Chapter 78: Chapter 73. Two cats, two cats. So cute! So cute! / Chapter 79: Chapter 74. Once bitten by a snake, twice shy of well ropes ...

Leaving the Medical Department, Kanna let out a yawn, not intentionally falling asleep just now. She had not rested for a single moment today ever since stepping off the transport.

Even though she had slept on the vehicle, neither the environment nor the quality of sleep on board could be considered very good. Just as she prepared to head back to bed, Amiya walked out.

Amiya told her that Huang Squad and Reserve Team A6 had sent word that they would rendezvous with Rhodes Island in a week. Although they encountered a slight twist and turn along the way, the journey of over half a month ultimately suffered no personnel losses, and everyone's current condition was very healthy and safe.

Hearing the news that Popukar was coming back, Kanna felt very happy too. Although Popukar did not know how to control her strength and hugging people every time was no different from a bear hug of death, she was also one of the rare friends Kanna could frequently play with within Rhodes Island. Hearing that she would soon return safely, Kanna also set a large part of her worries aside.

She slept wonderfully that night, so soundly that even the Duke of Zhou did not have the heart to come and disturb her.

For the next few days, Kanna returned to her previous routine, acting like a complete loafer every morning and going to Weifeng's classes with Rosemary every afternoon.

Perhaps feeling that ordinary tests served no particular purpose, Kal'tsit never notified her to undergo a physical examination again.

These past few days, she also bumped into Reinhardt and Ayers a few times, who had arrived together. After understanding the situation at Rhodes Island, both chose to register their identities as operators within Rhodes Island. Reinhardt did not change his name, while Ayers independently chose Cliffheart as his codename on Rhodes Island.

After passing a week just like this, Kanna and Rosemary finished breakfast, wandered all the way from the upper levels to the lower levels, and finally arrived at the lower level of Rhodes Island because they heard the convoy would arrive at Rhodes Island by noon.

When the two drifted over to the entrance, they did not have to wait long before the heavy doors slowly opened, and over a dozen off-road vehicles drilled in amidst dust and wind.

When the doors opened, Popukar, who got out of the car, looked extremely surprised upon seeing Kanna and Rosemary, running over at top speed for a bear hug (though this joy was enjoyed exclusively by Kanna, as Rosemary's body could not withstand it).

Returning to Rhodes Island after being away for so many days and immediately seeing her little buddy, Popukar appeared especially happy and her strength was much greater than usual. Meanwhile, the other members of Team A6 stood not far away, watching with a smile as Kanna and Popukar pressed cheeks, nearly squeezed out of shape.

Chapter 78: Chapter 73. Two cats, two cats. So cute! So cute!

After the excitement subsided, Popukar finally let go of Kanna with an embarrassed expression.

Only then did Kanna have the chance to look over the rest of the convoy.

First was Huang and her squad.

Speaking of Huang, she originally felt somewhat unbalanced mentally when she heard that Kanna was directly promoted to Elite Operator by Kal'tsit. Knowing how much effort she had put in to become an Elite Operator and how many battlefields she had been through to gain Rhodes Island's recognition, she naturally felt proud of her identity as a Rhodes Island Elite Operator.

Yet she never expected that a young girl who had just joined the island would be directly promoted by Kal'tsit to this status that she had worked so hard for for a long time, so how could that possibly make her feel happy.

Fortunately, Huang the cat was not a petty person. After chatting with Amiya and understanding some things about Kanna, she let go of her previous prejudice.

However, the proud Huang cat was still ashamed of herself for looking at a young girl with such prejudice, so she usually avoided Kanna. Therefore, even though Huang had stayed at Rhodes Island before, the two had never met.

Seeing Kanna's gaze looking over, Huang flicked her hair indifferently. "Hello, I'm Huang."

"Hello, I'm Kanna. Kanna knows you. Amiya trusts you a very lot, and she said you are an indispensable puzzle piece for Rhodes Island on the battlefield." Although Kanna did not know Huang's mental journey, as one of the four pillars possessing impressive AOE and attack range, Huang was undoubtedly the trump card Kanna had trusted most in her hands before.

"Hahaha~ Really? Actually, it's not as amazing as Amiya says!" Hearing the praise, Huang's ears instantly perked up, and her whole person looked exceptionally happy.

While the few of them were chatting casually, personnel from Blacksteel International also stepped down from the vehicles one after another.

Among them, the one who caught Kanna's attention the most was someone dressed heavier than heavy gear, holding an M9 in her hand, looking extremely nervous with her two cat ears practically tied in a knot. She was also the protagonist of Kanna's visit this time—the crying cat head, Rhodes Island's number one rich loli, Jessica.

Seeing Kanna's gaze shifting over, Jessica cautiously raised her hand and made a hello gesture.

Beside her, another girl also wearing the Blacksteel International uniform looked much more generous (in the original plot, Vanilla did not arrive at Rhodes Island in the same batch as Jessica, but to save trouble, they were simply lumped together here).

When she saw Kanna, she seemed quite surprised, and then confirmed something after asking the person next to her.

Passing by Kanna's group, she took the initiative to greet Kanna. "Hello, my name is Vanilla, a Blacksteel trainee who has come to Rhodes Island for further study."

Kanna looked up at the very tall girl in front of her and extended her own small hand. "Hello, my name is Kanna! I'm an Elite Operator of Rhodes Island, oh. If you need any help in Rhodes Island, you are welcome to come find me!"

"It's very safe inside Rhodes Island, this big sister doesn't need to be fully armed like this, you know! It's very hot..." After shaking hands with Vanilla, Kanna said to the rich lady cat beside her.

"I... Me? Hello... I'm Jessica from Blacksteel International... Wuwu~ Sorry, I'm not very good at self-introductions." Seeing Kanna's curious head extending over, Jessica appeared somewhat nervous.

"Is big sister a Sarkaz? How come you don't have a halo?" Kanna asked in confusion, putting on an ignorant act as she pointed at the M9 in Jessica's hand.

"No... I'm a Feline... This is... Wuah... Bit my tongue." Jessica answered in a panic after Kanna approached, and as a result, she bit her tongue because she was too nervous.

It took her quite a while to recover. After removing the gas mask on her head, the teary-eyed cat head appeared before everyone.

"Big sister's gun looks a bit smaller than Outcast grandma's, and the appearance is very different too." Although guns were completely useless to Kanna, who could refuse the temptation of a gun right in front of them? Even if she could not touch it, getting a visual fix was pretty good.

Just as Jessica and Vanilla were wondering who Outcast grandma was, Kanna continued speaking.

"Speaking of which, grandma's bullets are all made by the Engineering Department. Did Jessica big sister bring the bullets for your gun yourself?" Bringing up firearms, Kanna had also seen and touched Outcast's revolver, and had even gone to the Engineering Department to fetch ammunition for Outcast, so speaking of it now would not arouse suspicion from others.

"Rhodes Island can provide ammunition? That's great, I was still worried whether the ammunition I brought for this internship would be enough!" Cat-card on the side was now attracted by Kanna's words and forgot the pain in her tongue.

"That's right! Does Jessica big sister want to go take a look together?" Kanna extended an invitation to Jessica.

"But we just arrived on the island and haven't settled down yet..." Although she was tempted, Jessica still knew her group was here for exchange and study; no matter what, they had to go pay respects to Rhodes Island's leadership first and obtain permission before wandering around inside the landship.

"Mm~ Then tomorrow morning, okay? We'll come find you then." Kanna thought about it. After all, the other party's identity was not yet a Rhodes Island operator, nor were they checking in as patients, so the necessary preliminary procedures still had to be followed.

"Okay! Then I'll wait for you to take me around Rhodes Island tomorrow morning." Jessica simply lacked social skills, but her intelligence was not low. After calming down, she readily accepted Kanna's invitation.

After all, at such an important entrance and exit inside the landship—a place strictly controlled by leaders—the fact that she could come and go freely without being blocked proved that the other party's authority or rank was very high. Having her lead the way later would make communication much more convenient when looking for someone to manufacture ammunition.

On the other side, Popukar carried her equipment down from the vehicle. It was a chainsaw roughly her own size. Although a chainsaw had a very high deterrent force, it was not a weapon that was particularly easy to use on the battlefield; only someone with super strength like Popukar would choose such a thing.

After all, a chainsaw not only weighed a lot, but without sufficient strength, one simply could not use it to chop through things in front of them quickly and efficiently.

This time out, although it was not used many times, a chainsaw required more troublesome upkeep and maintenance than ordinary weapons. Previously outside, Spot had been helping Popukar with maintenance, but returning to Rhodes Island meant it had to be taken to the Engineering Department to check whether the outing had created any hidden hazards for the weapon or if parts needed replacement.

Kanna and Rosemary followed along after hearing this, partly to accompany Popukar, and partly because Kanna's own weapon was reaching the time Vulcan had promised for her to pick it up.

After simple farewells, Kanna's group bid adieu to the individuals from Blacksteel International and walked towards the direction of the Engineering Department.

Chapter 79: Chapter 74. Once bitten by a snake, twice shy of well ropes

Along the way, Popukar excitedly told Kanna about all the interesting events of the journey, coupled with Spot's sharp deadpan remarks and Tsukikage's various random intrusions, making it exceptionally joyful.

Zilan at the back had black lines across her forehead at this, yet she was utterly helpless.

Speaking of which, the current member composition of Reserve Team A6 was extremely bizarre.

Take Reserve Team A4, which Kanna knew: internally, it had a Defender, Sniper, Vanguard, Caster, and Medic, which could be said to be small but fully equipped with five internal organs, belonging to the configuration of a standard tactical squad.

Yet A6 currently had Popukar and Huang as bashers, Tsukikage as a Guard, Zilan as crowd-control support, and Spot serving as both Defender and battlefield medic. The team lacked a ranged sniper (Airburst had not joined the team yet), lacked a professional healer, and lacked artillery casters. The entire team's style stood out for sheer recklessness, which was utterly absurd.

Soon, the group arrived at the Engineering Department.

Seeing Kanna walk in, the person at the door changed expression drastically, slipping away and vanishing down the corridor in a flash.

"I say, what earth-shattering thing did you do recently, Kanna?" Seeing the expression of the Engineering Department operator, even a fool would know Kanna must have done a big thing recently, and one that made the Engineering Department suffer quite a heavy loss; otherwise, the other party would not be so nervous.

"Ah haha, nothing much... It was just a week ago, you see. I asked Vulcan big sis to make a weapon suited for myself, and then Vulcan took me to the training ground and let me freely unleash myself. Look, one of the reasons I came over today is to pick up the custom weapon Vulcan promised to make for me."

Hearing Kanna's words, several people looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what Kanna had actually done during her training back then to make these normally fearless operators of the Engineering Department so nervous.

Learning that Kanna had come to the Engineering Department again, Closure hurriedly put down the work in her hands and rushed over in a flurry.

Ever since that day, she had explicitly ordered all Engineering Department operators to report immediately the moment they discovered Kanna approaching. She made up her mind that as long as Kanna was in the Engineering Department, she would accompany her the entire time. The report on the losses from last time had left her unable to sleep for several days, and the crucial point was that the old hag Kal'tsit actually refused to reimburse her... Thus, she decided she must keep an eye on Kanna at all times and do her utmost to ensure "Rhodes Island's property" suffered no further losses.

By the time Closure rushed over, Kanna's group had just reached the door of Vulcan's workshop.

Seeing Closure's disheveled and nervous appearance, several Reserve Team A6 operators could only admire her in their hearts. To make the head of Rhodes Island's Technical Management Department fear someone to this extent, Kanna was truly one of a kind within Rhodes Island.

Hearing that Kanna came to pick up a weapon, Closure quickly said, "Picking up a weapon is of course fine, but I'll make it clear to you first: combat practice is not allowed inside Rhodes Island's internal training ground, not allowed in any training ground whatsoever! If you want to practice, you can find Kal'tsit for approval, and then we'll open the doors and do it outside when the landship is stopped. I've already spoken to Kal'tsit about this, and she agreed."

Hearing Closure's words, everyone else was dumbfounded. You must admit that while entering and exiting Rhodes Island was not difficult, it would not be easily opened for a single person just to go out for a stroll.

Kanna had set yet another record for entries and exits at Rhodes Island.

"Actually, there's no need to be this troublesome! Just tell me when you stop the ship, and I can enter and exit from the bridge, sparing the trouble for the big brothers guarding the tunnel," Kanna proposed with a smug expression, completely failing to consider the matter of her being banned from entering the training ground for practice.

Thinking of the effect of Kanna's Lightning Wedge, Closure thought for a moment and replied, "That can actually be discussed, but you really can't use your ability in the training ground anymore, oh! Big sis here really can't keep repairing the place."

"Then it's settled!" Reaching an agreement, Kanna gave a thumbs-up to indicate her acceptance of Closure's proposal.

While she was talking with Closure, the door to Vulcan's workshop had already opened. Just as Kanna expected, Eyjafjalla was indeed squatting right here.

Hearing Kanna's voice, she enthusiastically pushed the door open, but seeing Kanna chatting with others, she held back from speaking.

Once the conversation on both sides concluded, Eyjafjalla grabbed Kanna. "I'm telling you, Vulcan big sis made an ultra-awesome weapon for you, and it looks super cool too... Slurp." At this point, Eyjafjalla's eyes even started glowing.

Seeing Eyjafjalla this excited made Kanna somewhat expectant as well. It seemed Vulcan must have made an extraordinary weapon.

Entering the room, the crowd was instantly drawn to the exaggeratedly large greatsword standing right in the middle of the room.

Seeing that greatsword, which was nearly thirty centimeters wide and close to one and a half meters long, Kanna could not help but blurt out an exclamation.

Rather than calling this a greatsword, it was more like a door panel. Given Kanna's size, if she tucked her body in, she could hide completely behind the blade.

Seeing Kanna walk in, Vulcan patted that greatsword, which was definitely not something a normal person could lift, wearing a trace of wild laughter. "You're here, Kanna! Come and see how this weapon is."

Hearing Vulcan's words, Kanna gave a light leap, and while clearing the weapon, she reached out and yanked the greatsword, pulling it free from the rack where it rested.

Lifting the sword and glancing around, she found that although Vulcan's workshop was already considered very large, there was still not enough space to wield this weapon freely.

"Let's go outside and test the sword!" Seeing Kanna easily lift the greatsword with a single hand, Vulcan did not look surprised; instead, she nodded with satisfaction and proposed the idea.

Closure on the side immediately spoke up upon hearing this. "It just so happens that the landship will be stopping here for a day. Let's head right out and test it in the open space outside, how about that?"

Seeing everyone eager to try, Closure only rejoiced in her heart that she was here; otherwise, if Vulcan brought Kanna to the training ground again, she was afraid it really would scare her into a heart attack this time.

Retracing their steps along the original route, Closure submitted an application to Kal'tsit via her communicator.

Hearing this, Kal'tsit replied very quickly, "Permission granted for the group of operators to leave the island for weapon testing."

Along the way, quite a few people saw the "giant door panel" Kanna was holding in her hands.

Knowing they were heading outside to test a new weapon, several people followed along out of interest, and the team grew larger and larger. In the end, Kal'tsit, upon receiving the news, had to disperse most of the curious operators, allowing only Vulcan, Kanna, Huang the cat, and ACE—who were curious to visit—to step outside the landship.

Among the companions from earlier, the Reserve Team A6 members had just returned to Rhodes Island; although they wanted to join the fun, they were ordered to go to the Medical Department for a physical checkup.

Rosemary did not obtain Kal'tsit's approval to leave the island due to her physical condition, and could only remain stationed by a window on the lower level, watching Kanna's testing situation outside through the glass. Eyjafjalla, being merely a patient rather than an operator, could only pitifully squat by that window alongside Rosemary.

Stepping outside, finally having sufficient and spacious ground, Kanna excitedly swung the door panel in her hands, sweeping up flying stones and gravel around her with rising dust.

Chapter 80: Chapter 75. Going out for a PK requires preparing some colorless

However, Kanna discovered that this greatsword was actually single-edged, while the other side appeared very blunt.

After swinging it for a few minutes to satisfy her physical warm-up, she brought up this question.

"Good question, I thought you didn't notice!" Hearing Kanna's question, Vulcan clapped her hands in satisfaction.

"You can try channeling your lightning technique into the weapon, something very interesting will happen, oh," Vulcan said with a hint of a mysterious smile.

Kanna nodded upon hearing this, then walked a little further away to avoid any spreading lightning injuring the observers who had come along.

Accompanied by current extending from her body, she acutely noticed that the electricity overflowing near her hands was all absorbed by this sword.

At the same time, two colors, red and blue, appeared along the edges of the entire blade.

Among them, red appeared on the blunt side, while blue appeared on the sharp side. Coming closer, one could clearly feel that the red side radiated a very high temperature outward, whereas the blue side appeared extremely icy.

Seeing the weapon successfully change colors, Vulcan finally spoke.

"I used two special types of ore on this weapon. One of them absorbs heat from the surroundings when subjected to external stimulation, thereby becoming extremely cold; the other is the opposite, rapidly heating up upon stimulation and then releasing a massive amount of heat. The two kinds of ore are embedded together using D32 steel, which is the hardest and possesses the highest melting point, forming this weapon.

The blunt side is heat, the sharp side is cold.

Kanna, try pressing that protruding button on the hilt."

Following Vulcan's description, Kanna felt for the button on the hilt and pressed it down. Instantly, the door-panel greatsword split into two: one blazing hot, one icy cold. Seeing the transformation of the weapon in her hands made Kanna even more excited. Accompanied by her swinging motions, everyone watched as red and blue beams of light wrapped around Kanna's entire figure, the scorching airflow and chilling sword wind forming dazzling trails all around.

When Kanna had enough fun and stopped supplying power, the two weapons quickly calmed down again.

Kanna brought the two weapons together with a click, and they merged back into that exaggerated door-panel greatsword.

"How is it?"

"Vulcan big sis truly lives up to her name as Rhodes Island's strongest blacksmith. In one word: awesome!"

She originally thought it was just an ordinary two-handed sword suitable for combat against giant targets, but the actual effect far exceeded her expectations.

"As long as you're satisfied, this weapon belongs to you. However, this weapon doesn't have a name yet. Do you have any ideas?"

"Uh... This weapon is so big, and it has ice and fire effects. How about calling it the Ice-Fire Excalibur?" Kanna rubbed her head and said in a self-deprecating tone.

Seeing everyone's speechless expressions, Kanna laughed out loud.

"I'm just joking! This weapon is so big and heavy. I read a book once that said Yan has a divine sword called Juque, I think that name is pretty good..."

"You said it yourself, Juque is already taken by someone else..." ACE covered his forehead, finding Kanna's naming sense giving him a headache.

Recalling the properties of the two weapons, an exclamation mark seemed to light up beside Kanna's head.