She had thought they'd just send some secretary to check things out first, and only after the secretary confirmed the situation would the higher-up come personally.
But since he was already here, Durandal tilted her chin toward the gaping hole she'd smashed open.
"You'd better send someone down right now to check things out, then get the relevant personnel ready as discussed on the phone—and make it quick."
With that, she paid Hayato no further mind.
A man in a suit, clearly dressed as a secretary beside Hayato, made a move to step forward, but a bodyguard pulled him back.
The secretary looked at the bodyguard, confused, but the bodyguard said nothing.
He just pointed at the ground not far away, where a whole group of men dressed as mercenaries now lay sprawled out, their very familiar-looking standard-issue firearms scattered all around.
That reminder sent a cold sweat breaking over the secretary. His gaze toward Durandal gradually filled with a hint of fear.
Hayato had naturally noticed what the bodyguard pointed out, and he fully recognized the origin of those standard-issue firearms.
Fire Moth's standard-issue weapons, plus his younger brother, Kenji, who'd been declared dead by Fire Moth five years ago… Hayato was starting to get a rough idea of what had happened here.
So without further delay, he sent the observant bodyguard down through the hole to investigate.
The bodyguard moved at once.
Passing through the opening, he found a group of anxious, uneasy researchers.
He ignored them, scanning his surroundings instead.
Soon, his eyes fell on a suspicious stain on the floor.
As he approached, a smell hit him—one usually only encountered in restrooms—and he already had a good idea what the liquid was.
At the same time, he could see traces of blood not far off.
Following the blood further in, he came upon a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life—humans, hundreds of them, crammed into stacked metal cages like livestock.
Those in the bottom layer of cages were completely numb, like lifeless corpses, lying or sitting with vacant stares, their minds perhaps already stilled.
The ones in the middle cages showed clear fear; even the bodyguard's arrival made them shrink back like startled birds, retreating to the farthest corners.
Those in the top cages, probably captured more recently, had seen a series of non-lab-coat-wearing people come through today.
After that girl earlier had beaten a man in a lab coat half to death and displayed extraordinary power, though they still didn't dare cry out for help, a clear glimmer of hope shone in their eyes.
The bodyguard understood now why the mayor had received that phone call earlier.
He also guessed why that incredibly strong-looking girl hadn't simply set them free herself.
"Hold on, I'll go get help," the bodyguard finally spoke, his voice rough and strained, nothing like his usual firm tone.
With that, he turned and left.
Passing the lab and seeing the researchers, he asked coldly, "Who has the keys to the holding area?"
The researchers glanced at each other. Finally, only a few pointed upward, clearly indicating that the keys were with Kenji.
Having his answer, the bodyguard didn't linger. He returned directly to the warehouse above ground.
"Well?" Hayato had already peered down through the hole but, aside from some lab equipment and researchers, hadn't seen anything.
Still, that in itself was a huge problem. An experimental base of this scale, and he, the mayor, had known nothing about it?
It didn't take a genius to figure there must be some rotten apples among Nagazora City's higher-ups!
The bodyguard approached Hayato and reported everything he'd seen below in detail.
The more Hayato heard, the darker his expression grew.
He quickly called his secretary over, instructing him to phone in every police unit from three nearby districts, summon the city's best investigative experts, medical staff from nearby hospitals, and—most importantly—every psychologist in the city.
After a moment's thought, Hayato decided it still wasn't enough. He pulled out his personal phone and called mayors of neighboring cities, requesting several specialized psychological medical teams for support.
By the time all this was arranged, Durandal had finished interrogating Kenji.
Rather than dealing with Hayato directly, she called Connie over.
"Connie, here are the results of my interrogation. This list contains information on everyone in Nagazora's upper ranks connected to this lab. Take it and handle the discussions with them."
Connie looked uneasy. Making a phone call was one thing, but face-to-face negotiations with a mayor…
She felt she ought to clarify her background. "Lady Durandal, well… I used to be with the mafia. Dealing with small local police stations was one thing, but a mayor…"
"Is there a problem?"
Durandal patted Connie's shoulder. "He's just a mayor. Now that you've joined the Flame-Chasers, you'll have to deal not just with mayors, but heads of state, even the UN Secretary-General when the time comes, right? Consider this early training. Go on!"
With that, she gave Connie a gentle push forward, solemnly entrusting her with this crucial diplomatic mission for the Flame-Chasers.
Seriously, if Connie didn't handle this, who would?
Compared to Connie's former role as a mafia boss, Durandal herself had just been an ordinary college girl before all this.
Was she cut out for this kind of work? Absolutely not!
Besides, even in her role as Durandal back in Schicksal, she wasn't in charge of diplomacy!
When it came to Anti-Entropy's external negotiations, the most critical ones were handled by Otto himself, while less urgent matters fell to Amber.
If Durandal was out on a solo mission, her adjutant, Rita, would take care of all the preparations in advance. All Durandal had to do was focus on the action.
No matter which world or which identity, she'd never been stuck with this kind of job.
Of course, Elysia would probably be perfect for the task.
But then again… Durandal believed the Flame-Chasers should pledge not to deploy Elysia as a first resort.
The reason was simple.
If Miss Pink Elf took charge, she'd probably resolve anything.
But Durandal didn't want the Flame-Chasers to end up flooded daily with love calls, bouquets, and streams of men and women coming to confess their feelings once the job was done.
Having offloaded the diplomatic work she was so unsuited for, Durandal quietly tucked away another piece of intelligence—a note obtained from interrogating Kenji—and stepped outside the warehouse, intending to get some fresh air.
--+--