Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

Luo Tianming: "Humans are too busy scheming against each other to have the energy to explore the unknown deep sea. Even if the Alliance wanted to continue exploring, do you think the other organizations would allow it?"

"What Europa needs is 'balance'. As long as the alliance dares to take a step into the deep sea, separatist attacks will follow one after another, and the painted skin and the clown will continue the struggle there."

Lucy: "This is a dead end... It's like Night City. No matter how many people die in gang fights below, Arasaka Tower and the military always maintain an invisible ceiling."

"People have no way to resist Arasaka, so they can only drift through life in a daze..."

Takemi Taeya nodded: "It's enough to figure out why you're experiencing mental stress. But I'm still a little curious—is this world really like you say, existing at the same time on different timelines?"

"Once the 'Singer' below is defeated, everything will return to the very beginning... This seems more like a timeline loop than a jump between world lines, doesn't it?"

Luo Tianming: "I can guarantee that... we will jump to different timelines at that moment."

"If it's a cycle, then the other party is a higher-dimensional being, and it's impossible for them to be completely unaware... Only on different timelines would they be caught off guard."

"Moreover, the creators of those alien ruins have already transcended the constraints of timelines and are able to perceive the differences between other worlds."

"Oh~" Takemi Myō used a look that 'saw through' him. "This isn't the first time, is it? So, how many times have you crossed world lines now?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

"Forget it," Miaomiao said, letting him off the hook first. "Women who are too clingy are not cute. You know that yourself, so don't lie to me."

Thanks to Miaomiao's magnanimity, otherwise he would have been questioned relentlessly today.

The others are pretty much the same; after all, none of the Nautilus's crew members are easy to deal with... Don't be fooled by their current peaceful demeanor; when things really escalate, Luo Tianming will be in for a rough time.

He was about to turn around and rest for a while when he discovered that Nan Mengya hadn't left and was even tugging at his clothes.

"What's wrong?" Luo Tianming asked.

Logically, having already learned of the possibility of crossing timelines, she shouldn't be so disappointed, but she still seemed a little absent-minded.

Nan Mengya asked, somewhat confused, "Captain... um, why did you keep your distance from me earlier?"

Luo Tianming: "When?"

"When you came out of the cabin just now, and I went up to you and asked if you were having any difficulties, didn't you put some distance between yourself?"

Luo Tianming: "Distance?"

Nan Mengya: "I took the initiative to close the distance between us, but you changed the subject. I thought your attitude at the time was: [We should keep a certain distance]"

Her 'complaints' continued.

"Even when you spoke later, you only smiled half-smiled. If others didn't initiate conversation, you were like a wooden puppet. And also...!"

JK took a deep breath: "I said I was planning to visit some places I hadn't been to last time, shouldn't you have come and come with me?!"

Even if I don't cause trouble by myself, I still feel a little lonely.

Luo Tianming: "..."

From the moment he started to form his image of Nan Mengya, it began to crumble little by little.

I originally thought she was a high school girl who was aloof, had a poker face, and could even be described as cold, but it turns out... her true nature is more like that of an aggressive feline. If you ignore her, she will anxiously vent her resentment and then act like a spoiled child.

She's not the type to know how to maintain social distancing; given the chance, Nan Mengya will proactively close the distance.

Now, she is only 'one step away' from Luo Tianming.

Luo Tianming smiled wryly and said with a hint of helplessness, "...Actually, I thought you were the one who was actively distancing yourself from me, so I stepped back a little to avoid leaving a bad impression on you. After all, I'm an adult and I should take better care of you."

"Oh, I see."

Then, Nan Mengya took a step forward without hesitation and tried to tap Luo Tianming's arm with her finger.

"So, you don't dislike this level of closeness?"

Luo Tianming shook his head.

What man in the world would hate being cuddled by a JK (high school girl)? On the contrary, he was too concerned about keeping the secret before, which is why he overlooked Nan Mengya's desire to get closer.

"..."

By the time he realized it, Nan Mengya was already using his hand as a new toy.

They would occasionally compare the sizes, or study the differences between the lines on his palm and their own... The distance between them had changed from being extremely respectful to being able to touch each other without any hindrance.

The changes that occurred to Nan Mengya were only negligible.

But she is indeed more beautiful and charming than before.

Chapter 135 Double Agent

Since then, the two seem to have grown much closer.

This is obvious to anyone with eyes to see, even in everyday interactions:

In the morning, Nan Mengya would pat his shoulder twice with a "hey hey" sound, replacing her previous habit of saying good morning.

She then sat down next to Luo Tianming in the restaurant without any awkwardness, eating fried eggs and discussing what flavors he liked.

While waiting for her coffee after breakfast, she would stare blankly at Luo Tianming, and even try coffee, which she had never been interested in before, on a whim.

After someone points out that she's 'clinging too tightly,' Nan Mengya will reveal her cunning side and retort to Levi.

This sticky, gooey state will continue until everyone gets into the zone, and then there will be a brief respite once the voyage begins.

Then came Nan Mengya's even more aggressive and adorable offensive... She herself seemed completely unconcerned and hesitant about these attacks, without even realizing it.

For some reason, Luo Tianming himself was also inexplicably...

(Yesterday he was like a timid little deer, but today he's almost like a cat dozing on his lap.)

Moreover, if Luo Tianming glances at Nan Mengya unintentionally, for some reason she will definitely notice his gaze and smile at him the moment she turns her head.

"……captain?"

Nan Mengya's eyes were so close, appearing before him at an angle that seemed like she would kiss him at any moment, her pale pink lips vibrant and luscious.

However, what arrived before her lips was a chop to the neck.

"Hey hey~" She patted Luo Tianming's chest, her voice sounding like she was both sulking and scolding, "Captain~~... I was just telling you, let's get some other food on the ship, we have flour, eggs... we can make ramen and stuff, right?"

Hearing Nan Mengya's whimsical voice, Luo Tianming, with unwavering willpower, said:

"Leaving aside where we're going to find a suitable soup base, in this shaky state, do you really want to eat food with soup?"

"You'd better pray your face doesn't fall into the soup."

Nan Mengya pouted and said, "There's nothing I can do, the food here is just too monotonous~"

Luo Tianming could only lower his voice and say, "If we find a spot on the seabed tonight and moor the submarine there, we can probably start working on it."

"That's great!"

Nan Mengya happily ran to the kitchen... Luo Tianming was also able to catch his breath a little.

With a break, Luo Tianming switched the Nautilus to autopilot and opened the 'Captain's Log' with his other hand.

I have some free time now, so I'll take a look at that mission about the "double agent".

In fact, as early as when he accepted the guidance of the 'Master of Mischief' from the son of the Clown Mother, the journal in his arms already showed signs of mission completion.

However, because of Nan Mengya's matter, he didn't have time to look at that so-called special reward.

The display no longer shows 'Progress' but instead displays the word 'Completed'.

Luo Tianming wrote down the word "receive," and then... an unimaginable gift appeared.

[Mission: Double Agent (Completed, Perfect Progress) Reward Trait: [Double Agent] (Perfect)]

He hurriedly switched to the 'Management Master' interface to check out the newly acquired trait.

Trait: [Double Agent]

Nature: Exclusively for you.

Effects: Your physical abilities are enhanced, your coordination is greatly improved, and your speech...

"..."

The effects following this trait are so numerous they're practically stacked text, which is enough to prove how powerful this thing is; its effect is almost like an 'all-attribute booster'.

The following description reads: (You are the embodiment of James Bond [007].)

Luo Tianming thought for a moment: Who is James Bond? He can withstand explosions with his bare hands, jump directly from tall buildings, shoot, throw knives, fight in close combat, and drive various vehicles... His physical strength is probably comparable to Spider-Man's.

After acquiring this trait, Luo Tianming immediately put it to the test.

First, there's his sprinting ability... his short burst speed is comparable to the Olympic level in track and field, and his jumping ability has also improved significantly.

Next came his unarmed combat skills. Suddenly, many memories flooded Luo Tianming's mind, as if decades of muscle memory and experience honed by a martial artist had been poured into his body all at once.

He could fit into any action movie without looking out of place now.

If you add the bonus of being the 'son of the Clown Mother' and give him the ritual sword, he could probably slice the seaweed that broke into the submarine into sashimi in no time.

As for his marksmanship... seven or eight out of ten shots hit the target (meaning he can hit the target seven or eight times within a ten-meter range), it's as bad as ever. No matter what accuracy enhancement is applied, it only has half the effect on him. It seems he is destined to be a terrible marksman.

However, there is one good thing: his knife-throwing skills have reached a fairly high level.

The error within ten meters is at the millimeter level, and it can penetrate wooden boards; if precision is not a concern and the force is thrown with full force, it can penetrate steel plates less than two millimeters thick.

Of course, this kind of thing is much less effective in water.

Other similar concepts are buried deep in my memory and cannot be recalled unless needed.

Overall, this trait greatly enhanced his abilities.

It acts as a solid foundation connecting all abilities, enhancing the other traits as well.

The Nautilus's first priority after completing its mission was to return to the military site as soon as possible.

Soon after, Colonel Ivan from the intelligence department specifically instructed him to go over there first, as if... he had some questions he wanted to ask him in person.

"..."

He entered the colonel's office. This time, the female staff officer wasn't dressed up to seduce him like she had last time, but after Migra glanced at him, she seemed unable to look away.

"Lieutenant Luo~" Her heart raced. "Long time no see...you seem to have gotten more muscular?"

Seeing Luo Tianming's white shirt under his military uniform, Migra felt an urge to tear the buttons off for some reason.

"...Staff Officer Migra, are you alright? We haven't seen each other for only a week." Luo Tianming noticed that the female staff officer seemed a little unsteady.

"!"

However, his words had an effect as if by divine inspiration; Migra was immediately struck by the voice, and her mind was in turmoil.

(My chest feels so hot...)

(I always feel a dull ache down there...)

(I feel dizzy and so thirsty...)

Ignoring her eyes, which were practically sparkling with hearts, Luo Tianming kept a distance of more than two meters from the female staff officer as much as possible and slid into Ivan's small office by the side.

As soon as I entered, I heard the colonel sigh:

"Lieutenant Luo... perhaps we won't have to call you that anymore soon. Your rank will probably jump one level this time."

"However, before congratulating you, I'm still very curious: how exactly did you capture 'Yakov Subra'?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

Chapter 136 Doubt

He really wanted to say: Do you believe that the other party offered themselves up?

"..."

Unfortunately, this would not only disrupt the archbishop's plans, but also make the intelligence department suspect that Luo Tianming also had problems.

He answered expressionlessly:

"Colonel, I have reported everything to my superiors. If there are any doubts, they should interrogate the archbishop who has already been arrested, not me."

Colonel Ivan stared coldly at Luo Tianming. Although they disliked each other, they hadn't reached the point of open hostility.

"Lieutenant, I just wanted to know the specifics," the colonel said, pushing up his glasses as he suppressed his anger.

"Have you encountered anything strange? Any clues will do... I have no intention of doubting your contribution, it's just that this time it's too strange."

“We’ve put in so much effort to hunt down Yakov Subra before, but we didn’t get a single lead. This time, it’s like he delivered himself right to our doorstep… Lieutenant, don’t you think there’s something fishy going on here?”

Luo Tianming: "..."