Chapter 98: West District

“Of course,” Fushihara Ayaka turned on the large screen and looked at Ephnel.

“Then I’ll get straight to the point. Our current situation is probably not optimistic.”

“What’s going on?”

“—Just thirty minutes ago, we received a call from Nishizaki Yuuki, confirming her location and status. At the same time, we received a crucial piece of information from her. Of course, I think you all already know some of it. Your former comrade, Agent Lily, has betrayed the organization. She drugged Shiina Rin and coerced Nishizaki Yuuki to take her away, and she has also been in contact with people suspected to be from the ‘Apostles’. This information is a key clue provided by Dr. Nishizaki Yuuki.”

“Thanks to Hanasou-san’s help, she was the one who lent me her phone…”

Nishizaki Yuuki said at this time.

Her voice sounded very weak, but after being amplified through the earpiece, it was still clear enough to hear.

Ephnel suddenly had a question, “Yuuki, if I’m not mistaken, you were coerced, right? And you saw those people? Then how did you escape?”

“I didn’t run away on my own. Uzuki Saori let me go…”

…

“Saori…?”

Ephnel’s heart skipped a beat.

“Is she still there?”

“I don’t know… When I left, she told me it was for Shiina Rin’s sake…”

“What about Rin? Do you have any news about her?”

“She’s in their hands… to be precise, she’s been unconscious the whole time, by Uzuki Saori’s side…”

“Why did Saori take her away?”

“She…”

“Alright.”

Nishizaki Yuuki was about to say more, but she was interrupted by Fushihara Ayaka.

“We’ll talk about these things later. Let’s talk about the current situation first.”

The reason Uzuki Saori took Rin away was, on one hand, out of a desire for Rin not to continue fighting and die one day, and on the other hand, it was also a microcosm of the current plight of Agents.

Even though Fushihara Ayaka was not a member of the Order Organization, as one of the commanders of the two major institutions, she still had a basic grasp of the current situation of the Agents.

Every Agent was a very strong young woman with a willpower that ordinary people could not match.

But they were also human, with things they liked and disliked, they would laugh and cry, and they could also break down over certain things.

Fushihara Ayaka could not comment on Uzuki Saori’s actions, but there was no doubt that talking about these negative things before a battle would affect every Agent present.

Managing one’s mentality before a battle was a very important part.

Although it might be subtle, even a small influence could have an irreversible impact on the outcome of the battle.

Therefore, Fushihara Ayaka interrupted the conversation between Ephnel and Nishizaki Yuuki before it reached that point.

Ephnel and Nishizaki Yuuki also realized that they seemed to have said a bit too much because of their concern for Saori, and they both fell silent.

“Onee-chan…”

Yukina gently tugged at Ephnel’s fingers, and Ephnel took a light breath.

Just then, Fushihara Ayaka cleared her throat.

“Alright, then I’ll be brief. It’s about the intelligence Nishizaki Yuuki obtained on the ‘Apostles,’ and the fact that Agent Lily has betrayed the organization… Nishizaki Yuuki was taken hostage by Uzuki Saori yesterday. I’m sure you’ve all heard about this. At that time, Uzuki Saori claimed to have planted bombs throughout the entire hospital building, forcing her to sign the discharge papers for Shiina Rin. I’ve also sent people to investigate, and the situation has been confirmed. It’s true. We’ve already arranged for people to dismantle the bombs.”

Fushihara Ayaka continued.

“Although there have been no casualties so far, there is no doubt that Lily has betrayed the organization. We learned from Nishizaki Yuuki that after she was taken hostage, she was taken to a place where she met the people from the Apostles who were in contact with Uzuki Saori. Four men and one woman, all wearing hoods, so there is no visual information. The only thing we know is that they were fully armed. I’ll send you some of their information later. In addition, Nishizaki Yuuki also overheard some of their fragmented conversations… and believes they are planning some kind of attack.”

“They mentioned the word ‘ruins’…”

Nishizaki Yuuki added.

“Ruins?”

Because of Lily’s betrayal, the faces of the several Agents were already a bit downcast.

Hearing Nishizaki Yuuki’s words, their expressions became grave again.

Agents often fought on the front lines against Erosion Organisms, using Beacons to resonate with the Power of Order to gain strength to resist the Erosion.

For Agents, the Beacon was the foundation upon which they relied to fight the Erosion.

And the Beacon itself was one of the crystals of ruin technology.

As Agents, they certainly understood what the so-called “ruins” represented.

It was a legacy of a once prosperous past, from an era with advanced, unexplored scientific power, and also a civilization that was believed to have been swallowed by an unknown force, ultimately becoming extinct without a single life left behind.

From the technology left behind by this civilization, humanity had successfully analyzed a part of it as “weapons,” and thus, “Agents” were born.

It could be said that humanity had been able to persist for so many years under the threat of the White Hole Erosion entirely by relying on the ruins.

The importance of the ruins was therefore self-evident.

For people living in this era, it was a new hope, and the same was true for Agents.

If a way to eliminate the White Hole Erosion could be found, then Agents would no longer have to fight and sacrifice themselves.

At this moment, Ephnel also thought of her parents.

Her parents had also come for the ruins, but according to them, they didn’t think there were any “ruins” in Seikyo City.

So what did the ‘Apostles’ mean by ruins?

“Can you be more specific? If it involves ruins, then this matter is probably not that simple.”

Kiri Mahiru asked seriously.

“If it indeed involves ‘ruins,’ then there is no doubt that this matter has exceeded our capabilities. But on the other hand, the same is true for the other party. ‘Ruins’ are not something that any random terrorist can monopolize. I have already reported this intelligence and am awaiting a response from the Federation.”

“Also…”

Nishizaki Yuuki added.

“They also mentioned a name that I found concerning… If I heard correctly, it seemed to be ‘Angel’…”

“What is that?”

“I don’t know either, but I have a very bad feeling… When I escaped, they were on their way to the western defensive line. Their route was very clear, and they were carrying weapons… Based on their conversation, I suspect they might be about to make a move… But I escaped in a hurry, and I haven’t figured out their plan and target…”

“We have already analyzed this piece of intelligence. The so-called ‘Angel,’ we believe, is some kind of codename. We can’t rule out that it’s something similar to the ‘Apostles’ that have appeared before, or a powerful weapon.”

Fushihara Ayaka said.

“Unlike us, the other party has probably been planning this attack for a very, very long time, while we can only respond hastily. Therefore, we must give it our all and strive to intercept all dangers before they can implement their plan. I have already dispatched helicopters and special forces. We have set up a huge encirclement network based on the time and location provided by Dr. Nishizaki. That area is an abandoned old district. I think if any suspicious personnel appear, they will probably be very conspicuous, right?”

…