Everyone Loves a Little Gossip

He preferred to stare at his pipe rather than... and dared not look at his niece.

"...They've all been with me for a long time," Wei Yenwu said, "But after you take over, they're unlikely to be willing to work wholeheartedly for you."

A sound came from behind, and the small lock, which was more symbolic than practical, was opened. Ch'en frowned and tentatively pulled out a drawer.

"Rhodes Island again?"

"Hmm." Wei Yenwu showed little interest in the document, saying, "They've partnered with some Lungmen companies, ordering large quantities of raw materials in an attempt to produce a weapon."

"Weapons!?" Ch'en became alert.

For a veteran police officer, this kind of stress response is normal.

"That's not surprising. Slums don't just sit idly by and wait to be managed." She quickly realized she was overreacting, chuckled, and then asked, "What weapon?"

"It's all in the documents, a low-powered police weapon—it's nowhere near as powerful, but it looks a lot like a gun."

Although he wasn't particularly interested, Wei Yenwu remembered it clearly. "Similar things appeared in previous battles; the one they installed on the arrow platform was the same type."

The machine gun Wei Yenwu was referring to was the Winter Lieutenant I, which so far has only managed to kill one unlucky guy.

Ch'en glanced at the report and suddenly understood.

"Indeed, this kind of non-lethal weapon is very much in line with Rhodes Island's consistent approach."

Closure her arms.

A similar conversation took place on Rhodes Island.

Oute looked at her with surprise.

It's one thing for laymen to think this way, but don't you already understand the significance of cold-fired weapons?

Low power?

Just pump more air and it'll be fine...

As for losses?

Learn about Terra Materials Science.

"Why are you staring at me like that?!" Closure couldn't help but complain, "Do you want me to tell the truth?!"

"Everything will show different results when observed from different angles. But if we must observe from this angle, then strictly speaking, you shouldn't have said that." Kal'tsit stared at the case file without looking up, steadily uttering riddles.

If Closure indeed engaging in strategic deception against the Winter Soldier series, then her question, "Want to tell the truth?" essentially exposed the previous "deception."

"There's no need to say things like that in my office." Oute tapped the table.

"That's right, that's right!" Closure excitedly, "Kal'tsit always writes like she's writing a thesis! It's torture for the audience!"

Kal'tsit remained unmoved, stating firmly, "He's talking about you."

"Ugh!" The vampire clutched her heart, her small breasts revealing a touch of playful cuteness in her affected performance.

What is the progress of recreating the Malta blueprints in reality?

"Oute asked."

Malta, like Rhodes Island, is another small island with deep ties to the Knights Hospitaller.

As his second ship, Oute very happily and unilaterally named the new ship Malta — Kal'tsit sighed at Oute's boyish and mischievous nature.

Wearing "Dream-Sleep Device," the Engineering Department worked day and night in Hamlet... In short, thanks to their extraordinary, slave-like efforts—no, extraordinary hard work—the blueprints for the Malta were finally on the horizon—a future both promising and unattainable.

"This..." Closure began to play with her fingers.

No matter what, this is still a land-based ship. Even with Rhodes Island's blueprints as a reference, it's impossible to complete it in a short time. Oute had also considered this: the original timeframe was 2,500 to 5,000 man-hours for the entire Engineering Department.

However, as a transitional, deterrent, and protective vessel for the Rhodes Island attack helicopter carrier, the Malta could have designed its outline and keel location first, building the framework while simultaneously working on the interior details.

Seeing her expression, Oute tentatively asked, "The Engineering Department wouldn't be trying to make the Malta perfect, would they?"

Closure awkwardly silent.

"More important than how or whether it can be modified later is that Rhodes Island needs a mobile Malta right now."

"To put it more bluntly, I need a mobile turret," Oute stated emphatically. "The war logic of land-based ships is the same as..."

Terra shares similarities with both its navy and army, but also has its differences. However, Terra's true navy is only possessed by the Iberia and Aegir, and explaining this in detail would require further explanation.

Closure, had turned her long, straight black hair into a mess, and said in despair, "It's precisely this 'cannon-like' quality that makes it impossible to do anything about it!"

The term "axial cannon" literally means building a ship on top of a cannon. Compared to naval warfare, it is actually closer to land warfare. The pinnacle of this concept is found in fantasy works like Stellaris, where players have developed the Arc Battleship.

"If only one keel is used, then the shaft cannon must adopt..."

"Beyond the Core City, there are other movable plots of land in Chernobog." Oute raised an eyebrow and said, "Use whatever design is suitable. Since we've already stolen them, we don't care about stealing a few more."

Good news

The messy situation has temporarily subsided. Although I still have about ten lesson plans for another grade to finish, I should be able to gradually resume updating once a week...

Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words. Make up the number of words.

Chapter 152 Everyone Has a Gossipy Heart

"Just a heads up, if Rhodes Island continues on its journey, the signal between it and the Lungmen intercity network..." Kal'tsit suddenly realized she had been a bit too talkative and abruptly slammed on the brakes.

When Oute looked over, he could still see a hint of feigned shyness in her eyes.

"The Earthspirit is still in Lungmen; I've granted her permission to possess the Dream-Sleep Device indefinitely."

Kal'tsit's shyness stems from this very point: Oute has already left an "agent" in Lungmen, so he can handle Lungmen affairs personally if needed.

In addition, in order to cover up the truth about the "Dream-Sleep Device" for as long as possible, Kal'tsit required those who possessed the helmet to report to Rhodes Island, and the vast majority of people (mainly referring to the Engineering Department who were capable of discovering the truth) could only use it for a specific period of time.

However... in any case, Oute granted long-term licenses to those he deemed "necessary".

Clearly, Earthspirit, as a direct subordinate of Oute, is one of them—by the way, a staunch supporter of the eight-hour workday who leaves work on time and is the envy of many. Earthspirit is very dissatisfied with this kind of work that is not written in the contract.

However, after Oute transferred part of her work in the Catastrophe Department to Eyjafjalla and Provence, the Earthspirit were completely convinced of Oute's decision...

"Your lack of sensitivity in this area is somewhat surprising," Oute remarked casually.

Kal'tsit paused for a moment, then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "That's right. The compatibility between growth and stability has always been awkward. For the sake of the long term, this... I do indeed have a great deficiency in learning and applying new knowledge."

"It's so good to have you... no, it's so good to have you like this." Kal'tsit shook her head, then a slight smile curved her lips.

There are no lingering shadows in her memory; her mindset remains that of a vibrant youth. She doesn't harbor much prejudice against the "humans" of Terra (no, look closely!), and unconsciously focuses her attention on herself...

Kal'tsit... smiled?

The teenagers, thinking they were well-hidden, crouched at the office door, peeping at the ambiguous story between the two pillars of Rhodes Island like a human pyramid.

Amiya was somewhat surprised, but the pressure from Cardigan, Kati, and the others behind her made her unconsciously blurt out, "Hey! Stop pressing down!"

It was too late by the time those words were spoken.

If you intended to do this, at least let Cardigan run the territory, right?

Ouch!

"Alas!"

Several overly curious teenagers tripped and fell one after another at the office doorway.

"What are you all doing?" Kal'tsit asked, feigning ignorance.

"Um... delivering documents?" Amiya asked hesitantly.

"I'm here to visit the Doctor! Because Mr. Rhodes Island looks a lot like me!"

This child, whose eyes shone with a clear innocence, had long light brown hair and wore a jacket of unknown origin with a peculiar epaulette. Her most striking feature, however, was the backpack on her back that resembled a tortoise shell.

Cardigan.

A useful heavy-armored operator for beginners in the early game, her simple yet powerful block count bonus makes her highly strategic in the early stages of this tower defense game. Even after acquiring more powerful rare heavy-armored operators, she can still be used in roguelike scenarios.

Katy quickly covered the Cardigan's mouth and said, "We were just passing by! We accidentally tripped and fell!"

I never imagined sled dogs could be so lucid...

Oute was somewhat taken aback.

Thinking about it carefully, Rhodes Island is heading north; perhaps the cold climate has awakened Katy's bloodline?

"Mr. Rhodes Island?" Kal'tsit turned and glanced at Oute, nodded, and said, "Oute de Rhodes Island? That name might not be bad."

Using "de" to connect a fiefdom or homeland is a French custom. In Terra, it should be called Gaul custom. And the Knights Hospitaller, whose main members were French.

Come to think of it, the main ethnic group of Gaul was the Liberi, right?

"Let's forget about that. My own surname is rare enough. Even if I have a fit of chuunibyou, I don't need another surname." Oute brushed the dust off Amiya, pinched her still somewhat chubby cheeks, and instructed, "Be careful."

We're leaving now!

"Eh!?" Cardigan struggled, but was forcibly dragged away by the working dog Katy. She said in a daze, "Rhodes Island teacher!"

Wait, didn't you just call me "sir"?

Oute looked at her.

Katy, on the other hand, was on high alert, desperately trying to pull her friend out of her oblivious predicament.

"Are we... there?"

The sound of the Cardigan grew fainter and fainter.

"Hahaha, I'm so sorry!" Katy disappeared at the end of the corridor with the Cardigan.

Presumably, the gossip between Kal'tsit and Oute will spread further throughout the entire Rhodes Island main ship... This will inevitably create a psychological barrier for a considerable number of girls who might develop feelings for Oute in the future.

Sometimes, revealing intelligence is itself a strategy.

Kal'tsit was somewhat smug.

Wait, didn't you just say you're not good at learning and applying new knowledge? How come you're only so good at stealing men?

Watching the Cardigan disappear, Oute roughly guessed what would happen next.

Where have I seen this before?