"This is the place you meant?"
Shirou stood atop the roof of an abandoned apartment building, looking out over the area Yith had marked.
He was still wearing his red coat. Although he had considered switching to something else, Yith told him that red coats had recently become a trend in Lungmen.
Because of that news footage, the style had gone viral. Many people were now wearing similar coats…though none were exactly the same as Shirou's.
Yith knew that Shirou had created his coat using his own abilities and he could not help but feel envious.
That ability was just too convenient.
However, while this led Shirou to continue wearing the red coat, it also triggered his secondhand embarrassment quite severely.
"Yes, more or less here. So far, there are no signs of them leaving. There is a possibility of there being a hidden passage."
Yith briefly explained the situation. He was also busy on his end and was not focusing too much on Shirou.
Unless necessary, there was no need to worry about him. It was more worthwhile to worry about whether the drone might get discovered.
"Hmm… so I just keep watch here today?"
After waiting for a while without receiving further instructions, Shirou asked.
Normally, Yith would tell him in advance when to shift to another location so he could manage his stamina.
The lack of instructions today felt off to him.
"Before, we were basically shooting in the dark. Now that we have a clear location to stake out, there is no need for that. Besides, you are still recovering. If I were not worried about the Guard Department messing things up, you could have been enjoying a good meal with everyone today."
Yith patiently explained.
"…Is eavesdropping on others your hobby?"
Shirou, however, focused on the last part.
"Do you really think I am that kind of person? They posted photos in the group chat! Looks like they are having a great time."
Yith felt his integrity had been seriously questioned and strongly protested.
"Sorry. I should not have doubted you."
Hearing that, Shirou admitted his mistake for jumping to conclusions.
"No worries. Though I did hear it from your side before that."
After getting the apology, Yith revealed his true mischievous nature.
"Give me back my apology! Hey!"
Realizing he had been played again, Shirou felt completely exasperated.
"It is nothing. Do not worry about it."
Yith showed no remorse whatsoever for messing with others.
"…Sigh. By the way, did you inform the Guard Department?"
Knowing that arguing with Yith was pointless, Shirou quickly changed the subject.
"As for the Guard Department, I did not notify them. But that person who shares similar thoughts with you did mention it. She will probably inform a few trusted people and have them on standby."
"Why not notify them?"
"First, we are not even certain this information is accurate. Second, the target seems to be the Guard Department or even all of Lungmen. I reasonably suspect they might have someone on the inside."
Knowing Shirou disliked vague answers, Yith explained plainly.
"So there might be a problem within the Guard Department?"
Shirou still found the situation somewhat complicated.
"I cannot say for sure. But when there are many people, things get complicated. Personally, I prefer to limit intelligence to a small number of trusted individuals. That way, its value and reliability can be preserved."
Yith did not deny Shirou's conclusion. He was simply cautious about uncertain factors.
"Human nature is complicated… huh?"
Out of everything, that was the part Shirou understood most clearly.
He did not care much about intelligence matters for now.
It was not that he knew nothing; he simply had less memories and Yith often shared bits and pieces about the world with him, intentionally or not.
Perhaps he was trying to train him.
After all, raw strength alone was not enough. Knowledge and experience might prove useful later.
"That is just my personal view. I tend to overthink things. As for you, just make decisions your own way."
Yith added. These were just small bits of experience and not everything would suit Shirou.
"You really do think in a complicated way."
Shirou remarked dryly. As for the rest… there was no rush to figure it out now.
"Alright, enough chatting. Ch— ahem, your 'partner in justice' seems to have entered the field. I will pull you into a channel. Be careful with what you say."
Seeing Shirou's reaction, Yith could not tell whether he had taken it all in or not.
Through the feed, it could be seen that Chen was already lying in wait around the area. Besides her, there were also several Lungmen Guard Department members in plain clothes.
"Got it. Do not worry."
Ignoring Yith's teasing, Shirou focused all his attention on that area.
Soon, a faint static sound came through his earpiece, followed by a voice.
"Can you hear me?"
The voice was slightly distorted through the device but Shirou could still recognize it as hers.
"I can hear you. What about your side?"
He cooperated and did a quick check.
"It is fine. Any movement on your end?"
During missions, Chen did not like unnecessary chatter. She preferred to quickly suppress and resolve situations.
If there was time for conversation, it could wait until after the mission.
Of course, she was not completely inflexible, if it was a long operation she would not be overly strict about it.
"None."
Shirou reported honestly.
From her tone alone he could already feel a strong sense of professionalism.
Perhaps it was because Yith usually matched his pace that he had never felt this kind of tension before.
Now that he encountered it, he felt slightly nervous and worried he might say something wrong.
"Continue observing… and be careful. Stay safe."
As Chen gave orders in her usual manner, she suddenly realized Shirou was not actually her subordinate, so she added a couple more words.
"Understood."
Shirou did not notice anything unusual about that, though strictly speaking, he was quite safe at the moment, he was observing from two kilometers away.
The main concern was that being too close might expose him, while being too far would make it hard to respond in time.
So Yith had assigned him this position.
Technically, he could have gotten closer but there was no suitable vantage point.
"All units, stand by."
After arranging everyone's positions, Chen issued the command for them to remain on standby.
Listening to her command, Shirou could not help but admire the difference, true professionals carried a distinct presence.
He did not dare speak casually now and simply focused on what he was supposed to do.
The slums at night were extremely quiet. Most of the sounds Shirou heard came faintly from the main city of Lungmen.
Very subtle, but still audible in such silence.
This was his first time conducting surveillance without Yith constantly chatting beside him.
At first, it felt peaceful. Now, it felt a bit too quiet.
It was not a bad thing, he had long been used to being alone like this.
It was just… something felt missing.
He had grown used to a lively atmosphere and now it felt slightly uncomfortable without it.
Shaking his head, Shirou pushed aside the stray thoughts and quickly regained his focus.
This was not difficult for him, after all, he had been doing this kind of thing for nearly ten years.
"…"
After a long stretch of silence, aside from a few brief reports, there was almost no other sound in the channel.
Shirou, Chen, and her team handled the main surveillance, while Yith consolidated and analyzed the intelligence, filtering out suspicious points.
Of course, there could still be oversights but in Yith's assessment the probability was extremely low.
Yith had also marked several highly suspicious spots and told Shirou to pay extra attention to them.
He had not assigned others to check those locations mainly to avoid alerting the enemy. This kind of task was best left to a "human telescope."
"…That is quite a lot."
Holding his phone, Shirou frowned as he noted down the observation points Yith had assigned him.
"It is already much less compared to the entire area. If nothing unexpected happens we should be able to narrow it down further within two hours."
Yith communicated with Shirou through text messages.
Unless necessary, he would not speak in the shared channel. He communicated with both Shirou and Chen via text instead.
"Understood."
Shirou replied briefly.
He was actually a bit tired now, not physically or in terms of magical energy, but mentally.
Even so, he forced himself to stay alert.
Yith was right. Compared to the beginning, the search area had already been greatly reduced.
This was not Shirou's doing, but rather the result of the hooded person and her team.
They had far more experience in this field. Tasks that would take Shirou a while to confirm were handled by them in less than half the time.
Working as a group, their efficiency was far higher than Shirou's alone.
Of course, the most important factor was still Yith's intelligence processing and his hacking skills. Without that, they would not have been able to filter information so quickly.
"Hm? That is…"
Shirou noticed a small black dot rising into the air.
It was a completely black drone.
"Is something wrong?"
Hearing Shirou speak up, Chen asked.
Although the people from Penguin Logistics were known for causing trouble, when it came to actual work, they were extremely efficient and thorough.
Shirou did not think he was that important but from Chen's perspective, his observation range was enormous. Even with equipment, a single person could not normally cover such a wide area.
"A black drone just took off."
Shirou stepped back from the edge of the building so the people below could not spot him, then casually projected a black longbow and arrows into his hands.
Against non-Servant enemies, arrows were more than sufficient for many tasks.
They consumed little energy to project, were quick to use and their trajectory could be adjusted with magical energy.
While they could not pursue targets relentlessly like Hrunting, they were more than enough for this situation.
"A black one…? That is a reconnaissance drone! All units, take cover!"
Hearing Shirou, Chen raised her binoculars from a slightly taller building and spotted the drone.
With her years of experience, she immediately recognized its purpose.
Its function was simple…enemy detection.
It lacked weapons and defenses, it was just a lightweight drone built purely for speed.
To blend with the night, it had been painted black which was why she had not noticed it immediately.
Fortunately, they had someone like Shirou who was practically a bug in human form who caught it early.
"Should I shoot it down?"
Shirou asked.
He remembered Exusiai mentioning that drones should generally be taken down first, since enemies in the air could only be handled by those with ranged weapons.
"No. If it just launched, it probably has not detected us yet. Observe for now and stay careful."
Chen rapidly assessed the situation.
"Understood."
Shirou did not move closer. At this distance, using a bow for sniping was ideal.
If he got closer, he would lose the advantage of a high vantage point.
"Watch out for armed drones. Those are more dangerous."
At this moment, Yith joined the channel to remind Shirou how to proceed.
"For now, there is only one. I can destroy it at any time."
Shirou had already drawn his bow and aimed at the drone. The moment he received the order, he would take it down instantly.
At a distance of two kilometers, it would only take a few seconds for his arrow to reach it.
If he used a Noble Phantasm as an arrow, it would be instantaneous.
But using something like that on a drone would be wasteful.
"Sniper units, in position."
Meanwhile, Chen was directing the Guard Department members she had brought. She had only brought nine people besides herself.
Only the casters and snipers could effectively deal with drones, and unfortunately, she had not brought many of them.
After all, they had expected a possible assault operation, so most of her team consisted of guards and shield units.
"More drones are taking off! There are a lot of them!"
Shirou suddenly reported as several more drones rose into the air nearby.
"…Wow, that is quite a number."
Through the feed, Yith could see them clearly without even adjusting anything.
That cluster…more like a swarm was impossible to miss unless one was blind.
Who on earth would deploy this many combat drones?
Even the Guard Department would only use a few drones during an operation.
Looking at the swarm gathering like a hive, Yith began considering whether he should call Exusiai over.