Man on the ark, forced to become king

"That doesn't matter, we can just make the staff into the shape of a chainsaw."

"I think we should probably pass?"

Mudrock imagined a doctor carrying a chainsaw running up to her while she was injured, claiming he wanted to treat her... The image was too beautiful for her to accept.

Doing that would definitely leave a psychological scar on my teammates...

"I was just kidding. Huang's chainsaw isn't cheap. I've spent all my money on medical books, so I don't have the money to commission one of these... Tsk, Kroos is a heartless vampire."

"She was originally a blood demon, so it's not wrong to say that."

Chen Youyou said something, holding her Crimson Sky Sword, and turned to look at the fire that suddenly burst in the darkness, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes.

What Huang said was also her idea.

She also longed to be as reliable as Seria, almost impeccable, someone who could make everyone feel at ease, but as it turned out, she was still far, far away from that.

The out-of-control inner guards that left them struggling to cope could be instantly suppressed by Saria; that's the difference.

In terms of raw power, they were fully capable of overwhelming and defeating the out-of-control inner guards. However, their lack of practical experience and limited methods caused them to fall into chaos at the beginning of the battle, and they were unable to unleash their full potential.

If it were the older sister here, what would she do?

After a little thought, Chen already had a picture in his mind.

If their positions were reversed, Talulah might have reacted immediately upon the attack, sealing off the camp with her flames. Even with limited visibility, she could still sense the enemy's location and movements through the flames and then quickly subdue the out-of-control guards. As Saria said, the out-of-control guards lacked even normal thinking abilities, fighting solely on instinct and unable to use any skills or spells. With proper handling, they wouldn't be difficult to deal with.

If Talulah were here, she would almost certainly not be in such a sorry state.

As expected, it's still far from perfect...

“The source of pollution has been cleaned up. Pack your things, we can’t stay any longer. The situation here is more complicated than I expected.”

As the distant firelight gradually faded, Saria emerged from the darkness, pulling Chen Piaoyuan back to reality. Her gaze swept over the chaotic camp, and she issued the order to proceed.

"Did you find something, Saria?"

"Some...not so good things."

The lights came on, providing a stable light source in the darkness. Saria turned on the flashlight hanging on her waist, and under the light, she opened her palm, revealing a few glistening snowflakes.

Unlike ordinary snowflakes, these are noticeably larger, and their fine structure can be clearly observed. The jet-black color spreads outward from the center, as if stained with ink. Moreover, even when lying in a warm palm, they show no signs of melting.

"Black snow?"

"The defenses built by Ursus may have malfunctioned and are no longer secure. This ice field has been contaminated, and a crisis could occur at any time. We cannot stay here for long. We must find the location of the research station as soon as possible and then evacuate."

Based on her confidence in her own abilities, Saria was actually indifferent—if she were carrying out the mission alone.

However, the reality is that there are still several inexperienced rookies in her team.

She has the ability to calmly deal with crises, and even when facing a real attack from evil spirits, she can at least ensure that she can escape unscathed, but that is all she can do.

That kind of thing was still too dangerous for the rest of the team.

Therefore, to ensure that the worst outcome does not occur, the safest approach is to complete the mission objectives as soon as possible and then withdraw. Although doing so would reduce the training value of this mission, safety is still more important.

"Wouldn't it be more dangerous to travel at night?"

"I am here."

Saria's answer was very concise; just three words were enough to silence everyone's objections, and they began to tidy up the camp.

If Saria says there's danger, then there must be danger; if she says she can travel in the dark, then she definitely can—that's what everyone, including Gavial, thought.

So, the entire team was organized within minutes and began to move on.

No one noticed that the surface of those few snowflakes that fell to the ground gradually deepened and spread outwards, becoming increasingly dark and spreading towards the surrounding snow.

……

"The remaining food can last for another week, if no more supplies are sent..."

The light from the Originium lamps illuminated the predominantly white interior, creating a stark contrast with the pitch-black night outside.

The brown-haired Liberi girl casually pulled up the metal partition used to close the window, fiddling with several cans of herring on the table. She glanced at the communicator next to her, and unsurprisingly, there was still no signal.

This research station, built on the edge of the ice field and on the verge of civilization, does not have communication equipment to communicate with Rhine Life in real time. It can only send out location information periodically, which is then transmitted to Columbia through a series of cumbersome relays so that Rhine Life can confirm that the research station is still operating stably.

Apart from that, other information exchanges are carried out by field personnel who regularly come to the ice field to replenish supplies. When they approach the vicinity of the research station, they will communicate with the research station to determine the specific location.

However, since the last replenishment of supplies and exchange of data, Rhine Lab's field agents have missed two dates and remain missing.

Because there is only one person at this research station, the food reserves can still last. But if no one comes, no matter how much supplies there are, they will be used up. Then, they can only wait to die, or go outside and dig a hole in the ice to catch fish to eat.

Of course, there is another option—abandon the research station and evacuate directly.

This approach only exists in Magellan's imagination; she would never do it unless she truly saw no hope.

Without the protection of a team, for a researcher like her to leave the ice field alone, cross the Sami region, and reach Colombia is no less difficult than digging a hole in the ice to catch fish.

"Waaah... They haven't forgotten about me, have they...?"

Slumped listlessly on the table, Magellan couldn't help but have a rather horrifying thought.

Although the possibility is small, upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem like there's no chance it could happen.

After all, similar incidents have occurred before...

dong dong!dong dong!

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted Magellan's thoughts. The girl perked up and instinctively thought of the supply team that had missed the deadline, and wanted to open the door.

But as soon as she got up, she realized something was wrong.

Outside, there were no sounds of car engines or footsteps, and her communicator did not respond.

The knocking was sudden, and there was no other communication outside the door, which was not in line with the usual supply procedures.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of fingers tapping on the metal door still echoed, two taps followed by a pause, very rhythmic.

Click...

Magellan stopped moving, unfolded its fan blades on the cylinder placed on the table, and slowly floated up with its metal body.

Chapter 262 An Unpleasant Guest Arrives

Scientists don't necessarily lack combat capabilities. After all, even crocodiles can act as doctors, so it's not unusual for researchers to develop weapons for self-defense.

Magellan was in the same boat; it was no easy task for him to be stationed alone on the far north ice sheet to guard a research station.

Without logistical support or armed defense, Magellan had to shoulder responsibilities that weren't hers alone during routine explorations. Putting aside the strange tales circulating in the ice fields and Sami, the wild beasts roaming the icy lands alone posed a significant threat. To deal with them and ensure the smooth progress of the exploration, drones with a certain degree of intelligence and the ability to act automatically according to preset programs became excellent helpers.

In fact, drones for various purposes are extremely popular within Rhein Life Sciences, and many people regard these small, agile devices as excellent helpers.

For Magellan, these small and easy-to-use drones are her best companions on her journey of exploration.

The drones she usually uses are typically cylindrical in shape and move by fan blades on top, making them easy to carry while maintaining good performance. Depending on the usage scenario, she equips the drones with different external modules to meet specific needs in certain situations.

The highly efficient cooling module is most useful on this coldest land in the world. It can freeze and capture biological samples and also play an auxiliary role in combat, restricting enemy movement.

The laser mining module is mainly used to break through hard ice layers to collect mineral samples or extract special substances from the ice. The laser it emits can melt solid ice, and it also has considerable power in combat.

The Armed Strike Module is designed for combat. After several improvements, it can fire extremely small but incredibly powerful explosive bullets and can also launch group attacks. It is Magellan's main source of force on the ice plains.

When necessary, Magellan could simultaneously control multiple drones for tactical coordination.

In a sense, her actual combat effectiveness as a researcher is no less than that of the Rhine Lab's defense team members, and she is even ranked higher.

Therefore, although the strangeness outside the door made her move slightly forward, Magellan was not actually too worried. She had stayed on the ice field for a long time, was very experienced, and had encountered many unusual situations.

Perhaps it's some wild animal banging on the door again? Or maybe the blizzard is blowing in some obstacles, creating this sound?

Based on her past experience, Magellan assessed the situation outside the door and controlled the drone to drift towards the entrance. She herself slowly moved to another table inside the room, which was her workbench and the main control console of the entire research station, directly connected to the station's external monitoring system.

dong dong!dong dong!

The knocking continued, and the surveillance footage on the screen switched as Magellan flicked his finger, zooming in to the largest view of the window at the main entrance.

The surveillance camera slowly moved, capturing every corner of the entrance area in its entirety.

dong dong!

Another knocking sounded, but in the scene, there was nothing outside the door, nothing at all, as if something unseen was standing on the surface, slowly and rhythmically knocking on the door.

"What is it..."

Magellan had a vague sense of unease. He zoomed in on the ground in the surveillance footage again, turned on the outside lights, and finally noticed a subtle trace under the bright light.

The footprints left at the entrance had been covered by the snowflakes that had been blown in. The white snow reflected the light, and two spots were stained with grayish-black, forming what looked like claw marks. The color was not dark and not obvious, but it was definitely there.

A beast that can turn invisible?

Some unorthodox Originium spells can achieve similar effects. Magellan didn't know much about such spells. In her understanding, spells might be able to deceive the human eye, but it was almost impossible to completely hide one's form under the surveillance of cameras.

However, it doesn't seem to be very destructive.

Crunch!

Just as Magellan was pondering, the metal door of the research station suddenly bulged inward, and the sound of metal twisting, along with the wind and snow outside, rushed in all at once, making Magellan shiver and his pupils contract. He quickly activated all the drones that were currently available and surrounded the doorway.

Crunch!

The twisted cracks in the metal door widened again, and icy blue mist sprayed out from the drone. Lasers shot out from the cracks but failed to hit the enemy, leaving only melting and penetrating marks on the snow.