Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"Gel" - a type of polymer material originally used in civilian and military industries. Logically speaking, these things are only used on cold, inorganic materials to adjust the strength and toughness of the materials.

If we're talking about its medical applications, it's mostly used in certain devices. As for its use in medical procedures related to the human body, it's only used in a few specific cases as a filler for temporary implantation.

However, directly injecting liquefied gel into the body, allowing it to enter the bloodstream and even invade muscle tissue, is not only horrifying, but its consequences are also unimaginable.

In terms of sheer absurdity, it's roughly equivalent to replacing all of a person's subcutaneous tissue with bulletproof fibers.

Instead of worrying about whether injecting gel into the body can actually increase the physical strength of the test subjects, we should think about whether the brains of those who initiate such experiments are filled with gel or brain matter.

"Shining, could you please stop those people who are trying to escape?"

As Nightingale approached the two Sarkaz knights, she asked Shining behind her.

"...Don't worry, they won't get out."

All that remained on the ground was that sentence; Shining was nowhere to be seen, for she had already taken action.

"sad..."

What made them so cruel to you?

"Just because they are Sarkaz, does that mean they deserve to be subjected to such insane experiments without any moral boundaries?"

"Or perhaps they believe that because they were experimenting on the Sarkaz, their actions can be understood, or that they cannot be called crimes?"

"...A group of people committing inhuman atrocities, yet they think they have the right to arbitrarily decide whether others 'possess human rights'?"

The nightingale murmured as it approached the two Sarkaz knights.

A soft light emanated from her body, illuminating the surrounding land, including the bodies of the two people.

At that moment, their bodies stopped trembling.

The two men stopped resisting the arm that had previously instilled their instinctive fear and allowed it to remove their helmets.

The two Sarkaz people, who should have been young, had their similar faces ravaged to the point of being unbearable to look at.

The wounds were festering, rotten, and deep enough to expose the bone, yet they were clogged with a pale blue viscous fluid.

"...It's all over now."

The nightingale's compassionate words seemed to soothe the souls of the two Sarkaz.

She reached out and touched the terrifying face that most people would avoid.

The milky white aura that enveloped their palms was transmitted into their bodies through touch.

"...Hmm..."

"...Forehead..."

At that moment, their bodies made an unconscious movement simultaneously. They took a step forward, picked up their helmets and held them to one side, and with their other hands supporting their fists on the ground, they knelt down in front of Nightingale.

Submission.

The light emanating from her aura and Originium Arts caused her shadow to scatter around her. The two put down their helmets again, and devoutly bent their other knees deeply, almost prostrating themselves, to kiss Nightingale's mottled shadow.

thank.

This was not a battle, but merely a rescue operation.

As the curtain fell on this place, the commotion within the entire building also came to an end.

Whether they were trying to escape or rushing to destroy the illicit materials, their actions were stopped on the spot.

Shining is back, and she found a new wheelchair in the building's equipment room.

“Everyone is under control, but there are still quite a few other people trapped in this building... It’s not convenient for just the two of us. Let’s notify the doctor and the others to come and help. They... including these two compatriots, need to receive better treatment.”

When the Rhodes Island team arrived here because of Shining's communication, the torrential rain had ended, and the dazzling sun shone in the scattered puddles, splashing ripples from the busy footsteps carrying various medical instruments.

Toran, who had come with the team, seemed to find it hard to believe that his request had been resolved so quickly, but when he tried to take the two Sarkaz knights away, he was stopped.

"What we need to deal with now is not those stereotypical 'Sarkaz grievances,' but simply the matter between 'doctors and patients.'"

The team was led by Rhodes Island medic Gavial, who, while trying to dissuade Toran, also asked the following question:

Are you a doctor?

Toran shook his head.

Are you a patient?

He denied it again.

Then, Gavial took a deep breath with a smile on his face—

"Then get out of here!!! You think you can take someone with you?! Or do you want me to turn you into a patient too?!"

With a single strike of his staff, Gavial pinned Toran, who was trying to leave with his men, to the wall. Under the other man's expression of barely daring to breathe, Gavial's gaze met that of Shining and Nightingale standing to the side.

He now truly understood that Rhodes Island was very firm in its stance on helping patients. In addition to the previous incident where Gavial and others led a group to storm the checkpoint, this "greeting" made him realize how inconsistent the abilities of these self-proclaimed medical personnel were with their identities.

[Main Text] Terra Conquest: Chapter Twenty-Two: Extraterrestrial Aura

The "Sarkaz Disappearance Incident" and the "Knight's Drug Use Incident" ended much more peacefully than expected.

It initially caused quite a stir, with the business consortium members of Plot Zero attempting to righteously accuse Rhodes Island of trespassing. However, just before Gavial and the others were about to give those people a beating, a Major inspection team happened to be passing by at the Overwatch Council.

They quickly intervened in the conflict, and after understanding the situation, they took away all the staff who had been detained, and sent Shining Nightingale and Shining Nightingale to the Supervisory Council as witnesses.

The remaining wounded were taken away by Rhodes Island's medical team. It was thought that there would be many follow-up events, but it seems that the commercial alliance did not become so angry as expected, and did not directly declare a confrontational relationship.

Perhaps the matter didn't involve much deeper issues to begin with, or perhaps they used Safra's desperate measure of cutting off their own tail to save themselves. In any case, the facilities breached by Shining Nightingale and her companion, and all those arrested, constituted "the entirety of the incident."

At least the Business Federation and the Supervisory Commission stated afterwards that this incident was an isolated case in which some corporate forces disregarded human rights and acted recklessly, and occurred under the circumstances of inadequate supervision by supervisory personnel in the region.

Those involved in the case will be severely punished.

And then that was it.

The building was sealed off, the staff who conducted the experiments were sentenced one by one, and the victims received compensation according to the number of people and the extent of their injuries.

According to normal procedures, these Sarkaz missing persons without citizenship within the Great Knight Territory would not receive a single gold coin in compensation for any harm they suffered. Moreover, before their businesses were seized, their various assets would often be divided up by other businesses through various means, leaving only an empty shell.

However, all those assets have now been allocated by the Oversight Council to Rhode Island for the treatment of the victims.

As if they wanted to hastily put an end to this matter, the speed at which they handled the follow-up issues was much faster than when they usually compensated citizens who had been wronged. In some places, they even made some unbelievable concessions.

Perhaps this matter—including the property involved—is of little importance to Kazimir.

It's also possible that, in order to keep this "civilized game" which could be overturned at any moment, they have already made painful concessions with great trepidation.

But one thing is crystal clear: neither the Supervisory Council nor the Business Alliance, nor their top decision-makers, seem to want any conflict with Rhodes Island.

As if anticipating that Rhodes Island would request a full investigation of Plot Zero together with the Oversight Council, when the proposal was approved and Rhodes Island sent personnel to conduct an in-depth investigation, the condition of the infected in Plot Zero seemed to have temporarily improved.

At least everyone inside received basic living necessities and medical care.

Of course, this was like a child trying to cover up their room's cleanliness during a parent's inspection. Through clues and some private inquiries, it didn't completely fool the people of Rhodes Island, but they weren't completely exposed either.

"It's truly heartwarming to see that these people who have contributed to the development of Kazimir have not lost their right to live here because of Oripathy... Although their standard of living may be far lower than before they were infected, it is still very touching compared to other regions."

"To help them recover from their illness and return to a normal life, and to ensure that their infection does not endanger the health of others, Rhode Island will provide a variety of mature assistance services."

"—Afterwards, please allow our company to start from the branch that we are fortunate to have established here, and overcome the difficulties together with you."

The doctor sought the opinion of the oversight council in a gentle tone, but in reality, he used an unquestionable force to indicate that these temporary cover-ups could not fool the public.

Business associations that prioritize profit above all else are not trustworthy.

The Control Yuan, which holds the reins of the economy, is equally difficult to entrust with its responsibilities.

Rather than believing they would change the treatment of infected people because of this superficial threat, it's better to make it clear that Rhodes Island intends to intervene and oversee related matters.

The Supervisory Council did not object, because things like "foreign companies controlling social affairs" were already commonplace in Kasimir, a country that called itself a commercial capital.

Previously, it was because those companies or vassals were rich and technologically advanced; now, it's simply because Rhodes Island is more capable in combat and has no intention of being their enemy—and incidentally, they are rich and technologically advanced as well.

Therefore, instead of considering their already hopeless situation, the Supervisory Council might as well use its remaining power to legally allow Rhodes Island to do so.

This is still better than continuing to hand it over to businesses within the commercial alliance, and then potentially angering Rhodes Island someday.

After all, the Supervisory Council seemed to realize that its policy of ignoring the issue was not well-received by Rhodes Island.

Whether the business alliance opposes it or how it opposes it is not within the scope of consideration. Rhodes Island really wants to see how much logic those incompetent guys can come up with to oppose their intervention.

It was in this delicate atmosphere that the schedule for the Special Championship slowly began.

—Rhodes Island Main Ship. High Deck—

"Yes, try to feel in that general direction. It doesn't seem to be my imagination..."

Tomat stood at the highest point, gazing up at the cloudless starry sky. Under the illumination of the two moons, the entire sky was unexpectedly bright, with twinkling stars. It was beautiful, yet no different from usual, and there seemed to be no need to observe it at all.

"There..."

But Gohan, who was hovering next to Tomat, followed the former's guidance and carefully sensed an inconspicuous corner in the sky—and Gohan's expression immediately changed from doubt to wariness.

"...It's qi? And it's a very obvious qi! And there's more than one!"

Gohan frowned, looked at Tomat, and blurted out the result of his perception.

In the distant starry sky, something is heading towards Terra.

"...Five auras. Although the actual distance is unclear, their reactions are quite strong...but not enough to be considered as opponents."

Tomat added that even Gohan hadn't noticed this, and if we only consider the distance and accuracy of ki perception, Tomat's level is above Gohan's.

"But isn't this already an extremely dangerous aura for Terra?"

Although Gohan knew that the owners of those auras were not capable of fighting against any of the three Saiyans, he still showed a worried expression.

They can handle it, but Terra might not.

"I'll leave those auras to you these next few days. Bardock and I are going to participate in a competition. If they are enemies, you alone can take them down in an instant, right?"

Tomat, who was the first to discover those auras, also explained why he had informed Gohan about it.

His duel with Badak was not to be disrupted by anything.

[Main Text] Terra Conquest: Chapter Twenty-Three - Only 5000 Combat Power

"The most intense battles require only the simplest stage!"