Ravyn’s first mission with Idorund as her partner was counted as a failure. The half-cut Aiolia ore could be used to make spare parts for Airtech, but the lives lost at the hands of the Donkey created a very depressing and tense atmosphere for the AB organization. The head representatives of the Themeise’s Airburst are convened by the headquarters to deal with the gang that is getting bolder these days.
…Both Olivia and her henchmen have speed regeneration. There is a possibility that the wisdom of Cyclinesis is a subject that many of them can learn, or it might be a power that can be distributed by someone. If it was the first case, since Kanji said that Olivia has the ability to block one’s perception by touch, she would possess more than one Lost Wisdom. But if it’s the latter, how powerful must that person be?...
After analyzing the mission, Ravyn clenched her fist lightly in mid-air to turn off the information-filled screen on the intel board, then headed out into the yard of this operation center. The girl meets an Airburst Trainee who is her predetermined partner.
"Hello, I’m Putter, one of the top trainees. I used to be a professional bodyguard who caught the eye of AB’s scouts. My specializations are tower-climbing and melee combat. A standard AB rifle with a maximum compressed air force of 150,000 psi is the best weapon for the hand. I assisted Airburst on 2 C-level and 9 J-level missions. It’s a pleasure to lend a helping hand in your investigation from now on, Ms. Ravyn."
The man with green-dyed hair introduces himself in detail. His AB trainee outfit was a dark brown jumpsuit that was woven in a hexagonal pattern. But then the appearance of Idorund steals the spotlight from Putter, the young trainee.
"Announcement of your first Queen (Q) level mission. The goal is to identify and apprehend the hacker that published espionage schemes and the location of Donkey’s money sources, as well as send provocations to the big shots by impersonating its name. This causes gang wars between Donkey and other influential gangs. With the conditions right now, I should be able to control the situation for about 6 hours before it spreads to the residents’ area. So we'd better get moving."
Once again, the Airburst came to assign the mission to his Assistant by himself. He raised his fist to encourage Ravyn and smiled at Putter.
"Hopefully we will make a good team."
######
"Damn it! How come these savage donkeys invaded us first?"
"Kill them all!"
*RAT* *TAT* *TAT* "Argh!"…
The uninterrupted sound of the trigger ringing, the hail of bullets firing back and forth between Donkey and the local gang.
"Metulwark Road, District 23, we urgently need reinforcements."
A policeman in a director’s uniform sends a request over the radio. Since the force encircling the fighting area was not enough to control the severity of the situation.
…No good! If this keeps up, we will unavoidably lose more and more officers…
The Themeise’s police chief assesses the situation before deciding to storm this local mansion, the battlefield center.
"Twenty attack units, follow me."
"But Airburst is coming to take over the situation soon."
A deputy protested softly.
"So why did you become a police officer?"
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The young director cop asked that officer, but he insisted.
"I mean, the former director always ordered us…"
"Don’t talk to me about that coward again! We have people’s lives at stake. The badges hung on the waists of all of you are the symbols of the protectors. If you choose to forsake your vow to protect the people, just leave it here and go home like the director you respect. But if anyone hasn’t forgotten the hardships that you have gone through to get to wear this uniform, if you can still remember that you became the Themeise cops, for what and for whom? Come with me."
The final order from the director shut off the dispute.
######
Ravyn uses the AB ring to project a screen on her palm while walking back to the department. The screen displays the mission report, which includes information about Ly Company's bankruptcy and sabotage on Donkey.
…That hacker crushed the reputation of the Ly Company, which is one of the beautiful facades Donkey uses to connect with the on-ground economy. Uncover a secret history of other gang insider betrayals caused by the Donkey. Also, this person hacked Donkey’s asset vaults and its whereabouts to attract Donkey's rivals from all over the Themeise for looting…
…The small gangs might have stood no chance against Donkey. But the large influential factions, such as the rulers of Districts 23 or 57, were powerful enough to easily cause a riot from their battle. The fact that this hacker made such a big deal means they are very confident in getting away with this…
Ravyn typed on the hologram keyboard, which was projected from the ring on her hand. Based on the leads and AB capability, the hacker’s network connection path that seemed to fit all the events should be minimal. But the results they got were more than a hundred locations and changed every 40 minutes.
…How can there be so many lures?…
And by that time, Ravyn arrived at the department and turned the ring clockwise to transfer the information to the Intel board, then continued her search there instead.
######
The police attack squad entered the battlefield between the ruling gang of District 23 and Donkey.
*RAT* *TAT* *TAT*…
Police officers wade through criminal troops in order to arrest their leaders. And then the hotshot director found a target that matched the wanted poster with a high bounty of nearly a million. One of the Donkey’s executives.
"You’re Olivia the Lacerator.. Put your hands in the air, now!"
Hearing that voice, the falcon-eyed assassin shook her finger and pointed at the donkey tattoo on her shoulder.
"I know you guys well!"
*bam!* *bam!* *bam!*
The head of police shot at one of the mainstays of this battle. But she vanished before his eyes with a sound of mocking laughter in her throat.
"Heheheh…"
Both the director and his team then immediately set a defensive formation and looked around for Olivia. However, the attack is coming from an unexpected spot for these policemen.
*snatch!*
The hand of a man lying on the floor grabbed the leg of a policeman and tried to drag him to the ground. The bodies that were supposed to be corpses were able to move and try to fight the officers.
*bam!* *bam!*
No matter how many bullets the armies of Donkey received, they continued to fight tirelessly until the police squad’s formation was scattered.
"Who the hell are you guys?!"
This living dead army made the young director struggle alone. The director then pushed and shot them before being grabbed by unkillable criminals while helping one of his squad members.
*voomp!*
The hordes of Donkey's army were blown away by the compressed air.
"I like your enthusiasm. The General’s son, or I should say, our new Themeise police chief?"
Idorund rested the AB cannon on his shoulder and reached out to the police chief on the ground.
"…Airburst"
The seemingly upset director looked at his lifesaver.
######
In the AB elevator…
Ravyn has framed and estimated the greatest chance of encountering a hacker that caused all this big fuss. She ran in and out of the Airburst elevator station hidden in every corner of Themeise. She searched each and every possible building within 20 minutes, hoping the target couldn’t get away in time.
…This is the last possible building. The target should be somewhere around here…
The purple-haired ran up to an abandoned building that was the final destination of this search. She opened door after door like everywhere she had passed. But something here in this dark place made her feel uncomfortable, unlike before. The atmosphere became heavy and cold on every floor she went up. Until…she found its source.
…Why did I have to meet this guy now when I'm in a rush?...
*whirl* *whirl*
A man with long, unkempt hair was spinning a sickle between his five fingers and asked the girl who had accidentally met him with a comfortable attitude.
"Do you happen to be Ms. Badass Hacker from Ly?"
Facing this gruesome Donkey's executive up close, Ravyn immediately cleared her doubts as to why this mission was rated as Q-level.