RC 891-900 (Patreon)

RRC 891-900

Chapter 91: Order?

Everyone in the family brought their own replacement clothes, except for CAWS. She only had this set of equipment when she went on a mission and no other daily necessities, so she could only borrow a set of clothes from Renate.

Well, it fit well in general, but the upper body was a little loose...

CAWS didn't care about this minor detail but turned her head to look at the body she had changed into...

It was exactly the same as her own: the clothes, the hairstyle... At that moment, the body was leaning on the chair, closing its eyes as if it had fallen asleep.

"Um..." CAWS wanted to ask if there was still a mind in this body, but when the words came to her lips, she couldn't bring herself to ask. Instead, she pointed at the body and said, "Um, what should we do with the old body?"

"Well? It's up to you. You can send it directly to the factory department for disassembly, keep the neural core as a souvenir, or even take the whole thing back to your dormitory and keep it as a pillow," Renate waved her hand and replied.

At the same time, she felt somewhat fortunate that her previous body had already been disassembled and recycled by the technical department of Statesec. Otherwise, if she had to look at her own body, she really couldn't bear to send hef original body into the disassembly machine.

It felt like "I killed myself," which was quite scary.

"How about it? Should we dismantle it and keep the core? Or should we move the whole thing back to the dormitory?"

"I..."

As if she sensed CAWS's hesitation, Renate raised her eyebrows. This Doll was really a little different. Maybe it was just because she had recently arrived at Renault and didn't know much about it and the technology in their possession.

So she didn't quite believe it.

"Well, there's no need to rush to make a decision. Renault is not that strict. Of course, except for some aspects. If you can't decide on this kind of thing, let's talk about it later. For now, let's go outside with the others to adapt to your new body, so you don’t accidentally hit your forehead with the spoon when eating."

Hitting the forehead... is it really that exaggerated...

Snap!

Just as she thought about it, CAWS slapped her head too hard and her head buzzed!

"See? That’s what I meant. I wanted to scratch my head, but I raised my hand too quickly and ended up slapping myself. You don’t want to be thrown out of the restaurant by G36 because of excessive force, do you?"

"Why is that? After changing bodies, there should be at least some debugging, right?"

"You can't ask me; how would I know what Renault is thinking? But don’t worry, you’ll adapt quickly. It’s not difficult. You can’t be slower than Cream, Puff and Cookie, the three cats, right?"

Renate pulled up the corner of her mouth and chuckled.

In fact, compared with other Dolls, the speed at which the three IDWs adapt to their new bodies is definitely among the best of all Dolls; it can even be said to be the fastest. The reason may be that part of their minds retains 'animal instinct.'

The process of adapting to the new body was, naturally, uneventful. The time CAWS took adapting was still within the normal range. After falling twice and nearly poking her eyes with her fingers several times, she finally adapted to this overly sensitive new body.

It was completely different from her original body. Whether it was vision, smell, touch, or any other sense, everything was on a different level than her original form. She now felt as if the barrier between herself and the world had been forcibly torn away.

Everything she felt at that moment was the real world.

Seeing that CAWS and the other Dolls had initially adapted to their new bodies, Renate did not let them stay outside for too long.

This was just a preliminary adaptation. It was enough to ensure that their movements didn’t get out of control. The rest required the Dolls to adapt slowly through life and training.

...

"Regarding the Paradeus mentioned by AR15, why do I always this word feels a little familiar? Does this force really exist?"

On the other side, Gentiane, who heard the word "Paradeus" from AR15, felt as if she had heard this term somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where for the moment.

"Force? Well, I also... no, I really know about a force also called Paradeus... that may be a little different from the one described by AR15..." RO635 suddenly raised her head and said uncertainly after hearing this.

"Oh?" Hearing this, even Kalina, who was processing documents in the carriage, looked up at RO635 curiously, wondering where RO had heard of this force called Paradeus. "Why is it different?"

"Uh, it seems that Paradeus is a new church. There was news on TV that they are extremely opposed to various technological products..."

"Ah..." Hearing RO635's words, Gentiane and the others were left with question marks, and their brains felt a little confused.

"It should just be a coincidence that they have the same name, right?" Gentiane scratched her head in frustration. The data and pictures sent by AR15 before proved that the unknown force AR15 and others encountered in Renault must be an organization with high-tech capabilities. Otherwise, the beam weapons, the individual jet devices, and the force shields on the enemies can't be explained at all.

It can't be that a group of guys who reject technology suddenly pull out a high-performance mech from behind, right? That would be a bit too inconsistent.

M16 narrowed her eyes, frowned, and scratched her forehead. She thought it would be better if Angelia were here so she could ask her if there was any relevant information.

Griffin's intelligence network is not very useful when facing the Sangvis Ferri, let alone when trying to find out about other forces.

Well, if WaveTech controlled by Sir Griffin could find out something, but obviously, Sir Griffin would definitely not provide them with intelligence support now. After all, they hadn't even seen Paradeus yet.

What’s more, Renault and the others were a long distance away from where they were now. There was no reason for those guys described by AR15 to suddenly jump out to deal with them, an inconspicuous security contractor, right?

They were just a security contractor who had been driven out of their original sphere of influence. What was there to worry about?

Although AR15 reminded them to be cautious of the force called Paradeus, those individuals shouldn’t have any connection with Griffin, right?

Pah! Pah!

"Okay! Instead of worrying about Paradeus, shouldn’t you think about what our new base looks like?"

Kalina clapped her hands, waking everyone from their thoughts, and pointed at the car window.

"Huh? Have we arrived!?" Hearing this, Gentiane, who had been frowning, suddenly felt a surge of happiness. She quickly jumped to the car window, trying to glimpse the scenery outside and see what the base that Kalina mentioned looked like.

But as she leaned against the window, she didn’t see any buildings resembling a base. Instead, she saw an abandoned defense structure surrounded by some dilapidated camping tents.

Although she couldn’t see the appearance of the base, Gentiane had a guess in her mind. If nothing unexpected happened...

"Will this new base be underground again?"

With twitching eyes, Gentiane couldn’t understand why Griffin liked to set up bases underground.

The base in the S09 area had been like that before, dozens of meters underground. Now, another new base was underground? Did they think they were moles?

"Yeah, that’s right—15 meters underground. According to the funding provider, the base built this way is not only safe but also well concealed. There’s no need to worry about large-scale attacks..."

Kalina awkwardly pulled the corners of her mouth. Even she didn’t believe what she was saying.

Would it really not be attacked underground? She hadn’t forgotten how the underground base in the S09 area had almost been breached by the Sangvis Ferri Force.

If it weren’t for the rigid tactics of the Sangvis Ferri Dolls, she might have ended up as a corpse lying in a cheap cemetery.

"Forget it; there’s no point in complaining about this kind of thing. What about the facilities in the base? Are there any power facilities or other basic infrastructure?"

"Everything is available. Oh, it seems there’s also the large server that Miss Persica has been thinking about. It was sent here by Mr. Havier in advance."

"What? A large server!?" Although Kalina’s voice wasn’t loud, Persica still heard it. She pushed the compartment door of the carriage open and asked Kalina with wide eyes.

"Yes, yes, but calm down! We have to wait until we see the specific situation..." Gentiane sighed helplessly, holding Persica who had dark circles under her eyes.

Putting aside the problem of the base, just the area alone was giving Gentiane some bad premonitions.

This area wasn’t a green zone; it was located in a yellow zone, still a long way from the green zone. In such a place, there would likely be a lot of trouble, and the commissions available would definitely not be easy tasks.

...

"Delivery? It's not impossible, but right now, the flight permit from Universal Anything isn’t very useful. If you can get a normal entry permit, there won’t be any problem," Helian said, scratching her cheek awkwardly.

Although it seemed like she was asking Mrs. Graven to help find a solution to the flight permit issue, Helian couldn’t think of any other way at the moment.

The connections accumulated by Griffin before were not very useful for Renault's current business, and she had left Griffin. After her departure, most of those relationships had lost their value.

After all, what others valued was the reputation of Griffin & Kryuger, which had nothing to do with her, Helianthus.

"Well, this is a problem..." Mrs. Graven frowned. It was a bit difficult to deal with. After all, Renault's spacecraft was now a key target of attention. If anyone gave Renault a usable pass without reason, it would probably lead to some troublesome situations.

"What about the black market trading point? The black market shouldn't have any concerns about this, right?" Just as Mrs. Graven was pondering, a voice that sounded a bit gloomy suddenly came through the phone.

Hearing this voice, Helian frowned in surprise. She hadn’t expected someone else to be with Mrs. Graven.

"Who is this?" Helian asked, a bit puzzled.

"I am Leone from the Flora Biotechnology Research Institute. By chance, I heard from Mrs. Graven that your company sells top-quality biological products, so I asked her to help me purchase a batch."

Before Mrs. Graven could respond, the somewhat low voice hurriedly continued.

"Top-quality biological products?" Hearing this term, Helian was taken aback. She was struggling to comprehend what the other party was talking about.

"Could it refer to the vegetables we sell?" Seeing Helian’s confusion, M1 Garand, who was sitting next to her, put down her fork and said with a strange look on her face.

Realizing what she meant, Helian responded, "Uh, are you talking about the fruits and vegetables we sell?"

"Yes! That’s right! Exactly!" Leone exclaimed, her tone suddenly upbeat. Then she started spouting a series of technical terms that left Helian feeling dazed.

Even Renault who was sitting next to her raised her eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t expected that after only selling them once and sending some to Mrs. Graven, the special qualities of these vegetables had attracted attention from others.

But that was to be expected. After all, high-quality fruits and vegetables weren’t cheap these days, so it was no surprise that someone would care.

Of course, Renault didn’t think much of it since most of the ingredients and fruits and vegetables sold were fresh products with limited shelf life. Even if someone noticed something unusual about them, it would be unrealistic for anyone to want to hoard them for personal consumption.

Besides, the effects of these vegetables were far from threatening the safety of the world. At most, they could slightly enhance the physical condition of the eater, but they had to be consumed over a long period.

Of course, the function of suppressing collapse radiation was still there. It was likely that this person named Leone had noticed this and decided to inquire. Aside from that, Renault couldn’t think of any other reason why a researcher from a biological research institute would be interested in some ordinary fruits and vegetables.

"Sorry, if it’s for research purposes, I must inform you that we cannot agree. The products we sell are just ordinary food and do not possess the magical effects you described, Miss Leone."

Although Renault didn’t care, Helian was internally overwhelmed. If Leone hadn’t mentioned it on the phone, she would never have realized that these crops planted on the spacecraft had so many functions!

No wonder she felt stronger! She had thought she was just tired before!

---

Chapter 92:

What to do?

Holding the microphone of her mobile phone, Helian turned her head and silently asked Renault for guidance.

Although she had clearly stated that her products could not be sold to biological research institutes for experiments, she could tell from Leone’s tone that the other party would not give up easily.

The enthusiasm in Leone’s voice suggested that even without seeing her expression, Helian could roughly guess how eager she was.

"Wait! You know, if the principles behind the effects of these crops can be studied, once it is popularized, it could change the world..." Before Renault could respond, Leone shouted anxiously from the other end of the line.

Leone wasn’t aware of the effects these crops had on enhancing the body, but she had seen with her own eyes a patient with mild ELID who ate an apple core found in a trash can, and the symptoms that were about to worsen were controlled in no time!

It was nothing short of a miracle! What kind of apple could suppress the onset of ELID symptoms just by eating the core? Moreover, if eating an apple core could stabilize the symptoms, what if someone consumed a whole apple? Wouldn't it potentially cure ELID directly!?

After that, although Leone didn’t abandon her original research on Epiphyllum, she redirected most of her energy toward tracing the origin of the apple core. With the help of the Galatea Corporation’s channels, Leone spent a long time tracking it down. After all, the source of the apple core was merely a public garbage dump, and even the Galatea Corporation had to expend considerable effort to identify where it had come from.

Given that they were in the same city, Leone knew she would have never found the apple’s origin otherwise. But she wouldn’t give up easily. That apple could be considered a golden apple. If other forces discovered its effects, the regular army might have to intervene.

"Effect? What effect are you referring to?" Renault took the phone from Helian and asked the other party while eating. He was capable of improving the gene sequence of crops and fixing specific effects, so he didn’t need the other party to conduct research.

"Ah... uh? You know, that kind of effect that can inhibit or even cure ELID..."

Hearing this, Leone was taken aback. What did the other party mean by this?

Could it be...? Had they been able to directly extract the special substance that was targeted and effective?

If that were the case, then the anti-radiation special effect preparation that the Galatea Corporation had invested countless resources into researching, which had only recently begun trial production, would be left far behind!

Although she didn’t know whether the special medicine named "Eden" was as effective as the Galatea Corporation advertised, she had witnessed the effects of the apple firsthand!

"That sounds good. How much do you need?" Renault nodded in agreement without hesitation.

He wasn’t worried at all about these crops being taken for research or resale. If he were concerned, he wouldn’t have offered them for sale in the first place. After all, they were just ordinary crops. Even if humans consumed them, the physical enhancement would be minimal. Not everyone could eat them as often as Helian and her colleagues.

The physical enhancement could, at best, improve an individual’s overall condition to one or two times the limit of an ordinary human. It was impossible to achieve greater results, especially if the consumer was careful about their diet.

If someone bought it as a luxury and consumed it sparingly instead of using it as a staple, the strengthening effect would be limited.

As for the transportation issue, it would be fine to use a gunship. The nearest black market base wasn’t too far; it could make the trip in just a few hours.

"Eh, eh!?" Hearing Renault say this, Helian felt puzzled.

Was it really okay to sell it like this and let others study it?

Renault waved his hand dismissively, not feeling the need to explain. He could clarify everything after he hung up the phone.

"One! No! Two tons!" Leone exclaimed excitedly when she heard Renault's promise.

"That's too little; it’s not worth a trip." Renault frowned. When he learned that Leone was from a biological research institute, he had expected her to request more. But it turned out to be only two tons?

He could easily fit the gunship two boxes of supplies—not even enough to clear his inventory. How could it justify sending a Doll to make a separate trip?

"Ah, no... then..." Leone hesitated, "How about the price?"

If the other party asked for too much, she wouldn’t have enough funds to purchase more.

The institute's budget had nearly been depleted, and the money for those two tons came from her own small savings. If the price was higher, she might not be able to afford it! How could such valuable materials for research be cheap!?

"According to the current highest price for fruits and vegetables."

Wait, fruits and vegetables? Is he serious?

Leone, who had expected Renault to demand an outrageous price, was now questioning her sanity.

Did the other party not recognize the value of this crop that could inhibit ELID symptoms? This was something that biological research institutes worldwide would scramble for!

Even though the price of fresh fruits and vegetables was indeed high—so much so that ordinary people could hardly afford them—it was still the price of food, and it couldn’t be much higher in the market. At the very least, it couldn’t reach the same price point as medical reagents!

If that were the case, then she might be able to...

"Then... how about 30 tons?"

"Let’s make do. G36, count the vegetables and fruits in stock that no one wants to eat in the warehouse and have the Rippers help load them into the container."

"Gah..." Hearing Renault’s blunt words, Leone’s thanks got stuck in her throat, overwhelmed by her own scream.

Fortunately, Renault didn’t seem to care, and Helian next to him rubbed her eyebrows in disbelief. After all, Renault was indifferent to the additional effects of those crops; he simply viewed them as a burden taking up storage space.

"The price is set. We’ll deliver the goods to the nearest black market stronghold. Of course, the shelf life of these items isn’t very long, so you’d better contact a logistics company. We’re not responsible for home delivery."

"Ahem, okay, okay! I understand!" Leone couldn’t help but wave her arms excitedly upon hearing this, while Mrs. Graven beside her shook her head in amusement.

She thought it was a big deal, but in the end, she just wanted to buy vegetables from Renault. She didn’t expect that the security contractor had already started doing something else.

However, if Renault can sell in large quantities, the money earned would indeed far exceed what the security contractor could make.

If she had the opportunity, she might be able to collaborate with Renault. After all, she may not have an airplane, but acquiring a cargo ship shouldn’t be a problem.

After greeting Mrs. Graven, Renault handed the details over to Helian. There wasn’t much to do—just sign an electronic contract and agree on the delivery date.

Compared to being a busy butler at Griffin, Renault's job was easier.

When she was in Griffin, it was challenging for her to delegate tasks to other Dolls.

But things were different for Renault. He had G36, M1 Garand, Springfield, P1911, and BM59 at his disposal. As long as they weren't Dolls who slacked off all day, they could share some of the workload.

Helian felt no pressure. Although it sounded a bit like she was a hands-off boss, in reality, once the work was distributed, the tasks assigned to the Dolls were far from “heavy.”

“If we sell those crops like this, will there be any negative effects?”

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like we haven’t sold them before. If anyone wanted to check, they would have already found out. As for the effects that woman mentioned, they definitely exist, but that’s about it.”

Although the crops grow on a fungal mat, they are not contagious. They aren’t biological weapons; they merely absorb nutrients from the mat.

While the Dolls nearby were listening to the conversation, they didn’t pay much attention. At most, they thought there would soon be an opportunity for fieldwork. Those Dolls eager to go to the black market would surely find a way to persuade Renault to add them to the fieldwork list.

Dolls who didn’t want to move were considering whether there was anything they wanted to buy, intending to ask those going on fieldwork to get it for them.

“P226, how is your gunship driving coming along? Have you passed the test? There aren’t many opportunities to go out on field duty. If you miss it, you might have to wait a long time,” P90 said, poking P226, who was indulging in desserts.

“Well, eh? I think I’ve passed the test. Wz.29 said my driving skills are good, but my mentality still needs work. However, I can drive steadily! Even if I’m bombarded, I won’t panic!”

“Well, forget it. After all, we’re going to the black market. That place is definitely not safe, and the probability of something going wrong is still quite high. You might have to deal with situations you’ve never encountered before.” Wz.29 shook her head.

The implication was clear: P226's current level wasn’t sufficient to handle such a complex situation.

It was a pity that Griffin had allowed this little one to pilot a transport plane. If it weren’t for the preset driving module, P226 would never have been able to be a transport plane pilot in her current state.

“Well... okay.” P226 nodded in resignation upon hearing Wz.29's words.

Seeing the pitiful expression on P226's face, Wz.29 sighed. “Forget it; let’s see what the commander arranges. If you want to go, I can accompany you.”

The driver at home, SPAS-12, was responsible for operating the original gunship. Although Simonov had driven the new gunship, she often took a few sips of wine when no one was watching. This was true at home, so if she were to go to the black market base, it would be even worse.

As for why she needed to drive the new gunship? Of course, it was because the new gunship had a larger load capacity; the weapons on it were simplified. In addition to a cannon, there were no other weapons.

While the firepower wasn’t reduced, the overall weight of the gunship was decreased by at least 20 tons. This way, it could still transport 30 tons of cargo without any issue.

“Really?!” P226 jumped up from her seat in surprise. After training for so long, she finally had a chance to touch the gunship's controls again! If she weren’t allowed to try it out, she would truly begin to doubt whether she was suited for the job of a driver.

The discussions among the Dolls didn’t affect Renault's decision; there was nothing to decide. Plenty of Dolls were available for dispatch. It was just important to ensure that the number of reliable Dolls exceeded the number of troublemakers. Even if it were one-on-one, the troublesome ones could be kept in check. Moreover, the Dolls would not agree to let unreliable individuals go out on field duty. If no one was in charge, how would they manage the requests for the items they wanted the Field Dolls to purchase?

G36 was very clear about the situation in the warehouse, especially regarding those types of vegetables that no one usually cared about. After all, Leone hadn’t specified types of crops at the beginning, and the effects of these crops were similar, so it wouldn’t matter what they sent.

“Come to think of it, does bitter melon really taste bitter?” a Ripper asked curiously while looking at the bitter melon label on a supply box.

“Of course it does! Very bitter!”

“How do you know?”

“Jaeger shared simulation data with me! It’s absolutely inedible! Too bitter!”

The Ripper chatted while working, packing all the vegetables into the container. Finally, she only needed to let the gunship lift it and fly it to the black market base.

But of course, it wouldn’t be immediate; it would be delayed for nearly a week. If nothing unexpected happened, the woman named Leone should be planning to go to the black market to receive the goods herself.

It was tough for that woman. She had spent most of her life conducting research in the institute, but now she had to venture into the yellow zone and visit a dangerous place like the black market.

As for the personnel going out on the field this time, as expected, P226 took the lead, and Wz.29 assumed the co-pilot position.

Later, PK, WA2000, and Stg-44 set off with the gunship.

They didn’t bring along any unreliable individuals—not one.

“WA2000, don’t forget my stuff! Remember to help me find it!”

“And me!”

“My, my!”

“Hey! Stop shouting! I know! Can’t you just call me when the time comes? It’s not like we can’t get in touch!” WA2000 shouted helplessly, glancing at Springfield with some frustration.

You know, originally these tasks were all Springfield's responsibility... Why did she have to push herself to take the lead?

---

Chapter 93

"Help, help, help, help!"

"Anyway, I'll leave all the items on this list to you, WA2000. Remember to call me when you get to the black market."

"Got it." WA2000, with a flushed face, curled her lips in dissatisfaction. But in fact, she was not opposed to being able to go out for a walk; it was just that these guys wanted to buy too many things, right?

With the black market coordinates found by MDR, there was no need to worry about not being able to find the place.

Then, the gunship slowly took off under the gaze of a group of Dolls, carrying the container hanging under the fuselage, and flew toward the direction of the black market base.

"How long will we fly?" Looking at PK, who didn't speak, and Stg-44, who was still wiping the seat with disinfectant wipes, WA2000 felt that she needed to say something; otherwise, she couldn't just keep silent all the way, right?

PK's personality hasn't changed much even after coming to Renault...

"Well, according to the coordinates, it should only take 30 minutes to get there, but we need to pass through an air defense zone on the way, and we don't know if we will be attacked." Looking at wz.29 sitting in the co-pilot seat, P226 breathed a sigh of relief and raised her hand to wipe the sweat nervously.

She was not only sweating on her face but also on her palms. After changing bodies, this new form fully displayed her anxiety and nervousness.

Wz.29, who was sitting next to her, holding her forehead straight. This girl, who was always nervous, may not be able to change his personality. The only way to make her successful in the job of a driver was probably through a lot of actual practice.

Although the training in the simulator was also very realistic, there were still differences. At least there wouldn't be the same doll sitting next to or standing behind him, reminding P226 that this was really the real world.

"Woo wow..." Seeing P226 sweating profusely, WA2000 couldn't help but look at wz.29 worriedly, but wz.29 also knew what she was worried about and immediately shook her head gently, indicating that WA2000 had better not disturb P226.

WA2000 could only shake her head helplessly. It seemed that she had better not disturb P226, lest this girl drove the gunship into someone else's air defense zone out of nervousness.

If it was attacked, the gunship would probably be fine, but the container hanging under the gunship might not be.

It was an ordinary container moved from the industrial park. Although it was strong, it didn't seem to have any bulletproof or anti-gun functions.

Their main task this time was to transport the box of goods to the black market and then hand it over to the people from the Flora Biological Research Institute. They couldn't mess up the task because of the awkward atmosphere.

When WA2000 turned around, Stg-44 had already cleaned the seat, but WA2000 always felt that this was a bit unnecessary; after all, there was no dust inside the gunship.

"Stg-44, is there anything you want to buy this time?" Facing PK who was holding a gun and not talking, it was obviously easier to start with Stg-44.

"Well, not for now, but I can go around later. I am a little worried about the hygiene conditions over there in the black market..." Stg-44 shook her head and said. The black market didn't sound very clean, and most of the black market bases that she had been to before were also dirty and messy.

Adding to the various people of unknown origin, Stg-44 was also a little worried whether she could adapt to the environment over there. If it was really too bad, then she would better stay on the gunship... Although it would definitely take WA2000 a lot of time to purchase various items for the other Dolls, it was safer to stay in the cabin than to encounter those scenes that could give her goosebumps just by seeing them.

Of course, she wasn't that fragile. If there was really a problem, even if she felt uncomfortable, she'd still help. At worst, she'd soak in the bathtub for a whole day after returning...

"Well, that's a problem..." Hearing Stg-44 say this, WA2000's eyes twitched. She had promised Springfield that she would definitely help buy all the things the Dolls needed.

In this way, it was inevitable to go back and forth in the black market.

"If you buy something, you should put it in the cabin, right?" Just when WA2000 was having a headache, PK, who hadn't spoken before, suddenly asked. Her eyes still on the steel cables and safety buckles on the ground.

Generally, the cargo is directly loaded into the general material box and then fixed to the cabin floor with ropes and safety buckles, and they sit on both sides of the cabin.

If necessary, the seats on both sides need to be folded up to create more space for the cargo in the middle.

"Yes, is there any problem?" WA2000 was relieved when she heard PK suddenly speak up. After all, she was very stressed that there was a guy who kept a straight face and didn't speak among the people traveling with her.

"I just thought, where should I put the things I bought so that they won't get dirty?" PK looked at it thoughtfully. The floor would definitely not work. The seats would probably be piled with boxes and other things.

Then, she feared there would only be the top of the head...

While thinking, PK also looked up, and after seeing the safety buckles on the cabin ceiling, his eyes lit up. "Can things be hung on the top of the cabin?"

"Yes, it's fine as long as it's fixed, but it's better not to hang any fragile items on it; it would be bad if they fell down accidentally." WA2000 nodded. She had asked M1 Garand before setting off.

Although it was definitely not possible in other transport aircraft, it was no problem for gunships. After all, Dolls were not fragile humans, and it wouldn't be a big deal even if they were hit.

Of course, if possible, it should be avoided as much as possible. After all, under normal circumstances, no one would be willing to hang a large box weighing one or two tons over their heads. Isn't that just asking for trouble?

"Well, it shouldn't be very heavy." PK also nodded with confidence.

"Not heavy?"

"Yes, it should be very light." PK nodded, his eyes curving unconsciously. She took out her mobile phone, opened a picture, and held it in front of WA2000.

"Huh? This is? A doll?" Seeing the picture on the phone, WA2000 was stunned at first and then looked up at PK sitting opposite her in disbelief.

She can't tell... Who would have thought that PK, who is usually cold and silent, actually likes this kind of furry thing?

"Oh, this... it doesn't look cheap, right?" Stg-44 also came over and raised her eyebrows as she spoke.

"Well, it's expensive, but I should have enough money if the other party doesn't refuse to sell it or raises the price."

I'm afraid that the black market merchants will raise the price when they see that she is a Doll...

"It's okay! If the other party is a black-hearted merchant! Don't be polite then! Bargain hard!"

It seemed that they had found a common topic. The three Dolls sitting in the cabin started chatting.

Wz.29, in the co-pilot seat, felt relieved when they saw this. As long as these three didn't affect P226's driving, it would be fine.

She didn't want to end up with near-destruction of the plane and the death of people on the first mission.

Under the full speed of the gunship, thirty minutes passed quickly. The journey went smoothly as they passed along the edge of the air defense zone, without alarming the anti-aircraft defenses in the area, nor being bombarded without reason.

However, upon arriving at the location of the black market, P226 found the situation a bit embarrassing.

"What should I do? wz.29, there seems to be no place for the gunships to land here."

The location of the black market was neither a city nor a town, not even a small village. It was a small canyon in the wilderness. The black market vendors had dug many caves into the rock walls at the bottom of the canyon to serve as stores. At the bottom of the canyon, there was not even ground—only a turbulent river.

"This..." This was a bit troublesome. wz.29 hadn't expected the black market base to be so unique. Were these vendors not afraid of falling into the water one day?

"Then how do these vendors and customers get in?" WA2000 also leaned against the porthole, looking at the top of the canyon with surprise. In this kind of terrain, the entrance had to be either above or below. It couldn't be that everyone coming to the black market was like them, driving flying gunships.

"Forget it; don't worry about the entrance to the black market. I'll call Helian to ask about the situation. P226, you hover nearby."

This place obviously did not welcome guests approaching from the air; otherwise, there would be a tower or temporary air traffic control personnel to initiate communication through a public channel.

Or perhaps the people in this black market base had not noticed the arrival of the gunship at all?

It was not impossible. The gunship was not loud, and combined with the sound of the rushing water in the canyon below, it was not surprising that the noise at the top of the canyon went unheard.

Wz.29 soon received a response from Helian, instructing them to contact the buyer first. They could search for the entrance to the black market later, even if it couldn't be found this time. Anyway, it only took 30 minutes for the gunship to fly over; the dolls could come here every day for shopping.

Wz.29 turned around and dialed the phone number left by Leone. This number should be a satellite phone, assuming nothing unexpected had happened. It was a device from a long time ago, which could only be used after the collapse particle cloud had slightly decreased recently. However for Renault's mobile phone, it made no difference, as it could be dialed from both the red zone and the green zone.

"Hello, we are Renault Security Contracting Firm. We have arrived near the designated black market. Please inform us of your location so that we can land."

"Huh!? Coming soon? I'm... I'm... where is this?"

After wz.29 finished speaking, Leone's confused question came from the receiver. Of course, it was not directed at wz.29 but rather at her assistant who was with her.

Hearing this, wz.29 and WA2000, who were listening, exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.

Who was this person? Was she really reliable? She didn’t even know where she was!

Fortunately, there was someone more competent on the other end. Not long after, the person who answered the phone changed. It sounded like a serious woman, and her tone resembled Helian's. But that didn't matter. The important thing was that the other party clearly stated the entrance location of the black market base: a tunnel three kilometers away from their current location...

"A tunnel? No wonder we can't see the entrance here. It seems that others enter through the tunnel. But the location of this tunnel is a bit too strange, right?"

Three kilometers was not far for a gunship; it only took about a minute. However, when P226 controlled the gunship to fly toward the entrance of the black market, what greeted them was not the contact of the buyer, but a series of RPGs!

"Be careful!" Seeing the RPGs flying toward the gunship with trailing flames, wz.29 screamed immediately.

"Eh! Eh!?"

This time, however, it was probably P226's delayed reaction that played a significant role.

Because there was no time to slow down, the RPGs didn’t catch up with the gunship at all and were left far behind!

After spinning a few times in the sky, the RPGs fell to the ground powerlessly.

"What? What's going on? Aren't those people below the buyers? Or are the buyers planning to rob us this time?" Seeing that the gunship had avoided the RPGs, WA2000 breathed a sigh of relief, but also frowned.

According to Helian, the buyer had already paid a 30% deposit and would pay the full balance after seeing the goods. Moreover, the buyer was introduced by Mrs. Graven, so he naturally understood the combat effectiveness of Renault. It was unlikely that such irrational behavior of robbing thieves would occur.

"It should be people from the black market. Maybe those buyers leaked the news." Stg-44 also frowned and looked down. Those guys holding weapons looked wild at first glance, somewhat similar to the scavengers they had encountered before.

Could it be that they were ambushing near the black market to rob those who came to buy goods? Surely they wouldn't directly attack a gunship, right?

"Over there, there’s a car being chased down below." PK pointed down and then shared the picture he saw with the others through the communication protocol.

In the location PK mentioned, there was not just one car being chased but actually a convoy, with a hardtop off-road vehicle at the front that looked very new and likely quite valuable.

Behind this car were two heavy trucks, but one had already overturned on the side of the road, while the other was desperately trying to avoid being attacked by scavengers in off-road vehicles on both sides.

Unfortunately, these scavengers, who were clearly not amateurs, quickly overwhelmed the unarmed trucks. After just over ten seconds, the trucks began to slow down, veering off the shoulder at a bend before crashing into a rock wall!

"I'll call the buyer." Wz.29 immediately took out her mobile phone anxiously and dialed the number from earlier.

"Help, help, help, help--!" But as soon as the call connected this time, the Dolls in the cabin heard an urgent cry for help from the receiver!

"Well, it seems so. The unlucky guy being hunted down below should be the buyer this time... What’s wrong with this woman? Why did she get targeted by those scavengers?"

---

Chapter 94: A Little Damage?

"Stop shouting for help! Speak clearly!" Another crisp voice came from the receiver, clearly dissatisfied that Leone could only shout for help.

"We see you; keep going and don't stop until we clear out these scavengers," wz.29 instructed, prompting Stg-44 to jump into the gunner's seat.

"No! There's a container hanging under the belly! There's no way to deploy the gun!" Stg-44 shouted anxiously as she settled into the gunner's seat.

"P226, control the height! Lower the container first!"

"But even if you control the height, the container will definitely be damaged!" P226 explained to wz.29, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

"I know! Now is not the time to discuss this!"

While dropping the container might damage some of the goods, if they didn't hurry, they would lose a buyer willing to spend money!

Ahem, although it sounds like they have some power, isn’t their mission to sell goods? If the buyer disappears, how can they make money?

Wz.29 knew who the object of this transaction was. While the specific identity hadn’t been investigated, the name "Flora Biological Research Institute" was enough to clarify many things. This research institute required a large amount of raw materials for its research. The 30 tons of goods this time might just be the beginning.

It was highly likely they would continue ordering goods from Renault in the future. Moreover, when she had chatted with M1 Garand earlier, she had seen the account book at home. Although they lacked various daily necessities, after Renault spent a large sum of money to buy the industrial park, the current funds were no longer comparable to before.

In fact, wz.29 had a bit of selfishness in her plans; after resigning from her position as driver, she intended to work at the biological laboratory on the ship. In addition to helping Renault, she also wanted to continue her previous research on pharmaceuticals. Thus, having some special testing equipment was essential. Without funds from Renault, it meant she had no money to buy the equipment.

"Okay! Okay!" After hearing wz.29’s insistence, P226 trembled and began to lower the gunship’s altitude.

Feeling the gunship suddenly start to tremble, the three WA2000s couldn’t help but sweat. In this emergency situation, P226 was understandably nervous; her hands were shaking. Don’t let the boat capsize!

WA2000 almost clasped her hands together and prayed, but fortunately, the special training that wz.29 had provided P226 during this period proved effective. Despite the gunship's trembling, P226 managed to keep it at about three meters off the ground.

Click!

Seeing that the height was appropriate, wz.29 didn’t notify P226; she simply released the hook at the bottom of the gunship through the switch on the co-pilot's side.

Bang!

The container full of goods dropped directly from a height of three meters and plunged into the gravel!

"Stg-44! Quick!"

"Understood!"

The moment the container was released, the lock prompt on the gunner’s position was lifted, and Stg-44 immediately pressed the button to deploy the artillery.

As the gunship dropped the container, the scavengers also saw what was happening. The scavengers, who had originally been chasing Leone’s off-road vehicle, quickly divided into several groups and charged toward the container!

However, they didn’t completely abandon their pursuit of the off-road vehicle. Obviously, these guys not only wanted the goods but also the money the buyers were carrying!

Why were they so certain that these buyers must have cash?

Naturally, it was because most transactions on the black market now utilized a type of molten gold called Sardis Gold. If you wanted to buy something, you had to have these on hand! Why worry about not being able to rob the money?

"P226! Steady!" wz.29 didn’t care about letting P226 gain more experience at this moment; she immediately reached out and grabbed P226’s hands on the controls.

With her hands held by wz.29, P226 calmed down, and the trembling gunship stabilized.

The Concord artillery under the gunship was also under Stg-44's control, aiming directly at the scavenger vehicles rushing toward the container!

Boom!

The deafening sound of the artillery exploded in the mountainous area, the noise echoing off the rocks on both sides and directly reaching the ears of the scavengers chasing the off-road vehicle.

As for those scavengers rushing toward the container?

Stg-44 wouldn't miss. With just one shot, she blew up the lead vehicle!

The violent explosion sent several cars behind it toppling over.

The sudden bombardment left the scavengers unable to react. The following vehicles crashed into the overturned cars in front, resulting in a chain reaction.

Boom!

Of course, Stg-44 wouldn’t stop there. Most of these scavengers were equipped with protective gear. If they had prosthetic limbs, the chances of survival were still high. This attack was unlikely to deter them.

Boom!

"Slow down! Slow down! Too fast!" wz.29 shouted at Stg-44, who had fired three consecutive shots.

Although the guns on this new gunship didn’t require hovering like the flying gunships in the training simulator to attack the ground, Renault had intentionally reduced the guns' power and enhanced the engine's propulsion. This allowed them to fly and shoot simultaneously, as they were doing now.

The only drawback was that the guns couldn't fire rapidly. After each shot, the hull's position needed to be adjusted manually. If fired at full power, it could potentially capsize the gunship.

Why didn’t Simonov have this problem when she was driving the gunship before? That could only be attributed to the fact that although Simonov wasn't very reliable most of the time, she was incredibly skilled when sober.

At least she wouldn’t shake like P226 when nervous. Without support and without enemy fire, she could flip the boat on her own.

Stg-44 also stopped at the right moment, turning to look at P226, whose face was drenched in cold sweat. She felt a bit scared for her. Fortunately, these scavengers were easier to hit.

They were beaten to pieces after three shots. Otherwise, something might have happened.

"Okay! We can start firing again!"

It took only about two seconds for wz.29 to help P226 stabilize the gunship's posture. In fact, as long as the hull's swing wasn't too large, one second was enough.

Simonov might be able to do it in under a second, adjusting the hull's position according to the gunner's rhythm.

In comparison, P226 was still a little too inexperienced and definitely needed more practice... But could Simonov's driving skills be related to her frequent drinking?

No, no, no; that would be simply dangerous driving! You must not learn it! It could cost lives!

...

"Ahhh——!"

"Stop yelling! Senior Leone! Mia will be distracted!" Listening to the piercing scream that was about to penetrate his eardrums, Nele covered her head, lying under the seat while roaring at Leone, who was facing her.

Boom!

"Ah——!"

Just as she finished her words, a loud bang sounded from behind their car. The tail of the off-road vehicle lifted half a meter high before crashing back down half a second later!

"Ouch!" Nele's head collided directly with Leone's, and the severe pain made her scream, "Mia! What happened!?"

Sitting in the driver's seat, the silver-haired figure glanced back through the broken rearview mirror and then looked up at the sky. "No, it seems that the seller's gunship is attacking those scavengers."

"Gun! gunship!?" Hearing that word, Nele was momentarily stunned, unable to process what it meant.

Aren't gunships something encountered only at sea?

"It's an aerial gunship."

"What!? An aerial gunship converted from a large aircraft!?"

"No... It's hard to explain. Anyway, we can look up now. Those scavengers should have no chance to chase us."

Boom! Boom!

Just as Mia finished speaking, two rhythmic explosions sounded again from behind them, and the off-road vehicle shook violently once more.

However, Mia had already eased off the accelerator, slowing down the vehicle.

When Nele cautiously raised her head and leaned against the rear window to look outside, the scavengers' vehicles had disappeared. All that remained were the wreckage of several vehicles and vehicle parts scattered across the ground.

The thought that there might be some human remains mixed in with those parts made Nele feel a sudden wave of nausea.

Ugh!

But before she could actually vomit, Leone leaned out of the car window and began to vomit rainbows!

She was carsick.

Fortunately, Mia had stopped the car just in time, sparing Leone from getting her face covered in vomit.

Nele immediately opened the car door and jumped out, taking a deep breath of air mixed with gravel and dust, which was far better than the sour smell coming from Leone.

At that moment, Leone's mobile phone rang again. While still vomiting, Leone reached out and handed the phone to Mia, indicating that she should help answer the call.

"All pursuers have been cleared. Please hold for a moment."

"Understood." Mia nodded while watching the gunship in the sky nearby.

Nele followed Mia's gaze and saw the gunship slowly approaching them. When she noticed the cannon beneath the gunship retracting, she couldn't help but stare in shock.

"Mia, am I still dreaming? This sci-fi aircraft isn’t something I imagined, is it?" Although Nele didn't know much about the current military equipment of various countries, she wasn’t completely oblivious.

How could she not notice the absence of any sound from this remarkably advanced gunship?

"It's not an illusion; it's real. Also, stand behind the vehicle. There will definitely be air currents when they land." Pulling the stunned Nele behind the car, Mia squinted her eyes at the gunship that was gradually descending.

Although the gunship had helped them clear their pursuers, she still couldn't relax. After all, no one could be sure whether the people on the gunship were friends or foes, or how they would treat them.

Among the three people on their side, only she was capable; Nele and Leone were completely incompetent. Before they set out, Leone had hired a small team of mercenaries for protection, but those mercenaries were probably written off along with the two heavy trucks. It was clear that the mercenaries offering cheap prices were not strong enough...

Bang.

With a dull thud, the gunship landed in front of the three of them. Leone straightened up, squinting at the direction of the gunship.

However, when the gunship's hatch opened, three figures emerged... Dolls? Or humans?

When the three neatly dressed girls came into view, both Leone and Nele were stunned. They had heard the voice on the phone and knew there must be female members on the gunship, but they didn’t expect the three girls to look completely different from what they had imagined.

Even if they weren’t battle-hardened mercenaries, they should have been fully armed female fighters, right?

After a moment of shock, they quickly realized that these three girls must be Dolls. Human women wouldn't dress so lightly when coming to such a remote area.

"Hello, I am WA2000 from Renault Security Contracting Firm. May I ask if you are Miss Leone?"

WA2000 and her group who disembarked from the gunship, along with WA2000 and Stg-44, approached the off-road vehicle, while PK ran off alone toward the spot where the container had been dropped earlier.

"I am." Leone, looking quite embarrassed at the moment, raised her hand unsteadily and helplessly gestured toward the earlier direction.

The two heavy trucks she had rented for transporting goods were now all scrapped. Forget about the deposit; she would even have to compensate the rental company for a large sum of money!

The loss of that team of mercenaries was a minor issue. After all, those guys had collectively perished, and no one would jump out to demand compensation.

The real problem now was how to transport the goods belonging to the other party. Without trucks, she couldn’t exactly use a small vehicle to haul a 30-ton container back, could she?

"Hello, Miss Leone. I'm sorry; we had to urgently drop the container here to help intercept those scavengers. So the goods inside may have been damaged to some extent. Please bear with us while we confirm the specifics before discussing it, okay?"

WA2000 looked at Leone while glancing over at PK.

"Uh, damage? Damage!? How could this happen!? I need to check it out!" Leone didn't react at first but then screamed, nearly jumping up in panic.

She didn’t care that she was still wearing high heels; she turned and rushed in the direction PK had just taken.

"Eh? Eh! Miss Leone!"

---

Chapter 95: A Feint?

"The container has completely fallen apart, but the material boxes inside are still intact. The goods inside should only have some minor bumps," PK looked at the completely twisted container and pointed at the material boxes that were still intact.

Hearing this, Leone, who had hurried over, breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the goods were fine...

However, since it has been confirmed that there is no problem with the goods, the next issue is a bit embarrassing. The personnel she hired have been completely disappeared, and the two heavy trucks have been completely scrapped. They are now unable to transport the 30 tons of goods back in time.

The environment and temperature here are completely unsuitable for preserving goods such as vegetables and fruits. Under direct sunlight, the temperature in this desertified area can even exceed 40 degrees.

The container used by the other party to hoist the material boxes has also been damaged. It is unlikely to be pulled back to the other party's territory for storage by gunship in a short time.

It's over! All the spare funds of the institute were used by her to purchase this batch of goods! The little money she had was already spent on hiring security guards and renting a truck. Now she still needed to pay a large sum of money to the car rental company! It was over! This time it was really hopeless! Would Ms. Grey withdraw her investment after knowing this?

For a moment, the chaotic thoughts in Leone's head felt like a tangled ball of thread running through her mind, and she didn't even notice that she was sitting on the hot gravel. PK noticed, mainly seeing that Leone's little skirt and the hair dragging on the ground began to smoke. She then reached out and pulled Leone up.

"Huh?" Leone, who was suddenly pulled up, was stunned for a moment, then jumped up with a scream, "Hot, hot, hot!"

"Uh, does she like to use repetition?" Looking at Leone, who was acting irrationally not far away, WA2000 sighed helplessly, "Okay, let's talk about these things later. Do you have any backup transportation equipment?"

"Equipment... well..." Nele, who was a little embarrassed, scratched his head with a headache at this time. After looking at Mia, the other party also shook her head helplessly.

Leone was responsible for all the transportation matters. She came here this time just to help Teacher Grey.

To be precise, it was Leone who took the initiative to come to the door and wanted Nele to go with her, saying that she could help supervise the use of funds in the Flora Research Institute.

However, Nele felt that this person was actually targeting Mia. Leone had spent all her money and had no funds to hire a reliable bodyguard, so Mia, Nele's personal bodyguard, became her target.

Although Mia would not prioritize her own safety if she went with them, Nele would definitely not let Mia sit and watch as she was killed by those scavengers, not to mention that she only needed to stay with Nele to enjoy Mia's personal protection service at the same time.

It was a two-birds-with-one-stone idea!

It was a pity that it appeared that having only Mia as a reliable bodyguard was not enough.

The mercenaries that Leone hired were too weak and were no match for the scavengers who made a living in the wasteland all day. They were killed by the scavengers in just a few minutes before they could do anything...

Leone also had to pay for two rented heavy trucks...

Clang!

"Hmm? What's that sound?" Stg-44 turned around abruptly after hearing the noise but found that there was nothing else except the off-road vehicle driven by Mia and others at the place where the sound came from.

Nele and Mia also turned around following the sound, but after seeing the condition of the off-road vehicle, their faces also darkened.

Because the sound was indeed made by something else; it was the off-road vehicle that Mia had just driven!

At this time, the drive shaft of the off-road vehicle had actually fallen directly to the ground. The noise just now was the sound of the drive shaft falling off the body and hitting the ground!

"Ah this..." WA2000 looked at the off-road vehicle and wanted to say something, but she really didn't know what to say, because the luck of these three buyers was a bit too bad, right?

The drive shaft should be considered one of the strongest parts of the vehicle, but who would have thought that after scrapping two heavy trucks, their only remaining off-road vehicle was almost equivalent to scrapping? In this area, without a vehicle, it is impossible to leave this hellhole. The nearest city is too far away. If they can't find a replacement for the vehicle, they may have to settle here for the rest of their lives.

Obviously, Leone also heard the sound and turned back to see this scene.

Leone, who had just stood up, immediately knelt on the ground again, holding her head, "No—!"

"Why is she... so excited?" Stg-44 pulled the corner of her mouth a little far-fetchedly and didn't understand why Leone was so dramatic.

Isn't it just that the vehicle is damaged? You are standing not far away from the black market. Just walk a few more steps to find someone to rent or buy a car in the black market.

"Well, this car is also rented by her. Now that the car is damaged, she can't get back the deposit, and she also needs to pay a large sum of money to the rental company."

"This... you are being cheated, right? Not all rental companies are reliable..." WA2000 approached the off-road vehicle and looked inside. The interior was obviously not new, but the exterior looked very new. This kind of vehicle is obviously refurbished and is specially rented to those who like to drive a good car to show off but don't have the money to buy one.

This type of vehicle is usually driven in the city or town area. It is fine to show off in areas with roads, but it is really risky to drive in the wild environment like this...

Forget it, it is absolutely impossible. It is not even known whether the key functions of this car still exist. After all, this car can only be used as a bluffing device at best, and it can't cope with the poor driving conditions.

"Well, it should be... Hey! Leone! Calm down quickly! Calm down and think about what to do now!?" Nele patted her head and immediately walked toward Leone, who covered her face with her hands and smeared herself into a harlequin cat.

Just when Nele was trying every means to bring Leone back to her senses, wz.29 also called Renault.

"Commander, there is a problem here." Wz.29 felt a little embarrassed when she said this. After all, it was her first time going on a mission with the team, and she encountered a problem the first time she came out.

"Situation? What kind of situation?" Renault, who was at home, checked the data collected by ME79 and others and spoke to Wz.29 while holding her mobile phone.

"After we arrived, the buyers were targeted by scavengers for some reason. Their trucks and the only remaining car were all scrapped. We just accidentally damaged the container to save these buyers."

"Oh? What about that thing? Is it broken?"

"No, the supply box is still intact, and the things inside should be fine."

"As long as the things are fine, you can take care of the rest. Just come back on time, that's it." Renault nodded. Since Wz.29 did not mention the situation of the gunship and the Dolls, it was obviously not a problem.

They rescued the buyers once, which was already a special service. They couldn't let the Dolls on his side escort them all the way and then send the buyers home directly, right?

In that case, the price is not just about the cost of the vegetables.

"Okay." Wz.29 nodded. Renault's words obviously gave them a lot of room to maneuver. Whether to sell the items at a slightly lower price or let Leone and others spend more money for their escort, it's all possible—the premise is to ensure the safety of their own people.

Wz.29 hung up the phone, and WA2000, Stg-44, and PK learned the content of the call through the communication protocol.

WA2000, who got permission, scratched her head, looked at Stg-44, and spoke to Leone, who had become a little hysterical. "Well, there shouldn't be any problem with leaving these boxes here temporarily. We can leave someone here to guard them. We also need to go to the black market to purchase supplies. We can take you to the black market, where there should be vendors who rent trucks."

"But... but I don't have any money in my pocket..." Hearing this, Leone, with tears in her eyes, said to WA2000 with a choked voice, and while speaking, she looked at Nele with a pitiful expression.

Obviously, she was hoping that Nele could help her with a little bit of funding... After all, Nele could afford a Doll bodyguard, so she must be very rich, right?

"Hey! Ah! Don't look at me! I just joined Miss Grey's research institute not long ago! I haven't received my salary for a few months! Where can I get so much money!?"

Mia was not hired with her own money! That was paid by her family, okay?!

"Don't! Nele! I know! You're a good person! You must also want to research the antidote for ELID radiation sickness yourself, right!?" Leone cried with a sad face, almost hugging Nele's thigh and sobbing loudly.

Of course, while shouting, she also secretly glanced in the direction of WA2000 and the others. Although she looked miserable now, she was indeed deliberately playing the victim. After all, most of the Doll girls were kind-hearted.

What if these Dolls saw her in such distress? Maybe they would suddenly be willing to help?

Unfortunately, this little trick could not escape the eyes of the Dolls at all, especially since playing the victim was a tactic that had long been used by MDR and RFB at home. They could all write a fraud prevention guide on the spot, especially MDR!

Leone's crying and victim-playing routine, which was the same as MDR's, naturally could not fool the others.

Finally, Mia sighed helplessly, "Nele, I still have some savings here. If I can settle with credit points..."

"Hey! Thank you so much!" Although she failed to deceive WA2000 and the others, Mia was the same! As long as the current dilemma could be solved, everything would be fine!

Leone was overjoyed and took advantage of the opportunity. Without waiting for Nele's consent, she directly pulled Mia's hands and spoke nicely.

"This person... I thought she would be gloomy at first glance, but I didn't expect her to have a temperament similar to MDR," WA2000 leaned close to Stg-44's ear and whispered softly.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, we just need to take them to the black market, wait for them to rent a car, and find a driver to help transport them. We can't worry about the rest. Don't forget that you still have a lot of things to buy."

"Yeah, that's right," WA2000 nodded. Taking the three people to the black market and then waiting for them to rent a car was all they could do. If there was more to do, they wouldn't have the time.

"PK, you stay here and wait for a while. We will come back after we send WA2000 and the others to the black market."

"Okay." PK had no objections, because it wouldn't take long at all. She would only be on guard here for about ten minutes at most.

And there had just been a battle here. Ten minutes later, those scavengers should not be able to get here so quickly.

The group who had discussed the plan immediately boarded the gunship. Of course, they did not forget to bring the Sardis gold brought by Leone. These were all funds for renting a car!

There is a high probability that black market merchants will not accept credit points. After all, it is difficult to guarantee that such a remote place can successfully connect to the Internet, right?

What Wz.29 and PK did not expect was that these scavengers were truly brave.

Two minutes after the gunship left, PK saw the billowing smoke coming from afar. It was not from the black market, but from another direction. Maybe it was another group of scavengers.

Looking at these aggressive scavengers, PK frowned. While sending news to Wz.29, she also found a good position and picked up her heavy machine gun, intending to launch an attack immediately if the scavengers showed any signs of misconduct!

But perhaps to confuse PK, or perhaps these scavengers did not notice the damaged container here at all, the scavengers' convoy rushed past PK without slowing down.

PK was relieved to see this scene. Although she was confident that she could deal with these scavengers, who were not many in number, she could not ensure the safety of the goods around her if she was alone in the battle.

But PK seemed to be relieved a little too early. These scavengers who passed by hurriedly did not seem to intend to let go of the container on the roadside. Although the car did not rush over, after crossing PK's shooting range, a scavenger in one of the cars leaned out again, picked up an RPG, and pointed it directly in the direction of PK!

Oh no!

---

Chapter 96: Who Is to Blame for This!

PK thought that these scavengers would pass by peacefully. Although she was shocked, she still had a chance to save herself.

The range of an RPG is not far; at least, it is not far when the trajectory can be guaranteed.

Right now, the distance between the scavenger convoy and PK is only about 200 meters, which is still within the range of the RPG.

Compared to the limited range of the RPG-7, the machine gun in PK's hand has a range of at least 1,000 meters. After modification, with the help of the weapon imprinting system, PK can even guarantee shooting accuracy within 1,500 meters.

Just like now, after noticing the improper behavior of these scavengers, PK directly pulled the trigger!

A series of bullets were fired, and the tracer rounds drew a line of fire across the convoy!

PK didn't even need to stop firing to adjust. She just shot while keeping the muzzle of the gun locked on the guy who leaned out, about to attack her with an RPG!

PK's movements were fast, but the opponent was well-prepared. When she adjusted the direction of the gun, the rocket-assisted shell had already ignited in mid-air and rushed toward the rock behind the container!

Even so, PK did not intend to get up and dodge. Thanks to the speed of the rocket-assisted shell at the moment of ignition, the bullet fired by PK easily tore the RPG apart! There wasn’t even an ignition light in mid-air!

"Fuck! What the hell are you shooting? Let me..."

The scavengers in the vehicle naturally noticed this scene. One of them even wanted to complain when he saw this, but before he could finish his words, a series of bullets had already struck the vehicle's body!

Because she needed to deal with the ELID-infected individuals in the red zone, the ammunition PK carried was all armor-piercing bullets produced at home. The penetration ability was absolutely amazing. The armor plates on the scavengers' vehicles could not stop the armor-piercing bullets fired by PK!

Moreover, when PK attacked those vehicles just now, she intentionally or unintentionally targeted the windows of those vehicles.

Although the scavengers had deliberately reduced the size of the windows and used armor plates for protection, PK's accuracy was not comparable to that of ordinary humans and scavengers.

While adjusting the muzzle, the line of fire swept across the windows of the convoy!

The armor-piercing bullets improved by Renault accurately penetrated the windows of those vehicles and directly shot down the drivers of seven or eight vehicles!

The vehicles without drivers—perhaps even the scavengers in the passenger seats—were killed, lost power, and began to slide forward.

Of course, in addition to the vehicles whose drivers died suddenly, some drivers escaped; but in their panic, they slammed the steering wheel, either colliding with vehicles next to them or rushing directly into the wasteland on both sides of the road.

For a while, the originally very neat scavenger team was silenced by PK, a single person with a machine gun.

PK narrowed her eyes and began to call out the names of those who had slipped through the net. Now was not the time to show mercy. If she were not decisive now, those scavengers would probably rush up to dismantle her and sell her for money.

If she had not resigned from Griffin and Renault had not deleted her root protocol agreements, she would not have launched such a decisive and ruthless attack now...

However, once the opponent's attack proved effective, she would likely not have much ability to resist—well, if she were still using her original body.

Even if the scavengers approached her with this body, she would not be afraid at all, because these scavengers had no weapons that could threaten her.

Whether it was the electromagnetic pulse weapon or the RPG just now, the former was completely ineffective, and the latter could not hit her at all. She was not a fool and would not stand there stupidly.

Da Da! Da Da!

After the initial strafing, PK's shooting rhythm slowed down, mainly targeting those who had slipped through the net.

To be honest, if these guys hadn't attacked her first, she might have felt a little guilty for doing this now, but unfortunately, there were not so many "ifs." Given the current situation, she had no choice.

"Wz.29, the scavengers here have been cleared out. I'm not sure if there will be a follow-up convoy coming from behind them. You'd better hurry up." After the gunfire stopped, PK glanced at the wreckage of the vehicles, confirmed that there were no remaining scavengers, and spoke to Wz.29 through the communication protocol.

"Understood. We have reached the entrance. We will return immediately after dropping off WA2000 and the others." Wz.29 said as he released the push rod on the gunship's throttle. She felt a little relieved and turned back to smile apologetically at Leone and the other two, who were sitting in the back and had almost flown out of their seats.

"Hiss! I feel like my waist is going to break..." Leone, with a green face, covered her lower back, her entire face contorted in pain!

She almost flew out just now. If WA2000 hadn't reached out and held her waist, she would have been lying on the rear hatch of the gunship now!

Nele's condition was not bad because as soon as she got in, she fastened her seat belt at Stg-44's reminder.

Mia scratched her cheek awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty. It seemed that she had been a little too arrogant.

"It's okay, P226, just land here." Wz.29 called out to P226, who was still planning to fly forward, asking her to control the gunship to stop in an open space outside the black market entrance tunnel.

It was still a few hundred meters away from the tunnel entrance, which was a distance they could walk. If they flew forward, it was hard to guarantee that there wouldn't be another conflict with those in the black market, which could make things unmanageable.

Because there were two humans—Leone and Nele—on board, P226 could only land the gunship on the ground this time.

Outside the black market tunnel, there were actually people around. A few simple houses and a watchtower—or a signal tower—stood nearby, with armed personnel patrolling on a platform above the signal tower.

Some of the people outside the entrance had learned from the observers above that the gunship had just killed a whole team of scavengers in just a few minutes. Therefore, when the gunship landed, they hid aside early, not wanting to have any interaction with the people on and off the gunship.

They were afraid they would not notice it for a moment and cause the gunship to launch a cannon attack against them...

However, not everyone was smart. For example, the scavengers guarding the door came up curiously after seeing such an advanced gunship. When WA2000 and Stg-44 led Leone and the other two out of the gunship hatch, several of the scavengers whistled excitedly.

Hearing the whistles one after another and looking at the not-so-clean environment around her, Stg-44 frowned. "If I had known it would be like this, I should have brought M870 with me. She should be able to adapt to this environment."

Hearing this, WA2000 shook her head helplessly. Although M870 usually looked a little unserious, she was a normal Doll after all. How could she adapt to this environment?

However, if it were Simonov or Executioner, they might be able to try. The only problem is that Executioner is likely to start fighting once provoked. The concepts of forbearance and patience seem to be completely absent from her thinking circuit.

"WA2000, be careful. If anything happens, notify me immediately. I'll go back to PK to check the situation."

"Okay."

Nodding, WA2000 touched the weapon box on her back and then touched the pistol hanging at her waist, just like Renault.

To be honest, she was a little nervous.

After all, it was her first time coming to such a place with other Dolls.

When Leone and Nele saw so many scavengers around, they shrank their necks nervously. They didn't forget that WA2000 and the others had just destroyed a whole scavenger team. Would they encounter someone rushing up to seek revenge now?

It was highly unlikely that they would seek revenge because Stg-44 had just controlled the artillery to blow up a whole scavenger team. To ensure they could snatch the large amount of Sardis gold from Leone, they were also out in full force.

"Are there any precautions when entering?" Stg-44 asked Mia as they walked. Previously, the three buyers had been chased out of the black market. Although they had been pursued by scavengers, it also meant that those three must have been inside the black market just moments ago.

"Uh, no. We walked in directly, led by those mercenaries..."

And then they were chased out by scavengers not long after, right?

Hearing Leone say this, WA2000 complained helplessly and looked at Mia like Stg-44.

They both figured out that among the three, if anyone was reliable, it had to be Mia, who was a Doll. She had been there once, so she should remember some precautions, right?

Unfortunately, Mia also shook her head at this moment. "No, no one checked, and no one came to ask, but there are a lot of monitors around."

WA2000 and Stg-44 naturally noticed the monitors Mia mentioned, but a large part of those people were from the black market security personnel with weapons. Only a few of them were wearing scavenger clothing or other types of clothing.

The five of them were really conspicuous in the black market.

There were teams composed entirely of women, but it was rare to see five such beautiful women.

WA2000 and Stg-44 had no signs of Doll bodies, and Mia's body was the same. After all, they were high-level Doll bodyguards, and their bionic kits were all in place. Therefore, the five of them looked like five ordinary women who appeared weak.

"Hu, forget it. Just be a little careful. Let's go to the black market to find someone to rent a car and a driver."

WA2000 said and walked toward the tunnel first.

The tunnel was not very long, but it always sloped downhill, leaving people to wonder what this tunnel had been dug for.

However, after walking for a distance, WA2000 and Stg-44 realized that this was not a tunnel for transportation but a tunnel leading to a shelter.

It should have been a shelter dug during the Third World War. After the war, it was no longer useful and was abandoned, only to be discovered by black market merchants and repurposed as a black market base.

It must be said that this idea is still good, but it seems a bit troublesome to escape from this place. Even if there are ships, the turbulent river in the middle of the canyon will definitely not allow large vessels to pass.

Of course, as a last resort, it is still possible to escape, provided that one is not afraid of hitting a reef and capsizing along the way.

After passing through a huge gate more than 20 meters high, the group finally saw the interior of the black market base. It looked like a small town, divided into two halves by a river.

There were randomly built houses everywhere, made of bricks, iron plates, or even directly constructed from wooden boards and plastic sheets.

"Can we really find trucks in this kind of place?" Leone sighed in frustration as she looked at the scene of the black market in front of her. It didn’t look like there were any trucks here. It was so narrow that there was almost no place to step.

Where could a large truck enter or exit?

"No, there should be. When I came down before, there were obvious truck tracks on the ground of the tunnel." Mia had indeed noticed the traces of those large trucks. Moreover, she remembered that when she had come to the black market before, the heavy trucks driven by those mercenaries had also come down with her.

Why was Leone so forgetful? Or had she been too nervous just now and not remembered anything?

"Over there! Remember, there's another door over there at the gate, which should lead to the garage." Stg-44 naturally noticed it, pointed in a direction, and led everyone that way.

Why did she notice it? Of course, it was because the ground in that direction looked cleaner, probably because someone cleaned it frequently.

As expected, after passing a temporary housing area built with containers, a large workshop-like space appeared in front of them. Many vehicles were parked here, and there were even bars and restaurants.

Obviously, the place they had seen just now should only be where ordinary merchants stayed. This was where the real big customers in the black market often came.

"Really! It’s so well hidden. Why didn’t we notice it before?" Leone was a little surprised.

They had obviously been to the black market before, so why hadn’t they found this place?

"It was you who said you wanted to get off the car and walk in, right!?" Nele rolled her eyes in annoyance. If it weren't for Leone, they might have been sitting in the bar over there, waiting for WA2000 to deliver the goods to their door!

---

Chapter 97: Why Is It So Troublesome?

"Ahem, can you not talk about these things on the street?" WA2000 cleared her throat helplessly, reminding them that so many people were listening.

Looking around, she noticed that although no one was staring at them, it didn’t mean that no one was paying attention to the commotion. The technology for remote sound extraction had been around for decades, and there were many electronic monitoring devices in the area. She could confidently say that the conversation between Leone and Nele had been heard by those interested.

Collecting intelligence was a common practice in the black market. If you didn't want to leak information, you needed to prepare before entering.

Just look at the pedestrians around them. Besides the mercenaries and locals, which of the foreign merchants didn’t wrap themselves tightly in camouflage cloaks?

Except for the vendors' voices, there was hardly anyone chatting here.

Leone felt completely out of place for the first time in a setting like the black market. She was a researcher who had spent all day in the research institute.

Leone and Nele, who had heard WA2000’s voice, wanted to argue but were interrupted.

Seeing the helpless expressions of the three beside them, they could only shrink their necks.

Once the two fell silent, Mia began to scan the surroundings vigilantly. In a place like the black market, not only did the box of Sardis Gold in her hand attract attention, but they themselves could also be viewed as commodities by the unscrupulous merchants here.

After all, the black market was a hub for illegal Doll transactions. Traffickers favored targets like them, who seemed to lack self-protection abilities. Although Doll traffickers primarily dealt in various illegal operations involving Dolls, they could also occasionally take on the role of human traffickers.

Fortunately, WA2000 and Stg-44 had their weapons on them, so no fool dared to approach for the time being.

The area they were in looked much cleaner than the chaotic market they had just left. Leone soon spotted a store with a sign reading "Human Resources." The term resembled a place where people could be hired.

Leone didn’t think much about it and subconsciously wanted to walk over, but as soon as she took a step, WA2000 pulled her back. "Please, don’t rush over when you see something. This isn’t a green or white zone city."

Weren't they afraid someone would hit them on the back of the head as soon as they entered the store?

Besides, "Human Resources"?

In a place like the black market, which businessman would hang such a lofty sign? Although the store's entrance appeared tidy, a closer inspection revealed that the ground inside wasn’t very clean. A faint smell of Doll coolant and engine oil wafted from within.

Compared to Mia, who could only detect these two smells, WA2000 and Stg-44 frowned in disgust at the store entrance.

In addition to the scent of Doll parts, there was also a faint odor of blood. Clearly, they didn’t need to approach to know that it was definitely not a good place. To avoid witnessing scenes that might provoke anger and lead to conflict, it was better not to go over.

"But... how can we find a place to rent a car? Are there even any people here? We can't let the three of us drive a truck back, right? I... I can't drive!" Leone exclaimed anxiously in a low voice.

"Don’t worry; it’s not that troublesome in the black market. If you want to find what you’re looking for, you need someone familiar with the black market to guide you." WA2000 seemed confident. In fact, she had heard all this from MDR. She herself had no idea what the specific situation was.

But now, she could only hope that MDR would be reliable this time. After all, they were out to do serious business, and they didn't have time to compete with MDR in the air.

MDR certainly knew when to cause trouble and when to be serious. Just like this time, she really hadn’t misled WA2000.

When Renault had gone to the black market before, he had been the one leading the way. Although WA2000 didn’t know why no one had approached them, she believed that MDR had done his homework. The information he shared with WA2000 this time was all true.

"Ladies, do you need anything?" Just as they walked around the edge of the shops, a man with thinning hair approached, rubbing his hands while speaking. His gaze at WA2000 resembled that of someone eyeing a mountain of gold.

"We want to rent a car and find a few drivers and mercenaries," Stg-44 replied without hesitation.

She had noticed this man earlier. In fact, he had been eyeing them since they entered this area.

Clearly, he had bad intentions. As for why he quickly stated his purpose, it was because Stg-44 was unafraid. If it was just this man in front of her and the four or five people who had gathered with him earlier, they posed no threat to her at all.

These men were not in good physical condition. The scan results had indicated that the man in front of her was unfit. If a fight broke out, he might not even be able to withstand a punch from her and would likely end up on the ground.

The same went for the men who had gathered with him earlier. There was nothing to worry about. As long as she sent these small fry away, those who acted as "middlemen" or intermediaries in the black market would undoubtedly come forward.

Why hadn’t they approached earlier? Because they weren’t sure whether WA2000 and her companions were suitable for business.

There were strangers everywhere in the black market. If you weren’t careful, even if you were just doing intermediary work, you wouldn’t live long. After all, no one knew whether those who appeared unremarkable would suddenly have teammates to back them up or produce a significant treasure from under their clothes and disrupt the whole place.

When Stg-44 said this, she deliberately amplified her voice so that many people around could hear it. Some interested individuals had already focused their attention on them.

"Rent a car? Oh! Good! No problem at all! I know a few drivers who want to take the job! One of my good buddies is a mercenary. He just finished his last job and is free. How about it? This is not a place to talk. Why don't I take you to meet them, and then we can have a face-to-face meeting?"

"Okay." Stg-44 raised her eyebrows and winked at WA2000 covertly. At the same time, some responsive personnel targets in the surrounding area were displayed through the communication protocol.

Mia, who had been alert all around, also received the data sent by Stg-44 at that moment but did not show any surprise. She quietly shifted her position to block Nele behind her.

Although there would definitely be no conflict now, this was her job.

As for Leone next to her?

Sorry, the target she wanted to protect was Nele, not Leone. If there was an accident, it could only be said that Leone was a little too unlucky.

Poor Leone, at this time, didn’t notice the quiet movements of Mia and Stg-44 at all and was still looking around curiously.

The man who approached her was delighted when he heard Stg-44's affirmative words. He then led the five people to a small alley next to him with a smile.

Sneer.

Seeing the direction the other party was walking, WA2000 couldn't help but sneer inwardly, thinking that they were completely being treated as easy targets, and they didn't intend to hide it at all.

In fact, if it weren't for her and Stg-44, Leone and Nele might not have noticed anything wrong.

After all, although it was an alley, there were definitely a lot of pedestrians—at least a dozen of them—and there were dozens of people a few dozen meters away from them.

They probably thought that even if something happened, if they shouted or ran out, the other party would not continue to pursue them, right?

It's a pity they were wrong. That might be true in a normal city, but this is a black market, and it’s a black market almost as big as a small city. There are all kinds of people in this place.

But the most important thing is that in such a place, most people are not willing to meddle in others' business.

Because it’s very likely that just a word of justice will be met with a Magnum bullet that can penetrate the skull.

This alley had clearly deviated from the neat area just before. Obviously, there must be some kind of power division here that they didn't know about, such as a certain street belonging to someone.

Before entering the alley, WA2000 had also noticed the people marked by Stg-44. Some of them were approaching, and they seemed to be the accomplices of the man who led the way.

But there were also a few people approaching from a distance, merely ensuring they could see the situation in the alley.

"It's really troublesome. Can't we do business more directly here?" Leone was a little impatient while walking.

They had been walking for nearly five minutes since they entered the black market, just circling the streets for such a long time. She really didn't understand why this was happening. Was it necessary to be so complicated?

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Nele also noticed something was wrong at this time because Mia beside her was getting closer, silently loading the weapon hanging under her armpit.

"Ah?"

Unfortunately, Leone, who was slow to react, didn’t realize what was going on at all.

Fortunately, this woman still knew to speak in a low voice, but that was all.

Seeing the blank expression on Leone's face, Nele really didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. If she had known that Leone, her senior, was so slow, she would never have agreed to her teacher's instructions to follow her out.

When they first entered the black market, this girl was careless and said something wrong; she mentioned having a large amount of Sardis gold.

Although there was no one around them when she said this, it was obviously noticed by the scavengers who were paying attention to the information about passing merchants.

If it weren't for this woman, they wouldn’t have been hunted down just now. Although the mercenaries hired by Leone weren’t strong, they were half-locals and knew the rules of the black market.

If those mercenaries had led the way, they wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble now.

Just thinking about this, the group followed the man into the alley. The guy who had shown a respectful smile to Stg-44 before, upon seeing the accomplices surrounding Mia, immediately turned around and looked at WA2000 and her men with a smile.

"Haha, you are really a group of young ladies who are ignorant of the world. Sorry, if you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for following here foolishly. Go!"

Buzz!

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Leone suddenly realized that something was wrong, but it was a little too late.

A buzzing sound, that didn’t seem strange to humans, resonated, and Mia, who was protecting Nele, began to shiver!

Sizzle!

Half a second later, arcs began to burst out from Mia's body. Obviously, the sound just now was merely a byproduct of some kind of attack.

The guys who led the group here clearly recognized that Mia was a Doll.

"Hehe! I'm really lucky today. Four high-quality meat tickets and a high-level bodyguard Doll. Tsk tsk, so, young ladies who don't know anything, this is not your backyard! Hahaha!"

Seeing Mia's state, the people who gradually gathered around laughed fearlessly and drew their weapons.

There were all kinds of weapons: wrenches, pipe wrenches, tire levers, machetes, etc. Only a few people held old weapons that looked like they had been used for decades.

Unlike the etched weapons in Stg-44 and WA2000's hands, the weapons in their hands were probably antiques from decades ago and weren’t like the ones in their hands, which were all antique weapons made by IOP to circumvent the weapon-use license.

"Oh, bad, I forgot!" WA2000 noticed Mia's current state and slapped her forehead in regret. She had forgotten that Mia was still an ordinary civilian bodyguard doll and had no ability to resist EMP attacks!

"Mia! Mia! How are you!?" Nele shouted in a panic at this moment because Mia could no longer stand and fell directly toward her, the box in her hand also hitting the ground.

Bang!

A box filled with Sadis gold was naturally very heavy, and the sound of it hitting the ground was very dull, but to the guys around, it was simply the most beautiful note!

Heavy! Doesn’t that mean there is a lot of money inside!?

“Hehe! There’s no hope! Little…”

Crack!

Da da da da!

---

Chapter 98: Unlucky

"Tactical Doll!?"

With just one exclamation, a bullet hole appeared in the head of the speaker!

The guys holding guns standing not far from the WA2000 were the first to be hit by the Stg-44.

The action far exceeded human reaction speed, allowing the Stg-44 to complete the process of loading the gun and firing in the blink of an eye. Except for the guy at the farthest distance who could subconsciously shout "Tactical Doll," the heads of those around him had already exploded!

And Leone, who had been standing there just moments ago, was completely scared at this moment. She just felt two bullets fly past her head!

The airflow generated by the bullets piercing the air was like a knife cutting her face!

Leone didn't even come back to her senses; her eyes began to roll up, and then she fell straight toward Nale behind her.

"Hey! Ah! Ouch!" Nele, who was half-crouching because he couldn't hold Mia up, was hit hard by Leone, who fell backward before he could react to what happened!

"Alas, She's still inexperienced, but this should be a short-term interference, and there won't be any big problems, right?" Hearing WA2000's words that seemed to comfort herself, Stg-44 shrugged her shoulders.

"Why do you need to confirm it again if you already know?"

Just as Stg-44 finished speaking, Mia, who had been lying on the ground, sat up suddenly.

It seems that Mia is indeed a serious high-level bodyguard doll, and the quality of the parts in her body is pretty good. Otherwise, if it were an ordinary civilian service doll, this kind of EMP attack would not kill the doll, but it would definitely not allow for such a quick recovery from the shutdown state.

"Mia! You're awake! Great! You're fine!" Nele, who saw Mia standing up, held her glasses that had been smashed by Leone with her head and shouted to Mia happily.

"Well, this is...ah!" As the system self-check was completed, Mia immediately recovered from her stunned state and quickly reached out to pull Nele up from the ground, all while not forgetting to pick up the box full of Saris gold.

As for Leone? Sorry, she only has two hands; there is nothing she can do.

However, it was precisely because Mia hurriedly pulled Nele up that Leone's upper body, which had been leaning on Nele, fell directly to the ground.

Bang!

"Ouch!" Leone, whose head collided directly with the ground, screamed and woke up.

When Leone opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the dark concrete dome in the black market base, along with the poor lighting on the buildings on both sides of the street.

Of course, in addition to her visual sense, there was also the stimulation of her sense of smell. A foul odor poured into her nasal cavity from beside her.

"Ugh, hiss! It hurts!" Leone, who came back to her senses, sat up suddenly like Mia, but when she got up, she couldn't stop the pain in the back of her head. When she raised her hand to touch it, she found it was wet.

Is there a wound on my head!?

This thought suddenly jumped into her mind, and Leone found that what she touched on her hand didn't seem to be blood but rather sewage from the street...

After realizing this unacceptable fact, Leone immediately jumped up with a wrinkled face and then looked at Nale with a wronged expression.

WA2000 was relieved to see that both Leone and Mia had woken up. After all, they had just fallen to the ground, and their bodies were either dirty or stained...

Stg-44 is a germaphobe. She has done her best to endure the unbearable environment and come here.

Didn't you see how irritable she was when she started just now?

She aimed for the head; Stg-44 never did that when she was in Griffin before.

So the task of carrying the two unconscious people will definitely fall on her... Fortunately, it's not necessary now, so let Leone and the other two go by themselves.

"Okay, let's go quickly; someone is waiting outside." WA2000 sighed and called to Leone and the others.

Just after the gunshots in the alley, a special middleman had already walked to the entrance of the alley and waited. He should be quite capable of easily dealing with these third-rate gangsters who occupied the territory in the black market. If the business is not very big, they can cooperate.

Seeing WA2000 and Stg-44 walk out spotlessly, all the agents nodded with satisfaction. If you want to cooperate here, at least you have to let others know that you truly have some skills.

Otherwise, who knows if you are a swindler? No one will be willing to do business with the kind of guy who gets killed as soon as he goes out.

Noticing the guys coming over, WA2000 nodded with satisfaction. It seems that what MDR said is right. If you want to hire people in this black market base, you really have to do something here.

As for those unlucky guys lying in the alley? Tsk tsk, who cares? No one cares at all. Maybe there are scavengers who thank Stg-44 for helping them get rid of a few garbage occupying the house and making them a small fortune.

WA2000 and the others were naturally not interested in the things on those guys just now; whether it was finances or weapons, even the simple EMP generator was useless.

They had as many of these things as they wanted at home, and they were not short of those messy weapons.

The agents looked at each other, and it was unclear what they communicated with their eyes. There were originally five or six people, but after the eye contact, only one person was left, and they approached WA2000.

"What's your name, young lady?" The agent who came over stood in front of the two of them and asked with a smile of Stg-44, who was half a step faster.

Stg-44 was obviously in a bad mood at the moment. She had just accidentally stepped on a puddle of dirty water and now felt something dirty on the sole of her shoes.

Therefore, after hearing the other party's question, she frowned and looked impatient. "Stg-44, tell her if you have anything to say."

Seeing Stg-44 like this, WA2000 was also sweating. When she was in Griffin, she had never seen Stg-44 show such an expression, but when she was in Griffin, she did not encounter this kind of dirty place.

In addition, maybe it is related to Renault deleting all the root protocols? Was she headling towards like Vector at the beginning?

"WA2000, we need to find a place to take a shower, then rent a few cars, find a few drivers to help drive, and a few reliable mercenaries, preferably women." Without the intention of greeting the other party, WA2000 directly poured out her needs, which stunned the agent on the other side.

Although he had seen customers who spoke directly before, he had never seen someone use the name of this weapon as a code name and seem so confident; this was really the first time he had encountered someone like the other party.

"You guys? Are you Dolls?" After a pause, the agent immediately raised his eyebrows and asked WA2000.

Hearing this, Stg-44 immediately raised her head and frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"Ahem, no, no problem, no problem at all. Don’t worry, leave it to me; I will definitely find the most reliable people for you!" Although he was choked, upon seeing Stg-44 holding the magazine in her hand and pressing bullets into it, and thinking about the series of gunshots in the alley, the agent immediately waved his hand.

"Hiss, cough! This smell! I can't stand it! By the way, why didn't you come over just now?" Just as the agent was about to continue talking and introduce himself first, Leone rubbed her hands on her clothes and asked the agent.

Isn’t it troublesome to go back and forth!? If you want to do business, can't you take the initiative? What's the point of having to toss around so much!?

Although she didn’t say it, there was no doubt that Leone's eyes conveyed this message. Nale, who followed behind, was also a little annoyed, but it was not as obvious as Leone's.

"Ahem, sorry, Miss. This is the rule here. After all, you must know how chaotic this place is. How can you not confirm the strength of your employer or partner? Even mercenaries don’t want to be hit on the back of their heads as soon as they go out?"

The agent spread his palms and said helplessly.

"Hmph, I hope so." Looking at the guys staring at them from a distance, Leone immediately curled her lips in dissatisfaction. If she came again next time, she would bring the security personnel from the Galatea with her, no matter what!

Of course, the premise is that those guys don't think about the technology in her hands, but this is obviously impossible.

"Okay, everyone, you can call me Wooden Man. Do you have any other requests besides what Miss WA2000 just said?"

Seeing that Leone was not going to dwell on this issue, the agent felt relieved. If he insisted on the customary rules of the black market, even he would not dare to continue doing this business.

Now is just right; he can calculate how much commission he can get from this business!

...

"PK, how is your situation?"

"Not very good, even a little bad."

"Huh!? Are you injured!?"

"No, not really; it’s the cargo boxes."

"Cargo boxes... Is there something wrong with the cargo boxes?"

Hearing wz.29's question, PK was silent for a moment. Just when wz.29 was about to hold back and continue asking questions, a photo was sent directly to the communication protocol.

wz.29 and P226 were also stunned when they saw the photo. In the photo, the ground where the container should have been located was now covered by a large piece of rubble...

"The landslide."

Listening to PK's calm but somewhat aggrieved words, wz.29 was also confused. "No? What happened? Wasn't it fine just now?"

"It should be caused by the previous bombardment of the scavengers. This piece of rock is not very solid, and coupled with the violent vibration from the bombardment, so..." PK sighed.

"What should we do now?" P226 raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat and asked nervously.

Hearing this, wz.29 leaned back in the seat dejectedly. "Forget it, I'll call the commander and ask SPAS-12 to drive another gunship over and bring some equipment. Otherwise, if we dig by ourselves, who knows how long it will take?"

wz.29 was not worried about the goods in the container. The material boxes they used were not ordinary crates from long ago, although most of the boxes were made of engineering plastics.

But the quality of this kind of box was still reliable. At least it would not be crushed by some sand and gravel on top.

One or two may have problems, but those material boxes are in the container. Although the container is damaged, the main structure is still intact; however, there is no way to lift it up again with the gunship.

"Well, it seems that this is the only way." PK also nodded. There is a lot of sand and gravel pressing on the container, and the volume is at least three to four times that of the container.

It is still manageable for them to dig it up bit by bit, but it will take a lot of time.

But they didn’t come out to dig soil here. The things the Dolls wanted had not yet been bought, and the goods had not been delivered to the buyer, Leone. There was no time to delay.

Although it was a bit embarrassing to call for help, it was better than digging in the sand, right?

Soon, Helian, who was educating Nyto and the Ripper, received a call from wz.29. After hearing the situation over there, she informed Renault about the situation with a bit of a smile.

After hearing the news, MDR, who was not far away, immediately wanted to take Vera with her.

It was a pity that M1 Garand refused. SPAS-12 was sent out to drive the gunship to support PK and the others. She could see that she was going to shoot black material.

What’s more, MDR, who is the best at slacking off at home, wants to go over to help dig sand? This is impossible, no matter how you think about it!

Therefore, in addition to SPAS-12, who was responsible for driving the gunship, the Dolls who went there were only Type 80, Super-Shorty, and M14.

Well, Type 80 was hung under the gunship because she was driving an SCV.

Although the SCV can also fly and is not slow, it is still not as fast as the gunship driven by SPAS-12.

"Speaking of which, PK and the others actually encountered a landslide? Tsk tsk, this luck is really a bit bad." SPAS-12 was controlling the gunship to accelerate while muttering with some curiosity. A landslide, this kind of can be encountered by PK...

"It is said that when attacking the scavengers, the vibration from the artillery bombardment was too great, so it caused a landslide, and the container loaded with goods was directly buried by sand and gravel." Super-Shorty looked at the shovels and pickaxes that had just been moved up from under the seat. They should not need these things for a while.

It's just a backup; after all, there is still Type 80's SCV.

"This is really unlucky. By the way, Super-Shorty, do you have any money with you?" M14 asked with her chin in her hand, her thoughts already flying to the bazaar of the black market.

"Well, there is no cash... I don't know if the black market accepts credit points..."

"Ah, should I suggest to the commander to give some cash next time? After all, credit points... are a bit difficult to spend on the black market..."

"Indeed."

---

Chapter 99: Don’t Worry

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The dull sound of machine guns echoed over the empty desert. After firing a short burst, PK sighed helplessly.

What on earth is going on with these scavengers?

Why do they keep coming back after just one batch? Are these people’s brains a bit off? Can’t they see the scrapped cars on the roadside?

"Thank you for your hard work, PK. SPAS-12 and the others should be here soon. I don't know if WA2000 and the others have finished their work." Wz.29, who was on the gunship, sighed. It was obviously a delivery and a purchase.

As a result, it has now turned into a large-scale cleansing of the surrounding scavengers.

Since P226 drove the gunship back from the entrance of the black market, three batches of scavengers had passed by. Each of these scavengers seemed to have a bad temper. When they passed by, they always took out their RPGs and fired at PK or the gunship.

This made PK and wz.29 doubt whether they had any special physiques, such as attracting RPGs and artillery shells.

"They’d better hurry up; otherwise, they’ll have to use artillery again. I remember you didn’t bring your imprint weapons, right?"

"Uh, yes." Wz.29 scratched her head. Since taking over the job of driver, she rarely brought her own imprint weapons, except for occasionally taking them out for maintenance.

This time she came out to deliver goods with PK and three others. As the co-pilot of the driver instructor, she naturally didn’t bring any weapons. Even if she did, it would probably be of little use, as her imprint weapon had not been modified, and the unmodified barrel and chamber could not adapt to the new high-pressure ammunition at all.

Besides, these scavengers were not ones she could easily deal with using a rifle. They had various light and heavy weapons, and there were so many of them. If she confronted them by herself, she would find herself in a very awkward situation.

In this scenario, PK's machine gun was far more useful. She didn’t have to worry about vehicles or most ordinary shelters; she could just shoot directly.

The only problem was that PK's bullet consumption rate was a bit too fast. When she set out, she had brought 300 rounds of spare bullets, which was not much but not too few, either. As a result, there were now fewer than 100 rounds left; otherwise, she wouldn’t have started shooting just now. Although she didn’t like to talk much, she still enjoyed holding the trigger when firing—well, because it was very exciting!

When she was still a tactical doll under Griffin, she definitely didn’t have this little hobby because, at that time, she couldn't stand and hold the general-purpose machine gun, shooting wherever she pointed, like she could now.

Recoil and weight were significant problems affecting her shooting accuracy.

But now it was different. The general-purpose machine gun, which was not light for her, was now completely a light toy, and recoil was no longer an issue. Without the influence of these factors, she had gotten used to holding this machine gun like an assault rifle.

"Oh? PK, don’t worry. SPAS-12 and the others are here." As soon as wz.29 finished speaking, she saw the position of the friendly units on the gunship detector. They were only a short distance away, and they would arrive in about a few dozen seconds.

At that time, PK wouldn’t have to wait below. The gunship driven by SPAS-12 had a machine gun, which was perfect for hitting the scavengers' armored vehicles; it was not a waste at all. Of course, it would be best if they could avoid it altogether; after all, machine gun shells cost money.

"Huh, that's good. Leone is a bit too unreliable." PK felt relieved upon hearing this, then began to express some resentment toward Leone.

"Yeah, who would have thought that just going to the black market would get us chased by scavengers? It seems they’re more unlucky than we are."

You know, Renault had taken the dolls to the black market before, and the number of conflicts there was minimal.

"Oh? They brought an SCV with them?" As she spoke, PK noticed the SCV hanging under the gunship in the distance.

..

Leone, who had changed into a work uniform, looked at the mercenaries in front of her with some suspicion. There were a total of fifteen people, and their asking price was not very high—at least it was much cheaper than the unreliable team she had hired from the city.

Sure enough, she must have been slaughtered like a fat sheep before!

Nele and Mia, next to her, also changed their clothes. Although they did not lie down in the puddle like Leone, some water inevitably stained their clothes and pants.

"Okay, that’s the situation. It’s very simple: it’s just escorting a convoy. It only takes two hours to go back and forth." WA2000 patted the map on the table and explained the mission details to the mercenaries in a clear and orderly manner. "Any other questions?"

"No, it’s very clear." Hearing WA2000’s words, the one-eyed strong man opposite—err, it was a strong woman—nodded with satisfaction. Obviously, this kind of low-risk and profitable mission was indeed appealing.

Two hours was not long, and the transportation route was a formal and regular one. There was no need to worry about law enforcement officers jumping out to cause trouble, let alone scavengers. In just two hours, those scavengers would have no time to ambush their convoy.

Moreover, this information was obviously impossible to leak out. This was the most expensive hotel in the black market, known for its confidentiality. Otherwise, people’s business would not be able to continue.

"That’s good. Let’s go now. The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back." WA2000 felt relieved. Sure enough, it was easier to talk with a professional agent.

There were fifteen mercenaries in total, six people in two transport vehicles, and they had two vehicles of their own—one for five people and one for four.

WA2000 and Stg-44 had already seen both vehicles. They were heavy off-road vehicles with armor and even had machine guns on the roof. Although these were not heavy machine guns but general-purpose ones, they were still adequate for fighting those scavengers.

Not to mention, these guys also had RPGs. She couldn’t figure it out. She had rarely seen RPGs before, but after arriving here, it seemed everyone had one. Whether it was a scavenger or a mercenary, they could all produce several.

Mia was still driving, but this time there were two more people in the car: WA2000 and Stg-44.

Sitting in the co-pilot seat, Leone breathed a sigh of relief. She had rented a car and found mercenaries. All that remained was to transport the goods to the city intact and then put them onto the transport plane she had contacted through the Galatea Corporation.

She had prepared for this trip for a whole week, but it still went wrong in the end. If someone from Renault hadn’t come to help, not to mention the goods, even the three of them would have been in trouble.

Sure enough, for tasks like this, she should find a professional next time. She is not suited for this at all; it’s better for her to continue her research at the institute.

However, there are only a few people at the Flora Institute, and she can't find any "professionals" at all. If the Galatea Corporation hadn’t been responsible for transportation, she wouldn’t have been able to find a transport plane, let alone a transport truck!

"Finally, I can go back, Senior Leone! Next time, I will never agree to something so outrageous!" Nele muttered with annoyance, glancing at the back of Leone’s head. "Ahem, I’ve used up all the money I have..."

"That’s not a reason to make such a hasty decision!"

If Leone hadn’t been ill-prepared, this transaction would have been straightforward. She would have come to the black market, received the goods, paid the money, and then gone home directly.

Instead, she had wandered around in the desert, consumed too much fuel, and then been chased by scavengers!

She had never experienced such excitement in her life, and it was too thrilling! For such a dangerous job, she must ask Leone to find a reliable team next time!

Of course, it seems there will definitely be no next time. If she goes out again, she will be in serious trouble!

The two heavy trucks behind were driven by mercenaries, and the two armored off-road vehicles were positioned one in front and one behind—one leading the way and the other covering the rear.

It wasn't long after the group drove out of the black market base that they saw the wreckage of vehicles still burning on the road.

The leading mercenary vehicles began to slow down immediately, unsure of what had happened outside. They had just returned from the area a few hours ago, and there hadn’t been so many wrecks then.

Looking at the flames, it was evident that these vehicles had been blown up recently. The smell of burnt flesh in the air made the mercenaries, who had just eaten, feel nauseous.

WA2000, noticing that Mia had slowed down the car, raised her eyebrows and picked up the intercom. "Just bypass the wreckage. The loading point is ahead; there’s no threat."

WA2000 knew exactly where the wreckage had come from, and Stg-44, next to her, was fully aware because she had been the one to control the artillery that destroyed the scavengers' vehicles.

"This..." Hearing WA2000, the mercenary driver in the front car frowned. Although this was near the black market base, it was precisely because of that proximity that they needed to worry about whether the scavengers would take risks. After all, within 50 kilometers outside the black market base, all areas were prime spots for scavenger activity.

However, since the employer had said so, they had no choice but to inform their colleagues to be vigilant and avoid being attacked by any suddenly appearing scavengers.

But when they bypassed the wreckage of the vehicles and turned out of a small valley, they encountered an even larger number of abandoned vehicles!

Looking at the bodies of the scavengers in the cars and the modified styles of those vehicles, it was clear that these individuals were also scavengers. This time, however, they had not been bombarded; rather, their skulls had been blown off by a series of precise bullets.

Some vehicles had simply collided with the rocks on the side of the road, and their engines had not stopped. Even the scavengers in those vehicles were not completely dead; they were still sitting in their seats, covering their wounds and lingering.

Despite this, the mercenaries had no intention of rescuing them. Attempting to rescue scavengers in the wilderness was something only fools or those overly confident in their own strength would do.

There were countless examples of entire mercenary teams being wiped out because they tried to rescue scavengers of unknown origin.

When scavengers first appeared, their reputation was still relatively good. After all, they were merely a team that ventured into the wilderness in search of useful supplies. However, as their numbers grew, they gradually changed.

The work of searching for supplies in the wilderness or yellow zones still continued, but more of them resorted to looting passing convoys. After all, picking up garbage was not as quick or convenient as snatching ready-made goods from others.

"It doesn’t look like a trap set by scavengers... What is that?! Damn!"

The mercenary standing in the middle of the off-road vehicle, responsible for operating the machine gun and observing, turned his head and saw a massive figure several meters high, busy doing something on the roadside not far ahead.

Looking at the huge mecha and the large impact drill on its arm, the mercenaries in the front car did not perceive this as an engineering machine; they instinctively thought it must be a war machine!

Hearing the shouting in the intercom, WA2000 sighed helplessly and quickly called out to the mercenary who was about to aim at the SCV with a machine gun, "Stop! That’s one of ours; don’t worry."

"Uh."

The mercenaries who were about to curse fell silent when they heard WA2000’s voice.

They looked at the massive SCV in front and the two equally large or even larger aircraft behind it, wondering what was going on.

You have this kind of mecha and even an aircraft? Just by looking at them, it was clear they were not simple products. How could you have this kind of equipment but still need to rent a truck from the black market? Are you out of your mind?

But soon, they understood why; in their perception, they should be the employers of a group of people, yet it seemed they were just sellers and buyers...

"Okay, Miss Leone, just wait a moment. There’s a small incident here." After getting out of the car, WA2000 pointed to the SCV that was digging the container out of a gravel pile.

"Ah? Wait! What’s going on? Where is my cargo?!"

Looking at the familiar ground—more precisely, the ground buried beneath a pile of gravel like a small mountain—Leone stared in disbelief and shouted.

"Uh, it’s right below, but don’t worry; those material boxes are not that fragile."

"What is this? A landslide?" Nele asked, pushing up her glasses, which only had half a lens left.

"Well, yes. Maybe it’s due to the vibration from the artillery or perhaps it resonated with the sound of the machine gun. In short, it happened. Don’t worry. If there’s any damage, we’ll just deduct the cost of the damaged parts."

---

Chapter 100: Negative Effects?

Although the SCV does not carry specialized earth-moving equipment, the power clamp on its right hand can be used as a shovel when closed. There’s no need to shovel up the gravel and earth; they can simply step aside.

As for the debris occupying a small part of the road? What does it have to do with them? As long as Leone’s truck can pass, they are not here to beautify the environment or repair the road.

"No, you all have two aircraft! If you had known this, wouldn’t you have helped deliver the goods to the airport in the city from the start?" Leone shouted, glaring at the two gunships parked nearby.

Looking at WA2000 and the others, she thought it would be a piece of cake for Renault to fly a little farther and deliver the goods directly to the city. So why had she proposed to deliver to the nearest black market? Was she proving that she was a fool?

"Hmm? No, no, that won’t work. Sheet metal is very troublesome, especially for these two gunships. It took me a whole week to repair the hulls. You know we don’t have permission to pass through the local airspace now. As soon as we get close to the city, the anti-aircraft guns on the quarantine wall will attack us."

When that happens, not only will the gunships need hull repairs, but the containers hoisted under them will definitely be the first to suffer.

Sheet metal... Why did she think of sheet metal when mentioning the city’s anti-aircraft guns? Shouldn't they be blown up directly by the anti-aircraft fire?

The mercenaries who had also gotten out of their vehicles to rest nearby heard what SPAS-12 said and silently complained. However, when they saw the very thick armor plates of the two gunships, they immediately suppressed their doubts.

How did they see it? They could tell just by looking at the open cabin door; the armor thickness was at least 300 mm. This thickness is comparable to that of main battle tanks, and if the armor is composite...

To be honest, anti-aircraft guns might not even be able to penetrate the armor of this thing...

"Just because of this, you won’t even fly for an extra half hour?"

"Hey, it’s not that we don’t want to fly; it’s that we can’t. If the gunship is damaged, will you pay for it?" M14, who had just arrived, frowned unhappily at Leone’s words.

"Then... I..."

I can’t afford to pay...

As the words hung on her lips, Leone suddenly remembered that she hadn’t called Nele to pick up the goods because she didn’t have extra funds!

If she had sufficient funds, why would she need to come here herself? Wouldn't it be enough to just hire people to take care of the handover to Renault?

Unfortunately, reality offers no such "what ifs," and many regions have recently implemented strict controls over their airspace. At first, she hadn’t thought much about it when she saw the news, but now, seeing SPAS-12’s gunship approaching, memories she had tried to forget suddenly flooded back.

Wasn’t this gunship the unidentified flying object mentioned in the news earlier? It had destroyed the city defense artillery and forcibly dismantled the city defense system! It had even defeated an entire heavy armored company; was this really happening?

What have I done?! If I had known these guys were the dangerous elements denied entry by all countries, she would never have come to do business with Renault so openly!

What should she do now? When she goes back, will she be stopped by Stasi agents at the airport before she even gets off the plane?!

"What’s wrong with her?" Super-Shorty asked, looking at Leone, who had suddenly fallen into a daze, confusion etched on her face.

"Uh, don’t worry about her. This guy is a bit neurotic. Maybe she’s been in the lab for too long, and her brain is a bit rusty," Nele shrugged. She had thought Leone was a reliable "senior" before, but now it seemed she was only good at research.

Sizzle!

As the group talked, a sound of hot oil splashing filled the air, accompanied by the smell of burnt protein wafting from the side.

Everyone turned their heads to look at the source of the noise.

"SPAS-12? What are you doing now?" WA2000 sighed helplessly.

"Hmm? I’m frying eggs and meat patties. Want some? Type 80 brought some pickles from the kitchen for me."

Holding the tongs, SPAS-12 placed the meat patties and pickled bacon on a half-meter square iron plate while shaking a hamburger in her other hand.

"You..." Seeing SPAS-12 sitting in the open space grilling meat patties, Stg-44 frowned immediately. There was still sand and gravel being dug nearby. Wasn’t she worried about smoke and dust contaminating the food?

"Don’t worry; It's upwind, and there’s no wind right now. I won’t eat sand," SPAS-12 replied, understanding Stg-44’s concerns. She was no fool and had no interest in tasting what the sand in the wilderness was like.

Super-Shorty and M14 shrugged their shoulders. They had come out after eating, but only SPAS-12 had been pulled away from her meal to work.

Fortunately, Type 80 had accompanied her this time; otherwise, SPAS-12 wouldn’t even have had the utensils to cook or the bread to eat from the restaurant.

The aroma of meat patties and butter, mixed with black pepper and basil, wafted through the air, quickly attracting the attention of the mercenaries watching nearby.

The mercenaries who caught a whiff of the delicious smell really wanted to put their gas masks on to block out the scent that could attract all the greedy bugs.

Unfortunately, gas filter canisters cost money. It was clearly not a wise choice to waste them, especially since they were essential for emergencies.

Moreover, the reward for this mission was not very high. If one person used a gas filter canister, this trip might only earn enough money for gas and food.

But even though SPAS-12 promised there would be no wind and sand where she was, Stg-44 obviously did not intend to believe her, and she wasn’t hungry at the moment.

The others felt the same way, but Nele’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t eaten anything since getting off the plane. After taking a car from the city to the black market, she had been chased away and had just run back to the black market.

After going back and forth several times, she was already starving.

"Uh, can I…"

"Hmm? Come on! Yes! A lot! Just eat to your heart's content!" SPAS-12 would naturally not refuse. Although she herself wasn’t full, the food brought by Type 80 was substantial, prepared for so many dolls. How could she not take a little more?

"Thank you." Seeing SPAS-12 so enthusiastic, Nele felt relieved and walked forward happily.

Mia, standing next to her, was a bit worried. After all, the food SPAS-12 brought out was all produced by Renault, and the purpose of Leone's trip was to purchase a batch of materials from Renault as experimental materials for research. If they could all be used as experimental materials, that indicated how different the ingredients from Renault were. Until the real effects were confirmed, Mia thought it would be better for Nele not to eat them.

Unfortunately, before she could voice her concerns, Nele had already taken a plate from SPAS-12, which contained two perfectly fried eggs and several thick pieces of bacon.

Just as SPAS-12 and Nele were eating with their mouths full of food, Leone finally came to her senses. She looked at the sizzling meat patties and sausages on the iron plate, her eager eyes nearly sparkling with anticipation.

Of course, SPAS-12 had no reason to refuse Leone. After all, she was a customer. What was wrong with letting her enjoy a meal? She was just an ordinary human. How big could her appetite be?

While SPAS-12 and the others were eating, the work on Type 80 was also nearing completion. The container had been dug out, but Type 80 had no intention of moving it just yet. Instead, it used power pliers to tear open the top of the container, checked the integrity of the material boxes inside, and moved them directly onto the truck.

After securing the material boxes, WA2000 clapped his hands. "Okay, that’s it, Miss Leone. If you need more, we can still provide this amount of food."

"Yeah, yeah." Leone, her mouth full, nodded quickly. Although she did not doubt the truth of WA2000's words, she knew she would never buy it again.

Just kidding! All the research funds for the second half of the year had been invested by her! Where would she get the money for the next batch?

So far, the transaction had been completed. Leone’s Sardis Gold had long been handed over to WA2000, obtained when she helped rent a car and hire people.

After all, WA2000 did not have Sardis Gold, so he couldn’t advance money to Leone and the others. After a few pleasantries, Leone and Nele got into the off-road vehicle, each holding a hamburger, apparently planning to eat on the road.

Seeing the two eating while taking things, Mia sighed helplessly. She greeted WA2000, started the car, and followed the mercenary lead vehicle.

As the cars left one by one, WA2000 breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the matter hadn’t been messed up, and the transaction had been successfully completed.

"Okay, then we can go to the black market to purchase. The commander said that the funds will be the Sardis Gold earned from this transaction."

"Sadi… what gold? Why is it called such a complicated name? Can’t it just be called gold?" M14 was curious about how this name came about, but obviously, no one present could answer her question.

"I don’t know, but don’t worry about such trivial matters. Let’s go quickly; the sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll come back!" Super-Shorty shook her head, clearly uninterested in the name. Type 80 did not board P226's gunship with M14 but stayed to have breakfast with SPAS-12, deciding it would be better to go after they ate.

"You should have noticed, right? Someone is watching us," Type 80 said to SPAS-12 while cutting a sausage in half and placing it into the hamburger.

"Yeah, they’ve been watching us for a long time, even before we arrived. WA2000 and the others must have noticed it, but there’s no need to do anything," SPAS-12 replied calmly.

The monitor was actually two kilometers away from their current location, quite close to the black market. If nothing unexpected occurred, it was likely someone sent by the black market. They had encountered similar surveillance several times when going to the city or the black market.

"Okay, then." Type 80 shrugged her shoulders. She had originally thought that if anyone tried to stop her, she would just drive the SCV over to assert dominance, so those guys in the black market would see they were not to be trifled with.

But now it seemed those guys were simply monitoring, and their actions were still relatively restrained.

...

"What should we do? Just watch?"

"So? What else? Are you going to rush over with a gun?"

The observer lying on the rock turned back and glared at the one who had spoken.

Didn’t he use his brain before saying that? In this situation, only a fool would rush over with a rifle in hand and confront the two gunships.

Can you win?

"Uh… ahem, I was just asking." The one who asked suddenly wilted under the glare. Only when the matter fell on him did some people manage to calm their boiling emotions.

"Stop asking nonsense! Send the message back quickly!"

"Yes..."

Not long after, the relevant information about Renault humanoids and gunships was sent out, and this information quickly reached most people in the black market. They bought it with money, and this also allowed the intermediaries to see who could be provoked and who could not.

The person disseminating this information soon found himself counting money until his hands cramped, as they were not the only ones interested in Renault.

The team that had set out from the black market to the industrial park with the scavengers to get money from Renault was one of the best in the black market. However, they disappeared completely just because they mixed with the scavengers and tried to get some money from Renault. From the time they left until now, there had been no news at all.

The disappearance of an entire well-equipped team was definitely not a good sign in the black market. The fewer teams there were, the more rampant the scavengers would become. This was absolutely the worst news for those wanting to do business in the black market long-term.

But this had nothing to do with WA2000 and the others, who were spending a lot of Sardis Gold in the black market. With a whole box of Sardis Gold in hand, the Dolls had become generous in their spending, which attracted the attention of many profiteers.

It was a pity that these guys had just some ideas, but they were quickly suppressed by the frenzy of news in the black market.

Just kidding—those Dolls who were lavishly spending had just reimbursed six scavenger teams not long ago! How foolish were they to overestimate their own abilities and invite trouble at this time?

---