The situation had become urgent. Shirou did not have time to think further. Gripping the long, slender blade with both hands, he stood guard at the doorway.
Inside, Lin Yuhsia also realized something was wrong. She pulled out something resembling a sword hilt from her coat, and glass slowly extended from it, forming the shape of a blade.
"…"
Shirou did not look around. He had already confirmed the enemy's position. His eyes were fixed in that direction, waiting for the opponent's next move.
If he had been alone, he might have acted first.
But now… safety came first.
Smoke spread through the area, further reducing visibility.
Then came the sound of a blade cutting through the air. Shirou, who had already been waiting, raised his sword and blocked the incoming strike.
Clang—
Shirou did not immediately push the opponent back. He simply held the attack in place.
His goal was simply to get a clear look at his opponent.
Of course, he could have cut them down in a single strike. But right now, what they needed was information. That was Lin Yuhsia's priority.
Unfortunately, the opponent wore a hood and mask. Aside from crimson eyes and hair, everything else was concealed.
However, the orange cloth tied around the opponent's right arm gave Shirou a clue about their identity.
And beneath it, there was another strip of red cloth. The two bands of orange and red fluttered in the air.
"An orange band like Alina's… you are with Reunion, are you not?"
After confirming the identity, Shirou immediately exerted force and pushed forward with his blade. Cracks spread across the opponent's short knife before it shattered completely.
But the opponent was unharmed, having already used the momentum to retreat.
"…"
They did not respond to Shirou's words. Instead, they quickly disappeared back into the smoke.
"Miss, we need to go."
Seeing the opponent withdraw decisively, Shirou did not pursue. Instead, he urged Lin Yuhsia, who was still inside the office.
He also realized he had not called her by name, and nothing appropriate came to mind. The words that flashed through his head were things related to "mouse" or "pineapple mouse," but they were not close enough for that.
So he settled on the universally safe term "Miss."
Paired with his suit, it even gave him the air of a butler from a Manga.
"Too bad I could not find the information I needed."
Hearing him, Lin Yuhsia quickly emerged from the office, still holding her glass blade.
"It cannot be helped. We do not know when we were exposed. You go first, I will follow."
As he spoke, Shirou infused magical energy into his sword. Circuit-like patterns appeared along the blade.
Even through the smoke, the glow from his weapon made Lin Yuhsia realize he was about to act. However, instead of leaving as he suggested, she simply stepped back to create some distance.
Shirou noticed, but the distance was sufficient.
Pouring in a large amount of magical energy, Shirou gripped the sword with both hands and swung it forward several times in rapid succession.
The force of his strikes dispersed much of the surrounding smoke.
But his target was not the enemy, it was the surrounding walls.
In an instant, countless slash marks appeared across the walls and ceiling. Then, everything collapsed into chunks of rubble, burying the entire corridor.
"That should delay them for a while and also destroy the factory."
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Shirou did not linger. He immediately turned and ran with the blade in hand.
The reason for going this far was simply to buy time to destroy the inhibitor production machines.
Now, Shirou ran in front, with Lin Yuhsia following behind as they sprinted through the factory.
Even as he ran, Shirou kept thinking about the Reunion member from earlier.
Their appearance confirmed part of his suspicions. The real question now was, what was Reunion's objective?
Was it simply to make Lungmen more chaotic?
The only thing he was certain of now was this: the machines in the factory had to be destroyed completely, beyond any possibility of repair.
Having made up his mind, Shirou began channeling his magical energy. Countless swords formed behind him and shot outward in all directions.
He had no intention of using Broken Phantasm. He simply embedded the blades into the machines and then withdrew the magical energy.
Making too big of a scene would be troublesome. This method only consumed more energy, nothing more.
And his reserves were still sufficient.
Watching Shirou's actions ahead, Lin Yuhsia followed up from behind.
She transformed all the sand at her waist into sharp glass spikes and scattered them in every direction.
On one hand, it ensured the machines were completely destroyed. On the other, it covered for Shirou.
That way, even if someone investigated, the trail would only lead back to her.
And she was not afraid of being investigated.
"…You go ahead. They have caught up. The vehicle should already be at the marked location. Get in first while I will follow shortly."
Of course, Shirou had noticed Lin Yuhsia's follow-up attacks, but he simply assumed she was making sure the destruction was thorough and did not think much of it.
At the same time, he also noticed the smoke rapidly closing in from behind.
It seemed the enemy was moving very quickly. Shirou was confident he could widen the distance on his own, but right now he had to match Lin Yuhsia's pace.
Since the pursuers had already caught up… the only option was to let her leave first.
"Mm."
Lin Yuhsia understood this perfectly. This time, instead of merely stepping back, she ran straight toward the exit.
She did not say anything more. Based on Shirou's performance so far, she had no reason to worry.
There were plenty of people who used swords, but very few could slice through structures as effortlessly as Shirou.
He was cutting them apart not simply destroying them.
"Hmph. Just hiding in the shadows?"
Drawing his spare blade, Shirou now held one long and one short sword, one in each hand.
He stood there, watching the thick smoke rush toward him.
Just as it was about to engulf him, Shirou swung the long blade in his right hand, dispersing the smoke around him.
"We need to talk."
A voice came from within the smoke.
"There is nothing for us to talk about."
Without hesitation, Shirou refused.
Who knew what the other party was planning? And the communicator was still active, if he wanted to return to four pairs of deadly glares, he could take the risk and agree.
"…I have heard Alina mention you. You came here because you received news that this factory was producing substandard medicine, correct?"
Seeing Shirou remain wary, the hooded figure slowly stepped out of the smoke with both hands raised.
In the raised right hand was a terminal device.
"So what if we did?"
Golden eyes fixed on the figure and the device, Shirou did not lower his guard just because the name Alina was mentioned.
After all, Reunion had caused far too many incidents. Most of what had been happening in Lungmen recently was tied to them.
"There is not much time. The others will be here soon. I heard you were looking for some kind of data. I am not entirely sure, but this terminal might have what you need."
As they spoke, the hooded figure placed the terminal on the ground and pushed it toward Shirou.
Shirou only frowned slightly.
The terminal itself was not a problem, he had already checked when he first saw it.
As for whether sliding it across the floor might damage it… that was not his concern.
What he was thinking about was why the other party was doing this.
Still, after a moment, Shirou stabbed the short blade in his left hand into the ground, picked up the terminal, and tucked it away.
"I will use the smoke to cover this entire area. Just run."
After confirming Shirou had taken the device, the hooded figure continued.
"…?"
After putting the terminal away, Shirou gave a puzzled look but said nothing.
"I trust the judgment Alina made about you… and those people are different from us. If you encounter those wearing orange and red armbands, you can try talking to them."
The hooded figure continued, as more smoke poured out from their mask.
It first enveloped them, then spread outward.
"…"
For a moment, Shirou could not quite process what was happening. He could not understand the other party's intent or stance.
But the sound of numerous approaching footsteps forced him to act. Following the instructions, he immediately turned and ran at full speed.
At the very least, aside from the initial clash, the other party had not shown clear hostility in fact they had helped them escape.
Holding both swords tightly, Shirou kept watch behind him as he quickly caught up with Lin Yuhsia, who had already been running ahead.
A little further ahead was the van driven by the Penguin Logistics team. As the two approached, the rear door suddenly swung open.
They instantly understood what to do and jumped inside. Before entering, Shirou dismissed his swords and pulled the door shut behind them.
Then came the roar of the engine and the screech of tires, and the vehicle sped forward.
"That was dangerous. You are not hurt, right?"
From the back seat, Croissant turned to check on them. Aside from Lin Yuhsia being slightly out of breath, neither of them had any obvious injuries.
They looked just a bit dusty.
"I am fine… what did that person say to you?"
After catching her breath, Lin Yuhsia asked Shirou.
Their communication channel had still been connected earlier, so she had heard parts of the conversation.
Though she only heard fragments and something about some Alina…
"It is a long story… but they handed me a terminal, saying what we are looking for is inside. I already checked it and it is just a normal device."
Facing Lin Yuhsia's question, Shirou did not intend to elaborate. Instead, he directly handed over the terminal he had been carrying.
"Is there something wrong within their ranks?"
Taking the terminal, Lin Yuhsia briefly inspected it. Aside from some minor damage, it was in good condition.
She immediately powered it on and began looking through its contents.
"Most likely. That hooded one did not seem that extreme. At the very least, it is certain that the organization called Reunion appears to be split into two factions."
Leaning back against the seat, Shirou answered.
He did not get a reply, however. Lin Yuhsia was already focused on the contents of the terminal, her expression growing increasingly serious. Clearly, she had found something of interest.
Not wanting to disturb her, Shirou let out a small breath of relief and looked out the back.
Even though they had driven some distance away, he could still see many people rushing out of the smoke and searching around.
They all shared one thing in common, they had orange cloth bands tied to their arms.
Running had definitely been the right decision. Otherwise, Shirou would probably have had to cut down more than thirty people…
If things had really escalated that way, tomorrow's Lungmen headlines would probably read something like: a man affiliated with both Penguin Logistics and the Guard Department cutting people down in the slums without batting an eye.
"This terminal contains the data I was looking for… and a lot of important information as well…"
Setting the terminal aside, Lin Yuhsia freed her hands and rubbed her face before continuing:
"I did not expect the factory to have changed owners twice. At the beginning, it really was meant to produce cheaper inhibitors for sale. But after the ownership changed, things took a dark turn."
If not for the information on this terminal, Lin Yuhsia might never have known the truth.
The previous owner had indeed made quite a profit, but at least it had been within reasonable bounds.
But the current owner, after seeing that success, became greedy and used underhanded methods to seize the factory.
And just as Lin Yuhsia had discovered earlier, the inhibitors produced there became increasingly inferior and even worse intentions came into play.
"This really is…"
Hearing this, Shirou did not know what to say.
There was clearly more information on that terminal, otherwise Lin Yuhsia would not suddenly look so exhausted.
Although he was curious, Shirou chose not to ask.
He could already guess enough. The dried bloodstains he had seen in the corridor earlier spoke volumes.
The person responsible would likely be dealt with thoroughly by Lin Yuhsia.
As for the factory… it could no longer serve its original purpose. After all, the machines had been destroyed by the two of them.
And regarding Reunion…
Shirou chose to remain observant for now.
Whether it was true or not, one thing was certain, there was indeed a faction within them that had intentions toward Lungmen.