Liberi Reader

My dear, save me!

Don't be afraid, my darling, I'll come rescue you!

Tsk! I thought the whole lover act was a joke! How do they have so much fight?!

Darling, how fortuitous, I almost thought I'd lose you. (Whisper) Can't you come up with a plan of your own?!

Ohh, how fearsome they were. (Whisper) My CHARACTER'S a frail girl, huevón!

It's alright, it's all okay now. Watch me teach them a lesson! (Whisper) Tch! Start trying, okay, Miss?

Oh, my dear, you're the best~ (Whisper) Are you messing with me?!

(Those two have no uncertainty of skill. And military temperaments on top of it. Perhaps they served in the past.)

(As for being sweethearts, I presume that's a ploy of sorts, for winning the audience over.)

(Very aggrandizing, but still a means nonetheless.)

(Though, still, very aggrandizing.)

(If that Swire saw this, I'm sure she'd waste no time gushing how she'd like to play a similar role in such a contest.)

(We're better off not letting her find out.)

(All in all, this couple has a secure win. Nothing to see there, no gold after a sweep of the area. Time to leave.)

(Twenty ingots of pure gold. I worry more than a few are in conspicuous places—on top of all the landmarks and such. Those areas will be hotly contested.)

(Nothing really calls for fighting over those ingots.)

(I should be searching for the ones left behind in hidden corners.)

(But... if there are ruffians out to cause chaos under this contest, I'm sure they'd at least find blind spots in the cameras and drones before they do their work.)

(Both need addressing... I ought to bring it up with Hui-chieh first. Tsk, too quick.)

(Forget it. I have no desire to discuss anything with that juvenile woman anyway. I'll handle things as they come.)

Miss Ch'en, can I ask something?

What?

You and Miss Lin are old friends, right?

What makes you think so?

You certainly don't feel like enemies, there's not that much intensity. But suppose something went down between you two—you still seem pretty well aware of each other.

You could say that...

We went to the same primary school, and we had a common acquaintance.

So your guess is fairly close.

But I won't be telling you why she and I don't get along.

That's alright. I can't imagine it's anything minor if it happened between people like you, and I don't plan on asking details. I was just throwing up a topic.

You know, though, it's like you never imagined she'd show up here.

Slice it any way you want, it's like it was fated. Have you ever thought about making up with her before?

Do you care that much about this?

I don't really... or maybe I do. This city is all just money, money, money 'til the sun goes down. Things like friendship are a huge luxury.

This isn't something we can just fix... even if either of us wanted to.

Wait a second. Miss Ch'en, look at that alley there.

Hm... this is kind of a bind.

With all these cameras, going too heavy-handed isn't gonna be a good look.

Rgh, I don't know what it is, but I can't land a good hit on this runt. Something's not right!

He just thinks he can piss around with us. Let's take him together!

Look at that. It's the solo contestant, stuck in an ambush.

What's your call, Miss Ch'en? Wait until they finish fighting?

...No.

You're going to help him?

There's no real benefit to it. The championship isn't about helping your fellow contestants—the disciplined approach doesn't fly here.

I know. Just stay here and wait for me a moment.

......

(They've even installed cameras in crevices like this. These can't have been just for the competition.)

(But even so, the residential housing ought not to have surveillance in it. I'm guessing drones will only film interiors if they capture contestants going in.)

(In other words, as long as you're not physically filmed entering, there's a high chance officials won't notice you.)

(If you exploit that fact... hm?)

(...Heh. Speak and it shall come.)

What's the status?

Bombs are all set on our end, Rafaela.

Good. I'm done here too.

Let's move to the next location.

Hold on, I just got a distress from C-team. Seems like they're really struggling with an opponent there.

Who is it?

It's Ch'en from the LUNG wRATh team.

Hermano told us not to take on what we can't handle.

Move a nearby team to them, don't stand out too much. Give it up if it's a losing battle, don't keep fighting out of obligation. Our actual job takes priority.

Got it.

(...She was being serious.)

(I never imagined the girl would be one of them.)

(I imagine, by 'actual job,' they mean more of these bombs, and it sounds as if there are several teams on it.)

(The officials might have prohibited comms equipment, but all signs indicate they have their own way of keeping in touch, under the radar.)

(And there's no knowing if they have a plan B. I'm worried there won't be much meaning in keeping on their trail, and there's the risk of being found.)

(Two things stood out: 'Bombs', 'Hermano'. They can play into our knowledge. Having these few keywords should be sufficient for now.)

(...It's about time to rendezvous, too. Perfect chance to see how Hui-chieh's done.)