The Freeloading Army Is About to Arrive

(This chapter is free.)

I should have realized earlier...

Pandora had told me the first time we met that she was a Shilin General.

How could a general possibly not have soldiers of her own?

So, Gaia hadn't just sent me one Shilin Apostle named Pandora. She had sent an entire fully organized army, including that general herself!

Although it was easy enough to figure out, Pandora's appearance had made me instinctively overlook the fact that she was actually an Empire General. And Pandora hadn't expected me to lack even that much common sense, so she hadn't specifically explained it.

Looks like I'd still underestimated those mysterious lifeforms' ability to cause me trouble... An army! Forget feeding them—where was I supposed to put that many people?!

The old lady at the podium had already begun demonstrating her fluent London Accent at the speed of a rapid-fire rhyme, while in my mental world, my conversation with Pandora was no slower than that English teacher's speech.

"Pandora, can you stop your army from coming? It just feels... a little too ridiculous..."

"Spatial Jump cannot be stopped."

"Then can they go right back once they arrive? Uh—I don't hate them. It's just that I really have nowhere to accommodate them! How about organizing a three-day tour of Earth once they get here? Then everyone can go back where they came from. At least they won't have come all this way for nothing, right?"

"This planet does not have a Shilin Outpost Base. Therefore, this jump by the Empire Expeditionary Force is one-way. If you wish for them to return as soon as possible, please first establish a Shilin Outpost Base. After establishing the base, you may initiate war at any time and turn this world into the Empire's new frontier."

...Why did this conversation feel familiar?

In this day and age, when everyone promoted peace, friendship, and harmonious social development, having an unidentified creature beside me at all times whose mind was filled with building bases, starting wars, and expanding territory was putting me under a lot of pressure.

"So no matter what, that army of yours is definitely coming here?"

"Yes."

"Then... about how many people are there?" I began seriously calculating how much money it would take to support an army, and finally came to the conclusion that unless I took Pandora out to rob an armored car right now, the arriving Freeloading Army would definitely eat me into poverty.

Unlike usual, Pandora remained silent for a long time without answering.

Could it be that Pandora, you still hadn't finished counting? Even with your processing speed, you couldn't count them all?

I was under a lot of pressure...

"300."

The number was so unexpected that I didn't react for a moment.

"How many?"

"300."

"Ten thousand?"

"300. Just 300 people." Pandora showed no impatience at all, as calm as ever.

"300! You're not joking, are you? You call yourselves an Expeditionary Force, yet there are only 300 people?"

I felt like a prisoner who had long since been sentenced to the Death Penalty. Just as I had lost all hope and was about to be dragged to the execution ground, a judge came panting over to tell me that I hadn't actually been sentenced to death, but to life imprisonment instead. Amid my wild joy came enormous doubt, so much so that I completely forgot that 300 people would still be enough to ruin me.

"The 300 people refer to our numbers before Deployment."

"Deployment?" I asked curiously. That sounded like a term brimming with unease...

"Large-scale legion transport consumes an enormous amount of energy. In war, such waste must be avoided. Therefore, we use Legion Stacking. Our basic soldiers are all Construct Puppets without intelligence. During legion transport, they are stored in Space Rifts created by their commanders. Since they lack independent consciousness, there is no need to worry that psychological issues will reduce their combat effectiveness during prolonged transport. Upon reaching the destination, the commanders can rapidly establish an Outpost Base through spatial transport and release the stored soldiers. This process is called Deployment."

"So the ones coming this time are actually just 300 commanders, while your real soldiers are all stored inside Space Rifts?"

"Yes."

"Good! That's great! Listen, Pandora, no matter what happens, without my orders, those 300 people absolutely must not deploy their armies. If there are only 300 people, I can still find a way to accommodate them..."

Although the number had dropped sharply from the imagined vast army to only 300 people, I was still under a lot of pressure.

It was now 11:30 at night. Considering that 300 people suddenly appearing out of nowhere would definitely cause a tremendous shock to ordinary people, I had Pandora slightly adjust the timing of the legion jump and chose a remote, uninhabited place far from the city as the receiving point.

Pandora stood there quietly. Her originally jet-black hair had turned a crystal-like, translucent ice blue, and beneath the night sky, she was as beautiful as an angel who had wandered into the human world by mistake. Faint waves of energy spread outward from her in all directions. Through my information link with Pandora, I could sense that the affected area extended for more than ten kilometers.

"Mind Interference has been activated. For the next two hours, all intelligent targets entering the warning area will be continuously disrupted—Brother, are you feeling better?"

I continued lying on the ground like a corpse.

"Sorry..."

"It's fine..." I answered weakly. "It's just that you absolutely can't measure me by Shilin Apostle standards in the future—people will die. I really will die..."

The past twenty minutes had been a journey through hell!

After being slung over Pandora's shoulder as she raced over rooftops at 210 kilometers per hour, by the time we reached our destination, I felt as though all my internal organs had been relocated. Even the most skilled surgeon would never be able to find their distorted forms where they were supposed to be.

Hopefully, after adapting to their new environment, they could still properly perform their original functions.

Lying quietly on the ground, after quite a while, I finally felt the pain throughout my body ease somewhat.

"It's so quiet..." I said softly.

Far away from the noisy city and freed from my tangled thoughts, as I lay quietly beneath this tranquil dark-blue sky, I suddenly felt a peace I had never experienced before.

If it hadn't been for Pandora, I might never have lain quietly in the outskirts on an empty night like this, enjoying such rare serenity.

What had happened over the past few days was simply too unbelievable, to the point that my nerves had never relaxed for even a moment. But now, I suddenly felt much lighter.

"Brother, the outside temperature is currently too low and may harm your body." Pandora's slightly mechanical voice reached me. Though it was as devoid of emotional fluctuation as ever, I could hear a faint trace of concern within it.

"It's fine. This is a rare chance to relax. Don't just stand there either. There are still twenty minutes before it starts. Come lie down with me."

Pandora answered and obediently lay down beside me.

Even though I knew full well that she wasn't human, when Pandora moved close, my heart still gave a small flutter.

Calm down, calm down. She isn't human, and even if she were, she's just a Loli!

Then a sentence suddenly flashed through my mind, filling me with sudden insight: If species isn't even a problem, then what does age matter?

I realized that my thoughts were racing wildly in a direction even I couldn't control...

"Hm? Pandora, what's that smell?" The faint fragrance coming from Pandora suddenly caught my attention.

"It is the scent left behind by a certain compound Sister used when bathing me. From my perspective, I do not understand the purpose of this scent. Such an obvious smell would only expose oneself more quickly in battle."

"Heh, Pandora, you don't need to keep talking about battle all the time. This world doesn't have that much conflict. You can live a little more easily."

For once, the little girl beside me did not answer. Instead, she remained silent. Perhaps even she was confused.

"Pandora, I've always wanted to ask you what the Shilin Apostles' everyday lives were like—before you unexpectedly fell into hibernation." I was curious about what kind of world this was, the one that had already become so inextricably connected to me.

Pandora was silent for a long time before finally uttering four words: "I don't know."

"The loss of basic data is too severe. We have lost nearly all records from before hibernation. Perhaps we can obtain relevant information after contacting other awakened Shilin Mother Planets."

"I see..."

After quite some time, Pandora's voice rang out again, carrying an unexpected hint of confusion. "Perhaps our past experiences were all battle—because judging from our lifeform, we are completely a race born for combat."

"Not necessarily." I suddenly thought of that world restored to color that I had seen in my dream. I refused to believe that such a vibrant world could have been created by a race devoted only to battle.

After that, we fell silent, until a rhythmic pulse suddenly came through my mental world.

The Freeloading Army from the distant Shilin Mother Planet had finally arrived.

"Pandora, get ready."