Curfew

On the deep green operating table, the dark and pale Sarkaz gleamed with Arc Light, like a stag on an altar, its entrails already offered to the god with raven feathers in his ears.

Wide awake!

Patriot don't yet have enough intellectual resources to understand this scene.

Objectively speaking, the Wendigo community doesn't have many opportunities to be on the operating table. Back when they were still living a carefree life in Kazdel, the scarcity of medical resources meant that the term "surgery" was very limited in its application—people would do things like amputating arms and legs themselves.

The real encounter with the word "surgery" only occurred after entering Ursus. But Ursus's medical practices... were rather crude. For injuries in Wendigo requiring surgery, the Ursus people could only offer temporary relief; for injuries not requiring surgery, they might heal on their own in a few days.

Despite Bohdrokasthim's initial refusal of anesthesia, Bohdrokasthim eventually accepted his daughter's offer after her third pleading.

It was under his daughter's unconscious guidance, in this half-dream, half-awake state, that the Patriot's intuition revealed a possibility to him.

"I have not come to bring peace to the earth."

Oute whispered to Warfarin, panic immediately creeping onto her face. Bloodfiend hurriedly increased the dosage of Wendigo —it would be a major accident if the patient woke up halfway through the surgery.

The cloudy red eyes slowly closed until their owner awoke again.

"... crystallized organs... similar cases... Han Tan..."

"... Sami... Ursus people... hostility..."

"... Don't... see me..."

At the end of the surgery, Wendigo vaguely heard something, but this information was probably no different from what he had just glimpsed, and would eventually fade into oblivion in his dazed mind until his blood boiled and the prophecy was uttered.

Shortly after, in the ward.

FrostNova tightly gripped her left arm with her right hand, and White Rabbit's white rabbit-like breasts appeared round and almost bursting out under her black uniform jacket.

Rhodes Island's uniform couldn't conceal FrostNova's graceful figure at all, which explained her still "remarkable" weight even after a large number of Originium crystal clusters had been cleared from her body.

She bombarded her with questions. "Why hasn't he woken up yet? Did something go wrong with the surgery?! Is there any hope?!"

Warfarin replied awkwardly, "I just underestimated Wendigo's tolerance. The initial dose was insufficient, so I had to administer additional anesthetic."

Although FrostNova only half understood, she could still glean some information from Warfarin's tone.

FrostNova breathed a sigh of relief, but once she was at ease, she noticed Oute's behavior.

This scoundrel is remotely controlling his operators to move landmines using a terminal.

"... What is this?" FrostNova asked with difficulty.

As expected, Oute didn't hesitate for even half a second before blurting out the truth. "A backup plan to eliminate the Patriot threat."

Warfarin's breath hitched. "Please, would it kill you to tell a lie?! Or could you be a little more tactful?!"

"Eliminating the threat means..."

"Completely abolish Bohdrokasthim as Wendigo's athletic ability." Oute, fearing FrostNova hadn't understood, explained in detail, "Considering the slight possibility that the Patriot might ignore this, we insist on attacking..."

"Ahem." Kal'tsit suddenly interjected, saying, "Patriot are already on our side; that possibility is basically nonexistent."

Are you worrying about your dad who's all talk and no action, kitty?

But Oute "seems" completely unmoved, determined to stick to his honest-telling persona, "Although driven by both interests and emotions, we are temporarily back on the same ship as the Patriot."

"However, based on our current understanding of Patriot, there is still a considerable probability that we will clash with each other in the foreseeable future due to differences in how to handle specific figures."

In plain terms, it's about how to deal with the Talulah problem.

Patriot would never so easily accept the idea that "Talulah was simply possessed by the Black Snake! It's all her fault," on the contrary...

When the harsh reality was laid bare before her by Oute, FrostNova turned her head away.

"... No, he wouldn't kill Talulah."

Oute shook his head, about to say something, when Amiya jumped onto him, clinging tightly to his upper body like an octopus.

Long live the little bunny!

Her small, white hand covered Oute's mouth, and she said in a very fast voice, "Doc Otter just doesn't want Miss FrostNova to have a conflict with Mr. Patriot!"

Is this another way of explaining it?

She looked at Oute almost pleadingly, moved her small hand away, and said, "Right? Doc Otter."

"... I don't deny it."

The lynx curled its lip.

Not denying it ≠ admitting it.

As Amiya breathed a sigh of relief, Kal'tsit's thoughts drifted back to that question: Did Oute actually tell her the truth back then?

How much of his memory does he still retain?

Amiya's actions inspired Kal'tsit.

Oute's current personality exhibits many characteristics of his youth: arrogance, haughtiness, lack of empathy and compassion, social isolation, and excessive preparation...

Why don't you mention his bizarre XP?

Oh, you don't want to be categorized as "weird XP," do you?

The cat monitored Wendigo's vital signs while pondering.

But these characteristics converge and form his most prominent aspect now: disdain for lying... no, not disdain.

Kal'tsit looked up abruptly, a sudden realization dawning on her: he simply wanted to use his limited reputation on more important matters!

That's how it is!

If I just ask directly one more time!

He would never lie about such a question now!

Kal'tsit accurately grasped a series of characteristics displayed by Oute and analyzed his purpose.

However... she was completely unaware of what "more important" place Oute intended to use his "limited reputation" for.

Or perhaps... even in her most extravagant fantasies, she didn't anticipate that she herself was one of them?

Chapter 164 Curfew

After Lungmen returned to the control of the Yan, this Mobile City remained intoxicated by its dazzling lights and revelry, its neon lights almost never going out.

Almost.

Tonight's Lungmen will add another stroke to this already rare "almost" situation.

Towers adorned with dragon horns and helmets stand silently on both sides of the road, their silence mirroring the silence of the entire city.

Ch'en looked at these soldiers, most of whom came from the interior of the Yan, and at the dragon horn-shaped decorations on their helmets, still in a daze.

Wei Yenwu rarely mobilized troops, let alone had the opportunity to do so legitimately. Therefore, seeing this scene at his familiar doorstep, Ch'en truly felt... the shadow of war.

"Chief of Police, give the order." A soldier mumbled, "Chief of Police," halfway through his sentence.

The soldiers stationed at Lungmen were a bit more diverse than those in an ordinary frontier city: rotating soldiers from all corners of the Yan, a small group of soldiers who had intermittently followed "Yanwu", another group of soldiers who were loyal to "Wei Yenwu", and, of course, the sand that the imperial court had deliberately mixed in.

The soldier's face was hidden beneath his dragon-horned helmet. Ch'en seemed to remember his voice, yet also seemed not to.

Whose soldier was he serving?

"... Curfew." Ch'en's voice came through the tactical headset.

Upon receiving the "superintendent's" orders, the soldiers, as solemn as iron towers, carried out the blockade work in an orderly manner throughout Lungmen.

The assets most tightly sealed off are those of the Swire Family.

You call this a curfew?

The Swire Family's assets are spread throughout Lungmen, including slums.

The drone faithfully recorded the scene near the office, and PRTS reported it to him according to the priority set by Oute beforehand.

Oute was taken aback.

Wei Yenwu is clearing obstacles for Ch'en.

He... really needs to "pass the throne"!

However, as the Oute project progresses, Wei Yenwu is destined to be stuck halfway through.

If you walk halfway down this road... there'll be plenty of fun to see.

"Doctor?" Folinic's cat ears twitched, and she looked up.

Oute lay shirtless on the medical bed, his back slightly bent. Several electrode patches were placed in his abdominal cavity, and while working on his terminal, he seemed to be lost in thought.

"Let's halt the inspection for now," Oute said, pointing to the ceiling. "PRTS, notify the Lungmen office not to interfere, and in principle, not to shelter unrelated individuals."

Even before Oute finished speaking, PRTS began responding. "The matter has been logged in and is being broadcast."

"Including Hellagur, relevant personnel are en route to the operations room."

Startled by this unusual behavior, Folinic, completely unaware of the situation, quickly said to Oute, "Doctor. Oute! If we get up now, what about Dr. Kal'tsit...?"

"It's just a routine matter; she knows my physical condition even better than I do."

Not to mention you.

Oute ripped off the electrode pads, rolled out of bed, and started putting his clothes back on as he walked. Finally, he finished putting on his coat in the hallway.

A sense of familiarity arose spontaneously.

Because it was temporarily docked at Number Fourteen Facility to assist with construction, the noise level of the Rhodes Island was actually much lower than when it was in motion. Oute felt that the "white noise" in the corridor, which blended with his footsteps, had become an indispensable part of his life in just a few days.

In just a few days?

PRTS's camera watched as Oute entered the conference room, saving a brand new document deep within the database while simultaneously starting a new round of recording using the conference room's camera.

So... it seems Kal'tsit only had a relationship with Hamlet and Oute?

Did you even foresee this!? Kitty!

At this moment, in the Rhodes Island war room.