Had she injured him by crashing into him?
Thinking it had been because of her Little Fat Dragon charge, Kanna felt a little guilty.
Bad Tom from the ACE Squad walked over with a confused expression. "I don't know what happened. Just now, when the boss took us to the Control Room for the handover, Dr. Kal'tsit suddenly said that he stepped through the door with his left foot first because he had complaints about her previous arrangements. Then, without another word, she had Sharp and Logos hang him from the bridge."
Everyone froze for a moment after hearing Bad Tom, then burst out laughing. They all started wondering when ACE had managed to anger Kal'tsit again, getting set up the moment he returned.
As for being hung from the bridge, no one was worried in the slightest. After all, it was perfectly normal for someone to be dangling beneath the bridge at Rhodes Island, and those honored with such treatment were always official Operators. To everyone, it was less a punishment than entertainment.
It was just that ACE, the most dependable big brother on the team, usually sat below and watched the Operators hanging overhead. No one had expected that one day, he would get to enjoy the same treatment.
People who lived for this kind of spectacle, like Scout, were even preparing to head to the bridge and admire what air-dried ACE looked like.
Kanna thought back for a long time after hearing this and roughly guessed it was because she had made ACE take the blame for her before. She had already forgotten about something from so long ago, but she hadn't expected Kal'tsit to still remember it.
At the thought of how grudge-holding that old lynx was, she shuddered. She had certainly angered Kal'tsit plenty of times along the way. Just how was Kal'tsit going to make things difficult for her?!
At that moment, Kanna felt the outside world was unbearably cold. Only her little bedroom could offer her even the slightest comfort.
She decided that once she got back, she would barricade her room shut. With her current reserves, going without food for ten days or half a month would only leave her craving food; there would be no other problems. Until Kal'tsit's anger had faded, she had no intention of going outside.
Thinking about Kal'tsit plotting how to deal with her, Kanna suddenly found that none of the food in the entire cafeteria tasted good anymore.
To everyone's astonishment, she wolfed down the food that had just been served in a few bites, wiped her mouth, and announced that she was going back to sleep.
Amiya and the others did not suspect anything. After all, Kal'tsit and Kanna had spent nearly two months traveling in a vehicle, so it was perfectly normal that she had not rested well. Instead, they asked with concern whether anything was wrong.
Kanna could hardly admit that she was afraid of Kal'tsit getting revenge afterward, so she could only smile awkwardly and say goodbye to them.
After returning to her dormitory, Kanna took out a sheet of paper—"Secluded cultivation in progress. Do not disturb."—stuck it outside the door, then hid in her room.
On the other side, Scout and several others carried grilled meat and fruit juice up to the bridge.
When they saw ACE hanging in midair, they looked absolutely delighted. Scout in particular laughed so hard that he lay on the ground and slapped the floor.
ACE, hanging above them, was even more depressed. He had always been careful in everything he did and had never left behind any leverage against himself. Why had Kal'tsit singled him out?
Those two young men, Logos and Sharp, had been utterly shameless too. They had actually ambushed an old man from behind. By the time he reacted, Logos had already cheerfully hung him up here.
ACE could not understand why Dr. Warfarin, who was also hanging nearby, still had the mood to sway back and forth like she was on a swing.
The moment the door below opened, he instinctively sensed trouble. Sure enough, Scout, that heartless bastard, joined the others in heckling him.
And he was sitting below with grilled meat in hand. What, did grilled meat taste better while watching an old cured ham dry in the wind?!
As Rhodes Island's ace, ACE would not argue. He would simply remember every single one of them, especially the members of his own squad. Once he got down, he would teach them what true cruelty was...
After saying goodbye to the others, Amiya returned to the Control Room.
Kal'tsit was somewhat surprised to see Amiya enter. Considering Kanna's personality and how hard Amiya had worked lately, she had been ready to give Amiya the entire afternoon off to rest properly. Yet Amiya had returned here immediately after eating.
"Why are you back so early? Aren't you going to spend a little more time playing with Kanna?" Kal'tsit looked quite pleased as Amiya walked to the side and began working.
Amiya shook her head. "Kanna said she wanted to rest after eating, so she went back first. Rosemary and Popukar are going to the Medical Department for checkups, and my teammates have all gone to the training room. I thought that rather than stand around outside with nothing to do, I might as well come back and get some more work done..."
Kal'tsit frowned. The Little Dragon Person had been full of energy and glowing with health before returning. How could she possibly be tired after so little time?
She casually opened Precise and brought up Kanna's surveillance feed before asking, "What did you talk about in the cafeteria?"
Upon hearing Kal'tsit's question, Amiya immediately replied, "Bad Tom said that you had someone hang ACE from the bridge, Dr. Kal'tsit. ACE has taught me a great deal during this time, and he has always been the protector everyone at Rhodes Island trusts most. Dr. Kal'tsit, could you please not punish him?"
Although being hung from the bridge did not really count as punishment among Elite Operators, kindhearted Amiya still did not want good old Uncle ACE to suffer.
Kal'tsit's mouth twitched. She had already guessed why Kanna had hidden in her dormitory. The surveillance feed shifted to Kanna's door, and sure enough, eight words were pasted outside it: "Secluded cultivation in progress. Do not disturb."
If that Little Dragon Person had not hidden from her, Kal'tsit would not have recalled all the trouble she had caused along the way. But the moment she hid, those memories that made Kal'tsit feel like she was having a stroke all came rushing back.
Kal'tsit looked at the tightly shut door and snorted coldly to herself.
You think hiding in your room and refusing to come out will be enough? Secluded cultivation... I refuse to believe you can hold out for long in that room of less than five square meters.
As a seasoned schemer, she found luring out an innocent hatchling like Kanna laughably easy.
But when she switched the feed to the deck, Kal'tsit instantly could not hold it together anymore.
She had never expected Scout, who usually seemed so calm and steady, to do something like this—calling everyone over to throw a party beneath the hanging ACE. And several members of ACE's own squad were among them.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kal'tsit took several minutes to calm down before picking up the intercom beside her. "Logos, make a trip over there. Doesn't Scout look rather envious of ACE hanging up there? Send him up too."
One of the people in the crowd below nodded. Before Scout had any chance to react, he knocked him down and skillfully pulled out a rope to hang him beside ACE.
The people around them froze briefly when Scout was attacked, but when they saw who had acted, their cheering only grew louder. Hanging above them, ACE watched Logos move, and even his body, which had gone numb from dangling for so long, seemed to regain some spirit.
Looking at Scout being hung beside him, ACE grinned. Didn't expect that, did you! You brat wanted to laugh at me!
When Scout regained his senses, ACE's unshaven face was right in front of him.
Feeling the familiar surroundings, Scout cursed inwardly. Fuck, how did I get sent up here too? Some old bastard must have seen what was happening up here.
Meanwhile, Kal'tsit covered her face in the Control Room, unwilling to look at the chaos outside. She had not expected Logos to be in that crowd as well, much less to slip behind Scout and strike from behind so efficiently under the watchful eyes of everyone in the Control Room. Judging by how practiced that sequence had been, the number of people he had knocked unconscious like that was probably no fewer than eighty, if not a hundred.
Although the Elite Operators in her own organization seemed so unreliable, that was precisely why Kal'tsit felt relieved instead.
It seemed everyone had not been under too much pressure lately, and the atmosphere within Rhodes Island was fairly good. Otherwise, they would not have had the mood to fool around like this.
Ignoring the commotion, Kal'tsit began checking the Operators' travel records from this period.
When she saw Rosemary's record, she frowned again and called Amiya over to ask about what had happened in Kelvin County.
Amiya lowered her head upon hearing Kal'tsit's question.
"Not long ago, someone from Kelvin County came to say that a group of Infected hoped Rhodes Island could take them in. Most of Rhodes Island's Elite Operators were away at the time, so I had Touch lead a team with Rosemary and a squad of Operators to receive those Infected. But in the end, we learned it was a trap—a trap set by that Grand Duke of Victoria after failing to capture Kanna at Rhodes Island.
According to Touch, after an Operator sacrificed themself to protect Rosemary, she briefly lost control. In less than ten minutes, she wiped out an entire fully organized border regiment outside Kelvin County, then fell unconscious. Touch could only retreat from there with her and the remaining Operators and rush back to Rhodes Island.
Later, Dr. Warfarin, Dr. Hermo, and Dr. Silver Ash spent a full two days saving Rosemary."
At this point, the little rabbit shed sorrowful tears.
Kal'tsit was silent for a moment before saying, "Starting today, suspend contact with Victoria for now. I will send people to investigate Victoria and try to find a way to resolve the conflict between us."
After finishing her work, Kal'tsit inspected the ship. As she walked, she eventually arrived outside Kanna's door.
Looking at the sign hanging there, she thought for a moment, then took out her communicator and said,
"Weifeng, Kanna has already returned. She has been studying for nearly half a year now, so prepare an exam paper for her and see how much she has learned during this time."
Kanna was hiding behind the door and heard every word Kal'tsit said.
After hearing it, she went completely numb. She had known Kal'tsit would find an opportunity to mess with her, but she had never expected her to be so vicious as to bring out the ultimate weapon—an exam.
But she did not dare go outside. Otherwise, wouldn't her secluded-cultivation escape plan be ruined?
She anxiously paced in circles inside. Finally, a wicked idea sprang to mind. She would sneak into Weifeng's office that night. As long as she stole the exam paper, there would be no paper and naturally no exam.
What she did not know was that all of this was part of Kal'tsit's plan.
Late at night, Kanna secretly slipped out of her room. She looked around. Mm! No one...
She covered her little face with a handkerchief, leaving only her eyes exposed, then sneaked toward the Medical Department.
When she reached the Medical Department, she discovered that emergency treatment was underway. No one noticed her, and she could not help feeling a little lucky.
After dodging three groups of passing doctors and surviving eighty-one ordeals, Kanna finally arrived at Weifeng's office.
She cautiously looked around. No one. Then she opened the office door. No one there either!
Kanna nodded, then quietly slipped inside.
Once inside, she looked around first. After finding no cameras, she boldly walked over to Weifeng's desk.
She searched through medical records on the left and searched through them on the right, but still could not find the exam paper she wanted. A fine layer of sweat formed on Kanna's forehead. In her nervousness, she failed to notice that the door had silently been locked from outside.
After searching for a long time without finding what she wanted, Kanna rubbed her chin and thought it over. Maybe she had come too early? After all, Kal'tsit had called Weifeng that afternoon. In such a short amount of time, Weifeng might not have prepared the test questions yet.
She had been so worried about the exam that she had become muddleheaded. She should have come tomorrow instead.
With that in mind, she prepared to leave Weifeng's office.
But the moment she touched the doorknob, her expression changed dramatically.
The door had somehow been locked, and aside from a tiny ventilation opening, Weifeng's office had only one entrance and exit—the door.
At that point, how could Kanna not know she had fallen into a trap? Still, how could such a little door possibly stop her strength? She prepared to twist it open by force and escape.
Before she could act, however, Weifeng and Kal'tsit's voices came from outside.
"Dr. Kal'tsit, Kanna has been studying with you lately. You certainly know her learning progress better than I do, so I'll need your help outlining the exam scope for Iberia, Siracusa, and Laterano."
"No problem. Kanna's 'enthusiasm for learning' has been very high lately, and her willingness to 'participate voluntarily' has been strong too. Perhaps she is studying in your office right now!"
"You're joking, Dr. Kal'tsit. Who would skip sleep and come to this office to study in the middle of the night... Kanna, why are you here?"
While chatting, Weifeng opened the door and saw Kanna sitting awkwardly in the chair where she usually studied. Of course, Weifeng would have been happier if Kanna had not been holding the copy of History of Victoria in her hands upside down.
Seeing the two of them staring at the book in her hands, Kanna realized what had happened. She swiftly turned the book around and explained, "I was reciting it backward! I was reciting it backward!"
Kal'tsit's lips curved slightly. "See? Wasn't I right? Kanna has a very strong dedication to studying. She even comes here in the middle of the night to study seriously, and she can recite it backward..."
Kanna did not think Kal'tsit was praising her at all. She only felt that Kal'tsit's sarcastic tone was less endearing than the old lynx she remembered, who liked speaking in riddles.
"Hehe, haha... I had enough sleep, and there was nowhere to go in the middle of the night, so I wandered around and somehow ended up at my teacher's office. I thought that since I had nothing else to do, I'd read a book... Yes, I just came to read a book..."
Kanna could only force herself to go along with Kal'tsit. Though she wore an innocent, cheerful smile on the surface, inwardly she had already come up with dozens of ways to cook lynx meat.
Weifeng was no fool. Combining Kal'tsit's sudden message that afternoon, her insistence on walking over together just now, and the hatchling who had suddenly appeared in her office, she quickly understood the cause and effect.
It was nothing more than Empress Kal'tsit building a road in plain sight while little Kanna walked into the trap, putting on a delightful dragon-catching show in her office.
"All right, all right. Kanna, go back first! There are a lot of surgeries these next couple of days, so you won't need to attend class. Since you only just got back, go spend more time playing with your friends. But while play is play, you cannot fall behind in your studies. In one week, I'll prepare a set of test questions for all of you little ones in class. The scope will be the history of Victoria and Letalia, so make sure you study hard when you get back!"
After hearing Weifeng's words, Kanna dragged her tail out of the office with her head hanging low like a defeated rooster.
After Kanna left, Weifeng nodded to Kal'tsit. "It's obvious that you and Kanna get along well, Dr. Kal'tsit. Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen you tease a child like this. You were so strict with Amiya before that everyone honestly thought you were someone who did not enjoy joking at all."
Kal'tsit looked toward where Kanna had gone. "Kanna is different from Amiya. She already stands at the pinnacle of Terra. There is not much that is truly worth learning for her. Everything we teach her is only meant to help her understand the suffering of this land more clearly, so that she will naturally lean toward humanity in terms of allegiance. In my eyes, though Kanna appears young, she is actually a trustworthy companion. Amiya, meanwhile, is still a junior who needs to learn and improve."
After hearing Kal'tsit's words, Weifeng nodded. Though she did not know why Kal'tsit had developed such a high opinion of Kanna after going out once, Kanna was still her student. For a teacher, being so highly regarded by Kal'tsit was an immense honor.
Kanna had no idea about Kal'tsit and Weifeng's conversation afterward. She only sorrowfully carried the books Weifeng had handed her back to her room. Weifeng said she should enjoy herself over the next few days, but the exam was only one week away. How could she possibly have fun?!
It was time to put her last-minute cramming expertise to work!
Kanna's gaze gradually became resolute as she looked at the books in her hands!
Early the next morning, when Popukar came to find Kanna, she saw her sitting in a chair, frowning miserably at the textbook in front of her.
She even wore a red headband with the words "Work Hard" written on it...
Rosemary, sitting beside her quietly with a book in hand, showed absolutely no reaction to her strange behavior.
Although Popukar wanted to go outside and play too, Kanna scared her by saying there would be an exam in a few days, and that terrible things would happen if she got bad marks. Frightened by Kanna, Popukar felt awful. She carefully curled up beside Kanna, hugged her own book, and began studying earnestly.
Meanwhile, everyone at Rhodes Island felt a strange sense of discomfort. Clearly, Rhodes Island's number one troublemaking child had returned, yet the ship was unnaturally quiet. After asking around several times, they discovered that no one could find her anywhere on the island. Even her lunch was delivered by Amiya.
It was as though Kanna had vanished from Rhodes Island.
Until one week later.
Since it was not a particularly formal exam, Weifeng was the only proctor.
After several days of intensive cramming, Kanna strode into the examination room full of confidence. Summoning the spirit of three years of entrance exams and five years of mock tests, she seized the paper and began writing furiously. Since Rosemary, the oldest of the three, was not especially sharp due to her memory problems, the questions on this exam were not difficult. Kanna finished every problem in no time at all. While her two companions were still struggling with the papers in front of them, she rushed out of the exam room laughing wildly.
That barbell-like laugh quickly spread throughout Rhodes Island. Hearing Kanna's delighted laughter, many people on Rhodes Island felt as though the rain had passed and the sun was shining brightly.
The Operators who had been inexplicably nervous because of Kanna's "disappearance" also breathed sighs of relief.
If she could laugh so happily, at least it proved she had not been secretly planning something huge during that time.
After running a full lap around Rhodes Island, she saw Rosemary and Popukar leave the examination room as well.
She ran over and hugged them both.
"Ahahaha! Now that everyone's done with the exam, let's go celebrate! Mm, how about the greenhouse? I feel like it's been ages since we went there!"
Rosemary gently patted Kanna's horn, took out a notebook, checked it, and said,
Before you continue