Five people. All Ursus and all of them were infected.
With those characteristics, Shirou should have been able to lock onto targets more quickly… except not really.
Lungmen was enormous and unless those people were dead set on targeting this concert, the remaining three were almost certainly elsewhere.
At this point, it would still come down to modern technology. He would have to trust the Lungmen Guard Department to handle it.
Also, there were quite a lot of Ursus in Lungmen. The Felines were the majority, while other races were more evenly distributed but compared to them, Ursus were still slightly more numerous.
Just slightly.
After all, Lungmen was relatively close to Ursus, and many people migrated here to escape the harsh cold.
Most of them however were somewhat well-off. Ordinary families simply could not afford the journey from Ursus to Lungmen.
"Where are Officer Chen and Officer Hoshiguma?"
After sorting through the situation, Shirou asked.
Up until now, those two had been the ones in contact with him so why had it suddenly switched to Swire?
It was not that he had anything against her, but a sudden change in communication usually meant something had gone slightly wrong.
"They went to make arrests. I am taking over command on the concert side! Although… there is nothing left to catch anyway!"
Inside a nearby building, Swire spoke into the communicator. By the end of her sentence, the fur on her tail had puffed up in irritation.
Luckily, she was facing forward otherwise, that bristling tail would have become the Guard Department's favorite gossip topic.
In front of her were groups of restrained individuals, unregistered infected. With manpower stretched thin, they had no choice but to cuff them all here temporarily.
Several Guard Department officers stood watch.
This place could barely be considered a temporary command post.
"I see. There are no issues inside the concert venue. No signs of explosives either, Should I continue searching inside?"
Understanding the situation, Shirou reported his findings and asked for further instructions.
Personally, he leaned toward heading outside. Inside, there was already Blacksteel and the Penguin Logistics team. He had also checked the venue multiple times and there should not be any major problems.
"Shirou, just act freely. Do not worry about our arrangements and go wherever your instincts tell you!"
This was exactly what Swire had been waiting for. She immediately granted him maximum autonomy.
To be honest, this was the first time she had ever been able to assign him a task.
And she quickly realized her understanding of him only came from paperwork. In practice, she had no idea how to properly deploy him.
After a brief thought, she chose to let him act independently. Shirou was strong and perceptive so this was the most reasonable choice.
As for how that "hot-headed dragon" and "oni" usually commanded him, that was not her concern.
Every commander had their own style.
"…Act freely?"
Hearing this unfamiliar term, Shirou searched his memory of Guard Department protocols.
He found nothing.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. Handle things however you see fit. I am giving you full authority. Just report back if something comes up, I am counting on you."
Swire gave a quick explanation.
"That sounds incredibly irresponsible, you know!"
Shirou could not help but complain.
"I cannot help it! This is my first time commanding your 'ultimate weapon' status! And I am covering not just my own area but also theirs! Be strong! Do your best! Report anything immediately! This communicator is set up just for you! Good luck!"
With that, Swire hung up.
"Hey? Hey—! Seriously…"
Shirou called out a few times, but there was no response.
Sighing, he accepted reality.
He did not blame her. She was likely handling the workload of two or three people at once. And usually, he operated under Chen and Hoshiguma anyway so even if Swire tried to intervene, it would likely boil down to "go fight that person."
Still, understanding aside, her final "be strong, do your best" left a deep impression.
Now he understood why Chen called her "char siu cat."
Sometimes nicknames really did fit.
Between Chen and Swire constantly clashing, both had their issues. When things went wrong, it was best to rely on Hoshiguma.
As she always said: when trouble comes, trust the oni.
"Enough of that. If I am acting freely, I will head outside first."
After a short rest, Shirou cleared those stray thoughts from his mind.
The situation was serious and there was no time to get distracted.
He stood up and moved out.
First, he found a place with water and washed off the remaining visible bloodstains on his clothes.
Then he resumed his search.
He would continue circling the area. Climbing to a high vantage point might have been more efficient but he still needed to use structural analysis to check for Originium explosives.
And that required close proximity.
If explosives were not a concern, Shirou would have already had Swire gather personnel into his blind spots while he took up a high vantage point to keep watch.
Instead, he moved in a loop.
Every so often, he would crouch down as if tying his shoelaces and then quietly analyze a small section of the surrounding environment.
Since this area had not been pre-surveyed, even large-scale analysis would not guarantee he could detect issues.
So he had to take the slower, more meticulous approach.
"…Nothing here."
From the feedback he received, there were no traces related to Originium.
Of course, detecting Originium did not automatically mean explosives. On Terra, most technology ran on Originium energy, so encountering it was normal so long as it was being used safely.
Still, Shirou hoped to find nothing at all.
More than catching suspects, he wanted everyone here to remain safe.
If an Originium bomb detonated in a place like this…
The thought triggered a flash of flames in his mind.
"That will not happen… nothing has been found so far. It will be fine."
He muttered to himself, forcing his thoughts away.
He neither could nor dared to imagine such a disaster happening here again.
This kind of catastrophe needed to be stopped before it ever began.
—
A vibration came from his pocket.
It was not the communicator on his chest, but his phone.
He carried it as a backup communication device, keeping it on silent mode.
Glancing at the screen, he saw it was a call from Exusiai.
For a brief moment, he considered declining it.
But then, what if something had happened inside?
Letting out a breath, he answered.
"Exusiai, what is it?"
"Hey, hey! Shirou? There seems to be something going on behind the backstage area, do you want to come take a look?"
Even through just her voice, he could practically picture her exaggerated expression.
He really had gotten used to her antics.
"Should you not report that to the Guard Department first? Why call me?"
Rubbing his temples, Shirou felt a headache coming on.
"Ah… I did not think of that at first. But you are working with them now, right? So telling you is fine!"
Hearing his response, Exusiai who was currently backstage with Sora, Croissant, and Texas realized she probably should have contacted the authorities first.
Unfortunately, her habits kicked in. Instead of reporting, she instinctively reached out to her teammates.
"…Fine. I will head over."
He did not even need her explanation.
Given how Penguin Logistics tended to clash with the Guard Department, expecting them to report first was unrealistic.
He had heard they used to cooperate just fine, so why did they start arguing every time they met lately?
What had changed?
…Could it be because he once shared his fried beast meat with the Guard Department?
"…No time for that. Focus."
Pushing the thought aside, Shirou headed toward the backstage exit.
At the same time, he informed Swire to stay alert and kept his communicator line open so she could monitor the situation in real time.
—
"Shirou! Over here!"
Seeing him arrive, Croissant waved him over.
The backstage exit area was crowded, mostly filled with people holding cameras, likely reporters.
They looked eager to interview Shirou, the Penguin Logistics crew, the fully armed personnel nearby, and even the Ursus man lying unconscious on the ground.
But between the Blacksteel guard and the Lupo from Penguin Logistics watching them with "friendly" expressions, none of them dared to step forward.
"What happened here?"
Shirou ignored the attention, he was used to it and went straight to the point.
"Well, Sora just finished performing, so we came out to get some air. Then we saw this Ursus guy being subdued by Blacksteel, so we called you."
Exusiai gave a quick summary.
"I see… You are with Blacksteel Worldwide, correct?"
After understanding the situation, Shirou turned to the two operatives nearby.
"Before that, you should identify yourself first."
The Vouivre woman holding a shield did not answer immediately.
Given Shirou's outfit, she did not exactly see him as trustworthy.
The same went for the others, if they were not connected to the protected client, they would not have been allowed this close.
"Ah, right. Sorry…here is my identification."
Shirou quickly produced his credentials.
Hearing that, Shirou realized he had not introduced himself. That was indeed his oversight.
He took out both his Lungmen Guard Department ID and the authorization documents for this operation. Holding them carefully by the edges with both hands, he presented them to the other party.
"…Understood. You can put them away."
Faced with such a formal and sincere gesture, the Vouivre woman seemed a bit unaccustomed to it. After confirming everything was in order, she told him to take them back.
They had already familiarized themselves with the Guard Department's credentials beforehand. The documents Shirou showed had no issues, and the operation code 'E5' matched.
"This young man is quite interesting."
Seeing her partner momentarily at a loss, the Vulpo woman beside her smiled faintly.
It was a smile that felt… slightly provocative.
"Ahem… let us talk inside."
Noticing the reporters behind them who were clearly itching for a story, Shirou gestured for everyone to move inside first.
Ignoring the disappointed looks from the press, the group quickly entered. Shirou carried the unconscious Ursus man in and shut the door behind them.
He did not want news about Originium explosives leaking out.
If that happened, the pressure on the Guard Department would be immense, especially on Chen, Hoshiguma, and Swire who were leading the operation.
"I will explain first. The client wanted to come out for some air, so I accompanied her. Then I noticed an Ursus trying to sneak in through the door, so I stunned him immediately. Franka arrived shortly after as backup. The rest of our team is still guarding the stage."
The Blacksteel Vouivre, Liskarm briefly explained what had happened.
Her teammate, Franka, had only arrived afterward.
"Understood. The reporters did not try to stop him?"
After listening, Shirou crouched down and began analyzing the situation, while asking curiously.
There had been plenty of people outside just now and none of them tried to intervene?
"Reporters are not allowed to open that door. Not even getting too close is permitted and if they are caught, they get kicked out. Honestly, they would rather someone open it so they have something to report."
Croissant explained.
"…That is rather awful."
Shirou could not help but feel a headache coming on.
At the same time, the results of his analysis came back.
The Ursus lying on the ground was indeed infected.
And he had two Originium explosives on him.
He was one of the accomplices.