Chapter 211: Chapter 117: Gunfire Rings Out, the Death Knell Has Sounded
Unfortunately, the person from the Combat Department in charge of Basil District was none other than Santiago Montoya of the Lisi Clan, the very person Wei’en had nearly clashed with before.
"Let’s introduce ourselves so we can coordinate without any issues."
Wei’en knew Santiago was addressing him and Tina, so he answered straightforwardly, "Wei’en Loft. I’m proficient with firearms and I’m a Wizard Apprentice."
The Combat Department had already witnessed his fight with the Assassin, so there was no longer any need to hide it.
The white-haired girl tilted her head as if in thought. "Tina. Fists."
"Kaiten and I will take Kutra Avenue to the south. Hector, you and Chirut will cover the north."
Just as Wei’en expected, after the introductions, Santiago gave the assignments. "As for you, Wei’en... you two take the main road. It’s more crowded, and most people are coming from the sea, so the number of parasites shouldn’t be too high."
"Understood."
Seeing Santiago’s serious and professional demeanor, Wei’en’s opinion of him improved considerably.
He was someone who could separate personal matters from his duties, not the hothead he had seemed to be before.
At the same time, he also grew more cautious.
’Even these Extraordinaries, who regularly deal with all sorts of aberrations, are being this cautious. This mission probably isn’t as simple as I thought.’
"Kaiten, let’s begin."
"Right."
Kaiten took out the detection equipment freshly issued by the Property Management Department—a palm-sized black box with an antenna-like device on top.
After Kaiten activated the device, Wei’en’s spiritual perception could feel the Rune Power emanating from the box.
Hm?
’The range is less than a hundred meters?’
"Activate your devices as well. If anyone runs into trouble, shout, and the rest will provide immediate backup."
"Got it."
Then, the six of them split up, carefully sweeping the three main thoroughfares of Basil District for any signs of parasites.
As Wei’en led Tina back into Basil District, he thought to himself, ’There might not be many parasites here, but the Vasquez People are another story.’
’Hopefully, they’ve already gotten what they wanted and left...’
Perhaps because night was approaching, this usually bustling main road was sparse with traffic, and even sailors were a rare sight.
[You have been scanned by Robson Swirak’s spiritual perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]
[...]
[You have been scanned by Mikhail East’s spiritual perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]
’Still, just because the street is empty doesn’t mean there are actually fewer people around...’
Wei’en glanced at the dozen or so notifications on his panel. He’d just been thinking about coming to Basil District to farm some Survival Points.
’Looks like my initial thought was right on the money.’
He had barely walked ten meters and had already gained over a dozen Survival Points. They were certainly giving him a warm welcome.
With this in mind, Wei’en pulled Tina along and strode confidently toward the port. His spiritual perception covered a three-kilometer radius, but he didn’t detect any abnormalities.
The detection equipment issued by the Secret Investigation Department paled in comparison to his panel.
’If there were any parasites within my range, the panel would have alerted me long ago.’
The Basil District itself wasn’t very large. It was bordered by sea cliffs to the north and south, and heading straight west led to Caster Port.
As a result, the district was longer from east to west than other districts.
The three main thoroughfares stretched westward, eventually converging. The central avenue was also lined with alleys that connected to other streets.
This was why Santiago was confident they could provide rapid backup; the distance between the northern and southern routes was never more than two kilometers.
For Extraordinaries of their caliber, the fastest among them could arrive to provide support in less than thirty seconds.
"Nothing at all?"
Wei’en and Tina had been walking west for nearly half an hour and were now near the alley he had visited with Marco.
But strangely, aside from the pings from other people’s spiritual perceptions, he hadn’t found anything.
He hadn’t even been targeted by a single lock of killing intent, which was usually common here... ’Have all those hot-tempered sailors and pirates had a change of heart?’
’Obviously not!’
Wei’en stopped in his tracks. He carefully scanned his surroundings with his spiritual perception, feeling that something was off.
It was too quiet.
It wasn’t just that the passing sailors and crew members were gone; even the scantily clad women who usually stood outside the taverns were nowhere to be seen.
Wei’en scanned the area again, and it suddenly clicked.
’No wonder it felt so off. The women who usually stood outside, enthusiastically calling for customers, are all gone...’
’How is that possible?’
He looked at a tavern not far ahead, and after a moment’s thought, he led Tina toward it.
[You have been scanned by Clelia Yuli Biondini’s spiritual perception. Reward: Survival Points +2.]
’Clelia?’
"Hey now, if I were you, I wouldn’t go in there right now~"
Hearing the voice, Wei’en turned to see a burly figure in a leather cuirass. "Clelia?"
"..." Clelia rolled her eyes and muttered, "I still can’t fool you..."
"What are you doing here? And what did you mean about not going inside?"
Seeing her expression, Wei’en knew he had guessed correctly. He gently pulled on the arm of Tina, who had tensed up beside him, and said, "This one isn’t an enemy, for now."
"Tina. Understood."
The white-haired girl loosened her tight grip on her clown doll, but she never took her eyes off Clelia.
"What do you mean, ’for now’? I was never your enemy in the first place, okay?"
The masculine features of Clelia’s face seemed to ripple, revealing a glimpse of her true appearance. "Follow me. This isn’t the place to talk."
