RC 1141-1160 (Patreon)

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Chapter 1141: Today

UMP9's words silenced HK416. She had to admit that it was true.

Even before they switched to bio-based bodies, G11 had already been using her previous body to perform strange, yet oddly beautiful, movements, turning actions that should only appear in entertainment movies into attacks with real destructive power.

Things like flying kicks capable of destroying Hydras is something HK416 herself had never considered performing before. After all, those moves could damage the body, and their power was unpredictable; there was no concrete data to reference.

Besides G11, the other Dolls in the house who were skilled with lightsabers were either Dolls already proficient in melee combat or cooks from the kitchen...

Could chopping vegetables in the kitchen really develop close-combat skills? Should she go back and try it with G36?

"Well, in short, we either need to go into the training pods and figure out the essence of melee combat and close-quarters fighting ourselves, or we'll have to find a professional and learn from their experience!"

HK416 nodded, agreeing with UMP9's assessment.

Indeed, whether it was their previous alloy-steel bodies or their current bio-material bodies, their physical capabilities far exceeded the limits of a normal Doll.

If they wanted to, they could perform actions that others would consider unbelievable at any time. Continuing to rigidly adhere to various tactical maneuvers and combat doctrines would not help them much.

Moreover, in the training environment, they were facing swarms of insects. Tactics designed for fighting humans were clearly far less effective against insects.

To effectively utilize tactics, unless there were enough commandable personnel in the training scenario, fighting alone... might not be as effective as G11's unconventional methods...

"Hey! AR15! Where's mine?"

While HK416 was deep in thought, SOP2 had already moved closer to AR15, pouting at the grilled pork sausage in her hand while glancing at OGAS, whose mouth was smeared with oil.

"Here it is!" AR15 said irritably, handing the sausage to SOP2. She was not a child; she did not need another bite, especially since she had already eaten quite a lot.

"Hehe! 9! I'll share half with you!"

"Ah—"

Watching SOP2 and UMP9 take turns eating, AR15 turned to HK416.

"These training-related Dolls are usually custom-made, right? Does Svarog Heavy Industries have this type of Doll?"

"I don't know. Let's go check first. If they don't, we'll probably have to visit the Doll job center and see what kinds of laid-off Dolls are available for re-employment."

It was basically a secondhand Doll market. Occasionally, Dolls with special purposes appeared there, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, but that was not really their concern. The idea of rescuing Dolls had never crossed their minds.

There were simply too many Dolls in the world, and new ones rolled off production lines every second. What could they do? Blow up the factories? Or buy every Doll as soon as one was produced?

After the gluttons finished eating, HK416 and UMP9 drove to a Svarog Heavy Industries retail store using the navigation system, hoping to avoid filling the car with the smell of meat.

Unfortunately, the Dolls SOP2 and UMP9 wanted were not there. Most of the products were either Dolls manufactured for various heavy industries or more specialized industrial Dolls.

Clearly, combat-capable Dolls with specialized purposes, like HK416, were produced through cooperation with relevant organizations and were not sold through retail channels.

"Tsk, seriously, back at Griffin, where did Kalina get all those weird modules for those guys?" AR15 muttered helplessly.

Back at Griffin, she often heard Dolls saving up to buy various modules, and Kalina was usually the one arranging the deals.

Now that she was out on her own, she realized how difficult it was to find Doll modules on the market. Kalina probably had IOP connections that allowed her to obtain those things.

Doll modules obviously had no retail channels. Installing modules into a Doll was not like assembling an old computer by simply piecing parts together.

Most installations were performed at authorized dealerships and handled through after-sales service... or, in less legitimate places, installed privately. However, the consequences of installing those modules on a Doll were unpredictable.

After a long search, the group finally found the Doll Re-employment Center in the city.

Originally called a secondhand Doll market, it had been renamed the Doll Re-employment Center due to strong protests from Doll rights organizations.

But in the end, it was still the same old process: buying and selling. Dolls without owners either escaped and became illegal humanoids or were sent directly to the neighboring Doll Dismantling and Recycling Center.

The Doll Re-employment Center stood right next to the Doll Dismantling and Recycling Center...

Ha...

Seeing the two adjacent shops, HK416 could not help but smirk. She herself had nearly been sent to such a place once—though only possibly. More likely, her core would have been melted down before she was dismantled.

Now, standing in front of the store under a different identity and specifically here to buy Dolls... HK416 felt an indescribably strange sensation.

SOP2 and UMP9, on the other hand, did not seem bothered at all. They got out of the car and walked directly toward the store.

The Dolls still inside, waiting for new jobs, all turned their gazes toward HK416 and her group.

…

"Um, Mr. Renault, is this... your daughter?"

Looking at the little one following beside Renault's legs, Viktor widened his eyes and asked incredulously. He could not believe Renault's daughter had grown so much in such a short period of time.

"No, don't overthink it. Type 97 Shotgun, go find Type 56 over there. She should be in the kitchen right now."

"Oh, okay."

Type 97 Shotgun nodded somewhat bewilderedly, instinctively following Renault's instructions and walking toward the kitchen.

It was not that she was mentally unstable or going insane; everything simply felt surreal.

She had only gone to the technical department for a neural upgrade, so how had she suddenly ended up transferred to another security contracting company?

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Chapter 1142: Very Possible

"I didn't expect you to really be Hawke! I thought you were just another Doll of the same model as Hawke!" Type 56 said in surprise, wiping her hands and casually tucking a towel into her apron while looking at Type 97 Shotgun, who sat across from her looking like a little child.

"Huh? What else could I be besides Hawke?" Hearing Type 56's words, Type 97 Shotgun scratched her head in confusion.

"Anyway, when Commander Renault brought you back, your Neural Core was inside a Sangvis Ferri Doll body, with only your original head remaining. If you dig through the trash in the Commander's workshop right now, you might even find your old head."

"Ugh! Type 56, can you not talk about that before dinner? But speaking of which, how exactly did Hawke's Neural Core end up in the hands of a Doll dealer?" NZ75 asked curiously as she helped bring the cooked dishes to the counter.

"I don't know. Hawke, what happened before you woke up?"

"Uh, I went to Griffin's technical department. Kalina told me my neural upgrade application had been approved, so I went there, and then... then I don't remember anything else. When I woke up, Commander Renault treated me to a huge meal inside my neural cloud, and then the moment I opened my eyes, I was like this!"

"Looks like you were asleep for quite a while. A lot has happened since you applied for the upgrade. Sangvis Ferri has already been beaten into hiding." Griffin was practically disbanded by now, though Type 80 wisely chose not to say the last part aloud.

"Type 80? What are you doing here? And speaking of which, I don't remember you changing jobs, Type 56. How come... huh? Even Springfield is here? Did Griffin disband? Did everyone come work for Commander Renault?"

As Type 97 Shotgun spoke, she suddenly noticed Springfield walking over with WA2000. Startled, she nervously turned toward Type 56.

"No, the reasons are complicated and can't be explained in just a few words. Just know that that being under Commander Renault is worlds apart from Griffin's," Type 80 spoke with a shrug.

"Oh, okay. I knew it. No matter what Griffin said, they would never have given me a child-sized body. How am I supposed to fight like this?"

Hearing that, Type 97 Shotgun nodded while looking down at her short legs, which could not even reach the floor, and sighed helplessly.

The moment they heard this, Type 80 and the others immediately realized that she had misunderstood something.

Somewhat exasperated, Type 56 reached out and pinched Type 97 Shotgun's chubby cheek.

"Hawke, you! There's a limit to how oblivious you can be! The body has been changed! Don't you feel anything?"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

Pinched by Type 56, Type 97 Shotgun's tender face, which had only recently emerged from the incubation tank, immediately turned red, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Snap!

"Hehehehe! Newbie photo acquired!"

Before Type 56 and Type 80 could explain further, MDR had already quietly moved closer. Two nearly identical phones simultaneously snapped photos.

After exchanging high-fives with Carol, who had taken the same shot, the two squeezed into the crowd and circled around to capture full-body close-ups of Type 97 Shotgun covering her face.

Staring wide-eyed at the two identical MDRs—clearly not Dummy Dolls—Hawke had not even managed to say anything before MDR and Carol ran off, obviously planning to quickly add the photos to the Dolls' album.

After seeing Type 56 and Springfield, then two identical MDRs, and hearing everything Type 56 had said, Hawke was completely bewildered and utterly unable to understand what was happening.

Moreover, she could not find any immediate objective in her mind. The Zener Protocol network used by Griffin seems to have completely vanished.

Watching Hawke remain confused even after finally recovering from her shock, both Type 56 and Type 80 looked at her, hoping she would quickly figure out her situation.

Unfortunately...

"Ouch..." Hawke rubbed her cheek and uttered only that single word, earning a helpless sigh from Type 56.

"Is that all you've got? Oh well, you'll understand in a few days anyway. We have plenty of time. We can explain everything slowly."

"A few days? Can't we go back to Griffin soon?"

"Then you're probably going to be disappointed. You can't go back unless you want to fight your other self and decide who the real Hawke is," Type 80 spoke. Still, she could not help feeling slightly relieved.

Fortunately, Helian was still at Griffin and had suppressed the technical department's plan to recreate the departed Dolls through mind mapping. Otherwise, they would have ended up like MDR before, arguing every day with their Griffin counterparts about who the real one was.

"Huh?"

"Enough with the 'huhs.' Come on, get over here. I had Buzzsaw save some good food for you! Consider it a celebration for your onboarding!"

While they were talking, C96, MP5, and the others had already placed all the food on the counter. There was not much left for Type 56 to do in the kitchen for the moment.

Type 56 removed her apron and led Hawke to a seat beside the counter.

"Looks like Commander Renault has added another new member to his family. Congratulations!"

UMP45 glanced at Hawke's small figure, smiled with narrowed eyes, and placed a plate in front of UMP40.

"Hmm, but this time it seems to be another Griffin Doll. Do you think all the Griffin Dolls will eventually defect to Commander Renault's side?"

UMP40 picked up her utensils and tilted her head as though she could already picture the scene of Griffin Dolls gathering under Renault's command.

"It's very possible. Griffin really isn't a good place. Just look at the kinds of missions Commander Gentiane gets." UMP45 had originally intended to discover who was behind all the trouble she and UMP40 had endured.

But after Renault brought UMP40 back from Sangvis Ferri headquarters, her interest in revenge gradually faded. More than finding the mastermind, she simply no longer wanted UMP40 involved in those bizarre incidents.

Even though she was completely certain Renault could blow the mastermind's brains out.

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Chapter 1143: Who Believes That?

"By the way, where are 9 and the others? SOP2 too?"

While eating, UMP40 looked around but didn't see UMP9 or SOP2.

She knew where G11 was; she was in the hangar. When they came to eat, they saw G11 arguing with ME79 about the external armor configuration of the transforming truck.

"She was getting a bit frustrated grinding for points in the training room, so she dragged SOP2 out to buy melee modules. HK416 and the others went later too. Right now, they're probably worried about not being able to find Doll modules, right?"

UMP45 shrugged. "Doll modules aren't easy to buy, especially in a safe place like the Green Zone."

They might be able to find them on the black market in the outer city, but in the city's legitimate stores, it was almost impossible. Even if stores had them, they would only sell them to acquaintances.

...

"We still have nothing!" SOP2 complained in frustration.

"Hey, miss, you should know that this is a second-hand—no, a Doll re-employment center. Doll modules aren't within our business scope, but..."

"But what?"

"Well, as you can see, we have quite a few Dolls here who can't find jobs. If they're willing to sell their functional modules, I can help, but I'll need to charge a small handling fee."

The shop assistant, standing behind the counter with a lazy demeanor, made a universally recognized hand gesture toward SOP2 as he spoke.

HK416 frowned. "If they sell their functional modules, won't it become even harder for those Dolls to find jobs?"

"Hmm, that's true, but you have to understand, it's their own choice. I'm just making a little money from it."

That was true, but there were clearly many ways to manipulate the situation. Who knew whether this guy's fees were being collected from both sides? And if the Dolls couldn't find jobs, they would be stuck in this shop that hardly ever got any customers.

At least here, they could charge for free; elsewhere, charging cost money.

Even if a Doll's modules were sold, the Doll wouldn't receive the full amount. It was obvious the seller would keep a cut.

While the Doll Rights Organization had a prestigious name, it was ultimately just a private organization.

They had no real authority over such matters, and with so many cities—almost every city having Dolls—they simply couldn't manage them all.

"Then tell me if you have any combat-related modules," UMP9 said, waving her hand.

UMP9 was quite familiar with dealing with people who made a living through shady means, so he spoke bluntly. These people were all the same—they only cared about money. Besides, this was the city; he didn't need to worry about anyone causing trouble.

“We definitely don’t have professional combat modules, but we do have civilian ones, and a very complete selection! Look, over there. That guy is an Actress Doll produced by Cyber Media. She used to be an actress, but the company went bankrupt due to poor management, and the Doll was pawned off and sent here.”

“An Actress Doll? Dolls like that exist?” OGAS blinked, asking the same question AR15 had been wanting to ask.

“Of course. These days, you can get any Doll you want. It’s just a matter of spending a little more money to customize one from a big company. It’s much more convenient than hiring a human employee.” The shop assistant pointed at the Doll sitting on a chair in the waiting area.

"That Doll has almost every common civilian combat module installed, supposedly for a movie shoot. Unfortunately, with so many modules, she's become a bit clumsy. I heard she broke another actor's bones on set. Pretty impressive!"

UMP9 clearly didn't believe the clerk's boast. If she had really broken an actor's bones, this Doll wouldn't be sitting here; she would be lying in the pile of scrap bodies at the Doll dismantling plant next door.

So it was probably some kind of accident where the blame was shifted onto the Doll before she was sent straight to the dismantling plant.

The reason this Doll wasn't immediately dismantled was probably because the clerk wanted to make a quick profit.

In a way, the clerk might have actually saved her life.

"But why does she look a bit dumbfounded?"

HK416 looked at the Doll sitting there in confusion. The other Dolls all had some expression or subtle movement, but the Doll the clerk pointed out sat there rigidly, like a self-regulating machine.

"They said it involved some trade secrets, so she was reset before being sent here. Ha, that company went bankrupt a few days later. What secrets could they possibly have had?" The clerk shrugged nonchalantly. The Doll's reset mind wouldn't affect his ability to sell these second-hand Dolls anyway.

"Then it'll be her! How much!"

Hearing the word "secret," SOP2 immediately perked up. Without even checking the Doll's functional modules, she waved her hand and asked for the price enthusiastically.

UMP9, who had been about to take out her testing tools, turned back helplessly. Seeing SOP2 already pulling out her phone and preparing to pay immediately, she could only give up.

Once SOP2 made a decision, there was no changing it. They could only let her do as she pleased.

Anyway, if this clerk tried to fool them, they would tell Commander Renault when they got back, and he could come teach this guy a lesson.

“By the way, could we also recruit Dolls here?”

AR15 narrowed her eyes, glanced at the surrounding civilian Dolls, and asked the clerk.

“Recruit? Uh, of course. While companies or organizations usually send job postings, we can recruit on-site. Which company is it? I need to make a record.”

Hearing AR15's question, the clerk's casual expression softened slightly. He took out his tablet and asked AR15 for information about the recruiting company.

“Renault Security Contracting Firm.”

“Renault Security..., um, okay. But if you need to modify the Dolls or install fire-control cores, you'll need the appropriate permits. Of course, if it's just for general functions, then you won't need them.”

The clerk then typed Renault Security Contractor's name into the job posting template and sent the message to all the civilian Dolls present.

Unfortunately, Renault Security Contractor was not well-known among ordinary Dolls. The group of Dolls in the store remained completely unmoved after seeing the job posting.

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Chapter 1144: Trustworthiness in Question

"How about it? Our Renault Security Contracting Firm offers absolutely the best benefits in the industry! Absolutely the best! And you absolutely don't need to worry about physical safety issues!"

UMP9 clapped her hands while addressing the Actress Doll produced by Cyber Media and promoting the offer to all the Dolls present.

UMP9's three "absolutelys" immediately drew the attention of all the Dolls in the hall.

However, the attention lasted only briefly. Several Dolls who wanted to ask about the exact benefits shook their heads and sat back down after noticing the words "security contracting firm" on the job posting.

Huh? Hmm? No? What do you mean by shaking your heads?

AR15 and HK416 raised their eyebrows in surprise. Why did these Dolls seem to look down on security contracting companies?

“Why are they reacting like this? Are security contractors really that unpopular these days?”

SOP2 was stunned. She hadn't expected not a single Doll to be interested. She had assumed that when these Dolls heard about a job posting, even if they weren't eager to be hired, they would at least ask about it.

The fact that they all simply glanced at the posting before shaking their heads and continuing to rest was genuinely embarrassing for SOP2.

UMP9, meanwhile, looked worriedly at the Cyber Media Actress Doll, afraid she would react the same way as the others and remain completely uninterested in security contractors.

After all, even if you wanted to hire a Doll, you still needed her consent, right?

“Um... if you want to buy my civilian combat modules, that’s fine, but if you want me to work for a security contractor... well... I’m sorry...”

Seeing both UMP9 and SOP2 looking at her, the Actress Doll hesitated before speaking.

Clearly, working for a security contractor wasn't an option for her.

Hearing this, AR15 frowned and was about to say something when HK416 spoke first.

“You’d rather sell your functional modules and barely survive than work for a security contractor? Or are you worried about being dismantled as soon as you join?” HK416 spoke while glancing back at the shop assistant.

The shop assistant shrugged, indicating that it wasn't his concern. After all, security contractors weren't exactly desirable employers.

Although almost every Doll had heard of Griffin, the security contractor, Griffin clearly never recruited directly from Doll re-employment centers.

Most of Griffin's Dolls were directly supplied by IOP. Even if many of Griffin's Dolls were civilian Dolls modified into tactical Dolls, the key issue was still the modification process itself.

Without proper company backing, joining a security contractor usually meant becoming a human shield for bullets or ending up as scrap metal once the base suffered enough damage.

Not every security contractor was Griffin, and not all of them could guarantee a Doll's safety from immediate dismantlement.

Security contractors were relatively easy to register these days, provided you found the right channels. There were even black-market services specializing in helping people register security contractors.

The capabilities of security contractors varied wildly, and Dolls rarely had the opportunity to verify whether a contractor was legitimate.

Besides, how many security contractors were actually legitimate?

The jobs they handled ranged across black, white, and gray areas, and if a Doll was unlucky, she might become an illegal Doll the moment she started working...

If they didn't mind becoming illegal Dolls, they probably wouldn't have come to this Doll re-employment center in the first place.

Hearing this, the gray-haired Actress Doll fell silent.

While her physical structure wasn't seriously damaged, the excessive number of functional modules installed had caused problems with her internal wiring.

This was due to accelerated component aging caused by overloading the body. Replacing those parts wouldn't be possible with the money earned from selling the functional modules alone. Even if she somehow managed to gather enough money, she still wouldn't be able to find maintenance personnel willing to replace the parts and perform repairs.

Moreover, repairs cost money... and the cost would be considerable...

“Working for a security contracting company is a high-risk profession for Dolls. Even working in a mine probably has a survival rate fifty percent higher than working for a security contractor,” the power supply manager at the re-employment center said with a shrug.

The words had barely left his mouth when his information terminal beeped.

"Oh? There's work! Street cleaning in the outer city! Anyone interested can register here! After registering, report to the environmental sanitation company building in the outer city!"

The moment they heard this announcement, the Dolls sitting in the hall jumped up and rushed toward the counter, competing for the sanitation company positions.

Watching the suddenly animated Dolls, AR15 helplessly twitched her lips. What could she even say? She could only pull OGAS by the hand and walk away from the crowded counter.

The chaos caused by the riots in the outer city would eventually have to be cleaned up by someone, and it seemed that responsibility would ultimately fall to the Dolls.

However, she had no idea what would happen to these hired Dolls once the outer city had been cleaned up.

And as for the outer suburbs... the outer suburbs were no longer safe, especially for Dolls. Those struggling to survive there would inevitably set their sights on these Dolls.

Even though Renault had just destroyed a Doll dealer's hideout, these kinds of operations would always continue somewhere.

Dolls couldn't find good jobs, and neither could the people living in the outer suburbs.

Within minutes, all the Dolls in the hall had registered. Following the sanitation company's posting, numerous recruitment requests from construction companies also appeared.

So, only a few minutes later, the hall that had previously been filled with unemployed Dolls was now empty except for HK416 and the Actress Doll who, due to her limited mobility, had failed to compete with the other Dolls.

After all, the main reason she was still here was because the shop assistant wanted to profit from selling the functional modules installed in her body. Otherwise, with her severely worn-out internal circuitry, she would already be lying in the dismantling tank at the neighboring factory.

"Sorry, you know your own condition. They only want fully functional Dolls. Even if you went there, they wouldn't want you," the shop assistant spoke, effectively cutting off any possibility of the Actress Doll going.

---

Chapter 1145: Onboarding

"Looks like you have no other choice now."

HK416 sighed, crossing her arms as she looked at the leftover actress Doll. She felt a sense of helplessness; the reputation of Renault Security Contracting Firm was practically indistinguishable from that of third-rate security contractors, which made her feel some discomfort.

But MDR often streamed her home life on Anonymous Board. Surely Renault's reputation couldn't really be as obscure as some third-rate company?

Although she still had some doubts, she decided to get back to business.

"How about it? Once you join, we can start preparations immediately and guarantee your body will be repaired."

"But... I'm just a civilian Doll..." The thought of potentially having a fire-control core installed and being forced to charge into battle made the actress Doll quite uncertain.

Her job at the film company was essentially that of a stunt double for action actors, which was why she had a bunch of combat-related modules installed.

But installing a fire-control core for a real battlefield was obviously not the same as performing in a studio in front of a camera!

"Hehe! Don't worry about that! At worst, you'll just help G36 carry dishes!" SOP2 spoke casually, unaware that the moment those words left her mouth, the disappointment on the actress Doll's face deepened.

After all, even a stunt performer was still an actor, but carrying dishes... Still, thinking about how she had just been frustrated over not getting the street-sweeping job, carrying dishes no longer seemed so unacceptable...

With that in mind, the Doll could only nod and agree.

The rest was naturally straightforward. SOPMOD2 readily paid the Doll's hiring fee—not to the Doll herself, but to the Doll Re-employment Center.

The clerk happily accepted the 300,000, but promptly transferred 200,000 to his own account.

Although the deal to sell the Doll's functional modules hadn't gone through, the Doll was still making money by being hired—more than she would have earned from selling the modules. After all, it was a miracle that anyone would hire a Doll with such a severely aged body, right?

It was safe to say that spending a little money to haul this Doll, who had been destined for dismantling, out of the scrap yard had absolutely been the right decision!

These kinds of foolish rich suckers were always welcome!

Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking. After all, how many idiots in the world would come to his shop and throw money at him?

"Speaking of which, I haven't asked your name yet,"

HK416 spoke, pulling the actress Doll back toward the car and tossing the keys to AR15. Since AR15 had driven them there, naturally someone else would drive back.

OGAS had originally wanted to try driving, but AR15 completely shut her down.

"I'm CM-ACT, manufactured by Cyber Media..."

"Of course I know that. It's written in the employment contract. I was asking whether you had any other name. CM-ACT is your model number; I can't call you that from now on, can I?"

Seeing the Doll standing in front of the car and hesitating as she looked at the brand-new seats, HK416 simply pushed her into the back seat. OGAS even excitedly leaned over to help her fasten the seatbelt.

"Then... then... Narcissus?"

"Why does it sound like a question? Did you just come up with it?" OGAS asked curiously, tilting her head. Her eyes immediately lit up. "Narcissus? Sith? Hey! AR15! How about I change my name to Sith!"

Upon hearing OGAS's words, AR15 turned around and chopped her on the forehead. "Don't even think about it! Your name will be discussed with M4 and the others later!"

"Ouch! Seriously! What's wrong with it!? It's a cool name!"

"Hmph! I'm afraid someone will cut off your leg one day!" AR15 said, looking at Narcissus and pointing at OGAS. "This one is OGAS. She hasn't had time to choose a name yet. I'm AR15, the passenger is HK416, the one who just paid is SOP2, and the other one is UMP9. Anyway, once we get home, just relax and settle in. We'll need you to teach us and the others a few lessons later."

"Lessons? Uh... and why are all your names weapon codenames...? The name on the contract wasn't Renault..."

Narcissus realized at that moment that Renault obviously couldn't be AR15's name; it had to belong to the company's boss.

"Why weapon codenames? Because we transferred over from Griffin. Of course, OGAS and UMP9 didn't."

Griffin? Transferred over?

AR15's words left Narcissus even more confused. But when she finally understood, she looked at HK416 in disbelief. "You're all Dolls too!?"

"That's right."

"But... how can Dolls hire other Dolls at a re-employment center...?"

It wasn't that Dolls couldn't pay to hire other Dolls, but re-employment centers had Doll-detection equipment. Formal places like that definitely wouldn't allow Dolls to hire other Dolls.

To hire someone, either a higher-level cooperation agreement was required, or the employer had to be present in person to sign the contract.

Renault Security Contracting Firm, a security contractor she had never heard of, clearly couldn't have signed any Doll resource agreement with the re-employment center.

Moreover, the contract she had just signed was the type that required the employer to sign directly, yet the re-employment center's testing equipment hadn't reacted at all...

"The reason is complicated and difficult to explain. You'll understand once we get there."

...

"Great stuff! Really great stuff! The taste of this liquor is simply amazing!" Viktor exclaimed excitedly, his face flushed and eyes wide.

He downed several glasses of liquor in a row. Even though they were all small glasses, it was obvious that, thanks to the high alcohol content—and because Viktor normally wouldn't spend much money on strong liquor—he was already a little tipsy.

Andrei shook his head helplessly. "We naturally trust Mr. Renault's quality, but what about the price? If it's too expensive, I'm afraid Viktor won't be able to afford that much."

"Don't worry, the price isn't expensive at all. I definitely won't rip you off. How about this?"

Maggie said with a smile, handing over her tablet, which displayed the price she had calculated based on black-market liquor prices.

Compared to the drinks on the black market, these were 10–20% cheaper, and considering the quality of Simonov's concoctions, the price was definitely reasonable—excellent value, even!

After all, Helian had already agreed with Renault to lower the price, so Maggie naturally wouldn't deliberately inflate it now.

Selling the goods was the top priority, but even at a lower price, they could still make a substantial profit.

Yes, Renault made money, Maggie Ponzi made money, and the buyer Viktor made money—a win-win-win situation!

---

Chapter 1146: Hey!

"Commander Renault... why are you squatting here?"

HK416 got out of the vehicle and looked at Renault, who was squatting outside the cargo hold door with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

As she spoke, she gestured for Narcissus to get out of the vehicle from the back seat.

"Hmm? Here."

Hearing HK416's question, Renault gestured with his lips, causing the cigarette to tremble slightly.

Seeing Renault's action, HK416 forced back a smile, suppressing the laughter that was about to burst out.

"Laugh if you want to. But this one—is she your friend?" Renault looked at the somewhat disheveled Narcissus, surprised that HK416 and her team had brought back another Doll.

"Commander Renault! This is the martial arts instructor we brought back!" SOPMOD2 jumped out of the vehicle and waved excitedly at Renault.

UMP9, like AR15, drove the vehicle into the cargo hold.

Brought back?

Hearing SOPMOD2's words, Renault suddenly understood and glanced at Narcissus's dull hair, which he suspected was the result of poor maintenance and lack of cleaning.

Noticing Renault's scrutiny, Narcissus awkwardly clutched the hem of her shirt and carefully observed his expression, afraid of displeasing him.

"Oh? A martial arts instructor? What? Did you suddenly realize the limitations of your weapons?"

Renault smiled, then nodded at Narcissus. "I'm Renault, the owner of Renault Security Contracting Firm. Are you sure you want to work for me?"

"Y-yes! I'm Doll CM-ACT, a professional actor produced by Cyber Media. I've installed—"

"Alright, if you're willing to join, then there's no problem." Renault waved his hand, interrupting Narcissus before she could explain all of her functional modules. He stood up, crushed the cigarette butt beneath his shoe, and beckoned to her.

"Let's head back first. No need to stand here in the sea breeze. HK416, take her to get cleaned up and rest. You can contact me about the body replacement later."

Because they needed to help Narcissus freshen up first, HK416 and the others didn't go with Renault. Instead, they waited for AR15 and UMP9 to join them before heading toward the dormitory area.

However, SOP2 stopped by the Sangvis Ferri Doll dormitory midway and borrowed some body-care solution from a few familiar Dragoons.

Narcissus's body clearly hadn't been cleaned in a long time, and the bionic skin on the surface had several tears. Bathing normally was definitely out of the question; this was where the special Doll body-care solution came in.

Yes, dry cleaning—no need to worry about water getting into the body and causing a short circuit.

"Um... Miss HK416..."

"Just call me HK416."

"Then, HK416, shouldn't we undergo Doll authorization verification after joining...?"

"No need. Just come with me. You'll understand the reason in a few days."

Narcissus nodded in confusion, but as they approached the dormitory area, the number of Dolls increased, and she also saw quite a few Dolls manufactured by Sangvis Ferri.

She wanted to ask why Sangvis Ferri Dolls were here, but seeing them wave and greet SOP2 and HK416 so warmly made her doubts feel like they were overheating her processor.

Before she could ask anything, HK416 had already pulled her into a brand-new dormitory.

It was a standard double room, fully furnished and well equipped. During the renovations, many dorm rooms had been reserved specifically for situations like this.

"Um... HK416, I can manage on my own..."

"Okay, just be careful not to overheat. I'll go find you some clothes. Oh, and by the way, if I'm not back yet, try not to go outside. It's dangerous with so many people moving around out there."

Holding a tub of Doll body-conditioning solution, Narcissus still felt feverish. Along the way, she had seen many strange things and although something clearly felt off, she couldn't quite identify the key issue.

The only thing that reassured her somewhat was the spacious dormitory room; everything inside looked brand new.

As an owner who could provide Dolls with such a large double room, Renault probably wasn't interested in her tattered, unwashed body, right?

...

Having already finalized the supply contract with Maggie, Viktor didn't linger aboard Renault's ship. After signing the contract, Andrei dragged him back to their black-market base.

Maggie had said that Renault wouldn't be staying long and might leave soon, so they needed to raise the money and resell all the ordered goods as quickly as possible!

Of course, even if Renault's ship left, they could still continue receiving deliveries.

However, that would require larger shipment volumes, since Renault's ship obviously wouldn't make a special trip just because they ordered a single box of tomatoes.

The next morning, Viktor, now sober, returned with Andrei, each driving a medium-sized truck—the largest vehicles Viktor could find on short notice.

Of course, larger trucks were available; Renault also had trucks that could temporarily be lent to the two of them. However, those heavy trucks, even if considered normal-sized elsewhere, clearly couldn't navigate the narrow roads leading into the black market.

Besides, delivering goods in heavy trucks would be far too conspicuous.

Who knew whether that might attract dangerous individuals?

Well, calling them dangerous wasn't entirely accurate. Viktor and Andrei themselves were easy targets. If Andrei hadn't looked like a formidable fighter and carried weapons, they probably wouldn't even have been able to resume their old business in the black market.

Viktor and Andrei were sweating profusely, while Maggie and Catherine were grinning from ear to ear.

After transferring most of the deposit to Helian, Maggie and Catherine each ended up with a hefty "kickback" in their pockets.

"Ah, life is so uneventful and boring, tsk tsk tsk! Waiter! Bring me a drink—Pfft! Waaah!"

Catherine waved her phone in front of Susanna's face with an incredibly smug expression. Although her share was only a small portion, it was already comparable to everything she had earned during all her years in the underworld.

Susanna stared at the glaringly large balance displayed on the phone.

Even though she no longer needed to desperately save money or worry about the safety of her body, who wouldn't want more money in their pocket!?

Catherine! You're asking for it!

Taking advantage of Catherine's inattention, Susanna grabbed the pancakes that had been brought from the restaurant but left untouched and stuffed them straight into Catherine's mouth!

---

---

Chapter 1147: What Else Do You Want?

"Have those armored trains noticed us?"

"If I'm not mistaken, they have. Those armored trains have already turned their guns toward us."

"What about the others? Have they stopped or changed direction?"

"They've stopped. They seem to be waiting for the Droids ahead to clear out the ELID-infected along the way."

Hearing this, Gentiane breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the military armored vehicles hadn't recklessly charged at them. If possible, she just wanted to complete the mission without alerting or engaging the armored trains.

"Hey, Gentiane, is this really a good idea? If we're not in a hurry..." Kalina glanced at the communication device, and after confirming it wasn't in use, whispered into Gentiane's ear.

Initially, M4 and RO controlled the automated turrets simultaneously, but after advancing some distance, they had to separate, standing one in front of the other on the intercontinental train to ensure the turrets wouldn't suddenly activate due to negligence.

"Hmm? What could be wrong with that? We're just here to go through the motions, after all. Besides, Ange has already gone ahead. With her there, she might not completely disrupt the rebels' objectives, but she can definitely buy them some time. And I have a feeling something isn't right..."

As she spoke, Gentiane looked toward the target city ahead that needed to be scouted. She suddenly felt like she had forgotten something, causing her to tense up again.

Ange, the rebels, an unidentified third party, and finally herself... unidentified?

Yes, if nothing unexpected happened, then that unidentified person within the railway system had to be from Paradeus!

How could such a large-scale operation be complete without Paradeus? No wonder she felt something was missing!

"Something isn't right?"

"Yes. It's quite surprising that Paradeus hasn't shown up on its own this time. Maybe those guys are waiting for me in that city ahead!"

Gentiane nodded and confidently pointed toward the Quarantine Wall, which was almost within reach.

"So being a little slower doesn't matter. Judging by the rebels' current route, they might reach the city before us. That might actually be a good thing. It would be even better if those rebels ended up fighting Paradeus!"

As she spoke, Gentiane checked the railway information again. One armored train was also approaching the Quarantine Wall, while the remaining one was, of course, the intercontinental train Angelia had mentioned earlier—the unidentified one.

Unfortunately, the intercontinental train was still quite far away, separated from them by a rebel armored train, making it impossible for her to visually confirm its identity.

Hearing Gentiane's words, Kalina scratched her head, wanting to suggest that Gentiane was being overly cautious. However, Gentiane's analysis seemed logical and well-founded, leaving her unable to find anything to refute.

Of course, Gentiane's lack of urgency had other reasons as well. She had already inquired with Havier about the general details of the mission.

Simply put, their role was to act as an obstacle, hindering the rebels' movements. Especially after they entered that base, she was expected to hold them off for as long as possible.

This gave Gentiane many more options. Whether it was directly destroying the railway line in a suicidal move or finding a way to block the rebels' intercontinental trains, there were plenty of unethical... no, sabotage-oriented methods available. She would only resort to brute force as a last resort when every other option had been exhausted.

As for the factional infighting and the endless rambling Havier went on about while revealing the intelligence, she paid little attention to it. All she needed to know was what she was supposed to do.

Everything else was none of her concern. Even if she cared, it wouldn't make any difference. It wasn't something she, as the operations commander of a security contractor, could change. She herself was still just a pawn being used by others.

Why should a lowly soldier like her speculate about the schemes and plots of the chess players?

Moreover, the three rebel armored trains were still within her line of sight. Two of them had to pass through the city ahead, whose situation remained unclear, while the third was following Angelia's route.

The armored train directly pursuing them was clearly beyond her control. She was powerless to do anything except pray that Angelia would be lucky enough to outsmart it.

As for the other two armored trains, if possible, she could try to stop them within the city.

With Renault's external command module at her disposal, Gentiane was confident in this.

Dolls couldn't do much against the rebel armored trains, but surely the city's automated defense system could at least scratch them a little?

Add to that the intercontinental train of unknown origin and Paradeus, which could appear at any moment, and Gentiane felt that her mission would likely be completed successfully.

She had already tied down two armored trains.

What more could Havier possibly want? Hmm?

To annihilate the entire rebel force in this godforsaken place? There had to be a limit to wishful thinking!

...

"Spicy! So spicy! This seasoning must have been made by CF05, right?!" Hawke stuck out her tongue, looking miserably at the huge bowl of konjac-like food in front of her.

She had only mentioned wanting to grow faster, and Buzzsaw immediately brought her a bowl of this!

Seriously! Was it really okay to eat something this spicy first thing in the morning?

"Well, what can you do? This is the only spicy version available right now. Unless you want the plain one? Want me to go get you a bowl?"

"Ugh... never mind... at least there's yogurt..." Hawke frowned and took a big gulp of yogurt. "Honestly, this still feels unreal. Commander Renault's treatment here is way too good! A buffet first thing in the morning!"

What happened to Griffin being the industry leader? Compared to this place, Griffin—where breakfast was usually just MREs—was instantly humiliated!

"Hmph! This is nothing! Aside from the food, the treatment at Commander Renault's place is far superior to Griffin's!"

NZ75 declared proudly, fully convinced that her decision to switch sides had been absolutely correct.

---

Chapter 1148: Which Department Is Responsible for This Matter?

"What are you thinking about? You're not still thinking about going back to Griffin, are you?"

Since she needed to help Hawke adjust to life on the ship, Type 56 had successfully obtained leave from G36. She was currently holding a drink while watching Type 97 Shotgun, who was deep in thought.

"Uh, maybe a little. After all, Type 64 and the others are still at Griffin..."

"Well, you don't need to worry about that. Look, who is this?"

Type 56 said as she pulled out her phone and showed Hawke the photos M16 had taken earlier.

"Huh? Who is this? She looks familiar, but this body? Seriously? There's way too much bulletproof gel on her chest!" Hawke frowned as she looked at the Doll holding compressed biscuits. She couldn't quite remember her, especially with the excessive bulletproof gel making the body look overly bulky.

"Hey! This is your new host body! Hawke from Griffin is still diligently working there, while you, you lucky bastard, get to stay here and loaf around!"

Type 56 shoved the phone into Hawke's hands before casually lifting the tiny Hawke with one hand.

"Huh? Ah? Hey! Type 56! Put me down! I'm not a child!" The shock of suddenly being picked up quickly faded. After all, she was still fully conscious.

Just as Hawke was lifted into the air, a small group of Dinergates trotted past on their short legs.

Having just changed host bodies and still being considered a "newcomer," Hawke needed someone accompanying her for safety. Otherwise, UL-Nurse would probably have to open a new pediatric clinic.

Click!

At that exact moment, the shutter on MDR's phone clicked with perfect timing, capturing the entire scene flawlessly. That was the photography team's duty!

Seeing Hawke dangling in midair with a panicked expression, MDR and Carol simultaneously raised their hands toward Type 56 in the photo, giving her a thumbs-up.

Naturally, Type 56 didn't find this offensive. Instead, she returned the thumbs-up, snapped her fingers together, and raised an eyebrow at them.

The two immediately understood and responded with an OK sign without hesitation.

Watching the practiced hand signals exchanged between Type 56 and MDR, Hawke could instantly tell something shady was going on. Could it be that MDR and Carol were giving Type 56 a cut?!

If MDR had heard Hawke's thoughts, she would have scoffed and run away immediately.

After all, filming embarrassing moments once or twice was fine, but if it happened too often and involved too many people, she'd probably end up surrounded and punished by the Dolls if she didn't pay up.

"Come on, I'll show you around the ship so you can get familiar with the layout and not get lost later. And remember to keep your phone with you so you can call for help if you do get lost."

"How could I get lost? Besides, I'm a Doll, okay? And the Dolls' communication protocol... um?"

Hawke, now back on the ground, tugged awkwardly at the wrinkles in her skirt. However, when she tried to access the communication network as usual, she discovered that her vision and consciousness were completely blank.

All of a Doll's systems, modules, and self-diagnostic functions had vanished, leaving her with a cleaner view than when she had first left the factory.

"Hehe! Just noticed? This is the ultimate perk from Commander Renault! Something countless Dolls could only dream of!"

"Wait? What's going on? This body... no... Is my body still even a Doll body?!"

"Although the technical term is still 'biomass body,' unfortunately, your current body has absolutely nothing to do with Dolls anymore. You can forget about the dream of easily replacing your bulletproof gel."

"Uh... then what's that on your chest?! If it's not bulletproof gel, could it actually be fat...?"

The moment Hawke said this, she immediately turned and lunged at Type 56, grabbing at her chest with both hands!

The sensation instantly caused Hawke to freeze.

"This... well... it's pretty bouncy..."

...

"Hey! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Are you buying or not!? If not, get out of the way!"

"Buy! Who the hell said I wasn't buying!?"

"I want this kind! And this one too!"

"I'll take all of these canned goods!"

"Pah! Get lost! Don't even think about it! I want half!"

Looking at the crowd packed around the entrance, Viktor grinned from ear to ear.

"Hehe! Boss Renault really is my lucky star! When I first met him, I immediately started a transportation company! Now that I've met him again, it's another chance to make a fortune! Ahahaha!"

"Alright, shut up already. Stop laughing so loudly. Everyone's staring at us," Andrei said helplessly as he watched Viktor's smug expression.

Fortunately, they weren't completely lacking manpower. Otherwise, the two of them alone would have already been overwhelmed.

"Hey! Of course they are! Do you think I don't know those guys are jealous? I didn't wear this bulletproof vest for nothing!" Viktor patted the vest now stuffed with bulletproof plates and chuckled as he touched the pistol holstered against his leg.

Despite being instantly subdued by Renault during their first meeting, Viktor himself was still quite capable. That first encounter had simply been the result of Renault acting too quickly.

While Viktor busily sold canned goods on the black market, the Stasi agents accompanying him quietly reported the situation.

Stasi naturally couldn't leave a place like the black market unmonitored. The black market existed partly to prevent desperate people from becoming truly destitute.

After receiving the report, K scratched his head in confusion.

How exactly was this situation supposed to be handled? There was absolutely no precedent for it.

After all, previous transactions involving mercenaries and security contractors on the black market—whether legal or illegal—had always involved weapons or contraband.

Even if Stasi intervened directly, they would normally have a clear justification.

But selling canned goods and various food products...

While this could technically raise food safety concerns, it was highly unlikely that large quantities of black-market goods would actually flow into the Quarantine Wall. Even if some did, it would only involve a small number of individual buyers.

That left Stasi in a rather awkward position...

---

---

Chapter 1149: A Win-Win Situation, Isn't It?

"Is this really a good idea? What if those legal thieves get their hands on the antibody serum...".

As the developer of the antibody serum, Leone truly hadn't expected that her creation would first fall into the hands of a group of ruthless legal thieves...

While curiosity certainly played a part in its development, she never intended to hand it over directly to a group of unscrupulous legal thieves...

"No, no, don't worry, Leone, you can rest assured. I certainly don't intend to aid the enemy. It's just that this antibody serum has been sitting around for almost a month since it was produced, right?"

"Yes, almost a month. My sampling tests have confirmed that the effectiveness of this batch of antibody serum has decreased by fifty percent."

"Right, right! That's exactly it! At this rate, by the time those legal thieves get their hands on these things, at least a month and a half will have passed, and the effectiveness will have diminished even further. Besides, you haven't conducted any actual testing, have you? All the efficacy data is based on your own calculations, right?"

"Uh, well, that's true..."

Slap!

Seeing Leone nod, Maggie clapped her hands.

“That’s right! Just tell those law-averse thieves that if these things aren’t sold quickly, they’ll turn into useless saline solution. Those law-averse thieves who are eager to make money certainly won’t keep them. After all, ELID infection has nothing to do with them; they have full protective gear.”

“Antibody drugs don’t contain saline solution!” Leone retorted with a frown.

“Of course, it’s just a metaphor. And this way, the antibody drugs sold by the law-averse thieves will end up in the hands of the people who truly need them. Even if some of those law-averse thieves use them themselves, we can still observe the effects on them—we already have ready-made test subjects!”

Shrugging, Maggie spoke casually. If Leone still wasn’t willing, then she really had nothing more to say.

After all, antibody drugs weren’t so easy to sell. They couldn’t exactly imitate those peddlers and carry around a dozen needle-free syringes while hawking them everywhere.

She had considered entrusting the sale of the antibody drugs to Viktor, but Viktor was, after all, an acquaintance of Renault's.

Giving this stuff directly to Viktor might be too much for him to handle; it could even put his life at risk.

In that case, instead of making money, it would only deprive the family of one of its sales channels.

"Hmm, that does make sense, but we don't seem to have a way to monitor those legal thieves, do we?" Leone frowned. Those legal thieves could be anywhere; even Renault couldn't keep an eye on them every moment.

"Don't worry, we have this now. All the places those legal thieves frequent are under its surveillance! Even if you wanted to watch them use the toilet..."

"Pah! Who wants to see that kind of thing! I just need to observe the patients' reactions!" Leone exclaimed, her face flushing as she quickly covered Maggie's mouth.

"Mhm, I understand, Mr. Renault. My current access to the Bee Sting system should allow me to access small-scale nanomonitoring devices, right?"

"Yes, but be careful. Otherwise, if Paradeus discovers it, they might cut off the power supply to the entire system in that area, which would be troublesome."

"Troublesome? Could Paradeus trace me back?" Hearing Renault say it would be troublesome, Maggie's heart skipped a beat, and she asked somewhat guiltily.

"No, it would just be a little troublesome to access nanomonitoring devices from other areas."

Uh...

What kind of trouble is that?

"Then I'm relieved. See? Mr. Renault said so, so you should feel relieved now, right?" Maggie said while looking at Leone, whose expression had softened.

“Alright then.” Leone nodded. After all, Maggie was right; this seems to be the only feasible method at the moment.

Antibody drugs are highly sensitive, and giving them to just anyone could potentially lead to unpredictable side effects.

Letting those legal thieves take them and sell them, while sounding somewhat absurd, would at least provide her with some clinical data, which might greatly assist the subsequent development of the antibody drug.

Just as Leone nodded in agreement, the somewhat Nikolai finally received Maggie's call.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar number on the communicator, Nikolai initially wanted to reject the call, but then he realized that the number was remarkably similar to the security contractor's phone number.

Although the numbers were different, they were both simple strings of digits, exactly like the communication systems from decades ago.

"Hello?"

"I heard you were looking for me, Mr. Nikolai."

Upon hearing Maggie's nonchalant tone, Nikolai felt a surge of anger and instinctively wanted to unleash a torrent of abuse.

However, he ultimately restrained himself. After all, the security contractor's boss might be standing right beside Maggie.

"Ha, of course I'm looking for you! Is this how you do business!? You just run off with all my money without a word!?"

"No, no, this time it really wasn't my fault. You know, after I first became a Buddha, I had to hide all the way through sewers, contaminated zones, and wilderness areas. I didn't intentionally try to swindle your money, Nikolai."

"I... fine, I admit defeat, but you have to return my money! That money is definitely still in your hands, right?"

"Although I'd like to say yes, unfortunately, the entire carriage of the intercontinental train I was hiding in was blown to smithereens during Paradeus's attack, and those precious cargo turned into fireworks along with the carriage."

Hearing Maggie's words, the veins on Nikolai's forehead bulged visibly. "That would be quite an expensive firework! If possible, I'd really like to see it!"

"Heh, don't be angry, Mr. Nikolai. I actually have some good news. Although your precious cargo aren't coming back, I have a batch of goods that are absolutely equivalent to it in value. It just depends on whether you have the guts to take them."

"What is it? Another high-quality replica?"

"Of course not. Those things are already outdated. I wonder how much you know about ELID, or widespread low-radiation infection?"

"What do you mean?"

ELID? Who doesn't know about that? What is Maggie trying to swindle from him this time?

"Simply put, I have a batch of antibody drugs for ELID patients."

"You!?"

---

Chapter 1150: It Doesn't Matter If It's Not Finished

Slap! Slap!

Am I some kind of idiot?! Do I really believe everything people say?!

After hanging up the call, Nikolai immediately raised his hand and slapped himself twice across the face.

The loud smacks even startled Borg, who had been reclining in his chair, causing him to jump. But the moment he did, he immediately noticed Nikolai's clenched fists, looking as though he wanted to slap himself a few more times.

Naturally, Borg found it amusing.

What did Nikolai's erratic behavior have to do with him?

In fact, he'd be perfectly happy if Nikolai simply slapped himself to death. That way, this spoiled brat sent down by his superiors wouldn't be able to continue lording over him.

Well, calling it bullying wouldn't be entirely accurate. After all, Nikolai was quite self-aware and rarely ordered his subordinates around. Borg just really disliked Nikolai's constant appearance in a suit and tie, acting superior to everyone else.

Nikolai didn't care that Borg and his men were watching the spectacle; now wasn't the time to dwell on such things!

It had to be said that the two slaps were effective. At the very least, they cleared his head a little.

Even so, he still needed to find a way to get his hands on the goods Maggie had mentioned... ELID antibody serum...

Wasn't that exactly what the Galatea Corporation had been developing all this time?

And since he had already agreed, there was no point hesitating now. Sometimes, the outcome could only be decided after taking action.

As for how he would sell the antibody serum he obtained from Maggie, he had already figured it out.

Not all ELID patients are poor. Collapse radiation has always treated everyone equally in that regard.

Even if you're rich, so what? Unless you spend your entire life inside a white zone, the possibility of contracting ELID still exists whenever you move through green or yellow zones. Sometimes, when luck turns against you, even drinking cold water can bring trouble.

As long as he could transport the first batch of antibody drugs on time, the deposit from the cargo he previously owed Maggie could serve as the advance payment.

The remaining payments from future sales could simply be settled when he restocked...

That's right, this was a business that could operate long-term.

If nothing unexpected happened, Maggie—or rather, the owner of Renault Security Contracting Firm—definitely had a channel capable of continuously supplying antibody drugs. As for whether those antibody drugs were produced by the other party themselves...

Nikolai didn't even consider the possibility. What a joke! Since when could security contractors master technology capable of nearly changing the world?

If such technology truly existed, then even without patents or anything else, simply selling the technology itself would grant access to the white zone—a pass guaranteeing a lifetime of freedom.

Thinking of this, Nikolai could practically see himself making money hand over fist!

Those mild ELID patients suffering every day inside nursing homes—weren't they the perfect customers?

With that thought in mind, Nikolai immediately lowered his hands and jogged out of the base.

"Hey! Nikolai! Where are you going?!"

"To make money! You guys can stay here and keep rotting in this train station warehouse! Ahahaha!"

Watching Nikolai run off while laughing, Borg immediately spat in annoyance.

"Tch! Making big money, my ass! I hope that female swindler drains every last penny from your pockets!"

Borg's henchmen also watched Nikolai's departing figure with amused grins, having no intention of saying a word. After all, he was still a small-time boss, while they were merely low-ranking subordinates. There was no way they could interfere.

Besides, they certainly wouldn't be the ones getting swindled out of everything.

...

"At least we've arrived safely. Next, we need to deal with the Quarantine Wall issue."

Watching the intercontinental train smoothly pull up beneath the gates of the Quarantine Wall, Gentiane breathed a sigh of relief.

This position was relatively safe. Yes, relatively safe...

At this distance, the large-caliber automated defense systems on the quarantine wall couldn't reach them. The only threat came from a few small-caliber automated defense turrets, which the intercontinental train could relatively safely withstand.

As long as they weren't subjected to sustained suppressive fire, the intercontinental train's hull could still provide some protection.

Thinking of this, Gentiane couldn't help envying the military's armored trains. Those things not only possessed heavy armor, but most likely also carried force field shield generators. Sitting inside one of those armored trains would feel incredibly reassuring.

"Commander, we've temporarily deactivated the two automated defense turrets behind the vehicle. This should last about half an hour. After that, the backup circuits for the automated defense turrets will activate."

RO635 reported to Gentiane. She had only delayed the activation of the backup circuits through electronic warfare; the automated defense turrets would restart once the allotted time expired.

If the intercontinental train still hadn't entered Quarantine Wall by then, the trains parked beneath the wall would immediately become fixed targets for the automatic defense system.

“That should be enough, M4. Be careful during the operation, and report any unusual situations immediately.”

RO635 needed to remain here to control this section of Quarantine Wall's automated defense system.

Therefore, the task of entering Quarantine Wall and opening its gates fell directly to M4 and M16.

Besides M4 and M16, the two members of AR Team, an entire Doll echelon would participate in the operation, along with two backup support echelons.

Just as M4 was about to step out of the intercontinental train's operations command center, Gentiane reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Commander?”

“M4, remember this: the scale of this mission has already far exceeded the scope of a normal security contractor operation. So report any situation immediately. Don't think that you absolutely must complete the mission.”

After all, even if they couldn't enter the city ahead of them, she still had other ways to reach the mission's target location.

"Huh?"

M4, who had just assured Gentiane that she would definitely complete the mission, froze in place upon hearing this.

It was the first time she had ever heard Gentiane say that it was acceptable for a mission to fail...

Even with Persica, she had heard countless times that the data was extremely important and that the mission absolutely had to be completed.

But hearing someone say it was acceptable if the mission wasn't completed... that truly was a first for her...

---

----

Chapter 1151: It's Truly a Case of Taking the Long Way Around

“No security contracts, no auxiliary defense contracts, and certainly no need to act as bodyguards for rich people, right? Then how exactly does Commander Renault make money?”

Why was Kalina at Griffin always complaining about being poor, constantly racking her brain trying to recover all the salaries paid to Commander Gentiane and the Dolls?

But on Renault’s side, everything was completely reversed. Was there no end to the money?

You don’t even have proper commissions, yet you still manage to maintain such a massive spaceship as your headquarters, housing nearly a hundred Dolls, several hundred Sangvis Ferri Dolls, and a whole group of Sangvis Ferri Dinergate Prowlers.

The hangar was lavishly armed, from powered armor and gunships to large mechs, even that thing Hawke considered a giant mech…

Where did all the equipment maintenance money come from? Did they really think they could make money just by lounging around at home every day?

“Well, we just received a big order from the chairman of the PECMAR. Commander Renault should have plenty of money on hand right now. Besides, we’re also selling off the ship’s inventory, so once everything is sold, that’ll be another major source of income…”

“I…”

She was thinking that selling canned goods and cured meat should be the job of agricultural companies.

Wasn’t this the Renault Security Contracting Firm? Why was Type 56 talking about it so naturally?!

After being shown around the spaceship by Type 56, Hawke felt that her understanding of the world had been completely shattered.

Back when Renault came to support Griffin aboard the spaceship, she hadn’t thought much of it. She had only felt that Renault’s Dolls were far too powerful, to the point that they somewhat exceeded the definition of security contractors.

But now, looking at Type 56 and the other Dolls, none of them carried their Imprint Weapons. No matter how she looked at them, they didn’t resemble Tactical Dolls at all.

Although it was true that their biomass bodies had replaced their old ones…

“I don’t think there’s any problem with that. If Commander Renault were constantly taking security contracts, we’d probably already be living through endless bombings by now,” NZ75 spoke, spreading her hands. Honestly, she was quite satisfied with their current lifestyle.

Still, Commander Renault’s ship was sitting right there. It was better to stay low-profile, especially since Statesec constantly seems to be blocking information about them.

If they ran around taking every small job, their spaceship would probably end up under anti-aircraft fire every other day while airborne.

Of course, those attacks wouldn’t be able to penetrate the spaceship’s defensive barriers. The ship might not even experience turbulence during an anti-aircraft strike.

But imagine eating pasta when the spaceship suddenly shook, sending sauce and noodles flying across your face. Or washing dishes when a sudden tremor shattered every plate in the sink…

“That actually makes sense, but even so, if security contractors aren’t taking those jobs… why not just register an agricultural company from the beginning?”

“We're already dealing in agricultural products anyway. Why insist on the security contractor label? Wouldn’t that just limit the market for the crops grown in the spaceship’s vertical farms?”

“You don’t understand. Registering as a security contractor was simply the easiest option back then!” P90 held up a new set of clothes and gestured toward Hawke while shaking her head.

“This…”

“Registering an agricultural enterprise would definitely require all kinds of procedures, followed by inspections and certifications. It’s nowhere near as convenient as directly registering a security contractor company. Besides, when Commander Renault registered the company, he didn’t even own his old spaceship yet.”

Moreover, back then, operating as a security contractor was clearly easier in that region. G36 and the others had worked convoy escort missions alongside Renault there for quite a long time.

“So this was basically laziness?” Hawke thought to herself after hearing P90’s explanation, though she had to admit there was some logic to it.

“But speaking of which, can a biomass body really fight? Right now, I feel no different from an ordinary little girl.”

“Ordinary little girls don’t suddenly grow taller and stronger like they’ve mutated. Look how much taller you’ve gotten! I even made these clothes a bit oversized, but they’ll probably only fit for half a day. Tomorrow you can switch back to your normal size.”

Hearing P90’s words, Hawke blankly stared at her sleeves, which had already become noticeably too short.

Was this even possible? What was this? Hyperglycemic growth? What exactly was going on with this body?

“Stay calm, stay calm. As long as you don’t overthink it, nothing will happen. Oh right, HK416 and the others seem to have brought back a Doll to join the company yesterday. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be changing the body right now. Interested in taking a look?”

“Yes!”

...

“Can’t you just directly transfer the built-in combat experience from Narcissus’s combat function module into us?” SOP2 blinked hopefully at Renault.

“That data is rigid, and it was designed according to Narcissus’s original body parameters. Copying it directly wouldn’t do you any good.”

Rather than directly copying the module’s internal parameters, it would be better to wait until Narcissus completed the body replacement and then have her pass her experience on to SOP2 and the others personally—not electronically, but through actual instruction.

Teaching them while fighting...

Renault had indeed overlooked this aspect. He had forgotten that High Templar combat techniques were not particularly suitable for human-sized Dolls like SOP2 and the others.

Compared to repeatedly suffering through battles against the Templar, having a proper instructor guiding them would definitely be beneficial for the Dolls.

Still, he couldn’t quite understand SOP2 and UMP9’s thinking. They clearly already had several highly capable combat instructors around them—Alchemist, SPAS-12, even Buzzsaw were all viable choices.

If nothing else, G11 would also work. Asking those Dolls directly for advice definitely wouldn’t be a problem.

Still, bringing Narcissus over wasn’t an issue. After all, Renault was already planning to recruit more people anyway, and having more people to share the workload was always a good thing.

“Huh? So we still have to learn everything slowly?” UMP9 said somewhat dejectedly.

“What else did you expect? If people could instantly become combat masters, then why don’t large companies mass-produce highly mobile combat Dolls already?”

---

Chapter 1152: Something's Wrong

“Captain, that train has…”

“Mm, understood. Proceed according to plan.”

There was no need to rush, because the target was still slowly inching forward without showing any intention of advancing quickly. Griffin’s Dolls were all gathered aboard that intercontinental train.

If their goal truly was to annihilate Griffin here, then now was definitely a good opportunity, even if it meant risking damage to the railway tracks.

“Quartz calling Earth. We have encountered Griffin’s intercontinental train. Should we completely annihilate it?”

Hearing the call through the communicator, Yegor’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned toward the command system display.

After confirming that the intercontinental train was still waiting beneath Tallinn’s Quarantine Wall, he breathed a sigh of relief and replied.

“Earth received. Target confirmed. Halt your advance for now. Eliminate that Griffin train.”

...

“Oh? Gunfire broke out. Did the military run into ELID-infected again?”

“Probably not. They likely encountered that unidentified intercontinental train. Maybe they’re fighting Paradeus.” Gentiane smirked. Rebels and Paradeus fighting each other like dogs—it sounded terrible, but why had she never encountered something like that before?

“Um, Gentiane, aren’t you worried the people aboard that train might be…” Kalina had initially worried that the intercontinental train might be carrying unrelated personnel, such as researchers.

But then she remembered this was the Red Zone. Researchers couldn’t casually enter a place like this.

And using an intercontinental train to support a scientific expedition? Even major corporations wouldn’t send their prized scientists somewhere this dangerous, would they?

At most, they would probably send specialized research Dolls.

“But Commander, why does the distant gunfire sound kind of chaotic?”

MG3, while organizing her ammunition box, carefully listened to the distant sounds and scratched her head in confusion.

It wasn’t merely chaotic. She could even hear several familiar gunshots mixed in.

The rebel droids and soldiers mostly carried standardized weapons. If a real battle broke out, the gunfire would naturally sound messy, but not this disorganized, with wildly varying pitches that sounded like chickens being tossed into a pan of hot oil.

“A mess? Surely that vehicle doesn’t also belong to the same security contractor, right? Ha! These days, besides a fool like me, who else would recklessly accept a job from Statesec?”

Even this mission hadn’t been something she volunteered for. Havier had practically forced it on her under the guise of being a funding provider.

Speaking of Havier, ever since RO started controlling those automated turrets, that annoying guy had stopped spouting nonsense.

Strange though—the train’s communications should have already returned to normal.

Thinking this, Gentiane checked the communication system’s indicator lights. They were flashing normally. Nothing appeared wrong.

The intercontinental train’s communication system relied on equipment installed beneath the tracks, giving it extremely strong resistance to interference. That was the primary reason they hadn’t suffered electronic interference from the rebels so far.

Of course, being too far from the train was still problematic. Collapse radiation within the Red Zone could naturally interfere with communications to some extent.

Thinking of this, Gentiane frowned.

If she could maintain peace with both rebel factions before reaching the base, she would already consider that acceptable.

However, that unidentified intercontinental train could potentially change the situation.

Moreover, the gunfire wasn’t actually that far away, only about ten kilometers from their position.

If they remained where they were, who knew whether those rebel Dolls might eventually push their battle lines toward them?

“Commander Gentiane, it seems your mission isn’t progressing very smoothly.”

Hearing Havier’s voice, Gentiane rolled her eyes before turning toward the communicator.

“I think everything is proceeding quite well. Progress has been very encouraging. In just a few more minutes, the gates of Tallinn’s Quarantine Wall will open for me.”

Gentiane narrowed her eyes. Havier’s expression was noticeably different from before.

He seemed more anxious. Although he still wore that cheerful smile, he no longer possessed the same calm composure as before.

Something must have happened...

The only unexpected development during this period—assuming nothing else unforeseen had occurred—was that unidentified intercontinental train. Were the people aboard connected to Havier as well? Or perhaps they were aligned with him?

While thinking this over, Gentiane maintained a straight face and calmly explained the mission’s current progress. After all, successfully breaking through the automated defense system and reaching the gates of the Quarantine Wall was indeed a very satisfying achievement.

“Heh, alright then. I wish you the best of luck. Of course, if possible, please hurry. Time waits for no one.”

After speaking briefly, Havier ended the communication. Gentiane glanced at the communicator twice before immediately dragging Kalina out of the operations command room.

Without saying a word, she directly draped the bulletproof vest, gas mask, and the other equipment Kalina had removed earlier back onto her.

“Huh? Huh!? What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Kalina looked at Gentiane, who was also putting on a bulletproof vest before beginning to equip an exoskeleton, completely confused about why she was suddenly being forced to wear all this gear.

The intercontinental train was relatively safe at the moment, and the Dolls hadn’t detected anything capable of threatening it—aside from the rebel armored train, of course.

“Better safe than sorry. If things go bad, wearing this equipment will at least give us a chance to escape.”

“Wait? Why?” Kalina was utterly bewildered by Gentiane’s sudden behavior and words, but she still obediently put the equipment on anyway. After all, Gentiane was the commander.

And if Gentiane was doing this, then she must have sensed something. Yes, definitely!

---

----

Chapter 1153: Huh?

“Huh? Eh?”

When Narcissus opened her eyes again, SOP2 and UMP9’s faces were right in front of her.

Fortunately, Narcissus remembered the two of them. Aside from being startled by their close proximity, she didn’t do anything else.

“Is the body replacement complete? Eh?” Narcissus asked as she propped herself up. But the moment she sat up, she felt as though the world had become a little bigger.

Then, when she raised her hand and saw a pair of chubby little hands, Narcissus froze in disbelief.

“Well, calm down. Just take it easy. It’s a bit ridiculous, but it won’t affect anything.” Hawke, standing on tiptoe, patted Narcissus’s knee while comforting her with the air of someone experienced.

Looking at Hawke, a somewhat unfamiliar... child, comforting her like this, Narcissus hesitated, unsure whether she should continue asking what was going on.

Why did Hawke, along with SOP2 and UMP9, all have such normal expressions?

“Hello, Narcissus. I’m Type 56. We met yesterday. We won’t bother you any longer, so let SOP2 and UMP9 explain!” Type 56 greeted Narcissus, then dragged away Hawke, who still wanted to compare heights with OGAS.

“Alright, stop causing trouble. If you’re so energetic, I’ll introduce you to Helian and let her take you to play with those little Nytos!”

“Hey! Stop! I don’t want to listen to Agent Helian’s lectures!” Hearing this, Hawke immediately shrank back and darted away from OGAS.

“Helian isn’t an agent anymore.”

“Huh? Not anymore? What’s her position now?”

“Position? Grand Eunuch?”

“No, no, no, that doesn’t sound like a good title.”

As Type 56 and Hawke walked away chatting, Narcissus finally turned her attention to SOP2 and the others in front of her.

The group that had gone to the Doll Re-employment Center with her to bring her back was all here. HK416 and AR15 were simply standing farther away than SOP2 and Hawke.

“Um... are all the kids here actually Dolls? So Commander Renault actually prefers smaller-sized Dolls?”

Narcissus couldn’t help thinking that. After all, she had already seen them yesterday. While there were indeed many normal-sized Dolls, OGAS and the Nytos were the most conspicuous.

Even though Mercurius and Nimogen weren’t short, the presence of several innocent-looking Nytos made Narcissus feel as though they were all children.

On top of that, she herself had been replaced with a child-sized body...

There was definitely something wrong here! A free body replacement was one thing, but... how was she supposed to continue working like this?!

“Ahem. Although I’ve had that suspicion before, Commander Renault is right behind you, and his hearing is very sharp.”

Hearing Narcissus’s words, HK416 awkwardly twitched her eyes and cleared her throat to warn her.

“I heard that.”

No sooner had HK416 finished speaking than Renault’s voice suddenly rang out.

As he spoke, he set down the promotional brochure for Ultimate Life Holdings. He had originally hoped to bring back several Dolls from the Doll dealers, but unfortunately, he had only gotten Hawke, with Narcissus as an unexpected bonus.

Besides, compared to the carefree Hawke, he felt it would be better to find some more mature and stable Dolls.

Although there were many Dolls at home, the number who weren’t mischievous or lazy and were actually diligent was surprisingly small.

The number of Dolls willing to share the ship’s workload was even smaller, especially now that the ship had expanded further, leaving management personnel in every area increasingly insufficient.

Stg44 and G43 had recently helped P38 and M1911 with a lot of work, but they also had their own responsibilities to handle.

PK was usually quiet and unwilling to take on management duties, so like HK416 and AR15, she trained every day as a full-time combatant.

Renault was fairly optimistic about Narcissus. Although she was an actress, she was still a Doll who had worked on film sets, which would likely make her more stable than the more unruly Dolls.

Of course, it would be even better if more Dolls came to his company.

Unfortunately, both Statesec and Stasi seems to have blocked Dolls from submitting resumes to his company. Dolls seeking employment through normal channels obviously couldn’t find it.

As for paying manufacturers directly for Dolls... just thinking about the prices of UL-Nurse and ME79 made him feel like he was hemorrhaging money.

After all, the first thing those Dolls would do after arriving was discard their original bodies. Spending money on an expensive body that would ultimately become useless would be incredibly foolish.

“Don’t worry about the condition of the body. With enough nutritional supplements, it won’t take long for it to return to its original form. You can handle spicy food, right?”

With that, Renault waved and left the infirmary.

“Our commander really is living the high life. He always looks like he has nothing to do,” Renate said with a smile. Of course, she knew Renault was only pretending.

He was simply taking a break from his busy schedule. When he was truly busy, he didn’t even bother eating.

“Come on, I think you’re the most carefree person on the ship. UL-Nurse is at least the ship’s doctor. You just sit in the infirmary all day drinking tea or reading magazines while getting paid for doing nothing.”

Hearing AR15 say this, Renate smiled and shrugged happily, unable to refute it. After all, AR15 was right; she really didn’t have much to do.

She had already learned some basic medical knowledge, and since she didn’t want to study medicine any further, she spent her days reading magazines, drinking tea, and occasionally bandaging up the other mischievous Dolls. Life couldn’t have been more comfortable.

“Uh? Can someone explain this? What did Boss Renault mean by ‘grow back’?”

“The literal meaning.”

“No... wait, a Doll’s body can still grow?”

“Of course. It’s a bio-body; the more it eats, the faster it grows.”

Listening to Renate’s cheerful explanation, Narcissus’s mind went completely blank.

---

Chapter 1154: Busy

“There are pre-designed clothing patterns on the tablet. Take a look and choose whichever ones you like. If you’re not satisfied with any of them, or if you have any special requests, come find me.”

P90 stood in front of the large sewing machine, constantly adjusting its parameters.

Over the past few days, Renault had given most of the Dolls new bodies, causing the demand for clothing in different sizes to skyrocket. Unfortunately, the sizes were completely inconsistent. One Doll would grow taller today, while another would fill out more tomorrow.

In short, P90 had to deal with an overwhelming number of requests every day. Fortunately, the large sewing machine at home was the latest model, capable of automatically producing garments according to pre-set data and patterns.

When M1 Garand had helped apply for the purchase of this machine, P90 had thought it would only take up space in the logistics department. After all, what was the point of machine-made clothes compared to handmade ones?

But now she only wished the thing were smarter—ideally connected directly to the scanner beside it, allowing complete automation: select a clothing sample, scan body data, and receive new clothes a few minutes later...

To be honest, M1 Garand had originally planned it that way too. After all, both the scanner and the machine were already there; only a few minor adjustments were needed to connect them, though it would probably take several days.

But P90 clearly didn’t have several days to spare adjusting settings. Orders from the Dolls were pouring in nonstop, and simply moving materials out of the warehouse was already enough to numb her mind.

“Seriously, if only I could wear hospital gowns while growing... or even Nyto robes...” P90 stared blankly at the machine, looking half-asleep.

“What are you talking about? Can you even wear Nyto robes? The Nytos don’t wear anything underneath them!”

“They don’t need to, but they still can if they want to! There’s no rule about how those robes have to be worn!”

P90 turned around indignantly. “You’re discriminating against Nyto robes! They’re incredibly convenient clothes! Even if they’re basically just a few pieces of black cloth sewn together, they still count as robes!”

“If you like those robes so much, why have I never seen you wear one at home?” M1 Garand asked speechlessly while carrying her lunchbox. She had told P90 to prepare in advance, yet now she was stuck here working overtime in misery—clearly the result of slacking off.

“Uh, it’s you, Garand. Hehe, what’s for breakfast this morning?” Seeing that it was M1 Garand, who had even brought her food, P90 immediately rubbed her hands together ingratiatingly.

“Look at yourself. Is this Type 80’s outfit today? You’ve tried on everyone else’s clothes, yet you’ve never worn a Nyto robe. And now you still have the nerve to say Nyto robes are comfortable?”

That wasn’t clothing at all! What kind of outfit exposed that much skin?

Hadn’t she seen that the Nytos at home had already changed out of their old clothes?

As she spoke, M1 Garand examined P90’s outfit. Hmm, it actually looked fairly convincing. If P90 wore a pair of non-prescription glasses and chewed bubblegum, she might really resemble Type 80 by five or six tenths.

People unfamiliar with Type 80 might genuinely mistake her for the real one. Unfortunately, the Dolls at home definitely wouldn’t. After all, P90’s eyes looked nothing like Type 80’s.

“Well, it’s grown to just the right size now—ah! They even have soup dumplings today! At least it’s not waffles and fries again!”

P90 lifted the lunchbox lid and immediately spotted the glistening dumplings inside. She quickly pulled two chopsticks from her hair, where they had been serving as hairpins, and happily began eating.

“You... can’t you be a little more careful? What about the outfit I ordered for Narcissus? SOP2 probably forgot about it.”

M1 Garand looked around at the finished clothes piled across P90’s workbench. There were all kinds of children’s outfits. After all, a large number of the Dolls in the house still hadn’t fully grown yet.

“Mhm, I know. The second set on the right side of the table is for Narcissus. Speaking of which, it’s a real shame Commander Renault didn’t take advantage of Griffin’s collapse to recruit more Dolls. Now, even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have anywhere left to recruit from.”

She had heard about what happened when AR15 and her team recruited at the Doll retraining center. She had originally thought they would bring back at least ten Dolls this time.

But in the end, only Narcissus, a Doll whose mobility had been restricted by her physical body, had joined them...

That was really strange. Was the company’s reputation truly that bad?

“There’s nothing we can do about that. You can’t force these things. I’m leaving now, so eat slowly. Oh, and remember to get that machine running again afterward! Otherwise, you’ll be in trouble if this happens again!”

“Yes, yes! Got it!”

While M1 Garand carried Narcissus’s clothes to the infirmary, SOP2 and UMP9 were still urging Narcissus to talk about the films she had acted in during her time as a performer.

Completely unaware that Narcissus was still wearing a hospital gown, AR15 and HK416 also failed to notice anything wrong.

Seeing this, M1 Garand sighed helplessly. “Wait a minute. Let her change clothes first before you start talking, okay?”

Hearing M1 Garand’s words, HK416 and AR15 finally realized their mistake and awkwardly turned their heads away. They had even ordered Narcissus’s clothes yesterday, yet none of them had remembered to pick them up.

After handing the clothes to AR15, M1 Garand said goodbye to everyone in the infirmary and left.

Although it was still morning, she had a mountain of work waiting for her. The stock that had lost its effectiveness and was already nearly three months old needed to be sorted and moved out. The stock Viktor had taken away previously hadn’t even filled one warehouse.

However, when she had originally stacked those canned goods, she had done so casually without strictly organizing them by production date, so sorting them now would be a major hassle.

Of course, these tasks could be delegated appropriately to the Sangvis Ferri Dolls. After all, sorting products by production date wasn’t particularly difficult; Scarecrow and the others only needed to find a few reliable Sangvis Ferri Dolls.

She remember MG3 saying yesterday that a batch of cattle was ready for market. She should go check with P38 later to see whether they’re busy...

---

----

Chapter 1155: Which One Do You Choose?

“So, you get it now?” MDR pointed in the direction M1 Garand had just left as she spoke to Vera and Carol.

Unfortunately, not only Vera, but even Carol had a clear look of stupidity in her eyes.

The moment MDR saw those expressions, she began to doubt whether the person who looked exactly like her was really the same model.

Why couldn’t they understand? The example with M1 Garand was right there!

“Tsk! Don’t you think M1 Garand is exactly like a typical corporate slave now?! Busy all day long! Not even enough time to stop and rest!”

MDR spoke with complete seriousness, but Vera and Carol still maintained their “innocent” expressions as they blankly shook their heads.

Seeing the two of them like this, MDR sighed in exasperation. “Hey! You guys... ugh!?”

MDR was about to continue speaking when a hand suddenly grabbed her by the neck from behind.

“I’m busy all day long because of slackers like you.”

“Um... M1 Garand, why are you walking so quietly...? I clearly saw you leave!”

Startled, MDR shrank back and spoke to M1 Garand with an awkward smile.

“If I made noise while walking, how would I catch a lazy bum like you? Everyone’s changing bodies right now, so a lot of work can’t be done for the time being. Since you’re such a great reporter, why don’t you help out a little?”

“Hey! No! No! Wait! I... I still have...”

“Have what? Do you think I don’t know where those embarrassing photos of yours came from?”

MDR cried out weakly as M1 Garand dragged her farther and farther away. It looked like she wasn’t escaping hard work today.

Only after the two had gone some distance away did Vera and Carol finally breathe sighs of relief.

“Phew, I thought we’d get arrested too.”

“Probably because MDR has more experience...”

After all, MDR was a veteran aboard the spaceship, and after running around inside it for so long, she was quite familiar with how the different departments operated.

That was what she said, but Vera felt as though Carol was implying she was completely useless on the ship, even less capable than MDR...

“Really? That guy? Experienced? Her?” Hearing Vera’s comment, Carol immediately curled her lips in disdain.

Vera looked at her strangely. After all, weren’t they all the same type of Doll? Why was she looking down on herself?

Besides M1 Garand dragging MDR off to work, G36 had also tracked down the other slackers aboard the ship and directly forced them to help.

Some tasks that had been postponed during the trip still needed to be completed. The body rotation system for Dolls existed precisely to ensure sufficient manpower during times like this.

The bustling atmosphere inside the ship surprised Hawke and Narcissus, the two newly arrived Dolls.

Places as lively as Renault’s were rare. Even despite having plenty of problematic Dolls, G&K was usually nowhere near this lively.

The corridors were full of energetic Dolls and various Sangvis Ferri machines. Even Manticores and Hydras had been turned into porters.

Hawke did not have much to do. Type 56 had already shown her around the ship, and now that Type 56 was cooking in the galley, Hawke stayed behind to help.

She could not carry heavy objects, but tossing potatoes into the peeler was no problem.

It was safer to stay in the kitchen than wander around the corridors.

Narcissus felt similarly. After briefly touring the ship, she requested access to the training room’s equipment. SOP2 and UMP9 had brought her back specifically to assist with training, and familiarizing herself with the equipment early would prevent her from being unprepared once she officially started working in a few days.

Of course, not every Doll aboard the ship was busy. There were always exceptions.

For example, one Doll had not gotten out of bed until late morning.

“Mmm! This feels great! Sleeping until I woke up naturally, without having to worry about being captured and dismantled!”

Catherine got up and stretched comfortably.

As a salesperson working under Maggie, especially after helping sell a large amount of inventory, Catherine benefited from Maggie’s protection and did not have to work nearly as hard as the other Dolls.

“Hm, it does feel nice, but you missed breakfast. The crab roe soup dumplings this morning were really delicious. Super fresh.”

“Crab roe dumplings? What’s that? Since when did the ship’s vertical farm start raising crabs?!”

“There aren’t any on the ship, but we’re docked at a port right now. G36 went out early this morning to buy them, and they were still alive when she brought them back. Apparently, they kept a few alive, though I don’t know whether MG3 and the others can manage to keep those little things alive.”

While leisurely flipping through a magazine, Maggie sipped her tea. She was already fully dressed, having not forgotten that Nikolai would be arriving soon. Considering the travel time and checkpoint procedures, she likely would not need to wait much longer unless something unexpected happened.

And just as Maggie had predicted, Nikolai soon sent over the handover location.

Looking at the delivery address, Maggie narrowed her eyes. It was almost exactly what she had anticipated. The information from the Bee Sting system was indeed reliable.

Nikolai and his group of legal thieves truly had their own secret route, but it was not in the yellow or green zones near Quarantine Wall. Instead, it was a route through the red zone along the northern coastline.

Ordinary transport vehicles obviously could not easily enter such an area. Vehicles would need complete protective equipment to use that route, but Nikolai clearly did not need to worry about that.

Of course, Maggie had not planned on driving there herself anyway. The gunboat at home was far safer than traveling by land, and even taking a long detour by sea to avoid the air defense zones would still be much faster than driving.

“Alright, hurry up and get ready. Don’t forget we have to deliver the goods today.”

“Huh? Today? That soon?”

“How long did you think it would take?”

They still needed to head to the biological laboratory to collect the goods from Leone, and they would also need a few Dolls accompanying them. After all, the other party consisted of legal thieves, so precautions were necessary.

Of course, the most important role was the gunboat pilot, but Maggie did not have many choices. It was either Simonov or SPAS-12. As for the two spaceship pilots who could also fly gunboats?

They had finally gotten a break, so it was obvious they did not want to go on another mission right now.

---

Chapter 1156: Just in Time

“Alright, there’s no need to choose anymore.”

Maggie rubbed her forehead helplessly as she looked at Simonov, who was clinking bottles together with AK47.

Although Simonov’s face looked completely normal, without even a hint of redness, the bottles piled beside her made it obvious she had already drunk quite a lot. The entire lounge smelled strongly of alcohol.

Not far away, an induction cooker heated a small pot full of simmering sausages. Executioner was currently slicing up the cooked sausages with a knife...

These people were really eating well. They had only just finished breakfast, yet they were already drinking again...

“What? No need to choose? Maggie! Come on! Have a drink! First batch from last night!”

The moment Simonov heard Maggie’s voice, she immediately grabbed a glass from beside the table and filled it to the brim without another word.

As the glass was pushed toward her, Maggie instinctively reached out and accepted it, inhaling the rich aroma of the freshly distilled liquor. Although freshly distilled alcohol was generally unsuitable for direct consumption for various reasons, there was no doubt the flavor itself was excellent.

Besides, since they were all using biomaterial bodies now, drinking it should not cause any problems, right?

“Ahem! Maggie...” Catherine chewed on the sausage Executioner had handed her and cleared her throat, reminding Maggie not to ruin today’s work with a glass of seventy- to eighty-percent alcohol.

“Ah! Right, I’d better not drink right now. I still need to deliver goods later. I was originally planning to ask you to pilot the gunboat, but it looks like I’ll have to ask SPAS-12 instead.”

“Eh? No way! I can do it too! Look at me! Look at me! I’m not even red-faced or out of breath! You can tell I’m completely sober!”

Not out of breath? She sounds like she’s about to die... She’s definitely already a little drunk.

Chewing on her sausage, Catherine silently complained inwardly.

“Mm, you do look completely sober, which is exactly the problem. So, how are you planning to explain this to the Commander?” Maggie casually pulled a small flask off the nearby shelf. Although there was a proper bar onboard, she was practically a regular at Simonov’s place already.

“Ah...” Hearing Maggie’s words, Simonov immediately looked embarrassed. Sneaking out was obviously impossible. Even if she somehow managed to fly out successfully, she would definitely get scolded badly by the Commander once she came back.

“No... wait, why did you bring alcohol with you?! Don’t tell me you planned to pour this stuff into the flask and drink it tonight?!”

“I’m not responsible for piloting, so I can drink on the way back. Besides, I’m not responsible for combat either. Even if I pass out in the cockpit, it won’t matter.”

Once the antibody serum was delivered, Maggie’s work would essentially be finished anyway.

Of course, that was just talk. Passing out was impossible; one drink was nowhere near enough to make her tipsy.

“Combat? Do you need more team members? I...”

AK47’s eyes immediately lit up. She clearly wanted to come along as well. After all, she had not been on a mission in a long time. If this continued, she would end up completely soaked in brewery alcohol.

“Stop. If you want to go on missions, you’d better drink less first...”

Maggie rejected AK47’s request without hesitation. There was obviously no way she could bring her along.

If she really brought AK47 aboard the gunboat, Helian would definitely have something to say about it once they arrived.

After leaving Simonov’s place, Maggie and Catherine headed directly for SPAS-12. At the moment, SPAS-12 was relaxing in her dormitory while flipping through fast-food flyers she had picked up outside.

“Maggie, what’s up?”

“There’s a mission. I need your help piloting the gunboat for a while. You’re the only option left.”

“Uh, did Simonov get drunk again?”

Hearing that, SPAS-12 immediately stood up and grabbed a jacket, though she soon changed into her work clothes instead.

The place they were flying to was probably nowhere near the port, so wearing new clothes would only be a waste. They might even need to disinfect themselves after returning, making work clothes much more practical.

“Not really, but she still drank. Boss Renault definitely won’t let her go.”

“Got it, got it. But are we transporting a lot this time? If it’s containers, I might feel a little nervous.”

“Not much. Just five supply crates. We can load them directly into the gunboat’s engine compartment.”

“And... ah, Helian just sent a group message. It looks like Dolls who want to join missions are supposed to register at the hangar.”

SPAS-12 paused while changing clothes after noticing the message in the Doll communication channel.

“Oh, then Helian must’ve already arranged for the goods to be sent to the hangar. We should hurry, or Helian will come personally to rush us.”

However, when Maggie and the others arrived at the hangar, they discovered several Dolls already standing beside the gunboat. Nearby, a few other Dolls were walking helplessly toward the elevator, clearly having failed to secure a mission slot.

Still, there was a reason they had lost. After all, who could have expected that the moment Helian announced registration, people would already arrive fully armed and prepared?

“M200, CAWS, and Stg44. Those three, together with you two and SPAS-12, will be going. Any objections?” Helian asked as she noticed Maggie and the others arriving.

“Of course not. There definitely won’t be any problems. Nikolai’s group are just lawbreakers at best, not much of a threat.”

“Good. Then I wish you all good luck.”

“And don’t forget the sample monitoring!” Leone suddenly leaned out from the cockpit and reminded Maggie.

“Yeah, I remember. I won’t forget.”

Besides, Leone would probably obtain direct observation data very soon.

After all, although Nikolai and his people were lawbreakers, they were not stupid. Inspection was definitely necessary. Leone could simply use the gunboat’s surveillance system to record everything and obtain the live testing data she had always wanted.

M200 and the others were already fully prepared. After SPAS-12 completed her inspection of the gunboat, the aircraft carried all five of them out through the hangar hatch and immediately accelerated to top speed.

Even though it was still morning, if they moved too slowly, they might miss lunch.

“M200, how were you ready so quickly? And fully armed too?”

“Uh, CAWS and I were planning to go train. Stg44’s equipment was already inside the siege tank, so we just brought it along. But what exactly is the mission? Helian didn’t explain beforehand.”

“It’s just a cargo handover to a client. The location is near the edge of the northern red zone. There’s not much danger there, since the number of ELID infected in that area is fairly low.”

 - - -

---

Chapter 1157: Caution Is the Best Policy

“Havier’s attitude has changed, so it’s better to be careful.”

Gentiane deployed several support fairies sent by Persica to gather intelligence on the surrounding area. She checked her weapons and frowned as she reminded Kalina.

“His attitude... changed? This? How did you figure that out?”

“It’s too coincidental. Fighting just broke out over there, and then Havier’s communication came through.”

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence?”

“In a place where you might not see a single living person for years, how could there be any coincidence? The people fighting the rebels over there are probably connected to Havier.”

As Gentiane began making preparations, the Dolls who had been resting on the train also sprang into action, spreading out around the intercontinental train to keep watch over the surroundings.

Gentiane’s Dolls were already used to her personally taking to the front lines with heavy machine guns. They had seen it so many times that they were no longer surprised.

While Gentiane didn’t believe Havier would cooperate with Paradeus, it was clear that Statesec or other security contractors could be possible accomplices.

After all, this area was far removed from Griffin’s original territory, so the presence of other security contractors was normal.

Given Havier’s financial resources as the owner of IOP, hiring another security contractor was entirely possible. The only problem was that Statesec might not allow Havier to do so.

Having worked closely with Statesec, G&K was a very useful tool, one that could be utilized easily and without burden, even without considering payment.

Because Havier would pay.

Gentiane was now somewhat unsure whether her boss was Boruzevich or the old man Havier. Her actual boss was either arrested or under investigation, and Gentiane had barely seen him since joining the company.

Of course, besides the boss she had met, there was another Griffin who never showed himself, and to this day, she still didn’t know what he looked like.

She had heard that this Mr. Griffin was actually an investor in the company, but now it seemed Havier was more like the investor.

After all, logistics, support, and even some administrative work were now handled by IOP.

“Is there anything unusual around here?”

“No, not yet. Everything’s calm around here; we haven’t even seen a single ELID-infected.”

“M4, how are things with M16?” Hearing the reports from the surrounding guards, Gentiane felt a slight sense of relief and looked up at the towering Quarantine Wall ahead.

A few minutes earlier, M4 and M16 had already sneaked into the Quarantine Wall through the emergency exit. If all went well, they should have reached the main control room inside by now.

“Buzz... Officer, we’ve reached the main control room and are executing the Quarantine Wall activation procedure. Buzz... there seems to be... interference...”

“Roger that. If the interference becomes too severe, find a window and shout down. We’re all below; we can definitely hear you from this distance.”

“Buzz... Understood!”

Putting down the communicator, Gentiane took two steps forward and immediately saw the Quarantine Wall doors slowly opening.

Fortunately, the gates of the Quarantine Wall were opening, albeit slowly, but she could afford to wait. The gunfire in the distance remained intense, clearly indicating a fierce battle between the rebels and the unidentified group, with no clear victor likely anytime soon.

This puzzled her. Despite their name, the rebels were equipped with weaponry and droids on the same level as a regular army, and their combat capabilities were undeniable.

Even if the rebels were reluctant to use the train cannons for fear of damaging the railway tracks, there was still no reason for the battle to drag on for so long.

Meanwhile, inside the main control room of the Quarantine Wall, M4 stared at the slow progress of the gate-opening process and sighed helplessly.

“Why the sigh? Things are going smoothly now. Just a little longer, and... um?” M16 was speaking when a flash of light suddenly appeared before her eyes, followed by a dazzling array of colors.

“What’s wrong, M16?”

“Nothing. Maybe it’s because of the high level of collapse radiation interference?” Shaking her head, the strange colors vanished quickly. M16 didn’t feel anything else wrong with herself, so she could only attribute it to the collapse radiation.

After all, with the Quarantine Wall inactive, collapse radiation dust drifting in from other areas remained trapped within the city, making the concentration inside significantly higher than outside.

It wasn’t impossible for a Doll’s visual system to experience interference...

But M16 felt things weren’t that simple.

This strange phenomenon seems different from merely being exposed to excessively high concentrations of collapse radiation. After all, she had experienced combat environments with even higher concentrations before...

“Hmm? Fog?”

Just as she was thinking that, a thick fog suddenly drifted in front of M16, obscuring even M4, who was only a few meters away.

“Fog? What fog? Huh!?”

M4 was initially puzzled by M16’s mention of fog. After all, this was the control room, and the door was closed.

How could fog possibly form inside? The Quarantine Wall wasn’t burning, so it couldn’t be smoke...

But then M4 saw the thick fog before her. She and M16 suddenly felt as if they were standing atop a mountain, walking among clouds!

Moreover, the control room equipment that had been right in front of them had completely vanished! The surrounding scenery had also changed!

The room, once filled with various devices, had instantly transformed into a bright and sunny garden!

Most importantly, M16, who had warned her about the fog, had also disappeared from sight!

“M16!?”

Just as M4 called out to her, M16 experienced a similar situation. However, instead of transforming into a garden, her surroundings gradually darkened as the fog thickened, as though she had instantly gone from day to night.

“M4?” M16 frowned, calling out uncertainly as she stared at the indistinct figure ahead.

“You...”

A distant voice echoed, and M16 finally saw the figure hidden within the mist.

The spot where M4 had been standing was now occupied by someone else...

“A Nyto!?”

---

Chapter 1158 Arrived a Little Early

“Here? This place is completely in ruins. The buyer’s choice of pick-up location is really strange. A handover in the ruins of a city in the Red Zone—aren’t they afraid of encountering large ELID mutants?”

SPAS-12 blinked as she looked at the ruins below. She had already seen the information displayed on the main control screen in the detection system; not far from the handover point, there was a moving object.

“I think that place in the distance looks even more dangerous. That should be the Black Zone, right?” CAWS looked in another direction through the porthole.

Although the distance was considerable, and even separated by the sea, the enormous silicon crystal spikes that were clearly not man-made remained visible from afar, demonstrating just how massive they were.

“That’s right, but I’ve never seen those kinds of pillars before. I don’t think there were any like that in the Black Zone I visited before,” M200 spoke with a nod, looking toward SPAS-12.

“Hmm, I didn’t notice them last time either. Maybe I was too busy dealing with those mutants to pay attention?”

“How have you guys even been to the Black Zone?! Is Renault’s commission work really this insane?!”

Catherine exclaimed, her eyes widening as fear rose in her heart. After all, it was the Black Zone—a place where even Dolls might never return alive.

Besides, the Red Zone was already extremely dangerous. As for the Black Zone... Catherine couldn’t even imagine what kind of hellish place it must be.

“To be precise, I only saw it from the spaceship. Although the spaceship was in the Black Zone at the time, only the people joined the commission were allowed to go down. I remember we hadn’t even installed the new energy engines yet,” M200 added.

Even without personally participating in the mission, they later attempted to enter the Black Zone in the training room using virtual reality. The sensation of AR15’s bionic skin becoming siliconized was especially unbearable. It was a mystery how AR15 had managed to endure it.

Stg44 nodded, but the memory of the virtual reality experience made her shrug uncomfortably, as though something filthy were clinging to her body.

Especially the thought of the sewage lake where the giant mutant resided—it made her feel itchy all over...

Ugh! She couldn’t think about it anymore! The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became!

“Is there really such a thing?” CAWS scratched her head curiously. She had never heard another Doll mention it, nor had she seen anyone actively use the virtual reality training room.

And judging from Stg44’s uncomfortable reaction, the virtual reality experience clearly wasn’t very popular.

“Maggie, we’ve arrived. Should we unload here, or stop farther away to prepare?”

“Prepare?” Maggie, who had originally intended for SPAS-12 to stop immediately, asked curiously.

“Of course we’ll ambush them, set up traps and booby traps. Isn’t that how cargo handovers are always done?” SPAS-12 said, while M200 nodded in agreement. Clearly, they had done this sort of thing many times while working with Renault.

Traps? Booby traps? An ambush? Is she really serious about this cargo handover?

Although something felt strange, Maggie didn’t refuse. “Fine, but let’s leave the cargo here. SPAS-12, you can moor the gunboat somewhere farther away and hide it.”

“No problem. I’ll position M200 at the nearest high ground, Stg44 will ambush the area nearby, CAWS will stay with you while waiting for the people collecting the cargo, and Catherine will remain on the gunboat as the gunner. How about that? No problem, right?”

After surveying the terrain around the delivery point, SPAS-12 expertly issued her instructions.

“Of course, no problem.” Maggie nodded, naturally having no reason to refuse. While she wasn’t worried about Nikolai suddenly turning on her, it was always better to have a backup plan.

“Huh? But I’ve never been a gunner before!?”

Catherine froze when she heard she would be taking on the role of gunner. She could easily talk her way out of situations or sell things as a vendor, but being a gunner... she had never tried that before!

“Well, don’t be nervous. Even though it’s a gunner role, Commander Renault’s aiming system is very useful, just like in a video game. As long as you don’t aim at yourself, there won’t be any problems.”

Besides, Maggie and CAWS had been in their bio-body forms for quite some time now, and CAWS had a shield. As long as they weren’t hit directly by a shell, they wouldn’t be endangered by the shockwave.

“Ah? Ah, this...” Hearing that, Catherine looked at Maggie with concern.

“I’m fine here. I still have these, so don’t worry.” Maggie said as she patted the two Walker revolvers hanging at her sides, as though they guaranteed her safety.

Hearing this, Catherine curled her lip. What use could those two antique replicas possibly be? The era of reloadable ammunition was long over!

“Alright, let’s just hope those thieves don’t stuff you into a cement barrel this time.”

As she spoke, SPAS-12 parked the gunboat on the open ground. The crew members in the cabin each carried a box, unloading all five supply crates.

After M200 and Catherine finished unloading, they returned to the gunboat. Stg44 ran back and grabbed a camouflage cloak from her seat—G43 didn’t want it, so she borrowed it instead.

M200 also had one, but she hadn’t brought it this time. After all, this kind of thermo-optical camouflage was only useful against Sangvis Ferri and certain electronic reconnaissance equipment; it wasn’t very effective against something as unreasonable as ELID.

Furthermore, it wasn’t necessary when dealing with ordinary lawbreakers, so M200 had only brought a regular cloak, the kind used to block wind and dust.

In less than two minutes, Stg44 and M200 were in position, and what followed was an unknown period of waiting...

“Maggie, what time is the agreed handover? How long do we have to wait?”

“Well, it should be eleven o’clock.” Scratching her head, Maggie answered CAWS’s question somewhat awkwardly.

After all, it was still early, only a quarter past ten...

It wasn’t that she had arrived too early; SPAS-12 had simply driven too fast. Maggie had thought that even by gunboat, it would take at least an hour to get there.

Who would have thought it would only take a dozen minutes for SPAS-12 to drive the gunboat from the port to the destination?

Fortunately, Nikolai seemed eager to make money and didn’t keep them waiting long. Just as Maggie was getting bored and about to pull out her flask, M200 finally noticed movement.

“A convoy has entered the city. Four modified vehicles, but they don’t appear to be carrying heavy firepower.”

---

---

Chapter 1159: He's Definitely Done All Sorts of Bad Things!

The convoy that arrived was undoubtedly Nikolai's team. As for why it was a convoy instead of just a single car?

What reckless person could guarantee their vehicle would be completely problem-free? What expert could guarantee they wouldn't run into trouble alone in the Red Zone?

Moreover, Nikolai obviously couldn't have driven here by himself. If he encountered ELID infected along the way, then even though he wasn't weak, his fate would probably still be grim.

"Nikolai, we're almost there," the thief in the passenger seat called out to Nikolai, who was dozing in the back seat.

Unfortunately, Nikolai was clearly fast asleep and didn't seem to hear anything.

"Nikolai—! Wake up!"

They had no choice but to shout louder at him. They knew the handover location, but whether they would immediately rob the other party or conduct a proper transaction depended entirely on Nikolai.

"Huh!? What!? Wh... are we here already? Whew, let's just head straight to the delivery point. I know that guy; she won't use any underhanded tactics."

Startled awake, Nikolai reached for the helmet attached to his protective suit.

The heavy protective suit instantly reminded Nikolai of his current situation. He had driven across several major cities and finally met up with his accomplices handling the Red Zone route just before dawn.

However, if the goods Maggie brought were truly as miraculous as she claimed, then everything would be worth it! It would definitely allow him to recover his previous losses and even make a fortune!

This was an antibody drug specifically designed to counter collapse radiation!

Even on the black market, this kind of thing was completely priceless and impossible to obtain! Or rather, it was something most people had probably never even heard of! Countless people needed it.

Not to mention the wealthy people in the Green Zone sanatoriums—even mild ELID patients in the Yellow Zone would probably empty their pockets to buy it!

Still, Nikolai believed it was safer to sell it in the sanatoriums rather than in the Yellow Zone.

On one hand, he had to deal with the unscrupulous scavengers in the Yellow Zone, and on the other, he had to deal with the people backing those wealthy clients.

Comparatively speaking, the reputation of a "lawyer thief" was far more useful in the Green Zone. After all, scavengers didn't care about your identity or background when robbing you; they always grabbed what they could first.

Ha! A bunch of bandits!

Hearing Nikolai's words, both the lawyer and the driver in front curled their lips in disbelief. They wouldn't use unconventional methods?

Ha! Was this guy trying to make them laugh? What did he know?

The convoy leader who had come with them this time simply picked up the communicator on the center console.

"Same as usual. Numbers Three and Four, check the surrounding area."

"You!?"

Nikolai's eyes widened in fear when the convoy leader completely ignored his instructions.

Did this bastard even know what he was doing?!

The reason he hadn't sent people to scout the area was partly because it wasn't far from their transport route, and partly because he was worried about causing misunderstandings with Maggie's group.

That group was a security contractor. Who knew whether they might sabotage the handover point? Judging from how readily Maggie agreed to a Red Zone handover, the Red Zone clearly meant nothing to them.

If these habitually arrogant idiots ended up clashing with that security contractor...

He himself would probably be fine as long as he stood obediently in front of them, but what would happen to everyone else who came this time...?

More importantly, there was no way he could drive all the convoy vehicles back by himself!

Faced with Nikolai's furious glare, the convoy leader clearly didn't care. Everyone knew Nikolai was a coward who always tried to mingle with those so-called "high society" people, yet he had neither made money nor built any real connections.

Now he even had to personally transport goods for people who made a living in the Red Zone.

What kind of future could someone like that possibly have?

...

"SPAS-12, is there any problem on your end? I think the convoy has spread out."

Hearing the vehicles disperse, CAWS immediately realized that part of the convoy had broken away to inspect the surrounding area, likely checking whether they had discovered the gunboat hidden in the distance or M200 on the high ground.

"It's fine, don't worry. They're just patrolling around the pickup point a few hundred meters away. They're at least five hundred meters from us, so they won't be able to spot us at all," SPAS-12 said casually while glancing at the gunboat's detection system.

Even if those lawbreakers carried observation equipment, targeting devices, or even wall-penetrating scanners, they still wouldn't be able to detect them. The radioactive dust in the collapsed Red Zone naturally reduced visibility. Spotting large objects was possible, but finding their gunboat hidden among the ruins was extremely difficult.

"M200, how's the visibility over there?"

"Very clear. Ready to provide support at any time."

"Same here. I've already spotted the lawbreakers' outer perimeter guards, but..."

"What's wrong? Stg44, did those guys notice you?"

"No. It's just that the place where they got out to stand guard... I think there are dormant ELID infected there."

Stg44 awkwardly looked toward the six people below the abandoned building. The guard position they chose was indeed quite good.

She had originally planned to ambush them from the rooftop of that building, but after approaching it, she discovered several still-living ELID infected hidden among the rubble.

That was why she chose her current position instead. However, this building was a little too tall, making it less than ideal for the Imprint Weapon in her hands.

Although the distance was somewhat far, with her current mobility, relocating would only take a few seconds.

"Uh... this..."

"Yeah, these people must finally be getting punished for all the bad things they've done. There's an infected... no, a mutant next to the vehicle carrying those people over here. That thing is huge. It looks like a mutated grizzly bear, over four meters long—almost a large mutant."

Just as CAWS turned toward Maggie, wondering whether they should intervene, M200 added even more bad news.

"Ah, this..." Maggie sighed while rubbing her forehead.

This was probably what people meant when they said that when bad luck struck, even drinking cold water could choke you.

---

Chapter 1160: Illusion?

"Indeed, truly outstanding talent isn't easy to find, and outstanding yet obedient commanders are even harder to come by."

"Heh, that depends on how you define 'obedient.' I think Commander Gentiane has been doing quite well so far."

"Well? No, she's getting a little too close to that Renault. If this continues, it's only a matter of time before she breaks free from Statesec's control. Can't you tell? She's already becoming quite critical of the tasks assigned by Statesec."

"Of course, of course, but that's only natural. After all, the previous missions weren't exactly pleasant experiences for her. Then again, it seems no one besides her is willing to let Statesec push them around."

Havier, speaking through the communication channel, was clearly ignoring the other person sent out this time. After all, someone who didn't understand the situation and crashed headfirst into a rebel armored train wasn't merely stupid—he was downright idiotic.

Along with him, there was also a large batch of Dolls Havier had specifically dispatched as support. Facing rebel armored trains and accompanying rebel armored echelons head-on, that fool and his Dolls had no chance of survival except being crushed.

Griffin must have truly lost his mind this time, actually agreeing to Statesec's request. Somehow, they found a second-rate operations commander, stuffed a huge number of Dolls into the front lines, and sent them directly into battle.

Now those brand-new Dolls, before even having the chance to prove themselves, were all going to be melted into scrap metal by the rebels' electromagnetic cannons.

Although this wasn't a major loss for Havier, thanks to Persica's mapping technology, those Dolls reduced to scrap could be remanufactured at any time and sent back to the front lines, allowing him to make a considerable profit.

However, the real issue wasn't there—it concerned the upcoming capture operation.

If this caused unforeseen complications on Gentiane's side and prevented the main rebel force from being drawn into Paldiski's territory, then...

...

"Who are you!?"

Instinctively raising her Imprint Weapon, M16 warily stared at the Nyto who had suddenly appeared.

She had originally intended to pull the trigger and kill the strange Nyto immediately, but the current situation was simply too bizarre. Moreover, the Nyto was standing exactly where M4 had been moments earlier...

Sizzle—

Just as M16 remained on guard for any movement, the Nyto—who had seemingly spoken a single word moments ago—spoke again.

This time, however, M16 felt as though she were watching a silent film; she could only see the Nyto's lips moving, yet heard no sound.

A strange and inexplicable noise continuously echoed inside her ears.

"...6"

"What did you say? What... what?"

M16 tried to speak in order to confirm the other party's intentions, but this time she realized her movements had become sluggish, and her vision seemed obstructed by something.

It was as though an old film filter had been applied to her visual module, or perhaps the color display function had simply gone offline.

Moreover, the hands gripping her weapon had gone numb, as though she had completely lost sensation...

"16..."

"M16—!"

Just as M16 stood there in a daze, feeling as though she were about to lose consciousness, M4's voice suddenly rang in her ears. The clear shout was like a bucket of cooling agent dumped over her head, instantly restoring M16's vision and senses!

"Phew! M4? What was that just now?"

Seeing that her hands were still raised as before and her weapon remained pointed toward the main control panel in the Quarantine Wall control room, M16 felt a wave of fear wash over her. She was completely bewildered by what had just happened.

"M16! You're back to normal!? An unidentified signal suddenly forced a connection with us. It must've been the Nyto, but she only said a few incomprehensible words before disappearing. You suddenly froze there with your gun raised. Did the Nyto say something to you?"

"Nyto... no, I didn't hear what she said. I just saw the Nyto, instinctively aimed at her, and then... hiss! My Neural Core seems to be overheating..."

M16 spoke while leaning against the wall and panting heavily. The temperature inside her body had risen to a dangerous level in an extremely short amount of time, making her feel completely out of control.

"Then I'll bring you down now..."

"No, wait a minute. Wait until the Quarantine Wall gates are fully open. I'm just slightly overheated; I'll recover after resting for a bit."

M16 raised a hand to stop M4 from supporting her while continuing to pant heavily.

M4 nodded, but seeing the hot breath exhaled by M16 visibly condense the moment it left her mouth still made her worried about M16's condition.

Fortunately, the opening speed of the Quarantine Wall gates had increased. In less than a minute, the intercontinental train would be able to pass through the gates and enter the Quarantine Wall.

"Commander, the gates are about to fully open, but we just encountered a problem here. It's just..."

"Wait a moment. I'll be right there. We'll talk once I arrive."

M4 was about to report the situation to Gentiane after completing the gate-opening process, but before she could finish speaking, Gentiane interrupted her and cut off the communication.

Gentiane had already sensed that something was wrong so she become extremely vigilant. If possible, she wouldn't even want to use the intercontinental train's communication system, since Havier was definitely monitoring it.

After instructing Kalina to have the Dolls drive the intercontinental train into the Quarantine Wall, Gentiane grabbed her weapon and ran through the Quarantine Wall's emergency passage. It didn't take long before she arrived at the entrance to the main control room.

The first thing she saw was M16 leaning against the wall while trying to cool down her body temperature.

"What happened? Are there enemies?"

The route she came from had been completely clear. She hadn't encountered a single autonomous machine, let alone any enemies.

"Commander, we were forcibly connected to a Nyto just now. M16's body seems to have malfunctioned; she suddenly overheated and almost melted her Neural Core!"

Of course, it hadn't actually reached that point, but M4 felt M16 was being far too careless.

After all, if things had continued like that, M16's Neural Core really would have burned out within another three to five minutes.

"Uh, it wasn't that serious..."

M16 scratched her cheek and muttered awkwardly.

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