Ark, after I died, the operators started to love me.

"I heard you've already slept with the doctor, how come you haven't won him over yet?"

We did sleep together that day, but that was all.

Xingji still felt a little regretful, not because she regretted sleeping with the Doctor, but because she didn't take any further action when Adele was also there.

If it were just her alone, given her identity as a Columbia University student, she could have handled things flawlessly, leaving even the Doctor speechless in the end.

But when she saw Miss Adele's lovely face, she couldn't bear to bully the girl.

After hearing what Xingji had kept hidden in his heart, Horhaiya sighed, "There are still many good people on this land."

A scoundrel like her, utterly despicable, should probably find other ways to take advantage of others.

Destreet dismissed it, saying, "So what if there was a little accident? Once we get to the research station, we'll have plenty of ways to keep Muirsey away from the doctor."

The top lawyer had prepared a series of methods to ensure that the man would comply.

All that's needed now is an opportunity.

……

the other side.

Chongyue, Kuiying, and Andorn gathered together. These three people, who usually had nothing in common, were able to chat so happily together.

After a while, Phantom looked at the Doctor with some concern.

"It's alright, don't worry about him. Everyone here could have an accident, but he won't."

Andorn's eyes lit up, but he continued to turn the pages of his notebook rhythmically.

He didn't speak, but Chongyue understood what he meant and continued, "I once traveled across this land a long time ago. During that time, I met some people. Some of them were born geniuses with extraordinary memories. They could remember everything they saw, and they could learn something quickly and master it with practice."

The second type of person is somewhat clever and knows how to improve themselves as much as possible through hard training. Although they are not as talented as the former type of genius, they can still achieve something.

The third type of person is usually lazy and incompetent, always slacking off in practice, working one day and resting three. This type of person is not within my scope of investigation.

This was the first time Phantom had ever heard of someone distinguishing the differences between people so clearly.

"These are the usual cases and can be used as standards, but we can never rule out exceptions. Logically speaking, people in the first and second categories have the opportunity to enter the inner circle."

Chongyue paused here, turning his gaze to Mike. Although he couldn't see anything through the tent, he still spoke slowly: "The Doctor belongs to the first type of person. That's what I thought back then. It's a pity that he was limited by his weak physique and couldn't achieve anything. Now he suddenly has the power that even geniuses need to study and practice hard to obtain, but he can't make good use of it. It's a real pity."

Having said that, Andorn stopped turning the page.

81. You're the most useless warlock.

Recalling his observations of Mike over the past few days, the angel said seriously, "The Doctor does have some special qualities. Although he doesn't show it and sometimes tries to hide it, he's like an awl in a pocket that can't help but stick out eventually."

Upon hearing this description, Phantom couldn't help but put down the short sword he was playing with.

He admitted that Andorn was right; the Doctor's return was indeed quite different from before he left, but comparing him to an awl was a bit of an exaggeration.

"I'm just talking about it."

The time they spent together allowed the three of them to get to know each other better.

Phantom's silence does not mean he has no thoughts in his mind.

On the surface, Andorn appears calm and collected, but deep down, his heart is filled with turbulent emotions.

Even the most composed Grandmaster Chongyue would frown when he saw those unexpected situations.

"It's alright, the doctor himself won't say anything if he hears it."

If Mike were here, he would definitely argue that he wasn't an awl at all, because an awl is too thin.

Taking advantage of the pause in Chongyue's speech, Andorn raised his own concerns.

"The doctor said he wanted to go up north to take a look, but he didn't say anything specific. None of us knew his real purpose."

Actually, it wasn't just Andorn; most of the team members had similar thoughts, but the angel just said it out loud today.

Chongyue had some guesses in his heart. He had been stationed in the northern border of the Great Yan for a hundred years and had a certain understanding of the various forms of evil demons. He could naturally guess Mike's thoughts as well.

The Grandmaster pondered for a moment and said, "The Doctor probably wants to see where those things came from; he may have known about them a long time ago."

"That's right..."

Andorn seemed to understand something; this explained a lot of things.

As far as he knew, the Doctor originally planned to go alone, but Dr. Kal'tsit suggested that they go as a group, which led to the invitation.

"There are many unimaginable things on this land. Going to the north to take a look is nothing, and it might even be a good thing."

Phantom recalled what the playwright had told him: that he would encounter dangers after entering Sami, but if it was a crisis like the one in the deserted village, then it would be nothing special.

Chongyue shook his head: "We must not let our guard down. These kinds of enemies are the most treacherous and unpredictable. We all know the consequences of being careless."

The Grandmaster retraced his journey across Terra, gaining many new insights and gaining valuable experience in enhancing his own power. Indeed, there is no benefit in confining oneself to one place.

"Thank you, I have learned a lot."

"Ashamed."

Andon imitated the way Yan Kingdom expressed gratitude, and even though his movements were not quite standard, Chongyue responded with a smile.

Since we're on the same path, we're fellow travelers.

Phantom paused, then his smile deepened.

……

Inside Mike's tent.

The man and the water sprite read a dozen pages of the book, chatting as they read. At first, their conversation was all related to the book, but it gradually veered off-topic.

Muirsey was almost touching Mike; she wanted to see Dr. Ann, and Mike naturally agreed, though they wouldn't be able to see him for long.

"An, would you like to dance?"

"No, I don't want to."

The Colombian girl's eyes were glazed over, clearly recalling the past, but Mike dared not agree to her request.

A lone man and a lone woman, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, who knows what might happen?

His relationship with Horhyah progressed so quickly because they were in the safe environment of the base camp, but the ice field was not so peaceful at the moment.

To distract Muirsey, Mike remembered the gifts he had exchanged with the exploration team during the day. The gifts were in his tent: a very ordinary cardboard box containing some food and two Columbia magazines.

Mike recalled the things he had given away, including food and a set of somewhat old detection equipment, the kind that took up space in the team's room.

Seeing this, Muirsey's plan could not proceed for the time being, so she patiently checked the items obtained through the exchange with Mike.

“Some of the canned food items are from before 1100, several years ago, and are almost expired. This magazine is also from 1098, when the United Exploration Society’s understanding of Sami was still in its early stages.”

The head of the ecology department at Rhine Life quickly made a judgment. After Mike looked through the goods with him, he couldn't help but exclaim, "They really are all goods from several years ago. I wouldn't believe it in other places, but it seems much more normal in Sami."

The water sprite rolled her eyes at him: "Be careful, Sami might protest against you."

“We don’t have many Sami operators here. Typhon and Magellan will definitely say that it doesn’t matter if it’s past its expiration date. In such a cold environment, the expiration date will be extended accordingly.”

“I remember you never used Magellan’s codename before, and you always made her so angry that she cried.”

Before Mike knew it, someone had brought up his past, and he quickly tried to cover it up: "Those are things of the past, let's not talk about them anymore..."

Muirsey reminded Mike that he should play a good joke on Mike next time.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all, please continue."

Mike's smug look made the water sprite grind its teeth.

She sighed, "I really don't know if compromising that day was the right choice."

Mike knew exactly what she was talking about and said righteously, "Of course it is, how could it not be? In fact, you should be glad that it was the right choice, otherwise I would definitely have taken some tough measures."

You actually dared to use such harsh methods.

Muirsey glanced at Mike, as if to say, "I'm right here, and I want to experience firsthand the tough measures you've been talking about. Show me what you've got."

This girl had provoked him time and time again, and now she seemed to be daring him to do anything about it. Mike simply hugged her, leaned close to the girl's ear, and whispered, "Do you really want to try?"

He was met with a stubborn and defiant look in his eyes.

However, the water sprite's toughness didn't seem so formidable, because she had blushed from her cheeks to her neck, displaying an adorable rosy complexion.

That was close; we almost fell for their trap.

The head of the ecology department was really cunning; he used a feigned retreat to lure Mike in, almost causing him to capsize in a ditch.

He decided to do the opposite of what Muirsay wanted.

We must absolutely ignore her provocations.

This girl is highly skilled; you can easily get so caught up in her games that you forget who you are.

Terrible woman.

"Doctor, why are you so afraid of me?"

"It's not fear, it's protection, it's my concern for you."

Mike didn't care at all whether he would be discovered saying this; his main point was that it was consensual.

Muirsey's face immediately showed a sorrowful expression: "I thought the Doctor was closer to me, but I didn't expect that we are even farther apart than before. Did I do something wrong?"

Look, this is what high-end is, this is what a trick is.

Mike swore that as long as he answered Muirsey's question, whatever he said would fall into her trap.

Love is war; the loser has nothing.

"Not at all, I've always kept you in my heart."

Muirsey narrowed her eyes: "I always feel that the Doctor isn't saying what he really means."

"It's all an illusion, your illusion."

“If the doctor also has feelings for other women, I don’t object, but the doctor must tell me.”

Mike thought to himself, "How could I fall for such a simple trick?"

He immediately said, "Back when I was on Rhodes Island, I confessed to many operators, and as you know, no one accepted my advances. Maybe people like me will never find true love."