Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"No, it's nothing, I just wanted to ask you..."

"You're quick to change your mind."

Wearing armor, yet sitting like a refined young lady in a chair in the rest area, Lin Guang smiled with her eyes closed:

"Speak, what is it that you need to ask me for advice on?"

Nearl didn't see Winter's sigh of relief, but after Nearl asked the question, Winter, who was usually outspoken, hesitated for several seconds before speaking, then, as if making up her mind, asked:

"Between you and that guy, that Tomat guy, who's stronger?"

Why do you ask that?

Winter mentioned to Nearl someone she knew but didn't understand.

After first meeting Tomat, who suddenly appeared on the battlefield with Ace, on the outskirts of Chernobog, the two had little contact with each other.

The only time he spoke the most was probably during the "interrogation" on the transport vehicle.

Rumors abound, but the truth remains unclear.

Some say he is very strong and knows many special moves that are unknown to others, but few people have actually seen him use them.

Most operators know about him from rumors.

Senior members' understanding of him also largely comes from a series of cold reports.

Most people who actively seek to learn about him are simply driven by curiosity.

And in Nearl's view, the problems facing Winter are the same.

Children always love to argue about who is stronger, even if the whole comparison has nothing to do with them.

"Because the order in which you take on the challenges is very important!"

But this time, Winter answered without a moment's hesitation.

"puff."

"You...you just laughed, didn't you!"

No, you must have misheard.

Lin Guang turned her head away, not wanting Winter to see her expression, and only turned back after she had composed herself.

"Then you should try first, and see if any of us are willing to take on the challenge."

Nearl took out a small package and handed it to Winter, who still thought the previous voice was Nearl's mockery.

"...honey cookies?"

Even through the packaging, she could smell the incredibly tempting aroma that would be irresistible to the Ursus people. Winter shook her head and looked at Nearl with a puzzled expression as she handed her the snacks.

"I got it from Instructor Jianlei. Consider it a reward for my training progress. I can take it back and share it with the Ursus girls."

"Um... thanks."

Rather than keeping it all to himself, Winter chose the latter.

"But even if what you say is true, he's not here right now if I want to challenge him..."

—Kroos Studio [also a convenience store] in Rhodes Island's purchasing area—

"Phew, I'm exhausted. Don't ask me to do this kind of delicate repair work. Go find Mechanist, Vulcan, or Mel."

"Putting aside the Mechanist and Vulcan, you asked me to find Mel, so you want her to turn my prosthetic leg into a rocket punch when I'm not looking?"

"That's better than installing a self-destruct switch."

Ace moved his hands, each movement of his five fingers producing a faint gear-like sound.

The once strong, powerful muscles have now been replaced by indestructible metal, but the arm, which can no longer transmit touch, still seems to feel the burning phantom pain of that day.

"It's really inconvenient not having my dominant hand; I've cut myself several times while shaving."

Ace peered around Kroos's studio, which was even more chaotic than Mel's studio, stroking his stubble-covered chin and complaining about the inconveniences of life.

"Just let Scout do it for you."

Kroos tidied up the various tools she had previously used to repair her arm, but even after tidying them up, she just tossed them aside, making the room look even more cluttered.

He said he would help if he could beat someone in a wheelchair race.

This is clearly a direct rejection for Ace, who has never been able to reach the finals of the office wheelchair competition.

"What about Huang?"

"Kroos," Kroos continued.

"Do you think she would use a knife other than a chainsaw?"

Ace then asked her a question in return.

"That's true. Logos will do, even though he's a bit strange, he's very kind-hearted."

"He will collect my beard to make Sarkaz voodoo dolls."

After finishing the repairs, Ace, who was about to leave the workshop, lingered a little longer in the area where Kroos was selling goods, talking to people while looking at the items on the shelves, seemingly picking out something he needed.

While Kroos's shops may not be the largest, they are arguably the most comprehensive.

Not only does it cover a wide range of physical goods, such as daily necessities, equipment accessories, or experimental materials and medical supplies that are allowed to be circulated and sold, but it also sells non-physical products similar to information. In addition, with its skillful marketing and frequent discount activities, her store can be said to be the most well-known in Rhodes Island.

Her position as a purchasing department staff member also allows some operators to spend a little more money to purchase some exclusive items—of course, if discovered, both sides will be severely punished, since the funds still belong to Rhodes Island.

"...So the reason I saw him go to the barbershop last time was because of!?"

"That was just a normal haircut."

Ace's words calmed down the somewhat frightened Kroos. Then, this man, who was nearly two meters tall and who would usually be given way when walking on the street, or who could frighten some of the younger patients or operators on Rhodes Island to tears just by standing there, actually stopped in front of the area in Kroos's shop that was specifically for selling women's accessories.

"Ace, you..."

Kroos watched as Ace picked up a bottle of perfume one moment and a ribbon the next, standing there staring at his back, speechless for a long time.

"Are you about to find a partner?"

What are you thinking about?

Ace wasn't sure if Kroos truly thought that way or was just teasing him about being single, so he snorted in annoyance and continued carefully selecting items:

"That kid is going on a mission soon. I want to give her a souvenir before she leaves... something like a talisman, since she almost lost her life and almost dismantled the cabin because of me and Scout."

"Ah...you mean rosemary? There's no need for her to participate in this mission, is there?"

Ace didn't mention a code name, but based on the description alone, she could guess who the other person was referring to.

“The area covered by this rescue mission contains many large ruins, so operators skilled in demolition and destroying hard targets will be deployed,” he explained, while holding a pendant and a ribbon in each hand and asking Kroos, “Which one do you think is more suitable for her?”

"Tell the truth?"

Ace nodded, and Kroos blurted out her assessment:

"They're all pretty old-fashioned, won't people dislike them?"

——Rhodes Island Operator Rest Area (Female Operator Section)——

Rhodes Island's squads are basically composed of both men and women.

However, even the most harmonious team must, for various reasons, properly allocate rest areas or other public areas according to gender.

This does not mean that Rhodes Island does not allow romantic relationships between operators. As long as it does not affect the public order of Rhodes Island or have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of other operators, forming a partnership or spouse will not violate the rules of Rhodes Island.

In fact, there are quite a few people on Rhodes Island who have established relationships beyond romantic ones and made them public. After going through legal marriage procedures, they can indeed apply for special cabins for cohabitation. This humane rule allows those operators to truly regard Rhodes Island as their home and have their children receive education there.

In other words, before that, no matter what kind of relationship existed, no one could break the rules and "arbitrarily" live together.

After all, Rhodes Island also has disciplinary committee members and other supervisory operators.

Of course, some people are completely oblivious to this kind of thing.

"Time's up, alright, Lappland wins."

Two decks of cards rose from the floor of a secluded lounge in Rhode Island, and Croissant, holding a ruler, declared the winner of the deck of cards tournament.

A spiral-shaped tower of playing cards belongs to the red-haired Sakorta, Exusiai. She created her own work by imitating the Tower of Babel in the story. Although it is relatively short, it is very stable.

The other poker tower, seemingly built upright and easily blown away by the wind, came from the white-haired Lupo people. Lappland used risky methods to achieve a height as high as the risks.

“I won—though it was only natural.”

With a casual wave of his hand, Lappland knocked down his deck of cards, then instantly gathered the scattered cards and arranged them into a complete deck.

"That method actually worked? Are you blessed by an angel? No... I am an angel."

"Because risk and reward go hand in hand, it's just that you didn't choose the risky approach. Can Sakorta do that?"

Although it was just a game, Exusiai was clearly dissatisfied with the result, especially seeing Lappland's arrogant smile after her victory.

She took out a box with the emperor's image printed on it and said to the people around her:

"Let's play Emperor Chess this time, which exudes the smell of Victorian capitalism, a five-player free-for-all."

"Although I consider myself an expert in chess and card games, I've never heard of this Victoria Emperor Chess before."

Looking at the chessboard on the ground covered with the names of various assets, Lappland had questions about this game she was seeing for the first time.

"This is a game invented by the boss. It's quite fun. When you play it, you even wear a monocle, a fake mustache, and a top hat," Croissant explained from the side.

"Texas, Lyudmila, stop just watching TV and eating snacks, come on over!"

Five people were engaged in a chaotic battle, while the other two were the owner of this independent cabin and the Kingslayer who was also there for some unknown reason.

Can I ask you a question?

Texas lay sprawled on the sofa, looking rather unkempt, and expertly pulled a Pocky stick from a box on the coffee table. She stared intently at the television, chewing as she asked a question.

On the sofa to one side, a red-tailed Lupo was lying upright—that was the Kingslayer.

For some unknown reason, the kingslayer's wolf ears and its already somewhat unruly tail were now even more disheveled.

Why did I request a private cabin?

"Hmm...to make it more fun?"

It doesn't matter who answered the question; the point is that Texas didn't hear anything other than that answer.

She sighed, then continued eating her pokey, ignoring the invitations from Exusiai or Lappland to go out, and instead said: