Messenger

After Theresa's assassination and the collapse of the Babel, many people who originally belonged to the Babel military and political group became restless. Ultimately, those who chose to part ways clashed with those who continued to follow the Rhodes Island main ship.

Those who parted ways each had their own ideas, and some decided to return to Kazdel to avenge Theresa. To this end, they needed a new "Demon Lord" as a banner, as a leader, and perhaps also as a puppet.

At that time, the news that Amiya had "inherited the throne" was not a secret.

However, when Ascalon, the head of "SWEEP," returned to the ship, all the traitors who participated in Theresa's assassination, as well as those who should not have known Amiya's secrets, had been eliminated, except for a certain Doctor.

Preventing infiltration, assassinations, and sabotage against Rhodes Island, and carrying out covert operations to solve problems in the aforementioned ways—this is precisely the function and work of "SWEEP".

To some extent, "SWEEP" operates independently of Oute's chain of command, which is why he fabricated a pretext to try and send out the Scavenger.

The Scavenger tossed out the silver coin and glanced at its pattern.

"GreyThroat, she's not just Provence anymore."

The little swallow looked up blankly.

"The Doctor is here too."

"Ah?"

After a nonsensical introduction that desperately tried to conceal Oute's "Sarkaz" identity.

"... So, Doctor, you can also..." GreyThroat managed to utter the last half of the sentence: "... possess me?"

Oute said, "The Ayerscarpe followed the trail today and discovered the forces of the Stein Free Lord. But their behavior is very strange."

"Even though the conflict arose after the Catastrophe and the area was divided into three, these three villages were still nominally his fiefdom."

"However, the lord intentionally cultivated painkiller addiction in the infected villages."

"While there is indeed a considerable profit margin from an economic perspective, in the long run, it will undoubtedly harm his interests."

The Scavenger couldn't help but interject, "Shortsighted!"

Provence's beautiful face tilted slightly towards her: No, aren't you Zalak?

"... Such a focus on short-term gains may have its own internal logic, but it doesn't align with another matter."

"So?" GreyThroat was a little dizzy. "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with my question just now?"

"The information sent back by the Rim Billiton Group and the East Country Group is enough for me to locate the remaining village. However, considering that the terminal is no longer reliable and you do not have sufficient authority to represent Rhodes Island, this is the more efficient approach."

The moonlight shone on Provence's lips, breathtakingly beautiful. "I have a lot of work to do, I don't have time to possess you now."

This is Doctor.

The Scavenger forcibly turned his head back and continued looking out the window.

Chapter 281 The Messenger

"Provence, wake up. We've arrived."

The Scavenger, expressionless, stepped across the passenger seat and tapped the squad leader's cheek.

Lupo opened his eyes in a panic. "Whoa! It's melting!"

"Phew! It was a dream! Ouch! My tail hurts!" The big-tailed wolf breathed a sigh of relief and quickly opened the car door to get out.

In the distance, the small village had already appeared on the horizon along with the sun.

The Scavenger got off the bus with him.

"You've been dreaming all the way here, but this is different from regular sleep; your brain is still functioning."

"Besides, your body has been driving the whole way, so it's normal to be tired."

GreyThroat flinched uncomfortably.

What? You're too busy to possess me?!

It's just that it's not your turn yet!

Oute said, "An off-road vehicle isn't a good place to rest. Let's establish contact with the village first, then rest... Hmm?"

"Get out of here!"

Fowlbeast flapped their wings from the rooftops of the village, scattering feathers all over the ground.

An Elafia youth stumbled away from the village, shouting, "You hate me... fine! But the Catastrophe... is coming!"

As the group drove closer, the conversation between the young man and the village became much clearer.

"... When the Catastrophe came, it didn't come! And now it's here!" The gray-haired Lupo shouted angrily, "We're homeless! It's all your fault!"

"Get out, Thor! And get out of here with your Contingency Contract!"

"We were here then! But we were... Anyway! Please listen! The Catastrophe has truly come!"

"Why haven't any other messengers come?!" Lupo demanded. "Why is it you, you scoundrel with a terrible track record?!"

"..."

"Nothing to say?! Take your bags and get out!"

Old Lupo, still sharp as ever, grabbed the messenger's package and tossed it far away.

After throwing away the package, he angrily returned to the village.

Contingency Contract... Thor?

Or is it an Elafia?

Zalak stuck his arm out of the car window and blocked the package.

Oute threw it back. "Catch it."

"Thank you... Who are you?" Looking at the SUV and the equipment mounted on its roof, the young man from Elafia was overjoyed. "Catastrophe Messenger?"

"That's right! We are from Rhodes Island! The Catastrophe Messenger Squad! The Provence Squad!" Provence exclaimed energetically.

"Why did you name it like that?" GreyThroat asked in surprise. "Rim Billiton Squad, East Country Squad, shouldn't it be called Siracusa Squad?"

"Don't worry about the details!" Provence opened the passenger door and introduced everyone, "I'm the captain, Provence, the Catastrophe Messenger! They..."

"Rhodes Island operator, codename Scavenger." Oute gave Provence a wink, deliberately distancing himself from the young man, and said, "The most important thing right now is to get into the village and find you a bed to rest. After all, Provence has been driving all night."

GreyThroat understood Oute's implication and coldly replied, "Rhodes Island operator, codename GreyThroat."

Elafia also displayed exaggerated cheerfulness. "I am Thor, the Catastrophe Messenger! Anyway, now that everyone knows each other, some of the villagers here..."

GreyThroat chased after Oute: "Wait for me! Scavenger!"

Provence took the necessary supplies and said to Thor before leaving, "Excuse me... we need to make contact with the villagers first... could you please watch the car for me, Mr. Thor?"

Thor gave an awkward smile, "Of course."

This Catastrophe Messenger (Note ①), Thor, is the "Black Hand" in the event "Twilight of Wolumonde".

He brought the Contingency Contract when the mobile town of Wolumonde in Leithanien was plunged into dire straits by a sudden Catastrophe.

He successfully persuaded Biederman, the resident Catastrophe Messenger Biederman Wolumonde, to use extreme methods to murder Rhodes Island medical operator Anto, thereby attracting external intervention and saving Wolumonde.

Old Lupo exclaimed incredulously, "This place is so easy to find!? Don't tell me you're Catastrophe Messenger too!"

Oute shamelessly overturned the positioning he had repeatedly emphasized at Lungmen: "We are a mobile healthcare platform, Rhodes Island."

He had previously claimed that his company specialized in pharmaceuticals!

"On our way to resupply, we encountered a Catastrophe." Oute's words carried an air of self-righteousness. "Out of compassion for our healers, we decided to notify the areas it might be affecting."

"I am... well, it doesn't have a name anyway. In any case, I'll just be the village chief for now." Old Lupo accepted this arrangement.

He sighed, "If only I had encountered such a good Catastrophe Messenger before, instead of a jerk like Thor..."

"I will inform the village to prepare for relocation," old Lupo said, his eyes dimming.

Fortunately, there's somewhere to go. Optimistically, it's closer to the shipping lane than this location. Pessimistically, it's even closer to the lord...

"You have come from afar, and I should personally welcome you, but..." The village chief looked troubled. "The lord's tax collectors have occupied my house."

"Tax collector?" the Scavenger asked. "Such a small village shouldn't pay much tax, so why does he seem to be a permanent resident?"

Old Lupo was speechless.

Brown vegetation dotted the desolate land, stretching the view further into the distance, where even this sparse greenery blended into the numb yellow earth.

Between the two nearly identical terrains, there is almost no clear dividing line.

The Mudrock's Squad's actions seemed to cut through this blurred boundary, emerging from the depths of the arid desert.

"I didn't expect there to be some water underground!" the Sarkaz warrior exclaimed. "No wonder you're from Sargon!"

Ribba's eyes widened. "Who said Ribba must be from Sargon?"

Are you really or aren't you?

"Yes!"

"Then why are you arguing back!?"

"That's not accurate at all!" Ribba said. "Besides, it can't simply be called underground!"

"That's a well! A well, do you understand!?"

"I thought it was called 'canal'!"

"It's all the same! In this godforsaken place! It's not about whether it rains or not, it's about how to collect the rainwater!" Ribba talked on and on, as if he had come to life.

Guh...

His stomach, however, seemed a little dissenting.

"Don't rush, my friends told me there's a village ahead," Mudrock said calmly. "We still have some Originium Ingot, which should be enough to exchange for a lot of supplies."

The Sarkaz warrior asked, "Boss, can you stop calling that thing 'friend'? It's creepy!"

"... is that so?"

This ship, soon.

Amiya, what do you think?

Faced with Oute's sudden question, the little rabbit was taken aback at first, but immediately gave a smooth and fluent answer...