Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"Yes, he was the one who told us to move the townspeople to the safe house."

Ash answered, but this answer also raised another question for the Ranger.

"What about the others?"

The forest ranger pressed for answers.

"He said he had other things to do, but didn't specify what they were. We thought we could keep the safe house safe, but it seems to have exceeded our expectations. Anyway, thank you again for your help."

Ash's explanation wasn't very clear, so it's not surprising that the ranger continued to press for answers.

"Hmm... I understand."

However, he simply touched the scales on his chin and didn't ask any more questions.

Rhodes Island operators who have worked with or interacted with Thomas are generally used to his style.

"He gets things done before you even know what he's going to do."

They might cause a little trouble occasionally, but most of the time they're pretty reliable.

As long as he doesn't blow things up randomly.

"In addition to the portion of the reward that Operator Thomas has personally promised, I will apply to Rhodes Island for another separate reward. It's already quite an achievement to have held out until now against such a large number of monsters."

As soon as the ranger finished speaking, Frostflower, Franka, and Black Edge returned from outside.

"The monster's body has been disposed of. Strangely, there were obvious signs of infection, but it didn't evaporate after death."

He spoke calmly to the forest ranger.

"Moreover, the radiation weakens rapidly after they die, dropping to a safe level."

Frostflower also reported to Ash about the special reaction that had previously put the Rainbow Squad on high alert.

"What kind of radiation are you talking about? My Originium radiation sensor isn't reacting."

Franka then compared her device with the one in Frostflower's hand, but apart from both being spelled with the letters Victoria, the two devices had nothing in common.

The two teams were now all gathered in the same space. Their lack of common sense made the atmosphere a little awkward, but they still got along quite harmoniously.

Now that they have handled most of the current matters, they need to make arrangements for their next steps.

“First of all, something must have happened at the Royal Palace. The fireworks, the mercenaries and monsters attacking the quarantine zone, and the guards who haven’t shown up yet.” The Ranger looked at the group who were making preparations and said at the right moment, “Although we shouldn’t get involved in the conflicts in Sargon, especially those involving nobles, it’s necessary to ‘communicate’ with the local leaders if we involve Rhodes Island and the Infected.”

“I agree with you, sir. Even if we have no obligation, we still need to ‘talk’ to them.”

The members of Rainbow Squad didn't seem to intend to stay put and ignore what was happening.

[Event] Originium Dust Operation: Chapter Twelve Division of Labor

In this operation, some people stayed behind in the safe house to prevent a third attack. Of course, the probability of this is much smaller, and judging from the number of enemies eliminated previously, even if it were to happen, the scale would be much smaller than the last one.

Moreover, this time there are Rhodes Island operators who can fully utilize the effects of these weapons as support.

The rest headed to the royal palace, where the situation was unclear—a fierce battle was also possible there.

Therefore, adequate preparation and planning are essential.

The Ranger prepared a local map and planned a suitable route for advance and retreat, while Ash and the Chariot collected the remaining ammunition.

Razer has found a suitable assault shield for Blitzkrieg and plans to install a high-powered Originium spotlight on it to facilitate its operation according to its consistent tactical style.

Shuanghua and Hei skillfully rearranged traps and defenses near the safe house to guard against an attack.

—Franka is slacking off.

There's something I'm curious about.

"What's wrong, Mr. Kuz?"

After confirming that even without Originium Arts, one could still use some energy devices with some simple Originium circuits, Blitzkrieg tested the shield's effect, and he was quite satisfied with the effect of blinding anyone who looked directly at it for a short time.

While thanking Razer for making the shield for him, he asked:

"None of you seem to have any intention of inquiring about the original operator, is it because you're not familiar with each other?"

Tomat had made a considerable impression on them before, and judging from the previous forest rangers' reactions, they should also know Tomat.

However, the Rhodes Island operators did not mention anything about Thomas after that.

Although the Rainbow Squad also considered the other side to be suspiciously heavily armed combatants, their behavior in this regard seemed unexpectedly "heartless."

These words immediately caused all the Rhodes Island operators in the safe house, except for Okfin who didn't know much about Tomat, to stop what they were doing, hesitant to speak, unsure of what to say.

Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Flashy forced an embarrassed smile, scratched the back of his head, and continued:

"Is this some kind of sensitive topic?"

Ultimately, it was Razer, the company she had questioned, that tidied up its words and explained:

“...No, that’s not it.” She shook her head, first denying the idea of ​​Blitzkrieg, then continued, as if she were at a loss for words, slowly explaining while thinking of the right words, “It’s more accurate to say that we are actually quite familiar with him—in fact, ‘not many people are unfamiliar with him.’ In short, he’s not someone we need to worry about too much, but sometimes we do need to pay special attention to him, because something might happen. You know, there are a lot of people who are concerned about him, but their purposes are not the same.”

Razer's explanation was rather unclear, leaving Blitzcrank and the other Rainbow Team members completely confused.

"Alright, I believe you come from a country without Oripathy, otherwise you well-equipped mercenaries wouldn't be unaware of that guy's name."

Meanwhile, Franca, who had a swollen bump on her head, also remarked on the difference between these people of unknown origin and their common sense.

That person is now considered "common knowledge".

Rhodes Island is the same.

"Is he such a famous person? I'll ask him for an autograph next time."

The two people's accounts couldn't paint a very clear picture in their minds, but they did let them know that Tomat was special enough even in this world full of strange and supernatural beings.

Just like them, even though they came into this world earlier than me, they still feel out of place.

“Well, all I can say is that he’s ‘capable of solving trouble,’ although most of the trouble is self-inflicted.” The Ranger looked troubled, though it was hard to discern his true feelings from his expression. However, the white scales pressed together between his brows suggested that it wasn’t something to boast about. “Ursus, Victoria, Kazimierz… I must say that Rhodes Island’s growing influence owes a great deal to him and his people.”

"But most of them are just rumors that are exaggerated to an absurd degree compared to the actual situation, and not many people really know the truth."

Even the taciturn Blackie added as soon as the forest ranger finished speaking.

After a few words, the topic that had been brought up suddenly came to an end, and the group, who had mostly finished preparing, began to get down to business.

Franka, Razer, Frostflower, and Chariot remained in the safe house as the remaining personnel.

Meanwhile, Ranger, Black, Blitzkrieg, and Ash head to the Royal Palace.

After completing the division of labor and preparations, the group parted ways in front of the safe house while the sun, which was about to sink into the yellow sand, still retained some light.

Two or three hours have passed since the last raid.

Tomat, who had already started his "work" before that, would normally not continue to linger in this area.

His thought process was similar; even after separating from the Rainbow Squad, he decided to go to the local royal palace to gather information.

Although the "investigation of unusual local financial flows" is likely to be the work of local powerful figures, and even the local king or chieftain may be the person Tomat is investigating.

But that didn't stop him from going directly to their door—in fact, finding his target so directly suited his wishes.

However, judging from the fact that he did not return to the safe house for several hours, things are clearly not that simple.

——7:00 PM, Wang Qiufu, Changquan Town——

The golden domed building stands in stark contrast to the surrounding sand and stone houses.

The use of refined red gold as decoration on the surface is a testament to the consistently extravagant style of the nobles of the Sargon region.

Even though the lord of Longspring Town has a very good reputation among the people and is even willing to allocate money to build communities for the infected, it does not prevent his palace from maintaining its magnificent traditions.

However, the smoke stains all over the floor and the holes and cracks all over the walls make these flaws seem jarring.

A fierce battle, orchestrated by a conspiracy, has been raging here for a long time.

But now it has long since come to an end with the arrival of someone.

“Although your aura is very distinctive, powerful and resilient, I cannot locate your brother, even though we share the same bloodline. Ms. Pigal, is your brother an infected person? Or is he very weak?”

The tall, dark-skinned Reboba woman is facing Tomat, who has his index finger pressed against his forehead.

The former's thick armor was covered in unwiped bloodstains, while the latter's clothes remained clean.

“My brother—no, I should say that bastard—has never had any talent for martial arts since he was a child. Even a young pack animal can knock him over. And from the few times I’ve seen him recently, his body is still very weak. I could strangle him with one hand.”

While clad in armor, the Reberba woman sat upright in the hall with her arms folded, the sound of her armor rubbing and clanging loudly.

It was as if her sturdy armor could not suppress the anger in her heart, and it would burst forth at any moment.

[Event] Originium Dust Operation: Chapter Thirteen - Perfectly Missed Opportunities

Several hours have passed since we arrived at the royal palace.

Thomas, who had hoped to gather intelligence through the local lord, did not obtain any directly useful information, but he did manage to glean some clues.

The old lord has passed away, and now his eldest daughter, Pigal, leads the soldiers to rule Longspring Town. However, the town has recently been besieged by mercenaries and monsters from unknown forces.

It was later discovered that the eldest son, who had been expelled by the lord, was the mastermind behind it all.

Tomat happened to arrive just as the siege began—and dealing with the thugs involved in the siege became a small gift to gain Pigal's trust.

"Have your men extracted any useful information from you yet?"

Night gradually enveloped the Sargon desert, and flickering lights were lit by soldiers on the walls of the lord's manor.

Even though Changquan Town has a certain level of technological foundation, people are still accustomed to this primitive way of lighting.

Listening to the faint, piercing screams emanating from the lord's basement, screams so intense even the distant howls of beasts couldn't drown them out, Tomat asked the strong-willed Reboba woman before him:

"Unfortunately, these guys who took the money to do things knew nothing about the hideout or anything like that. They were only indirectly hired through the Sarkaz mercenaries in Colombia. But the Sarkaz who knew about Druci's hideout didn't participate in the attack just now..."

Pigal frowned. She knew that the guards hadn't come up to inform her of the results of the interrogation, which meant that nothing had been found yet. But the reason she had such a solemn expression wasn't just the lack of progress in the interrogation.

The recent changes in Changquan Town have left her exhausted.

Her father's death did not give her enough time to bear it; before he could have a decent funeral, monster attacks on the townspeople occurred repeatedly, followed by more blatant mob raids.

Even though the lord had taken Pigal, who was then the captain of the guard, to hunt down dangerous wild animals or local thugs during her lifetime, she now had to do not only the work she was used to, but also take on the responsibilities of the lord.

I'd heard rumors before that a strange group of mercenaries were in contact with the infected in the quarantine zone, and now it's been discovered that those thugs were the work of long-exiled brothers...

Originally, she planned to get rid of the "person who claimed to be an Rhodes Island agent" as well to avoid any further complications.