Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

Page 145

"After all, it's quite encouraging that cute girls dare to go to the battlefield, hahaha!"

Leaving Lilizia, still bound by her hands and roaring angrily, with needle marks on her arms, Mr. Gam left alone.

……

"So, in the end, she actually tore the handcuffs off by force?"

"Yes! Wasn't it terrifying? After that, they almost tore Mr. Gam apart with their bare hands. If it weren't for the fact that the security door could withstand machine gun fire..."

"It seems that this Warrant Officer Lütjens is probably working himself to the bone on the cargo ship right now, with drugs flowing through his veins. This delaying mission is probably a bit..."

The story from a week ago even reached the two police helicopter pilots, and today, they are watching a girl fight desperately on a cargo ship.

"Eat my trick!"

"Go away!"

Vincent of Lilizia casually used his gun to pick up a piece of sheet metal from a shipping container and threw it at Honglian, who was lunging at him with her claws raised. This caused Honglian to falter, and Vincent then threw her away with an over-the-shoulder throw.

"Karen!" Toudou rushed over in his Moonlight Blade, his horizontal slash forcing Vincent to defend and parry. The two figures became entangled in a fierce battle, exchanging blows with each other, until Toudou's katana trembled. Lilizia, however, showed no intention of surrendering.

With a final step back, the two were finally able to disengage from the battle.

"Damn it, this girl's fighting style." Toudou stopped and watched as Guren gripped her dagger and charged forward again, engaging the black giant in a fierce battle.

"This is too troublesome, Mr. Toudou." Asahina, who had been defeated earlier, came over as the adjutant of one of the Four Holy Swords. "Is this girl really not crazy...?"

"The better KMF only provided her with a good platform; the key issue is her fighting style, which is deadly. She basically stays close to us the whole time. Plus, this ship isn't spacious enough, and there's so much clutter. It's easy for those scoundrels to accidentally hit us when they open fire, and our combined attacks are inconvenient to use. As for handling her, my god, she's even more troublesome than Suzaku Kururugi."

"Is it really that exaggerated?!"

“We’ve fought against Suzaku’s Lancelot before. ZERO easily figured out his fighting style, which allowed us to execute the next move almost perfectly after he completed his designated action. But look at her. Her disordered style is masterful. She has completely instilled the idea of ​​‘no moves are better than moves’ into her own machine. That’s the most terrifying kind of opponent.”

“That makes sense,” Asahina continued. “This girl seems a lot like Karen, but… just now, in their eyes, Karen had that confident look, but this Britannian… why does she exude such a strong will to survive and resentment…”

"So...hey! Karen!"

Oh no, now Honglian and Vincent are completely entangled. Karen tripped Lilizia to the ground and was about to unleash her final blow when Vincent started spinning his drive wheels, grabbed Honglian, and slammed her against the wall in a ground-hugging charge.

But now Lilizia was completely surrounded. Under the moonlight of Toudou and a few scoundrels, she was trapped here.

"Surrender, Britannians." Asahina kindly turned on the megaphone. "If you are willing to give up the fight, we can guarantee your survival, although whether you become a prisoner or are thrown onto a ship depends on our mood."

Vincent remained motionless, still crouching on the ground with his two long spears. The girl also remained silent. Toudou simply ordered the two thugs to approach and prepare to forcibly dismantle the cockpit door.

……

"You...is this all?!" Suddenly, Vincent sprang up and bound the two scoundrels with grappling hooks, then slashed them with his spear, turning them into a meteor hammer made of mechanical torsos. He charged forward and swung it in the air, forcing everyone to retreat step by step. The remaining few unlucky ones were hit by the hammer and piled up like shipping containers.

"Damn it..." Karen was about to rush up and grab her, but she saw Vincent break through Yuexia's defenses in a few moves.

"Mr. Senba!"

He then unleashed a barrage of slashes at Yuexia's entire body, culminating in a final, powerful thrust that pierced Yuexia's grotesque waist, revealing a body covered in electronic components. He then raised the spear high above his head and hurled it with all his might towards Toudou and the others.

"Oh my god..." Moonlight smashed to pieces in front of Karen, followed by flying mechanical metal and Vincent's two broken spears, a truly gruesome sight.

Fortunately, Mr. Senbo managed to open the relatively intact cockpit door and climb out.

"You have no weapons now, can you surrender?"

The Black Knights' questioning had no effect. Vincent lay on the ground, picked up a crane hook, pulled out the chains, and tied them to his hands. With the creaking of the mechanical joints, he actually stood up shakily again!

“You… are Britannia’s enemies…” Lilizia could barely speak, “Here… it’s either you or me!”

“Oh, Mr. Toudou.” Asahina suddenly remembered something. “I think I overheard the guards talking about something in prison before, about the so-called 45th ward.”

“4, 45th District?” Toudou suddenly realized, “Could it be the place we’ve heard about before, the place where Britannia is increasingly troubled by its war?”

"'A battlefield beyond our comprehension,' I heard it with my own ears. Not only were the casualties in Britannia terrifying, but even the Knights of the Round Table were embarrassed there. Could it be that this girl named Lütjens is..."

“God, I suddenly feel sorry for her.” Toudou shook his head. “Is she really in this state because of what happened there? Then I think it’s even more necessary to capture her and find out about the so-called 45th District. ZERO must be very curious about it too.”

"But how do we get her to surrender..."

"How about this……"

……

Vincent remained in place, confronting the others, when a rogue quietly threw out a cigarette canister. The deck was then engulfed by a dense cloud. Karen seized the opportunity to snatch the chain from his hand, breaking his arm. As she ran out of the aircraft, another KMF pried open Vincent's hatch.

"Come out, Miss!" Lilizia tried to turn around and punch Karen again, but was instead pinned to the ground and had her hands tied. "Don't resist anymore, it's pointless."

"Alright! We've arrived at our destination!"

Suddenly, a huge submarine rose from the sea beside the cargo ship and opened its hatch for the Black Knights.

"Huh? What happened to this ship?"

“Excuse me, Ms. Lakshata! We just had a little scuffle with an intruder on deck.”

"Alright, then hurry up and bring the things from the cabin up here?"

The people on the ship began to get busy, and Karen stayed by Lilizia's side, watching her lying on the ground with a resentful expression.

"Hey, you. Do you hate us Japanese that much?"

"I... I don't care where you were born..." the girl gasped, "As long as it's an enemy, anyone who wants to kill me, even if it's a god who wants me dead... I'll tear its arm apart..."

"Why did you do this? What's the point...?"

"It's bad! The Britannian air force is here! Helicopters, lots of them!"

"Fight back! Protect the cargo ship! The important goods haven't been delivered to the submarine yet!"

Instantly, chaos erupted on the deck. The sound of helicopter ammunition belts pelting the ship was already deafening. Karen, seeing this, also became uneasy.

"Karen! Go back to the Crimson Lotus! Have the others watch over that girl!"

"what?……"

It was over. In that moment of hesitation, Lilizia seemed to have a sudden burst of energy before death. She scrambled to her feet, her hands still bound, and ran desperately toward the ship.

"Cough, didn't catch up." Karen could only watch helplessly as the white-haired girl disappeared into the shadow of the cargo ship, leaving behind a splash of water.

"Your name is Lütjens, is that right...? If we meet again on the battlefield, I will show no mercy this time..."

Chapter 164, Section 227: The Cold-Blooded Flower in Bud

With the storm subsided, it's now time for the soldiers and officers below to give an explanation to their superiors.

“Mr. Guilford, I’m sorry.” Caronville’s voice was not very confident as he spoke in the acting governor’s office.

"It's not entirely your fault, child. The Black Knights' cunning has become increasingly beyond our expectations. From the Chinese Federation embassy at the beginning to now using cargo ships and submarines to transfer so many KMF and Knights members, their appearance has put a lot of pressure on Area 11, not to mention the 45th District Expeditionary Force on the other side of City Hall..."

"Ha, I don't even want to complain about you, sir," the lieutenant colonel muttered to himself. "Why did you insist on dueling with ZERO in the first place? Although Princess Cornelia's matter is indeed hard to swallow, repaying evil with kindness to a bunch of thugs, even if you get humiliated, you deserve to have your nose broken, don't you..."

"So, what should we do now, sir? We couldn't even stop the Black Riders when they boarded the submarine, so who knows where that huge underwater monster has gone..."

"At least we weren't completely defeated in this battle for the ship," Guilford sighed. "It was because of the helicopter unit's distraction that they not only failed to sink the cargo ship, but also missed some members of the Knights of Agincourt's list in the hold, and even some weapon parameters. Oh, and of course, the one who was initially in charge of distraction, Warrant Officer Lütjens of the Knights of Agincourt, not only was she rescued, but her aircraft was also recovered, though it will need a major overhaul."

"That's certainly a good thing. If the elites who were commended by the Third Round Table Knights died like that, or even captured by the Black Knights, it would be too shameful. If they were tortured to death and their bodies desecrated, it would be even worse. The Knights of Agincourt would definitely lose face..."

"Desecration of a corpse? My God, what are you thinking, Lieutenant Colonel Caronville?"

"Oh no... I just..."

"Was it because you came back from Sector 45 and were infected by those prisoners of war who had no status?" Guilford paused. "Perfect timing. Speaking of which, what do you want to do about those German soldiers from Sector 45 who mistakenly killed Britannian students?"

"I'm sorry, I know this was wrong, and I bear undeniable responsibility." The lieutenant colonel lowered his head, his voice frantic. "I've already personally apologized and offered compensation to the parents of the deceased student..."

"The compensation isn't the most important thing; at least, their status as parents isn't that fatal. I just want to remind you of one thing, Lieutenant Colonel."

"what?"

"The German soldiers confessed that during their mission, some civilians refused to cooperate, and they suspected that they were likely members of the rioters, so they shot and killed them. Later, when our soldiers examined the massacred civilians, they did find something suspicious: a pistol was found in the bodies of a father and daughter who died in District 11, and there was a picture of ZERO in their residence."

So, it's nothing, right?

"Didn't you see the problem, Lieutenant Colonel?" Guilford slammed his hand on the table. "The soldiers found the pistol in the body after the Americans, Soviets, and Germans had cleared the streets together! That means after the Germans carried out the executions, they didn't even check if the civilians had any suspicious items. They didn't even consider the consequences of who they were executing!"

"This... okay, I understand..."

“You need to be careful, Lieutenant Colonel. This is Britannia's territory. These prisoners from another world must not be allowed to run rampant! I know they have done a great job in dealing with the Black Knights, but if we don't control them and blindly exploit their decent execution capabilities, things will get out of control... You're drinking poison to quench your thirst, you know that?!”

"Yes! I understand what you mean!"

"Sigh..." Guilford shook his head helplessly and sat back down in his chair.

"Alright, let's talk about this first. Didn't you previously nominate a few soldiers from District 45 who wanted rewards?"

"Ah, yes! One is a man from Sector 45A named Taylor who performed outstandingly in the battle, and then there are several from Sector 45S, such as Stasevich and Chicherin."

After reading it, the man's long-standing frown finally gave way to a slight smile.

"Yes, Taylor can be promoted directly to corporal, and Davis and Stasevich can be promoted to sergeant. Then, those American and Soviet soldiers will be given more freedom and some cash bonuses, and leave and rest will also be allowed. Of course, those who are still doing hard labor will not be allowed."

……

At noon the next day, several American soldiers and Chizuru Nagayama sneaked out of the barracks mess hall, chatting and laughing.

"You've struck it rich!" Philip patted Taylor on the shoulder. "Damn, you got promoted straight to corporal and are now working! You were clearly the worst of the bunch!"

"Hey, get out of here! I'm still annoyed right now... Damn those Japanese, didn't they say they got a submarine? How big was it again?"

"Nearly two hundred meters, damn... that's almost the same length as a cruiser!"

"Damn it, these bastards really got off easy. They're not even as tall as me, yet they built a huge submarine?"

"Can you stop muttering to yourself? Huh?" Davis leaned over and punched the newly promoted corporal hard. "Now that you've been promoted, you should lift your chin up first. It's not right for you to be looking down at the second-in-command like this."

"Alright, alright! It's such a shame that Garcia is in the hospital and can't make it to good news."

"Damn it, he's lost so much that only the second brother is left. He was a former paratrooper, better than you in every way, but he didn't get any benefits. He's like an old ox, ha."

Yongshan quietly stayed by his side, watching the three of them talk about their various topics with great interest.

"Hey, by the way, what did you buy earlier? Let me see?" Philip pulled something out of Taylor's backpack.

"Hehehe! Watch out! My new camera wasn't cheap!"

“Camera, huh.” Davis chuckled softly. “You little rascal, you probably don’t know your own limitations, like how you take photos secretly.”

"Screw you! I just wanted to keep a memento! And it can also be used as a telescope!"

“Well, speaking of which,” Philip leaned closer to examine it, “where did you put the film in? And didn’t the seller give you a film canister?”

"Um, may I interrupt for a moment?" Nagayama finally spoke up, "Film?"

"That's right, we all need film to take pictures! Some reporters who want to make a big news story are always holding up a broken lens and taking pictures, and they even have to hold up a flash all the time!"

"Well, we haven't used film in a long time. With a camera like yours, you can just take a picture and save it. If you want to print it, you can just find a printer, as long as the camera memory isn't full. As for the flash, this camera has one built-in, I'll adjust it for you."

……

After a flurry of activity, Yongshan, in front of the three soldiers who were happily embracing a bunch of them, released the shutter sound and flash of his camera.

"Come here! Let me see!"

Philip flipped through the photo album, but Taylor felt a little uneasy—not about his own colleague, but because he was thinking about how a Japanese person had taken the photo.

"Hey?! Let me see what Taylor took pictures of!" Philip grabbed the camera and ran away.

"Hey? A bunch of lousy scenery, huh?" Everyone huddled together, including Yongshan.

"Hey, wait a minute, what's this?"

The photos I was flipping through suddenly stopped at three people—all of them young women in military uniforms.

"Taylor, don't you dislike people from Area 11?"

Yes, it's none other than Sergeant Nagayama and Genia in the photo, chatting with a girl with short white hair and several medals on her headband.

“Wow, they’re all beautiful girls,” Philip laughed. “Taylor! If you want to flirt with that blonde, stop being so hesitant, okay? Damn, Sergeant Nagayama’s probably already married and you’re out of the picture!”

"Fuck you! I'd rather sleep with anyone than a Japanese guy, you son of a bitch!"

“I’ll say it!” Yongshan chuckled, and Davis flicked the brat on the head first, “Are you itching to spout nonsense? You’re here drinking and fighting, not busy at all, and you’re still so brazen about sleeping with girls every day?”

"Uncle Vozhni, I haven't even slept with her yet..."

While the two were bickering, Philip had an idea.

"Hey, Sergeant Yongshan, this white-haired girl, her clothes are black, why are they different from yours? Is she a higher-ranking officer?"