Putting on a trench coat, pulling up the hood, and finally putting on the mask, Hinami Fueguchi at this time, apart from her petite figure, did not look like her usual self. And Lancer, after hesitating for a while, also took out a set of armor engraved with lion patterns and put it on.
「Stormwind Guard
Level: C+
Characteristic: Defense Enhancement
Enchantment: Hardening
Description: A gift meticulously forged by the blacksmiths in Stormwind City and personally presented by King Llane of the Kingdom of Stormwind to Lancer, the Guardian of the Kingdom of Stormwind.」
"Mr. Lancer… you…"
If Hinami Fueguchi had just changed clothes, then Lancer style had completely changed, but Lancer waved his hand.
"This is an armor my friend gave me. I'll wear it for now. As for the reason… I'll explain later."
Although Lancer felt a bit strange, Hinami Fueguchi still nodded. Being sensible, she knew that the situation was probably very complicated.
A girl wearing a hooded trench coat and a mask, and a man over 180cm tall wearing armor, looked strange no matter how you looked at them. Fortunately, although Ryouko Fueguchi's identity was exposed, it was not completely public, so the house they rented was relatively secluded, otherwise, their appearance alone would probably attract a crowd.
Hinami Fueguchi led the way, and Lancer followed closely behind. At first, Hinami Fueguchi was worried that Lancer couldn't keep up with her, after all, the strength of an Investigator came half from technology and the Quinque in their hand. In terms of physical fitness, they were inferior to Ghouls.
But Lancer… at this time, just his status panel properties alone were enough for him to grapple with an SS-rated Ghoul, provided, of course, that the opponent did not transform into a Kakuja.
But just after the two of them left, several cars stopped in front of the Fueguchi house.
Several men and women got out. One of them took a deep breath before knocking on Hinami Fueguchi's door.
"Excuse me, is anyone home? I'm an Amazon delivery man…"
The shortest man stood in front of the door, while the others hid on both sides, but strangely, there was no response after knocking four or five times. The man glanced around and then took a key from his waist, while the others each took out various Quinque.
"Click~"
As the door was opened, a group of people filed in one by one. The man walking in front saw the shattered glass in the living room at a glance. He looked at it and determined that it was damaged from the outside. It seemed that the people inside did not break the window to escape.
The situation was a bit bizarre, so he directly dialed his phone.
"First Class Furuta, Team A has arrived at the destination, but the target has disappeared, and the glass of the target's residence was damaged from the outside. What should we do next? Should we request assistance from the police station?"
Nimura Furuta, sitting on top of a patrol boat at this time, couldn't help but freeze when he heard the report from his subordinate. After all, he had just left the signal-shielded area and ordered his subordinates to arrest the Fueguchi mother and daughter, but Hinami Fueguchi, the primary target, had disappeared? This was unscientific. Could it be that Lancer contacted the mother and daughter? Impossible. Where would the opponent get a communication device? As for the broken window? Could it be Lancer companion or subordinate?
Nimura Furuta considered himself to be unmatched in intelligence, not only possessing quick wit but also skilled at planning. He had even managed to force Lancer and Kishou Arima into a near-fight through his verbal skills and various sudden situations without any cards in hand before.
However, if Lancer truly could use magic, then there were too many uncertain factors.
He pinched his chin, thought for a moment, and shook his head.
"You go and support Team B. After you catch the person, return to headquarters immediately. I don't believe he would dare to break into the headquarters alone."
"Yes!"
These people were Nimura Furuta's core subordinates. They might not be clear about Nimura Furuta's purpose, but they knew to obey Nimura Furuta's orders. As for why? That had nothing to do with them.
— — — — — —
Meanwhile, when Lancer and Hinami Fueguchi rushed to the destination, Ryouko Fueguchi had already met with the CCG, or rather, the execution unit dispatched by Nimura Furuta.
The difference, however, was that the two sides did not have any conflict. In fact, Ryouko Fueguchi and her daughter were under 'monitored residence' because of Lancer, and CCG personnel would come to find them every once in a while to understand the situation, so she was not too surprised when she saw the CCG people. The only strange thing was why they usually notified her in advance and went to her home? Why did they come directly to her workplace this time?
The female Investigator belonging to the CCG did not alarm anyone else. She just bought a piece of bread like most customers, but when passing the cashier, she whispered something in Ryouko Fueguchi's ear.
"Ms. Fueguchi, please come outside with us. We have some things we want to understand from you."
If it was only strange before, now she was sure that the opponent was looking for her. She also nodded. After a while, she found the convenience store owner who was resting on the side.
"Manager, my daughter seems to have something going on. I wonder if I can leave work early today? I won't take today's pay for the part-time work…"
Ryouko Fueguchi hadn't finished speaking when the resting uncle shook his head.
"Is something going on at home? Hmm… then there's no helping it. The part-time fee will be settled by the hour. After all, everyone has emergencies."
This convenience store owner was quite amicable. After all, Ryouko Fueguchi was introduced by an acquaintance (the referrer found by the CCG), and he also knew that the opponent was a single mother living with her daughter, so he was not too harsh on the opponent.
Ryouko Fueguchi also breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the opponent's words.
After changing her clothes in the back room, Ryouko Fueguchi walked out from the back door of the store. As expected, the female Investigator was leaning against the wall waiting for her. After seeing Ryouko Fueguchi, she simply led the opponent towards the interior of the alley.
Ryouko Fueguchi naturally didn't think too much and followed with her bag, but what she didn't expect was that after following the opponent deep into the alley, several fully armed Investigators walked out from the side.
"Ms. Ryouko Fueguchi, I apologize for inviting you this way, but please come with us to the CCG headquarters."
Looking at the four Quinque pointed at her and the ambushes that might or might not be present in the darkness, Ryouko Fueguchi couldn't help but bite her lip.
She was not without the power to resist at this time, but this time was different from before. She was facing the CCG. She did not dare to resist, because if she resisted, she… and her daughter might have no place to live anymore.
But just at this moment —
"Whoosh~!!"
A sound of air being cut through came from overhead, and before anyone could react —
"Bang!!"
Accompanied by a loud noise, a huge armor slammed down in front of everyone.
Then, the leading female Investigator was heard giving the order without hesitation.
"Open fire!!"
Several gun-type Quinque instantly opened fire, but at this moment, a huge ice shield appeared on the back of the huge armor's right hand.
"Clatter~ Clatter~ Clatter~"
The sound of bullets hitting the ice shield was incredibly jarring, but unfortunately, there was no result except for a lot of ice chips splashing around…