Chapter 73: The Slum Offensive V
All of Rosseaulyn's men separated from Dialla's troops and regrouped with the man who had called them to action.
"You all should know what the consequences are for being a traitor!" Dialla warned, his voice seething with anger.
The man stepped forward, revealing himself as Sergeant Whitlock. "No Sir! We are not traitors!"
"Sergeant Whitlock! I see, the disloyal dog of Lieutenant Winton… What a shameful traitor of the Kothern military!!" Dialla sneered.
"We are not betraying the military! We've been serving under Lieutenant Winton all along! Joining this ruthless and heartless war was the limit of what we could tolerate! But now, you even want us to kill our Ma'am! No way we are going to follow your order!"
"Then, what's now? You want to go against us with only a few of your men?! Know your limits, Sergeant!"
"Our Ma'am can easily outsmart all your men with her intelligence!" Whitlock shot back.
"Interesting! I can't wait to see! Then I will inform Mr. President that your Ma'am interfered with our military action and initiated a 'civil war'. Despite her helping us capture the wanted maniacs, she let other criminals in this slum escape! She must bear all the consequences of your stupidity!"
"I guess there's no point in talking with you anymore! You've been out of your mind from the beginning, killing civilians and even a child!"
"Say whatever you want… By the way, Mr. President is the one who approved this mission. Hahahaha!" Dialla laughed maniacally.
Rosseaulyn rushed to reunit with her men, "Thanks for being by my side! Let's fight until the end! And I promise to get you all back to your homes!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" the soldiers rallied.
"What a touching moment, Lieutenant Winton! I heard it! You want to fight us?!"
"What did you say just now? President's order? But are you sure you weren't the one who suggested this action in the first place?" Rosseaulyn challenged.
"So what? He has the right to reject my proposition! But he didn't!"
"Are you trying to make the President one of your puppets too?!"
"Oh gosh… Lieutenant Winton, just listen to what you said… Extremely disrespectful…"
Victor approached Dialla and interjected their conversation, reporting with evident pride, "Captain! We've captured the two maniacs alive! Our main mission is accomplished!"
"Hahahahaha! Well done, Victor! Your job here is done! Now, keep a sharp eye on them and ensure they don't escape again! I will take care of Lieutenant Winton myself," Dialla responded with a sinister chuckle.
"Thanks, Sir! Maniacs, this way!" Victor commanded as he roughly grabbed both the assassin and Ayukawa by the arm.
"Easy, officer! You're hurting my arm!" the assassin joked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Shut up!" Victor snapped, unamused. He was oblivious to the assassin's sinister and excited smile, dismissing it simply as maniacal behavior rather than a sign of brewing trouble.
"Soldiers! Keep a close watch on them and prevent any attempts at escape! Got it?!" Victor ordered sternly.
"Yes, Sergeant!" the soldiers responded in unison.
"Great! Prepare a vehicle! We need to transport them to the 'jurisdiction room'!"
"Roger that!"
Ayukawa maintained a sharp gaze on Victor, silent but intense. Beside her, the assassin was also waiting for Rosseaulyn's signal to launch their planned counterattack.
"You madwoman! Stop looking at me like that! You cut my ear! I will make you pay for that later!" Victor threatened, pointing a finger at her.
"Sergeant! The vehicle is broken! What should we do?" one of the soldiers suddenly reported.
"What? Broken? We'll have to find another then... Let's head back a bit and see if there are any other vehicles available."
"Yes, Sir!"
Meanwhile, Dialla and his remaining troops encircled Rosseaulyn and her comrades, attempting to coerce them into surrendering.
"Lieutenant Winton! I advise you and your men to surrender now! If you don't want to get hurt!"
"What if I refuse?!"
"If you insist on resisting… I will kill you right away!"
"Well, bring it on! Everyone, fire and stop Captain Dialla!" Rosseaulyn declared boldly.
"Yes, Ma'am!" her soldiers responded in unison.
Dialla, in turn, ordered his troops, "Soldiers! Take down Lieutenant Winton and her troops!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The once-temporary silence within the slum was shattered by the cacophony of gunfire, echoing even to the east entrance. Hearing the signal, the assassin and Ayukawa swiftly freed themselves and dispatched the guards surrounding them with ease.
Victor, startled by the commotion behind him, turned to investigate, only to find nobody there. "Huh?! What the!? Where are the two maniacs?!"
The assassin, seizing the moment of surprise, taunted, "I never thought my enemy would be a joker like you. Honestly! Hahahahaha!!"
"You! Screw you!" Victor spat, drawing his army knife.
But before Victor could react further, the assassin swiftly twisted his neck, rendering him unconscious in an instant. Ayukawa, her hand trembling as she wielded her dagger, glared fiercely at Victor.
"Hey, what's wrong? Your hand is shaking," the assassin remarked.
"I was debating whether to send him to hell right now or not!" Ayukawa confessed.
"Oh, come on! You don't have to hesitate about it at all! You're not killing a man for the first time, aren't you?!"
"I was trying really hard not to kill anyone anymore! But this jerk, I feel like I must kill him right now!"
"If you can't do it, let me have the fun then! Hahahahaha!!" the assassin chuckled.
Suddenly, soldiers appeared, yelling, "Hey! Two of you! Attention! All units! The two maniacs have escaped!"
"Geez! We should take them down now and save the officer!"
"Got it!"
The assassin and Ayukawa were once again leveraging their exceptional skills to take down soldiers, their sudden appearance from behind Dialla's forces causing a significant distraction. Surprisingly, Dialla didn't express anger upon hearing of their escape; instead, he maintained a calm and neutral demeanor.
"As expected… I can't trust that fool at all! They've escaped again!" Dialla exclaimed.
"Captain! Our troops at the rear are requesting reinforcements! They're nearly overwhelmed by those two maniacs!" a soldier reported.
"What are you waiting for then?! Send reinforcements now and eliminate those two maniacs!"
"Captain! We're also facing strong resistance from Lieutenant Winton!" another soldier reported.
"This battle was supposed to be under our control! Why does it feel like we're in dire straits?! I need everyone to show their resolve and fight with all their might!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The sound of relentless gunfire was deafening, echoing through the east entrance of the slum. This chaos instilled fear in Carmella, who was assisting the medics with treating injured civilians. Her worry for Vermilion and Rosseaulyn made it difficult for her to focus. The sight of suffering patients and the sounds of their groans further disturbed her, causing her hands to tremble.
In the midst of this, a medic in urgent need called out to her, "Lady! Could you come over here and help me lift the other side of the stretcher?"
"Hmm?! Me?" Carmella responded in a panic.
"Yes!"
"Oh... Oh, okay! I'm coming!"
"Thank you! Please lift that side and I'll lift this side. Wait for my count—we'll lift on three."
"Got it!"
"Alright! One, two, three!"
"Hoii!"
"Great! Let's carry him to the bus over there."
"Alright!"
"Watch your step!"
"I will! Oh gosh… he's seriously burned…" Carmella observed in shock as she looked at the severely injured man on the stretcher.
"Yes, we must act quickly, or he might not make it!" the medic urged.
"Oh my goodness…"
Carmella and the medic proceeded with care, but Carmella's trembling hands were a source of frustration for her. Despite trying to steady them, she failed. After taking a few steps, her hands suddenly lost all strength, and she inadvertently let go of the stretcher.
She tried to react, but was helpless as she watched the stretcher start to fall. Just before it hit the ground, a woman appeared and caught the handle with a single arm. Carmella was speechless, puzzled by the rapid unfolding of events.
The woman looked at Carmella and asked, "Are you alright? You look pale, and your hands are still shaking."
"Yes, I'm fine! Thank you so much for your help! I almost killed him..." Carmella stammered.
"You're lucky I was nearby and saw this happen. It looks like you need some rest. Let me help this medic get him to the bus," the woman offered.
"Thank you, ma'am," the medic replied, relieved.
Carmella sat down, still staring at the woman, her thoughts racing. 'Who is she? She appeared out of nowhere... I blinked, and suddenly she was there, grabbing the stretcher. Incredible... She looks familiar, though...'
After helping the medic, the woman returned to Carmella and inquired, "You don't seem to belong to any of the groups here, do you?"
"I don't belong... What do you mean?"
"You're not one of the medics, police, or residents here, are you?"
"I... I live here..."
"Really? Even if that's true, you don't seem like you belong here."
"Well, you're not the first one to say that. By the way, who are you?"
"I'm Maerlisa. People often refer to me as one of the great warriors of Kothern."
"The three great warriors! Now I recognize you! But why are you here?"
"I'm here to stop the fighting and save the people. I was planning to watch the conflict unfold, but it's causing too much suffering."
"Are you trying to stop all of them by yourself? Where are the other two warriors?"
"They're not with me today. You just need to stay here and watch. I'll return once I've put an end to the violence."
Carmella's heart raced. "My sister... I mean, I saw Second Lieutenant Winton inside. Perhaps she could help you."
"Oh! The savior of Luthernza is inside too! I see... But I'll handle this on my own for now. See you later," Maerlisa said before disappearing into the slum.
Carmella watched her go, feeling a mix of awe and hope. "She seems so confident... I just hope she can end this madness."
As Maerlisa vanished from sight, three figures emerged from the same direction. One of them broke into a run towards Carmella.
"Carmella!" Vermilion's voice cut through the tension.
"Vermilion!? Thank goodness you're alright!! I was so worried about you! Where have you been? And why did it take you so long to get here?!"
"I just got lost in there… But I met Rosseaulyn, and she asked a police officer to escort me back here!"
"She really kept her promise…"
"Anyway, I managed to retrieve all the medical books from our house!"
Carmella gratefully took the books from Vermilion's hands, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you… Thank you so much!"
"Heh, luckily I figured out these were the ones you wanted to take."
Carmella rose from the floor and embraced Vermilion tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay… I was terrified you'd get hurt or captured by the soldiers…"
"Well, I did encounter some complications in there, but I'm fine now. You don't need to worry about me anymore."
Meanwhile, Angelina stood quietly behind them, tears streaming down her face. Their emotional reunion moved her deeply, and she began to applaud.
"Oh… Sniff… What a beautiful moment…" Angelina sniffled. "I'm so happy for you both…"
Carmella glanced at Angelina, feeling a bit puzzled. "Who is she?"
"Oh! She's—"
Angelina interjected and introduced herself, "I'm Angelina, the President's daughter! Vermilion told me about you on the way here. You're quite the talented medic, aren't you? You've been helping out with the casualties here."
Carmella modestly replied, "I try my best, but I wouldn't say I'm that great…"
"Well, whatever you say. I'll add your name to my list!" Angelina declared.
"What list?"
"You'll find out eventually! Anyway, I believe this ridiculous war is coming to an end soon. Maerlisa just walked past us, and I have a feeling things will settle down now."
"You all saw her too?!" Carmella exclaimed.
"Yeah, she seemed pretty relaxed... Maybe even laughing..." Vermilion added.
"She spoke to me earlier and asked me to wait for her return..."
"In that case, let's pitch in and help the others until they get back, shall we?" Angelina suggested.
"Alright!" Carmella agreed.
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