The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

"Breached from within? You mean, someone betrayed us?" Fish was even more confused—although many people surrendered to the enemy for various reasons, this remnant army faced two opposing forces: the inhuman "Tai Sui" on one side and an even more inhuman autonomous weapon cluster on the other. To surrender to either of them was truly...

"Oh, strictly speaking, it's not 'treason,'" Jeffs said. "It was due to the oversight of my former commander, Major Falk."

"How so?" Ange asked.

"He mistakenly believed that as long as people did not have obvious physical abnormalities, they were normal people, and there was no need to worry even if they had serious behavioral problems. Moreover, in his view, it was impossible for anyone to risk their life to assist 'Tai Sui' or autonomous weapons, so we did not need to be afraid of internal betrayal."

"That idea isn't necessarily wrong," Fish said. "If I were in that situation, I might think the same way."

"And that was the end of it," Lieutenant Redo said. "On the day we retreated to Hill 503, we still had over six hundred combatants, more than five hundred firearms, fifteen artillery pieces of various calibers, and eight armored fighting vehicles. We also found a large stockpile of ammunition, fuel, and enough rations to feed ten thousand men for two months in the hill's warehouses. So the major decided to do the good guy—he ordered us to send search teams everywhere to gather all the refugees on the hill."

"Then……"

"On the first day, the search team brought back more than 400 refugees, and on the second day they brought back more than 200. When I was ordered to distribute supplies to these people, I found that some of them were behaving very strangely. They seemed to have difficulty communicating with others, had great difficulty speaking, and knew nothing about their own identity or origins."

"Didn't you tell the major about these things?"

"I told him, but Major Focker thought I was just being 'stingy' by not giving those people a few biscuits! He said those people were just traumatized by something terrible, which is why they weren't mentally stable," the obese logistics officer said with a wronged expression. "Anyway, he told me that people should be virtuous, learn to help each other, and not be stingy with a few pieces of salted meat and biscuits when food is plentiful..."

"Excuse my frankness, but I greatly admire the noble character of your former superior," Ange waved her hand. "His problem was his lack of awareness of unusual situations. However, the practice of accepting refugees was not problematic in itself."

"Ah, that's right... The only problem is, those people who seem abnormal really are problematic!" Lieutenant Redo said with a wry face. "These guys were alright at first, just hiding in corners and acting all eccentric and withdrawn. But who knew their condition was contagious!"

"infect?!"

"That's right, soon there were dozens, then hundreds of people experiencing similar symptoms. Even some people I knew started to become taciturn and had memory problems—but in those few days, those autonomous weapons that appeared out of nowhere suddenly intensified their offensive, causing everyone to focus on defending against their attacks."

"And then? Around what point did you realize something was wrong?"

"Three or four days ago. At that time, Major Falk finally realized that the number of people behaving abnormally was increasing. He ordered the most problematic ones to be isolated... But even so, more and more people were having problems. Then, your plane found us and made contact. Just an hour later, these people rioted."

"At that time, a large group of 'Tai Sui' suddenly swarmed in and defeated the autonomous weapons that had been attacking us. That was also the first time we saw that the host of the 'Tai Sui' could actually plan tactics and use human weapons," Ruan Aofu said. "They had artillery and armored forces, and it was in the battle with them that I lost my last tank and two armored vehicles."

"Yes, thankfully, it's probably due to a physical mutation. These guys are much worse at shooting and driving than ordinary people, and their shells are basically inaccurate, so we can still hold on," Jeffs continued.

"Regarding the inaccuracy, it's similar to the situation we encountered before," Fish nodded.

"But at that moment, more than half of our men suddenly began to mutate: their bodies disintegrated almost instantly, growing deformed limbs, and then turned against us. Major Fogg was shot dead from behind immediately, and the others were scattered by the attack." Jeffs sighed. "Our small group of survivors had nowhere to go but to flee to the central defensive position, where we created a wall of fire using drainage ditches filled with fuel oil, which barely managed to hold those guys off."

"So, you entered a stalemate? And then you were stuck in this last defensive position?" Fish asked.

"Yes."

"Forgive my bluntness, but the situation is very clear this time: the 'Tai Sui' here is under the command of a fully restored 'central brain' and has broken away from its original wild state," Huang Yan said to everyone in the communication channel after listening to the survivor's statement. "I believe there is a 97% or higher chance that this was done intentionally."

"You mean intentionally..." Fish licked his lips.

"In short, after the old humans who were exploring outside the solar system encountered and defeated the 'Tai Sui,' which served as a biological probe, they suppressed and neutralized it. Originally, without a central brain, if the individual 'Tai Sui' multiplied to a certain number, it would automatically generate a new one. However, the suppression measures taken by the old humans eliminated this possibility."

"Then, the only reasonable explanation is that a 'central brain' was preserved in the ruins of the old civilization era, and then someone retrieved it and reactivated it?" Ange asked.

"This is the biggest, and perhaps only, possibility—don't forget what the Joint Operations Headquarters originally sent us to investigate the Northland for," Huang Yan replied. "Of course, before conducting an on-site investigation, we cannot confirm what exactly is hidden in that facility from the old civilization era... However, perhaps someone can provide some valuable information."

"You mean... uh..." Fish turned his gaze to Melu, who had been knocked unconscious by him and was only now slowly waking up.

"Hello, Miss Melu."

"Waaaaaahh ...

"Don't get agitated, Miss Melu—"

"Don't kill me—"

Melu screamed again. Fish was stunned for a moment before realizing why she was so agitated: at this moment, he was using Moon Butterfly's body.

But Melu, who was unaware of the situation, had a serious psychological trauma from this guy!

The problem is... this is such an embarrassing thing, let alone whether it should be said at this time. Even if he tried to explain, would Melu believe him? Putting himself in Melu's shoes, he probably wouldn't be convinced either.

"Don't worry, Miss Melu," Angela suddenly said just as Fish was at a loss, "I can assure you, this guy won't try to hurt you again—because I'm here."

"Huh...? But she is..."

"I know, this girl is the daughter of a marquis from the Ten Victories Kingdom." Anjie gestured to Bohe, who immediately understood and took out a short sword from its sheath, respectfully handing the weapon to Anjie while kneeling on one knee.

As a weapon, this foot-long straight-bladed short sword doesn't have much practical value in combat. At most, it can only play a certain role in narrow trenches or indoor fighting. However, Fish knows very well that the main purpose of this thing was not to be used for combat.

After all, the scabbard of a weapon in actual combat could not possibly be covered with square pieces of green and yellow jade, let alone be covered with intricate gilded patterns. Not to mention that a large ruby ​​would be inlaid at the end of the hilt, and tiny pearls would be densely embedded on the surface of the silver guard.

In fact, a corner of Fish's brain almost instantly appraised the short sword—leaving aside the premium brought about by its scarcity, the material cost alone would not be less than 20,000 Imperial dinars, enough to buy the automatic rifles and machine guns required on the equipment list for a full-strength company.

For those who know their stuff—like that old rabbit who had been trying to squeeze into Fish's chest, and the baron beside him—the value of this piece of equipment is immeasurable.

Because... this is clearly a short sword used by the heirs of high-ranking nobles to prove their right to inherit the throne.

"Yes...yes...may I ask which Grand Duke's daughter you are?" Jeffs's voice trembled. The gemstone inlaid at the end of the hilt, and the material used for the patterns on it, are key identifying features of this type of sword that proves inheritance rights. Take that arrogant Moon Butterfly for example; her sword is nothing more than "sapphire and silver-plated patterns," befitting her status as a concubine's daughter of a marquis's family.

Jeffs and Ruan Aofu knew very well that the gilded patterns and rubies meant "the Grand Duke's direct descendants".

"I'm sorry I can't explain." Ange smiled slightly and didn't say anything more—after all, the title "Princess Fayun who was declared dead" was still too sensitive.

Fortunately, there are approximately one hundred people throughout the entire Pan-Pacific Empire who meet the criteria of being "a direct descendant of the Grand Duke" and capable of wielding this sword. The aunt who currently holds the position of Grand Duke in the Duchy of Fayun, and is even younger than Ange, is one of them. Furthermore, since most top nobles possess the bloodline of the original three heroes and their physical characteristics are primarily those of fox-like new humans, as long as she doesn't actively reveal her name and family affiliation, her identity won't be exposed quickly.

"Oh, is it because an important mission requires secrecy?" Jeffs asked.

"Yes, I can guarantee that," Ange said—after all, an investigation mission from that mysterious Joint Operations Headquarters could be considered an "important mission."

"Kneel down," Ange said, sitting down on an empty supply crate and sticking out a foot to Fish. "Kiss my foot."

"Yes, Your Highness." Fish immediately understood Ange's meaning and quickly did as she asked. Considering Melu's extreme fear of the Moon Butterfly, the only way to get her to cooperate was to show her that someone could stop the Moon Butterfly (although it was actually Fish who was doing this to her) from acting recklessly.

This direct way of displaying the differences in noble rank is the most effective in the short term.

After deftly removing Ange's combat boots, Fish gently kissed her soft toes—fortunately, thanks to the extensive genetic modifications of the old civilization, the sweat of many high-level New Humans was an effective cleanser and disinfectant, not only odorless but also capable of killing microorganisms that thrived in hard-to-reach areas. Therefore, Ange's toes were at least odorless.

However, what bothered Fish even more was the behavior of the people around him: Jeffs and the others stared wide-eyed, eagerly watching the scene before them, afraid of missing even a second, while apart from Ange's three maids who remained calm, Fish's companions were all blushing... especially Yue Die herself, who was using Xiao Xing's body.

In addition, Fish noticed that Ange seemed quite...satisfied. Clearly, although the purpose of doing so was theoretically to put on an act to lower Melu's guard, she was obviously enjoying it quite a bit.

However, at least Melu's expression did relax—nothing could be more direct than such a blatant display of submission. "Sister...can you really guarantee my safety?"

"I will ensure everyone's safety and will absolutely not allow anyone to harm you. Of course, the specific battle command will still be the responsibility of my husband... oh no, I mean, Princess Yuedie. So, may I ask you a question now?"

"Are you... looking for Shana?" Melu's mind was clearly working quickly.

"Indeed, but please rest assured, we have no ill intentions toward Miss Shana." Ange drew her short sword and gently cut the skin of her left hand fingers with the gleaming cold steel, smearing the blood on Meru's forehead—a swearing ceremony popular in various southern duchies, meaning "to bear witness to everything with the blood of our ancestors, and never to lie."

In most people's view, the higher the ancestral status of a noble family, the stronger the binding force of their bloodline.

"Well... alright." Seeing that a genuine princess from a high-ranking ducal family had gone to such lengths for her, Melu, who had never seen anything like this before, finally nodded and chose to believe her. "Actually... um... uh..."

"You ran away with Miss Shana, didn't you?"

"Mm." Melu nodded.

"Did she join these refugees with you?"

"Yes, after the 'Goron' we stole became unusable, we fled on foot for half a day, only to encounter a group of soldiers searching for refugees, and then we were brought here."

"So that means Shana is still on Hill 503?!" Ange asked hurriedly.

"No... Shana is no longer here. In the chaos before, she... and I got separated."

"What?!"

"Furthermore, when we were forced to retreat to our last defensive position and took a headcount, we found no trace of Shana."