Chapter 243 04.0242: "Reunion in the Fire"

"Everyone get out of the way!" Farida immediately pushed away a stormtrooper who was caught in the crossfire.

He then rolled sideways and dodged the falling rubble.

After a shocking earthquake, Farida raised her head and waved her hand to disperse the dust still flying in front of her.

"Everyone report in, count the casualties."

"Number one is fine!"

"Number Two is fine!"

"Number three and four are here, we're good."

Farida looked around, trying to find the figure of Military Supervisor Melina.

"I'm here! I'm not hurt." The vague voice of the female military supervisor came from behind the fallen marble column.

"We must end this before the oxygen runs out, Military Supervisor Farida. You will temporarily lead the team. Please assemble at the originally planned assembly point."

"Yes! Stormtrooper, follow me!"
-
As the flames shot up into the sky from the gap in the roof, the black fog that filled the room reduced visibility to a critical point. It was impossible to see people and objects clearly with the naked eye a few meters away.

The troops from all parties walked through the black fog.

The Inquisitor, choked by the black smoke and in tears, staggered and compared the path he had taken in his memory, following his psychic perception, and walked to a familiar intersection.

But in the black smoke in front of them, a dark shadow appeared, standing and preparing to go upstairs. When they met, both sides immediately raised their guns.

A gust of cold wind blew out from the emergency ventilation duct in the mansion, dispersing a wisp of black smoke, and the two were able to see each other's faces clearly.

"Ravenno..." The woman in a white stand-up collar coat and a wide-brimmed hat pointed a bolt pistol at the Inquisitor.

"Melina...?"

The Inquisitor's expression changed, and he fiercely and repeatedly pulled the trigger of Scipio's naval pistol.

boom!
The female military supervisor also opened her eyes, rushed forward, and pulled the trigger at the judge.

A killer and two family guards who appeared behind each other fell to the ground in an instant.

"Where are you going?" The female military supervisor stood up and threw a breathing mask to the judge.

"You don't have to look for him anymore. I've already taken him away."

“But you’re still here.”

"There was a little surprise, just like you."

The advance answer given by the Inquisitor through mind reading made the female military supervisor frown slightly, but then she relaxed her brows with a little helplessness, as if she was used to it, and did not ask in surprise or confusion why he had such ability.

"Let your people retreat. Staying here will only increase the risk for you. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first." Without even looking back, he hurriedly disappeared in the receding black smoke and walked towards the secret passage they came from.

The female military supervisor looked at the man, then looked at the stairs, and finally decided to turn around and reunite with the main force.

But she didn't know that at the same time, two acquaintances happened to meet not far away.

The two groups of people collided in the smoky red corridor. Farida looked at the power armor that had been revised but still retained some familiar features, and felt that the figure opposite her had an indescribable sense of familiarity.

The man in front of me, wearing a horsehair helmet with a vertical crown and whose face cannot be seen, is protecting a group of people behind him who are dressed differently and are supporting the wounded. Some of them are holding strange weapons of strange shapes. Perhaps they are custom-made products of some technical priests in the Forge World?

Although Farida had many doubts in her mind, she still pointed the gun at them vigilantly.

"Farida?" Horatio was shocked when he saw the woman with a gas respirator on her face.

Although he couldn't see her face, he still recognized her because of the wisp of golden hair and the figure that he would never forget in his life.

Behind the mask, she moved her lips slightly, looked at the unidentified people holding strange weapons, and then looked at the trembling man they were protecting in the center, and instantly realized what was happening.

Valina, who was wearing a helmet behind Farida, recognized the person by the familiar identification code: it was Horatio, her most proud apprentice.

Based on what she had heard before, after what happened between the two men, she ultimately did not choose to reveal her identity. Instead, after sending a friendly signal to her teammates, she chose to lead the other stormtroopers to stand guard nearby, leaving some space for the two men.

The other stormtroopers were unaware of the contradictions and conflicts between the Inquisitors. They only participated in the operation as highly efficient "humanoid combat machines". After their superiors informed them that the people in front of them were friendly forces of the Imperial Navy, they naturally did not ask any more questions.

"Evacuate quickly. There is nothing valuable here anymore, and it's about to collapse." Horatio said to her, looking at the crumbling ceiling and the supporting pillars that were cracked by the fire.

Although they were recruited by different Inquisitors, this did not affect the fact that they were still close comrades in every sense.

That was why he didn't even have time to exchange pleasantries when they met again and went straight to the point.

"You go first, one of our companions is still trapped inside. She and we should meet at the original assembly point. We can't just leave her in here like this." "There are gunshots! The enemy is approaching!" Valina shouted using the loudspeaker.

The remaining killers and family guards inside were rushing out of the mansion that was about to collapse. The two sides bumped into each other and started fighting without saying a word.

Everyone immediately became alert in the direction where the gunshots came from.

Zhongsi Stormtrooper used the smoke-perspective system to accurately shoot at the vague figure marked in front of him.

"Horatio, it's time to go. The target situation is not optimistic."

Louise looked at the president of the Corpse Guild Alliance. The man was coughing violently, and the handkerchief covering his mouth and nose had turned black. It was obvious that this simple method would not last long.

"..." Facing Farida who was about to fight, although he wanted to help, the grim situation on his side made him unable to help.

"Be careful." This was the only thing he could finally utter dryly.

The girl nodded in understanding, took out the spare respirator from her waist and threw it to Louise, then immediately joined the battle.

After putting a breathing mask on the high-value target, it was like a long-awaited rain. He gasped for breath and his hypoxia was visibly relieved.

"Keep going. How long will it take to reach the destination?"

"Just go all the way to the end." said the mysterious woman, adjusting her veil.

"go!"

After a quick straight march, with the cover of two smoke bombs and a stun grenade, Horatio and everyone finally rushed out the back door, and as soon as they went out, they went straight to the flower bed, using it as a cover.

Several cold bodies of family guards were lying on the ground outside the door. It was obvious that the murderer was nearby.

The killer who was lying in ambush nearby was caught off guard and blinded in that instant.

Before going out, Horatio had used the omen fragments to explore the situation outside and prepared a response strategy.

Just as the killers were trying to recover and looking for their targets with their eyes still blurred by tears.

The ghost-like woman floated silently behind them at some point.

A cold light that made their hair stand on end appeared in their blurry eyes. At the same time, the two golden daggers she had drawn from her waist had already pierced into their bodies, and the precise blow was fatal.

The third killer fired at her, but the laser beam was blocked by the terrifying bone pauldrons on the woman's shoulders and did not cause any damage.

The enemies on the other side were quickly shot into pieces by the female interrogator and her agents using dart guns.

The assassin lying in ambush under the shuttle was detected in advance by the thermal imaging of the power armor. Horatio and Louise raised their guns together, and the firepower directly melted through the lifting baffle, killing him. The group quickly got into the shuttle, and after checking whether there were any ambushes, the two of them quickly got into the cockpit.

Of all the people present, only navy men like him and Louise had experience in flying aircraft.

"Go in!" The female interrogator kicked the staggering corpse of the guild president into the cabin.

The rest of the people helped the injured to sit in the cabin.

Horatio looked at the mansion that was beginning to collapse. Just as he was worried about Farida, he saw the military inspector and stormtroopers retreating one after another from the side of the mansion. Among them were the female military inspector he had met once and the beautiful figure he was familiar with.

"Engine, normal. Lift, normal. Vector thruster, normal." Louise in the main driving seat quickly checked the parameter settings, pushed the afterburner joystick, and the shuttle's engine roared.

According to the plan, Inquisitor Ravenno would return alone through the secret passage to the shuttle they took when they came here, so there was no need to worry that he would not be able to find a vehicle to return.

"Didn't find it?! You told me you didn't find it?! Bastard!" William Carter, who was upset by the smoke and fire, grabbed the collar of a subordinate and cursed.

"Keep looking! I want to see him alive or dead!"

Perhaps the shielding device was damaged by the high temperature, or perhaps the killer had already evacuated, and the wireless communication returned to normal again.

The female military supervisor sent a report to the Inquisitor that they had failed to find the target. The message was marked as read after a while, but there was no reply for a long time.

The female military supervisor no longer cared about the judge. The Naval Military Supervisory Bureau had completed its mission. No matter who the thief fell into, as long as he was in the hands of the Empire, it would be fine.

She waved her hand and gave the order.

"Everyone, gather your troops and return to your base."

"What about the Inquisitor?" asked a loyal stormtrooper captain.

"Let him be."

(End of this chapter)