Remarkable Progress

W then fell silent.

Clearly, Miss Surtr was a woman of good faith—she rarely broke her word. Her promises therefore carried considerable weight—which left Miss W, pinned to the table and unable to move, momentarily stunned, before she gave up resisting.

Although her resistance may have been feigned from the beginning.

"You..." The white-haired former Sarkaz mercenary gently bit his lower lip. "Surtr, what do you intend to do to me... Ugh!"

She let out a cry of surprise—she hadn't expected Miss Surtr to actually be serious this time! But as the touch on her buttocks sent nerve impulses and pain throughout her body, a subtle sense of pleasure welled up inside Miss W.

Surtr, never before.

In the past, she always responded to every request. But she never once expressed such emotional reactions, like a normal, ordinary person.

W cried out softly, her voice slightly raised. She deliberately cried out in pain the first time, so that she would be treated a little more gently the second time.

'She cares about me... She never cared about anyone before, but now she cares about me!'— Miss W's heart was stirred by this small discovery. The pain behind her, which had been more of a warning than a punishment, now seemed like a gentle caress. Her voice unconsciously changed, from feigned pain to a sob that concealed joy.

She cried, but it was feigned crying. It was as if a gentle spring breeze was flowing into her bones, and although she felt a warm current inside her, she maintained a false appearance amidst a tremor that felt like a faint electric shock.

She felt like a petrel, navigating a storm yet anticipating even harsher thunder and lightning. And in this storm brimming with awareness, she sang and soared—until the storm finally dissipated ten minutes later.

The air smelled of strawberries.

It was strawberry, but with a subtle hint of spiciness—thus adding one entry to the Shi family Fruit Shop's record. And so ended the little punishment for this disobedient Sarkaz.

She slumped over her desk, breathing softly, her clothes soaked with sweat, while her hands, feet, and even the skin on her neck were flushed crimson. She managed to lift her head, turning to glance at Miss Surtr behind her. Her large eyes, which always held a mischievous smile, were now brimming with tears.

"You...you really have no mercy, Surtr. Even Closure's runaway dump truck didn't do this to me."

The "mud truck" refers to a failed engineering modification by Closure. This black-haired Sanguinarch had recently attempted to mount tear gas on automated vehicles to deal with what she anticipated chaos in Chernobog. However, the result was that the out-of-control vehicles, along with the equally out-of-control spray system, circled the Rhodes Island mainship. And all the affected operators described the incident as—'like being run over by a mud truck.'

This example isn't particularly good, but since W brought her up here, there must be some underlying meaning—perhaps she was hoping Miss Surtr would ask, 'Why Closure?' and then give a less riddle-like response that would give her a slight advantage in the conversation. However...

"I know it Closure," Miss Surtr nodded slightly. An invisible flame flowed through her hands, a kind of post-coital cleansing. The same flame also silently passed through W, who was struggling to get up but dared not sit down, taking away all the water and sweat from her body.

"I know how to handle it, and I'm working on it," she replied.

As she answered, she noticed W, who was supporting himself on the table, trembling slightly, looking unsteady on his feet.

—Strange, is she really that weak? All her vital signs are perfectly normal...

—I remember that she used to be able to remain unfazed even if someone stabbed her in the stomach. And my 'punishment' for her wouldn't even cause her any swelling or pain.

A thought popped into my head, but I didn't have time to come up with an answer.

"...So you knew all along." W breathed softly. "She originally wanted to recruit me. But she didn't expect that I'm not the same as her... Surtr, what do you plan to do with Closure? Although she's a veteran from the Sarkaz Babel Tower era, a mistake is a mistake. Mistakes always have a price to pay."

W tried hard to put on her usual mischievous smile.

However, Miss Surtr simply shook her head slightly.

"It's not a mistake." The girl gently shook her finger and walked to W's side. As she was about to help W up, she felt W instinctively try to dodge but then suppress the reflex. When her fingertips touched W's arm, she felt a subtle tremor run through W's body.

It wasn't an injury, nor a lingering effect; it seemed to be related to emotional fluctuations. And this was precisely the interfering force that prevented W's feet from gripping the ground.

But she didn't ask what happened—she trusted W to handle it.

"Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals is not an organization that cannot tolerate a second voice. It is not a pharmaceutical company where everyone is equal, nor is it a Sarkaz dynasty with a strict hierarchy— Closure's concerns are reasonable and well-founded. Her actions are not a crime. Her only mistake was her dishonest guidance of Warfarin."

"Her mistake was limited to Warfarin, and only Warfarin could judge her. After all, her actions did not cause any substantial damage to Rhodes Island. And she did not have any plans to betray or sell out."

"She did nothing wrong; she simply brought a problem that was bound to be solved sooner or later into the public eye."

"... So you forgive her?"

"I didn't blame her," Miss Surtr replied—after all, she hadn't been hit by a dump truck.

W breathed a sigh of relief.

"As expected, that's your style... Surtr, what are you planning to do in the future? Where do you intend to lead Rhodes Island?"

"I don't plan to do anything. I will just stay here and fulfill the duty entrusted to me by Persephone: to assist operators in improving their combat skills. And the future of Rhodes Island is determined by Amiya."

"Only Amiya?"

"Only Amiya," she added. "Persephone does not desire power over Rhodes Island. She will relinquish control of the city to Amiya in the coming days."

The Sarkaz woman with white-streaked hair remained silent for a few seconds.

"...You and she have both changed quite a bit." She exhaled softly, as if something had shed from her. Giving her freedom and sunshine again—she released her grip on the table and walked towards the French windows that Surtr had opened when she arrived.

"Then, I'll write the transfer application soon. Just like we agreed... Surtr, will you hit me like this again next time?"

Miss Surtr pondered for about half a second—she felt that perhaps she had used too much force, or perhaps W's sympathetic nerves were distributed differently from others.

So she answered.

"Meeting."

And to add.

"Next time you come, I'll turn the tables and hit you."

Such an answer seemed like a particularly funny joke to W—she was taken aback at first, and then laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

"Hoo hoo, hoo hoo... Heh, flip it over and hit it. Heh... Well then, I look forward to that day."

She said that, then climbed out the window and disappeared into the twilight.

7/75

Chapter 171 Remarkable Progress

The room finally quieted down—as of today, W should be the last visitor.

Miss Surtr tidied her desk, placing all the files back on it and arranging them neatly—she waved her hand, and the escaping heat evaporated all the 'fruity' scent in the room. Then she sat quietly in her seat, breathing softly, and lowered her eyes slightly.

—It feels like there are more and more things like this happening today... even to an absurd degree.

—It's only been less than four days since I changed my way of thinking... but I feel like I've become a hot commodity, even attracting a bit of attention.

She wasn't a complete idiot... Even with reasons to convince herself, she knew that some jokes shouldn't be made lightly.