Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

The fact that someone was "terrified" is incredible enough in itself.

But now they can't even properly describe a race?

This is even more incredible than the former.

Mercenaries must be able to clearly identify the specific race of their opponents, which can give them a certain advantage in combat.

"Only a tail..."

But when the warlock uttered those words, the Sarkaz mercenary's muscular body trembled involuntarily for a fleeting moment.

But instead of pressing the sorcerer after realizing something, he turned to Druid and asked, word by word:

"...Let me confirm again."

Levi watched with interest as the mercenary's attitude suddenly changed, without interrupting them. After a long silence that made the person being questioned feel slightly flustered, the mercenary continued:

“You said that although there are Rhodes Island safe houses in this area, this mission will not involve them, and you also confirmed that there is only a local-born gatekeeper stationed there, so we can proceed with peace of mind.”

Nowadays, as long as intelligence isn't too outdated, those who need to navigate various sensitive matters are well aware of what the name "Rhodes Island" means.

For some, Rhodes Island is a little too famous, whether referring to the organization as a whole or just some of its members.

As a mercenary, he naturally knew to avoid risks.

The same goes for Druucci.

So when he heard the other person question him like that, he showed an even more shocked expression, stroking his extremely tasteless mustache over and over again, and loudly retorted:

"You mean Rhodes Island, which is hundreds of thousands of miles away from Longspring Town, would send 'that thing' to deal with things here?"

Druitch's tone was full of distrust of the mercenaries' speculations.

“I can’t think of anything else—if he, or any one of them, happens to be here, your previous action of having us kidnap the infected to the mine is undoubtedly the biggest reason for their intervention. Even if it was an operation carried out under false orders from the lord, it’s only a matter of time before they discover our existence once they start investigating.”

From the mercenary's words, Druitch realized the other party's intentions.

This Sarkaz mercenary now has ample reason to sever ties with Drucci.

His tone became more urgent, and he seemed to be hoping that the other party would be hesitant to proceed due to concerns about the penalties for breach of contract.

"No, what do you want to do? Abandon the contract? You signed a red-label contract, and the payment has been made. Are you just going to walk away like this?"

"Shh!"

The Sarkaz mercenary's sword flashed and was drawn instantly, its tip pressed against Druqi's nose, slightly cutting his skin. However, the murderous aura emanating from the merciful man rendered the pained Druqi unable to move.

“We signed a contract to risk our lives, but that was based on the premise that there was a chance of completing it alive. But now it’s different. After giving up the contract, the chance of surviving the accountability is much higher than when facing those kinds of guys.”

The mercenary explained his reasons directly.

He's just here to make money. Even if someone is a Sarkaz, they aren't necessarily born among the countless "Kazdels".

Growing up in a materialistic Colombia, even his long-held survival principles were telling him that this collaboration should end here.

It's simply not worth losing your life for a farce involving a fallen nobleman seeking revenge against his family.

"Cough cough..."

A sudden cough broke the silence; it came from Levy, who had been silently observing the infighting.

"So, what exactly is 'that thing'?"

The Terrans Levi encountered were mostly arrogant, conceited, and followed meaningless ideas and rules.

Among them, Druci was particularly alarmed. He was also curious about what it was that, even without mentioning his name, could make Druci, who possessed both of the above characteristics, so panicked.

"Tsk, it's one... no, it's a 'group' of 'ultimate life forms' that make your 'great creation' seem incredibly small."

Druucci, who answered Levy's question, had not seen anything with his own eyes.

But through his time in contact with the Colombian high-tech community, he learned the most cultured-sounding word among these countless adjectives, and then uttered it to the scholar Levy.

[Event] Originium Dust Operation: Chapter Sixteen - A Feast for the Senses? We've got the table ready!

"Ah... Achoo!!!"

The dry, cold environment, a perfect contrast to the daytime heat, is unbearable for ordinary people, but not enough to make a Saiyan catch a cold so easily.

More often than not, it was just a random intuition that made Tomat sneeze.

"Strange, why are there more people...or rather, fewer people?"

After failing to reach an agreement with the royal court, Tomat decided not to continue his covert investigation and returned to the safe house.

Here, two of the faces I had just met were missing, but people I had known for a long time were also present.

Why are you the only one who came back?

Meanwhile, the few people who remained at the safe house also had questions about Tomat's solo return.

They also subconsciously assumed that those who had set off earlier could meet with Tomat.

"Is that Razer and Franka? I didn't recognize you guys after you changed your clothes. What brings you here?"

Tomath looked at the familiar faces and then looked around, finding that there was indeed no trace of Blitzcrank or Ash.

"Wow, you actually remember our names, that's incredible."

"Of course, when we were on fieldwork, I watched the two of you telling jokes all the time, how could I not remember them?"

Franka made an exaggerated expression, but before she could continue, Razer interrupted her and explained:

"It's a long story, but we all came after receiving a distress signal."

Through Razer's concise explanations and Franka's occasional interjections, Tomat roughly understood what had happened after he left the safe house.

On his return journey, he probably missed the Ranger and Black, as well as Ash and Blitz, who were heading to the Royal Palace to check on the situation.

However, before that, the problem with the royal palace had already been resolved by Tomat, so they should not encounter any danger.

"Now that you're back, does that mean your mission is complete?"

The tank remembered that Tomat had them stationed at the safe house so that they would have enough time to handle their personal tasks.

"Not yet. We've found some clues, but we haven't caught the mastermind. I plan to investigate for a while longer."

Thomas shook his head.

"Does that mean we need to continue our cooperation, and that we will protect these civilians while you conduct your investigation?"

Shuanghua asked, but she still referred to the residents of the quarantine area as "civilians" rather than infected people, which made Razer and Franka, who were natives, secretly glance at her.

"No need. I've already spoken with the lord. In return for helping her deal with the mercenaries, she will allocate a group of guards to protect the quarantine zone. After all, we no longer need so many people to defend the royal palace."

Although Chariot, Frostflower, and the others were mentally prepared to stay for this mission for a long time, Tomat had already discussed the relevant matters with Pigal after going to the Royal Palace, so there was no need for the Rainbow Squad to continue to risk staying here.

The presence of Rhodes Island operators in Changquan Town at this time makes it easier to bring Rainbow Squad back to Rhodes Island.

As pure Earthlings, even with some military training, surviving in Terra, a place rife with supernatural beings, would still be dangerous. At least they could learn more about the world from the relatively stable Rhodes Island.

"Does that mean we can leave this town and return to Rhodes Island once the Rangers return?"

Franka also realized from Tommat's words that even as an operator of Rhodes Island, she no longer needed to stay here to protect the infected.

Because local officials have already intervened, it's not convenient for them to interfere—at most, they can only conduct some voluntary physical examinations to show that they are indeed acting as a "volunteer medical organization."

“That’s right, just send them a message. The thugs and mercenaries have been mostly dealt with. The Lord’s Guard will protect the infected after that. I will also stay here to continue handling personal requests. It’s kind of you to come here specifically to help out.”

As Tomat said, most of the problems are now solved.

Even if they simply leave behind the message that "there are Rhodes Island armed personnel here," it would probably be enough to deter the remaining mercenary forces from causing trouble in this area.

Leaving aside those who haven't heard of it due to a lack of information, the very name "Rhodes Island" has become a warning.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief for various reasons.

Some felt a little more at ease about the future safety of the infected people in the area, while others were relieved because they no longer had to stay in the scorching desert.

Some people even made plans to say goodbye to the locals they were about to leave.

"Beep beep beep beep..."

But what broke this peaceful atmosphere was the paging sound from the basement communicator.

"This is Watchtower 33, operator Oakfield, how may I help you?"

"Oh, it's you, Mr. Ranger. What's wrong?"

"Yes, he has indeed returned."

"Okay, I'll let you know right away."

Okfen, who was in the basement caring for the infected with the virus alongside Miyaluo, was the first to answer the call.

The sudden ringing of the bell made the people upstairs think for a moment that something unexpected had happened, but judging from the mundane content of the conversation, nothing special should have occurred.

Okfin jogged over to the operators who were ready to ask him what the other side had said, and said to Thomas:

“Mr. Tomat, the Ranger says someone at the Royal Palace wants to see you.”

This request surprised Tomat quite a bit.

"Want to see me? Who is it, Lord? Didn't we just meet?"

Of course, Okfin, who was on the other end of the line, couldn't answer Thomas's question, and the rest of the people also showed cautious expressions in the face of this somewhat strange request.

"I don't know. They said the guards from the royal palace have come to pick you up and will also escort the infected to the royal palace for protection."

Escort the infected to the lord's residence?

Even as a way of expressing gratitude for assistance, it seems somewhat unbelievable that one would try to appear sincere.

After all, in the common perception, the few points of intersection between the infected and the royal court are probably imprisonment and trial.

"This is too suspicious. Could they have been kidnapped? Maybe it's a signal for us to leave quickly?"

The tanks reached this conclusion based on past combat experience.

"...Even with a knife to his throat, the Ranger wouldn't make such a joke. He only ever uses his rhetoric in his stories. Besides, the Ranger has Black on his side, and he's also confirmed with Oakfield that Tomat is here. If it were a kidnapping, the kidnappers would be the ones to retreat."

Razer, based on its understanding of the Ranger and the comparison of combat capabilities, rejected the idea of ​​the tank.

"Although adventure isn't my style—let's go for it. That female lord doesn't seem like the type to resort to underhanded tricks. If someone else is up to something, do they think they can outmaneuver us?"

Thomas pushed open the door to the safe house.