Looking at the distant abandoned factory that appeared extremely rundown, Shirou felt that there were simply too many coincidences in this operation.
At the very moment manpower was at its most limited, a group of criminals just happened to be seen entering an abandoned factory that looked like it could collapse at any time?
Those thoughts only lingered briefly in Shirou's mind. Once the operation began, he focused all of his attention on the mission itself.
Still, he reminded Officer Chen and Hoshiguma to stay careful, while also secretly preparing several Noble Phantasms in case something unexpected happened.
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood…"
He quietly chanted under his breath as he mobilized the magical energy within his body and entered a combat-ready state.
He did not know what they were about to face, but being prepared in advance could never hurt. To avoid any unforeseen accidents, Shirou had already taken out his strongest defensive Noble Phantasm and kept it ready in his hand.
The moment anything went wrong, he could immediately deploy it and protect most of the people present.
"..."
Both Officer Chen and Hoshiguma heard Shirou muttering those words, but he often said strange things during operations anyway, so neither of them paid much attention.
It was just that this time… it sounded especially chuuni.
They were professionally trained. They absolutely would not laugh out loud.
Besides, the atmosphere at the scene did not allow for laughter. Any disturbance could alert the wanted criminals hiding inside.
After moving closer, Officer Chen had several drones fly in at low altitude in an attempt to gather more information and ensure the operation proceeded more safely.
Unfortunately, the people inside seemed to have already prepared countermeasures against reconnaissance drones. The drones that entered failed to send back any footage at all.
Although it was regrettable that they could not obtain any intelligence, it also indirectly proved that someone was indeed inside. Otherwise, there would not have been any response against the drones.
Equipment capable of interfering with reconnaissance drones was not something an ordinary criminal could possess.
"Shirou, do you see anything?"
Still unwilling to give up, Officer Chen asked Shirou.
Even though she had already checked with binoculars earlier and found nothing, she could only hope that Shirou's seemingly blessed eyes might notice something.
Of course, it was only hope. Officer Chen had already prepared herself for the worst-case scenario.
"Hmm… no. Visibility here is pretty bad. Should I start with a big one first to probe the area?"
Hearing Officer Chen's question, Shirou took another look.
The factory possessed everything one would expect from an abandoned facility: a shattered roof, broken windows, and countless gaps through which he could vaguely observe the interior.
Yet even with his pair of golden eyes, he could not make out anything at all. It was as if the factory itself was merely an empty shell.
However, just because his eyes could not see anything did not mean his instincts sensed nothing.
Something inside was dangerous.
At the very least, it was dangerous for everyone else.
That was why he proposed using long-range attacks first to test the situation.
Chen: "?"
The moment Officer Chen heard Shirou say "a big one," the first image that appeared in her mind was the abandoned factory exploding into a giant mushroom cloud.
Although she also wanted to finish work early and go home, Shirou's proposal was obviously unacceptable.
Leaving aside whether the abandoned factory contained dangerous gases or liquids, the shockwaves from such an explosion alone would be enough to devastate the nearby factories.
Thinking of this, Chen decisively shook her head and rejected Shirou's suggestion.
They were the Lungmen Guard Department.
They were here to arrest wanted criminals, not conduct indiscriminate bombardment.
Officer Chen reasonably suspected that Shirou had already been infected by the people from Penguin Logistics. Whenever they encountered problems, the first thing they thought of was solving them with explosions.
"Then we will proceed according to the original plan."
Seeing Officer Chen shake her head in refusal, Shirou merely assumed that she did not want to alarm the people inside and did not think further about it.
What he originally suggested was simply firing ordinary arrows. He had never intended to use something like Caladbolg.
After all, this was a factory. He had no idea whether dangerous materials were stored inside.
"I will lead the advance team first. Everyone stay careful."
After hearing the two of them speak, Hoshiguma gripped her shield, Hannya, and prepared to scout ahead.
If there really was an ambush, she could at least hold out for some time.
Just as Shirou had said, the entire situation was too coincidental. That was why she was being so cautious, even volunteering to personally lead the reconnaissance team.
"…I will go with you, Hoshiguma."
After a brief hesitation, Shirou spoke up.
With magecraft reinforcing him, he and Hoshiguma were probably the most durable people present. Having the two of them scout ahead together was the most suitable option.
"Alright. Follow me."
After receiving Officer Chen's approval, Hoshiguma said nothing further and immediately had Shirou move with her.
The two of them, along with a three-person squad from the Guard Department, carefully approached the abandoned factory.
Hoshiguma took point while Shirou and the other three followed behind her.
The closer they got to the factory, the thicker the malicious intent Shirou sensed became.
"We are being watched. Stay alert."
Sensing the hostility, Shirou quietly warned the others.
The group nodded to show they understood while tightening their grips on their weapons.
As the distance closed, Shirou felt his heartbeat quickening more and more, as though it was warning him that something was about to happen.
It could have simply been psychological pressure, but that optimistic thought only lingered for a moment before disappearing.
The next instant, the doors of the abandoned factory were suddenly thrown open, followed by several Arts attacks and crossbow bolts flying straight toward them.
Those people had already been waiting by the entrance, planning to kill part of the Guard Department forces before they could properly react.
Shirou immediately grasped the situation.
It was not only the front entrance that had enemies. Several people were also standing by the windows higher up, launching attacks at them as well.
Aside from Shirou, Hoshiguma was the first to react. She immediately raised Hannya and rapidly stepped backward several paces, shielding Shirou and the other three behind her.
Boom—
Several attacks slammed into Hannya and the surrounding ground, producing violent explosions.
The noise was somewhat grating to Shirou's ears, but it also pushed him fully into combat mode as his mind rapidly analyzed the battlefield.
Those attacks themselves were not the real issue.
The real issue was the Caster standing just inside the entrance, currently gathering power for another spell.
Shirou recognized that face.
The man was an extremely vicious wanted criminal who had once used the Originium crystals embedded in his own body as a catalyst to unleash powerful Arts, killing several members of the Guard Department before successfully escaping.
If Shirou had not seen incorrectly just now, the man was holding a staff.
That meant the strength of his Arts might have increased further.
That was definitely not good news.
Pouring magical energy into his right hand, Shirou projected something he had prepared long ago.
"Rho Aias!"
Huge semi-transparent purple flower petals appeared before Hoshiguma's Hannya, blocking every incoming attack from the front.
This was the first time Hoshiguma had seen Shirou project this Noble Phantasm from this angle. Honestly, it felt surprisingly reassuring.
Still, was it really necessary to use something like this against mere Arts and crossbow bolts?
A second later, Hoshiguma no longer thought that way.
A pillar of flame as thick as a water barrel slammed directly into the purple petals before her, dispersing like a high-pressure stream crashing into a solid wall.
The flames scattering to the sides instantly melted part of a nearby abandoned iron gate, making Hoshiguma realize just how dangerous that attack had been.
Although the attack appeared to have been blocked effortlessly, the spread of the flames alone allowed Hoshiguma to roughly estimate its destructive power.
If she had tried to block that head-on with Hannya…
The repair costs probably would have emptied her entire savings.
As for whether Hannya could have withstood it?
Hoshiguma still had absolute faith in her old partner. If it failed, then the problem would definitely have been with her, not the shield.
"Ten people, and several of them are major criminals?"
When those people first attacked, Chen had felt a trace of tension. However, after seeing Hoshiguma successfully block the attacks, she relaxed somewhat and immediately ordered the others to identify the people inside.
At a glance, there were around ten individuals. Some of them were not even wearing masks, making them easy to recognize.
Every single one of them was a major criminal.
Which meant the masked ones were probably the same.
What confused Chen was that these people should not have gathered together in the first place.
If it had been one major criminal leading a group of ordinary criminals, that would have made sense.
But an entire group of major criminals?
There was definitely something wrong here.
Remembering Shirou's earlier warning, Chen lightly frowned. Her hand moved to the Chixiao at her waist as she ran toward Shirou and the others.
Meanwhile, after using Rho Aias to block the Arts attack, Shirou immediately projected several swords and fired them toward where those people had been standing.
This was purely suppressive fire, intended to stop the enemy group from continuing their attacks.
Unfortunately, he lacked proper visibility. Otherwise, Shirou was confident he could have wiped them out in one move.
The suppressive attack successfully subdued some of the enemies, while others escaped more quickly. Without line of sight, Shirou could not continue controlling the swords to pursue them.
To everyone else, this outcome was already nearly perfect.
But Shirou himself did not think so.
He should have suppressed them immediately from the start. He should never have allowed them the opportunity to attack in the first place.
Unfortunately, both the environment and his own caution prevented him from fully unleashing his attacks.
On one hand, he feared accidentally detonating something dangerous.
On the other, he worried there might be additional ambushes waiting.
Those two concerns prevented Shirou from launching immediate suppression and instead caused him to prioritize everyone's safety first.
Still, those people could not escape.
The exits of the abandoned factory had already been surrounded by the Guard Department. As long as they proceeded carefully from here, the operation could end safely.
"Thanks. That really felt reassuring just now."
Hoshiguma said this while carrying Hannya on her shoulder.
Normally she was the one standing at the front and tanking attacks. Today, she finally experienced what it felt like to have someone else protecting her.
Although the semi-transparent shield did feel somewhat terrifying, as though it could crack apart at any moment.
She really wondered where the thing's limit actually was.
After all, that massive pillar of flame had not caused even the slightest ripple. There had not been any reaction at all.
Thinking about it that way, Shirou really was incredible.
He could fight at close range and long range, attack and defend, and even perform emergency treatment.
Why did he feel so overwhelmingly reliable?
Leaning against the wall while waiting for Old Chen to arrive with reinforcements, Hoshiguma's thoughts drifted for a moment.
However, once everyone regrouped, she quickly refocused.
"Shirou and Hoshiguma, come with me. The rest of you clean up the scene."
After approaching the site and seeing the fallen major criminals and bloodstains near the entrance, Chen immediately issued her orders.
Judging from the way several of them were still twisting and struggling, they probably had not suffered any fatal injuries. Or rather, even if these people were seriously injured, it would not really matter much.
After all, anyone who could become a major criminal in Lungmen definitely had plenty of blood on their hands. So even if Shirou had split them up and dealt with them immediately, it would still have been completely reasonable.
Under normal circumstances, Shirou was not someone who killed indiscriminately. Unless the situation was especially critical, he usually would not strike to kill.
Of course, Shirou also would not pity these people. In that regard, he handled things better than most members of the Guard Department.
That made Chen somewhat curious about what kind of environment Shirou had grown up in to develop such a mindset.
However, since Shirou did not bring it up himself, Chen had no intention of deliberately asking about it.
She herself also had things she did not want others to know, so she would not pry into other people's pasts either.
As long as he held no hostility toward Lungmen and was willing to help them, that was enough.
Excluding the five people at the entrance and the two upstairs earlier, there were still at least three people remaining inside the abandoned warehouse.
After assessing the situation, Chen instructed the others to clean up the scene, while she, Shirou, and Hoshiguma continued pursuing the remaining three.
Even though there were only three people left, Chen did not relax her guard.
After all, they still did not know the exact number of people involved. They could only confirm that there were at least three remaining. Whether there were more would depend on their luck.
"Fortunately, I did not recklessly attack earlier... these people actually placed this stuff here."
After going deeper into the factory, Shirou noticed several dangerous gas cylinders and felt relieved that he had not unleashed any large-scale attacks earlier.
Otherwise, the people below might have ended up with a few more names added to the casualty list.
"They are flammable."
After checking the markings on the cylinders, Chen confirmed that they were all filled with flammable gas. They were very likely intended as a trap for the Guard Department.
Judging from their appearance, they had probably only been moved here recently.
Still, it somehow felt like these were specifically targeting Shirou.
The Guard Department usually did not use explosives during operations. These things seemed more like a countermeasure meant to prevent Shirou from setting off large fireworks.
Hopefully it was just her imagination. If this operation really was targeting someone specifically, then it meant there were other people behind these criminals.
And that would also mean their upcoming operations might involve many more dangers.