Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"So, he said what to do first?"

The news that her father hadn't died in Chernobog and been buried with Talulah was enough to comfort her, but she was still worried about Patriot, who was currently out of contact with her.

“I didn’t ask, but he seemed to have his own plans.”

The battle between Tomat and the Patriot ended with him shattering the Patriot's broken shield bearing the Reunion symbol, and the Patriot grazing his sleeve with a broken spear.

The patriot, a "cadre of the Integration Movement," suffered a crushing defeat.

Thomas could have continued with that punch, piercing Patriot's body, which was already mostly corroded by Originium crystals, thus bringing an end to his life that had lasted for over two hundred years.

He stopped at simply touching the patriot's body.

He had his own beliefs, and for the sake of those beliefs, he committed many killings that he did not originally want to do.

Even if they resist, they still carry out the orders without complaint or regret.

Then it suffered an irresistible and devastating blow.

Perhaps it was a choice born of empathy, or perhaps it was a momentary act of hypocrisy—in any case, this old man, who had already experienced something similar to Tomat, survived through sheer good fortune or fate.

Instead of defiantly accepting his fate and demanding a quick death from Tomat, he simply watched as Tomat, after shattering the shield but hesitating to strike, stood up and slowly disappeared into the ruins.

"You treated him too?"

Thomas didn't tell Frostnova the details of the battle, only that the two fought after Chernobog was destroyed. However, Frostnova was naturally worried about whether her father was seriously injured—even though she could never imagine what an injured body would look like.

"He refused, saying that his Originium Arts would turn the dead around him into his own power and allow him to continue living. I don't know if that's true or not."

This will be an unforgettable lesson, etched into the memories and bodies of patriots.

“I did mention Rhodes Island, and I did mention you, but he doesn’t seem to have any intention of joining Rhodes Island. I guess he still doesn’t trust ‘gentle pharmaceutical company,’ and he can’t let go of his subordinates who are still alive in Chernobog.”

He refused not only Tomat's treatment, but also help from Rhode Island.

At least with his identity as a "Reunion Movement cadre" shattered, he can receive the same treatment as Frostnova, just like an ordinary infected person.

“It’s not surprising, because even if someone like you were on Rhodes Island, his stubbornness wouldn’t change his original choice. Besides, even if Talulah is gone, there are still many branches of the Reunion Movement around the world. The Reunion Movement, without a leader, does need a new leader to command it.”

Froststar fully understands Patriot's decision, after all, her stubborn personality was also influenced by him.

"Talulah's Reunion Movement" can be destroyed, but "the Reunion Movement of the Infected" still has a reason to exist. The identity of "Reunion Movement Cadre" can be abandoned, but the identity of "Shield of the Infected" must be upheld.

If no Patriot, who is only subordinate to Talulah, were to reorganize the old forces, and if they were to lose their leader and fight their own battles, continuing to act irrationally and causing more infected people to suffer because of them, the danger would be no less than when Talulah was in charge.

In the minds of patriots, the Reunion Movement led by Talulah, whose policies had changed, could basically be equated with a group of infected people who were rioting indiscriminately.

Patriots, knowing that Talulah was leading the Reunion Movement toward self-destruction, never turned against her or questioned her motives.

Because he couldn't convince the other members of the Reunion Movement that their former leader had become a tyrant.

They also couldn't force them to send their former leader to the guillotine and label her a "traitor."

Talulah was ultimately their spiritual and practical leader.

Patriot had been waiting for this person, who had betrayed the Infected and Reunion for her own purposes, to truly reveal her madness and undisguised exploitation of the Infected to achieve her goals—for example, when she asked her earlier whether she wanted to continue sending Chernobog to Lungmen.

Patriots will not hesitate to use this as a starting point to raise the banner of rebellion and overthrow Talulah.

Alternatively, he could wait for Talulah to gradually separate her forces from Reunion, and then label him a "traitor to Reunion"—so that he could legitimately oppose Talulah.

He did not want the Reunion Movement to be portrayed as an internal conflict among the infected and subsequently wiped out.

I also don't want those who once followed the Reunion Movement to feel betrayed.

Neither of these things happened, after all, Tomat's appearance saved him a lot of trouble.

Therefore, the fate of the Reunion Movement was "to be destroyed by others," and its leaders were killed by outsiders, not executed by them personally.

Patriots can easily use this opportunity to "reorganize and consolidate".

"However, whether the reorganized organization can still be called the 'Reunion Movement' is another matter."

Froststar added that she knew the Patriots wouldn't let Reunion follow Talulah's old path, or rather, that following Talulah's path was only out of necessity.

She chewed on a small portion of carrot salad, chatting with Tomat, whose face was almost completely obscured by the pile of plates in front of her, about yet another change taking place on Terra. Although they were both involved, they spoke of it as if they were detached from the situation.

“I envy him. He got a second chance, even though I was the one who gave him that chance.” With a snap, Thomas placed the last plate on top of the mountain of cutlery. But leaning back in his chair, he only showed the expression of “having eaten” rather than “being full.” Like taking a break during halftime, he stopped what he was doing and continued, “But even if I had a second chance, I don’t know how to change the outcome back then.”

"Are you talking about the monster destroying your hometown?"

Froststar had heard more information about Tomat from various rumors.

"Does it count?"

Thomas knew that while the other person's statement was correct, they were actually referring to something completely unrelated.

"Even with that kind of integration movement, Big Dad would probably feel sorry for it, but Big Dad who survived has now embarked on an unexpected path... or rather, he is able to do what he truly wants to do."

Froststar is not as cold and aloof as her codename suggests.

In fact, when she was active in Ursus as the leader of the Yeti Squad, she often acted as a comforter and encourager.

Whether it's infected people rescued from the Ursus army who would otherwise be executed, or others who have suffered and lost faith in everything, Frostnova and her squad will use their words and actions to revitalize them.

However, compared to Tomat, they all share a common characteristic: they are all in a "weak" position relative to Frostnova.

This was the first time Froststar had ever encouraged someone stronger than herself to cheer up.

"You survived the disaster, but you also embarked on an 'unthinkable' path, didn't you? Try to do some things you want to do."

Indeed, how could Tomat have predicted that he could escape from that giant firework?

However, Tomat and the Patriots are still somewhat different.

Even if he had similar experiences, he still wouldn't be able to do what he "wanted to do".

"I want to become stronger. Do you think I can do it 'here'?"

------

The pretty girl admin in the group hopes more people can join (just kidding).

326328014

Welcome everyone to play!

[Main Text] Rhodes Island Stroll Guide: Chapter Sixteen: The Saiyan Wants to Become... No, I Mean Powerful

There are three main reasons why Saiyans are not strong.

The first is the "talent" that is a common topic in any race. Some people are born with the ability to make detectors explode, making nobles who think they have superior bloodlines envious, while others can only do odd jobs in logistics or do research their whole lives.

Even those who do menial tasks possess strength unmatched by other races under certain circumstances.

The second reason is their personality. Most Saiyans are arrogant and lazy. Rather than pursuing battle, they often just want an overwhelming victory. They are not pursuing the ultimate powerful warriors, but rather mercenaries and nomads who value money, violence, and pleasure above all else.

Struggle is an instinct in our blood, unrelated to the goal of becoming "stronger".

Finally, there's the limitation of the environment. Surrounded by weaklings, with sufficient fighting power, why strive to become stronger? At worst, find a celestial body that can reflect bultz light, instantly increasing your fighting power tenfold. Instantly, the number of people who can rival you will decrease by more than half, and those who can contend with you will become extremely rare. As for those characters you can't even reach after transforming—when you can already crush 99% of your opponents, why bother trying to surpass that 1%?

In a deathmatch, the loser often doesn't have a chance to receive treatment because both sides are too powerful, while regular battles have no effect on strengthening the character.

Therefore, most people stop increasing their combat power once it reaches a level that is "sufficient".

Tomat was one of them. Even though he had improved to some extent during his training, the environment he was in and the upper limit of his talent prevented his "training" from achieving great results.

Using a near-death experience to recover from near-death is not only a matter of risk, but more importantly, not everyone is prepared to risk their life.

"You want to become even stronger? You're already strong enough."

Just how powerful do you want to be, or rather, how powerful can you become? Frostnova practically slapped those words right in Tomat's face.

"What if I told you that I haven't even reached my prime yet? The terrifying me in your eyes is, in my eyes, nothing to show for it." The plates on the table were lifted by two cafeteria employees and carried away unsteadily, the intervals between them shortening considerably. "That sounds awful, doesn't it?"

“It sounds really annoying.” But Frostnova didn’t show any aversion to such words. “But it sounds more like self-abandonment. However, it’s a good thing that you’re willing to complain. At least you’re willing to vent.”

Thomas shrugged.

"But what I say is just a hint that isn't even a riddle compared to actual experience."

Because no one would believe it even if I told them.

Just like the Kingslayer—the Kingslayer was indeed frightened by his strength, but at that time she still didn't believe what Tomat had experienced.

The same was true of his conversation with the Patriot; the other man did not mention his sins of the past two hundred years, nor did Thomas make a point of comparing them to his own deeds.

“When some people ask me why I’m so strong, I can’t even give a reason, since I don’t think I’m strong at all.” The detector on the table was pushed by Tomat and slid in front of Frostnova. “Some people are also interested in Qi, but I can’t teach them either.”

Froststar realized that Tomat was gesturing for her to put on the strange device—fortunately, the Cartesians also had another pair of human ears besides rabbit ears, which allowed them to successfully attach the device to their faces.

"Why? I'm also very interested in that 'qi' because although this technique can't cure Oripathy, it's enough to stop the disease from worsening, restore vitality, and even reduce the infectivity due to the stabilization of the condition. I know that very well."

The aura that Tomat infused into Frostnova continues to have an effect, warming her body to this day.

"It's not that this technology is kept secret, but that I simply can't teach it. Besides, the Originium components in your bodies will also interfere with the normal production of Qi."

The reason he couldn't be taught was that Tomat's ability to learn ki was predicated on the Saiyan's innate talent for energy manipulation and the enormous energy that was already within his body.

The reason why they can't learn it is because Originium, an object that exists to varying degrees in the bodies of both infected and non-infected individuals, interferes with the generation of Ki.

It's as if Terra's own rules restrict the Terrans to using Originium Arts as their fundamental power system and lock it away.

"Is it by pressing this button?"

"Correct."

Frostnova had never actually handled such a technological product of an alien system before, so she could only cautiously touch it like a mechanical idiot, repeatedly asking Tomat how to operate it.

"Beep beep beep..."

"Your head is circled on the screen, and there are two characters jumping around next to it. These aren't characters I recognize." Following Tomat's instructions, Frostnova used her combat power detector to scan the high-energy reactions nearby. "Would the Originium inside my body interfere with the use of 'Ki'?"

Tomat usually suppresses his combat power to around double digits.

This is to minimize the impact on the surroundings. Normally, if you maintain your full strength, you'll walk with sparks and lightning in your wake, and you might even scare some sensitive creatures into losing control of their bladder.

Lowering one's aura reduces combat power, but it's enough to keep oneself sensitive to auras. This way, one won't make the mistake of being ambushed by someone weaker than oneself.

"The conclusion is that non-infected people generally have stronger aura than infected people. To be honest, when I first met you, your aura was not as strong as that of an old rat I met in Longmen."

"Conversely, does that mean you have almost no Originium in your body? In fact, even less than a healthy person?"

Of course it's low. If he hadn't come to Terra, he would never have come into contact with similar minerals in his life.

"According to that strange doctor, it is indeed quite low."