Jackal's Fury

As Jackal sat alone in the cafe's private room, wrestling with her turbulent emotions, her communicator beeped.

"Jackal, it's time to leave." Raven's voice carried a note of urgent concern.

"Raven... where were you?" Jackal didn't answer, instead demanding through gritted teeth. Her still-throbbing lips made her words slurred. If Raven had been there, she wouldn't have been so vulnerable against that bastard!

Jackal was no ordinary human. Possessing a full Stigmata and experience in the Elysian Realm, her physical abilities far surpassed normal humans, despite her consistently poor combat skills. Otherwise, Pandora's blow would have knocked out her teeth.

"Me?" Raven sounded taken aback by her accusatory tone. "Please! I was monitoring two locations—no, three, if you include that S-rank Valkyrie! I can't be everywhere at once!"

Jackal's anger deflated. After a moment, she mumbled, "Where are you now?"

"Now? I'm on campus, of course! Keeping an eye on you, making sure Lin Wei doesn't try anything funny, and monitoring the lab in case those Valkyries do something reckless..." Raven sighed. "As for the S-rank Valkyrie, I couldn't keep up with her, so I left a listening device. Hopefully, she stays within range, or finding her again will be a pain."

"You... just watched?!" Jackal was incredulous. "Do you know what he did to me?!"

"I don't have listening devices on you, how would I know? If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't even know he was here!" Raven retorted. "I was about to extract you when Schicksal attacked your lab. Then you took him to a cafe? I should be asking you what you were thinking!"

"You—!" Jackal trembled with fury, nearly fainting at Raven's next words.

"What's wrong? You two seemed friendly on the way in. I thought you were becoming buddies! I almost didn't contact you, thinking I'd be interrupting." Raven sounded genuinely curious. "Did he do something to you?"

Relieved no one had witnessed her humiliation, Jackal retorted, "Hmph, as if he could!"

"Then why were you so angry?" Raven asked, puzzled.

"...Let's talk business!" Jackal decided to drop the subject. "Where's Schicksal now? Where did Lin Wei go? You didn't stop him?"

"Seriously? I'm a mercenary, not a team of mercenaries! I can't handle that many requests!" Raven emphasized her point. "And how was I supposed to stop him? He has a Divine Key! What if we caused a scene and attracted Schicksal? They're right there!"

"Gray Serpent said you were on good terms. Why would you clash?" Jackal asked, confused.

"That was before!" Raven snapped. "I'm an ex World Serpent member, yet I've clashed with him twice already, in Nagazora City and Singapore, all because of World Serpent business—and you know why! Three strikes, and what do you think he'll do? A fight wouldn't be surprising."

"...Let's just focus on the task at hand." Jackal's anger subsided. Raven had a point. Had Raven always been this articulate? Then again, she'd handled plenty of negotiations for World Serpent.

It was Lin Wei's fault!

The thought of him made her grind her teeth. He'd lured Schicksal, ambushed her, acted all high and mighty, and then vanished before they withdrew!

He was a despicable coward, resorting to cheap tricks!

"Business? Right. We've wasted enough time. I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

"Just tell me!" Jackal snapped.

"Fine..." Raven sounded a bit deflated. "Good news: Schicksal doesn't seem to have gained anything useful. The S-rank Valkyrie hasn't made any unusual moves."

"Of course!" Jackal smirked. She'd made preparations and ordered an immediate evacuation. Schicksal finding nothing was only natural. "What's the bad news?"

"Schicksal is locking down the lab area. They seem intent on digging deeper. Your identity is likely compromised. This place isn't safe. You need to leave, now."

"Tch... I know!" Though she'd expected it, the thought still irked her. Lin Wei... Schicksal... this isn't over! She swore silently.

"Also, you should alert any other operatives on campus to evacuate. Schicksal's thorough search might uncover something."

"Hmph, no need to worry. The most important piece has already been 'handled.'" Jackal smiled smugly, wincing as she touched her injured lip. The pain of her humiliation fueled her anger. "The rest are small fry. Even if Schicksal gets them, they won't find anything."

"...Alright." Raven fell silent, seemingly understanding her euphemism and disapproving of her methods. "Then get out of there, now. I'll keep an eye on things. If anything happens, I'll deal with it. Later." Raven hung up.

"You—" Jackal's retort died in her throat. What's her rush?

A rhythmic knock echoed on the door.

"One moment!" The knock held a specific meaning, so Jackal didn't panic. However, she scrambled to put on a mask, covering her swollen lip, and smoothed her hair before saying, "Enter." Her voice held an air of authority.

The door opened to reveal the cafe's owner, a polite, middle-aged man. He'd been alerted to Dr. Cleo's presence and had prepared the room personally. He paused at the sight of the mess, then bowed respectfully. "Lady Jackal, the evacuation is ready. Please come with me."

He's World Serpent too! Not entirely surprising. It made sense for World Serpent to "patronize their own businesses."

"Good work." Jackal nodded regally, gesturing to the empty chair. "Are you monitoring the man who was just here?"

"Uh..." The man stammered, then explained awkwardly, "I assumed a guest worthy of Lady Jackal's company must be an important member of the organization... so I didn't dare..."

"Oh?" Jackal stood, subtly hiding the coffee stain on her dress. "So the coffee you served was just ordinary coffee?"

"I... I..." The man broke out in a cold sweat, then bowed deeply. "Please punish me!"

"Hmph." Seeing his groveling appeased Jackal somewhat. She hadn't intended to punish him, though his failure to grasp her intentions had annoyed her.

However, Lin Wei hadn't touched the coffee, so there was no point in taking it out on others. She watched him sweat for a few seconds, then said magnanimously, "Get up. It's a small matter."

"Yes! Thank you, Lady Jackal!" The man sighed in relief.

"Let's go. Lead the way." Jackal strode out, the man hurrying after her.

The man's preemptive arrangements for her evacuation weren't a coincidence; they were Jackal's own—or rather, E311's. The humanoid machine's evacuation plan included Jackal's safe exit.

"Lady Jackal, we're here." The man led her to a nearby garage containing several vehicles, prepped for emergencies.

"The vehicle and route are ready." He inquired cautiously, "Will you be driving, or shall I?"

Jackal inspected the car and its interior, then checked the systems with her access. Satisfied, she said, "Good work. Since we're both here, let's go together."

"Yes, ma'am!" Honored to be her chauffeur, the man eagerly moved towards the driver's seat.

"Not so fast..." Jackal smiled faintly. "Are there any weapons here? It's safer to have some for self-defense during an evacuation."

"Of course, Lady Jackal." The man drew a pistol from his waistband, presenting it to her.

"Good." Jackal checked the magazine and safety, then nodded. "Alright, let's go."

"Yes, ma'am!" The man turned to open the rear door for her.

BANG!

A gunshot rang out. The man froze, then collapsed, revealing the smoking muzzle of the pistol.

"You did well. But you're no longer needed." Jackal muttered coldly, then fired three more shots into the man's face, rendering it unrecognizable.

She holstered the pistol, got into the car, and drove off, leaving the cooling corpse behind.

"Yikes... glad I didn't join World Serpent..." Lin Wei lowered his binoculars, having removed his Pandora-powered voice changer. "Their corporate culture is terrifying!" Working for them is life-threatening!

"Ugh, I shouldn't have watched that. Ruined my appetite..." Lin Wei looked at his half-eaten durian, unable to stomach it. The pale yellow flesh resembled the poor guy's brains too closely. He pushed it towards Yae Sakura. "Try some. It's good!"

Yae Sakura wrinkled her nose and backed away, shaking her head vigorously.