The rules of the exercise were quite simple. The members of Penguin Logistics would act as criminals who had attacked Lungmen and were now on the run.
Since it was a planned assault, the Penguin Logistics side was fully equipped and even had access to a hidden base.
Only Penguin Logistics knew the location of the base, so if Texas could shake off the Lungmen Guard Department's pursuit, they could enter the base to rest and replenish equipment and fuel.
There were three victory conditions: survive for twelve hours, escape Lungmen, or eliminate more than ninety percent of the Guard Department personnel participating in the exercise.
The failure conditions were also straightforward: being captured or being hit in a vital area would count as elimination.
Vital areas included the head and torso. Depending on the location of a hit to the torso, failure to treat it in time would result in elimination after a set period.
A direct hit to the chest meant immediate elimination.
Other than that, there were the usual safety reminders: avoid causing large-scale destruction and do not harm civilians.
As for the Guard Department… they had a large number of personnel, and they could also use drones, surveillance cameras, and other equipment.
This put Penguin Logistics at a significant disadvantage, but with Yith present, give him some time and he could hack those systems.
Of course, after that, the same method could not be used to hack into the Guard Department's systems again.
After all, once the Guard Department became aware of vulnerabilities in their system, they would certainly fix them.
For Yith, however, it did not matter. In hei eyes as long as something was connected to a network, the Guard Department's defenses were practically nonexistent.
And besides… Shirou was there.
Although he was heavily restricted in long-range attacks, Shirou had just tested firing a suction-cup arrow he projected, and the range still looked quite impressive.
This was practically a guaranteed win. If they did not overwhelm the Guard Department completely, it would count as a loss for them.
After the rules were explained by Black Steel International's Black Snake and Franka, the Penguin Logistics team set off first in their vehicle.
Both sides had their own communication channels, while the referees could connect to both, listen in, and communicate with each side.
Of course, this was mainly for announcing eliminations.
"So that is how it works… I was wondering how they would determine eliminations."
Looking at the camera installed inside the car, Shirou, seated in the front passenger seat, spoke.
"Of course they would set that up. Lungmen has put in a lot of effort for this exercise. How could they possibly overlook something so basic?"
Croissant, sitting in the back seat, replied.
With prize money and vacation time on the line, Croissant was taking this very seriously.
With prize money, she could restock goods. With vacation time, she could set up more stalls.
She could already see her prosperous future.
"Come on, Bread Hero! You can do it!"
"..."
Shirou understood all that, but hearing it from Croissant made him feel as though he was being treated like an idiot.
Forget it. Better to focus on the exercise for now. He could deal with her later.
Thanks to Exusiai's reminder, Shirou now understood his role in this exercise. It was nothing bad, and he would not have to do anything against his conscience, so he was happy to help.
Besides, shooting people with suction-cup arrows sounded rather novel.
At the moment, Shirou was holding one of the suction-cup arrows he had seen at the gathering point earlier. Naturally, the one in his hand was projected, and he was making some adjustments to it.
The modifications were aimed at improving shooting performance, reducing lethality, and making the suction cup stick more effectively.
Influenced by the others, Shirou found himself getting a bit playful, wanting to enjoy the exercise.
Of course, he was not as ruthless as some of them. At most, he would shoot a modified suction-cup arrow straight at someone's forehead.
Just thinking about it felt amusing.
"The Guard Department has started moving. Be careful. You do not have to completely crush them, but at least do not get eliminated too early. Otherwise, I have no idea how much the boss will deduct from your pay."
While the group was chatting in the car, Yith's voice came through the communicator.
"Understood!"
They replied in unison.
Their escape strategy was simple. Escaping Lungmen was immediately ruled out. While it would be the fastest way to end the exercise, all exits were surely heavily guarded.
Unless Shirou set the heavily guraded exists on fireworks. Forcing their way through would lead to a crushing defeat.
After all, elimination was not self-determined. One careless moment and a single hit would result in forced elimination.
Even Shirou was no exception. The defensive advantages provided by his reinforcement magecraft were practically nonexistent here.
In simple terms, reckless charging was not an option.
Therefore, the best strategy was to stall until time ran out. The next best option was to gradually wear down the Guard Department using large quantities of stink bombs.
"Croissant! Sora! Let me tell you! Just pull this and throw it, and that is all. It is completely safe and will not hurt anyone!"
In the back seat, Exusiai was instructing the others on how to use the stink bombs.
Unlike standard Originium explosives, these contained no Originium components. They relied purely on the expansion effect produced by mixing certain substances together, causing them to burst.
Naturally, their explosive power was far weaker than normal explosives. While Exusiai could enhance them further, she had no intention of doing so this time.
After all, the real essence of these bombs lay in what was inside them.
"…I have a feeling you all are definitely going to be remembered by the Guard Department after this."
Seeing the three people in the back getting more and more excited, Shirou could not help but remind them.
"It is fine, it is fine. We have always been on their radar anyway. This does not make much difference."
Exusiai responded with a completely unconcerned expression.
Penguin Logistics had long been on the Guard Department's watch list.
And with Shirou, someone the Guard Department was already keeping an eye on, their threat level had only gone up another notch.
If they had not recently reduced their street racing, fighting, and "accidentally" blowing things up in Lungmen, they would probably have to report to the Guard Department every day and write statements until they missed dinner.
A warrior may be killed, but never humiliated. No one could stop them from eating dinner.
No one.
Unless Shirou, their chef, decided to go on strike himself.
"Alright then."
Seeing Exusiai's carefree attitude, Shirou chose not to say anything further.
At least he had tried. When facing the Guard Department later, it would not be as awkward.
"Shirou, keep an eye on the road. Exusiai, you too."
Texas, who was driving, gave instructions, getting everyone to focus instead of chatting.
She had a feeling that if they kept talking, Shirou might actually switch sides.
A little joking was fine, but if it went too far, Shirou might not be able to accept it.
After all, his moral boundaries were not as flexible as theirs.
That said, this was also one of Shirou's strengths. Compared to the rest of Penguin Logistics, his actions were much more predictable.
"Got it."
Upon receiving Texas's instructions, Shirou immediately shifted his attention outside.
Unlike before, the streets were now crowded and it required him to put in more effort to filter out useful information.
For now, their vehicle was strictly following traffic rules. The Guard Department would first need to locate them before taking further action.
As long as they did not make any conspicuous moves to alert the Guard Department, they could delay things for quite some time.
If they could reach the base during this window, things would become much easier.
Of course, it would not be that simple. The Guard Department would likely use special methods to establish a perimeter first and then gradually tighten the net.
Ten minutes after Yith reported that the Guard Department had begun moving, Shirou had already seen several drones and patrol vehicles passing by them.
Much faster than expected.
"Tch, that is way too fast, is it not? We are still stuck in traffic!"
Watching the Guard Department vehicles speed past with their lights on, Croissant could not help but complain.
After all, ordinary citizens would always give way to them.
"So what do we do? Once they set up the perimeter, we probably will not even last until noon, right?"
Sora, who had done some homework on this, understood what the Guard Department would do next.
If they had no further plans, they might as well start thinking about what to eat for lunch.
Come to think of it… there was no food in the car. There was some water, but not much.
That meant they would have to find a way to get food, or they would go hungry for the entire day.
After realizing this, Sora shared the grim news with the others.
"This is bad… Shirou, did you not make lunchboxes? Why did you not bring them into the car?"
Hearing Sora, Exusiai immediately climbed up to check the back. Aside from a pile of equipment, she did not see the sandwich lunches Shirou had woken up early to prepare.
"The organizers took them in advance. They said they needed to leave some openings for the Guard Department."
Only after they mentioned it did Shirou remember.
It was not entirely his fault for forgetting. After that, he had been busy with other things, and the pile of explosives in the car had given him a headache, so it slipped his mind.
"That is way too much!"
Hearing Shirou's explanation, the anger level of the four people in the car shot up instantly.
If they got caught early, the lunchboxes would be useless anyway, Shirou could just cook a fresh meal for them.
If they waited until the exercise ended, the sandwiches would probably have gone bad. To avoid waste, Shirou had the organizers send them to Chen, Hoshiguma, and Swire.
After all, the Guard Department, being the visible side, could easily find food at any time. In contrast, if Penguin Logistics dared to show themselves to buy food while acting as fugitives, they would immediately be surrounded.
On the bright side, at least the organizers had not cut off their water supply. Going without food was manageable, but no water would be truly unbearable.
"There should be food at the base… so we need to find a way to get past the Guard Department's perimeter and reach it first. It will also be easier to defend there."
After calmly analyzing the situation, Texas proposed her plan.
Their initial objective had always been to head toward the base. It had more equipment and natural defensive advantages.
Although they were not particularly skilled at defensive battles, they did not have the luxury to choose right now.
Even though it was just an exercise, she did not want to lose.
Aside from the rewards from their boss, she mainly wanted to vent some frustration.
The Guard Department was the main reason Shirou had such a heavy workload.
And she had not forgotten that Swire had once tried to poach Shirou to join the Guard Department.
And she had even tried to poach him right in front of them!
That was a provocation! She remembered it very clearly!
So there was no way they could lose this exercise. Even if they were about to lose, she would grab Exusiai's specially made explosives and charge in just to disgust the other side one last time!
Although the cleanup afterward might be troublesome especially her tail, that part could be left to Shirou.
Ever since the last time she had asked Shirou for help, Texas had often gone to him to tidy up her tail. Shirou's technique had also become more and more skillful; apparently, he had even looked up related materials.
"Then it is settled."
After hearing Texas's proposal, no one else in the car objected.
After all, everyone lacked experience in this kind of situation. Their usual activities were nothing more than small-scale scuffles.
For Shirou, being chased like this was something he had never even considered before.
On top of that, he had no experience in formulating such tactics, so he chose to follow their lead.
Right now, he was simply an efficient weapon that would strike wherever they pointed.
With their general plan decided, Texas immediately drove into a narrow alley.
Although this increased the risk of exposure, it at least gave them a chance to avoid being surrounded by the Guard Department.
Once surrounded, it would be a guaranteed loss for them.
"Hey! Got you!"
Meanwhile, at the Guard Department's command center.
The squad led by Swire used surveillance cameras and drones to identify several vehicles taking unusual routes. As expected, she managed to lock onto a few suspicious targets.
By analyzing their routes, she quickly pinpointed the vehicle carrying Penguin Logistics.
After sending the information to Chen, Swire ordered her team to keep a close watch on the vehicle while she personally led a group to move out.
At this moment, Penguin Logistics was being treated as a group of dangerous criminals. Moreover, Lungmen's higher-ups were surely watching this exercise, which was why Swire immediately passed the intelligence to Chen.
Even if this were not an exercise, she would still notify that "rice noodle dragon." Although she wanted to push Chen out of her position, she would never let her own subordinates take unnecessary risks.
Safety came first. And if she could push that "useless dragon" down within a reasonable safety margin, would that not prove she was more capable?
"The Guard Department has already located you. I recommend increasing speed."
Yith's voice came through again, he had hacked into the Guard Department's communication channel and was issuing a warning.
Compared to surveillance systems that required constant human operation, communication systems were easier to infiltrate, so he had started there, quietly listening in.
Give him just a few more minutes, and he would be able to hack into the Guard Department's surveillance systems for a short period as well.