Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"Ah...yes, that's great."

Croissant answered in a monotone tone while glancing back at the bags and packages in the trunk.

It seems her chance to go to the settlement to sell her goods has completely fallen through.

Croissant, lost in thought due to her disappointment, suddenly noticed that there was another person on the bus who looked absent-minded—that was Tomat, who had been silent for a long time after saying "strange".

"what happened?"

Croissant asked, while also gathering her thoughts and making other preparations—such as "recovering" some valuable items from the deserted settlement.

In the wasteland of Terra, there's no comprehensive property protection law to help determine who owns what.

Reclaiming usable resources from places untouched by civilization for one's own use is an ironclad rule of survival.

"I should have brought the detector with me."

Thomas responded to Croissant's question, then continued looking toward their increasingly closer destination.

Although it was a relatively small mobile vehicle compared to Rhodes Island, as a mobile commercial platform that seemed to carry a considerable number of buildings, it was still a colossal entity that "covered the sky" for the vehicle they were currently in.

The large tracked chassis has sunk deep into the ground, and the metallic sheen of the side shell is now covered with rust. The buildings on the platform are visibly collapsing.

However, the box-shaped platform, which is over 500 meters long and nearly 100 meters high, still asserts its presence in the wilderness, easily overshadowing the surrounding rocks and vegetation—it is a human creation, yet it is more magnificent than the power of nature.

"A detector? What's that? You're planning to use technological tools for hunting? It's best not to bring those around when hunting."

Because of her birth and experiences, Hongyun didn't know much about Terra technology, but she was still literate enough to understand quite a few words. So when she said that it would make hunting easier, she was clearly dissatisfied with Tomat's suggestion to "bring a detector".

Hunting should be done by one's own abilities, rather than relying on external help.

The entire process should be a contest and game between the hunter and the hunter.

“It’s not for hunting.” Although he didn’t know the specifics of Hongyun’s experience, her words along the way made Tomat feel her attachment to hunting traditions and her homeland. It was clear that even though her hometown was destroyed, she still inherited the customs that had been passed down from her ancestors. “Besides, you yourself are using a mechanical prosthetic, so there’s no need to react so strongly.”

"This arm? This arm will only be used in combat. I won't use it to desecrate the hunt, don't worry."

A master archer can indeed draw a bow with one arm, even though Hongyun's ability is due to a physical disability.

Even with a prosthetic arm, he still only used his good arm when hunting.

Despite being the youngest among those present, Hongyun displayed the persistence—or rather, stubbornness—of a seasoned elder, just like Froststar or Patriot.

"Hunting is a risky and dangerous outdoor activity. I personally think that it is wise to use more efficient equipment to reduce the risks and difficulties."

After offering further rational advice, the undertaker applied the brakes just before reaching the bottom entrance of the approaching mobile platform.

As expected, the entrance at the bottom was sealed off, showing no sign of welcoming them in. However, judging from the wear and uneven rust on the edges, the door had been used recently.

"This is a real headache." Croissant looked at the gate, which, although it appeared large enough for a large transport vehicle to pass through easily, was now tightly shut. She then glanced at the upper edge of the platform, which was nearly a hundred meters above sea level, and said in a distressed tone, "Night will fall soon. If we could get inside, it would be much easier to spend the night, but now we're stuck outside..."

“By the way, Tomat, why don’t you just lift us up with the car…” But when Croissant caught a glimpse of Tomat out of the corner of her eye, she clapped her hands and said to him.

"Could you please move aside?"

Before Thomas could answer Croissant's unreasonable request, which sounded like a joke to outsiders, the undertaker arrived first at the bottom entrance gate, which was at least four meters high and more than ten meters wide.

The gate consists of two doors, left and right, with a visible gap in the middle. It is likely a structure controlled by an Originium device and a simple mechanical locking mechanism. Generally, if no one operates it, the gate will remain completely still.

However, the mourner, under the watchful eyes of everyone, approached the door and inserted his fingers into the slightly rusted and worn gaps in the door, which were relatively loose for human fingers.

"Hey...are you serious?"

"Looks like I don't need to throw the car up there or break the door."

Hongyun and Tomat each made drastically different remarks about the undertaker's behavior, while the undertaker, seemingly unaffected by either side's words, began to take a deep breath.

Then, just like doing chest expansion exercises, stand firmly on your feet and pry your hands, which are clasped together at the door, open them to the left and right.

------

Ah, subscriptions have dropped drastically lately. Is it because there's something wrong with the book and people are abandoning it, or are they just waiting for it to mature? (Of course, whether you're abandoning the book or waiting for it to mature, you probably won't see this rambling at the end of the chapter.)

There were no more comments on the latest chapter. Although I know that no one is reading it just because no one is commenting, I still wanted to see some out of vanity.

But I know my plot isn't exciting enough to make readers want to discuss it—after all, it's slice-of-life.

There wasn't enough plot holes to allow readers to transcribe the story in the interludes—books that rely on stuffing plot holes will eventually become defunct once the plot holes are exhausted.

When I see fanfiction with tropes or works that easily gain popularity by relying on erotic content, I feel like I'm turning into a sour grapes. I'm also a fanfiction writer, and I get more popularity from the original work than from the original. I have no right to be jealous of people who write better than me.

Just think of it as a loser complaining, haha.

The content after “——” is the author’s words, so it will not be included in the subscription fee, please rest assured.

[Main Text] Rhodes Island Walkthrough: Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Disappearance at Stormy Manor!?

"Creak—"

The harsh friction sound was not only caused by years of corrosion, but also by the still-functioning locking mechanism that was preventing the door from opening.

However, even with such obstruction, it was still impossible to prevent it from being gradually pulled apart as the mourners moved.

The undertaker maintained his unchanging, indifferent expression, completely oblivious to how much effort it took him to open the massive folding door.

The crowd, who stood by dumbfounded and covered their ears to block out the noise, wanted to say something, but their words would likely be drowned out by the enormous noise.

The fact that a Sarkaz person, who is stereotyped as only knowing how to use firearms, could open a door that requires industrial machinery to forcibly open with his bare hands was enough to shock Croissant and Jehovah.

After creating a gap large enough for two people to pass at the same time but not enough for a vehicle to enter, the undertaker released his hands, which had left deep fingerprints on the metal surface, and the ear-piercing sound stopped at that moment.

He said in his usual calm tone:

"I'll go find the control panel for the main gate; it should be nearby. Hongyun, don't wander around; just stay with them."

"I'm not a little kid who runs around."

Hongyun lowered her hands, which had been pressing down on her fox ears and covering her other two ears, and retorted with dissatisfaction at the first words she heard after the eardrum torture ended.

"In fact, you've run off and gotten into danger more than once."

After saying this, The Undertaker took out his short-barreled shotgun, and wings made of broken black light gradually emerged from his back, which was covered by a white shawl. He walked alone into the bottom space of the moving platform, which was completely devoid of light from the outside. His figure was hidden in the darkness, leaving only a halo that swayed with his steps as he walked away.

"That really startled me. He's probably stronger than most of the Feng Ti... Little Red Cloud, are you used to this already?"

It's not surprising that Tomat didn't react much to the funeral procession's behavior, but Hongyun also seemed unfazed and didn't comment, probably because they had encountered similar situations many times during their journey.

"And that's not even the most outrageous one."

Hongyun replied.

"Most of the top-quality pork hock... so even Croissant Sister could do that?" Jie had seen many people who were not particularly good-looking but had amazing strength, but they were limited to breaking concrete walls, which amazed ordinary people. This was the first time he had ever seen someone pry open a metal door with their bare hands.

"That depends on how much money they offer." Croissant actually started to think seriously about Jie's question. "If it's enough, I can make a gap even wider than this."

“I’ll go in and take a look too.” Tomat watched the funeral procession’s halo gradually disappear into the darkness behind the door, then looked thoughtfully at his feet. “If the door opens, Croissant, just drive the car in.”

For property safety reasons, the car must be parked inside, otherwise it might be buried halfway by the sandstorm overnight. Tomath doesn't know how to drive Terran vehicles, and Red Cloud is completely clueless about it. Jie is too old to get a driver's license, so the responsibility of being the driver naturally falls on Croissant's shoulders.

Unlike the mourners, Tomat did not put on any special armor or take any precautions before entering the building; he simply walked in with the same usual pace.

His ability to sense auras allowed him to pinpoint the location of the mourners without worrying about anything lurking nearby; he would only occasionally glance at his feet in the dark.

However, relying solely on aura sensing is insufficient to understand the surrounding terrain. Instead of taking out the lighting equipment that Croissant had brought for hunting from the car, Tomart directly condensed a stable aura sphere in his hand and used its light as a substitute for a light source to observe the surrounding environment.

"Similar to the Rhodes Island, the lowest level is a spacious area for parking vehicles and storing goods." Judging from the aura, the Undertaker had gone to a higher location nearby than where Tomat was, possibly to a higher floor. Currently, Tomat is the only person in this space. "The field of vision is too narrow. Let's make it brighter."

This idea led Tomat to slightly change the way he used his Qi and how he output energy. Several objects that were more like simple spheres of light than Qi bullets flew out of his hands one after another, hovering at a high point in the space, and then suddenly released a more intense and stable light.

Compared to ki blasts, which are themselves explosive, ki blasts are more stable. As long as they are properly controlled and not subjected to a certain degree of impact, they can exist for a long time. Tomat used this characteristic to create a relatively practical move for himself. However, the original intention of this move was not for illumination, but to use less energy to create a large number of ki blasts to mislead others. It just so happens that in this case, it can play the role of illumination.

Even so, it should not be touched casually, because its "lower energy" is still "lower" relative to the normal output of Tomat.

"The Solar Fist is useless here; it only provides a brief moment of illumination."

However, as Thomas illuminated the space, nearby artificial light sources also lit up at the same time.

It appears the funeral procession has located the nearby switch control room.

Those waiting at the entrance now had a clear view, but when they saw the scene under the light, they could only feel doubt in their hearts because of what they saw.

Although there weren't many, there were quite a few vehicles neatly parked in this space.

Didn't they say that the residents here are most likely to evacuate?

Given their theoretical lack of mobility, would they have so many vehicles that they couldn't all drive them away?

Or perhaps... they never left?

"Something is wrong."

The funeral procession's voice rang out. He did not leave the space, but instead went up the stairs to the control platform, which was located in the same place but at a higher position.

Then the sound of the door opening rang out again, but this time there was much less of the harsh noise caused by the forceful friction.

Croissant also drove her car onto this platform.

"Abnormal? You mean the people here don't seem to have disappeared without a trace?"

Having lived in the wild for a long time and being very sensitive to any abnormalities in her surroundings, Hongyun shared her feelings after listening to the funeral attendant's speech.

“Yes, it seems the people living here have never left,” the undertaker continued. “Because the last shutdown command recorded was entered from the internal control room, not from an external command, and it was three nights ago, when that giant ape monster was rampaging.”

This was completely contrary to what Jie had previously proposed—they, who might have just been fleeing in an emergency to escape the giant ape, did not escape in a vehicle, but instead closed the entrance and exit that night.

But where did they go?

"The wind is starting to pick up outside. It seems to be just a normal sandstorm, not a natural disaster."

As they pondered, Tomat reminded them that some sand had already blown in through the still-open door.

It might not have much of an impact on Tomat, but to Croissant and the others, they seemed to be trapped in this strange situation on a moving platform where they could not move an inch.

A closed environment and missing residents—the perfect backdrop for a popular mystery drama was laid out before them.

[Main Text] A Guide to Wandering in Rhodes Island: Chapter Twenty-Eight - Disguise

"At times like this, I find myself missing someone again."

Croissant was now armed with her hammer and shield, but her expression was not exactly one of unease—because this kind of thing, where "what was thought to be a normal outing or mission turned out to be unexpected," had happened far too many times.

"Who? Texas again? And is she some kind of detective?"

Thomas looked at Croissant, who looked haggard after realizing he was in trouble, and asked.