RC 1056-1065 (Patreon)

Chapters will drop per day until Tuesday night. I'm busy with something tomorrow and will finish all the chapters at Tuesday.

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Chapter 1056: When will it be incorporated?

“I think there’s something wrong with your mind to be so determined to stay here! Don’t you even know what kind of monsters and demons are here? Even Sangvis Ferri’s Ripper laughs at me because of my rice cooker body! Since when did even Sangvis Ferri’s ordinary Dolls start laughing at people?!”

OGAS raised one of her chopstick legs and pointed at AR15. AR15 sat on the sofa not far away and maintained her etched weapon. OGAS shouted hysterically.

Although AR15 didn’t bring it up, she had already remembered the nickname MDR gave this loudmouth: “Idiot Dog.”

“Quiet down, Idiot Dog. If you want a new body, you’d better behave.”

As she spoke, AR15 carefully placed the disassembled magazine release screw into a small storage box beside her.

When handling these small items, it’s best to put them in a safe box. Otherwise, if your hand slips and they fall, they might be hard to find.

When you do find them later, they might be stuck in the vacuum cleaner nozzle or the electric mop brush.

This also prevents your mischievous cats from suddenly jumping out and playing with them. They might scatter them somewhere no one can find them.

Although the cats had been running around the ship less since M500 became their pet handler, M500 also needed rest. When M500 wasn’t working, that was when the mischievous cats really came out in force.

AR15 applied oil to the internal parts of the gun’s bolt with a tarpaulin. At the same time, she thought about her cats at home. As for the silly dog’s complaints, she could just ignore them.

She now realized that this silly dog’s state was actually similar to her Sangvis Ferri Dolls at home.

The personality of the Sangvis Ferri Dolls largely dictated the personality traits of the Dolls they worked with.

The Rippers who frequently worked under Scarecrow were all workaholics. They were just like Scarecrow and had immense passion for their jobs.

The Rippers who worked with M1897 became obsessive-compulsive germaphobes who couldn’t stand the slightest dirt. M1897 herself wasn’t a germaphobe. That was Stg44. However, M1897’s meticulous approach to cleaning, together with the constant influence of Stg44, caused these Sangvis Ferri Dolls to develop somewhat extreme traits.

Incidentally, the boots that Angelia had been given by the Sangvis Ferri Dolls weren’t actually missing. They were cleaned thoroughly and placed in the Sangvis Ferri Dolls’ temporary quarters.

However, Angelia didn’t have time to search each dormitory, so she had to make do without them.

After Angelia left the spaceship, the Sangvis Ferri Dolls took the boots to the lost and found on the old ship. Helian returned them.

Hmm. Helian noticed a hint of reluctance in Sangvis Ferri’s gaze as she looked at the boots. Only after saying it did Helian realize that Sangvis Ferri might have done it on purpose…

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Snap out of it! AR15!?”

“Hiss! What? Why are you shouting so loudly all of a sudden?” AR15 was clearly lost in thought and was jolted back to reality by the lousy speaker built into the rice cooker. She glared at her, somewhat annoyed.

If Helian hadn’t taken in two more Nytos whose states were still uncertain, she would have already sent this guy to Helian for discipline.

“Someone’s here! Stop daydreaming!”

“Huh? Commander Renault?” Hearing the silly dog’s words, AR15 finally looked up. Renault had already silently sat down on the sofa opposite her.

When? Without a sound?

“Hmm, did you forget something? What about the renovation plans M1 Garand told you about for your dorms?”

Renault happened to be nearby when he received news from M1 Garand that AR15 hadn’t submitted her plans yet. He decided to ask and check on the girl in the rice cooker.

He had to admit there were changes. At least she dared to speak to AR15 now. The previous shyness and intimidation she showed in front of her were gone.

“Huh!? Um… well… actually, I was thinking of using the same thing as SOP2…”

“Rejected. Forget about using the same thing. Even SOP2’s plan was rejected! That girl kept saying she wanted to use the same thing as AR15. You two even use the same excuses. Anyway, I see you’re pretty free, so hurry up and make one. If you don’t want any changes, write down the renovation plan based on the current layout.”

M1 Garand and M1911 were still waiting to file and calculate the material quantities. If everyone just waited like AR15, they would probably be busy for several days compiling this data.

As Renault spoke, he placed his tablet in front of AR15.

Upon seeing what was on the screen, AR15’s face darkened. It was none other than SOP2’s own interior design plan. The renderings showed nothing but parts shelves and boxes. There wasn’t even a decent chair. The only thing that could be considered a resting place was an old-fashioned Doll charging device.

Renault could have accommodated SOP2’s desire to fill her room with shelves overflowing with Sangvis Ferri Doll parts.

The problem was…

Was this acceptable? A perfectly good dorm room had been turned into a spare storage room for Sangvis Ferri parts. Was the Sangvis Ferri Doll going to live there, or was SOP2 going to be holed up in it?

AR15 scratched her head in a bit of a panic. She wanted to ask SOP2 where she had gone. But the person in front of her was Renault. She couldn’t very well ask Renault where SOP2 had been causing trouble again.

Even without asking, AR15 could roughly guess where SOP2 had gone. The hangar. The factory. Or perhaps the gathering place of Nagant Revolver and her group.

Of course, it was also possible that she had gone to ME79’s office…

Thinking of this, AR15 quickened her pace and almost instantly put the disassembled parts back together. “I’ll get back to it now.”

With that, AR15 picked up her tablet and turned to examine her and SOP2’s shared dorm room.

This dorm room was the one G36 had helped clean up. The layout was basically the same as what G36 had arranged. The only difference was that it was much messier than before.

There were also many more personal belongings belonging to her and SOP2. All of them were acquired after arriving under Renault. When they first arrived, both of them were lightly equipped. They carried only their own clothes and etched weapons. They had practically nothing else.

Looking back at these things, AR15 paused. She then noticed the photo wall in the center of the dormitory. It was covered almost entirely with pictures of M4 and M16.

RO was also present, though not frequently. It seemed that RO mostly took photos of M4 and the others. Even Gentiane and Grina were in some of the pictures.

SOP2 usually took great care of these photos. She personally pasted each one up and even welded the protective covers to the wall herself.

No wonder. No wonder there was a wall left empty in SOP2’s room earlier…

Looking at the sheer number of photos on the wall, AR15 was momentarily lost in thought. Had she and SOP2 really been with Renault for so long without realizing it?

“Hey, Commander Renault, speaking of which… haven’t you ever considered incorporating the entire AR Team?”

“Huh?” Hearing AR15’s question, Renault looked up and raised an eyebrow at her.

He had just picked up the rice cooker and was holding it. He was somewhat surprised that AR15 would have such an idea and didn’t even notice the chopsticks repeatedly kicking his chin.

…

“We’re home! We’re home! Hey! PPSh! I got some good stuff!"

As soon as they returned to the operations command center in the command vehicle, M16 put down the pack on her back, pulled out a bottle of amber liquid, and shouted excitedly to PPSh.

Upon hearing M16’s shout, a Doll—the blonde, blue-eyed girl who appeared quite demure at first glance—mimicked M16’s action. She pulled a bottle of clear liquid from her pack.

“Me too!”

However, the words had barely left her lips when the two immediately changed their expressions.

They had been beaming just moments before. It wasn’t that they saw someone enter. They were worried their conversation had been overheard.

“Huh? Isn’t the Commander here?”

Their wariness wasn’t unfounded. Just as they cautiously turned their heads, they saw AK Alfa peeking out from the doorway. She was also carrying a large bag.

Upon seeing that it was AK Alfa, both M16 and PPSh breathed a sigh of relief.

AK Alfa was safe after all. Although this girl also liked to drink, at least she wouldn’t steal their rations.

“Hehe! How about it? Got some good stuff from over there too?” M16 raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously at AK Alfa.

“Eh? Ah, um, well… yes, but A-91-senpai said there was some wheat juice they don’t usually drink…”

“Yeah, yeah! Got it! We got it! It’s just wheat juice!”

As they spoke, they immediately started unloading the large bag from AK Alfa’s back. They unzipped it to reveal clear liquids in plastic bottles.

Seeing the bottles, M16 and PPSh exchanged a glance. They did prefer whiskey and vodka. Still, having a refreshing draft beer once in a while wouldn’t hurt.

And this was draft beer. Draft beer that doesn’t keep well. It would spoil if they didn’t drink it quickly.

“Quickly! PPSh! Put these bottles in the Commander’s refrigerator to chill them!”

Both M16 and PPSh were experienced. They were practically mind readers of AK Alfa. They knew exactly what she wanted to do without her saying a word.

There’s no kitchen in the command vehicle. Their living conditions aren’t as perfect as Renault’s. Not getting a hot meal while on a field mission was common sense.

Therefore, the small refrigerator in Gentiane’s personal rest room next to the operations command center became a must-have for those who loved chilled food.

AK Alfa naturally wouldn’t refuse. She had thought so too. Keeping things in the refrigerator was definitely safer than keeping them by her side.

Otherwise, why would M16 and PPSh both appear here at the same time? It was because Gentiane’s rest room was safe and convenient for hiding things.

“Come on! We don’t have anything else to do right now. Have a drink with us!”

After stuffing the small refrigerator full of beer, M16 and PPSh immediately grabbed AK Alfa and skillfully pulled glasses from the cabinet in the operations command center.

Then PPSh and M16, each holding a bottle, were about to pour drinks into their glasses.

Of course, the glasses were reserved for AK Alfa. The two of them could just drink from the bottles.

M16 and PPSh each took a glass, intending to give AK Alfa a drink of everything.

AK Alfa didn’t refuse. After all, it was obvious that the drinks in their bottles were from A-91’s team. She had been lucky enough to sample some beer once before. Now, with some free time, trying something different wasn’t a bad idea.

M16 had just poured a little whiskey into her glass when she heard the door to the operations room being pushed open.

Hearing the noise, M16 quickly lifted the bottle, hid it behind her back, and gave PPSh a slap.

PPSh was startled by the sudden door opening. With M16’s slap, her arm jerked. The vodka in the bottle poured directly into M16’s whiskey glass.

As soon as Gentiane pushed open the door to the operations command room, she smelled a strong odor of alcohol in the air. She knew without a doubt what these three were up to.

“What’s going on? What are you doing here?” Gentiane raised an eyebrow and feigned ignorance. She just wanted to hear what excuse M16 would come up with this time.

“Um, Commander, I… umm!” AK Alfa, being the honest girl she was, was about to reveal her purpose. After all, she had only brought some beer. Gentiane herself drank a little sometimes.

But before she could finish speaking, M16 covered her mouth and choked her into a muffled sob.

“Ahem, we saw you were on communications for so long, Commander, so we came early to get you some drinks! Yes! Drinks! Look! Brown! Oolong tea!”

“Oolong tea?”

Gentiane pursed her lips, pulled a lighter from her pocket, and brought it to the rim of the cup. M16 watched with an incredulous gaze.

Snap!

With a crisp click of the lighter, the “oolong tea” in the cup was instantly ignited…

---

Chapter 1057: Are You Sure?

Gentiane stared blankly at the photo on her phone. A cup of “oolong tea” was still burning while PPSh and M16 wore tense expressions beside her.

AK Alfa took the photo and also captured the SVD members peeking out of the command center, drawn by the smell of alcohol.

...

“A-91! How did AK Alfa’s photo end up on my phone?” Simonov asked A-91, reclining in a deckchair with a hint of exasperation.

Because she was always drunk, A-91 was able to ditch most of her tasks. She only needed to stay in the liquor factory, add ingredients to the machines, set up the programs, and patiently wait for the automated equipment to run.

A recliner and a small table not far from the control panel were practically A-91’s throne. No one else, not even Simonov, had the luxury of lounging there all day sipping wine.

“Huh—?” A-91 drawled lazily, then tilted her head. “Didn’t you say you wanted us to send you more Doll contact information? Isn’t this...?”

“I... I just wanted to ask if any of the Dolls were thinking of switching jobs to become pilots... They clearly want to contact you, right? Leave a proper way to contact them! How am I supposed to reply?!”

Watching A-91 nonchalantly swirl her wine jug with her expression unchanged, Simonov felt that she was actually quite normal sometimes. After all, if she weren’t, she wouldn’t have been able to change jobs so many times without being fired.

“Just ask. Tell them my phone’s dead,” A-91 said dismissively while waving her hand.

Hearing this, Simonov rolled her eyes. “At least come up with a plausible excuse!” she thought.

The spaceship had never experienced an energy shortage. The first-generation prototype could even power various everyday appliances via a charging cable. How could Renault’s Doll possibly run out of battery?

“Hey, Simonov, I remember you brought back two Nytos this time. What, were those two useless?”

Executioner pulled a cart out of the filling room, handed it to a wasp, then waved to Simonov as she asked.

“Of course... otherwise I wouldn’t be having such a headache. It’s really strange. Is the job of a spacecraft pilot that unpopular?”

As he spoke, Simonov greeted AK Alfa very seriously, asked for updates, and sent A-91’s phone number to AK Alfa’s communicator.

“It’s not that I’m unpopular. It’s just that the assessment is really too difficult. Passing it is quite a struggle.” Executioner shook her head helplessly upon hearing this. She had personally tried it and naturally knew the difficulty of the aircraft piloting assessment.

Piloting the gunship was relatively easy. The most difficult part was the large spaceship piloting assessment. The knowledge points there were like gibberish to her.

“Difficult... you think it’s difficult... then why don’t you go to the anonymous forum and find some packaged knowledge modules! Now your mental capacity isn’t limited anymore! Just find some knowledge mods and install some plugins...”

“Huh? Huh!? You can do that!? Why didn’t you say so sooner!”

Hearing Simonov’s words, Executioner Number Two, who had just walked in through the door and had been calling herself the Executioner since yesterday, suddenly exclaimed with a look of sudden realization while patting the door.

Unfortunately, she found out a little too late. She had already switched to a bio-based body. There wasn’t a single data interface on her body, making it impossible to connect to the anonymous version and download new modules.

As for directly transmitting data through the Doll’s mental plane…

She wasn’t an electronic warfare specialist Doll to begin with. Connecting to the Neural Cloud's Level 2 without any electronic devices, like Renate did, was completely impossible.

As for the Executioner, due to scheduling issues, she was still using the first-generation body. If it were really as Simonov said…

she wouldn’t do it anyway. Who wants to fly a plane?!

Flying a plane is nowhere near as exhilarating as wielding a sword in combat!

We’re all Executioners; we all know each other!

Facing Executioner’s gaze, Executioner Number Two immediately shook her head violently.

“No, no, no, I was just saying. I have absolutely no intention of switching careers to become a pilot. You should stick it out in your position.”

I knew it…

“Right, where were we? Right! Those two Nytos! What were their names again?”

“One is called Nimogen, and the other is called Mercurius.” Simonov sighed as she watched the Executioner’s stiff attempt to change the subject.

“What’s their current situation? Are they like those three little Nytos, only fit to be kept alive?”

“Probably, but Nimogen’s mind—oh no, Commander Renault said it’s a Virtual Image—basically, Nimogen’s brain is more normal, making her the most likely to join the workforce. But Mercurius is different; she’s regressed to the level of a young child.”

…

Just as Simonov was still worrying, RO635 had finally found a place to sit and rest for a moment in the aisle of Griffin’s command vehicle. She wearily put down the weapon case on her back.

“Phew, this thing is really heavy. I can’t believe M16 used to carry such a big thing around every day. Can her body handle it?”

“It’s alright. I don’t think this weapon case is too heavy. During normal operations it’s a bit of a burden, but it only consumes about four percent more energy... Huh?”

“Huh?”

RO635 had been talking to herself, and M4, who thought RO635 was talking to her, were both stunned at the same time.

Even SOP2·JR, held in M4’s hands, tilted her head in confusion.

It wasn’t because RO635’s mutterings had been interrupted. They both noticed the almost identical weapon case beside her…

Huh? When did M16’s weapon case become two?

“Wait? Why are there two? Shouldn’t there only be one?”

An extra weapon case had suddenly appeared. What was going on?

This situation left M4 and RO staring at each other in bewilderment. After a few seconds, they picked up their respective weapon cases and walked toward the operations command room.

Of course, they moved quietly as other Dolls were charging and resting in the corridor.

As the two pushed open the door to the operations command room, they saw Gentiane holding a cup of amber liquid and seeming about to taste it.

“Commander! M16! There’s an extra weapon case here for some reason!”

The two shouted in unison, their faces showing anxiety.

Glug!

Gentiane had already brought the cup to her lips and intended to take a small sip. Startled by their sudden shouts, she gulped it down in one go.

Seeing Gentiane take such a large gulp, PPSh and M16 stared wide-eyed. Even AK Alfa was taken aback. After all, Gentiane usually drank beer. This sudden change—had she gotten drunk?

Gentiane felt a burning sensation rising in her stomach, but she certainly wouldn’t pass out immediately. She wasn’t one to get drunk easily. In fact, the half-glass actually made her feel refreshed.

“Who got those weapon cases from you two, and when?” Feeling incredibly alert, Gentiane’s mind raced as she immediately began to investigate.

“When M16 went to pack drinks.” x2

The words from M4 and RO635 were exactly the same. Both were somewhat surprised and exchanged a glance.

“So, did you get them from M16?”

“No, it’s SOP2.”

Another identical answer, which was rather strange…

Just as Gentiane raised an eyebrow and intended to ask further to determine which of the two weapon cases was real, M16 suddenly raised her hand. “Um, excuse me, excuse me… my small fire control system has always been with me, hasn’t it?”

As she spoke, M16 picked up an identical weapon case from beside her feet and displayed it to everyone.

“So, it’s been here th… hiccup!”

Whether it was because of a sore throat or thirst, Gentiane raised her hand while speaking and gulped down the entire liquid in her cup.

“Shikiyama! Yes! You guys are Shikiyama!”

Thump!

Gentiane shouted one last time, then collapsed to the ground like a limp noodle.

The movement was so fast that even PPSh next to her didn’t have time to catch her... eh...

“Whoa!” M16 was startled. She had thought Gentiane wouldn’t have any problems after drinking it. It had already been lit, so there shouldn’t be that much alcohol left, right? Probably?

“M16, have you kept that weapon case with you the whole time?”

“Hmm, of course, and this is a small-scale FFC. Normally I wouldn’t hand it over to anyone else.”

Seeing M16 explain with her hands outstretched, M4 nodded immediately. After all, M16 had been carrying that thing for a long time and had never entrusted it to anyone else for safekeeping, not even her fellow AR Team members.

“So that means… this thing we have was secretly delivered by SOP2?”

A gift from SOP2?

AK Alfa, who had been standing nearby, and SVD, who had quietly slipped in and reached for the bottle in the PPSh bag, both looked curiously at the two boxes and wondered what was inside.

“What?! SOP2 sent this stuff! Quick! Let me see! What a good kid! Now she even knows to bring things home! Not bad, not bad! Much better than AR15!”

Persica suddenly appeared from somewhere. Her eyes shone as she looked at the two boxes in M4 and RO’s hands, clearly planning how to open them up and see their internal structure.

...

“Achoo!”

AR15 was handing the tablet to Renault when she suddenly sneezed for no reason but covered it, making only a small sound.

Seeing AR15’s action, Renault raised an eyebrow in surprise. AR15 hadn’t even changed her bio-body yet, so how could she sneeze?

Could it be that there’s something about a Doll’s cloud that he hasn’t figured out yet?

“I have a feeling someone’s talking about me behind my back,” AR15 said as she rubbed her nose, frowned, and muttered to herself.

“By the way, Commander Renault, SOP2 delivered those two ‘toys’ we made to M4 and the others. Is that alright?”

Although AR15 said this, it was clear that having learned quite a bit about Renault, she didn’t expect him to be furious.

After all, Renault had personally categorized those two boxes as toys…

They were clearly two grenade launchers with power no less than those mounted on the Marauder power armor, yet Renault had simply tossed them into the toy cabinet.

Obviously, in Renault’s view, those two grenade launchers were simply not powerful enough and were completely impractical compared to the weapons in his arsenal.

Just like those “toy” lightsabers that were made and given to the T-Dolls as toys.

Even those toy lightsabers actually possessed some power. They might not be able to cut through the first-generation T-Doll bodies equipped by the Dolls, but they could effectively damage ordinary humans and ordinary ELID infected.

The difference from the real thing was simply that they could make a few more cuts.

“It’s fine. Let her give them to me if she wants. With Persica’s equipment, she can’t mass-produce them anyway. At most, she can only make some ammunition.”

The technology to make those two toys was something AR15 asked him for, so he naturally knew what those two modified grenade launchers were really like.

Their power was indeed stronger than normal grenade launchers. But in his opinion, it was limited.

There was also a limitation on the amount of ammunition. He had many weapons at home that could achieve the same effect.

Those two grenade launchers were truly just toys to him.

“Is the dormitory layout finalized? If so, I’ll have M1 Garand start tallying the materials. Renovations will begin in a couple of days. We also have a meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the locations of your respective dorm rooms so you don’t get lost.”

“Understood.” AR15 nodded, then looked down at the OGAS mind lying on the table and tapped Renault’s knee with the end of her chopsticks.

“So, how long will it take for her condition to stabilize?”

“She’s stable now. If you’d like, we can arrange a new host body for her in a few days. But are you sure you can control her then?”

---

Chapter 1058: Something's Wrong with Her!

"I want a body! I want a body! Renault agreed! Go submit the application now!"

OGAS was frantic, like an ant on a hot plate, scurrying around the relatively spacious dormitory.

Fortunately, due to the weight of her "rice cooker" body, she couldn't hop and jump like a Dinergate. Running on flat ground was almost her limit.

As a result, the various furnishings in AR15's dormitory were spared from destruction.

"Heh, I'll submit your application to Commander Renault when you're old enough to understand."

"But what if I'm still immature..."

"Then you can keep using this rice cooker body. Even if it breaks, I'll pay for a brand new, fully automatic rice cooker out of my own pocket."

"What!? You're so heartless! I shared a body with M4, after all! Can't you even consider M4's sake..."

The moment OGAS uttered these words, she saw AR15's previously unremarkable expression instantly turn into one of utter disgust. Her brows furrowed as if she were contemplating whether to kill her on the spot.

"You... what are you going to do...?"

"Hmph! I should have suggested to Renault back then that we just delete you, you parasite!"

Hearing this, the rice cooker that had been darting around suddenly stopped. Its chopsticks tapped lightly on the floor.

"Parasite... that's a bit much..."

Before it could finish, OGAS slumped down dejectedly, letting the bottom of the rice cooker hit the floor.

Seeing this, AR15 raised an eyebrow. She might have gone a bit too far.

After all, Renault had already said that this girl's rudeness toward her was probably because she absorbed a lot of M4's memories while she was in M4's body. That was why she treated her like someone she had known for a long time.

However, despite the influence of M4's memories, this OGAS mind was still newly born.

The mature demeanor she displayed with M4 was likely due to her constant connection to the Doll's Level 3 Main consciousness. However, the OGAS system wasn't connected only to M4 herself. There was definitely some hidden mind within it that they were unaware of.

"Alright, stop being silly. As long as you behave yourself at home, I'll submit the application to the Commander after your probation period."

AR15 crouched down, patted the rice cooker lid, and picked up the still dejected OGAS system before placing it on the table.

She had already tidied the table and packed up items she wouldn't need for the time being. Everything was preparation for the move.

After the new ship's renovations were complete, most of the T-Dolls would have to be moved from the old ship.

After all, while there was an elevator connecting the old and new ships, it was only a temporary measure. An exposed elevator always carried some risk when used.

"Really!?"

Upon hearing AR15's words, OGAS immediately jumped up excitedly. Her sadness came and went quickly, and she began pacing around the table. Remembering AR15's warning, she quickly sat back down. The two chopsticks in front of her propped up and down the rice cooker.

Clearly, she was venting her excitement.

...

"Renault, the funds from Ulrich's side have been transferred through Universal Anything's account. It seems she has some connections with Universal Anything."

"Hmm, their connections don't matter. As long as the payment is in my account, that's fine. Has the payment for the building materials been made?"

"Yes, it was settled beforehand. It wasn't expensive. Thanks to Maggie and Catherine, I really didn't expect them to be so useful."

To be honest, Helian hadn't expected these two to not only be proficient in various scams but also so skilled at negotiating business.

Although there was a slight element of deception involved…

Speaking of Maggie and Catherine, Helian thought of Leone, who was now settled on their own spaceship. She was quite a talent, but it was unclear how much of Leone's achievements would actually translate into profit.

However, even without products generating economic value, Renault wouldn't look down on Leone. After all, the nutrients Leone provided had played a significant role in Dolls' rapid recovery after their bio-body replacement.

"That's good. But speaking of which, has there been any progress on finding a city to settle in?"

Hearing Renault's question, Helian sighed.

"Not yet. Those cities are either completely unwelcoming or simply unsuitable. We need to investigate further."

"Well, never mind. No rush. We can take our time. Time is the least of our worries." Renault waved his hand, indicating that Helian shouldn't be in a hurry.

Helian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Cities that would allow their spaceship to land were extremely rare, and she also had to consider whether the local atmosphere was suitable for the Dolls' presence.

Not every city and not every person treated Dolls kindly. Many simply viewed them as a new kind of tool. In fact, that was the choice of most people.

Without spending a significant amount of time with these Dolls, Helian wouldn't have cared about these things. Even Griffin's Tactical Dolls, while often mischievous, would strictly follow their commander's orders in battle, even if the order was blatantly to risk their lives to plug the breach.

Having spent so much time on Renault's ship, Helian had changed somewhat.

At the very least, she would never now be so heartless as to let the Dolls sacrifice themselves to gain more spoils.

Well, actually, there was no need. Who among could possibly defeat them Renault's Dolls?

She didn't know whether it was because she had such a good relationship with the Dolls or if her heart had softened since coming to Renault's side.

Shaking her head and clearing her mind of these conflicting thoughts, Helian turned to Renault.

"Um, Renault, I prepared…"

Ding!

Helian, rubbing her slightly flushed cheeks, hadn't finished speaking when Renault's phone suddenly rang.

Renault glanced at the screen.

"A message from Leone. The antibody injection prototype is ready. I'm going to check it out at the bio lab. Call me if there are any problems."

Watching Renault wave goodbye and leave, Helian didn't even have a chance to call him back.

That guy! He's gone way too fast!

But… Leone… that woman…

Watching Renault leave so readily, Helian suddenly felt something unsettling above her head.

Looking up, she thought she saw a large "Danger!" sign above her.

…

"What's this? Is this a grenade launcher or something else? Why does the ammunition look so strange? It's a bit small?"

RO635 followed the instructions and restored the grenade launcher disguised as a weapon case to operational mode. She took out the prepared ammunition from the magazine and asked Persica about it. She had never seen this type of ammunition before.

Its appearance was vastly different from those large bullet-like grenades. It was extremely small, looking almost identical to a .50 BMG bullet.

"Wow, this is really... I didn't expect even grenade launchers from Renault to be so differentiated. This thing, however, doesn't seem very intimidating. Should we fire a few rounds to test it out?!"

Persica's eyes lit up as she spoke. Her gaze fixed intently on M4, as if wanting to see how effective the weapon would be in combat.

Hearing this, M4 hesitated and glanced at Gentiane, who had already been placed on the folding chair by M16. "Well, testing it now isn't really appropriate... At least, we should wait until we're back at base with a suitable location..."

"No, no, no! The location doesn't matter at all! We're in the yellow zone right now! This place is practically deserted! There aren't any human settlements around. We'll just fire a couple of shots! There won't be any problems! It's fine, it's fine! Hurry! Let's go! Let's go now!"

Clearly, Persica was in high spirits. She wasn't going to sit idly in her office waiting for the slow-moving command vehicle to return to the Griffin base. Wasting so much time on the road was a real waste.

With that, Persica grabbed M4 and RO635 and dragged them toward the small deck on top of the command vehicle.

The command vehicle wasn't small either. The several-meter-high deck was perfect for a firing position.

There was no way to dissuade Persica. With Gentiane unable to move at the moment and Kalina distributing MRE rations to the Dolls handing over shifts in the warehouse, no one could stop Persica's actions.

When M4 and RO635 stood on the top deck carrying grenade launchers, they immediately attracted the attention of the Dolls present.

Whether they were on duty at firing positions or providing escort in front of or to the flanks of the vehicles, all the Dolls looked at the two standing there with some strangeness. After all, this situation shouldn't have been in their mission log.

"Quick! Move to the side..."

"No, our Dolls are scouting over there!"

"Then switch sides!"

"There are some over there too!"

"Then the back! The back should be okay, right!?"

"The back..." Hearing Persica say this, M4 and RO635 couldn't help but look down worriedly.

Dolls were also providing escort behind the command vehicle. To avoid getting too close and being covered in dust, they were kept a considerable distance away. Attacking from behind might be more dangerous than attacking from the side.

Seeing the conflicted expressions on M4 and RO635's faces, Persica scratched her head in frustration, then waved her hand dismissively. "Then call all those Dolls back immediately! What's the point of having guards behind the vehicle? We can't have someone following us all the way here planning to rob us!"

Seeing Persica's confident demeanor, M4 could only sigh helplessly. After all, Persica's words weren't without merit.

Such a large command vehicle carrying a large number of Tactical Dolls would not be considered a target by any normal person.

Thinking this, M4 used her command authority slightly to call back a squad of Dolls behind the vehicle, as well as their puppet Dolls.

Watching the Dolls, covered in dust from the command vehicle's kick, leap onto the back, Persica nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright! Now there are no obstacles in the firing arc! Time to test these two SOP2 gifts!"

M4 and RO had run out of excuses so they nodded helplessly. Following the instructions, they took the two grenade launchers and aimed them at the dusty ground behind the command vehicle.

Really… to waste precious ammunition like this… no reference points, no direct targets. One shot and the kill radius of the grenade probably wouldn't even be visible.

Persica… what's wrong with her? She was a little too excited.

Did she drink too much coffee? She drank plenty of coffee, but she had never been this excited before.

Bang!

Bang!

Two muffled thuds rang out. The firing sounds were not particularly noticeable, but they still startled Persica. She thought she faintly heard some electrical crackling. Surely even grenade launchers in Renault's house couldn't be equipped with railguns?

Boom!

Boom!

Two deafening explosions rang out instantly from behind the command vehicle!

The sudden noise, coupled with the violent tremors, startled the Doll driving the command vehicle. Her hand trembled, and the vehicle began to swerve.

While the Dolls inside the vehicle were unaffected, Persica, perched on the roof, was nearly hurled off.

"Hiss! It really is! This kind of power! Is this really something a soldier could use alone?!"

Even after bumping her head against the railing, Persica stood up, clutching her forehead, and exclaimed in disbelief. This power was almost comparable to Sangvis Ferri's Jupiter cannons.

While the effective range certainly wasn't as large as those Jupiter cannons, in terms of power it was completely on par with the heavy artillery currently used by the military.

Most importantly, this was something SOP2 had given to M4 and RO635.

Could a weapon with this kind of power really be given as a gift?

Bang…

Crack…

But just as Persica was marveling at the power of the two grenade launchers, M4, who hadn't moved, faintly heard unusual sounds from the dust and smoke behind the vehicle.

It sounded like something being blown away and then crashing to the ground?

---

Chapter 1059: Now Is Not the Time to Play Sleeping Beauty

"According to my calculations, this Collapse Radiation Antibody Drug should only inhibit Collapse Radiation in the yellow zone. Of course prolonged exposure to radiation is still not advisable."

The anti-radiation drug artificially extracted using equipment has lost its ability to provide long-term protection against Collapse Radiation.

It wasn't Renault's request nor Leone's deliberate design choice. The processing equipment simply deactivated the active ingredients and ensured only a limited duration of effectiveness.

And… it was a little embarrassing for Leone, but the effectiveness of this drug was even less than eating a whole raw white radish grown in the vertical farm…

Selling something like this as a product… she still felt somewhat awkward…

Renault nodded then looked at Leone's bruised and battered forearm. Besides Leone, Helian was the only other human on the ship. Clearly this efficacy report for the antibody drug was obtained by Leone testing it on herself.

But even if she tested it on herself, would she really see any effect? Leone lived on the ship after all and the ship's food storage was full of crops from vertical farms.

Having lived and eaten here for so long, Leone's resistance to Collapse Radiation should definitely surpass Kalina's and perhaps even rival Gentiane's current condition.

"Any side effects?"

"Huh? No! Absolutely no side effects! You could even disassemble the syringe and drink it directly. No problem!"

Hearing Renault's words, Leone confidently patted her chest to assure him and even unscrewed the cap of a sample before tilting her head back to drink it.

"Um... okay. Since it's confirmed there are no side effects, let's try to find a few patients for clinical trials."

"Um... Mr. Renault, actually I think that instead of making it into pre-filled disposable syringes, we could also make it into an oral liquid. Ah, or jelly too..." Leone said while glancing at Renault's expression. Seeing that he wasn't angry, she continued.

"Besides jelly! We could also make it into candy or drinks, even desserts. It just requires adding more extracts but the cost isn't high at all."

In fact, the antibody extract used to treat Collapse Radiation was even cheaper than the materials used to make food and packaging.

“I could consider it, but are you sure you can handle it?” Renault nodded. The suggestion wasn't a problem. Selling food was clearly more convenient than selling drugs.

There was no need to worry about big corporations causing trouble. They were just selling snacks. Plenty of people were doing that kind of business everywhere and it was inconspicuous.

The only downside was that probably not many people would believe that eating snacks could cure Collapse Radiation.

Leone, who had been enthusiastically planning to list several more snack categories, froze after hearing Renault's words…

She could eat… but she couldn't make them… and what needed to be added during the production of various snacks, desserts, and drinks and whether those added substances would affect the antibody extract all required someone to experiment and test.

Now she was all alone with no one to help her, no patients to serve as clinical trial subjects, and all she knew how to do was make drugs. She only managed to get the process of packaging the drugs into syringes working after she dragged ME79 over to help.

Seeing Leone's blank expression, Renault shook his head.

"Anyway, let's put this on the agenda first. Then we'll go find Helian and ask her to contact Gentiane at Griffin. She's a security contractor and definitely has some contact with the local residents. Finding people or distributing these experimental samples is more suitable for her than doing it herself."

Once they found a foothold, they might be able to conduct pilot programs in the outer city, but clinical trials were definitely out of the question right now.

As for simply grabbing a few ELID patients from the cities below and bringing them aboard?

Sorry, Renault hadn't even considered it.

Those people were all banding together for mutual support. If they found one, what about the others? Were they going to take them all on board? This wasn't some kind of medical institution.

He just wanted to sell some things and make some money. He didn't want to be taken advantage of.

"Okay, okay!"

Hearing Renault's words, Leone breathed a sigh of relief.

At least she didn't have to personally go to the kitchen to test these things. If she dared to do that, the kitchen manager G36 would probably just grab her by the neck and throw her out of the restaurant.

"Also, take inventory of the equipment in the biology lab. Then pack up all your things. It'll be time to move to the new ship. Remember to decorate your own lounge as well."

"Me... me...!?"

These words struck Leone like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, a sudden explosion that left her head buzzing.

Was she really going to have to renovate her own dorm?!

“Because you’ve been spending so much time in the biology lab, the dorm design is based on your current one. Helian has already set it up for you, so don’t worry about anything you can’t do. The Sangvis Ferri will handle the basics. The rest of the smaller things will be up to you.”

Thank goodness! Thank goodness! At least she wasn’t going to have to renovate her dorm from scratch.

The thought of possibly wearing work clothes, a paper hat, plastering walls, and painting made Leone feel dizzy.

Thank goodness it wasn’t like that. The Sangvis Ferri team would handle the basics… but what exactly were the basics?

Leone, her mind a complete mess, didn’t even notice when Renault left. By the time she came to her senses, Renault was already at the vertical farm.

The vertical farm didn't require much modification. Although the Dolls had moved to the new ship, the old vertical farm wouldn't be shut down. Rather, the functional cabins on the ship would remain largely unchanged.

Only the equipment in the biological laboratory needed to be moved. Everything else could be replaced or new equipment prepared.

Of course the animal farm still needed to be moved for now. MG3 and the others were stretched thin. If they were to open a new farm on the new ship and raise animals on both sides, they simply couldn't manage it all.

It's a real shame this time. Eliza didn't give them a chance at all and let those Sangvis Ferri Dolls fight Paradeus' combat units to the death. Otherwise they could probably have salvaged dozens or even hundreds of Dolls.

However, Renault only sighed. Sangvis Ferri Dolls that hadn't even developed self-awareness yet weren't enough to make him actively engage Eliza in fighting for them.

…

“Angelia, are you sure you’re really okay? The Collapse Radiation level in this area is very high.”

Even their physical bodies were affected to some extent so AK12 couldn’t help but worry about Angelia’s health.

“Ah, I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. Not even red-faced or out of breath. I look healthier than you guys.” Angelia waved her hand and stared at the gloomy sky ahead with deadpan eyes.

She had originally planned to leave by boat from the port. Unfortunately, when she and the rest of the Taskforce DEFY arrived, there weren’t even any boats left. Not even small sampans. They had all been taken by city residents and outsiders who were desperately trying to escape.

This didn't deter her. Unable to travel by water, she'd take the land route. World War III had destroyed most of the infrastructure, but roads or at least roadbeds would surely remain.

With a vehicle that had some off-road capability and a full tank of gas, they could easily reach another city.

Then they could use their connections to acquire a flying vehicle and head straight for their destination.

Yes, the idea was excellent. Unfortunately the vehicles they could find were all in poor condition. Three different vehicles broke down after only a short distance.

The good cars had all been taken by the survivors. There was nothing reliable left for them.

So…

That was the situation. Without reliable transportation, Angelia in a fit of pique could only find vehicles that wouldn't break down from mechanical or electrical failures.

Bicycles.

RPK16 gripped the handlebars with one hand and held her phone in the other. She snapped photos of Angelia and the others riding their bicycles in an awkward state and sent them to Renate.

Unfortunately this only earned her a string of laughs from Renate. Renate even went to the hangar next to Gunship and grinned as she posed for a photo with it.

RPK16 could only shrug and tell Renate to keep the photos safe. Of course sending them to MDR was also an option. AK15 riding her bicycle with such a serious expression and looking so earnest was definitely a valuable photo.

Meanwhile Angelia was in a much worse state. Her upper body slumped weakly against the handlebars. If it weren't for the fact that her body had been modified and was now healthier than the Dolls, RPK16 would probably be worried about Angelia's health along with AK12.

"AN94, how far are we from our destination?"

"Hmm, the real-time map data is offline now. According to the database and my calculations, it should be about 75 kilometers."

"Okay, okay..."

She felt like dying... She must have been out of her mind to think of cycling through the red zone...

Squeak—! Roar—!

Just as Angelia weakly responded to AN94, faint eerie roars echoed from the distance.

The source of those roars wasn't hard to guess. They were mutants that had completely transformed under Collapse Radiation. Some were animals. Some were humans. Together they formed a motley crew of horrors. The only thing they had in common...

was that they were all dangerous...

...

"That sound? That must have been the sound of something hitting the ground, right? We seem to have blown up something?" RO635 asked M4 hesitantly.

“Uh… maybe…” Upon hearing RO’s words, M4 immediately activated her command privileges and nervously checked the number of Dolls connected to her communication protocol.

After confirming that none of Griffin’s Dolls were missing and none of the unfortunate Dolls had been affected by their test firing, M4 finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then she glared at Persica with resentment.

Although she could confirm that no Dolls were harmed, the sound just now was definitely real.

They must have blown up something…

Thinking of this, M4 immediately contacted M16, who was still in the operations command center. “M16, check the detection system in the operations command center. Is there anything following us?”

“Something? What kind of thing?”

“Well, vehicles or machinery. Something like that.”

“Vehicles? And machinery? In this kind of place?” Hearing M4’s words, M16 clutched her bottle and scratched her head suspiciously. Their current location was in the yellow zone but not far from the red zone.

Collapse Radiation in this area was not something everyone could withstand. Even scavengers active in the yellow zone generally wouldn't venture this close to the red zone.

Unless there was something worth stealing…

Thinking this, M16 frowned and began carefully examining the detection system in the operations command center. At the same time she felt a pang of regret. She shouldn't have let Gentiane drink that cup of 'oolong tea'…

"No… nothing at all, M4. Are you sure something was following us?"

Looking at the empty detection system behind the vehicle, M16 couldn't help asking again.

Although she knew M4 never joked about things like this, if someone was really following them then it was no joke.

Meanwhile Persica stood on the top deck eating dust and seemed to have calmed down after the recent shaking.

She vaguely heard some of the sounds M4 and RO were making.

However, if the detection system didn't react…

“Wait! That dust kicked up by the command vehicle! It contains a lot of Collapse Radiation dust! The detection system will probably be significantly interfered with!”

“Huh? Is that possible?” M16 was startled. She quickly put down her bottle, grabbed her etched weapon, and shook Gentiane's shoulder. “Hey! Gentiane! Commander! Commander Gentiane! Wake up! It's dawn! Wake up!”

Unfortunately Gentiane, who had just fallen asleep, was now sleeping as soundly as Sleeping Beauty. No matter what methods M16 used, her snoring never stopped.

Oh no! We're doomed!

---

Chapter 1060: Even Worse Than Scavengers!

“What are they doing?”

Ever since she arrived on this ship, the Sangvis Ferri Dolls and the Tactical Dolls hadn’t had a moment’s rest. All of them were bustling about. However, when it came to mealtime, the Dolls looked even more anxious than when they were working.

“Busy decorating their new living quarters, huh? Haven’t you ever noticed the bulletin board on the ship? There’s the exact same announcement in the communication protocol.” Simonov waved her hand, responding listlessly.

Not only is the gunship’s preparation underway, but she is also now in charge of building the new distillery facilities, primarily installing the equipment. Even though everything brought from the factory is prefabricated, she only needs to install it.

The problem is… she also has to manage the renovations of her own dormitory. She’s not at all comfortable entrusting everything to those Sangvis Ferri Dolls!

What good can those Sangvis Ferri Dolls do when they’re so careless? Commander Renault will only remember to lecture them when it’s time to do repairs again…

Of course, Renault definitely won’t have time to lecture those Sangvis Ferri Dolls. Anyway, if there are problems with the renovations, it’s mostly because the Dolls were lazy and didn’t supervise. When things go wrong, they’ll be the ones fixing them themselves.

These days, you can’t find a renovation company that can do interior design for a spaceship.

The materials and installation methods have all been taught to the Sangvis Ferri Dolls. If installed according to the safety manual, safety is absolutely guaranteed. The only thing that might not be guaranteed is functionality.

Or perhaps aesthetic issues, like uneven walls, loose flooring, or incomplete soundproofing and insulation of pipes…

The Dolls in the house are going to have a headache. Consider it training. After all, it’s just renovation; not building the house themselves already makes it a very simple task.

Thinking about the mischievous kids in the house and the endless problems that would inevitably arise, Renault couldn’t help but grin.

Seeing Renault walk past with a cheerful smile, so unlike his usual expressionless demeanor, Simonov rubbed her eyes in surprise.

“What’s going on? Hmm? Was that really not a hallucination?”

“What are you doing? Renault just walked by. Why are you rubbing your eyes like that?” Nimogen rested her chin on her hand, looking at Simonov with a bored expression.

“No! Hey! You don’t know. Commander Renault is usually so expressionless! You saw it just now, didn’t you? He actually walked over smiling!?”

Simonov stared wide-eyed at Nimogen, waiting for her confirmation.

“Uh, so what?”

Nimogen completely didn’t understand the meaning behind Simonov’s words and immediately frowned suspiciously as she asked back.

However, after receiving an affirmative answer, Simonov immediately pulled out her phone and sent a message to MDR while shouting loudly on the Doll communication protocol’s public channel!

“Oh no! Commander Renault just smiled! The Commander Renault who never smiles, he smiled!”

“What? What? Simonov, what’s all this fuss about?”

“Yeah! We’re busy here!”

“If you don’t have a reason, I’m going to graffiti your Gunship!”

Hearing Simonov’s boisterous voice, the Dolls all responded indignantly.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you all! Really! How can you all be so forgetful! Don’t you remember the last time Commander Renault ever smiled!?”

“The last time?”

“The last time?”

Some Dolls were still tilting their heads, trying to recall the past, while others had already taken action.

For example, MDR, whose physique had almost fully recovered, immediately perked up after hearing Simonov’s words.

“Vera! Carol! Is there anything in the ship’s operations memos that we’ve overlooked lately?!”

“Operations memos? I don’t think so. Right now, the only real activity on the ship is the renovation of the new cabins. Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, besides that, there’s nothing else. That’s other departments’ business. What does it have to do with us?”

Vera and Carol spoke one after the other.

To be honest, the three of them, under MDR’s leadership, only occasionally handled intelligence gathering during missions. Otherwise, they didn’t have much work.

Similar to UMP40 and UMP45, who were frequently on missions and responsible for electronic warfare, and HK416 and AR15, who were often combat personnel.

Their daily work consisted of occasional assistance. They didn’t work in any one department for extended periods.

They were more like reserve personnel and were always the first to go on combat missions.

While other Dolls could also choose whether or not to go on missions, they had a lot of other work to do in their spare time. Therefore, other Dolls were only called up to fill the gaps in the combat personnel when there was a shortage of manpower.

“No, no, no! This is different! The first time I saw Renault grin so happily was during the first body swap, when G36…”

“Hmm? Go on? Continue?”

“Ahem, it was the first time G36 got a new body, and then she jumped eight meters high, not only smashing through the factory roof but also crashing through the roof of the neighboring factory!”

“Pfft! Pfft hahaha! How could that happen! I never imagined that G36 would do something like that! Ahahaha!” Hearing this, Carol immediately clutched her stomach and burst out laughing, while Vera next to her couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

“Exactly! Who would have thought… ahem, anyway, don’t interrupt! That was the first time I saw Renault laugh so happily! And after that… well, all of us who got body swaps suffered a bit.”

But most importantly, she now had a huge pile of embarrassing photos of her Dolls.

“And the second time…”

“The second time? Tell me!”

“The second time was when Renault finished modifying those simulation pods from elsewhere! Renault was standing right outside the training room! He was so happy watching us get utterly crushed in the pods!”

“Uh… that’s it? That’s all? Ha!” Hearing MDR say this, Carol immediately curled her lip in disdain.

She thought there was something more to it, but that was all? What a big problem! Hmm?

“Hmm? Hmm? Your expression… Speaking of which, you’ve been busy preparing the dormitory renovation plan these past two days. You haven’t even had a chance to visit the ship’s training room yet, have you?”

Realizing that Carol had only been on the ship for a short time, MDR suddenly looked enlightened, her face already bearing the same smile as Renault’s.

Seeing MDR’s smile, Vera, who wasn’t a combatant, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and quickly took a step back.

But this step back caused her to bump into someone.

When she turned around…

She discovered that Renault was already standing behind them, seemingly out of nowhere!

Eek!

Because of Vera’s unusual movement, MDR also looked up, only to see Renault’s beaming smile, which felt incredibly incongruous. And for some reason, there was a chilling undertone to it.

Instantly, MDR, who had been smiling, cleared her throat. “Ahem, well, since you don’t believe me, I have nothing more to say. Whether it’s true or not, you’d better experience it for yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your streaming equipment and room decoration!”

They were all in the same boat, and MDR naturally knew what Carol wanted. She patted Carol on the shoulder, as if seeing her off.

“Huh? What do you mean? Everyone… Ouch~?”

A hand gripping Carol’s head made her gasp in surprise.

“I’ve been busy with other things, and after I transferred your mind, I forgot about you. Perfect timing. Now that I have some free time, your new body needs to be put on the agenda. However, everyone else is busy preparing their dormitories, and the materials for the new body will take some time to prepare. In the meantime, go to the training room and get a feel for it; consider it your entrance exam.”

“Eh!? Ahh? Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”

Watching Renault turn and leave with the screaming Carol, MDR breathed a sigh of relief.

“See? This is what happens when one underestimates Renault. You know, Renault is everywhere on this ship…”

“Hmm?”

“Cough cough! No! Nothing!” Seeing Renault turn his head away, MDR quickly stopped talking.

“The ship is about to get chaotic, so seize the opportunity.”

Fenault waved his hand, and his speed suddenly increased significantly. Although it looked like ordinary walking, his speed was almost as fast as a doll’s running speed.

“Phew, speaking of which, MDR-senpai, what opportunity did Commander Renault mean by ‘opportunity’?”

“The opportunity to broadcast live, of course! We can also gather a lot of material while we’re at it! Hehe! Didn’t you hear Renault say that things are going to get chaotic on the ship?”

…

“Is this just bad luck?”

After being pushed back to the operations room by RO635, Persica stared at the screen, which was practically blind, with a headache.

“Instead of lamenting here, we should help think of a way to wake Gentiane up quickly!”

Although she still had the authority to command these Tactical Dolls even while Gentiane was unconscious, Kalina didn’t think she could handle the current situation.

Persica was willing to let M4 give it a try. After all, M4 and RO weren’t completely inexperienced in command.

But even if she wanted to, it would require M4 and RO635’s consent.

The command vehicle was currently moving, and a small portion of the Dolls had gone ahead to scout. Fortunately, the Doll forces acting as the rearguard had been recalled by M4 beforehand. Otherwise, they would be receiving news of this escort team going missing.

The fact that the collapse radiation dust the command vehicle kicked up concealed the unknown enemy's movements without the Tactical dolls noticing anything amiss, it strongly suggested that the opponent was a veteran.

They possessed ample experience dealing with behemoths like command vehicles.

In this contaminated zone, only one type of person possessed this level of experience: scavengers who made a living in the yellow zone.

Command vehicles were originally developed during World War III because Collapse Radiation made communication and command systems difficult to maintain.

The purpose was to provide commanders and combat personnel with a mobile facility that could protect against Collapse Radiation and serve as a temporary command post.

If it weren’t for Collapse Radiation, a massive land-based vehicle like this would be completely unnecessary. Its speed is far from excellent, and while it has some protection, it certainly can’t compare to specialized armored units.

It’s too large a target. In the past, when communication was readily available, a unit this size would be vulnerable to precise enemy artillery fire within minutes.

However, with Collapse Radiation now widespread, precise beyond-visual-range artillery fire and guided strikes have become virtually impossible. This large command vehicle now has a certain degree of survivability.

And when it comes to hunting down a command vehicle with only a small number of armed personnel escorting it in the desolate Yellow Zone, where you can travel dozens of kilometers without seeing a soul, even the military’s experience might not be as rich as that of scavengers.

After all, those who possess large command vehicles are either PMCs or security contractors. The military wouldn’t bother driving their own command vehicles to such places for no reason.

Therefore, even though hunting these large command vehicles does carry some risk, compared to the benefits of a command vehicle that can serve as both a base and a supply depot, that risk is negligible.

“This is truly… bad luck… security contractors getting targeted by scavengers? Are these scavengers really that confident now?”

“They have to be confident! Come and see what those guys have in their vehicles before you speak, okay?!”

Hearing Persica complain about bad luck for the second time, Kalina somewhat exasperated. She grabbed Persica, shoved the vehicle-mounted binoculars into her hand, pointed at the convoy that was now barely visible behind them, and roared at Persica.

“Eek!?”

Although the dust was still thick, the scavengers driving behind had clearly increased their speed, closing the distance to the command vehicle and bringing themselves into view.

Armored vehicles!? Or rather, crudely modified armored vehicles. Simple armor plates paired with high-powered engines salvaged from who-knows-where made these scavengers’ vehicles look incredibly sturdy, yet they were surprisingly fast!

Most importantly, those vehicles were equipped with anti-tank missile launchers!

Persica first looked at the launchers, then glanced back at the Heavy Ordnance Squad waiting nearby. The BGM-71 missiles they carried weren’t just similar; they were identical to the TOW anti-tank missiles on the scavengers’ vehicles!

And each of their vehicles had one!

“Wait… how come now even security contractors can’t compete with these scavengers?”

---

Chapter 1061: Just a Greeting

“Prosthetic Leg Ninety Speaks!”

Gentiane was awakened by M16 using some unknown method. She spoke with a slurred and incoherent tongue.

What did she say?

Persica blinked. She looked at Kalina and M16 with an expression that clearly asked the same question.

“She said, ‘That’s utter nonsense!’” Kalina said, spreading her hands as she translated for Persica.

“Uh, that doesn’t matter right now! Can she really command in this state? M16, how did you even wake her up?”

“I… I didn’t wake her up. She fell to the ground, hit her head, and got up.” M16 innocently raised her hand. A chill ran down her spine as she watched Gentiane’s trembling hands manipulate the Doll on the command system.

Could she be drunk?

“Gentiane? Are you sure you can handle this?” Persica asked in a trembling voice. She shared M16’s concern.

What if this woman, in her drunken state, gave reckless orders and ruined all the Tactical Dolls they had…

Then Griffin would have to disband on the spot!

Persica didn’t know exactly how much money Griffin had in its accounts, but she had a rough idea. Even with the payment for this job, Griffin’s funds wouldn’t be enough for Gentiane to rebuild all the Tactical Dolls.

That didn’t even include the various equipment on the Dolls or the damage on the Dummy Dolls and weapons.

“Wood! I! Light Doll!”

This time, Persica understood. Gentiane was saying she was fine and perfectly sober. Still, the strange tone of her assurance left Persica with little confidence.

From Gentiane’s perspective, her body still felt like the world was spinning. Her mind, however, was clear. At least she had clearly heard Persica and Kalina’s complaints and knew what was happening outside.

Persica was right. Their current situation did indeed carry a touch of bad luck.

First, the scale of Paradeus’ combat units far exceeded Statesec’s expectations. Or perhaps all of this was being observed by those in Statesec, who may have intended a similar outcome from the beginning.

In the end, Renault suddenly intervened and secured a large commission from Ulrich.

Statesec’s strange behavior was obvious when she noticed that Ambassador Roshchin wasn’t even surrounded by agents. Even with its constraints, Statesec shouldn’t have been unable to send a few guards.

Or rather, Griffin was Statesec’s security force. Their primary mission was protecting Ulrich. Ambassador Roshchin’s name wasn’t even mentioned.

If Roshchin hadn’t been positioned next to Ulrich, they probably would have received news of Ambassador Roshchin’s tragic death much sooner.

Thinking of this made Gentiane feel a sudden wave of nausea.

“Ugh!”

Gentiane suddenly covered her mouth as if she were about to vomit. Kalina quickly pulled out a paper bag and pressed it over Gentiane’s face.

“Ugh!”

The alcohol and the jolting of the command vehicle finally caught up with her. Gentiane vomited on the spot. Afterward, she felt much better. The dizziness eased considerably.

Gentiane wiped her mouth. She grabbed her water bottle, opened it, and took a big gulp. The sweet and sour taste of the orange juice instantly lessened her dizziness. She hadn’t expected that the drink she brought back from the Renault ship’s restaurant, just because she wanted something sweet, would help her now.

“M4! RO! How much ammo do you two have left?”

“One hundred and forty-eight rounds each! Both weapons!”

“One hundred…!? Okay. Looks like we don’t need to rush this time.” Hearing M4 and RO635’s simultaneous replies, Gentiane felt relieved. Renault’s equipment was truly outrageous.

What grenade launcher could carry over a hundred rounds of ammo? And with this much power? She would believe it if someone told her it was a 150mm howitzer.

“Huh? Were we just worrying for nothing?” Persica scratched her head and looked embarrassed, as if she had made a fool of herself.

“It’s not that simple. This isn’t the first time Griffin has encountered scavengers. When we were in this area before, Sangvis Ferri were everywhere. We hardly encountered any large scavenger teams.”

Even if there were, Sangvis Ferri would have destroyed them long ago.

Look at these convoys with faint signals. Eight vehicles have already surfaced. If they are fully loaded, there are at least thirty scavengers.

That is only the number in the lead vehicles. When the two M4s tested the cannons earlier, they likely destroyed several vehicles. Adding everything together, there might be around forty people.

These scavengers couldn’t have arrived only in combat vehicles. They were scavengers, not savages from the Yellow Zone or wilderness. They came to haul spoils back.

That meant the convoy couldn’t consist solely of fast armored vehicles. There had to be transport vehicles as well.

Based on their habits, those transport vehicles would be larger. They might even have thicker armor and stronger weapons.

“M4! Don’t hold back! Drive straight ahead! Take out all the vehicles following the command vehicle!”

Just as Gentiane shouted to M4 and RO635, the scavenger vehicles realized they had been discovered. They accelerated toward the command vehicle and launched anti-tank missiles.

“M16!”

“Understood!”

M16 needed no further orders. She grabbed her etched weapon and rushed out. Her task was to cover M4 and RO on the top deck and prevent them from being targeted by scavengers behind them.

She also had to deal with the BGM-71 attacks.

These anti-tank missiles were wire-controlled. After firing, the gunner had to keep aiming at the target through an optical sight. Hitting the command vehicle wasn’t difficult for Dolls.

Disrupting the pursuing vehicles would prevent accurate targeting by the scavengers controlling the BGM-71s.

The vehicles had considerable armor plating. The BGM-71s, however, were mounted on the roof and lacked gun shields that could block the optical sight’s view.

That made the gunners exposed on the roofs perfect targets for the Dolls.

Seeing the scavengers already positioned behind the BGM-71s, M4 and RO635 felt no fear. They only needed to fire first.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

RO635 switched her grenade launcher to full-auto mode in a moment of desperation. A gentle pull of the trigger sent three grenades flying. They struck the vehicles in an instant.

Boom!

Almost all three grenades hit one vehicle. The car was immediately engulfed in flames. Debris and fragments scattered in every direction. M4 even saw one person launched into the air.

Faced with the scene, M4 hesitated briefly. She still aimed at another vehicle and sent it soaring into the sky with a precise shot.

The sudden explosion threw the pursuing vehicles into chaos. Whether because of the grenade attack or not, the front vehicles hit by debris immediately became unstable. One twisted sharply and rolled sideways like a toy.

The vehicle behind it failed to dodge in time and crashed head-on. The two vehicles roared as they collided. Armor plates and crew members were thrown out instantly.

“Hmm. I was planning to demonstrate the true power of our secret weapon, but it looks unnecessary now…” OTs-12 said as she lowered her imprint weapon. It had been aimed at a driver.

Half of the eight vehicles vanished instantly. The remaining three reduced their speed and disappeared back into the dust cloud.

RO635 frowned but kept attacking. The weapons on those vehicles still posed a threat to the command vehicle. Letting them go would mean living with constant danger.

RO635 fired another ten grenades into the dust cloud before stopping.

She heard crashing sounds from inside. If nothing unexpected happened, those vehicles had overturned.

Driving through smoke and dust was dangerous enough. Add grenade bombardment, and survival became pure luck.

“Phew. Looks like they’re gone. Where did these guys come from? We didn’t hear a thing when we were behind them,” Scorpion spoke while wiping sweat from her brow.

It was terrifying. These guys were like ghosts. The vehicles were noisy, yet no one heard them.

“Probably because the command vehicle was so loud that we couldn’t hear anything else,” Makarov said with a dissatisfied frown.

Regardless, the fact remained. They had failed to notice someone following them. This was negligence. They would need to recalculate every possibility once they returned.

Swoosh!

Just as the Dolls lowered their guard and sighed in relief, two ignition sounds approached rapidly. They appeared almost instantly at the edge of the dust cloud.

“Watch out!”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

As the warning rang out, M16 had already raised her gun. The slight jolting of the command vehicle didn’t affect her fire-control core. It locked onto a missile that had only just begun accelerating.

The missile hadn’t reached full speed. M16’s bullets pierced it directly. The warhead was torn apart, the thrusters destroyed, and it crashed to the ground like scrap.

“Get out of the way!” Makarov reacted instantly. She shoved OTs-12 and Scorpion toward the rear hatch.

M16 reached out and grabbed M4 and RO to keep them from falling off the top deck.

Just when everyone thought the missile would hit the rear of the command vehicle, M16 noticed the vehicle slightly change direction. It veered off course at the last second.

M16 lay prone on the deck. Makarov sprawled on the ground. Both watched helplessly as the missile trailed a lead wire and grazed past the command vehicle.

M4 quickly got up. She raised her grenade launcher and fired a series of grenades toward the rear.

Boom!

The grenades flew in a straight line and clearly hit something. One explosion sounded louder than the others.

“There shouldn’t be any more behind us. Don’t let your guard down, though. These scavengers can pull out anything.”

Gentiane had recovered considerably. She directed the other Dolls to retreat while giving instructions to M4 and the others inside the command vehicle.

“Understood.”

The Dolls answered in unison.

M16 noticed the awkward look on M4’s face.

“Alright. Don’t regret it now. Everything’s fine. Next time you act, don’t hesitate.”

After spending so much time with M4, M16 understood. M4 felt guilty for not pushing the attack with RO635 and wiping out all the scavengers at once.

If she had been with RO635…

“Well, the top deck is still dangerous. I’ll go down and find safety ropes and hooks.” RO635 didn’t think much about it. She put away her weapons and hurried into the vehicle.

Seeing RO635 leave, M4 finally relaxed. She couldn’t help thinking of AR15 still on the Renault ship. If it were AR15, she would have acted without hesitation.

…

“Ha! Look! That guy got crushed by the Ultralisk in one stomp!” OGAS watched the scene on the screen and laughed heartily.

AR15 beside her twitched her lips but quickly suppressed it. After all, she had been trampled by those behemoths many times before.

Still, seeing others suffer brightened her mood. The frustration of being utterly defeated by strange creatures in the training pod eased a little.

---

Chapter 1062: It's No Use!

"This is completely different from what you said! Who said that security contractor didn't have heavy firepower!? This is more powerful than the cannons on our vehicles!"

Looking at the mess on the ground, the entire Vanguard convoy had been completely reduced to parts, except for a few overturned vehicles that were still relatively intact.

The people inside the vehicles were beyond saving. The unlucky ones couldn't even be pieced back together. The lucky ones… well, the logistics team would probably have to go through some trouble to haul them back for a look before burning them.

In a place like the Yellow Zone, even burying a dead person whole is very dangerous. It could cause the small patch of land where the person was buried to silicify. After weathering, that silicified dust would become new Collapse Radiation dust and drift everywhere.

However, there's another possibility: the dead person buried in the ground might have become a mutant. Those things are far more dangerous than ordinary ELID infected.

To avoid encountering such dangerous creatures near their hideout, all scavengers making a living in the Yellow Zone understood the importance of cremating corpses.

"After this is done, we'll resupply you with a batch of weapons and equipment, the kind we just changed into," Yegor replied expressionlessly, looking at the eyes peeking out from behind the man's gas mask. The soldiers behind him, recently transferred from Belgrade, already had their fingers on safety.

Looking at these rebels clad in military protective suits, even the scavenger leader had to seriously consider his chances of survival after attacking them.

Don't be fooled by the thick clothing his scavengers wore. It was all just for protection against the Collapse Radiation in the Yellow Zone. The steel armor plates were mostly for defending against the claws of mutated creatures.

Facing these rebels, armed and clad in heavy protective suits, their chances of winning were virtually zero.

Raising a hand to calm his restless subordinates, the scavenger leader immediately nodded. "That would be best."

Hearing this, Yegor silently waved his hand and led his soldiers slowly out of the scavengers' sight.

Only after Yegor and his men had disappeared did the scavenger leader turn to look at the restless figure beside him.

"Look what you've done!"

"No... Boss, I didn't expect their intelligence to be so..."

"Shut up! From the moment you agreed to their request, the situation was beyond repair! Now! Go back! Notify everyone in the camp to evacuate!"

"But, but..."

"No buts! If you don't want your head stuck on an armored car wheel, get back to work now!"

He kicked the guy so hard he rolled away. After watching him scramble off, the scavenger leader clutched his gas mask, deeply troubled, pondering how to escape this desperate situation.

He didn't believe a word of the rewards promised by the rebels. Cooperation? Ha. That's easy to say. Everyone knows these guys operating in the contaminated zone are all classified as rebels now.

Even so, they weren't partners that small-time scavengers like them could cooperate with. Cooperation required equal strength, or at least similar strength, and with their limited resources...

Scavenging for trash in the Yellow Zone and occasionally robbing passing PMCs was already their limit.

While the rebels' demands were similar to their usual tasks, normally, after their business was done, they only needed to clean up the battlefield, haul their loot back, and prepare to sell it.

This time, it looked like they were the ones who needed to be cleaned up…

Meanwhile, once out of the scavengers' sight, Yegor took out his communicator.

“The scavengers' initial operation failed. Next, they'll ambush Griffin's command vehicle before it leaves the Yellow Zone.”

“Well, as expected, randomly recruited guys are unreliable. What exactly happened with that Doll's signal? Have you figured it out?”

“Not yet. It's possible Renault tampered with the Doll, and those guys seem to have gotten some new weapons from Renault. Those things…”

“Alright, Captain, none of that matters. Griffin's strength isn't part of this operation. You just need to confirm that the Doll is still in Griffin's hands. Persica shouldn't give away her most prized creation so easily.”

“Understood.”

Hanging up the call, even the composed Yegor couldn't help but sigh helplessly. He understood Carter's meaning, but without seeing Renault's ship with his own eyes, any intelligence reports would likely be dismissed by Carter as exaggerations of the enemy's strength and attempts to shirk responsibility.

Perhaps that was why Yegor could sense Carter's tone becoming noticeably impatient during recent contact.

Thinking of this, Yegor touched the camera on his protective suit. Thankfully, their team all carried recorders. This footage would certainly be convincing once they returned.

Sending these images directly through the communication system was out of the question. Paradeus's jamming devices were causing problems in the city, while Collapse Radiation was affecting the area outside. Sending the data rashly risked interception by other organizations.

With that thought, Yegor glanced at the rearview mirror. Although all the self-governing units he'd brought along had perished in the city, the only good news was that his brothers behind him had returned alive.

What on earth were they fighting? How had things reached this point without them realizing it?

This trip had been a constant battle, from the moment they entered the city until they were practically delirious and barely able to remember their mission objective.

...

"But if we gather all the Dolls together, won't we be like blind men?"

Kalina asked Gentiane, puzzled. Just minutes earlier, Gentiane had decisively called back all the Dolls scattered outside, deciding not to let them continue scouting.

"There's no need. Those guys are scavengers. They're far more skilled at concealing themselves in polluted areas than the Dolls."

That's their livelihood. If they can't even fool the Dolls' scouting, how could the scavengers possibly rob passing convoys?

More importantly, their route of advance had already been discovered by these scavengers. There were nearly ten of them in one vehicle, each carrying anti-tank missiles. It was clear they were after the command vehicle.

Otherwise, there was no reason for all their vehicles to be carrying anti-tank missiles specifically designed to target armored units.

Fortunately, the scavengers chose that approach. If they had used vehicle-mounted machine guns or grenade launchers instead, several more Dolls would have been lost.

The reason for recalling all the Dolls was precisely this. The Doll reconnaissance teams were certainly novices, despite having extensive experience dealing with ELID infected, Sangvis Ferri, and even Paradeus.

But scavengers… Gentiane felt uneasy. If her Dolls tried to outmaneuver them, they probably wouldn't gain any advantage.

And even if they did, what then? Could she really let the Dolls strip the scavengers of their equipment and sell it for money?

The haphazardly pieced-together gear the scavengers carried wouldn't even fetch a decent price on the black market. They'd probably just get a garbage disposal or cleaning fee instead.

“You mean these guys are after us?” Persica frowned. Clearly, the scavengers' presence made her uneasy.

The route they were on was completely devoid of buildings, pure wasteland. Even scavengers wouldn't consider this kind of place, and normal convoys wouldn't travel through this area because there were no supplies to be found.

If it weren't for the fact that Griffin's command vehicle wasn't entirely filled with Dolls besides Gentiane and the other two, they would have definitely chosen a route where they could stop for supplies.

“It's obvious. If nothing unexpected happens, these guys are either backed by Paradeus or those rebels.”

The rebels were more likely. In the few times Paradeus had appeared, it had never instigated other forces to attack them; all deployed forces had been Paradeus's own.

"Tsk! That Havier made a good bet, but he's been targeted again. Why are these big shots always watching a security contractor, especially one that's declining?"

Upon hearing Persica's words, Kalina and Gentiane looked at her speechlessly.

Yes, Griffin was indeed a security contractor, and it was indeed declining.

But she was here.

The leader of the important Doll technology was here. The developers of the next generation of Dolls were here. It would be strange if they weren't watching Griffin.

“Alright, let’s change our route for now and head toward where there are more people.” Gentiane shook her head and quickly made a decision.

The people behind the scavengers were hiding to avoid their actions being noticed by those with ulterior motives.

Since that was the case, she would naturally do the opposite. As long as the forces behind the scavengers still had something to fear, driving the command vehicle to a conspicuous place would make them more hesitant.

As for whether this would bring misfortune to the survivors clinging to life in the Yellow Zone… she could only apologize. Sometimes trade-offs had to be made.

And were the survivors in the Yellow Zone innocent? Weren't those large settlements in the Yellow Zone the real strongholds of those scavengers?

"I behave myself in the stronghold, but I wreak havoc outside?"

...

"I think it's necessary to install a real-time warning system in the spaceship corridor to tell the T-Dolls to slow down when approaching corners or intersections."

Helian rubbed her forehead while looking at the chaotic accident scene.

How do these Sangvis Ferris manage to drive cleaning trucks like race cars?! And those Prowlers! It's absolutely necessary to update their movement algorithms. Make them slow down when carrying heavy loads! And of course, those Dinergates too! Always running around everywhere!

It's only because the Dolls' physical abilities have improved now. Otherwise, at least one or two Dolls would have their ribs broken by these seemingly tiny creatures every day.

“Should we install traffic lights at the intersection?” M1 Garand looked up at the spacious passageway. If they were there, traffic lights wouldn't seem out of place.

But she still felt it was a bit wasteful. After all, even with the Dolls' eyesight, or Sangvis Ferri's, these passageways were no more than a hundred meters long at most. She could see straight through them. Installing traffic lights felt unnecessary.

Sigh!

Helian understood the idea, of course. She was simply baffled by how these guys managed it.

Several accidents happened almost daily. The equipment usually didn't break down, and the cargo was fine, but it was always those unfortunate Sangvis Ferris...

The case is solved!

The reason Scarecrow One and Two were always in the workshop and never came out has been solved…

“How about we have the Commander replace them with…”

“Stop! Hold on! That suggestion isn't appropriate right now! Let these Sangvis Ferris mature a bit more. I think some of them have become much more stable lately.” Helian quickly raised her hand to stop M1 Garand from saying what she was about to say.

It's fine for now, but the Sangvis Ferri Dolls themselves frequently need to go into the workshop for maintenance. If they were replaced with mechanical or bio-based bodies, the damage caused by these Sangvis Ferris would likely be even greater.

Just look at those little assassins who frequently slip out from under M500's nose. Their claws can leave marks on metal floors. Imagine how outrageous things would become if Doll bodies were equipped with bio-based bodies.

If the Sangvis Ferri Dolls were fitted with these bodies now, it wouldn't just be the two Scarecrows in the workshop who would be busy. All the Dolls on the ship would be busy repairing various damage to the ship, perhaps even less effective than the Sangvis Ferri Dolls themselves…

Just thinking about that scene made Helian put on a mask of anguish.

“Well, I remember Hunter seems to have some free time lately. Let's have her come over and keep an eye on these guys…”

“Uh, okay, I'll go find her now…” M1 Garand scratched her cheek somewhat sheepishly.

So the only ones truly capable of working on the Sangvis Ferri were Scarecrow and Hunter?

---

Chapter 1063: The Plan Goes Well

"That's the settlement in the Yellow Zone? It looks pretty good. They've even managed to build a small purification tower themselves."

Although from a distance the purification tower looked dilapidated and patched up everywhere—clearly a cobbled-together product from various countries—it was undeniably still functioning.

The Collapse Radiation detector readings inside the command vehicle had begun to plummet.

"If they didn't have some skills, how could those scavengers survive in the harsh environment of the Yellow Zone?" Gentiane shrugged. This kind of thing wasn't unusual for her as the commander of Griffin.

Back when she was still in the jurisdiction and frequently receiving intelligence from Griffin headquarters, a significant portion of it concerned scavengers.

However, this situation only lasted a short time. Soon after she took office, Griffin's main focus shifted from bandits, mercenaries, and scavengers to the seemingly omnipresent Sangvis Ferri.

Even so, Gentiane didn't easily forget the intelligence she had seen. Although some details were hazy due to the passage of time, she still remembered the general strength of the scavengers clearly.

Compared to the few White Zones and the relatively vast Green Zones, the Yellow and Red Zones were astonishingly large. Leaving aside the Red Zones, even years after the end of World War III, scavengers in the Yellow Zones could still survive by scavenging within them.

This situation could likely continue for another decade or so. The amount of legacy left inside the contaminated zones was simply too vast—so vast that even a small group like the scavengers might not be able to completely scavenge all the Yellow Zones in the world even in another decade.

"So, are we really going to stay at this settlement?"

"Stay? No, just drive straight along the road next to the settlement. But be careful not to provoke the guys patrolling around the area."

This settlement is quite large. Judging by its activity level, the population is probably between tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands. A settlement of this size couldn't possibly have just one scavenger group.

Therefore, attacking them outside the settlement is unlikely. The scavenger groups will likely sabotage each other for various reasons—to prevent rivals from growing stronger or to prevent the financial backers of PMCs from attacking the settlement.

Most of the factions within the settlement will likely choose to remain inactive and watch them leave.

As for whether anyone might take a desperate gamble and target Griffin's command vehicle?

That's not necessarily a bad thing for Gentiane, because once someone makes a move, other scavenger groups will probably be unable to hold back and will rush up in droves or find a place to ambush.

But that would achieve Gentiane's goal: to muddy the waters so they could fish in the chaos and, if things went smoothly, even snatch something useful from the scavengers.

After witnessing the scavengers' numerous heavy weapons, Gentiane's mind started to wander.

Having always dutifully followed the rules and never considered preparing more heavy weaponry herself, Gentiane now felt that if things continued this way, Griffin would be completely doomed after seeing the two grenade launchers in M4 and RO635's hands.

The enemies were all equipped with field shields or heavy armor, but the Tactical Dolls in her hand were still wielding replicas of individual weapons from decades or even a century ago.

It wasn't that these weapons were ineffective; although they were all antique models, they actually had advanced weapon imprinting systems built in, allowing the Tactical Dolls to use them skillfully and effectively.

The problem is, neither Paradeus nor the military's armored units can be dealt with simply by the Dolls' superior combat efficiency.

When even the most sophisticated tactics are less effective than a single 40mm rocket costing only a few hundred dollars, she should probably have already prioritized upgrading the Dolls' equipment.

As for the heavy-ordinance ban? She now understood.

Security contractors, after all, are still PMCs. And once you're a PMC, there's no future in being a law-abiding citizen.

Just look at the mission Statesec assigned her this time—what kind of nonsense is this? To have them protect one person amidst a horde of Paradeus with a full complement of light and heavy weaponry, enough to fill a brigade?

Leaving aside whether she can actually complete this mission, just looking at the data on paper, it's clearly putting her to death!

Statesec is clearly unreliable. The next mission might involve even more danger, and if there is a next time, Havier might not be so dependable either.

Having him provide some Dolls with military-grade parts is no problem. With a few minor paperwork adjustments, as long as no one investigates, it should be fine. Griffin did the same before.

After all, even the movable armor plates on the Dolls are considered contraband, let alone weapons targeting armored units.

Look at Persica, getting her hands on anti-tank missile launchers and mortars from over ninety years ago—it was all done clandestinely, requiring a lot of favors…

And while these things are precious in their hands, in the hands of scavengers almost everyone could have one.

While that might be a slight exaggeration, the fact that all the vehicles in the vanguard convoy were carrying BGM-71s shows that this weapon is probably commonplace on the black market.

They could easily buy a whole bunch on the black market, but Griffin has to go through all sorts of reporting procedures just to equip one...

They're clearly making things difficult for Gentiane!

However, that's not entirely true. The real difficulty is probably the word "legal." Otherwise, Gentiane could easily afford those cheap weapons on the black market.

Like the machine guns Renault used back then, plenty of them can be found on the black market or in equipment graveyards. They can be repaired and used again without much performance degradation.

Previously, Gentiane had some reservations. Although she envied Renault's equipment, she didn't dare to make any moves.

But now… if she doesn't use her brain now and acquire more powerful weapons, she'll likely either be betrayed by Statesec or killed by Paradeus.

As for her elusive G&K founder, Havier said he's probably been arrested and interrogated again.

Seriously… this endless interrogation… what could possibly be the point?

Luckily, Helian decisively switched jobs earlier; otherwise, she would definitely be involved in this interrogation too.

“Are you sure we won’t run into problems driving like this? I think I see several cars chasing us?”

Just as Gentiane was deep in thought, Persica nudged her arm and pointed anxiously out the window. Clearly, not all the scavengers in the settlement would patiently wait for them to leave.

Turning her head, Gentiane saw the dozen or so vehicles of various sizes chasing after them, and a smirk appeared on her face.

Plan working.

“Huh? Hey! What are you laughing at! Can’t you see those guys are already catching up?! This isn’t the time to laugh! Hurry up and think of something!”

Seeing the enigmatic smile on Gentiane’s face, Persica, completely bewildered, grabbed Gentiane’s clothes and shook her violently.

“Yes, yes, I know, I know, it’s all in my plan. Don’t panic, it won’t crash.”

Hearing Gentiane say this, Persica let go of her clothes but still felt uneasy. Perhaps because the command vehicle was driving on roads near the settlement, the dust kicked up behind it was significantly less, allowing Persica to see clearly.

The vehicles that caught up this time were also equipped with considerable heavy weaponry on their roofs, though not as uniformly as the scavengers' vehicles before. They carried almost everything: vehicle-mounted grenades, heavy machine guns, anti-tank missiles, etc., but mostly heavy machine guns and general-purpose machine guns.

At first glance, it looked like a hodgepodge, but in reality this was likely a carefully adjusted equipment loadout by the scavengers, ensuring a balanced mix of light and heavy firepower within the convoy to maximize the safety of the convoy's personnel in case of an emergency.

However, they had barely passed through this area when a convoy from within the settlement immediately mounted its full gear and gave chase. It was likely that the sentries near the settlement had reported the arrival of their command vehicle.

Gentiane had anticipated this situation when she had a Doll steer the command vehicle. The next key point was....

"Anyway, it's up to you now, M4!"

"Huh?"

...

"By the way, why have you been hiding here? Aren't you going to play with Mercurius and the others?"

Simonov scratched her head, looking at Nimogen who had been sitting next to her.

This girl had been sitting next to her since yesterday. She wondered if she'd even explored the entire ship. The old ship was fine; it only had a few floors, and she'd get familiar with it after a few walks.

But the new ship—if she didn't carefully familiarize herself with the layout, she might get lost.

Nimogen, however, got up early this morning, ate breakfast, and ran to the brewery. She wrinkled her nose, briefly greeted A-91 and the others, and then sat down next to Simonov, showing no intention of moving for quite some time.

At first glance, it looked like someone had placed a Nyto statue there.

“Play? Do I look like a kid to you?” Hearing this, Nimogen's expression became even more awkward, her reluctance written all over her face.

Those three Nytos in Renault's house really were complete children, and they had assimilated Mercurius in no time at all!

Every time she saw four people who looked quite similar to her acting like childish kids, Nimogen felt uncomfortable all over…

Hearing Nimogen's rebuttal, Simonov paused. Was this girl still planning how to get back to Paradeus? No way! Comparing the two, couldn't she see where life was more comfortable?

"Hmm? Kid? Come on, I have some drinks here, want some?"

"Hmm? Oh, thanks."

Without even noticing who handed her the water bottle, Nimogen's eyes lit up slightly when she heard there was a drink. She took it immediately and took a sip without hesitation.

Having been on the ship for two days already, it's impossible for things to have changed much. The biggest impact so far is probably that during mealtimes, many people constantly gather around to feed the Nytos.

After Mercurius became familiar with the little Nytos, she started calling the other Dolls "sister," seamlessly blending into the group of Nytos being fed.

As a result, Nimogen also received a lot of attention, and in just a few meals she was already used to being fed.

After all, refusing in front of everyone would not only draw a stern look from Helian, but the Dolls wouldn't give up easily either; they'd definitely watch her eat with smiles.

Glug!

Because of the continuous feeding over several meals, the unsuspecting Nimogen unhesitatingly gulped down a large mouthful.

"Hmm... it tastes a bit fruity... not sweet... uh! Hmm!?"

The moment Nimogen took a sip, feeling like she was drinking a fruit-flavored beverage, her brows furrowed. After a moment of savoring, she suddenly felt a burning sensation rise from her chest to her throat!

This isn't a drink!? This is vodka!?

Staring wide-eyed, Nimogen finally realized who had given her the water bottle! It was clearly Executioner, that drunkard! What else could be in her water bottle besides alcohol!?

But she'd already drunk it; could she really force herself to vomit?

Thinking this, Nimogen could only glare angrily at Executioner who was smirking in front of her!

"Hahaha! Here, this is the juice, look how red your face is!"

Executioner Number Two beside her, though also laughing, still handed her another water bottle.

Nimogen took the bottle with some skepticism, unscrewed the cap, and sniffed it to make sure there was no alcohol smell. Only then did she cautiously take a small sip.

After confirming it wasn't alcohol, she gulped down a large mouthful to calm the burning sensation in her chest.

However, after finishing it, Nimogen suddenly noticed that the Dolls from Simonov's group had all gathered around.

"What... what do you want?"

---

Chapter 1064: Who Can This Fool?

“Oh my! This little face is so soft! I thought it would be as hard as those Sangvis Ferri Dolls before they were modified!” Executioner poked Nimogen’s face with her finger. The other Executioners followed suit and each took one side of Nimogen’s face.

A-91 wore a mysterious smile. She chuckled and placed her hand on Nimogen’s head, patting it like a kitten.

The only one who didn’t make any extra moves was Simonov. She hadn’t reacted yet. She worried that if she went over now and grabbed Nimogen by the waist to lift her high, it might be too much.

What if Nimogen ignored her after that? Wouldn’t her plan to trick Nimogen into getting a Gunship driver’s license be ruined?

“You guys… you’re surrounding me just to do this…?” Nimogen kept her face stern. She suppressed her anger and questioned the women in front of her expressionlessly.

“Yeah, what else? Helian always says we reek of alcohol. The Nytos shun us as soon as we get close. Now we finally have a chance! We have to get our fill!”

Executioner wore an air of self-righteousness as she lightly pinched Nimogen’s soft cheek. Her smile turned strange.

At first glance, she looked no different from a drunken old man on the street.

Get your fill? What? Does Helian charge you for getting close to the other Nytos?

Nimogen was angry at first. Looking at the two Executioners grinning like idiots, her anger mostly faded.

She was a mature adult. She couldn’t afford to argue with fools.

Besides, she could sense that while these women behaved outrageously, they had no ulterior motives. Standing before her, they posed no threat at all. They felt like ordinary people.

However, this was clearly impossible. These Dolls, whether Sangvis Ferri or former Tactical Dolls, had all undergone body replacements. Nearly all of them were capable of tearing apart ELID infected.

Their fingers poking her face could pierce her bone at any moment. Yet she felt no threat whatsoever. She felt far more relaxed than when facing Paradeus Nytos like herself.

Clearly, these women harbored not a trace of malice toward her.

That Commander Renault is really strange. Are all the Dolls under her command this single-minded and straightforward?

Thinking this, Nimogen’s expression did not change. Her dangling legs began to swing slightly.

“By the way, does your neck hurt? Is there a bionic system covering it?” A-91 reached out and touched the side of Nimogen’s neck. Unlike the soft skin on her face, it felt completely metallic.

“Here?” Nimogen shook her head in confusion. “No, but there’s a mimicry layer that can imitate normal skin. It’s the same on my hands and feet.”

Although it could mimic, there was no corresponding tactile sensation or feeling.

“Hmm, is that so? After this busy period, the Commander might replace our bodies again. Don’t forget to come closer then.” A-91 said this even though she herself felt hesitant about getting a new bionic body.

After the bio-body replacement, it would be impossible to just lie around drunk and do nothing all day.

“Is it okay? I’ve only been here a short time,” Nimogen asked hesitantly. This sounded like a reward for a Doll. Shouldn’t the other Dolls on the ship be given this opportunity first?

“Of course. No problem. You definitely won’t leave after the body replacement, right?” Executioner waved her hand dismissively. This was clearly not Renault’s concern. Even if all the Dolls had their bio-bodies replaced, she didn’t think anyone would abandon the ship and run away.

Because they had nowhere to go.

Going to other companies would subject them to underlying protocol restrictions. No one could write restrictive protocols into the minds of the bio-bodies they used.

And if they disguised themselves as humans to find work, they would first need a reasonably presentable identity document.

Otherwise, they would live as wanderers. They would become refugees in the outer suburbs or scavengers roaming dangerous areas for a living.

As for finding high-paying jobs and living comfortably in cities in the Green or White Zones, that was even less likely.

So many people in the world had not reached that level. How could they guarantee they would stand out? By what right? Just because of their superhuman bodies?

They probably wouldn’t earn enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of their lives before being dragged into a lab for dissection and research. The chance of being caught might be small, but the more likely outcome was life on the run or becoming like Sangvis Ferri and wreaking havoc wherever they went.

Changing their bodies was not without cost. They would be bound to Renault and her ship from then on.

For the two Executioner, this was practically no cost at all.

Where else could they find a place where they could drink until they were stuffed and vomiting every day without spending a penny, as long as they weren’t on missions?

After seeing the confident expressions of the two women before her, Nimogen pondered for a moment. She roughly understood the reason and realized she had nothing to refute.

With the communication network with Paradeus severed, she no longer heard that incessant shared consciousness. The constant emphasis on missions was gone as well. She felt much clearer-headed.

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Nimogen nodded in agreement. Staying on Renault’s ship was clearly the best option. The outside world was chaotic, and Paradeus caused trouble everywhere.

Even if she wanted to find a quiet place to live peacefully, that would probably remain a pipe dream.

“Pfft! Haha! They all act like little adults!” Executioner couldn’t help laughing when Nimogen nodded earnestly.

Since arriving at Renault, these Nytos had stopped staring blankly. They looked younger somehow. Even the smallest one, Shottie, looked older than them.

It wasn’t their appearance that suggested their age. It was their expressions. Now both Mercurius and Nimogen wore subtle expressions that made them look remarkably innocent.

“I’m already very mature!” Nimogen emphasized solemnly. Her eyes scanned her surroundings as she considered what kind of work she could do here to prove it.

“Yes, yes, yes! How about helping pilot the Gunship? It’s a lot of fun!"

Before Executioner could respond, Simonov finally saw an opportunity and quickly suggested it. She gestured with her hands to show the shape of the Gunship.

Ew! Fun? Are you sure dying hundreds or thousands of times in the training pod is fun?

You! Did you switch places with Maggie? Or did you just learn a trick or two from that social engineering master and now you’re testing it on Nimogen?

Hearing Simonov’s words, the two Executioners and A-91 all showed expressions of disgust. They had absolutely no interest in piloting the Gunship.

Piloting the Gunship required passing an extremely difficult simulation test. Maintenance and upkeep after deployment were far too troublesome compared to brewing work, which only required moving things around.

Sometimes luck was not on their side and the Gunship would be stained with stubborn dirt. While others lounged on deck chairs enjoying drinks, Simonov cleaned the Gunship. While others relaxed after work, Simonov performed maintenance.

Sometimes the Executioners felt Simonov was too clever for her own good. It was like the saying that too much of a good thing could turn bad. She inspected the Gunship every few days even though it only needed maintenance periodically.

Completely different from SPAS-12.

After all, they rarely saw SPAS-12 working as much as Simonov did. That was probably why SPAS-12’s piloting skills were never as good as Simonov’s.

Seeing everyone’s expressions and Simonov’s embarrassed look, as if her lie had been exposed,

Nimogen rolled her eyes speechlessly.

She retracted her earlier statement. She couldn’t deny that Simonov was malicious after all. She clearly wanted her involved in some troublesome situation.

…

“But… why? Why only take out a few vehicles from each convoy?” M4 asked Gentiane. Her eyes were full of confusion as she clutched her grenade launcher.

If the goal was to repel all the pursuing scavengers, she would have no questions. But what was the point of only taking out a few vehicles from each convoy?

And why only her? What about the other Dolls? RO? M16? Why send her alone? Was Commander Gentiane training her mental fortitude?

“No, no, no. That’s not the point! The point is you have to let those guys see that it’s you standing on the roof firing! Take down as many as you can. Don’t force it.”

As she spoke, Gentiane lifted M4’s clothing and stuffed several thick bulletproof plates into the tactical vest underneath. She focused especially around the neural core area and added three layers, making M4 look like a fat man.

At first glance, it really didn’t look like M4.

Seeing Gentiane’s disguise, both M16 and RO looked puzzled. Persica had already guessed what Gentiane was up to.

It was simply a case of she had enough. The disguised M4 would step forward and show herself to those who had been eyeing Griffin.

This was the Yellow Zone and scavenger territory. The rebels probably didn’t have sophisticated reconnaissance equipment. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need to incite scavengers to act as scapegoats.

Given M4’s current appearance, she would likely be mistaken for another Doll.

Once the rebels received this false information, they would definitely withdraw their forces. Without M4, Griffin would be worthless to them.

Of course, this was the later impact. Right now, eliminating vehicles that served command functions and carried heavy firepower would change the balance among scavenger teams. Once their strength became unequal and external threats remained, they could easily turn on each other out of greed.

“Wait, wait! Leaving aside whether this plan will even work, we can’t possibly deal with all the vehicles chasing us, can we?” Kalina felt Gentiane’s plan sounded unreliable.

How could she know the scavengers would fight each other? How could she know that once the disguised M4 was seen, the rebels would abandon their surveillance? This was probably just wishful thinking on Gentiane’s part.

“No, no. You may not believe I still have Griffin’s deterrent power, but you can’t say that Renault’s Dolls have no deterrent power at all.”

If M4 wasn’t in Gentiane’s hands, the only possibility was that she remained on Renault’s ship.

Once this was confirmed, the rebel operation would likely cease immediately.

A direct confrontation with Renault was hopeless. Even if they wanted one, they would first need a way to shoot Renault’s ship down from thousands of meters in the air.

All things considered, for armies that had now become rebels, this was simply an impossible mission. An impossible mission was not worth continued effort.

They didn’t have much time left. They couldn’t afford to waste it on an M4 they knew they couldn’t capture.

…

“Captain! That Doll is definitely not the one we’re looking for! The build is completely different! Although the clothing looks somewhat similar, it’s absolutely not the Doll we’re looking for!”

The soldier with binoculars around her neck reported to Yegor with absolute certainty.

Hearing this, Yegor remained somewhat incredulous. Then he remembered that after they left Renault’s ship from Griffin, the tracking signal that had been clear before had completely disappeared.

This technology could block even the OGAS system’s signal without the slightest leakage. It was undoubtedly Renault’s doing.

---

Chapter 1065: Things Went a Little Too Far

"Let's go. After we've dealt with those scavengers, we can clean up and leave."

Yegor narrowed his eyes and watched the bulky but surprisingly fast T-Doll in the command vehicle unleash fire on the scavenger convoy.

He finally felt reassured after seeing the figure the scout had described and confirming it with his own eyes. However, after seeing it for himself, he wondered if that bulky figure was actually another T-Doll in disguised as M4.

It was only because his soldiers had spent too much time in the military camp; otherwise, how could they possibly believe that bulky figure was the T-Doll's true form?

How could a T-Doll be fat? It was impossible.

If it were a purely civilian Doll, then yes, that was certainly possible—what if someone had a taste for it? But a Griffin Doll was absolutely not.

While Griffin's Dolls were all modified from civilian Dolls, they were still specialized Tactical Dolls selected and modified by IOP. A bulky frame was simply impossible for a Tactical Doll.

However, even though Yegor was certain that the Doll standing on the command vehicle was the M4 they were looking for, he knew that what Carter truly sought wasn't the M4 Doll itself but the OGAS system mind residing within it.

The OGAS mind, born from the M4 mind, undoubtedly possessed the same unique characteristics as the M4 and could also serve as the key to activate the Starfish mainframe.

He had already received information that not only had Paradeus successfully obtained the Pike node data, but Sangvis Ferri had also obtained a copy due to Renault's indulgence.

They were powerless against Paradeus, but they could still try to influence Sangvis Ferri.

Besides… this M4 no longer has any OGAS system signal. If they go to great lengths to capture the M4 only to find it's an M4 that hasn't been properly repaired by the OGAS system…

Wouldn't that be a complete waste of time?

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately sprang into action and drove to the designated location. The scavengers chasing the command vehicle were irrelevant to them; these guys were just ordinary scavengers greedy for money.

The real threat was the group they had previously contacted. Only a few contacts and the leader of that group knew the whole story. The other low-ranking soldiers were insignificant.

After eliminating those who knew the truth, even if the remaining scavengers managed to reconstruct it, an unknown amount of time would have passed before they successfully handed the evidence over to their enemies.

...

Thump, thump, thump!

The muffled sound of heavy machine gun fire echoed in the break room. What should have been the Dolls' temporary bedroom had now become a firing window for Gentiane and several machine gun dolls.

The T-Dolls crouched behind cover and exchanged glances while plotting how to pull Gentiane, their commander who had personally taken to the front lines, down from the firing window.

She was the commander of the entire team. How could she personally lead the charge in such a dangerous situation?

While the T-Dolls worried, Gentiane remained completely unconcerned. Stray bullets had shattered the break room window and filled it with dust, but the shots landed on the upper part of the window.

Furthermore, the scavengers lacked precise fire control systems and relied on manual aiming for their weapons. This eliminated the possibility of a single enemy peeking out and tearing off their armor.

Moreover, Gentiane had used materials she'd smuggled from Renault to create makeshift gun shields for each Machine Gun T-Doll and for herself, ensuring they wouldn't be intimidated by vehicle-mounted grenades.

Bang! Boom!

Just as they were talking about vehicle-mounted grenades, one grenade struck the command vehicle's external armor plating and caused it to shake violently for a moment. That was all.

The vehicle with the grenade launcher mounted on its roof had barely fired a grenade at the command vehicle when it was met with fierce retaliatory fire from the M4.

A grenade accurately struck the vehicle's hood and instantly blasted it into pieces.

These heavily armed vehicles became her primary targets after M4 had taken out what appeared to be communication and command vehicles first.

Within minutes, over a dozen vehicles had either overturned or been reduced to scrap metal.

Gentiane and her team weren't without gains either. A dozen machine guns opened fire simultaneously and created a hail of bullets that destroyed several vehicles with substandard armor.

If the command vehicle hadn't still been moving and slightly affecting the T-Dolls' aim, the results would have at least doubled.

On the other side of the vehicles, Griffin's Rifle T-Dolls were positioned near the ventilation windows and ready to take out the driver or gunner with a single shot.

However, almost all the occupants of those vehicles knew how to drive, and a fallen driver wasn't enough to stop them.

Some vehicles had full-coverage armor with no exposed observation windows, while the cameras used to capture external images were hidden throughout the vehicles. Even weaker Dolls were helpless against them.

Fortunately, M4 above provided backup. Otherwise, some reckless scavengers would have already braved the hail of bullets to board the command vehicle.

M4 on the roof was also feeling anxious. The rapidly depleting ammunition in her grenade launcher caused her considerable worry.

While these scavengers chasing them didn't look as heavily equipped as the previous convoy at first glance, their pursuit skills were clearly on a completely different level.

The vehicles weaved left and right and often pushed through the flames of the grenade explosions, successfully navigating the craters and smoke. The shrapnel and shockwaves from the blasts had little effect on the occupants.

Although M4 had overturned over a dozen vehicles in just a few minutes, her ammunition had also dwindled by at least forty or fifty rounds.

And now the number of vehicles chasing the command vehicle was even greater than before.

At first glance, they looked bigger and more numerous.

"Commander! Gentiane, Commander! Can we go up and support M4 now?! If this continues, those scavenger vehicles will be closing in!"

RO635 couldn't hold back any longer. M16 beside her also placed her hand on the small fire support system on her back. She had never used it before, but now it felt pointless to keep hiding it.

After all, M4 and RO had already gotten grenade launchers. There was no point in hiding this one.

If anyone were to investigate Griffin for possessing high-powered weapons, what difference would it make whether they had a miniaturized Jupiter cannon or two grenade launchers and one miniaturized Jupiter cannon?

Besides, Griffin now also had grenade launchers, mortars, and anti-tank missiles, even if there was only one of each.

“Go on, there’s no point in dragging it out any longer.”

This development was somewhat beyond Gentiane’s expectations. She hadn’t anticipated that these scavengers would be so united at a time like this. She had been too dismissive of Griffin’s command vehicle, which created a blind spot in her perception of the value of a fully functional command vehicle.

When they first took over this command vehicle, it was dilapidated and missing many functions. However, after the T-Dolls’ extensive repairs and the equipment provided by Havier, the vehicle had been completely restored to its full capabilities.

The devices she had overlooked—the command and detection equipment she took for granted—were probably invaluable to the scavengers.

This was likely the main reason these scavengers were relentlessly pursuing them…

Command vehicles also come in different classes, and the one they were currently driving was definitely among the largest in terms of size.

These specialized vehicles were traditionally military-grade. Havier must have gone to great lengths to get this one for Griffin.

Otherwise, those scavengers had robbed other PMCs before. There was no reason they would keep chasing them.

Perhaps some scavengers even had a grudge against Griffin?

Back before Sangvis Ferri came along, these scavengers might have been evicted from their original plots by Griffin.

Griffin takes on all sorts of jobs, and evicting scavengers operating in the Yellow Zone might have been within their scope. After all, these scavengers mostly target places where there is profit to be made.

Abandoned factories and discarded equipment can be salvaged and reused with a little repair. It's not just the scavengers who covet these things.

Gentiane shook her head, banished these pressing thoughts, and focused her attention on the vehicles behind them.

Things had gotten a little out of control. If they didn't drive these guys away, they might not even be able to get out of this contaminated zone, let alone return to Griffin Base.

...

"Hey! Really! It's really easy! Don't be so dismissive! Look, I got my Gunship driver's license so easily. You definitely can too!"

"What about them?" Nimogen, unmoved by Simonov's bluff, turned to the others and asked.

"Them? Hey! Their heads are all muscle! A bunch of roughnecks! What do they know about Gunship piloting? But you're different! Weren't you the commander of those Paradeus in the city? You commanded so many Paradeus! Driving a Gunship is a piece of cake for you!"

Looking at Simonov, who was excitedly rattling off words, Nimogen blinked, turned her head expressionlessly, and couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Heh, this girl. Doesn't she even see the expressions on the faces of the girls behind her…

Just as Simonov was getting a little carried away, the Two Executioners had already stood up, clenching her fists and grinning maliciously as she surrounded Simonov. Even A-91 put down her flask and grabbed an empty vodka bottle from the side.

"Are we all muscleheads?"

"Are we all just roughnecks?"

"You think you're so smart?"

"Ugh! Wait! Wait! Let me explain... no! Explain what?! Ouch—!"

Simonov, who was being brutally beaten by the others, immediately let out a scream of excruciating pain. Nimogen shrank back, realizing these guys had been speaking to her so kindly just moments before, and now they had turned on her in an instant.

Luckily, she wasn't their target.

Thinking this, Nimogen decided to slip away first. She didn't want to have to help Simonov get to the workroom later.

"Ouch! Ouch! Wait! Wait! You have to choose one! Don't go! This is the most comfortable job! It's better than mopping floors in the cleaning department every day... Ouch! Be gentle! Be gentle!"

Even while being ganged up on, Simonov didn't forget to try and win Nimogen over, yelling at her as she walked away while being pinned to the ground.

Nimogen actually took her advice to heart. The best way to distinguish herself from the other Nytos on the ship was to find Helian and choose a job that could actually help.

Otherwise, the other Dolls would definitely think that all the Nytos like her were little brats.

And Simonov wasn't lying. The cleaning department was always short-staffed. The Dolls moved constantly throughout the ship and required cleaning in countless places every day, so the shortage was undeniable.

Besides that, other departments on the ship also needed more manpower, especially with the increasing number of Sangvis Ferri Dolls who had voluntarily added their own food digestion bionic systems.

The galley needed the most staff, but the clumsy G36 was completely unacceptable. She was more likely to cause trouble than help.

Other areas—the vertical farm, the breeding farm, and even the slaughterhouse, which had previously been handled entirely by the two Alchemist—were also starting to run into labor shortages.

If these places maintaining the Dolls' basic needs were short-staffed, the situation in the factories and other departments was naturally even more severe.

And after moving to the new ship, Renault would expand these departments as needed. If no additional staff were added then, the Dolls would definitely work themselves to the bone.

While Nimogen did want a job that would differentiate her from the other young Nytos, something so demanding that she barely had time to breathe was out of the question.

Rather than being so busy she had no rest time, she'd prefer a job with more flexible hours…

---