"...That is the situation. She has provided us with information before, so if you need confirmation of her reliability, you can ask Lin Yuhsia."
While Crownslayer and her people were loading the inhibitors, Shirou separately contacted Chen and thoroughly explained all the intelligence.
To make sure Chen would believe the information, Shirou specifically mentioned that Lin Yuhsia had previously used intelligence provided by Crownslayer as well. If Chen had doubts, she could confirm it with Lin herself.
Mainly, he was worried that Chen might not trust the information and fail to take it seriously.
However, his concerns were unnecessary. The intelligence Crownslayer provided was extremely detailed, so detailed that after hearing it, Chen suddenly connected many things together.
It was as though she had finally found the crucial puzzle piece, allowing all the remaining pieces to fit into place.
"Understood. I will contact Swire. As for your side, once the operation is over... head straight back to the branch office first. Once my operation is finished, I will come pick you up. We will handle the rest after returning to the Guard Department."
After sorting through the entire situation, Chen honestly wanted to return immediately and have Shirou launch a massive fireworks display directly at Iron Bull Logistics' headquarters.
Unfortunately, the company was located within the city district, so blowing it up was not an option. That would cause public panic among the citizens.
Additionally, arrests required evidence. Without concrete proof, the other party could easily find ways to evade responsibility.
And they had hidden things extremely well. Neither the earlier suspects nor the infected people now even knew who the real mastermind behind everything was.
The current intelligence had only been obtained through special channels. Without it, it probably would have taken quite a long time before anyone noticed something suspicious.
Still, there was no need to rush. They could leave it to the currently idle Swire. With a clear target now identified, gathering information would become much easier.
They would probably also need to contact Penguin Logistics. As a rival company, Penguin Logistics undoubtedly possessed some relevant intelligence.
Though it was probably nothing too serious. Otherwise, they would have acted already.
Even though Chen's feelings toward Penguin Logistics were complicated, she still understood that they were trustworthy in this regard.
As long as Emperor managed to obtain decisive evidence, he would absolutely give anyone trying to eliminate him a massive surprise.
"Swire again... I feel like she is always busy. Anyway, see you later then. Go handle your work first."
Hearing Chen throw the work onto Swire once more, Shirou felt somewhat sorry for her.
However, after hearing Chen occasionally diverting her attention to command other people, he decided not to say anything more and simply followed her instructions.
Besides, Penguin Logistics seemed to have already cleared their side of the battle. They no longer really needed his support.
The group had enough combat experience already. Coordinating together for small-scale operations was fairly easy for them. He had simply worried too much.
Thinking about it that way, he really did resemble the sort of overly concerned mother worrying whether her children would be alright outside.
Damn it, it had to be because everyone kept calling him that. He had gradually become assimilated by it.
"Finished already? Can I take those medicines too while I am at it?"
Seeing Shirou lower his communicator and then suddenly wear a strange expression, Crownslayer carefully asked from the side.
The inhibitors had already mostly been moved, and she had noticed some other medicines she wanted to pack up as well.
After all, since they were already here, it would feel like a waste not to take a little more.
Though when asking, her tone was somewhat cautious, afraid Shirou would give her that deathly stare again.
"Anything in areas where I did not set up barriers can be taken. Did you not say this place was basically one of your bases anyway? You do not have to be so careful... If your side needs some equipment too, I can let you take some. But I will need to inspect it first."
Hearing Crownslayer's voice, Shirou finally snapped back to reality and replied.
Looking at it now, he had practically glared someone into psychological trauma. Still, were his eyes really that frightening?
With that question in mind, Shirou handed Crownslayer his contact information as well. That way, if something happened in the future, she could find a way to contact him instead of having to wait until they happened to run into each other like this time.
Mainly because she clearly did not trust many communication channels. If only she were willing to trust the Guard Department... though there was no point saying that now.
Shirou could understand her distrust toward the Guard Department and even toward the entire city of Lungmen itself. He had no intention of forcing her to completely lower her guard.
Even he himself no longer trusted many people and things, so how could he possibly persuade others to do so?
"Then I will trouble you with it."
After hearing that they could take equipment, Crownslayer finally relaxed.
That meant the Shirou before her seemed to have developed a certain degree of trust toward their side. It appeared her earlier decision to desperately reveal everything she knew had been the correct one.
As for Shirou, he actually had not thought that deeply about it. He had simply noticed that the clothes worn by the people carrying supplies upstairs were all tattered and worn out, which was why he brought it up.
And what he had mentioned earlier was limited to defensive equipment only. Dangerous items like Offensive weapons naturally would not be allowed to leave with them.
He really did not want to one day see them squatting in the Guard Department detention area while he was at work.
After all, when an unarmed person suddenly obtained weapons, their way of thinking could change.
They might suddenly feel powerful and start leaning toward solving problems through violence whenever issues arose.
Of course, there were also people capable of restraining themselves, but those cases were comparatively rare.
After confirming that Crownslayer's subordinates were only taking ordinary clothing and protective gear, Shirou projected several more giant swords to completely block the doors shut again.
With Crownslayer present, Shirou could finally confirm that these obstacles were capable of stopping people.
Otherwise, he still would have felt somewhat uneasy. After all, he himself knew many ways to break through such barriers. Only after receiving assurance from others did he relax a little.
After dealing with everything here, Shirou prepared to leave.
He had already reconnected his communicator. Through it, he could hear the sounds of the Guard Department, Penguin Logistics, and Rhodes Island's branch office all directing combat operations.
At that moment, he suddenly understood why other people always called him a bug. Under normal circumstances, he could practically ignore many attacks and obstacles entirely while subduing enemies.
Of course, that did not mean he was invincible. Magical energy was ultimately an unavoidable limitation. He could accomplish many things, but all of them depended on having magecraft and magical energy available.
Without magical energy, he was nothing more than an ordinary person with somewhat better combat skills. There was no way he could casually catch daggers barehanded like earlier.
Besides, returning earlier would also allow him to take a little time to recover his condition.
After saying goodbye to Crownslayer and the others, Shirou projected a large number of swords to block the building's entrances and exits. Only after completing the final obstacle setup did he get on his bicycle and prepare to return to the branch office.
After returning to the branch office, Shirou was immediately dragged away by Minmin and the other medical operators for examinations to check whether he had suffered injuries or any other issues.
After all, as a precious experimental subject... ahem, blood source... ahem ahem, rather, combat personnel or partner, ensuring his safety was naturally part of the doctors' responsibilities.
Of course, the first two reasons were also major factors. If Shirou suffered some kind of injury that led to further complications, it would be a massive loss for the medical field.
And it was not as though they were overreacting. Operators returning from missions normally received similar treatment as well. The difference was that Rhodes Island operators usually wore monitoring devices, so the process was not nearly as complicated as it was for Shirou.
"...So can you let me rest now?"
Sitting in the medical room with his upper body forcibly stripped bare, Shirou looked helplessly at the doctors bustling around him.
If he had not already grown accustomed to their methods, and if he had not promised Chen he would wait here for her, he definitely would have found some way to slip away already.
"You can just lie down and sleep directly if you want. It does not affect our diagnosis anyway."
Minmin, who was looking at data displayed on the screen nearby, waved her hand dismissively and spoke in an unconcerned tone.
"In this situation, who could possibly sleep?"
Looking down at the various devices attached all over his body, Shirou twitched at the corners of his mouth as he complained.
"Then you will just have to endure it. Doctor Kal'tsit specifically instructed us to ensure your personal safety."
"Fine."
After hearing that it was Kal'tsit's instruction, Shirou immediately lost all desire to argue.
"Speaking of which, why has that thing on your chest appeared again? It even seems a little larger now."
After confirming that Shirou's physical condition was mostly fine, Minmin finally relaxed and decided to chat with him a little to make up for the friendship they had been missing lately.
After all, Shirou had not brought her lunchboxes recently. He had only been making them for the A4 Reserve Op Team members.
Although the children's cooking was also delicious... as a full-time overworked employee, wanting to reward herself with something tasty was completely reasonable, right?
"This? It will disappear again after a while, so there is no need to worry too much."
After hearing Minmin's words, Shirou finally remembered treating Chen earlier. Because of that, the red markings that had faded somewhat recently had started spreading again.
And since Chen had not seemed particularly distressed at the time, he ended up maintaining it a little longer than before.
Looking at it this way, treating Oripathy really did seem possible... but unless absolutely necessary, he still did not want other people gambling on it.
This time, Chen had simply been lucky and only saw part of his dark past. If she had seen some of the more dangerous parts instead, she definitely would not still be energetically carrying out missions like she was now.
Amiya was an exception. Under the influence of her Arts, her emotional empathy had been greatly amplified.
As for other people... Shirou was mainly worried about things related to Nameless and Emiya Kuro, along with the missing portion of his memories.
Anything connected to the Holy Grail was never something good.
"Understood. Even so, I still need to record it."
After hearing Shirou's explanation, Minmin did not pay much attention to it. After all, when Shirou had been brought here last time, he had also possessed those markings, and the examination results had been completely normal.
However, the moment Shirou heard her words, the expression on his face immediately cracked slightly.
The red markings on his body were noticeably more extensive than before he left Rhodes Island, and Kal'tsit was intelligent enough to immediately figure out what he had done.
At that moment, Shirou suddenly no longer wanted to take that December mission.
He really did not want to get scolded.
"Why do you suddenly look like a student who did something bad and is about to get scolded by the teacher?"
While recording the data, Minmin also noticed that something seemed off about Shirou's expression.
"That is actually a pretty accurate description."
Putting away the strange look on his face, Shirou replied with a forced smile.
"What a weirdo. You can remove the instruments now. Your physical condition is not as good as before, but it is still within the normal range. Remember to rest properly afterward."
Not understanding what exactly he meant, Minmin casually complained about Shirou before helping him remove the devices attached to his body and returning the Guard Department uniform he had originally been wearing.
"I understand."
After taking the clothes, Shirou immediately put them back on.
At the same time, he grabbed some energy-restoring food and drinks from the branch office and began eating.
Who knew how much longer they would still have to keep working? He needed to replenish some energy while he had the chance. He even took extra portions, planning to distribute them later to Chen and the other Guard Department personnel.
As for the Rhodes Island staff and Penguin Logistics?
Sorry, but based on Shirou's understanding of Chen, there was definitely no place for them in the upcoming operation.
The reason outsiders had been allowed to assist in the earlier operation against the stronghold was because the intelligence had been obtained through unofficial channels, and the location had been in the slums, making it inconvenient for the Guard Department to act openly. That was why Chen allowed others to help.
Inside the city district, none of those excuses applied anymore. Naturally, she would not casually allow outsiders to interfere with Guard Department operations.
As for Shirou, he was the exception because Wei Yenwu had forcibly arranged his involvement.
"Heh, what a perfunctory answer."
Hearing the obvious lack of sincerity in Shirou's words, Minmin let out a cold laugh and mentally recorded it in the little notebook she planned to report to Doctor Kal'tsit later.
Still, considering Shirou would continue being busy afterward, she did not intend to bother him further.
"Hm... Why is Yith sending me messages?"
While replenishing energy with the food, Shirou noticed an unread message from Yith on his phone.
After opening it, he discovered a large amount of already organized intelligence, all related to Iron Bull Logistics.
Most of it involved slightly suspicious details, but there was still nothing concrete enough to convict them.
Yith, who did not want overtime work: "These are materials Chen asked Texas and the others to have me investigate. Even though some time has already passed, I figured I should send them to you first."
"A few months ago, Boss paid attention to this company for a while, but after realizing they only handled the business Penguin Logistics did not want, he stopped caring about them. Right now I am trying to gather more information related to them."
From those messages alone, Shirou could completely sense Penguin Logistics' disdain toward other logistics companies.