Steel steam and flame

The flow of people is increasing, and the busiest time here is between 9pm and 12pm. Eliric got off the limousine at around 11 o'clock and entered the tavern opposite. The smells of various drinks and perfumes were mixed, and the air seemed dull to him. After ordering a glass of wine, Eliric sat in a position with a slightly wider view and quietly observed everything around him.

What method will be used to attract the prey's attention, or why is Rosa so sure that she can obtain evidence? Elirik has been thinking since he came out of the Special Operations Agency. Or is she too impatient? Tonight is just the beginning of the action, and it will continue for a while before Rosa will drop the net on the person she thinks is the murderer?

The drink had no taste when it entered the throat, and the noise around him disappeared little by little. When the music gradually overwhelmed other sounds, Eliric stood up and went to the counter to pay, and walked out of the tavern step by step. The team members also came out to join one after another, but none of them brought good news.

"It's like disappearing out of thin air. Even though they can disguise themselves, several of them have been with us for several years. It's not difficult to identify them with a little identification." The team members said, all of them still smelling of alcohol.

"It's better to patrol the surrounding area carefully. Don't go back tonight. We'll consider resting tomorrow." Eliric looked at the time, then looked at the high-end taverns lined up under the black clouds without being affected at all. say.

It was daylight, and Eliric was already on his way back to the Special Operations Agency's office. Let the team members go back to rest first, and he waited until noon. No one connected to the communicator from the beginning, and it is still the same now. After confirming that nothing special happened within Manoma, especially in the area of ​​the tavern, Eliric left with a heavy heart.

After arriving at the rented house, I immediately lay down on the bed. Unable to sleep, Eliric looked at the ceiling and thought for two or three hours, carefully going through all the details that he could notice, and then reluctantly closed his eyes.

Until he was awakened by the piercing buzzer, Eliric almost ejected from the bed. He stood beside the bed and hit his eyes hard several times. The clock on the wall pointed to nine o'clock, and the closed curtains were revealing a faint light.

"Sleep by yourself for the night?" Eliric rubbed his temples, thinking that he had been too tired recently. Picking up the communicator, a strange feeling came to him through the touch and sound of his hand at the moment of contact. He slowly exhaled and pressed the connect button. He is the dispatcher in his office, and he coordinates and arranges all the work on weekdays. His voice was dry, as if he hadn't drank water for a long time to moisten his throat: "Captain Eliric, there is news about Captain Rosa. I hope you can come over as soon as possible."

Eliric arrived at the office, where several superiors were already waiting. He was accompanied by several other captains of the same rank as him. The top manager here just said "Follow me" and walked straight to the back of the office building. None of them spoke, and Eliric closed his mouth and walked last. You guessed the result. Behind the office building is a weapons depot and garage, as well as a separate small building used to store a variety of information. In addition, the basement there is used as a cold storage to store the corpses of unknown surgeons who are checked back during daily operations.

He looked at the top few superiors, and suddenly there was an overflowing feeling of disgust in his heart, originating from the deepest part of his body. It was also mixed with reluctance, not so much for herself, but simply as she felt that Rosa's actions were not worth it. She regretted not stopping Rosa directly when she was talking about this. But at that time Eliric did not notice Rosa's determination, or in his opinion, as the captain of the same team, Rosa was also very clear about the helplessness and constraints at the lowest level of the special operations agency.

The result turned out to be what he least wanted to see. Three new corpses were brought into the cold storage room. There was no Rosa. They were all his men and had already lost their temperature. Eliric could imagine that there would be another body bag here soon. After opening the zipper, he could see Rosa's face, which was white and blue from the cold. Or, the body could never be found, lost to all parts of Manoma.

"There was a communication from Rosa's residence in the morning. It was a man's voice, asking us to move some things back." A superior said, "So we moved these things back. We are still investigating the specific reasons, and it cannot end here. This is a provocation to our special operations agency. The commander in charge of our area at the headquarters has been notified, and the next actions will be..."

"His subordinates will be solely responsible for it. Don't get involved in this matter. I will inform you as soon as there are results..." Eliric said the next words silently in his heart. He had heard it so many times that it became like an assembly line. .

"At noon, a team specially set up for this purpose will come over and collect basic information for us. Captain Rosa's recent abnormality, is there any hint in her words, and who has she been in close contact with... I hope that before noon, Let’s all think about it, this may provide key clues to help the team find out the cause of Captain Rosa’s death.”

When he was stopped on the way back, Eliric knew that there would be such a process. After all, there was a record the day before yesterday showing that he was concerned about Captain Rosa's whereabouts.

"Eliric, we want to know the detailed direction of the matter. Rosa, like you, is a very good captain here. In addition to regretting her death, we also have to deal with her unfinished business. Finished. After all, it was an action that cost her her life..."

The prisoner-like questioning continued from morning to night, and everything he knew was revealed. Elric understood that otherwise, he would probably not be able to leave the room. It was already around three in the morning when I left the special operations agency office. Back in the office, Eliric learned from his colleagues on the evening shift that his team members had also been called back one after another, but the questioning time was not long.

"Thank you." Eliric took his coat and drove back, but changed the route midway and went to Rosa's residence. From a distance, he saw lights shining in the room. Elric turned the steering wheel and laughed, "It becomes increasingly unclear who is the culprit and the murderer."

I was given a long vacation in the next few days, so I didn't have to work for a week or two. The rare break did not cheer Eliric up. He kept himself in the room, with Rosa's words echoing in his head - I just couldn't stand it, and I felt that I had to do something.

"If I had gone with him, would the outcome have been better?" Eliric asked himself. He walked to the window and looked at the brightly lit Manoma Center outside. He already had the answer in his heart, "At least he will die. There is no need to hold on to this pitiful sense of responsibility and justice." But he knew that he would survive even if he was dying. Not only because there will be no consequences after death, but he feels that people like him should have some talents. It may not have much effect, but it is still okay to disgust some people.

,,,,,,

"Master, the matter has been dealt with. All relevant information has been burned and there will be no further follow-up."

"We can't just relax. If we keep tracking for a while, if we confirm that there are no copies of the information, the most suspicious people will disappear."