Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

Volume 20 - Ch 5

This chapter is updated by Novels.pl

The next day, on March 27, a meeting was planned to discuss the preparation of the summer memorial service.

The official work for today is over. Now it remains only in response to the invitation of the Ushio family to attend the party dedicated to the completion of the "Saikashin Island", but certainly not only because of Tatsuya's work. The work will most likely start today.

"Tatsuya-kun, what happened?" Is not this the middle of the meeting about the memorial service? - Suddenly came to the meeting place with Kazamu, Tatsuya met Fujibayashi. Apparently, the attitude of Fujibayashi to Tatsuya has not changed since the New Year.

Even if the meeting was not scheduled, there was time for psychological preparation while he walked from the gate of the base to the room. Tatsuya did not know whether the relationship had really changed. And he did not even think about forcing her to tell. Until now, Tatsuya did not even think about Fujibayashi, it did not matter. She is a valuable employee. The range of possibilities varies dramatically depending on whether the operation of the "Electron Sorceress" is involved in the operation or not involved.

Tatsuya thought that, if possible, it is necessary to maintain friendly relations with Fujibayashi. However, he was not going to take any special action for this. Simply put, if Fujibayashi pretends that everything is as before, then Tatsuya will simply enjoy this advantage.

- Help came from the main house, I trusted Miyuki to them.

Last night, from the main house in Okinawa came one of the subordinates of Hayama, the butler of Shirakawa. In fact, it meant only assistance for the time of the meeting of the memorial service. But it was not about helping with discussions. However, Miyuki, who has never visited public places as Yotsuba's successor, will openly participate in the meeting with the title of the next head of the Yotsuba family. There are those who harbored anger at the Yotsuba family and those who want to use the Yotsuba family. You never know when to expect all sorts of difficulties associated with them. Because of such anxiety, Tatsuya was also going to attend the meeting just in case.

However, with the presence of Shirakawa alongside Miyuki, the need for Tatsuya's presence has disappeared. Being an experienced subordinate of Hayama, Shirakawa possesses the necessary skills and will cope better than Tatsuya. Today's potential threat is neither magical power nor physical strength, and the power of language is the skill of negotiating.

Apparently thinking about this, Maya sent Shirakawa here. Tatsuya was just glad of such a favor. Despite the fact that it was simultaneously a depressing message "I sent help, so do your job properly."

- I see. Then, I wonder what kind of clue Tatsuya-kun brought us? - Fujibayashi did not ask seriously. She did not think that Tatsuya could provide an opportunity to get in touch with the enemy. It was a kind of joke.

"I would like to ask for help in flooding the submarine saboteurs." Here are the coordinates of the supposed current position of the target submarine.

To understand what Tatsuya said, Fujibayashi took some time.

"... I'll call the commander." Wait a little, please. - Fujibayashi switched her behavior from the attitude toward her younger friend to the attitude of a representative of one of the leading magician families, took a memory card from Tatsuya, and went to the next room.

The waiting time was unexpectedly long. However, after seeing the face of Fujibayashi, he understood the reason for waiting.

Officers of the Independent Magically Equipped Battalion: Kazama, Sanada and Yanagi. And also Chen Xiangshan and Lu Ganghu besides them. They sat around the tactical table.

Prior to this, Tatsuya and Lu Ganghu met face to face only once in the Hachioji Special Detention Center. This was when Lu Ganghu attacked the Special Detention Center to deal with Sekimoto Isao, who became the pawn of the Great Asian Alliance.

At that time, Lu Ganghu defeated Mayumi and Marie, and Tatsuya only stopped his attempt to attack Mayumi. Finally, the victorious (but not killed) Lu Ganghu was Marie. Later, during the Yokohama incident, Tatsuya did not participate in intercepting Lu Ganghu in front of the Yokohama Gulf Tower. Therefore, it could be said that there was no direct connection between Tatsuya and Lu Ganghu.

However, it was also true that a year and a half ago Chen Xiangshan and Lu Ganghu had done a lot of work in relation to Tatsuya and his entourage. At that time, Chen Xiangshan and Lu Ganghu were Tatsuya's clear enemies. And now he met them without any hostility (but without friendliness too). Lu Ganghu seemed to be puzzled by the unorganized attitude of Tatsuya.

Chen Xiangshan, as expected, showed no misunderstanding.

"May I call you Shiba-dono?"

"I do not mind, colonel-dono."

The greeting of Tatsuya and Chen Xiangshan was limited to this.

"We were told that this is a tactical meeting about the attack on an enemy submarine, but is it clear that enemy agents are hiding on it?" - Chen Xiangshan spoke, immediately went to work. Tatsuya felt the irony when he heard "enemy agents" from him, but did not purposely spoil the atmosphere.

-There is no doubt that there is an Australian military magician on board, acting in concert with the deserters of your country.

-How do you know, I probably should not ask.

"I cannot tell you this."

Tatsuya did not begin to ask for a clear answer.

"This submarine does not belong to either your country or our country." We have contacted all countries that have diplomatic channels, but not one has recognized that this is the business of their country. - To fill the silence, Kazama began the explanation.

-Have you contacted Australia, too?

-Yes. Well, they could have been lying.

When asked by Chen Xiangshan, Kazama nodded in a bitter smile. Chen Xiangshan, after saying "Really", also smiled bitterly. And immediately they both returned serious faces.

"Despite the fact that they almost disappeared from observation, the current position of the enemy vessel is defined in the open sea. There you can drown without public attention.

Kazama looked at Tatsuya.

"How about flooding a long-range magic attack?" Tatsuya answered carelessly.

-The magic of Yotsuba? - Asked Tatsuya Chen Xiangshan.

-Exactly. - This time he did not evade the answer.

"Thank you for the offer, but I would like to leave this as an insurance in case of unforeseen circumstances." - He said this to Kazama, his gaze forced Sanada to continue.

-Based on the data of the sea map provided by Shiba-kun, we also understood the current position of the submarine.

When Sanada mentioned Shiba-kun, Chen Xiangshan looked at him with a face that expressed surprise. He openly showed it. If the Shiba-kun appeal reflected the special relationship between Tatsuya and the Japanese army, his behavior showed that he had noticed the reservation and offered to reform.

However, there was no need to hide Tatsuya's connection with Kazama and Sanada, which arose during the incident 5 years ago. The secret was in Tatsuya's participation in repulsing the invasion force attack (or it's better to call it complete destruction), so simply showing close relationships, these facts cannot be linked.

Those who have good logical thinking, must understand that this is too rapid progress.

Sanada came up with the use of the Shiba-kun appeal. In this case, there should not be such a reaction.

"The enemy ship began to ascend." It seems they decided to refill supplies. "Ignoring Chen Xiangshan's gaze, Sanada continued the explanation.

"Do they come to the surface?"

-No. Your compatriots will not be so stupid. - To the question of Chen Xiangshan, Sanada shook his head with a smile. Although he did not say anything, his smile seemed to betray an evil man.

-They are no longer compatriots. They are deserters.

-Sorry for this. Returning to the topic, the above submarine moored in a floating dock disguised as a medium-sized tanker.

In this era, the use of petroleum products as fuel is considered obsolete. However, as an industrial raw material, there is still a great need for oil. There is nothing special about a tanker floating on the East China Sea.

"It's unclear how long the replenishment will last, so if we want to capture a submarine, then we need to attack it now while it's in the dock."

- Will the captured deserters of our country be handed over to us?

-Of course. We sincerely hope to cooperate in this operation and are ready to do this for your convenience. - To the question of Chen Xiangshan, Kazama answered with his conditions.

"Thank you." - Chen Xiangshan nodded to Kazama and gave his eyes to Lu Ganghu. He got up and left the room. He went to the formation of the detachment to join the attack.

-This operation is a game against time. Begin preparation for the performance immediately.

-We will be ready within 10 minutes. - Yanagi cheerfully answered the order of Kazama.

-Can Shiba-kun also come with us?

-I got it.

With a response, Tatsuya rose from the chairs.

Prepared by a faction of opponents of the reconciliation of the army of the Great Asian Alliance, the submarine was of the standard type. It was not possible to use an atomic submarine.

At present, the use of nuclear energy in armaments and military equipment is prohibited by international treaties, and the International Magic Association monitors the existence of such problems. The main application of atomic energy in the field of armament is large ships, but as soon as such a ship with an atomic engine is discovered, the Association immediately begins the process of neutralizing it.

Nevertheless, the International Magic Association does not have the opportunity to test all the weapons of the world. The borders of many countries are still closed. For all these reasons, it was difficult to realize their plans with the help of an atomic submarine, even practically unrealistic.

However, the activity of the International Magical Association is an extreme argument. If it is necessary to prevent the use of nuclear weapons, regardless of nationality, it will be permitted to use any means necessary. According to the "Charter of the International Magical Association", all countries, fearful of nuclear weapons, are obliged to follow these rules of their magicians.

But even if the government does not fear nuclear war, ordinary people are afraid of it. Those governments that ignore the views of their citizens, have the risk of making magicians of the world their enemies.

Since the "prevention of the use of nuclear weapons" includes a ban on the use of military equipment with nuclear engines, influential countries cannot own nuclear submarines openly. Therefore, the possession of such submarines is carefully concealed, and their use in active operations is extremely limited.

Hardly anyone can easily obtain evidence of the existence of an atomic submarine in such conditions. Therefore, for such a small fraction - escaped a detachment of deserters, it was impossible to get an atomic submarine.

Although the submarine involved in the detachment of deserters was of a standard type, it had a modern power supply based on tidal fuel cells, and also an air-independent propulsion system (AIP). Because of the progress in fuel cell technology, it has become possible to use AIP-engines not only as auxiliary power, but also as the main, supplementing the "fuel" of fuel cells- hydrogen and oxygen, if necessary. But for a small-sized vessel, besides fuel, there is a need for other frequent replenishments of resources.

For example, the replenishment of torpedoes spent in yesterday's operation. Therefore, the hidden entrance to the dock the day before the main events was simply necessary.

... With an understanding of all this, Johnson could not hide his disappointment. Yesterday's operation was completely meaningless. By the morning of the next day, this thought was becoming stronger and stronger. Because as a result of the failure of this useless operation, they had to make this unplanned replenishment, which in fact was like a surfacing in the backyard of an enemy. The advantage of the submarine was lost with this failure.

His discontent was somehow transferred to many deserter soldiers on board and a heavy atmosphere arose between them. It cannot be said that this was the reason, but Johnson had to temporarily split up with the main forces of the detachment of deserters. Therefore, he was waiting for the arrival of the contact boat.

"Captain-dono, the contact boat has arrived."

- I got it. I am on my way.

The boat he was waiting for was moored to the hidden dock, which was made inside the tanker, carving out his entrails. He already noticed her and knew where to go.

In the improvised dock a small long and narrow two-seater mini-submarine surfaced. In fact, it was a modified and disguised underwater motorcycle, its speed and concealment were good enough. Johnson has already changed into a wetsuit for landing on a sightseeing boat. In order not to turn into confrontation with friendly troops, he decided to move forward as quickly as possible.

The movement of the Australian agent Tatsuya noticed five minutes later. But he did not say anything about this to Kazama.

The location of the submarine was found. There was no reason to doubt these words of Sanada. They boarded a military amphibious aircraft disguised as a civilian jet, and headed toward the submarine, or rather toward the disguised dock in which it was.

The submarine has a higher priority. And the location of James J. Johnson is constantly monitored. Excessive information now will only introduce confusion.

"Five minutes before arrival."

"Prepare for the landing."

In response to the report of Sanada, Kazama ordered airborne to be ready at any time. To Chen Xiangshan and Lu Ganghu, he did not issue any special orders. These two have already mastered this type of operation. This was evident from their behavior.

Sanada remained to fly the plane. Tatsuya, of course, went to storm the submarine. From the side of the Separate Magically-equipped battalion, this time, not only Yanagi, but also Kazama joined the detachment.

Kazama went into battle for the first time in a long time, and Tatsuya remembered the experience of the jump before the army invading the battle 5 years ago, so they did not experience any discomfort.

At the speed of a jet plane, they quickly got to the place.

-I see the goal.

-Descent!

Yanagi and his seven subordinates, Lu Ganghu, Chen Xiangshan and his eight subordinates, Tatsuya, Kazama - in such a sequence, they quickly jumped down.

A detachment of deserters from the Great Asian Alliance could not respond to a sudden collapse of a joint detachment of Japan and the Great Asian Alliance without a parachute on the deck.

The method of descent with slowing magic at the last moment of the fall is not new. During the Third World such a method was not yet applied, it was accepted into practical use approximately 20 years ago by the armies of the USNA, the New Soviet Union, the Indo-Persian Union and Japan. Five years ago, this tactic was also used to repel an invasion force attack on Okinawa. But even knowing all this, it is difficult to cope with such speed. This time, using the camouflage of the aircraft, the Japanese army, with its skills in this tactic, was able to catch the enemy by surprise.

In this operation, not only Tatsuya, but Yanagi and the others did not wear mobile suits. Of course, it was impossible to disclose this army of the Great Asian Alliance. Nevertheless, the military clothing they now wore, although it looked like ordinary fabric, but had protective properties at the level of bulletproof vest. The helmet's protection also possessed the strength, capable of stopping a bullet from a sniper rifle, while being completely transparent. Naturally, against a line from a large-caliber machine gun it will not help, and even a shot from an anti-magic rifle of increased power also leaves no prospects. However, other types of small arms cannot penetrate.

The troops of the Great Asian Alliance, led by Chen Xiangshan, were also clothed in their bullet-proof suits. Lu Ganghu this time was not in the armor of the White Tiger, but in the same in combat clothing as the rest, but his "Steel Qigong" is able to stop even a rifle of increased power.

As if rivaling each other, Yanagi and Lu Ganghu descended from the deck to the lower level. Tatsuya, along with Kazama, watched what was happening from the rear. According to him, this was not the place where one should climb into the thick of events. Instead, Tatsuya focused on supporting Yanagi's unit, destroying interception systems.

Using the new information retrieval ability looking at the picture in perspective, he first found and "spread out" one by one all anti-personnel radars. Then he destroyed the inner chambers of the ship. Although all this was not used as a weapon, but during the invasion of the inside of the hidden dock, he destroyed various systems of this ship when they came across his "eye."

When the control room of the dock, disguised as a tanker, discovered Yanagi and the others, it was already too late for the detachment of the deserters of the Great Asian Alliance.

- There is no response from the remote fire point!

The officer responsible for the ship's defensive systems shouted.

"Use the gas!" - Major Daniel Liu, who crossed from submarine to dock, shouted in a usual orderly tone.

"But then our allies will fall under him!"

-Never mind. Stopping violators is more important.

-There is! ...Useless! The exhaust gas valves do not open! "However, the response of the subordinate only increased his irritation.

-Hey, what are you waiting for !? Close the partitions! By any means, delay the invasion!

"The partitions ... do not move!"

"What happened there!"

At Liu's cry, none of the people present had an answer.

In the rear, Tatsuya released his magic.

... The remotely controlled turret on the path of Yanagi and Lu Ganghu was destroyed.

Tatsuya freed his magic.

... The electrical installation of the gas outlet was cut.

Tatsuya's magic was free.

... The power line of the electric motors of the partitions was cut off.

Maybe not as spectacular as the cracking of Fujibayashi or Sanada, but it did not work at the hardware level, which gave the advantage of a longer recovery.

He did not destroy the hull of the ship directly, but "decomposed" all the insides of the hidden mobile dock.

-It's enough. - From Kazama, walking next to Tatsuya, came the call to stop. "It seems Yanagi and Colonel Chen have reached their destination." There is no longer any need to risk showing your magic.

-There is. - Tatsuya nodded at the words of Kazama, and the last "decomposition" broke the assembly of the propeller and the shaft of the submarine.

Yanagi and Lu Ganghu invaded the dock at the same time. After that, they looked at each other in the eye for a moment. Lu Ganghu jumped to the submarine, and Yanagi ran further along the aisle dock.

From the other entrance to the dock appeared enemy soldiers. There were not so many enemies. Probably because deserters have a limited number of people, and left the majority on land.

They also had insufficient weapons. In the Yokohama incident, not only the main forces, but also the penetration unit possessed high-power rifles, and the soldiers who appeared here, except for conventional rifles with bayonets, had nothing.

In this case, the battle should be simplified by the bulletproof properties of clothing, but Yanagi had no intention of indulging the enemy. He rushed into contact with the enemy ahead of his subordinates. The enemy was not even given time to pull the trigger.

Assault rifles, apparently, were created for use inside a vessel or building, using a pull-and-pop system to reduce the total length of the handle and with an inner grip for the left hand to eliminate the deflection of the barrel direction.

The nearest enemy Yanagi struck his hand under his chin. The enemy flew into the air. The height to which it took off will never be possible when struck by physical force alone. Activated at the moment of contact, the Speed Magic acted not only on the chin, but on the whole body, throwing it.

From two different sides, bayonets rushed towards Yanagi. It seems they did not shoot, afraid to hit their own. This decision, in principle, was not a mistake. However, looking at the result, they did wrong.

Yanagi approached the right enemy and, grabbing the assault rifle of the enemy by the handle, sharply pulled. Leaning forward, the enemy soldier Yanagi even more pulled forward for the collar, and he sideways leaked to the enemy behind his back. As a result, bayonets pushed the soldiers into each other in the chest. Yanagi added speed, striking the enemy in the back. A cutting scream was heard. After dropping assault rifles with blood- stained bayonets, a moment later, two men fell to the floor.

Confusion came to the ranks of the enemy. Yanagi was right in the middle of the enemy. If you shoot at him, the bullet is likely to hit the ally. However, if they choose the battle on bayonets, they saw what kind of future awaits them on a bad example, shown just killed comrades.

They were in the narrow corridor of the hidden dock. There's nothing to be done either. Soldiers detachment of deserters of the Great Asian Alliance, sent to interception, were mistaken in tactics. They crowded together in one place. It was natural to think that you need to take advantage of the number of people, but that was until you had to stop, because the enemy had come to close combat. In addition, Yanagi was followed by his subordinates.

Suddenly Yanagi crouched down. From a distance, two Yanagi subordinates opened heavy fire from short submachine guns the size of a submachine gun.

Since the enemies were also in bulletproof vests, it was not their complete destruction. However, the damage received by shots from a distance of three meters was not easy. Thanks to this, Yanagi and his subordinates ascended the final attack and completely suppressed the enemy soldiers in this place.

The shots came from the exit of the corridor from the side of the submarine.

- Three, follow me. The rest, cover behind, and get busy with these guys. - Without waiting for the answer of his subordinates, Yanagi moved on down the aisle. Three of the subordinates followed him, and of the remaining four, one remained on Yanagi's orders to bind the recently defeated enemies, and the three began the covering fire.

The detachment of the Great Asian Alliance, which jumped on the submarine, was divided into two parts. Chen Xiangshan, surrounded by four people, remained on the upper deck, and the remaining five, including Lu Ganghu, penetrated inside. With his physique, Lu Ganghu often had to bend over not to bang his head against the ceiling, but he did not look cramped in the movements, chasing and defeating deserters one by one. Four other fighters did not have the skills of Lu Ganghu, but they were much superior to their former comrades in combat force. In a close submarine, firearms cannot be used freely. But "Steel Qigong" can reflect even bullets of high- power rifles, not to mention ordinary rifles. Lu Ganghu went to the rear of the entrance hatch alone, and four others moved to the nose of the submarine,

-The takeover of the ship is under control.

"Is Daniel Liu caught?" - Chen Xiangshan answered the question with Lu Ganghu who came to the connection.

"No, he was not on board." Bradley Zhang is also not found.

"Leave the detainees to the others, Captain, return to us immediately."

- There is.

It is very likely that Bradley Zhang acted separately from the very beginning. On the other hand, Chen Xiangshan was convinced that Daniel Liu is here. If not on a submarine, then it is in the mobile dock command room.

"The Japanese must have already reached this place ..."

Reflecting on this, Chen Xiangshan was not at all nervous. The main instigator of the sabotage, Daniel Liu, and commander of the advanced lines, Bradley Zhang. If you catch these two, then, of course, all the plans of the faction of opponents of reconciliation will collapse. However, Chen Xiangshan did not care to catch Liu with his own hands. After all, it did not matter when the main goals were achieved, namely stopping diversion and catching a detachment of deserters.

Kazama and Tatsuya headed for the bridge of the ship disguised as a tanker. Initially, they planned to go to the dock where the submarine was placed, but after receiving a message from Yanagi that the opponents were less than expected, they decided to take control of the mobile dock. Kazama changed direction, and Tatsuya followed him without asking anything.

They were both students of Yakumo, but their relationship was not like that of close friends. It's not that they achieved any kind of harmony, but it seemed, under the influence of one master, they formed a similar mindset, so that one could understand the intentions of the other without words.

Internal cameras and other surveillance equipment were recently destroyed. The bridge is now blind. Even if the enemy commander wants to escape, a natural procedure for him now will be to send people to the reconnaissance.

Tatsuya and Kazama have already met two groups of two people, four scouts in total. The enemy soldiers coming in front did not notice Tatsuya and Kazama. Tatsuya was sure that he also somehow became invisible. Bypassing the opponents one by one, he did not remember that he knew the technique with which he could escape detection by other people.

"This is one of the" Technician Tengu ", developed by Kiichi Hogen," Cloak of invisibility "? This technique is somewhat reminiscent of the" Hiding Mantle, "ancient magic from Europe."

Kiichi Hogen was a famous exorcist from the legend, who stole knowledge (learned?) Of Minamoto-no Yosh*tsune's military art, and was also known as a kenjutsu master, the founder of the ancient style of the sword Kyohati- ryu. ["The style of the eight capitals"]

However, with the recognition of the real existence of magic, another list has been added to the list of legends about Kiichi Hogen.

In his relations with Minamoto no Yosh*tsune, Kiichi Hogen from ancient times was identified with Kurama Tengu. [Tengu is a mythological ugly being with a red face and a long nose, something like a goblin, Kurama is a mountain, i.e. verbatim Goblin from Mount Kurama]

The art of kenjutsu Yosh*tsune taught Kurama Tengu, and martial arts - Kiichi Hogen. If you look from the point of view of Yosh*tsune, then it will be natural to consider these two as one person.

But why was Kurama "Tengu"? Kurama is understandable. The monk from Mount Kurama taught Minamoto the art of the sword, which later became the beginning of the Kyohati-ryu style. But none of this leads to the notion of "Tengu".

According to the theory put forward by the researchers of the history of magic, Kiichi Hoheng was called Tengu, because he systematized the art of exorcism for use against people, he invented the "Tengu-jutsu" [Tengu Techniques], later presented as "Ninjutsu" [Secrecy Techniques]. This thesis received many supporters and is now accepted as an established theory.

Kazama practiced these Techniques Tengu even before he became a disciple of Yakumo. From this ancient magic, and the nickname of Kazama "Daitengu" [Big Tengu] happened. Despite the fact that he learned many techniques of ninjutsu from Yakumo, the main weapon and strength of Kazama is still "Tengu-jutsu".

The magic that prevents detection, "Cloak of invisibility" - one of the characteristic representatives of magic from "Tengu-jutsu". She looked like an innate magic (BS-magic) It Haruki.

Do not see the visible. Do not hear the audible. Avoid seeing. And do not notice that he escaped.

Instead of changing light or sound waves, it invades consciousness and makes the enemy think that you are not there.

The power of concealing presence is inferior to Ono Haruka's similar inborn ability. However, "Cloak of invisibility" of "Tengu-jutsu" cannot be found by any of his current companions, even Tatsuya himself.

The range of magic coverage depends on the skill of the operator. Kazama could hide up to four people, including himself.

Tatsuya was not seen by the scouts of the enemy precisely because of the "Cloak of Invisibility" of Kazama.

They approached the entrance to the bridge room. It was the control room [giving orders], not the steering room. Even with a tanker-looking tanker, the internal structure resembled the characteristics of warships.

Kazama opened the door to the control room. The head of the detachment of the deserters of the Great Asian Alliance, who was inside, turned to the sound, but when he saw Kazama, he turned away, as if losing interest.

-Report the situation! Hey, hey! ... It's useless, major donor. It looks like the intercept unit was destroyed.

-Those who remain on the submarine also do not answer. I think we need to run by ourselves.

Three people remained in the control room. Others were sent to the dock or, as now, to scout. Unfortunately, Tatsuya did not know what they were talking about, but Kazama understood Chinese. The view of Kazama gave Tatsuya a sign that he was sure that these three were the leaders of the detachment plotting the diversion.

"Decomposition" Tatsuya has made holes in the bodies of the officers of the detachment of deserters from the Great Asian Alliance. Both shoulders, both hips - 4 points for each person. Summoning magic at the same time for 12 targets, Tatsuya instantly neutralized the enemy leaders.

Captain Johnson was still at sea when the troops of Kazama and Chen Xiangshan completed the operation of taking control of the submarine and the disguised dock. Arriving at the meeting point until noon, he descended from the mini-submarine into the sea and surfaced in a wet suit. Seeing that there, as expected, an anchored ship was disguised as a private yacht, Johnson gave an unpleasant sigh of relief.

His partner, Captain Jasmine Williams, was waiting on board.

"Jas!" Something happened?

According to the plan, she had to wait in the shelter on the island of Kuma. Jasmine was not such a person who would back away from the plan on a personal whim. Johnson asked about the reasons for changing plans with a serious face, not giving himself the reason to joke.

-Do not you know? ... No, you do not seem to know. - From Jasmine's response, Johnson's unpleasant premonition grew stronger. Unfortunately, it was not an unnecessary fear. - The main forces of tomorrow's operation are captured by the Japanese army. Therefore, I want to hold a meeting as soon as possible to organize everything from the very beginning.

Johnson only thought for a short time, less than a second.

"... Understood." I'm going to change my clothes.

"I'm waiting in the dining room."

Watching the departed Jasmine, Johnson went to the cabin, appointed locker room.

In the dining room (the mess-room) Jasmine was waiting at the table and one of the leaders of the detachment of deserters from the Great Asian Alliance, Bradley Zhang.

Zhang often looked at Jasmine, apparently because he could not believe in her real personality.

Jasmine tried to avoid other members of the detachment of deserters, except Liu. The meeting with Zhang was inevitable, because Liu was captured.

Today, Zhang first saw her face. Naturally, with her 12-13-year-old appearance, it's hard to convince him that she is a magician in the rank of captain.

The place where they waited, though called the dining room, but there was only a mini-kitchen and a small table with chairs. The giant Zhang here seemed to be very crowded, but there was not even a hint of complaint on his part. As with Johnson.

"They were caught, was it an inspection?" The mobile dock was supposed to be in international waters.

-This is not an inspection. I do not know the details, but it seems that it was an illegal surprise attack.

-Piracy by the regular army! Johnson spat in anger.

"It's not for us to condemn the Japanese army in this regard."

"Jasmine did not reassure him, but said to look at what they themselves did."

"... Do you know anything else?"

"A little calming down," Johnson asked in a more subdued tone.

-It seems that the search party of the Great Asian Alliance also participated in the attack.

-I knew that the Japanese army cooperated with the army of the Great Asian Alliance, it's bad. Does this mean that there was a leak of information about tomorrow's operation?

-The other party also decided to resort to illegal operations. I have no doubt that they are now resorting to truth serum. "There was no reproach or disgust in Jasmine's words. Brainwashing and torture were not unusual for her, specializing in covert operations. - That is, the operation itself, has already failed.

In the current operation, the Australian army plays the role of a reserve in the faction of opponents of reconciliation of the Great Asian Alliance. They had to remain a direct physical support, but now the Jasmine and Johnson pair is the only available fighting force.

They did not plan to participate as the basis of the force in the sabotage operation. In an agreed plan, Australia supported a faction of opponents of reconciliation, provided that the main task is to monitor the situation to the last, and intervene only in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

Of course, the Australian army did not forbid to engage in battle completely. If they did not want a battle, they would not send these two. This intention reflected British influence, without it Australia would not have gone to these actions.

Nevertheless, Australia will not try to seize the operation with a low chance of success. This time Australia acts as a secret ally of Britain, which organized this operation, planning to stop Japan's growing global presence.

-The operation must be carried out. It will be a vain sacrifice if we stop now. - But Bradley Zhang's position was different. He insisted on conducting sabotage at any cost.

Naturally, Zhang had such a point of view. They deserted from the army of Hong Kong, part of the Great Asian Alliance and engaged in this operation.

It's no secret that Hong Kong is under the political influence of Britain. And yet the country to which they belong, is still the Great Asian Alliance.

Zhang cannot return to Hong Kong, there he is already considered a criminal. The punishment that awaits him there, as a highly qualified combat magician, will at best be in the form of heavy correctional labor, but more likely he will be turned into a puppet soldier with brainwashing ... that is, degradation to the state of a living weapon without free will.

Although brainwashing leads to a deterioration in magical skills, and despite the fact that the variety of magic worsens, the army of the Great Asian Alliance has put into practice the brainwashing for obtaining soldiers with absolute obedience. This technology was derived from magic (or better call it occultism) by Gu Jie through the organization of the No-Head Dragon.

For a magician, turning into such a puppet is equivalent to the death penalty. Deprived of free will, a thing that will be used and thrown out when it breaks down. And a person does not even have the mind to realize his suffering, this horror is stronger than the death penalty.

The only way left for Zhang is to successfully sabotage and abolish the peace treaty with Japan. He will turn the crime into a feat. Even if you cannot rehabilitate the faction of opponents of reconciliation with this achievement, you can try to get asylum in Britain or Australia as a reward for the success of sabotage. He will not have a future if the operation is unsuccessful during the tomorrow's party in honor of the discovery of an artificial island. Therefore, he could not agree with the cancellation of the operation.

"But we lost the submarine, which is the main force of the operation."

As Jasmine noted, tomorrow's operation consisted in the fact that Zhang with a detached detachment distracts the attention of the guard, while the attack from the submarine follows from the sea. In addition, it was not planned to launch a direct attack with missiles or torpedoes, but secret dispatch of agents who, having approached, would install bombs on the pontoons holding the island afloat.

"There is still a small boat left." In principle, because you just need to get under water imperceptibly. The presence of a submarine is not absolutely necessary for the operation.

-Will it work out?

-In our detachment there were magicians who are well versed in underwater activities. Although our number has decreased, this will not be an obstacle to the operation.

After listening to Zhang's confident speech, Jasmine looked at Johnson.

-We cannot make a decision on our own. Please give me time to contact your country. Instead of Jasmine Johnson, he suggested to Zhang. It was not an attempt to delay time. It was an indisputable fact that you need to get permission from Australia.

"... I understand you." I expect a good answer. - Zhang also understood this. Suppressing his haste, he nodded.

Johnson contacted his senior officer via wireless communication, aiming the radio wave at the British military communications satellite. It was unnecessary to say that the communication channel was protected from listening. However, unfortunately for him, even now his message was intercepted by the Japanese army.

"Senior Lieutenant Fujibayashi, good work."

"Thank you, Commander."

Fujibayashi's second name, Electron Sorceress, was obtained mainly for the hacker's ingenious skills, but also reflected her magician skills. She is a skilful user of the magic of systems of scattering, concentration and oscillation, by which she interferes with the electromagnetic signal. Instead of using an electromagnetic wave as a means of attack or intelligence, this "sorceress" specializes in magic interfering with communication, whether wireless or wired. The optical coupling is also included in the area of its influence, since it is still ultimately converted to an electrical signal. In addition, Fujibayashi has special skills not only to intercept the actual connection, but also data from rewritable and erasable magnetic, electronic and optical media.

Despite the fact that there are messages that it cannot decipher, there are practically no messages that it cannot intercept. The satellite communication session of Captain Johnson also entered the receiver of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion with the help of the magic of Fujibayashi.

"Sanada, did you decrypt it?"

- Yes. The cipher was not so complicated.

Sanada could crack most of those ciphers that were difficult even for Fujibayashi. Sanada is not only excellent in magical engineering, but also an expert in cryptography.

"And what does it say?"

-A question was asked whether the operation scheduled for tomorrow should be stopped. The Australian army postponed the response.

"Seeing their position, I would be grateful if they would continue ..."

If Tatsuya were here, he would dispute the words of Kazama. For him, the incident was far from over. However, from the point of view of Kazama, some victims are inevitable for obtaining a favorable result, no, rather, he believed that these were the necessary costs to achieve the goal. A detachment of deserters from the Great Asian Alliance has already lost the ability to be active. Kazama and his entourage analyzed this situation. The probability that they will be able to replenish their forces during the day is zero. It is predicted that even if they decide to conduct a sabotage, they will not cause much damage.

-And if they slipped a fake answer ... No, it's impossible. Sanada with a smile of regret replied to the murmur of Kazama:

-Substitution of communication flow is technically possible. However, it is difficult to block from reading the real answer.

-Really.

Because Kazama himself understood this, he cut short his thought halfway. In addition, the enemy did not have time to organize a false signal.

-The response of the Australian army came. - Still thinking about the possible deception of Kazama Fujibayashi reported on the interception of the message.

"And what do they say?"

It was once deciphered code. As expected, the same encryption key was used, so automatic machine decryption was possible.

-Yes, it says: "It is allowed to continue the operation tomorrow." To successfully complete the assignment, cooperate with the faction of opponents of reconciliation from the Great Asian Alliance. "

-I see. Yanagi. - Having answered "Is", Yanagi came up from the corner of the room. - Inform Chen Xiangshan about this and form a detachment with him. I entrust you with the details of the interception.

-I got it. - Having given honor to Kazama, Yanagi left the room. His gait was a bit easier than usual.

"Despite everything, Australia seems to be self-confident. Maybe they have some new weapons? Sanada turned to Kazama in a tone that did not feel serious.

-No, I do not think that they will achieve serious success. - However, the answer of Kazama contained no signs that he took it as a joke.

-True?

-I also think that this was a somewhat irresponsible order, hoping for a serious success. As the situation worsened for them, if they really wanted to succeed in the sabotage, they would send detailed instructions on the strategy. - In response to a question from Sanada, Fujibayashi expressed her own assumptions. Fujibayashi's answer was close to the thoughts of Kazama.

-Such thinking is for the big bosses who usually stand behind such matters. In addition, instructions issued from afar often will not match the situation on the ground, and management always wants to control the situation as accurately as possible. - Kazama, speaking with sarcasm, had in mind a more general case, applicable not only to the military. Due to the fact that he was treated with a cool attitude because of false accusations of arbitrary actions, even if he was eventually promoted to rank, he still had a tendency to make vicious expressions with respect to his superiors. Naturally, given that they will not hear it.

-And vice versa, when no specific instructions are given, it often means foreseeing failure and unwillingness to take responsibility. In our case, it seems, it happened.

-The commander's opinion can be understood, but do not you think that if the operation is considered to be failed beforehand, then they will expose their agents to danger? - With a person who does not agree with Kazama, Sanada expressed his opinion.

-Naturally, I understand this. My opinion is that the Australian army thinks that everything is in order.

Sanada could not hide his surprise at this bold conclusion.

"Will they just throw their magician agents away?"

In contrast to the surprised Sanada, Kazama nodded with an unflappable face.

"If they really did not want to lose their magicians, they would not have put them on such a dangerous operation." This is not just what is called a big risk. It's like walking on a rope without a safety net.

-They were considered one-time garbage from the very beginning ...? - The voice of Fujibayashi, who asked instead Sanada, who was speechless, was trembling slightly.

"Suppose a magician appeared in the USNA, who was recognized as an immediate threat to Japan. Would you send Tatsuya alone to the USNA?

-No ... at least I think that you need to organize enough support. Fujibayashi nodded understandingly in response to the specific example given.

-Are there any shortcomings in abilities, or in physical terms ... They were assigned to a mission of penetration. I think, although they are competent, but I think their loss will not be pitied.

Kazama picked up the tablet terminal from the table. It was the same one used during the meeting with Tatsuya on the second floor of the steak house. He called on the screen the same thing as at that moment. A photograph of a mustached man and a girl 12-13 years old in a straw hat.

-For example. What if the look of this "girl" was not due to taking medications, but because of a genetic anomaly that appeared as a side effect of the adjustment?

-Commander, this is ... - The phrase "side effect of adjustment" paralyzed the language of Fujibayashi.

"It's only a guess." But do not you think that this is possible?

-And the truth. - Instead of Fujibayashi, Sanada became again the opponent of Kazama. - Very much can be. Moreover, it is not surprising that, if this is an improved magician, her body can burn at any time. The likelihood that

Australia conducts research, similar to the said commander, is very high.

After Sanada's conclusion, there were no more comments.