. I have no intention of becoming one. According to my information, our Captain is still in his office and does not seem prepared to appear. He even ordered food. If he refuses to show himself during a battle he started, his prestige will take a hit."
He lifted his cup again.
"When the situation turns unfavorable, or when our side is defeated, I will step forward. The effect will be much better than appearing now."
The subordinate finally understood.
In another part of the base, several Marines lay sprawled outside a room, groaning in pain.
Inside, documents were scattered everywhere.
"Nothing. Nothing. Still nothing!" Jabra growled as he flipped through files with his claws. "Searching for stuff is annoying. I'd rather fight."
He looked careless, almost rough, but a sharp gleam hid in the corner of his eyes. His hands were fast, and his attention missed little.
Jabra appeared loud and boorish, but that was only the surface. Beneath that temper was the cunning of a wolf.
Kalifa, by contrast, searched with elegance. She turned each page slowly, as if she were reading in a quiet library rather than rifling through a Marine office during an exercise.
Jabra glared at her.
"Kalifa, can you move faster? If Kaku finds it first, I'll never hear the end of it."
"There is still an entire day," Kalifa replied. "A careful search is the only way to avoid missing anything."
"The word 'miss' has nothing to do with me." Jabra snorted.
Then he looked around.
"Wait. Where's Lucci?"
Kalifa continued turning pages.
"Lucci went to find the mission target."
"What?" Jabra's eyes widened. "You're telling me Lucci went after that brat? Who was the one saying the mission comes first? And he didn't even take me?"
His body leaned forward.
Coarse, dark fur burst from his skin. His face stretched, his snout lengthened, and sharp fangs appeared beneath his lips.
In the blink of an eye, Jabra transformed into his wolf form and crashed through the door, rushing out of the room.
Meanwhile, following the intelligence they had gathered beforehand, Lucci arrived at the door to Axel's office.
"So this is it."
Hattori, the pigeon on his shoulder, seemed to sense what was coming and flew away on its own.
Lucci pushed open the door.
Inside, Axel sat at his desk as if he had been waiting.
"Welcome to my base."
He deliberately emphasized the words "my base," as if asking whether Lucci truly thought it was acceptable to barge in uninvited.
Lucci's expression did not change.
"I hope you will cooperate this time. That would save us both unnecessary trouble."
Axel gave an indifferent shrug, placed down his knife and fork, and finished the last bite of his meal. Then he wiped his mouth casually with a cloth from the table.
"I've been cooperating with the investigation all along, haven't I?"
"If that counts as cooperation," Lucci said, "then we would have far too many problems to handle every day."
"Capable people always have more work to do. A little extra trouble now and then isn't so bad."
Lucci had no interest in banter.
"I will ask once more. Will you cooperate with the investigation?"
Axel paused for half a second.
Then he answered.
"No."
"I don't know what you are trying so hard to hide," Lucci said, his voice cold, "but you would be wise to cooperate with justice. In this world, evil has no path forward."
Axel laughed.
"I don't think so. Darkness swallows light, and light drives away darkness. Justice and evil oppose each other, but it is precisely because evil exists that justice can shine so brightly. That is an undeniable fact."
.....
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