Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

The distant flickering lights represent the lord's guards, in neat formation, carrying torches as they slowly approach.

[Event] Originium Dust Operation: Chapter Seventeen You're Not Right

The royal palace was brightly lit. Lord Pigal, who had been taking a nap because the situation had eased, was awakened again by the arrival of an uninvited guest.

However, these "uninvited guests" did not refer to the rangers and others who came to the royal palace after Tomat left.

Instead, they were a group of visitors who came with "unexpected gifts".

"Whether it's what I heard from the locals before, or the information you gave me when I came, it all shows that those monsters before, whether they were called Sand Beasts or Rock Spiders, were not in their original form, but had undergone some special mutations."

Inside the courtyard, Ash leaned against the wall, with Flash beside him, his usual relaxed expression gone.

"And I'm pretty sure... it was that guy who did it."

The former recounts his judgment to the ranger and the black man, while the latter elaborates on the reasons for their distrust.

“Actually, we know him and we’re hunting him. He’s a... madman, yes, a complete madman.”

Although going into detail would make the whole story seem absurd, judging from their expressions alone, both the Ranger and Black felt that they were more trustworthy than the middle-aged man who was now talking with the lord in the hall.

The seasoned forest ranger saw conspiracy and ruthlessness in the man's eyes.

Hei, who had a better understanding of the "gray area," realized the man was no good the moment he saw him.

That person exuded an undeniable, strange evil.

"Levi Klitschko, that man's name sounds like Ursus, but if I may be so bold, I feel he's of the same race as you, with no visible secondary ears or tails... Is he from the same place as you?"

The ranger stopped saying "the south of the scorching winds and hot earth," since he knew it was a lie made up by the Rainbow Squad, so he used a more subtle way of asking questions.

"You could say that. To be honest, this man has committed many crimes. We raided his stronghold several months ago, but various unexpected events led to the failure of the raid. After losing contact with the main force, we eventually ended up here. But we never expected... that he would be here too, even in the same town."

Ash frankly shared his general experiences with the two Rhodes Island operators, and between the lines, he revealed his wariness of Levi.

Meanwhile, he was still having a "heart-to-heart talk" with Pigal.

This man arrived suddenly while the rangers and others were negotiating the current situation in Longspring with Pigal.

The guards did not stop him, not only because of the numerous mercenaries following behind him, but more importantly because of Druqi, who was unconscious, bound hand and foot, and carried on the shoulders of a Sarkaz mercenary.

Levy said he had come to surrender.

He claims that he was treacherously kidnapped from a Columbia laboratory by Drucci and forced to conduct biological research.

He bribed the mercenaries with money, and they launched attacks time and time again. The mercenaries believed that they were just helping a nobleman who had been driven out by a conspiracy to regain his status.

Even the previous attacks on people in the quarantine zone were actually to protect civilians from being drawn into the battle; they were simply to move them to a safe place.

Pigal was naturally skeptical of such an explanation.

But the Drucchi who was now tied up and brought before her was irrefutable proof that she could no longer question him.

The mastermind has been caught, and according to local law, the accomplices who launched the rebellion should also be punished. She could choose to ignore Levi's words, imprison all of them, and then execute them all with Druitch, feeding their corpses to the feathered beasts in the desert.

But if what Levi said is true, and they were all coerced and bribed by Druitch—leaving aside the mercenaries who participated in the riot, Levi himself did not deserve to die.

Let's refrain from detaining Druci before he wakes up, and instead use this group of people to learn as much as possible about the cause and effect, as well as the inside story of the company that colluded with Druci.

This was something Pigal had promised Tomat, and she still remembered it.

“There is someone else investigating my brother Druitch, and we made a pact that whichever side finds a lead first will notify the other. So now, I will summon him.”

It's not just about fulfilling an agreement.

Tomat's arrival is another layer of insurance.

Strangely, this man named Levi accepted the request calmly, and even seemed somewhat pleased.

This doesn't seem like the kind of attitude one would use to lie and deceive after knowing about the existence of Rhodes Island and Thomas.

Levi was still being questioned by Pigal, while the mercenaries he brought were stationed outside the royal palace under the watchful eyes of the guards.

At Pigal's request, the ranger contacted Tomat, who, some time later, arrived at the royal palace with several others and a large number of infected.

"!!"

Stranded in Terra, the Rainbow Squad finally faces their long-sought target head-on for the first time.

The chariot and Frostflower also showed the same expression as when Levi led Druich into the royal palace.

They instinctively pointed their guns at the composed Levy.

Ash raised his hand and pressed down on the raised gun barrels of the two men, signaling them to calm down.

Under Pigal's instructions, only she, Levi, and Tomat will remain in the mansion now.

The rest of the people, except for the mercenaries outside the wall, stayed in the courtyard, waiting for their conversation to end.

"That guy is talking complete nonsense! He must have seen the situation was getting out of hand, so he betrayed one of them to save himself."

The tank said angrily that the biggest suspect who caused them to be stranded in this world, and also the target that they had to capture or even kill during previous missions, was right in front of them, which really annoyed him.

"Anyone can see that face could not possibly belong to a 'kind scientist.' I really don't know what that muscular woman is hesitating about."

Franka also expressed her dissatisfaction with Pigal, who allowed this situation to occur. It was thanks to her that their trip was postponed again due to some unforeseen circumstances.

“The mercenaries outside are the same group that attacked the safe house back then. Although they have removed their markings, their equipment is similar and their style of operation is the same.”

Hei emerged from the shadows cast by the palm trees, avoiding eye contact, and had already circled the entire royal palace to assess the situation outside.

"However, there is no inclination to surround or launch an attack."

"Indeed, it's not surprising that normal people would choose to surrender after discovering the presence of that operator. The last time this happened was when we were working with Logos. A team of Banshees cut off their own mouths to indicate their surrender. Of course, it wasn't Logos who asked them to do it. They were just overwhelmed by fear and used the most extreme way to express that they had no intention of fighting."

The ranger's words were mainly an explanation to the Rainbow Team.

Ash and the others understood that he meant they shouldn't worry too much about the situation getting out of control.

Based on what the people who witnessed it saw, this is indeed very convincing.

But the premise is that the other party is a "normal person".

But Levy—he wasn't normal.

"Hello, Mr. Tomat, I've heard so much about you. I'm Levi Klitschko. Come, let's shake hands as a sign of goodwill."

Levy showed excessive enthusiasm for Tomat.

He looked at Tomat, eagerly extending his hand and offering a friendly gesture with his seemingly empty, withered palm.

"I've heard so much about you...?"

Judging from the attitudes of Ash and the others, Tomat roughly guessed that this Levi, like them, came from Earth.

While expressing some skepticism about the words he used to greet her, she also reached out and shook his hand.

Immediately afterwards, a very faint tingling sensation came from the very center of Tomat's palm, where he hadn't applied any force.

[Event] Originium Dust Operation: Chapter 18 Threat

Even a cataclysmic impact might not necessarily cause harm to oneself.

But that doesn’t mean he lacks the keen senses he should have.

There is a difference between "being able to tolerate" and "being able to feel".

When the other person's empty hand grasped his, the almost imperceptible stinging sensation made Thomas immediately shake off Levi's hand.

In the next instant, he grabbed the skinny man's neck with one hand, lifted him high in front of the still-unresponsive Pigal, and choked him.

If Tomat continues to apply even a little more force, his cervical vertebrae will break with a crisp crack.

"I hate it when people prick me with needles."

Thomas did not question what the other party had done.

Because you can get a general idea just by guessing the other party's identity.

A scientist who could breed mutated organisms pricked Tomat with a needle or something similar.

They either want to perform anesthesia or take cell samples.

Regardless of whether the anesthesia would be effective for him, in front of Pigal, this man, who was so weak that he could barely lift a chicken, probably wouldn't be able to move him.

It must be the latter.

Such behavior is also in line with his identity—as well as his words and attitude.

“Everywhere I go, there are one or two scholars who want to take something from me—blood, hair, or flesh. You are one of them. But do you know what happened to those pioneers?”

"Cough...crack...ha..."

Levi struggled in Tomat's grasp, but no matter how much he moved his weak limbs, he could not break free from Tomat's hold.

"What are you doing? Are you going to kill him here?"

But Pigal had no idea what was going on. In her eyes, it was just that Tomat had suddenly sprung up and seemed determined to kill Levi.

The guards at the door noticed the commotion inside and immediately broke down the door, pointing their sabers at Tomat.

"One must not be disrespectful before a lord!"

But upon seeing the open door, Levi, enduring the suffocating pain, forced a twisted smile. Trembling, he suddenly raised his thin arm beneath his white coat and swung it at Thomas's forehead.

This kind of attack, which can be dodged simply by tilting one's head, poses no threat to Tomat.

It's only natural to avoid it easily.

—Levy thought so too.

So from the very beginning, he didn't consider "hitting Tomat" as his goal.

The guards were all trained by the old lord himself, and they were also very skilled. When they saw a dark object flying towards them, they nimbly dodged it, letting the object draw an arc in the air and fall downstairs.

"Click-click-click—"

After a chilling, sharp cracking sound, Levi landed on the ground in a curled-up position.

Of course, this was not because he voluntarily shrank his body; it was simply that his hands and feet were twisted to an incredible angle by Tomat in an instant.

He didn't scream, but just stared wide-eyed and fainted.

And on his face was that twisted smile that stretched from the corners of his mouth to his ears.