Глава 2

Come in.

...Dr. Kal'tsit!

Amiya...

...{@nickname}.

So you've come.

Ahem.

Chief Wei, the other two representatives of Rhodes Island have also arrived.

Ah, excellent.

Please take a seat. Miss Kal'tsit is currently explaining the situation to me.

Allow me to continue then. Mister Wei, I trust that you have a good grasp of the situation already.

Currently, the Lungmen information network captures a lot of information regarding the Reunion Movement. It is good that you recognize the importance of this.

But this alone is not enough. Lungmen still lacks key information.

I believe the L.G.D. knows very well that this simple quarantine is not enough to hold back Reunion.

Reunion will not obediently go through the inspections, nor will they wait for the authorities to take the initiative. That's why...

Without Rhodes Island's assistance, Lungmen will suffer heavy losses against Reunion should you decide to pursue the same strategies against the Infected.

Pardon the interruption.

The L.G.D. understands Lungmen's defenses better than Rhodes Island does. We've already made preparations to deal with possible infiltration from Reunion.

We, however, are not obliged to provide you with confidential information regarding our operations.

Miss Kal'tsit, please continue.

While it is true that Lungmen has been successful in dealing with unarmed Infected so far, you have not dealt with this scale of organized rioting before. This may result in unnecessary losses.

From our experience... Only the Infected are capable of countering the Infected.

To my understand, Rhodes Island has some special expertise in countering Reunion?

We do have experience, but I wouldn't call it expertise.

Oh...?

I've been told that Rhodes Island was involved with the Chernobog incident, and managed to obtain a lot of intel about Reunion.

No matter where you heard that from...

At this stage, that information is not up for exchange. It is but a part of our resume, a qualification that allows us to speak to you, Mister Wei.

It is Lungmen that will decide whether or not we will exchange information. If Rhodes Island cannot even provide us with this level of information...

Hah.

In that case, we simply have no basis for trusting your capabilities.

Mister Wei, I apologise if my words were not clear enough.

What I must emphasize is... the only reason Rhodes Island has this information, is because we were strong enough to obtain it.

Whatever the case may be, Lungmen cannot simply trust another group of Infected.

Miss Ch'en, if you believe that doling out punishment to the Infected is more important than the actual security of Lungmen...

Then I will immediately surrender myself in accordance with your local laws. Then, I will sigh from my jail while watching Reunion burn down your city.

This time, Lungmen doesn't have a choice.

Your good intentions are not lost upon us despite your rudeness.

However, we also are not a charity for useless lobbyists.

Madam Ch'en.

Chief Wei, I believe it is inappropriate for these outsiders to get involved with Lungmen's confidential matters.

Calm down, Madam Ch'en. They are still our guests.

... My guests.

Very well.

Unless they've violated our laws, I will tolerate them, Sir.

Ah, excuse me. I just remembered...

That's right. Hmm...

There is one thing that I care about.

Your ability.

To my understanding, Rhodes Island is also assisting with suppressing the nearby Infected?

Madam Ch'en, based upon your best information, how would you assess Rhodes Island's combat abilities?

... Allow me to describe what I've witnessed from Rhodes Island's operations.

Here are the details...

第十四关（后）

... And that concludes my report of Rhodes Island's combat operations.

And your assessment?

There is little reason to doubt their strength.

However, Chief Wei, given their identities, I believe that from a strategic standpoint...

... the L.G.D. is more than capable of handling the job.

When it comes to fighting crime and prevent infiltration, the L.G.D. is more than sufficient.

Rhodes Island may be able to bring more to the table. However...

Of the things that Rhodes Island has requested, there is one 'item' that we are unwilling to exchange based upon what has been offered.

The temporary defense cooperation that you're providing is far from equal value. As things stand, your 'asking price' is a bit too high.

Miss Kal'tsit, Miss Amiya, I hope you two both understand.

Mister Wei, a temporary defense will not be enough. There are a lot of things about Reunion that you don't know about.

Based upon the data we gathered while fighting them, if no proactive measures are taken, Reunion will seize control of Lungmen within two weeks.

... Nonsense. There's no evidence of that--

Madam Ch'en, would you like to know the real reason Chernobog fell within one night?

Please elaborate.

Amiya.

Ah... Sure.

Rhodes Island wasn't just involved in the Chernobog incident... We also were caught inside the Catastrophe, and survived.

Impressive, impressive.

It's not every day I meet someone crazy enough to have made it out of a Catastrophe alive. Miss Amiya, please continue, I'm listening.

... We fought against Reunion's leader.

Hmm? What's her name again?

I don't recall clearly...

Talulah.

Ah, right, Talulah.

Madam Ch'en, what do you think?

I... I know.

... This is what happened to Rhodes Island at Chernobog. Even though Reunion managed to wrest control of Chernobog from Ursus...

But in order to expand, they'll have to deal with their resource shortages. Lungmen will be their next stepping stone.

Even though you might be able to fend them off for a while, their attacks will not cease unless you handle this situation proactively.

Furthermore... There's another unknown factor - we still don't know how Ursus will respond after losing Chernobog...

Hahaha... Well spoken, young lady.

Due to the seriousness of this threat and the L.G.D.'s limited manpower, I'm not opposed to considering this temporary agreement based on the terms that were detailed earlier.

But what I said before still holds...

... Rhodes Island's asking price is still too high?

Correct.

In order to make sure Lungmen is properly compensated, I have two very simple conditions.

First, Rhodes Island will help the L.G.D. suppress the Reunion threat. This includes identifying threats within Lungmen as well as those related to fallout from Chernobog.

This also includes assessing the degree that the Infected have infiltrated Lungmen. I expect that you will share any potentially helpful information with us.

What's the second condition, then?

I will tell you about the second condition after you've satisfied the first.

Naturally, I won't ask for anything outside of Rhodes Island's area of expertise.

I'm not sure I understand. Could you please elaborate, Mister Wei?

How should I put this... If Reunion causes damage that surpasses Rhodes Island's estimates...

I hope that you will help the L.G.D. handle the situation, which may include post-disaster management. Of course, nothing beyond your capabilities. That's roughly the gist of it.

I cannot say much more at this point. However, don't forget, Rhodes Island doesn't have a choice.

If you can't accept our terms, then all the conditions we discussed, as well as your requests, will be...