Isolation Measures (First Update)

Salomon was the last to step out of the teleportation circle.

Compared with the Artificial Humans who had merely been coated in sand, he was in far worse shape. Heat, flames, and radiation had left too many marks on his armor. The girls standing outside the airtight glass room saw a faint golden glow blooming in his eyes. He refused anyone's help, tearing away the damaged armor and the melted, twisted electronic muscle fibers beneath it himself, then tossing unusable armor plates and electronic components onto the floor.

He had lost contact with every Artificial Human squad after the hydrogen bomb detonated. He had anticipated that he would be unable to spare a hand to contact them while fighting Hive, which was why he had asked Catherine to bring the girls out. Even as he stood beneath the disinfectant shower, he listened to the reports. Stephanie's report showed that Catherine had completed her mission perfectly.

Stephanie took a deep breath. She secretly touched her arm. She simply could not bear the sight of Salomon stripping away armor plates and exposing his muscles—it was far too hot. The girls blinked and secretly used the electronic eye equipment in their helmets to take several photos. The Communication System began to beep, and the girls agreed to exchange the photos after the mission, then privately turn them into calendars or posters to hang on their bedroom walls.

Stephanie intercepted part of their communications. She promised that unless they gave her a copy, she would immediately tell the Monarch about what they had been up to. "And Lady Catherine," one girl said softly. "She'll definitely want a copy too."

"Then give her one!" Stephanie said through gritted teeth. "Why should she be the only one who gets to stand face-to-face with the Monarch when