RC 1121-1140 (Patreon)

Chapter 1121: What Abandoned City? A Fortress, Perhaps?"Isn't this information very clear? This city is completely abandoned now. Quarantine Wall has clearly been inoperable for a long time. What's the point of investigating a place like this?"Gentiane looked at the intelligence report from WaveTech with obvious disdain.More often than not, these seemingly detailed reports were exactly what caused all sorts of strange problems during investigations.She was already used to it.A seemingly ordinary safe house turning into a place full of Sangvis Ferri; a supposedly safe location becoming a simple exercise that ended with friendly forces turning against them and attacking them; escort missions somehow turning into confrontations with Paradeus, technologically advanced enemies that appeared out of nowhere.And this time?None of the commissions from Havier and Statesec had ever been reliable.“I mean, are those guys from Havier and Statesec just sitting there watching with glee while the idiot me just jump straight into the pit?” Gentiane asked Kalina indignantly.“Uh…” Hearing Gentiane’s words, Kalina wiped the cold sweat from her brow and pointed at the communicator.Of course, it wasn’t ringing right now, but who knew whether Statesec was recording everything through it back at their operations command center?“Fine.” Gentiane naturally understood what Kalina meant. She shrugged and looked at the operations command screen, considering which echelon to send out for reconnaissance.An abandoned city located within the red zone. The quarantine wall had been shut down for a long time and the environment inside was probably no different from the wilderness outside.Rushing into this city might even lead to encounters with ELID mutants. Besides that, the abandoned city undoubtedly still contained defensive facilities that remained operational.Although the city had been abandoned for a long time, its automated infrastructure should still be functioning unless something unexpected had happened. After all, those systems were designed for long-term operation.Of course, there would also be the inevitable signal interference and jamming—the same old problem."Wait!? Stop!"Muttering to herself about this increasingly unreliable mission, Gentiane suddenly noticed a railway route map while flipping through the documents.The route map itself wasn't unusual. She had already received one before departure. It wasn't classified information; it was semi-public.However, the data sent by WaveTech clearly marked the dense network of automated defensive turrets along the railway line!And this information had been mixed in with a pile of useless details explaining the situation in Tallinn!Couldn't they at least have added some kind of warning?! Even a simple red label would have helped!Tsk!No wonder Havier repeatedly reminded her to send a Doll squad ahead for reconnaissance. He had been waiting for her to figure this out herself.Naturally, Gentiane had no intention of following Havier and Statesec’s approach. Unless the reconnaissance team consisted of a squad capable of battlefield assessment like the AR Squad, command center would probably receive a message saying the Dolls had lost contact almost immediately."And what the hell are these turrets? Is it really necessary to deploy this many turrets along a civilian railway line? That's enough firepower to turn an ordinary civilian intercontinental train into dust a dozen times over!?"The railway line was densely packed with turrets. At a glance, the entire route map around Tallinn was covered in red dots representing defensive emplacements.She had never seen such outrageous defensive facilities before!Then again, since they had already sent her here, Tallinn was obviously far from normal.“So, if we had brought back that cannon back then…”“Useless. That thing is only effective against ordinary armored targets. These turrets are all equipped with force field shields… Wait, wasn't this city supposed to have been abandoned years ago? How did turrets installed back then already have force shields?”Gentiane hadn't encountered force shields very often, even during the rebel sieges. Sangvis Ferri only deployed them in limited numbers, mostly on upgraded Sangvis Ferri Dolls.What truly gave Gentiane trouble was Paradeus. Those white-clad enemies almost all carried force shields, either miniature versions that could only block a few bullets or reusable shield generators.For Tactical Dolls still using ordinary ammunition, these bullet-blocking force shields were practically a death sentence.To deal with them, even Gentiane could only rely on brute force: expend enough ammunition to trigger the shields, then either wait for their duration to expire or simply overwhelm the enemy with sustained fire.Under the current circumstances, even bringing out the 88mm gun they had secretly recovered earlier would be useless.A single artillery piece had limited effectiveness. Even with an autoloader, the firing speed of that outdated cannon still couldn't match the automatic turrets that had likely been installed during World War III.Moreover, the turrets were capable of covering each other. The moment she fired a shot, every automatic turret along the route would immediately activate.Then, according to their engagement protocols, their target acquisition range would expand to maximum range, systematically eliminating all identifiable hostile units within detection range.In simple terms, it was guaranteed death.If you didn’t attack the turrets, they would simply continue following their original program to protect the railway line.As for whether their train would be recognized as a friendly unit by those turrets… who knew?Gentiane had no interest in personally finding out what it felt like to be bombarded into pieces."What kind of garbage mission is this!? Aren't there any other routes? Do they really have to send me straight into hell?"Havier had even deliberately arranged an intercontinental train—what exactly was he thinking?If this had been a command vehicle, they could at least have bypassed this hellish area filled with automatic turrets by traveling through the nearby wilderness.“There is another route, but I don't think you'd want to take it, because that would mean…” Havier’s voice suddenly came through the communicator again.Gentiane was already numb to it by now.After all, the equipment here had been provided by IOP, and Havier had unrestricted access to the communications system.Wasn’t that perfectly normal?“Because we’d run into rebels, and armored trains at that, right?”---Chapter 1122: Who Wants to Come?"I think I'm the first one to use a prosthetic limb. I mean, among all the Dolls on the spaceship, right?"Nimogen spoke, glancing enviously at Scarecrow No. 2, who was adjusting her prosthetic limbs.She had followed Renault and UL-Nurse's advice and eaten more of the nutritional paste and konjac products made by Leone…As a result, when she went to UL-Nurse for her second checkup, both of her legs were simply removed because they supposedly interfered with recovery, and she was told to temporarily use prosthetics from Scarecrow No. 2.The outer armor on her arms had also been completely removed. They were now wrapped in bandages like rice dumplings, making movement nearly impossible.“Hmm, you really are the first one using prosthetics. When the others changed bodies, they were all stuffed with weird things instead. MG3 even used a Prowler chassis—the MG3 4WD Special Edition! And Simonov…”Scarecrow No. 2 smirked as she spoke and even pulled out a thick tome from a drawer—MDR’s "Dark History Handbook," distributed among the Dolls with one copy each.“Here, try using your hand. It should be easy for a Nyto. The control method is basically the same as using your real hand. It'll definitely feel strange at first, but you'll get used to it.” She placed the "Dark History Handbook" in front of Nimogen and gestured for her to open it using her newly installed prosthetics.The prosthetic arms were externally mounted and wirelessly controlled. Nimogen could operate them as naturally as her own arms simply by connecting her virtual image to them.For a Nyto skilled in electronic warfare, this was no challenge at all.Seeing Nimogen tremble only slightly before effortlessly turning the pages, Scarecrow No. 2 nodded and began preparing the prosthetic legs for Nimogen’s lower body.She only had time to slowly assemble these small gadgets for Nimogen because she had been relatively free recently. Otherwise, if she had been in a hurry, she probably would have done what Renault did and simply attached a Prowler chassis instead.After all, for movement inside the ship alone, a Prowler chassis was more than sufficient. The only problem was its questionable safety...."Pfft! Hahahaha! This photo of Simonov’s Iron Bridge is way too hilarious! I laugh every single time I see it!""Ah!? What is this!? How does this photo even exist!? MDR shouldn't have been here yet! Who!? Who sold the image from the mental data to MDR?!"Simonov was completely stunned upon seeing the photo. She had no idea MDR could even obtain something like this.“I was here the whole time. You were too busy drinking all day to notice.” M1911’s eyes darted around as she spoke and took another sip of hot chocolate.“Oh no! My image!”How was she supposed to convince anyone to become a gunship pilot now?!What if people found out that the current gunship pilot used to perform acrobatics on Prowler wheels…“Instead of worrying about your image, why don't you tell me how you passed the advanced aircraft pilot qualification exam? Was that even something a human could pass?” Type 80 spoke, resting her chin on her hand while looking at Simonov with frustration.To be honest, she had actually been somewhat interested in becoming a gunship pilot, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t pass the tests in the training pod. Either she took too many hits, or the aircraft got shot down.And that was only the intermediate-level test! Even SPAS-12 had passed it, so why couldn’t she?"Huh? It's just… well, you drive and pass? The trick is probably… boldness and caution? Safe driving?"Seeing Simonov’s expression that practically screamed, “I can’t explain it either,” Type 80 and the other Dolls all shook their heads helplessly.You keep recruiting people, but at least help them pass the test! Otherwise, what’s the point if someone wants to become a pilot but can’t pass the exam and get Renault’s approval?"Speaking of which, has Commander Renault considered recruiting more people? The new ship isn't crowded anymore, but there are still so many empty cabins. It feels a little deserted."G43 changed the subject and turned to M1911 with a question."Well, Commander Renault hasn't mentioned it, but we already have a decent number of people, right? We still have Rippers and the other Sangvis Ferri Dolls, don’t we?"The total number of individuals on the ship, including all the Dinergates and Prowlers, was roughly three hundred.Among them were elite Sangvis Ferri Dolls, numbering around eighty or ninety. The rest consisted of standard Sangvis Ferri units such as Rippers, Dragoons, Vespids, Guards, and others.There were no additional Sangvis Ferri models aboard. Fortunately, there was only one Jaeger on the ship; otherwise, they would have needed a new naming system to distinguish her from the others.“That’s true, but… I still feel like Commander Renault’s ship isn’t nearly as lively as Griffin’s. There are Dolls everywhere over there, but on the Commander’s ship, there are still many places where nobody is around!”“It’s not as exaggerated as you make it sound… You didn’t visit the ammunition depot in the ship’s weapons section at night, did you? And Griffin only feels lively because there are so many Dummy Dolls…”“Really? Who even deploys Dummy Dolls outside of missions?”While the Dolls chatted among themselves, Springfield waved toward the café entrance, while WA2000 nervously attempted to greet the newcomer beside her.However, Renault waved her off, signaling that she didn’t need to be nervous."Good afternoon, Commander. Where's Ms. Helian?""She's over there playing with those kids inside that car.""Heh, it seems Ms. Helian really likes that car. What would you like today? The usual?""Hmm."Seeing Renault nod, Springfield skillfully poured a glass of lemonade and handed it to him while asking, "By the way, everyone was just wondering whether you're planning to recruit more people, Commander.""Hmm? Recruit more? Do you have someone you want to recommend?" Renault raised an eyebrow in surprise.Normally, Springfield wouldn't ask something like this. The fact that she brought it up meant she already knew someone who wanted to join them.

---

Chapter 1123: No Suitable

"No, it wasn't me, it was..."

"It was me! Commander! I wanted to tell you when I came back! But Gager held me back, saying it was all just my imagination! My feeling was definitely right! What popped into my head was Griffin's distress signal!"

Springfield was about to explain when Architect suddenly appeared from the side. Gager couldn't stop her in time, and Architect shouted as she lunged toward the bar in front of Renault.

"Hmm? Griffin's distress signal? How did it get to you?" Renault asked, puzzled. Architect had been using her new bio-body for some time now, so connecting to the Dolls' network wasn't unusual.

However, after changing her bio-body, unless she had mastered the Dolls' communication network and actively broadcast her identification, Architect would appear no different from a normal human to ordinary Dolls.

Honestly, even if Architect had truly mastered how to display her identification code through the Dolls' communication network, the code she presented would most likely be a Sangvis Ferri Doll code, since that was what she was most familiar with.

When a normal Griffin Doll encountered a Sangvis Ferri code, they would either report it immediately or run away rather than send a distress signal to Architect.

"Wait a minute? M4 and the others are incredibly far away, practically across the entire Baltic Sea! How could a signal possibly reach them from that distance?"

After hearing the word "Griffin," SOP2 curiously joined the conversation.

She wasn't worried about M4's safety, of course. With SOPMOD2.JR accompanying M4, she was certain she would receive a message immediately if M4 was in danger!

Besides, M4 had sent her a photo two hours ago showing herself sitting dejectedly inside a train car!

AR15, who had intended to grab a drink at the bar, stopped and sat down near the counter, clearly interested in hearing what new antics Architect had come up with.

"The Baltic Sea? What's that? Pineapple juice?" Architect blinked curiously after hearing SOP2 mention the Baltic Sea.

Just as she was about to get up and ask further, Gager grabbed her under the arm, lifted her off the bar, and placed her on the chair beside Renault. "Don't change the subject. Sit still and explain yourself."

"Oh, right! The distress signal! I heard it after we came out of the quarantine wall! It kept ringing for several minutes and only stopped when we crossed the military blockade!"

"So the signal is located in the outer city, not far from the main road leading to the port." Springfield nodded in summary before turning her gaze toward Renault.

"What time?" Renault asked as he took out his phone and activated the ship's detection equipment to search for the Griffin signal.

Architect, while unreliable, clearly wasn't the type to lie just to amuse herself. MDR might do something like that, but only to fool other Dolls.

Trying to fool him? She probably didn't even know what cruelty was.

"It was between 4:37 PM and 4:41 PM yesterday." Gager stared nervously at the phone in Renault's hand, afraid he would say it was all false. She wouldn't be in trouble, but Architect would definitely be ridiculed.

After checking his phone, Renault nodded. "It wasn't a hallucination. There was definitely a Griffin distress signal, but the signal strength kept fluctuating, probably due to damage to the base unit."

"Right! I knew it wasn't a hallucination!" Architect slapped the bar counter and turned toward Gager with a disgruntled expression.

Springfield tilted her head, however, feeling that something was off. If the distress signal was real, why hadn't Gager, who was almost in the same location as Architect, received it?

That seemed unusual...

Thinking this, Springfield looked toward Renault as if intending to remind him, but Renault had already stood up. "I'll go over there. Consider it some pre-dinner exercise."

The signal's location wasn't far from the port. It was only about a ten-minute drive away, and if all went well, he could return within half an hour.

As for the source of the Griffin distress signal, judging from the signal strength, it was definitely from a standard Tactical Doll.

Although it was somewhat strange for a Griffin Doll to be here, Maria and the others had indeed encountered a group of Doll dealers specifically targeting Dolls in the outer city, so it wasn't entirely impossible.

"I'm going! I'm going too! Wait! Commander! Wait for me to go back to my dorm and get my lightsaber!"

Seeing Renault stand up, Architect immediately forgot her anger toward Gager, quickly raised her hand, and shouted as she rushed out of the café.

Of course, Renault wasn't going to wait for the chatterbox and headed straight for the cargo hold.

Perfect timing. The Dolls' vehicles had almost finished being cleaned up, so he could take one out for a spin and test the reliability of the vehicles the Dolls had prepared.

Renault had put considerable effort into refurbishing those old chassis, so what was the harm in taking them for a drive?

When Renault reached the hangar, he ran into MP40, who had just finished waxing her car. She was admiring her masterpiece with a satisfied expression: the gleaming Porsche.

The black body, illuminated by the cargo hold lights and the sunset outside the spaceship, looked like a work of art.

"Hmm... not suitable."

Looking at the two-door coupe in front of him, Renault hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. The car looked good, but it clearly wasn't suitable for him. He might need to haul things back later, and the space inside was obviously insufficient.

Hearing this, MP40 scratched her head in confusion.

Could it be that the Commander didn't like this model?

But... this car was really nice!

Renault looked around and noticed that all the Dolls had chosen sedans, while the cargo trucks were all large 8x8 vans. There wasn't a single mid-sized utility vehicle. There were two jeeps, but the Dolls who had chosen them were clearly not very diligent; they hadn't even cleaned the rims yet.

Unable to find a suitable vehicle, Renault frowned. He should have asked Helian to choose a small van or pickup truck capable of carrying more cargo.

But just as Renault was considering settling for any available car, he spotted a small passenger vehicle parked outside the Universal Anything port gate.

The same car Wright and J had driven before.

---

Chapter 1124: Being Disliked

"Mr. Renault suddenly came out of the spaceship? Was he alone?"

"Uh, yes. Just him."

J, on the other end of the communicator, hesitated for a moment. "Okay, keep an eye on things. Notify me immediately if anything happens."

J had barely finished speaking when the sound of a car door opening came through the communicator.

The line went silent for a moment.

Just as J was about to speak again and ask what had happened, the monitoring personnel on the other end stammered out a response.

"Th-that... Mr. Renault... got into your car..."

Huh? Mine? Not his?

Three huge question marks instantly appeared in J's mind.

"Drive. Give me a ride. From this location, Stasi clearance should be enough to get through the blockade, right?"

Before J could react, Renault's voice rang out.

Seated in the passenger seat, Renault directly held his phone in front of the Stasi agent, showing him the map markers on the screen.

The agent in the driver's seat glanced at the map and then at Renault. Although Renault's expression remained calm, the agent could sense that Mr. Renault seems to be in a good mood.

However, the thought that this man had recently used his ship's onboard weapons to obliterate hundreds of thugs made it difficult for the agent not to feel nervous.

J, on the other end of the communicator, had also heard Renault's voice and blinked.

"Schneider, could you give Mr. Renault a ride? You don't have anything else to do right now."

Hearing J's words, Schneider hesitated. But then he remembered that he was there to monitor Renault's ship, and since the commander himself was currently inside his vehicle, the ship obviously couldn't just abandon Renault and fly away.

Thinking this through, Schneider hurriedly nodded. "Okay, okay! I'll drive right away!"

Although he said that, his hand still trembled slightly as he turned the car key.

"Relax. Don't be so tense. It seems my Dolls and your Stasi personnel encountered a group of Doll dealers. You even injured a few people. Haven't you started investigating those guys yet?"

Renault reached into his pocket and handed a cigarette to the trembling Schneider before rolling down the passenger window and lighting one himself.

These past few days, the spaceship had practically become a no-smoking zone. Little Nyto rejected him almost every time.

Schneider picked up the preheated car lighter, lit his cigarette, and took a deep drag to calm himself down.

"Not yet. We're short-handed, and searching for those Doll dealers is somewhat outside our scope of duty. The case has already been transferred to the local military and police system..."

It was just unclear when those people would actually return to investigate the Doll dealers. They might already be investigating, or they might not come back until Renault and the others had already left.

"Mr. Renault, your destination is...?"

Although he had calmed down somewhat, Schneider still instinctively used polite language when speaking.

"I'm not sure yet, but one of my Dolls received a distress signal from a Griffin Doll while traveling on the main road by bus. You don't have any Griffin Doll activity here, right?"

"Well... apparently not. However, although it uses Griffin's internal protocol, it actually belongs to a news agency called WaveTech. As for anything beyond that, I don't know."

After a slight hesitation, Schneider readily revealed the information. It was practically common knowledge within Stasi.

There was no point hiding it. After all, he wasn't lying, and he genuinely didn't know anything more.

"Wait, Mr. Renault. If that place really is the Doll dealers' hideout, they might possess weapons, and we could even encounter Dolls whose core directives have been rewritten!"

Schneider had already observed Renault when he got into the car. Although Renault was wearing a coat, there didn't seem to be any weapons underneath, and even after sitting down, there were no obvious weapon-shaped bulges beneath his clothing.

Going to a Doll dealers' hideout empty-handed and alone...

"It's alright. I brought something."

Hearing this, Schneider turned his head and saw Renault casually pull a dark, grimy object out from under his coat...

An engine crank handle?

Huh?

You call that a weapon?

The Beetle's engine crank handle—MG42 clearly hadn't intended to keep it. While the vehicles still looked like factory originals, the internal powertrain and transmission had already been replaced with Renault-supplied engines, rendering the crank handle completely useless.

Renault had casually picked it up while passing the glove compartment. They were just Doll dealers; there was no need to make a special trip to the armory for people like them.

Just as Schneider was about to ask whether Renault was serious, he saw a military police doll checkpoint ahead. He stopped the car, showed his identification to the checkpoint personnel, and passed through without issue.

After passing the checkpoint, Schneider no longer had any desire to press the matter further.

What else could he say? He couldn't exactly stop Commander Renault from acting alone. If something happened to him here, what would happen to the entire ship full of Dolls, especially the Sangvis Ferri Dolls?

About ten minutes later, the old-fashioned minivan, still equipped with hand-cranked windows, arrived near the source of the distress signal.

"Just stop here."

Schneider hesitated but understood why Renault had stopped several hundred meters away from the destination. Driving directly there would likely attract the Doll dealers' attention.

Seeing Renault walk into the alley carrying nothing but a crank handle, Schneider quickly got out, opened the trunk, and pulled out his spare weapon: a modified MP7.

These older weapon models, after some modifications, still possessed considerable firepower and penetration capability while remaining easy to carry. More importantly, older models like these could be purchased with a simple application and at a reasonable price.

Although lending the weapon to Renault clearly violated certain regulations, Schneider couldn't forcibly stop Renault's actions at the moment.

This was simply to ensure Renault's safety...

However, as Schneider jogged after him, intending to hand over the weapon so Renault would at least have something suitable for self-defense, he suddenly noticed something strange.

Renault's eyes, in the dim alleyway, faintly glowed red. He could even see trails of light following their movement...

What was happening? Was it just an illusion?

---

 Chapter 1125: Heading Straight to the Target

In the dim, damp alleyway, the occasional whispers that had been audible vanished instantly, seemingly because of the arrival of the strangers Renault and Schneider.

For a moment, only the crisp echo of Renault's military boots splashing through puddles remained in the alley.

The street which should have been wide and bright was now largely occupied by various kinds of clutter and illegal constructions, making what had once been a spacious road before World War III even narrower and darker.

Graffiti covered the building walls, corroded by dampness and riddled with bullet holes, making the area look as though it had endured decades of neglect without maintenance.

Schneider knew this wasn't merely an appearance, but a fact. Since the Quarantine Wall was built, most facilities in the outer city had only received maintenance for essential public services.

Densely populated areas like this, filled with a mix of old buildings and newer apartment complexes, had been completely neglected.

Everywhere was a scene of desolation. These old buildings might have been tolerable if they were inside the Quarantine Wall, but outside it, they were practically abandoned. Those who remained were either people desperately trying to get inside the Quarantine Wall, people unwilling to leave their homeland, or ordinary citizens who simply lacked the means to move inside.

Even Stasi agents generally avoided places like this. The situation was too complicated, and there were too many dark corners where they could be ambushed at any moment.

Click.

The crisp sound of a lighter flicking open rang out, followed by another flame. Schneider was startled.

Hadn't Renault just finished one cigarette?

Was this... really necessary?

If Renault hadn't continued walking, Schneider would have suspected that he had deliberately come out just to find a suitable place to smoke.

Renault himself didn't think much of it. The residents living in these buildings were a mixed crowd—ordinary citizens, refugees, and even escaped criminals. Among such a large population, the Doll dealers were practically insignificant.

Still, it wasn't a major issue. The only concern was that he would need to be careful during the fight to avoid damaging the buildings and leaving ordinary residents homeless.

His decision to bring the crank handle now was quite wise; at least that thing wouldn't cause collateral damage during a fight.

The Doll dealers had previously managed to brazenly exchange gunfire with Stasi agents in broad daylight only because those streets had been deserted. Even if they damaged nearby shops, the owners in the outer districts would simply file reports, and the matter would eventually be ignored.

But here, that was impossible. Whether ordinary residents or refugees, if anyone clashed with them because of their reckless actions in this area, then even abundant firepower would be useless in such narrow, cramped surroundings. People driven to desperation had plenty of ways to turn them into rotting corpses in the sewers.

As Renault ventured deeper, neon lights gradually illuminated the previously dim alleyways, and the once-silent voices slowly returned.

Clearly, compared to those living on the outskirts, the people in the center of the district were far less likely to panic. As long as the military and police didn't storm in, they had nothing to fear.

Even if someone did force their way inside, the interconnected alleyways and well-maintained sewer system were more than enough to guarantee their escape.

Aside from the inconvenience of transporting goods, this place was practically a natural black-market hideout.

For the Doll dealers, establishing a base here was the perfect arrangement: easy to hide in, convenient for selling stolen goods, difficult to track, and easy to escape from...

Looking at the neon-lit alleys ahead, Schneider appeared somewhat bewildered. He had never known such a place existed in the outer city.

The liveliness here rivaled even the night markets inside the Quarantine Wall...

While Schneider examined the neon signs, Renault briskly walked into the street ahead, moving with such familiarity that it seemed he had visited many times before.

However, according to Stasi intelligence, Renault had indeed visited this port district before, though during that trip he had stayed only briefly and hadn't even disembarked.

Following Renault into an appliance repair shop, Schneider immediately noticed the various appliances hanging on the walls. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary repair shop.

But besides the appliances, he also noticed several Doll bodies piled in the corner.

Some were new, others old, but without exception, every body had been damaged in one way or another.

There were knife wounds, bullet holes, signs of forced disassembly with tools, and even burn marks. The missing parts might never have been there in the first place, or perhaps they had been removed and sold by the shop owner.

Looking at those lifelike Dolls, disassembled and displayed so openly in the store, Schneider felt an inexplicable chill crawl down his spine, as though what lay there were not Doll bodies, but actual corpses.

"Sorry, we're closed now. Please come back tomorrow if you need anything."

Without even looking up, the shop assistant repeated his usual line as someone entered.

Renault ignored him completely and walked straight toward the door beside him.

The shop itself was little more than a makeshift structure built into the stairwell of an apartment building, assembled from sheet metal, asbestos tiles, and wooden planks.

The Griffin Doll's distress signal had originated from this apartment building. If nothing unexpected had happened, then this door should lead directly to the Doll dealers' hideout.

"Wait—"

Thump!

As Renault reached the door, the shop assistant finally realized something was wrong. He rose from his chair, preparing to reprimand Renault and Schneider, but before he could even stand fully, a dark crank handle slammed into his forehead.

After a heavy thud, the shop assistant, whose hand had already moved toward the spray gun at his waist, immediately slumped against the wall and collapsed to the floor, smearing red and white matter across the surface.

Seeing this, Schneider gasped in shock, almost thinking Renault had gone too far.

But then he remembered the hundreds of rioters reduced to ashes in the port square.

Suddenly Renault's methods now was surprisingly restrained.

---

Chapter 1126: Who Would Believe What You're Saying?!

“Boss! We found it! We found it!”

“Then spit it out! What are you hesitating for?”

“But if I don’t stop to breathe, I’ll die...”

“Still trying to be clever?”

Seeing Borg about to roll up his sleeves and beat his subordinate, Nikolai quickly shoved the man aside. Borg might have been excited, but Nikolai was still waiting for the actual information.

Setting aside his urgent need to recover the assets from Maggie as working capital, there was also the task Tareus had assigned him—to lure Leone, the botanist, away from Renault Security Contracting Company.

Whether it would succeed was another matter entirely. At the very least, he needed to determine what kind of company Renault's organization actually was.

Was it a massive PMC like Griffin, with extensive operations and close ties to the New Soviet Union's Statesec, or merely some insignificant PMC that handled small-scale jobs?

The former was far more likely. After all, if Leone's security contractor were truly nothing more than a tiny shell company, then with Paradeus's influence, crushing it would be effortless.

There would have been no reason to pass this task on to him. Of course, it was also possible that the assignment was so unimportant that it had simply been tossed to him, an outsider.

Regardless, Nikolai couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought about it. All he could do was wait for the information and assess the situation afterward.

"What exactly did you find out? What's the background of this Renault Security Contracting Firm?"

"Uh... well, I heard it from a mercenary who lost both his legs. Apparently, Renault blew them off..."

"Wait a second. You said a mercenary without legs? Then why are you saying his legs were broken?"

"Yeah, it's... both his legs were blown off! He's in a wheelchair now! He doesn't even have prosthetics!"

"No prosthetics? How is that possible? They're just metal legs. How expensive could they be?"

"Borg! Can you let him finish before interrupting with questions!?"

Nikolai's roar made Borg curl his lip in annoyance, finally allowing his subordinate to continue recounting the information he had gathered.

Mercenary assassins, Sangvis Ferri fanatics, radiation-resistant mutants—the information became more absurd with every sentence. After hearing it, not only did Borg refuse to believe it, but even Nikolai found it completely unbelievable.

It sounded like pure exaggeration! That mercenary had practically turned Renault Security Contracting Firm into some kind of legendary organization!

If they were truly that powerful, why had none of them ever heard of Renault Security Contracting Firm before?!

“Hey! I’m not lying!”

Seeing the furious expressions on Nikolai and Borg’s faces, as though they thought they’d been fooled, Borg’s subordinate hurriedly raised his hand.

"I have video evidence! It was recorded just two days ago!”

As he spoke, he pulled a tape-covered tablet from his waistband, opened the video, and held it up in front of Nikolai and Borg.

The footage appeared to have been taken in a port district from an elevated angle. The person recording was likely positioned on a high-rise building overlooking the harbor.

The first thing shown on the screen wasn't Renault Security contractors, but a massive crowd of rioters. The mob rampaged through the port area, setting several docked cargo ships ablaze before confronting the remaining port security personnel.

"What exactly are you trying to say? You're not claiming these thugs all work for Renault, are you?"

"No, no, no, of course not. There were organized riots in Port William a few days ago. These guys are just rioters. Look here! This is Universal Anything's private port!" He stretched out his hand and zoomed in on the footage.

The person filming had deliberately focused the camera on Universal Anything's port, clearly capturing how the rioters stormed through the gates.

"What the hell is that thing? Since when did they build such an ugly structure in the port?"

"That's not a building! Just keep watching!"

Without answering Borg's question, the subordinate continued the video. Just as Borg was about to smack him on the back of the head, the rioters who had stormed into the port blew up the control tower.

But as they shifted their attention toward the "building" Borg had mentioned, turret-like structures suddenly extended from the massive square-shaped object.

Before anyone could understand what they were looking at, beams of crimson light erupted from the turrets!

The red flashes lasted only an instant. Nikolai and the others stared without blinking until the light finally faded, allowing them to see the aftermath clearly.

By the time the crimson glow disappeared, the hundreds of rioters shown in the footage had completely vanished, leaving behind only a scorched, chaotic plaza and wisps of smoke rising from burned flesh.

"Is this some kind of special effect?"

Who could possibly believe this was real footage? Hundreds of people, erased in less than five minutes? It was absurd!

"If technology like this really existed, countries would have already reclaimed the contaminated zones filled with ELID infected and mutants!"

"No! How could this be fake!? Look, there’s even a timestamp! This happened just two days ago! It was on the news! I even saw it on TV! It happened in this exact cratered square!"

Hearing that, Nikolai had no choice but to believe him. News broadcasts would never dare to use completely fabricated footage.

Of course, editing was inevitable, but the media would never openly broadcast fake combat footage.

Realizing this, Nikolai—who had initially thought he could devise a way to deal with Renault Security Contracting Company once he understood their scale—finally began to feel genuinely uneasy.

"This is insane! What are the military, Statesec, and Stasi even doing? How could they allow a mere PMC to possess weapons this outrageous!?"

But right now, both his money and the Leone Tareus wanted were in Renault's hands. How was he supposed to lure Leone out while also recovering his share of the money from Renault?

Thinking of this, Nikolai clenched his fists and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

---

Chapter 1127: Silence

Click.

A crisp mechanical click rang out as a button was pressed. Having just calmed down, Nikolai, whose mind was now filled with thoughts of Renault Security, only realized a few seconds later what that sound was.

It was the sound of the communicator in his hand—the communication button being pressed.

As for who the call was made to…

He had only entered one number into this communicator: the phone number listed on Renault Security's website.

And now… he could only pray that a gentle-voiced operator or a Doll would answer the call…

“Hello? Who is this?”

However, before Nikolai's fantasy could even materialize, a deep male voice accompanied by chaotic gunfire came from the communicator.

…

Thump!

A pistol round slammed into the iron door. The cold metallic echo made Schneider instinctively shrink back, and he touched his collar with lingering fear. There was now a barely noticeable bullet hole there.

If Renault hadn't pushed his head down, that bullet would have pierced his throat!

These Doll dealers!? They're really bold…

Still, this was an apartment building and this entire floor seemed to belong to the Doll dealers, so they didn't need to worry about stray bullets hitting anyone from another faction.

That was also the main reason these Doll dealers immediately drew their guns and opened fire the moment they discovered an intruder.

Of course, the main reason they were discovered wasn't because Schneider made any noise. He was a professional agent, experienced in infiltration.

The real problem was that Renault's old-fashioned cell phone suddenly rang at a very inappropriate moment.

And now, while suppressive fire screamed past him, Renault was still standing there calmly, tilting his head slightly as he held the phone between his fingers. He even had the leisure to remove the cigarette from his mouth and flick away the ash with his free hand.

“Hello? Who is this?”

It was an unfamiliar number. Renault didn't remember ever seeing it before. Maybe it was a new client or something. After all, they had just pulled off a major commission in Belgrade. Even if their reputation is not widespread, it had definitely risen beyond that of complete nobodies.

Although Statesec and the Stasi had certainly tried to suppress the news, Renault would still be happy to receive suitable work from a new client.

However, after Renault spoke, there was no response. He frowned slightly.

Had the caller been frightened by the nonstop gunfire nearby?

That wouldn't do. A new client was finally calling—how could he let these annoying Doll dealers ruin it?

Thinking this, Renault handed the phone to Schneider behind him.

“Hold this for me.”

“Oh, oh?”

Schneider instinctively lowered the MP7 hanging around his neck, took Renault's phone, and watched as Renault walked directly toward the wall.

Although this was an apartment building, the Doll dealers' hideout clearly wasn't part of the original layout. The cheap iron doors and hastily added red brick walls were obviously not part of the building's load-bearing structure.

The only truly sturdy parts were the gray concrete support columns Schneider was currently hiding behind.

Watching Renault approach the brick wall, Schneider immediately became confused.

Could Renault be carrying weapons other than that crank handle?

Filled with questions, Schneider watched as Renault swaggered up to the wall while spinning the crank handle and then raised his foot.

Boom!

A deafening roar erupted alongside a violent tremor! If someone hadn't witnessed Renault kicking the wall himself, they would have assumed something had exploded!

Before Schneider could even cry out in shock, Renault was already charging through the flying bricks and debris toward the Doll dealers in the next room!

The first to suffer were the two Doll dealers guarding the entrance and blindly firing suppressive shots.

Schneider couldn't even tell whether Renault had attacked them directly or whether the falling bricks had smashed their heads open!

In any case, Schneider didn't hear a single gunshot. Renault was already standing at the far end of the room, the crank handle still embedded in a Doll dealer's skull.

Schneider instinctively tried to move closer for a better look, but suddenly, an iron door behind Renault was kicked open!

A slender figure, not very tall, rushed out clutching a shotgun!

“Hey!—”

Before the warning could fully leave Schneider's mouth, Renault's crank handle had already smashed the shotgun against the wall, reducing it to twisted scrap.

Even without a weapon, the figure still lunged at Renault, mangled bare hands striking wildly at him.

However, compared to the weapon she had just been holding, those terrifying-looking arms were surprisingly weak. Hitting Renault was like scratching an itch; the sharp metal fingers couldn't even tear his coat.

“Wait! Wait! Don't shoot! I'm just a Doll dealer! I only sell Doll parts! There's no need to kill me—”

Bang!

Another armed Doll dealer inside the room saw Renault effortlessly pin the assembled tactical Doll against the wall, rendering her immobile. They immediately shouted, trying to explain that they merely sold Doll parts and didn't deserve to die.

Unfortunately, Renault had no interest in exchanging words with someone like that. He swung the crank handle once more, and the entire floor fell silent.

Schneider carefully stepped over the rubble, counting the Doll dealers lying on the ground.

Including the one hidden from his angle earlier, there were seven Doll dealers in total, both men and women. The one he hadn't seen was probably one of the group's technicians, but now they were all sprawled motionless across the floor.

At this point, it no longer mattered who was who...

“This Doll… aren't we going to destroy it?” Schneider asked, looking at the Doll still struggling in Renault's grip. He couldn't understand why Renault had been so ruthless toward the Doll dealers yet left this Doll alive, merely restrained.

“I came here for the Doll. Destroying it would mean this trip was pointless,” Renault replied as he took the phone back from Schneider.

Good. The line was still connected.

“Hello? Are you still there? This is Renault Security Services. How can I help you? It's quiet here now, so if you need anything, just let me know.”

---

Chapter 1128: It's Gone; This Is the Only One Left

“Hello, hello! Ahem! Actually, here's the situation. I'm Miss Maggie's business partner. I heard she recently accepted work from your company. If possible, could you... could you please pass along a message that Nikolai is looking for her?”

“Hmm? Business partner? Nikolai? Alright, I'll let her know later.”

Hearing the communicator disconnect, Nikolai finally let out a long sigh of relief. The cold sweat covering his forehead had nearly soaked through his clothes for nothing.

“Ha! Look how scared you are! It's just a phone call! Are those Renault Security contractors going to crawl through the network and beat you up?” Borg mocked immediately after seeing Nikolai's pale face.

Nikolai couldn't even be bothered to argue anymore. Being scared was one thing, but was he not even allowed to be scared? Who wouldn't feel chills after watching hundreds of living people vanish in an instant?

Hmm? Did Borg really think he hadn't noticed the sweat soaking the back of his shirt against the chair?

On the other hand, the subordinate holding the tablet showed absolutely no fear after witnessing everything. Maybe that was the advantage of being simple-minded—never overthinking, never burdening oneself with worry, and always remaining calm.

Right now, Nikolai only hoped Maggie wouldn't actually call him back later.

Otherwise, how was he supposed to bring up the subject?

If he directly asked Maggie for money, would she simply contact Renault Security and have contractors show up at his door to deal with him?

As for getting his share back from Maggie… was there really any hope left?

On one side stood a PMC brazenly using ship-mounted weapons to massacre armed thugs at the port. On the other side was a petty thief barely scraping by and struggling to survive.

When the call connected earlier, Nikolai had heard everything clearly: gunfire, explosions, and desperate pleas for mercy...

If he wasn't mistaken, the man on the other end had definitely still been in the middle of a mission while answering the call. Just from the sounds alone, it was obvious things weren't peaceful over there.

But...

Nikolai picked up the communicator and stared at the numbers displayed on the screen.

53 seconds.

Excluding the silence after the call connected and the time he spent awkwardly explaining that he wanted to contact Maggie, the man on the other end had only needed a dozen seconds to eliminate a group of enemies armed with automatic weapons...

…

“Tsk, I thought he had actual business, but it turns out he was looking for Maggie.” Renault clicked his tongue. “He says he's Maggie's partner? Doesn't he know what Maggie does? She's a professional social engineering specialist. What kind of partner would she even have? Probably just another victim trying to collect a debt.”

“Um, Mr. Renault, you came all this way just for this Doll?” Schneider asked curiously while looking at the Doll Renault was restraining, whose movements were becoming increasingly weak.

“More or less. The girls under my command received a distress signal, but it was intermittent, and only one of them picked it up, so I came to investigate. If this really is a Griffin Doll, she'll be useful manpower aboard the ship.”

As he spoke, Renault examined the Doll's condition. The body had been assembled from mismatched parts—some from ordinary civilian Dolls, others from Sangvis Ferri units. As for the neural core, it definitely belonged to a Griffin tactical Doll.

However, the main body itself was still built from Sangvis Ferri components. The reason only Architect received the distress signal was now practically obvious. This Sangvis Ferri body most likely had some connection to Architect.

It was possible that some of the Sangvis Ferri Dolls she once commanded had been dismantled for parts, while the more intact ones were sold off by black-market parts dealers as secondhand components.

That kind of thing was common in the underground market. Black-market dealers naturally couldn't be bothered to fully refurbish such junk, so the Sangvis Ferri communication module had simply been left intact.

On top of that, some mediocre technician had crudely stuffed Griffin's outdated neural core into the Sangvis Ferri body. It could move and follow commands, but only on a superficial level.

Constantly broadcasting distress signals while trapped inside this defective body, it was little more than an autonomous machine capable of pulling a trigger. Whether it could even aim properly depended on whether the fire-control module inside the body was still functional.

As he spoke, Renault looked at the Doll in his grasp. She was still struggling, yet clearly lacked proper communication functions; she couldn't even speak. Her face resembled that of a lifeless mannequin, staring blankly without blinking.

The current struggle was most likely the result of behavioral programming installed by the Doll dealers.

Thinking this, Renault simply tore off the Doll's limbs one by one. Without them, she could no longer resist and could only writhe helplessly across the table like a maggot.

Renault then surveyed the surroundings. A Doll dealer's hideout obviously wouldn't contain only one Doll. The complete Dolls may already have been sold, but spare parts would certainly remain.

Most importantly, there were neural cores. As long as the data stored within a neural core hadn't been lost, the Doll could still be restored.

However, preserving the data integrity of a neural core required a stable external power supply. If power was lost for too long, all the data within the core would be erased.

That was the main reason Renault had only torn off the Doll's limbs instead of immediately extracting her neural core.

The room where the technician had been hiding was likely both the warehouse and dismantling workshop used by the Doll dealers. The place was piled high with Doll parts, including arms and legs.

As for the more valuable functional modules, there were very few remaining. Those had clearly already been sold off.

The neural cores Renault wanted... were present, but just like most ordinary Doll dealers, they had simply removed them and tossed them into a storage box. To the dealers, neural cores were worthless.

They also lacked the technical ability to process them, so they simply stockpiled them and eventually sold them to scrap recyclers. If there were too few, the recyclers probably wouldn't even bother collecting them. Selling one or two at a time would only make it look like they were using the recycler as a trash dump.

“Well, looks like that's everything. The people who clashed with us on the street the other day were probably the core members of this Doll dealer gang,”

Schneider spoke with a sigh of relief. It seems today's business was finally over.

---

Chapter 1129: An Acquaintance

Renault rummaged through the Neural Core box, picking out a few that weren't too dusty and appeared to have been removed recently. He pocketed them, thinking he could try restoring the minds within.

However, Renault didn't hold out much hope; these Neural Cores might have been left inside deactivated Doll bodies for a long time before being removed.

"Um... Mr. Renault? It seems someone came upstairs..." Schneider, who had thought they could leave immediately, heard the sound of a door opening downstairs.

If it were just an ordinary customer, they would probably have immediately noticed the guy Renault had stopped earlier. He was slumped against the wall, and Renault clearly didn't intend to deal with him further, so Schneider naturally wouldn't bother either.

But after the sound of the shop door opening, there was no further noise. No screams at the sight of a corpse, nor anyone fainting from fright. The only possibility was that the newcomer had silently crept upstairs.

"Hmm, I heard it. Seems like someone I know." Renault nodded, reaching out to grab the Doll, who appeared much more energetic due to the reduced energy consumption from the missing limb. He then walked directly toward the door he had entered through.

There was no need to rush or jump down from the building. Taking the stairs was fine.

However, that also meant coming face to face with the person who had crept upstairs.

Carrying weapons seemed to be an unspoken rule in the black market area. The moment Renault appeared in the doorway, the other person raised a pistol.

However, Renault didn't draw his weapon. After all, he recognized the man, and the other party wouldn't fire once he recognized Renault.

Schneider, following behind Renault, immediately panicked. He wanted to rush in front of Renault, knock him aside, or even kill the guy pointing a gun at him!

What a joke! Renault absolutely couldn't fall into this person's hands! Something terrible would happen!

But in the next moment, the tall figure suddenly lowered his weapon.

"Mr. Renault!?"

"Yeah, it's me. Long time no see, Andrei. Didn't expect to run into you here. Changed careers again?"

Renault walked out the door, glancing at Andrei's bulletproof vest and armored sling before raising an eyebrow in surprise.

If he remembered correctly, wasn't Andrei supposed to be working for Viktor? Had he already abandoned his boss that quickly?

"Well, it's not exactly a career change. More like... going back to what I used to do."

"What about Viktor? Did the Statesec send him to Gulag?" Renault waved at Schneider behind him, signaling him to put away his weapon.

"How strange! I've run into you again, you jinx! Are you here to buy more goods from the black market?" Viktor's voice sounded as he stepped out from behind the wall Renault had been looking toward earlier.

Looking at Renault's usual carefree expression, Viktor suddenly felt conflicted, unsure whether he should be happy or annoyed.

"You could say that. But what about your transport company? Shut down?"

"I'd like to keep it running, but only if there's business. These days, radiation is everywhere. Business isn't easy!" Viktor sighed with a look that said he understood the hardships all too well.

"The convoy encountered severe ELID contamination during transport and was forced to stop. The city we were in before was completely designated as a contaminated zone. On top of that, the Statesec was cracking down on the black market at the time, so we came here," Andrei spoke bluntly, directly explaining the situation.

Viktor's face darkened instantly after being exposed, though thankfully it was nighttime, and the neon lights concealed his embarrassment.

"It's good that you're still around. I've been staying at the Universal Anything private port in the harbor district these past few days. Come by sometime," Renault said as he waved the Doll torso in his hand and headed back the way he came.

Watching Renault and Schneider disappear into the alley, Viktor clicked his tongue.

"How does this guy manage to fit in everywhere? The guy with him just now was from the Stasi, right?"

"Yeah, probably. Looks like Renault wants to discuss something with us. Should we go check it out tomorrow?"

Andrei scratched his chin. Renault leaving an address so openly clearly wasn't just for catching up. He didn't think someone as energetic as Renault would do anything pointless.

"Go? Of course we're going! Even the black market isn't doing business these days! Even if we don't get any work from Renault, we might at least get a free meal! Tsk! Stop standing around and get moving! We'll miss out once the others get here!"

"Uh, these guys only left behind some useless Doll body parts. Is it really necessary to rush this much?"

"Are you kidding me!? Even if they're worthless, they're still money! If you think you have too much money, then pay back the wages I gave you the other day! Might even be enough for an extra meal!"

"Not a chance!"

Just as Viktor was planning to freeload a meal from Renault tomorrow, Schneider also escorted Renault back to the port.

Watching Renault carry the Doll toward the spaceship, Schneider finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then took out his communicator and reported the situation to J.

However, it was merely a routine report. Taking down a few lawless Doll dealers in a no-man's-land was not something the Stasi needed to care much about.

It was impossible to send people into the no-man's-land just to clear out a Doll dealer hideout.

In the ten minutes it had taken Schneider to bring Renault back, the hideout had probably already been stripped clean by others in the black market.

"Alright, it's good that Renault didn't run into any trouble. But didn't he invite you to dinner?"

J asked in confusion. Earlier, they had helped transport those Dolls back, and Renault had kindly invited them to eat.

"Uh, I didn't agree." Schneider scratched his head.

How could he? Renault had already saved his life after he merely drove him around. How could he shamelessly freeload another meal?

"That's a real shame."

Hearing J hang up, Schneider suddenly felt as though he had missed out on something important...

Just as he was about to return to his car to rest for a while before continuing his stakeout until his colleagues arrived the next morning, he saw a four-wheeled vehicle approaching him.

A Prowler manufactured by Sangvis Ferri. If nothing unexpected had happened, it should have come from Renault's ship.

But what was that box mounted on top of the Prowler?

---

Chapter 1130: Will It Work?

"Let me see! Let me see! Which unlucky Griffin Doll is it this time?"

Seeing Renault emerge from the elevator, Architect—who had been about to head to the restaurant—immediately shook off Gager and rushed toward him.

But upon getting closer, the first thing she noticed was the Sangvis Ferri shell on the Doll.

"Huh? Why does it have a Sangvis Ferri shell?"

"The Doll dealers pieced it together. Stop blocking the way, we need to deal with this quickly."

Renault pushed Architect's head aside to keep her from getting too close. Just as he was about to head toward the workshop, he suddenly remembered someone had called Maggie earlier.

"By the way, Gager, if you see Maggie later, tell her to come to the workshop."

"Okay." Gager was a little puzzled about why Renault wanted Maggie, but she didn't think much of it.

As soon as Renault finished speaking, she immediately contacted Maggie through the Doll communication network.

Maggie, who was still sitting in the bar idly browsing the holographic interface of the Bee Sting system, quickly received the message. She was somewhat surprised since Gager usually stayed glued to Architect and rarely contacted the other Dolls.

"What is it?"

"The Commander should be back. He wants you to go to the workshop. I'll go check things out. You guys go eat first."

By the time Maggie arrived at the workshop, Renault was already seated at his workbench. The Dolls' Neural Cores had been removed and placed into a dedicated core power supply box. He was currently inspecting the Neural Cores he had brought back.

However, the situation was exactly as he had expected.

The Neural Cores discarded by the Doll dealers had clearly been without power for far too long; the Dolls' mental data inside had completely vanished.

Sure enough, nobody was stupid. Any Neural Cores that still retained active Neural Clouds would obviously be reused by the Doll dealers. They would probably just cobble together some random body parts. Even if the Neural Clouds couldn't properly control the poorly assembled body, at least it could still move.

A moving Doll and a Doll lying motionless on a workbench waiting to be dismantled were obviously valued very differently.

"Renault, did you need something?" 

Maggie finally asked after Renault set down his tools and pushed the completely unrecoverable Neural Cores aside.

"Well, when I went out earlier, someone called asking about you. His name was Nikolai. He said he's your partner. Is this another sucker trying to collect a debt?"

"Uh... Nikolai..." Hearing Renault mention the name, Maggie instantly blushed.

This really was a creditor coming to collect. After agreeing to work with Paradeus, she had tricked Nikolai into investing money, allowing her to establish the Colt Express black market.

Unfortunately, before the intercontinental train had even completed many trips, the train derailed, and she jumped ship without hesitation, even now she was only recovering part of the original investment...

"So you really are in debt?"

Seing Maggie's expression, Renault immediately understood. The situation was basically exactly what he had guessed.

"Uh, well, I suppose so. But Nikolai is actually one of those lawyer thieves. Apparently he's some kind of low-level leader, though he mostly climbed up through family connections. He doesn't seem particularly respected among the other lawyer thieves."

"Lawyer thieves?" Renault blinked in confusion.

"Uh, they're basically some kind of criminal gang. Most of their members have been in prison before..."

"Got it. The kind where it doesn't matter if we wipe them all out. Then there's no problem. Don't bother with them. If they keep calling to collect the debt, we'll just fly over and blow them up."

Renault waved dismissively. Since they were all scum anyway, whether the money was repaid hardly mattered.

"Uh, it's not that serious... Oh! Right! Commander! I have an idea! What if we let Nikolai help sell the goods? Don't let his swindler image fool you, he's actually pretty well-connected in certain circles!"

Maggie suddenly slapped her forehead as inspiration struck.

Renault blinked. He had to admit, Maggie had the same idea he did. He'd already thought about this after meeting Andrei and Viktor earlier—to dump the unsold near-expired goods onto the black market.

After all, selling those goods through official channels involved far too many complications, and Helian's side wasn't making much progress either. If this dragged on any longer, some of the warehouse inventory really would become expired food.

Of course, like expired MREs, they would still technically be edible, though the taste would probably be much worse than when freshly manufactured. Furthermore, the products nearing expiration likely no longer retained any body-enhancing effects.

This was the conclusion Leone had reached through recent experiments: only freshly produced food and newly harvested crops possessed those body-enhancing properties.

After enough time passed—for example, one month—the effects would diminish by roughly fifty percent. After two months, the effect would become almost negligible. After three months, it would become nothing more than ordinary food.

Even the nutrients Leone extracted, along with the collapse radiation antibody drugs, followed the same principle. This sudden decline in effectiveness had already pushed Leone into questioning the meaning of life.

Of course, that feeling only surfaced during research. Once she stopped working, stuffed herself with food and drinks, and got a good night's sleep, all her worries vanished.

"If it's feasible, then of course I have no objections. But are you sure he'll still cooperate with you and obediently hand over money?"

Renault found it difficult to believe there were still so many fools these days. After getting scammed once, people would still willingly hand over more money to the same scammer?

"Well... it depends on the situation. But if it works out, the goods in our warehouse should sell extremely well," Maggie said as she scratched her head.

Most of the inventory onboard was food—canned goods, cured meats, and preserved meat products. Those kinds of things were guaranteed bestsellers anywhere, even in places with rationing systems.

She was also puzzled as to why so much stock aboard Renault's ship wasn't selling. People everywhere were scrambling to buy long-lasting food. Even if these canned goods were counterfeit, people these days shouldn't care that much, right?

Perhaps it was because Renault's ship frequently traveled to green zones. Residents of yellow zones probably wouldn't care much about where canned food came from.

"Alright, then call him and ask about the situation. Also, I'll leave tomorrow's transaction with another black market merchant to you."

---

Chapter 1131: All Learned from MDR

“No? What right do you have? Just watching? Watching that guy sit in the parking lot outside our gate eating hot pot?”

Looking at the surveillance footage that had only recently been repaired, the Universal Anything employee could no longer hold back. Wiping the drool from his mouth, he complained resentfully to his colleague.

“So what? Were you going to chase him away? Can't you tell he's from Stasi?” his colleague said irritably, shoving a bag of cookies into the man's arms.

“More cookies... We've already had three meals of cookies. Isn't there anything else? And this bag is practically crumbs...”

“Ha, we're lucky to have anything to eat at all! What are you dreaming about? Hot pot?!”

“Tsk, but the smell coming from over there is just too tempting...”

Not only was the aroma wafting over from the parking lot outside the main gate, but fragrances also occasionally drifted over from Renault's spaceship, making everyone who could only gnaw on stale cookies drool with envy.

Meanwhile, Schneider sat happily beside his car. He had set up a small table taken from the vehicle, with a portable gas stove and a small iron pot on top of it, while a metal box beside him was crammed full of ingredients.

If he could eat this kind of proper meal every day, he could stand guard here for a month straight, let alone one night!

Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking. Renault certainly wouldn't be treating him to meals every day, but he was already satisfied with a hot meal like this.

Even before Renault had arrived in his spaceship, their department had been constantly busy, running around all day without even having time to repair the car. He hadn't enjoyed a peaceful meal in ages.

He had bought this minivan intending to go camping whenever he finally had free time, but he never expected that wish would come true while on official duty, especially with his hectic schedule.

Tsk tsk!

Look at the food provided by the security contractors! It's a good thing the department doesn't have a cafeteria, otherwise...

“Hoo hoo! Smells so good!”

…

“Hawk! Hawk, is that you!? You died so tragically!? Wake up! We have sweet and sour pork today! And it doesn't even use ketchup!”

The moment Type 56 saw the Doll lying on Renault's workbench, her eyes widened instantly. She set down the bowl, grabbed the Doll's head, and started wailing dramatically.

Seeing Type 56's genuinely emotional reaction, Maggie helplessly shrugged, waved at Renault, and left the workshop.

“Alright, stop shouting. She's not dead yet, and we can't even be sure this Doll is the one you know,” Renault reminded her while tapping the table.

The Hawk that Type 56 mentioned was most likely Griffin's Type 97 Shotgun, but Gentiane was currently hundreds of kilometers northwest of them, and Griffin's base was even farther away.

It wasn't impossible that Doll dealers had salvaged Griffin Doll remains from battlefields between Griffin and the military, but Renault considered that unlikely, since Griffin would normally clean up the battlefield afterward.

He was more inclined to believe that this Doll simply shared the same model as Griffin's Type 97 shotgun. In that case, the resemblance wouldn't be surprising.

“Uh, right? I'll ask M16 to help confirm it.” Hearing Renault's explanation, Type 56 calmed down and immediately pulled out her phone to send a message to M16.

As a cafeteria cook, she had a fairly good relationship with M16. After all, anyone looking for snacks to go with drinks would inevitably visit the kitchen. Although they weren't especially close, they knew each other well enough, and checking on the condition of the other Dolls wasn't difficult.

Renault was also somewhat curious about this. Gentiane valued her Dolls greatly; there was no reason for her to lose one so casually.

M16 replied quickly and soon sent over a photo of the modified 97 sitting miserably in an intercontinental train seat while chewing on a compressed biscuit.

Clearly, they were eating too, but the quality of the food was obviously terrible.

“Ah, Hawk is still with Commander Gentiane, so this must just be another Doll of the same model? It can't be one of Hawk's old bodies, right?”

After putting away her phone, Type 56 finally breathed a sigh of relief. Still, the coincidence was unsettling. The Doll's head looked exactly like the unmodified Type 97 Shotgun.

“That's possible. We'll have to examine the data inside her Neural Core to confirm.”

Hearing Renault say this, Type 56 slapped her forehead as she thought about the two MDRs at home. With examples like the MDRs already existing, adding another Hawk no longer seemed all that strange.

Looking at the Neural Core now connected to the computer and searching through its data, Type 56's emotions became strangely complicated. She hoped the Doll was Hawk, yet at the same time hoped it was merely another Doll of the same model.

...

“What's wrong?” Type 97 asked, looking up at M16, who had just taken a photo with her phone.

“Nothing. Type 56 suddenly asked about you from Renault's place, so I snapped a picture.” M16 shrugged and handed the phone over to her.

“Type 56? What happened to her?”

Type 97, who had initially looked at the phone with mixed joy and concern, instantly turned pale after reading the latest message. She handed the phone back with a pained expression.

“Hmm?” Noticing the strange look on Type 97's face, M16 glanced at the latest message herself...

It was just a photo.

A seemingly ordinary rice bowl.

But the real problem was that one half of the bowl was filled with glistening sweet and sour pork, while the other half contained chunky braised pork!

“Hiss!”

The moment M16 saw the photo, she immediately understood why Type 97 looked so miserable! Type 56 was inhuman! Did she learn all this from MDR!?

At that moment, M16 actually started missing the days when she ate cinnamon rolls every day.

At least those still counted as food... more or less.

Thinking of this, M16 pulled up Commander Gentiane's number and... forwarded the photo!

This suffering couldn't be limited to just the two of them! The commander, who at least still had a bed to sleep in, had to share the burden too!

As for what the commander—currently scratching her head while trying to figure out how to reroute the train and sneak into the city behind the rebel armored train—would feel after seeing this photo...

Well...

---

Chapter 1132: Oh, the Sorrow!

“Ugh—! M1—6—! This is inhuman!”

Startled by Gentiane's sudden roar, Kalina nearly threw away her tablet. She quickly turned to look at Gentiane.

What was wrong with her? Why was she suddenly shouting? Had living in this cramped compartment for too long finally driven her to vent her frustration?

Her previous accommodations had never been any more spacious than this compartment, but this had never happened before.

Gentiane took a deep breath to calm herself, gritted her teeth, and moved her finger toward the delete button for the message.

However, when she noticed Kalina's strange expression...

She changed her mind!

She couldn't be the only one suffering!

“Hey, Kalina, lend me your tablet.” Gentiane gestured toward Kalina and took the tablet from her.

Without saying a word, she transferred the photo M16 had sent onto the tablet and even set it as the wallpaper. Then, as if nothing had happened, she casually reopened the supply list Kalina had been reviewing moments earlier.

“Huh? Did you do something?” Kalina tilted her head in confusion while staring at the unchanged supply list.

Gentiane said nothing. Instead, clutching her phone, she walked over to the combat command terminal and used the Dolls' Zener protocol to upload the photo directly into the Dolls' communication network.

Gurgle!

The moment the photo uploaded, Kalina naturally saw what Gentiane had sent. Only then did she belatedly glance down at her tablet.

She wanted to roar in anger like Gentiane had, but instead, tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

Bang!

“Commander! I heard you have good food here!”

The photo had barely been uploaded before a Doll eagerly knocked on the carriage door and poked her head inside, looking at Gentiane expectantly.

Unfortunately, what greeted her wasn't steaming hot food, but Gentiane clutching her phone, staring blankly at the photo on the screen while numbly chewing on compressed biscuits and drooling.

The Dolls who had come searching for her froze in shock. Those who had followed behind in confusion also craned their necks to peek inside the carriage.

Unfortunately, after witnessing Gentiane's behavior and the wicked grin on her face, everyone fell completely silent!

Faced with the growing crowd of Dolls, Kalina finally snapped back to her senses and instantly realized the consequences of Gentiane's actions...

“You brat! Are you trying to make your Dolls rebel?!

Don't you know Griffin's food situation is absolutely terrible right now?!”

She genuinely wanted to punch Gentiane at that moment!

But now wasn't the time for fooling around. Although they had found an inconspicuous temporary station to stop at and had successfully avoided detection by the city's automated defense systems, they were effectively trapped there. Changing routes would drastically increase the likelihood of being spotted by the rebel armored train.

The only practical solution was to quietly eliminate the automated defense turrets blocking both sides of the railway without creating too much noise. Otherwise, the rebels would still notice them.

Although Gentiane had previously said the rebels probably wouldn't immediately open fire on their intercontinental train, the rebel armored train carried far more than those intimidating yet genuinely powerful train cannons.

An unknown number of military Dolls and mobile combat units accompanied it as well. Typhon tanks and mechs were definitely among them, and they could even occasionally hear gunfire coming from the rebel armored train itself.

“Hey, Commander, when are we finally getting a proper meal?” M99 asked softly.

Holding a compressed biscuit in her hands and probably taking advantage of her smaller size, she had quietly crept up beside Gentiane without being noticed and poked the seemingly lifeless commander with her finger.

By this point, they really hadn't eaten a decent meal in a long time. Ever since returning to base, they had mostly survived on leftover MREs, and during this journey, even getting MREs at all was considered fortunate.

Otherwise, Gentiane wouldn't currently be eating compressed biscuits. At least MREs usually came with coffee or some kind of drink, even if they tasted terrible.

“Um... well... I guess we'll have to wait until this mission is over. Once it's done, I'll ask Renault whether he can send some supplies to the base.” Looking at M99 standing beside her with hopeful eyes, Gentiane's frustration finally eased slightly.

However, the biggest issue now was how they were supposed to move forward. If this mission failed, Havier definitely wouldn't provide funding, and without money, decent food would remain impossible...

If she hadn't previously freeloaded meals at Renault's place, she probably wouldn't be this sensitive about logistics and food supplies.

If Helian hadn't switched sides to Renault, Griffin's logistics situation probably wouldn't have become this miserable.

If her boss hadn't been arrested and investigated, her salary probably wouldn't have been frozen for months either.

Of course, reality didn't have so many “ifs.” Statesec and Havier were obviously playing good cop and bad cop, but in the end, it all boiled down to one simple message:

‘Do your job properly, or you'll regret it.’

As for why she hadn't resigned and changed careers like some of the other Griffin commanders before her...

She simply didn't possess any other skills capable of earning her a living. This was the field she had studied in school, and after graduation, Griffin had hired her directly because of that expertise.

If she quit now, not only was it uncertain whether she could find another job, but it was doubtful Statesec would even allow her to leave.

What if she resigned only to find herself immediately working a sewing machine inside a prison afterward?

That possibility wasn't merely possible—it was extremely likely. Seventy to eighty percent likely, in fact. And the remaining twenty percent probably involved getting shot on the spot...

Knowing too much had never been a good thing. It only gave her more worries, especially worries about things entirely outside her control.

After hearing Gentiane mention the mission ending, all the Dolls sighed. Being trapped here, unable to advance or retreat, was genuinely frustrating.

“Um, Commander, this external command module seems capable of establishing a remote connection with the turrets from those automated defense systems...”

----

Chapter 1133: Not Even Worth a Piece of Pork Belly

M4 who had somehow arrived outside the command vehicle was now standing at the back of the crowd, holding up her external command module on tiptoe. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a penetrating weight while the other Dolls remained silent.

Hearing this, not only the Dolls, but even Gentiane suddenly widened her eyes and looked at M4 in bewilderment.

Wait a minute? That external command module has this function?

"Um? Commander?" Seeing Gentiane staring at her without saying anything, M4 immediately shrank back, wondering if she had said something wrong.

Otherwise, why… why was it not just the Commander, but even the Dolls around her were all looking at her like that?

"Cough cough! Water! Water!"

Hearing M4 speak again, Gentiane finally snapped out of her daze and shakily reached for the water bottle on the nearby table.

Luckily, M99 was nearby. She quickly grabbed the kettle from the table, unscrewed the cap, and shoved it into Gentiane's mouth! She was terrified that the Commander would choke to death on the spot!

Seeing this, Kalina could only lower the hand she had just raised to stop M99…

After all, Gentiane's body was still quite healthy; she probably wouldn't be burned to death, right? Uh… maybe?

Glug!

Gentiane, having swallowed a mouthful of hot water, was now truly on the verge of tears. Her face pale, she placed the kettle back on the table and gasped for breath.

Seeing the kettle still steaming from the spout, M99 realized she had probably done something wrong and wanted to apologize to Gentiane.

However, Gentiane waved her hand. "It's okay, it's just a little hot…"

Fortunately, to conserve energy, the intercontinental train's heating system wasn't running at full power, and the boiled water had already cooled considerably.

Even so, her throat still burned. No, no, that didn't matter. What mattered was whether the external command modules could only connect to the automated turrets, or whether they could actually control them.

If it was the former, it was useless, but the latter was a different story!

"By the way, M4, how did you discover that this external command module could connect to those automated defense turrets?"

"No, not me, it was RO. She discovered it while patrolling around the station, but the signal is unstable. She's not sure whether it's a problem with the turrets or the external command module."

M4 nodded. She had also tried using the external command module herself. Standing in a corner of the station closer to the automated defense turrets, she had indeed found an additional connection option.

However, just to be safe, M4 thought it would be best to come back and ask the Commander for her opinion first.

“Hmm.” Gentiane nodded. Although she didn't intend to send her subordinate Dolls to their deaths, patrolling the area around the station was still necessary. She didn't want to be surrounded by a bunch of mindless ELID infected.

But she hadn't expected this unexpected discovery.

If only…

“Ugh! Why am I worrying about this!? I should just call Renault and ask what's going on! If only Persica had come along this time!”

Otherwise, in this situation, there would be no need to ask questions; Persica could simply check it herself.

Thinking this, Gentiane immediately dialed Renault's number.

There was no need to hesitate in this matter, especially since they were just some turrets from an automated defense system, something that obviously wouldn't be a problem for Renault.

As for whether Statesec would hold her accountable for leaking information?

Go ahead, then! Go find Renault! Let's see whether Renault's ship is tougher, or Statesec's heads are tougher!

…

“Ah…”

Looking at Type 97 Shotgun, who was glued to the screen and staring intently at his food bowl, Renault felt a strange sense of guilt, especially seeing the girl constantly swallowing her saliva.

Should he eat his meal or not?

“If you keep doing that, I’ll turn off the camera.”

“Uh, sorry, Mr. Renault.” Hearing Renault’s words, Type 97 Shotgun scratched hed head awkwardly and obediently took a few steps back from the screen, though her eyes were still fixed on it while both hands covered her mouth.

Seeing the girl's pitiful expression, Renault sighed helplessly, put down his chopsticks, and typed a few lines on the keyboard.

"You can't eat real food for now, so I'll have to make do with some data."

These were all data templates painstakingly created by other Dolls within their neural clouds. Now, all he needed to do was retrieve them. Most of the dishes had been created by Type 56. Well, Renault hadn't retrieved the data created by the other Dolls.

"Oh!"

Watching Type 97 Shotgun pounce on the data "food" displayed on the screen, Renault nodded before picking up his rice bowl again, intending to finish his dinner.

However, as if someone were deliberately preventing him from eating, the sudden ringing of his phone forced him to put down both his chopsticks and rice bowl again.

"Hmm? Gentiane? What, trying to run up the tab again?"

"No, no, no, not this time! Um, I just wanted to ask, can those external command modules we received before really control the autonomous turrets of an automated defense system?"

"An automated defense system? Military? Or Paradeus's?"

"This... probably neither. It's just along a railway line in an abandoned city..."

"Then that's fine. However, the signal strength depends on the Doll's own signal transmission module. The Dolls should figure it out after a few tries. Controlling a single turret isn't much of a burden for a Doll."

The fire-control systems of automatic turrets were readily available. Connecting to them didn't require much of a Doll's computing power.

As Renault spoke, he found something to prop up his phone with, then brazenly placed his rice bowl in front of Gentiane's holographic image before picking up a bright, still-glistening piece of braised pork with his chopsticks.

Seeing the familiar rice bowl in Renault's hand and his gesture of preparing to eat, Gentiane's previously calm expression instantly twisted...

Glug!

"Hmm?"

The sudden sound of swallowing made Renault look up at the holographic image in surprise, but Gentiane had already hung up the phone, and the hologram had disappeared.

Shaking his head, Renault and Type 97 Shotgun immediately began eating heartily in relief.

... 

Damn it! What about a better tomorrow!? What about the edge of a new world!?

A thousand words couldn't compare to the aroma of a piece of braised pork in someone else's bowl!

Meanwhile, M4 and the group of Griffin Dolls had also seen Renault's rice bowl through the holographic image… Naturally, the twisted expression on Gentiane's face was easy to understand…

Because their expressions weren't much better…

---

Chapter 1134: Perhaps She Forgot Something

"By the way, Leone, did you pay attention to the production dates of those antibody drugs you tested before?"

"Yes, yes! I remember! And the production dates are clearly marked on them. They should still have... two more months before they completely expire?"

Leone suddenly snapped back to reality, the crisp sound of her spoon hitting the bowl jolting her awake.

"Oh no! Helian! Has Renault found a buyer for the antibody drugs yet!? If this delay continues, the first batch of antibodies will expire!"

When she was testing them, Leone hadn't thought too much about it. After all, once the antibody drugs were produced, all the efficacy data existed only on paper. However, according to Leone's calculations, the antibodies were definitely effective.

But... no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find suitable test subjects... After all, there wasn't a single healthy person left in her family. Even Helian was no longer afraid of Collapse radiation.

“Well, okay, what have you been busy with lately? You should've reminded me about this sooner.”

Hearing this, Helian sighed with a headache. Renault was the same; he didn't seem to care much about this matter either and had never even mentioned it.

Previously, whenever he went into the city, he would at least check the sanatoriums to see whether anyone needed the antibody drugs.

“Well, because I was really bored, I tried seeing whether I could cultivate some new Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum. Back when my Flora Research Institute still existed, our main research project was cultivating Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum.”

“Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum?”

“Yes, yes! At first, it was just an epiphyllum that grew in contaminated areas! Isn't that amazing? They're all plants, yet after being exposed to Collapse radiation, most plants and animals either gradually silicify or wither on the spot! But this epiphyllum can survive in contaminated areas! And depending on the concentration of Collapse radiation…”

Once she started talking about her former profession, Leone immediately began chattering endlessly to Helian.

Helian awkwardly scratched her cheek, feeling that she shouldn't have brought up the topic…

Fortunately, Leone at least remembered that she was eating. After enthusiastically introducing her past research projects to Helian, she finally picked up her spoon again and resumed eating.

Across from her, Helian breathed a sigh of relief, but she also began wondering what use Leone's artificially cultivated Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum could possibly have.

However, Helian quickly recalled Leone's earlier statement.

"This Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum can absorb Collapse radiation, and after reaching a certain threshold, it blooms and releases the absorbed Collapse radiation!"

Absorbing Collapse radiation and then releasing it after reaching a certain level… this seems like a method of utilizing Collapse radiation itself.

If the issue of releasing Collapse radiation during blooming could be solved, wouldn't this Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum become a usable energy source?

Could this be the main reason Paradeus kept pursuing Leone?

Although Leone had left all the research data and cultivation results regarding the Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum to Paradeus… a living Leone was obviously more valuable to them.

The Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum could already be cultivated artificially. It seems that successfully utilizing the energy of Collapse radiation was no longer far away…

Even if the energy of Collapse radiation couldn't yet be fully utilized, this Radiation-Induced Epiphyllum still possessed the ability to absorb Collapse radiation to a certain extent.

If they found the right method, perhaps it could even be used to purify contaminated zones?

Could this girl really be a genius?

Thinking this, Helian looked at Leone's chubby little face across from her. Looking at those puffed cheeks, it was impossible to associate her with a scientist capable of changing the world.

Furthermore, Helian had never heard of any organization successfully utilizing plants that stubbornly survived within radiation-filled areas. Plants growing in contaminated zones would quickly wither and die once moved into laboratories with minimal radiation.

“By the way, Helian, can I use the culture medium from the vertical farm…”

“No! Absolutely not! Cough, I mean, that stuff is a bit dangerous. If you really need to use it, it's best to ask Renault first. If he says it's okay…”

Helian, who had been deep in thought, immediately snapped out of it after hearing Leone's words. Her eyes widened as she nervously stared at her.

Leone was also startled by Helian’s overreaction and immediately nodded obediently.

Although she hadn't personally studied the culture medium from the vertical farm, since Helian had said so, it couldn't be baseless. Helian was very reliable.

Well, at least compared to the Dolls at home.

Seeing Leone nod obediently, Helian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, although this may sound overly cautious, if you have time, you should go to the training room and try out the simulations in those training pods. Afterward, you'll roughly understand what those culture media are."

The culture medium in the vertical farm was almost identical to the insectoid fungal carpet simulated inside the training pods. Helian had only discovered this recently while playing with some of the little Nytos in the training room.

The other Dolls knew a little about it, but none of them really cared.

After all, as long as the crops grown in the culture medium didn't mutate into The Swarm, there was nothing for the Dolls to worry about.

"Um, the training pods… but I'm just a researcher… it shouldn't be that dangerous, right…?"

"No, no, what I mean is, just go in and experience it. There's no need to set the training pod to normal difficulty like HK416 and the other Dolls who actually need training. Easy mode is fine, or at least sightseeing mode."

After all, Leone worked for a security contracting company now, and Helian felt she should learn a thing or two. Otherwise, wouldn't those superhuman physical abilities go to waste?

While Helian and Leone were discussing going to the training room later, a certain OGAS, who had wandered over out of curiosity, looked at AR15 lying inside the training pod with a worried expression.

AR15 was so boring! She had just finished eating and immediately came to train? Was that really necessary?

She was already this strong… even without training, she could probably tear a military Doll apart with her bare hands, right?

----

Chapter 1135: Just Bored After All

"Isn't this place a bit too quiet? Don't you guys have any work to do?"

Looking at AR15 lying inside the training pod, OGAS couldn't help asking, resting her chin in her hand in utter boredom.

"Shut up! Don't bother me!" AR15 was currently dealing with swarming Zerglings inside the virtual reality environment, she shouted impatiently, her face tense.

HK416 in the adjacent training pod wore a similar expression.

Both of them had chosen the same virtual reality environment: a battlefield where the Zerg swarmed in from all directions.

For now, all they could do was rely on their power armor and limited ammunition to fight their way out.

Unfortunately, no one in their group had managed to clear the virtual reality test so far, even on easy difficulty. The best performer, G11, had only managed to push the battle line from the city ruins they started in to the edge of the city.

"What does it matter? You'll be out soon anyway. This level is practically impossible to clear. There are already so many Zerg on easy difficulty; anything above that must be absolute hell."

Looking up at the screen above the training pods, OGAS rolled her eyes. Whether it was AR15 or HK416, their progress was nearly identical. The only difference was that one of them had advanced half a step farther, which was basically negligible.

The moment the words left her mouth, AR15 and HK416 opened their eyes almost simultaneously inside the training pods, signaling their failure.

"You..."

Looking at OGAS's sarcastic expression, AR15 wanted to say something, but she and HK416 ended up sighing in unison.

The power armor and standard C-14 rifles in the virtual reality environment were already very familiar to them, especially since the power armor contained fire-control chips similar to fire-control cores, allowing them to adjust their posture in real time.

Even so, relying solely on rifles and spare ammunition to fight their way out of the city ruins was nothing more than a fantasy.

Furthermore, if the virtual reality objective hadn't explicitly required them to fight their way out, they might have chosen to rely on the city's existing cover to buy time instead.

But that instinctive approach would undoubtedly end with them being overwhelmed by the endless Zerg swarm.

“How on earth did G11 do that?” HK416 stood up, glanced at the replay on the screen, frowned, then looked toward her Imprint Weapon on the nearby shelf.

Even with the assistance of power armor, escaping this hellish battlefield was impossible, so her own Imprint Weapon obviously couldn't have made that much difference either.

Yet G11's record was clearly displayed there. Renault's virtual reality system couldn't possibly falsify the results.

But neither she nor AR15 wanted to watch G11's recording.

Wouldn't that just be admitting they were inferior to G11?!

This won't do! They train almost every day, so why should they admit they're worse than someone who spends all day slacking off and studying heavy machinery?!

"Phew, how did you two do this time? You should be doing pretty well..."

M200, who had also been training nearby, stepped out of her training pod while wiping the sweat from her forehead and subconsciously glanced at HK416 and AR15's scoreboard.

Unfortunately, their scores had barely changed compared to before training, clearly showing that HK416 and AR15 had reached a bottleneck. Relying solely on power armor and C-14 rifles, escaping that high-difficulty virtual reality environment was obviously impossible.

M200 had already figured out the key to clearing it, and it wasn't particularly difficult.

The problem was simply when these two would finally realize it themselves...

This level wasn't meant to train basic combat skills in a virtual environment; it tested versatility.

There were all kinds of vehicles and weapons, some of them even damaged, requiring repair knowledge before they could be operated properly.

G11's research into heavy weaponry was probably a deliberate strategy. She had likely intended to master the equipment before attempting the challenge.

The reason her score far surpassed HK416's and AR15's was simply because she was better at using her lightsaber...

HK416 and AR15 were both slightly confused...

“Hey, you can't beat me anyway, so how about taking me into the city? I still haven't had a chance to go out yet!”

“Huh?” AR15 immediately frowned. She wanted to ask why OGAS hadn't gone out with SOP2 and UMP9, but then remembered that OGAS clearly hadn't developed the habit of checking the notice board in the restaurant area yet.

And this girl probably still hadn't gotten used to—or rather, learned how to connect to the Dolls' communication network using her current body.

It was normal that she hadn't noticed UMP9 shouting in the network...

"Alright, I'll take you. Are you coming too? If not, lend me the car."

HK416 raised an eyebrow. "Go? Of course I'm going. I don't trust you enough to lend you the car. What if it comes back missing its wheels or headlights? I'll end up being the one fixing it anyway."

"Heh! My driving skills aren't nearly as reckless as yours! M200, are you coming?"

"Uh, I'll pass. I've already gone out for a drive." M200 waved her hand. Compared to wandering around the city, she felt safer staying aboard the spaceship.

HK416, AR15, and OGAS bickered the entire way while driving the M3 that HK416 had personally refurbished. Carefully avoiding the Dolls repairing potholes around the port, they headed toward the city.

As they drove out through Universal Anything Company's port gate, they ran into Maggie and Catherine, who had come to pick them up.

...

“Wow, I could already see the commotion around the port area from far away, but I didn't expect even Universal Anything's port to be affected.”

Viktor exclaimed while looking at the busy Dolls handling repairs in an orderly manner.

If even Universal Anything's port, which had security personnel stationed there, had ended up like this, then other areas must have suffered even worse damage.

“Hmm, it's pretty impressive. They even blew up the multi-purpose control tower, and several other warehouses in the port were burned down. The biggest loss was probably the hotel near the port area; the entire building burned to the ground.”

Although its value probably still couldn't compare to the multi-purpose control tower at Universal Anything's port.

But far more people had been trapped inside the fire...

“But those guys definitely couldn't hurt Renault, right? I bet he'd just shoot them all without hesitation!” Viktor said excitedly while patting the steering wheel.

“Exactly. We just used the ship's guns to wipe them all out. Look at all those craters on the ground; they were all caused by the ship's weapons!”

Catherine said proudly, as though she had personally activated the laser array and eliminated those thugs herself.

---

Chapter 1136: Unknown Personnel

“Mr. Renault really hasn't changed at all...”

Andrei shook his head helplessly. Renault's habit of physically eliminating his opponents at the slightest provocation was exactly the same as before.

The only difference...

was probably the upgraded weaponry. He had gone from old machine guns to far more powerful ship-mounted weapons...

“Yes, but speaking of that...” Viktor nodded in agreement before turning to look at Maggie.

“Maggie Ponzi. This is Catherine Ponzi.”

“Oh, Miss Ponzi, may I ask what Mr. Renault wanted to discuss with us?” Hearing Maggie's introduction, Viktor looked somewhat surprised. These two Dolls didn't use weapon designations as names, which meant they probably hadn't been Griffin Dolls before.

After all, outside of Griffin, very few corporate or institutional Dolls used weapon names as their personal names.

"Oh, it's nothing major. We just have some excess production capacity, so we're hoping to sell the products through your black market channels."

"Oh, is that all? No problem at all, easy! Leave it to me!" Hearing Maggie's casual explanation, Viktor immediately agreed without hesitation while patting his chest confidently.

Standing beside him, Andrei's expression twitched slightly.

He wanted to tell Viktor not to boast so recklessly, but unfortunately Maggie and Catherine—Renault's two Dolls—were sitting right there in the car...

They hadn't even considered what kind of person Mr. Renault was. Although they didn't know why a PMC would suddenly have "excess production capacity," it definitely wouldn't be anything simple. If it were only standard infantry equipment, that would be fine; such things were everywhere on the black market.

Even helping sell a batch wouldn't attract much attention.

What Andrei feared was Renault suddenly pulling out something absurd, especially controlled heavy weaponry such as machine guns.

Older models were manageable and could be passed off as refurbished equipment. But newer models would be a completely different matter.

Viktor, who still hadn't thought too deeply about it, stepped on the accelerator and drove into the spaceship's cargo hold.

The moment he entered, he froze in place, mouth hanging open as he stared in disbelief at the mechs that clearly weren't civilian machines.

Of course, the most eye-catching one was the machine standing inside the cargo hold, constantly shifting around in a boxing stance... uh? Was that a truck? Or a mech?

What the hell are these things?!

Although Viktor had mentally prepared himself before coming here—after all, Renault was famous for doing outrageous and unconventional things—he still hadn't expected to see anything this absurd.

The mechs on the second-level cargo platform already looked somewhat like engineering mechs, but the ones stationed farther out, equipped with rapid-fire cannons and electromagnetic railguns, clearly couldn't still be engineering mechs, could they?

Most prominent of all were the gigantic machines standing in front, more than ten meters tall, with truck cabs mounted on top, looking as though they had stepped straight out of a movie.

And look at how agile they are! They can practically do boxing!? Even military mechs aren't this ridiculous!

Viktor wasn't unfamiliar with military mechs. Normally, they were simply machines with heavier armor, additional weapons, and electronic warfare systems.

But mechs agile enough to adopt boxing stances and even perform precise boxing footwork? He had never seen anything like that before.

“Um... Miss Ponzi, the overcapacity you mentioned earlier wasn't referring to these things... right?”

“No, no, no, nothing that outrageous. These are just big toys for the Dolls at home. The goods I mentioned are ordinary products, nothing as attention-grabbing as these.” Maggie repeatedly waved her hands dismissively.

Who would even buy these things? They couldn't exactly sell them to the military, could they?

Wouldn't that just mean the military would use the products they sold to fight them?

“Ordinary... Heh, hopefully it really is ordinary...”

Viktor muttered nervously, suddenly worried that he might end up seeing an entire warehouse full of mechs or armored vehicles.

Those kinds of goods were far beyond his ability to handle...

...

“Are we really bringing this many Sangvis Ferri Dolls?”

“What else are we supposed to do? Throwing away two armored units already felt wasteful enough.” Angelia looked at the route map on the screen, uncertainty flashing across her face. She wasn't sure whether the route Sangvis Ferri had chosen was truly safe.

But things had already reached this point, and she clearly had no choice but to follow through to the end. There was no turning back now.

However, the fact that the rebels had even deployed armored trains proved that the scale of this operation far exceeded her expectations.

If Sangvis Ferri's forces were too small, their Dolls would probably be wiped out by the rebels before they could hold out for long.

This was definitely not good news for Angelia. The more chaotic the situation became, the easier it would be for Taskforce DEFY to operate.

Still, this approach carried considerable risk. The base tied to the mission had been sealed off for a long time, and the surrounding situation remained completely unknown. If the conflict between Sangvis Ferri and the rebels caused unforeseen changes...

“Well, it seems we're not the only ones interested in going to that base,” RPK16 said while pulling up a map of the surrounding railway lines onto the control screen.

Besides the railway line they had just passed, several other lines leading to the base were also occupied. That meant other trains were definitely traveling those routes—or at the very least, stopped somewhere along them.

“Can you confirm the status of those trains?” Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for all these railway lines to be occupied simultaneously. Yet the evidence was right in front of them, leaving Angelia no choice but to accept it.

“The two closest lines are confirmed to be rebel armored trains. But there are two additional lines where we might run into some familiar faces. As for the third one, we still can't confirm anything.”

“Familiar faces? Gentiane?” Angelia raised an eyebrow. Gentiane's appearance here wasn't difficult to guess.

The only thing that puzzled her was the train occupying the remaining line...

Boom! Boom!

“Hmm!? The armored train opened fire!?”

Just as Angelia was thinking this over, the distant roar of large-caliber artillery suddenly echoed across the area.

“That's right, but their target probably isn't us. They seem to have encountered ELID mutants inside the contaminated zone.” AK12 opened her eyes and synchronized the images she observed with the rest of Taskforce DEFY.

---

Chapter 1137: I'm Not in a Hurry At All

With Taskforce DEFY's Dolls and AK12 synchronizing the visualization data and real-time images, Angelia could only squint as she struggled to make out the distant scene outside the window.

It wasn't that she didn't have a telescope, but the electronic magnification system seemed to be malfunctioning somewhat in this collapsed, radiation-filled area.

The malfunction caused more pixelation than actual imagery, making the device nearly useless!

Of course, it wasn't a counterfeit product, nor was the equipment she received low quality. She had simply squeezed it too hard during the operation and accidentally cracked the outer casing.

"Tsk, I can't see anything. It shouldn't be a large infected entity, though. It definitely won't be a problem for the rebels' firepower."

Angelia squinted for a long time, managing to make out only a few vague shapes without discerning any specific details in the distance.

Still, confirming that there were no large infected entities over there was enough. Even if large numbers of smaller ELID infected appeared, they wouldn't pose much of a threat to the rebel armored trains and those androids. Dealing with them would just take time.

"It won't affect us. At our current speed, we'll definitely reach the base before those armored trains. One of those armored trains will probably encounter one of the unidentified trains first. Which one should we choose, Angelia?"

RPK16 wasn't paying attention to the armored trains themselves. Instead, she looked at the locations of the other two trains, which appeared to be ordinary intercontinental trains, and asked Angelia.

"A choice? Why should I choose? Just make a phone call and ask. Why do I need to decide?"

In a sense, she and Griffin were now in the same boat. If nothing unexpected happened, her backup for this operation would most likely be Gentiane.

So if Gentiane ran into trouble, she could lend a hand. Besides, this entire train full of Sangvis Ferri Dolls would eventually be used in battle anyway, so whether they arrived a little earlier or later didn't really matter.

"Hey? Gentiane, which line is your train on? At the station? Stopped? Got it! Good luck, I'm heading over now!"

...

"Huh? Hello? Hello!? Wait—"

Holding her phone, Gentiane stood there in complete confusion. She hadn't even figured out what Angelia meant before the other woman hung up, leaving her tilting her head in bewilderment.

But there wasn't really much to figure out. Angelia's words had clearly been confirming her location. After hearing that the intercontinental train was stopped at the station, she had immediately assumed everything was fine.

Clearly, Angelia could monitor the specific conditions of the train lines and even track the status of the trains on them.

Of course, Gentiane understood that this required at least some basic electronic warfare capabilities. The Dolls from Taskforce DEFY were obviously far more specialized than RO635...

As for the other Dolls... currently, she didn't have anyone under her command who could properly handle electronic warfare. RO635 was, at best, only a part-timer...

So when Ange said she was leaving first, it was obvious she had noticed a train traveling at an unusually high speed, far exceeding the safe speed for intercontinental trains in the red zone.

There was no need to guess. Ange was probably on that train!

"Who chose this route in the first place? Couldn't we have gone around this city? There had to be other routes available, right?"

"Well, it was probably IOP—more specifically, Mr. Havier—who decided it. After all, all the other routes have rebel armored trains on them. Maybe our route is the safest."

"Yeah, definitely the safest... but also the most troublesome. We still have to break through the automated defense system, pass through an abandoned city with an unknown situation inside, and then we'll probably end up fighting those rebel armored trains anyway..."

Were Havier and those people from Statesec trying to kill her slowly or something?

"Well... at least it's safer. Maybe?"

Kalina wanted to say that, but then she thought about the automated defense turrets along the railway line.

If the Dolls on Gentiane's side hadn't received the external command module from Renault...

Gentiane would probably have no choice but to send out a Doll team to manually disable the defense turrets.

Clearly, neither Havier nor Statesec had considered how Gentiane was supposed to breach these automated defense systems that were specifically designed to eliminate enemy targets. After all, Gentiane was the frontline commander. These things were supposedly her responsibility.

If they handled everything themselves, what would even be the point of having a Griffin commander?

"Commander, the turret connection was successful. We can move forward now!" RO635's voice rang out, bringing at least a little good news to Gentiane.

With the help of the external command module, RO635 and M4 had successfully taken control of the four automated turrets closest to the station. Now they could slowly move the train forward without worrying about being riddled with bullets.

"Let's go. Keep an eye on the surroundings in case anything strange shows up. By the way, can't we connect directly to the defense system and control all the turrets at once? Do we really have to handle them one by one?"

"That's not really possible right now. Directly connecting to the automated defense system's central hub through the external command module would require a much stronger signal transmitter and significantly more computing power..."

A standard Doll body simply didn't possess those capabilities.

Hearing this, Gentiane could only nod in understanding. She was already satisfied being able to continue the operation and didn't feel the need to ask for more. Havier and Statesec weren't in a hurry, so why should she stress herself out on their behalf?

"Forget it. We'll take it slow. No rush. Safety first." Pulling over a chair and sitting down, Gentiane finally calmed herself.

This mission—the rebels had appeared, Ange had appeared—clearly, this was another operation inevitably tied to Statesec and some other massive, bizarre incident.

She increasingly felt like she had become Statesec's errand runner, specifically assigned to oppose the rebels.

No, they probably shouldn't even be called rebels yet. Aside from rumors, the term "rebels" had never appeared in any official news reports. She had only ever heard Havier use it.

The military and Statesec were tossing the ball back and forth, and she was probably the ball that always ended up flying directly into the other side's face.

---

Chapter 1138: Unable to Hold On

"This... you guys are practically sitting on a gold mine!?"

Staring wide-eyed at the warehouse overflowing with supplies, Viktor felt his legs tremble. There was so much stuff, and all of it was perfectly preserved and completely free of radiation.

Even if it had all been dug out of Yellow Zone warehouses, if he could resell everything here, he wouldn't just be set for life—he could live comfortably for several lifetimes!

"Incredible! I never imagined Mr. Renault could accomplish something like this in other industries too!"

"Hmm, but all this inventory is giving him a headache right now. After all, it's been sitting untouched for over three months. Keeping it around is useless; it just takes up warehouse space."

Maggie shrugged. Whether it was the vertical farms or the livestock farms, fresh products were constantly being produced. The most unbelievable part was the livestock itself.

Their growth rate was absurdly fast, something neither MG3 nor Alchemist could explain. Clearly, the abnormal growth speed was Renault's doing.

Compared to that, the crops in the vertical farms seemed less remarkable, but in reality, their growth rate far exceeded even that of the livestock.

Still, none of this mattered to Maggie. Her current task was figuring out how to get Viktor to take as much inventory as possible and sell it.

While using Scarecrow to open sales channels had produced some results, and the bar owner had indeed purchased a small batch of goods, the quantity was far too insignificant. All the canned goods and beverages combined totaled less than twenty-five tons.

Compared to the mountains of stockpiled goods inside these warehouses, it was practically nothing.

A single warehouse alone held several thousand tons of canned goods, and there were at least five warehouses filled with products that had already been sitting there for over three months.

And that didn't even include the liquid storage tanks that Simonov and her team were filling almost every day...

In short, the growing number of Sangvis Ferri at home wasn't the real reason the spaceship was becoming increasingly cramped.

It was all this piled-up inventory.

"Useless?" Hearing Maggie say that, Viktor's eyes immediately lit up, and he rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Since you put it that way, then the price should be negotiable, right?" Viktor asked with a grin that nearly reached his ears.

How could he not be thrilled at the prospect of acquiring such enormous wealth?

Seeing Viktor's ecstatic expression, Andrei didn't look nearly as excited and merely shook his head helplessly.

"What do you think?" Seeing the greedy smile on Viktor's face, Maggie could tell exactly what he was fantasizing about.

Did he really think she was going to hand all of this over just because he claimed it was difficult to sell?

As if that would happen.

Viktor, who had been grinning ear to ear, instantly calmed down after hearing Maggie's indifferent reply, especially after noticing the mocking smile on Catherine's face beside her.

"Ahem... sorry, I got a little carried away. Regarding the transaction method..."

"Hehe, that's negotiable. After all, you know Mr. Renault. My boss is quite easygoing when it comes to money." Smiling, Maggie waved her hand and led the two toward the other warehouses.

Andrei shrugged, privately suspecting that Maggie was being sarcastic.

Easygoing when it came to money? That probably only applied to his own Dolls.

When it came to clients or employers...

Heh. Back when Renault was still making money in that city, Andrei had never heard of anyone successfully avoiding payment after owing Renault a commission.

The people who owed money were certainly influential, but Renault had never been the type to tolerate that kind of thing. If they were lucky, Renault might confiscate goods as compensation. If they were unlucky, they'd already be meeting Satan.

"Maggie! Maggie!"

"Over here, Leone. What's wrong?"

After showing Viktor and Andrei the warehouses packed with inventory, Maggie had been planning to take them to a bar so they could sample the drinks Simonov and her team produced before discussing pricing and production volume.

Suddenly, she saw Leone running toward her while calling her name, clearly in a hurry.

Leone took a breath, nodded apologetically toward Viktor and Andrei as a greeting, then leaned over and whispered into Maggie's ear.

"Helian asked me to find you. She wants you to help sell the antibody drug prototypes I made last time."

"Antibody drugs? Those definitely won't be easy to sell..." Hearing Leone's words, Maggie glanced at Viktor and Andrei from the corner of her eye.

Although the two had once been Renault's acquaintances, Maggie could tell they clearly weren't doing very well these days. Helping them move ordinary food and beverage inventory might be manageable, but antibody serums...

That was an entirely different matter.

If the products were fake, that would be one thing, but the antibody serums Leone produced were genuine and actually effective. If these things entered the market—even just the black market—it would be like detonating a massive bomb!

Antibody serums! If people had access to those, then collapse radiation would no longer be such a terrifying problem!

Whether it was pharmaceutical corporations, people surviving in contaminated zones, or even government agencies, everyone would fight desperately to obtain something like this.

And for large organizations and regulatory agencies, tracing the origin of the antibody drugs would be incredibly easy. They'd track down Viktor and Andrei in no time.

And naturally, from there, they'd eventually uncover who had supplied the drugs.

The collateral damage caused by that kind of investigation was something a small-time black market dealer like Viktor simply couldn't survive.

Selling antibody drugs involved far too many complications. Small fry like Viktor couldn't handle that kind of business.

"Huh? But both Helian and Renault told me to come find you?"

"Hmm? Renault told you to come find me too?" Hearing this, Maggie immediately understood.

"Yes, yes!"

"Got it. Don't worry. I'll head over after we're done discussing things here."

Since Renault himself had instructed Leone to approach her, the situation became obvious.

They simply intended to use Nikolai to help move the antibody drugs. After all, he was just a thief. If he got caught, it wouldn't affect them.

---

Chapter 1139: What Do You Want to Buy?

Leone gave Maggie a few more instructions, explaining the general trend of the antibody drug’s effects diminishing over time before returning to the biological laboratory with peace of mind.

Watching Maggie and Leone whisper to each other for a long time, Viktor began to feel uneasy. Could something have gone wrong with the deal?

“Um, Miss Ponzi?”

“Nothing, just some extra items that need to be processed. Come with me. I’ll show you some of the stock. But a word of caution: many of those drinks are early experimental samples from Simonov and her team, so the taste and quality aren’t consistent.”

Hmm, quality control issues. That Simonov, managing to run the entire brewery while also working as a gunboat pilot, is quite impressive. Sometimes she really isn’t exaggerating; she genuinely is capable.

It’s just that she exaggerates so often that it makes her sound like she’s bragging.

When Maggie led the two to the bar, Simonov was already seated there, with a box full of sample bottles placed on the counter in front of her.

“Yo! You’re here! Isn’t this Boss Viktor? Has your business expanded from Neo Odessa all the way to Port Wilhelmshaven in the North Sea?”

As soon as she saw Viktor, the former black market boss, Simonov waved her glass at him and asked cheerfully.

“Uh, not at all. My business couldn’t keep going, so I came back here to do what I used to do…” Viktor said awkwardly. After all, he had only met Simonov once or twice and knew that she worked for Renault. He hadn’t expected this Doll to be so outgoing.

“Ahem, anyway, don’t worry! With this batch of goods, you’ll definitely make a fortune this time!”

Hearing Simonov say this, Catherine rolled her eyes.

What do you mean, “make a fortune”? They hadn’t even made any money yet!

Couldn’t she stop raising flags already? What if Viktor barely sold anything at all?

Catherine realized that the goods at home always sell only once or twice before disappearing completely. According to CF05 and the others, they had only supplied goods to Griffin and a few buyers of unknown origin.

However, Commander Gentiane on Griffin’s side was a complete pauper. She didn’t have enough money to buy much. They had made money from the first sale, but there were no repeat customers.

For a business like food production, one-time sales were completely meaningless for things like the family’s vertical farm. Long-term sales were what truly mattered…

These products were clearly excellent in quality, and the flavors had been meticulously prepared by G36 and the others, yet they simply couldn’t find a market for them.

In Catherine’s eyes, the situation had started to feel almost mystical.

Otherwise, how could the unsold inventory be explained? It couldn’t be that nobody recognized their value, could it?

“Hey, Simonov, are you slacking off? Drinking here at this hour?”

Catherine glanced at the large beer mug in Simonov’s hand and smirked. Had this girl neglected her work at the brewery again?

After the spaceship landed, the brewery had begun expanding. Simonov should have been busy setting up equipment in the new brewery.

“Huh? Drinking? No, no, I’m just a little thirsty! Just having some wheat juice!”

Wheat juice? No way! That strong alcohol smell! She probably deliberately poured vodka into the beer!

However, Simonov didn’t linger. After Catherine questioned her, she immediately downed the liquid in her glass, puffed out her cheeks, and dashed out of the bar as if fleeing from a horde of enemies.

…

“They just let us in like that? I don’t remember seeing you two show any identification or anything.”

Looking out the car window at the quarantine wall checkpoint receding into the distance, OGAS asked AR15 and HK416 in surprise.

“There’s something called a license plate…” HK416 replied with a forced smile.

Although they had made the license plate themselves, the number had been verified—a number sent by Stasi.

That Stasi agent named K had thought of everything. Maria and the others hadn’t rescued those people for nothing.

“Oh, I see. So where are we going? Should we find UMP9 and SOP2 first? Are Dolls like them really allowed to wander around the streets freely?”

“Of course. They have permission. Within the Quarantine Wall, they can go anywhere except certain institutional buildings.”

“Really? Then I want to go see those residential buildings over there…”

“No, those are private homes. You can’t enter without permission.”

“Then what about that building over there…”

“That’s someone’s company building. You can’t go in there either…”

“Huh? Then that tall building over there!”

“That’s a communications tower, a military restricted area. You can’t go in there either…”

“Huh?! You can’t go here, you can’t go there! And you said we could go anywhere!”

Listening to OGAS’s complaints, AR15, who had patiently explained things for so long, practically had veins bulging from her forehead.

Seeing AR15 in such a frustrated state, HK416 felt a strange sense of satisfaction rise within her.

Ha! Luckily, G11 has far more common sense than OGAS! If G11 had been like this back then, she probably would’ve broken down already.

Still, although OGAS was extremely curious, she was fairly easy to deal with. A dessert bought from a roadside stall had instantly silenced her. AR15 had discovered a new method: as long as OGAS had food in her mouth, she would stop bombarding her with endless questions.

After driving around town for a couple of hours, HK416 finally found SOP2 and UMP9 wandering around aimlessly. They were currently inside a Universal Anything store, asking the staff various questions related to Dolls.

Judging from their behavior, it seemed they wanted to use their allowance to buy a Doll.

Huh? Buying Dolls? What’s going on?

AR15 was completely surprised that SOP2 and UMP9 would even think of this. But what exactly did they want to buy a Doll for?

“We want to hire a coach! Or buy some Doll modules with different functions! We can take them back and have Scarecrow modify them, which will save a lot of training time!”

---

Chapter 1140: The Reason Has Been Found

“Coach? What do you want to learn? The training room should already have everything you need, right?”

HK416 felt something was off about SOP2’s explanation.

Didn’t Renault’s training pods already include everything? Why would they need to come out and buy a Doll to act as a coach?

And from a Universal Anything Doll store, no less. It seemed SOP2 and UMP9 had saved up quite a bit of money.

Universal Anything had the most comprehensive selection of Dolls, ranging from high-end models to low-end ones. However, compared to Dolls from smaller companies, even Universal Anything’s low-end models were still relatively expensive.

Because of that, most customers in this store came for the high-end models.

“No, no, no, not the ones from the training room! We’re looking for a sports enthusiast! Or a fitness coach! Or maybe a martial arts coach or something like that!” UMP9 explained while holding a promotional tablet and flipping through the Doll category list.

“Huh?” HK416 and AR15 frowned immediately.

“Oh! Do they have the same butler Dolls as G36 and the others? Hey! AR15, how about we buy one to help clean my room?” OGAS curiously approached the Doll display, pressed her face against the glass, and called out to AR15.

Slap!

Before she could finish speaking, AR15 smacked OGAS on the forehead. “You’re already this immature at your age? What are you even thinking about?! Clean your own room!”

‘Eh? AR15 is starting to sound more and more like a nanny. Just like Helian.’

‘Yeah, yeah, but I think HK416 is about the same.’

Thump! Thump!

“I’m standing right here! I can hear you!”

SOP2 and UMP9, who had just been chopped on the head, were in so much pain that they nearly cried, rubbing their heads as if horns were about to grow out.

Meanwhile, the Universal Anything employee observing HK416 and the others finally put aside her initial suspicions. After all, these girls… well, they didn’t look like Dolls at all.

Still, the names the first two customers used sounded far too much like Doll designations. SOP2 and UMP9 certainly didn’t sound like ordinary human names.

However, the way they interacted, their expressions, and their reactions all seemed completely natural. If they really were Dolls, then Universal Anything’s Doll division was probably already doomed.

Fortunately, the three girls who arrived later, despite still using strange weapon-code names, clearly weren’t imitations of Dolls. Their swollen foreheads, tear-filled eyes, and OGAS’s pouty expression were all far too natural.

As long as they weren’t Dolls, everything was fine. She genuinely had no idea how to handle the unprecedented situation of Dolls buying Dolls.

After all, nobody had ever said Dolls weren’t allowed to buy Dolls, and she had been wondering what she should do if she ever encountered such a situation.

“Have you two made your decision yet? Still haven’t found anything?” Regardless of what the employee was thinking, HK416 felt that continuing to wander around like this wasn’t a good idea.

Not to mention that they had been tailed by Stasi agents the entire time, with multiple groups already rotating shifts. This was the main reason HK416 hadn’t wanted to wander around in the first place. Nobody enjoyed being watched by several people while shopping.

Especially when those people stood out so clearly in her perception, like brightly colored bags moving around in public.

“Well, I did find one, but I’m not completely satisfied. It’s a bodyguard Doll, and the specifications say it’s proficient with most melee weapons, but it’s a male Doll. It would be great if the store simply sold melee weapon proficiency modules.” UMP9 scratched her head.

Aside from Commander Renault and the animals on the farm, there weren’t any males at home. Buying a male Doll obviously felt inappropriate.

Hearing this, HK416 took the tablet from UMP9 and looked at it. “Then let’s check somewhere else. Universal Anything’s Dolls mostly focus on one-stop services like training, so it’s normal not to find what you want here.”

With that, HK416 placed the tablet back onto the counter and turned to leave the Universal Anything store without another word.

“Um… wait…” Seeing UMP9 and SOP2 silently follow HK416 out after spending so much time flipping through catalogs, the clerk wanted to say something to persuade them to stay, but HK416’s decisive departure left her speechless.

“So, what made you suddenly want to find a coach?” Back at the car, HK416 glanced toward the small grilled sausage restaurant that had lured OGAS away, leaned against the vehicle, and asked SOP2.

“Well, HK416, didn’t you notice? Commander Renault’s training pods don’t have any tutorials on body movement.”

Body movement? Movement techniques? Didn’t those things come naturally? Why would they need tutorials?

“Right, right! Power generation techniques, force application techniques, training methods, and things like that!” SOP2 nodded repeatedly in agreement with UMP9.

“Huh? Really? Do we actually need a coach for that? But SOP2, weren’t you already pretty good at close combat?”

Faced with HK416’s question, SOP2 scratched her head awkwardly.

“Well, I used to just rip things apart with brute force. I sparred with those Templars using psionic blades in the training pod the other day, and I realized I couldn’t beat them at all…”

HK416 was stunned by SOP2’s words.

While the training pod did include tutorials from the Templars on psionic blade combat, she had always fought those High Templars from a distance during actual combat.

Fight those monsters in close combat? Unless she had lost her mind, she would never even consider such a ridiculous idea!

“Wait a minute… You fought High Templars in close combat? Could it be that you guys—and G11 and the others who are good with lightsabers—weren’t attending lessons and learning techniques from the Templars, but were actually fighting them head-on in melee combat?!”

“Hmm, I guess so… Anyway, 45 and I wanted to try it out, but we got chopped to pieces almost immediately. Ouch!” UMP9 shuddered as she spoke. The sensation of being hacked apart had been absolutely awful.

“That’s probably what talent looks like. There’s nothing we can do about it. We just can’t compare to those people.” AR15 returned while shrugging helplessly.

HK416 frowned. “Could G11’s score actually be higher than ours because she challenged those Templars? If that’s true, then maybe that explains why AR15 and I have been stuck…”

“That’s probably part of it. But 416, haven’t you noticed? G11 and the others are generally far more agile than we are!”