Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

Fortunately, the medium-sized spot of light that appeared on the sonar system quickly disappeared, swimming away into the deep sea, with virtually no chance of ever returning.

It seems the other side was also frightened by the commotion caused by Revy's frenzied barrage of ammunition. Unsure of the other side's strength, it's best to proceed with caution... This is the 'Dark Forest Law' in Europa's ocean.

Startled, Luo Tianming wiped his sweat and turned on the radio on the dashboard, dialing the corresponding frequency as per the log.

He tried to contact the residential station.

Luo Tianming:

"Control tower... This is the Nautilus. The crisis has been averted. Which airlock connection should we proceed to?"

Control Tower: "..."

After a moment of silence, a voice came through the radio channel.

"This is the control tower. Thank you for your assistance... Please show your information. The site currently does not have your IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) information..."

Luo Tianming remained calm and composed, saying:

"Received from control tower... To reiterate: This is the 'Nautilus,' a T1-class survey submarine, under the command of Captain Luo Tianming, a third-class officer of the Europa Union. We are coming from the outpost."

"..."

Upon hearing this news, the control tower was clearly thrown into chaos:

"My God... an outpost?! Didn't news already come from there that the site was destroyed and the entire Alliance army was wiped out?"

Luo Tianming:

"That's right, we escaped from over there."

Are these people suspecting him of lying?

What if he's not allowed to stop here?

"..."

...Anyway, he had secretly made up his mind that he had to get supplies at this station no matter what, and if they didn't allow him to get close to the station...he would have to get supplies even if he had to steal them.

However, that was a last resort.

"..."

After a brief silence on the radio channel, a slightly aged voice came from the control tower:

"Welcome to Red Star Station. I am the stationmaster here, Soloviev... Nautilus, are you referring to Polaris Outpost as the outpost you mentioned?"

Luo Tianming:

“I don’t know about the North Star Outpost you’re talking about. I only know that this is the closest station to that outpost. We were attacked there by a Painted Skin Chimera, and all the Alliance soldiers were wiped out.”

"Only we can escape..."

Control Tower: "..."

"My God, you two are the sole survivors of that outpost, and you escaped from that monster single-handedly, and you even dared to fire at the Mother of the Crawlers just the two of you..."

After a moment of silence, the stationmaster spoke:

"Alright, well done, guys. Now move to airlock link number two and let's see what gift this 'jinx' has brought us."

Luo Tianming: "..."

Why does he feel like he's being disliked?

Chapter 16 Martial Arts Wonder

After the airlock connection between the submarine and the living quarters was completed, before Luo Tianming could even leave, a team of soldiers in hazmat suits were already waiting at the airlock.

"..."

Through conversation, they learned that:

Before Luo Tianming and his group entered the living quarters, the other party planned to thoroughly disinfect the submarine, which was expected to take 4 hours to clean every nook and cranny.

It's understandable that the other side would adopt such a wary stance, after all, Luo Tianming and his group came from that outpost that had already fallen.

Unlike outposts, this settlement is home to hundreds of civilians. If some disguised creature were to accidentally infiltrate, the entire settlement would be destroyed in no time.

As for disinfecting the submarine... Luo Tianming had no objection whatsoever; he just considered it hiring a group of cleaners to thoroughly clean the submarine from top to bottom.

However, the 6 tons of building materials brought from the outpost were immediately reported to their superiors by the disinfection team as soon as they discovered them in the warehouse.

A short while later, the same voice that had been heard on the radio channel before appeared again: the station chief of Red Star Station, Soloviev, was willing to pay 5000 marks for Luo Tianming to sell all of the building materials to them directly.

Luo Tianming, who was an expert in the Abyss Syndrome, knew that the price offered by the station manager was quite favorable. He probably bought the building materials at 0.5 times the market value because they had solved the problems near the station and urgently needed the materials.

5000 marks may not seem like much, but in terms of purchasing power: taking his current 'Nautilus' as an example, it cost about 8000 marks at the beginning, and then about 4000 marks were spent on adding various things later.

If he had that money, he could upgrade the Nautilus to a more advanced engine, or a hull that could reach the deep sea... or simply enjoy a year of comfortable, affluent living in the area.

Of course, in Europa—the Mark is merely a currency used by the alliance to anchor its value.

Europa's productivity is relatively low, and it can only rely on its own production and transport submarines at various closed sites to maintain the flow of goods.

This phenomenon results in different goods available for purchase in different regions, which in turn determines whether you are considered wealthy in that area.

For example, 5000 marks is a huge sum of money in a settlement like a residential station, where there are many vendors, a wide variety of retail goods, and numerous individual merchants. A good meal only costs a few dozen marks.

But when it came to military-controlled outposts and technology sites, 5000 marks would only make Luo Tianming drool over those advanced electromagnetic guns and railguns.

"..."

Putting all that aside... once they have the money, there are many more things they can do.

Currently, the Nautilus has no shortage of fuel. He scavenged a lot of unused uranium fuel rods from the outpost, enough to keep it afloat for more than a month.

The current shortages are ammunition, medicine, and... personnel.

Yes, the current manpower shortage is a problem that cannot be ignored.

There were only him and Levy on the Nautilus. They could complete the minimum operational tasks, but if either of them were missing, the submarine would have to be scrapped.

Therefore, they urgently needed a new crew member.

Luo Tianming had anticipated this situation, so he had already exchanged a special recruitment voucher when the ship sank.

Using this recruitment ticket will allow you to summon a character who meets Luo Tianming's job requirements.

"..."

However, we still need to discuss this with Levi.

-

"..."

"What's the point of discussing this... You are the captain, and you have the right to make all decisions on your own."

Levi was surprisingly easy to talk to.

"However," she changed the subject, swinging the modified, extended Beretta 92 in her hand, aiming it at the air as if to fire.

"The people you recruit should at least be sensible. If that guy doesn't know what's good for him, don't blame me for cracking her head open!"

Luo Tianming: "..."

He swallowed hard, knowing that Revy wasn't so easy to talk to.

If a newcomer annoys her, she might actually shoot them in the head.

Fortunately, he had impressed Levi from the very beginning; otherwise, he would be feeding the fish somewhere by now.

It seems that as the captain, he will likely have to mediate conflicts between each crew member in the future.

Luo Tianming pinched his temples, feeling a bit of a headache: "Don't come up here and threaten them with a gun."

"I told you, didn't I... This time we're recruiting a [ship's doctor]. The candidate might not be able to fight. What if you scare them off right away?"

"A ship's doctor?" Levi frowned in confusion. "Why would we need a doctor? Nobody here is sick."

Luo Tianming: "...Didn't I already explain this to you?...Wait? You weren't so focused on counting pearls that you didn't hear a word, were you?"

Levi picked at her ear in an unseemly manner: "I was hired by you to be in charge of security. As for personnel management, trade routes, and foreign negotiations, those are your job. I have no interest in them."

"By the way, why do we have to hire a ship's doctor? Wouldn't it be better to hire a bodyguard instead? Ideally, someone who can carry heavy weapons and provide cover for me."

Luo Tianming: "..."

He glanced at Levi, his meaning clear: the ship already had enough firepower; if another violent individual skilled in heavy weapons joined the fray, he would be in serious trouble.

However, considering that she was on his side, Luo Tianming continued to explain: "Originally, the most urgent need on the ship was not a ship's doctor, but an engineer."

"As a mediocre mechanic, I can handle repairing electrical wires and minor malfunctions. But if the ship's engine or power supply breaks down, I'm completely helpless."

“However, there’s something more dangerous than the engine breaking down... You haven’t forgotten how we took turns getting injured and unconscious, and all we could do was keep the submarine stationary, have you?”

Levi: "..."

Luo Tianming: "We were lucky both times. If we had made even the slightest mistake, we would have been fish food."

"The reason we chose to recruit a ship's doctor was to give us an extra layer of insurance."

"With a ship's doctor present, no matter how serious the injury, at least the patient won't die on the spot. With professional treatment, they can at least hold on until the submarine sails to another station for further treatment, giving us more room for error."

"..."

After hearing this reason, even Levi had nothing to say.

Luo Tianming took out the 'Captain's Log' again and wrote the words '[Lottery]' below the special recruitment ticket.

At the same time, he silently prayed: 'Please, find a skilled and reliable doctor, preferably one who can adapt to changing circumstances and has strong research capabilities. There are too many monsters and demons on Europa; it would be best if they had some understanding of special diseases.'

"..."

As he silently prayed, almost as if making a wish, the special recruitment ticket on the log disappeared as it was used, and a beam of light appeared in the air.

Then, what appeared in that light was a female doctor wearing a white coat and red manicured nails, holding a coffee cup.

Luo Tianming was almost dumbfounded when he saw her.

Simply because—beneath the white coat that symbolized her identity as a doctor, she was wearing a punk outfit, with a studded choker around her neck, black eyeshadow on her face, and a pair of sky-high heels on her feet…

The other party's identity was becoming increasingly obvious: it was Takemi Myo from Persona, whom Luo Tianming knew!

She glanced at the two of them briefly, then said in a slightly more mature tone, "...Are you two cosplaying?"

Chapter 17 Wonderful!

(How should the title be punctuated?)

…………

Levi: "Huh?"

Seeing Levi's dumbfounded expression, Takemi seemed to find it amusing, and she said in a knowing tone:

"Ah, sorry...you guys are doing that kind of thing, right? You know, the kind of playful sexual activity between young couples?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

Wu Jianmiao's sharp tongue perfectly triggered every nerve in Levi's body. He could even see the muscles on the back of Levi's hand twitching abnormally, and he couldn't stop her in time.

Levi immediately drew her gun, pointed it at Wu Jianmiao's head, disengaged the safety with her thumb, and said angrily:

"OK! So... I can just shoot your head off, right? Don't blame me—you asked for it!"

Takemi Megumi met his gaze with unwavering confidence, her slanted eyes revealing a hint of unease: "Heh~ what an interesting way to greet someone..."

At this crucial moment, Luo Tianming stepped in the middle, blocking the view of Levi and Wu Jianmiao, and at the same time exuded the authority of a captain, saying:

"Have you all made enough of a scene?!"

The two women: "Hmph..."

Seriously... if the captain doesn't show his power, they all treat me like I'm invisible?

I'll teach you both a lesson sooner or later, so you'll never be able to ignore me, your captain, again!

Luo Tianming thought irresponsibly.

Then, he looked at Takemi Mio again...

Miaomiao... ah no, Dr. Wujian was an unexpected surprise.

Anyone who knows the game Persona knows this punk female doctor.

She possesses exceptional medical skills and can even concoct various miraculous medicines herself. Beneath her serious exterior lies a gentle heart that cares deeply for her patients.