Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

It was a call that year.

"Hey! The company's annual party is about to start! Where are you?"

"Okay, I'll be right there."

*As mentioned in the "Born in the Dark" storyline, W, in order to monitor the Reunion Movement, control the Sarkaz mercenary reinforcements of the Regent, and protect Rhodes Island, co-directed a scheme with Scout to seize the position of mercenary leader and achieve the above three objectives. However, this resulted in the sacrifice of Scout and his squad members.

[Main Text] Uninvited Guest: Chapter Twenty-Eight - New Year's Eve

There weren't many people born in Yan or who had lived in Yan for a long time on the Rhodes Island.

Many people who are used to Kal'tsit's serious demeanor find it hard to believe that such a huge platform inside the Rhodes Island would be handed over to someone else just to celebrate a holiday that most people don't participate in.

However, ignoring the question of "why Kal'tsit agreed," in reality, entrusting this gathering to Nian, who claims to "know Yan the most," can be considered as entrusting the right person to the task.

Whether one glances at the Yan Kingdom based on a vague understanding or studies it in detail, the lamps, chairs, stage, and other miscellaneous items used to decorate the venue will immediately make the first person see them think:

"Isn't this the style of Yan Kingdom?"

8:00 PM, Rhodes Island interior, New Year's Eve party venue.

The fiery red main color and the dazzling gold patterns are elements that can be seen everywhere in the venue. This decorative style, which purely pursues joy and liveliness, is rare even in Longmen.

Tea, candy, and nuts were already laid out on dozens of round tables, and directly in front of them was a stage covered by a red curtain.

The corner that once smelled faintly of cooking smoke has now been separated by a wall that seems to have been built out of nowhere, turning it into a separate kitchen. On the long table that stretches out along the outside, various finished cold dishes are piled up in layers.

These are all the results of the hard work of the chefs on Rhodes Island. However, their work is not yet over. In the newly built kitchen, they are still cooking fragrant hot dishes in full swing under the guidance of the "native" Yan people.

"There weren't that many people there; it felt like the tables weren't even full."

Upon arriving at the venue, Tomat noticed that there was no seating chart or anything like that. He casually found a seat near the entrance, grabbed a handful of unidentified nuts from a plate, crossed his legs, and, like a retired middle-aged man, crushed them and put them in his mouth.

There are dozens of tables, which can seat a few hundred people at most.

But there are more than just these people on Rhodes Island, including patients.

But now, even if you include those who aren't seated and are running around the venue, they still might not be able to fill all the seats.

"Some operators have shifts, and some of those who don't have shifts don't want to participate. Most of them just go shopping in Lungmen. After all, there's a Yan country city right next door, so there's no need to come here—although what I've made is much more authentic than Lungmen."

The person who spoke to Tomat was Nian, who had called him here earlier—and she, as the head chef of "authentic Yan cuisine," had now been kicked out of the kitchen by Xi.

Judging from her outfit—a high-slit cheongsam that seemed to be showing off her long, proud legs—she didn't look like someone who was planning to go to the kitchen to cook.

However, the real reason is that she seems to only know how to cook spicy hot pot and not other dishes.

"Don't worry, there's delicious food, there are performances, and those who are meant to come will never be absent."

Nian wasn't worried about Tomat's statement. After being kicked out of the kitchen by her sister, she sat down at the same table as Tomat, unwrapped a piece of fruit candy, put it in her mouth, and chewed it back and forth.

"Hey, the kids are at those separate tables, don't run around."

—Inside the kitchen of the New Year's Eve gala venue—

Rhode Island's equipment can be described as highly modernized.

However, even in such places, there are still people who, like some craftsmen, are obsessed with old-fashioned steel furnaces and have a special fondness for retro equipment.

For example, it is precisely because of this dedication that most chefs in kitchens today still use stoves to prepare food.

However, the creations made under her spells are not entirely as inconvenient as the old equipment.

At least in this kitchen, cooking with the utensils she made doesn't produce any noticeable oil fumes or anything like that.

"This pot is so light it's practically invisible...!! Only the most skilled craftsmen could create a pot made of this material—it's non-stick, doesn't burn, and heats up very evenly..."

"What am I doing...? Why am I helping to cook?"

The former is someone who wields the blazing fire of the stove, processing ingredients with bold and decisive cooking methods while quietly marveling at the brilliance of the tools at hand.

The latter was chopping vegetables with a bewildered expression, keeping his thoughts to himself; only the inner monologue of the Inspector General, Jingzhe, remained unsaid.

The native Yan countryman was cooking on his own, while the other agents from other countries who had been brought in by Nian were adjusting their existing cooking techniques under Xi's guidance.

"I am not like that tasteless gourmand who only knows how to sprinkle chili peppers. I am very grateful to everyone for helping with the cooking. There is no need for you to make strict Yan cuisine. Just use your own skills and make slight adjustments with common Yan ingredients. Yan cuisine is a diverse cuisine, and there is no need to be limited to one method."

While inspecting the area, Yu herself skillfully operated dozens of pots, each with different heat levels and ingredients.

From seafood to mountain produce, and even the flesh of the mysterious creatures that the infected once avoided at all costs, everything was transformed into delicacies under her care, ready to be served at any time.

"Honestly, I've never cooked that many stews before, and this kitchen is ridiculously big..."

"Originally, open-flame cooking would produce many harmful substances during the process, and I was against this kind of banquet. However, now that equipment has eliminated this drawback, I should also work harder. The oily Yan cuisine should be balanced with some refreshing vegetables."

The operators on Rhodes Island are mostly assigned to small groups, and each group has one or two people who are good at cooking.

Some are genuinely skilled, while others "think they are very good."

The two people above represent this difference—Zilan from the A6 preparatory group and Furong from the A1 preparatory group.

One is a renowned stylist skilled in exquisite cooking, while the other is a nutritionist who prepares all sorts of healthy meals that are best avoided.

Everyone in the kitchen was a little flustered due to the unfamiliar environment, but more than anything, they were full of energy to make the party a success.

"Where are Miss Froststar and Miss Chen?"

Although there were enough people in the gang, the absence of two conspicuous figures would still attract the attention of others. But strangely, no one was puzzled by the absence of the organizer, Nian—perhaps they were all frightened by her wearing a cheongsam and scattering chili peppers in a way that resembled a fairy scattering flowers.

"Miss Froststar said she couldn't be exposed to open flames for too long. After she helped us thaw the processed meat, she disappeared. As for Miss Chen, she said someone was looking for her."

[Main Text] Uninvited Guest: Chapter Twenty-Nine - New Year's Eve

As mentioned before, some operators, even if they receive an invitation, may not choose to stay on Rhodes Island to enjoy the festive atmosphere; Lungmen is indeed a better place to go.

But conversely, there are also people in Lungmen who hold similar ideas.

They could have stayed in Lungmen, but instead chose to travel from the city to Rhodes Island.

Leather jacket, goggles, helmet, neon lights and starlight shone on his long green hair that fluttered in the wind. The tall figure carried another blonde woman, Felin, as they drove towards the entrance of Rhodes Island and Lungmen, on the connecting passage.

At this time, no one usually walks this road. The first reaction was that a suspicious person was approaching. Only when the other party slowly closed the distance did they recognize that the tall figure was Inspector Hoshiguma, who had come to Rhodes Island with Mayor Wei Yanwu of Lungmen and his wife, Wen Yue, a while ago.

Rhodes Island's imprisonment of Talulah was an open secret, since everyone present at the time clearly witnessed how Amiya sent her flying with a single punch.

As someone closely connected to Talulah, Wei Yanwu would naturally come to check on her after being detained.

Of course, most of the operators were unaware of what had actually happened that day, and they only believed that Wei Yanwu was merely a representative of the victims of the previous riot, and that he had approached the "culprit" without understanding any deeper relationship.

It wasn't until after that day, when rumors circulated throughout Rhodes Island that "Wei Yanwu was dragged away from his confinement by the ear by Madam Wen Yue," that people began to speculate wildly about how an infected organization leader could cause a city mayor to lose his composure in such a way.

But the appearance of that equally impressive tall Oni woman here also took the officers in charge of the entrance checkpoints by surprise.

"Om——"

Contrary to the stereotypical image of a biker gang member in leather clothing, when people realized that the woman was driving a two-wheeled vehicle but was approaching the entrance at an extremely slow speed, the sound of the motor in their ears already told them that the tall and dashing Oni woman in front of them was just driving a scooter.

She stopped smoothly at the entrance, expertly took out her identification, and removed her goggles—which didn't really matter whether they blocked the wind or not—before addressing the officer at the gate post who looked utterly bewildered by the contrast:

"Excuse me, I am Inspector Hoshiguma of the Lungmen Guard Bureau. The lady behind me is Superintendent Swire, who has been invited to your company's New Year's Eve party..."

"Everyone told you to drive my car, but you're riding an Originium scooter. Everyone's stunned."

The blonde woman, Felin, jumped impatiently from the back seat the moment Hoshiguma stopped the car. She casually tossed and tidied her golden curls that were draped over her gorgeous fur coat, exuding an air of elegance and nobility that contrasted sharply with the simple car next to her.

The operators in front of the door also came to their senses at this moment, and remembered that they had indeed heard people talk about Rhodes Island's New Year's Eve party.

"Ah, good evening, Inspector Hoshiguma, and this is Miss Shi. Let me confirm some information first, please wait a moment..."

"Hey! My surname isn't..."

"Isn't this Char Siu Cat? Haven't seen him for a few days, and his fashion sense has gotten even worse?"

Before Swire could even react to the other person's slip of the tongue, Chen's voice rang out, choking her words and igniting another surge of anger within her, causing her to glare angrily in the direction from which the voice came.

Wearing an operator's uniform, Chen gave Swire, an old acquaintance, a half-smile through the gate at the entrance, and then rested his chin on his hand, looking Swire up and down at her outfit as if he were appraising it.

"What, you came all this way to spend New Year's Eve? Aren't you afraid your family will nag you again?"

"Mind your own business. My dad's life is too boring. After becoming a chief superintendent, I finally get a day off on New Year's Eve. Do I have to listen to him nagging at the dinner table? You, on the other hand, are living a life of leisure. You actually come out to pick me up when I call you."

As the two were warming up for their long argument, Hoshiguma took out two beautifully packaged boxes from under the back seat of the car. She used her tall frame to block the two of them and handed them directly to Chen on the other side.

"This is a New Year's gift that Madam prepared for you, and another one is for 'that person', both are clothes." Without Hoshiguma needing to explain further, Chen understood who the other person she was referring to was. Hoshiguma stepped into the car, turned it around, and continued, "Then, Old Chen, you can spend New Year's Eve on the island with Miss. My men are also waiting for me to celebrate with them, so I'll be going now."

The little lamb slowly drove away with Hoshiguma on its back. Watching her retreating figure, everyone present wondered if she would be able to return to the city center before the end of New Year's Eve.

After confirming some information, they also inspected the gift box that Chen had obtained from Hoshiguma. After confirming that everything was correct, Swire, led by Chen, headed towards the venue that had been set up last year while they were still bickering with each other.

So why were you invited?

"Bai Xue said that the organizer, who also loves watching plays, was short of sponsors, and then she mentioned me, and that's how I got approached—you know, what kind of New Year is it if there's no red envelope giveaway!"

"No, even normal people wouldn't give out red envelopes like you do during the New Year..."

Although Rhodes Island is vast, after a while, Chen became familiar with the specific locations of each area. Whenever the Rhine Lab researchers or other operators haphazardly modified various platforms, she could quickly find the right direction in the interconnected pathways.

However, Swire, who was following closely behind, felt that something was wrong with the way they were going—the number of agents dressed as security personnel around them was obviously increasing, and the road was also extending downwards.

Did they hold their annual meeting in a noisy place near mobile devices?

However, this was simply because Chen's destination was not the venue in the first place.

After receiving the gift from Hoshiguma, the first place she went was where one of the gift recipients was.

This is the detention area of ​​Rhode Island.

"Although Dr. Kal'tsit said that Operator Chen can visit directly in prison, we cannot let the other one go at will."

Before Chen approached, a Rhodes Island operator armed with armor rather than uniforms spoke to her and Swire, standing before the last, seemingly extremely sturdy, large airtight door.

This is where Talulah is imprisoned.

Only a very small number of people have the right to visit prisoners.

Chen was among them.

Is this where she is?

Swire also realized where they were, and instead of being resentful of the Rhodes Island operators' cold resistance, she simply asked in a slightly gentler tone.

Chen nodded.

Shi Huaiya also waved his hand.