We Agreed on Delta Force, So How Did It Turn into Arknights? Chapter 13

"Don't wait any longer. Dinner's about to start," the Yeti said. "Come on now."

Han Fei shook his head. "I need to find Talulah first. Wait a bit—I'll come find you afterward."

Only then did the Yeti let it go. "Then make sure you come early."

"No problem."

Han Fei waved to the Yeti, then said to FrostNova beside him, "He's pretty enthusiastic."

"The Yeti Squad has always been clear about debts and gratitude," FrostNova said. "You helped us, so we'll remember your kindness and be sincerely grateful to you."

"You're too polite."

As he spoke, Han Fei followed FrostNova to find Talulah.

Talulah was in a wooden cabin with Alina. The two were seated at a wooden table, discussing something.

Seeing Han Fei and FrostNova return, Talulah paused their previous conversation and asked, "You're back. How did it go?"

"Pretty smoothly."

Han Fei pulled out a chair and sat down. "When I came in just now, I heard you two discussing something. Need me to weigh in?"

"It's nothing important," Talulah said. "Though it does concern you somewhat, FrostNova."

"Me?"

FrostNova pointed at herself.

"Yes. You probably haven't received the news yet—Patriot is coming back." Talulah said, "While you were gone, I received a message from Patriot. He should arrive here tomorrow."

"That old stubborn fool is finally coming back?"

Though she said that, everyone present could see the delight in FrostNova's eyes.

Although their differing ideals often made her call Patriot an old stubborn fool, FrostNova actually held her foster father in great respect.

"I thought I wouldn't get to see Patriot before I left." Han Fei was intrigued as well. "Didn't expect I'd still get a chance to meet him."

But FrostNova reacted strongly to that. She suddenly turned toward Han Fei. "Leave? You're leaving?"

Han Fei blinked. "Didn't I tell you? I won't be staying on the Tundra for long. Unless something unexpected happens, I'll leave in two days."

Han Fei had three days left on his loot-and-extract run. In theory, he could stay here for another two and a half days before heading to the extraction point.

But Han Fei had no intention of cutting it that close.

After all, the Ursus Tundra was no peaceful place. Whether it was the Infected wandering the Tundra or the vicious patrol officers, both were unstable and dangerous factors.

Han Fei wasn't afraid of encountering enemies, but if his timing was too tight, he worried that after a fight, he wouldn't make it to extraction in time.

After all, traveling took time too, and he still had no idea what the route from here to the extraction point was like.

Top-Secret Space City had records of this as well.

People loved waiting until the last second to pull the lever, only to find someone camping the extraction point. Both sides opened fire, neither could pull the lever, and they just mygo'd together!

Han Fei was doing this in the flesh. He didn't want to gamble on what would happen if he got lost.

What if he died here?

So he really couldn't play the last-second extraction game. He needed to leave himself a day for mistakes, in case something happened along the way and he failed to extract in time.

The news that he was leaving caught FrostNova completely off guard. She stared blankly at Han Fei. "You never told me."

"I've heard a saying: all feasts must come to an end," Talulah said. "This parting is only for the sake of a better reunion next time."

Compared to FrostNova, Talulah was much more composed. She had known from the start that Han Fei would not remain here long, so his imminent departure did not surprise her much.

"What's with you two?"

Han Fei scratched his cheek. "I'm leaving, but not right this second. Why are you acting like we'll never see each other again?"

The Warmth of Ursus

Even after leaving Talulah's cabin, FrostNova was still in low spirits.

Han Fei glanced at FrostNova and poked her cheek. "Is it really that serious? It's not like I'm about to vanish from in front of you."

FrostNova turned her head and looked at Han Fei. "I just didn't expect the farewell to come so soon. I thought you'd at least stay here a few more days."

"I really can't."

Han Fei scratched his cheek. This wasn't a game. In a game, if you mygo'd, you could just start another round. Life had no restarts.

"Not even if I ask you to?" FrostNova said, half-joking and half-serious.

"Uh..."

Han Fei froze awkwardly, then said helplessly, "I really can't do that."

"Alright, then."

FrostNova looked away and gazed ahead. "Then when you leave, remember to tell me. I'll see you off."

"That's no problem," Han Fei said. "Even if you didn't mention it, I would've come to say goodbye."

As they spoke, the two arrived outside a wooden cabin.

FrostNova pushed open the wooden door, and a wave of warmth immediately greeted them.

The Yeti Squad inside saw them arrive and promptly called out, "Boss, Doctor Han Fei, you're here."

Han Fei recognized the Yeti as the one who had approached him for treatment earlier. "How's the wound healing?"

The Yeti scratched his head and smiled. "Pretty well. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's good."

Han Fei and FrostNova walked over to the wooden table and sat down. Dinner had already been laid out.

It was not particularly lavish, nor were the portions especially large. There was some baked bread in a basket, its crust gleaming golden-brown. Slices of dried meat were neatly arranged around the edge of a ceramic plate. In the center was a steaming pot of wild vegetable soup, more broth than vegetables, filling the entire bowl.

There were also opened cans of fruit, along with a fruit platter containing sliced pears, apples, and raspberries. The arrangement was nothing special, but at least the fruit was fresh.

"Doctor, do you drink?"

The Yeti from before came over again, holding a glass bottle marked with Ursus writing. "We found this in those patrol officers' rooms earlier."

Han Fei thought for a moment. "I can have a little."

Drinking to warm oneself on the Tundra was common. Han Fei had seen plenty of alcohol before, but since it couldn't be exchanged for Haf Coins, he hadn't taken any.

Hearing that, the Yeti immediately found a cup and moved to pour Han Fei a drink. "Doctor, I'll pour it for you."

"I can do it myself," Han Fei said.

The Yeti shielded the bottle. "How could that do? You're our honored guest today, Doctor. Let me handle anything you need."

Han Fei couldn't refuse him, so he accepted the Yeti's goodwill.

The Yeti poured Han Fei a cup. "Doctor Han Fei, give it a try."

Han Fei picked up the glass and took a sip.

That tiny sip alone gave him a very complicated expression.

Ursus truly deserved to be a country modeled after the Russians. Even its liquor had much in common with Russian vodka—it was unbelievably strong.

Han Fei rarely drank. He only had a little when dining with friends, and even then, it was beer. This Ursus hard liquor was honestly more than he could handle.

FrostNova had been watching Han Fei the whole time. Seeing his expression, she chuckled. "Not used to it?"

"It burns."

Han Fei set down his glass and let out a long breath. He had only taken a tiny sip, yet his body already felt a little hot.

"Um, Doctor Han Fei, this is for you."

Han Fei turned toward the voice beside him and saw an unfamiliar young girl holding a white flower crown.

"Thank you for saving my friend," the girl said. "Without you, she might have died beneath those patrol officers' knives. So I wanted to give you this flower crown."

Perhaps worried that Han Fei would refuse it, the girl hurriedly added before he could speak, "I made it myself. It's just that there weren't many flowers to be found, so it's a little plain. Please don't dislike it."

The flower crown in the girl's hands was indeed rather simple. Though it was called a flower crown, there were only about seven or eight white flowers on it.

Seeing the nervous girl, Han Fei smiled gently. "Why would I? You did a great job. Can you put it on for me?"

As he spoke, he lowered his head toward her.

The girl immediately relaxed, then carefully placed the flower crown on Han Fei's head.

After finishing, she bowed to Han Fei. "Anyway, thank you, Doctor Han Fei."

"No need to thank me. It was nothing," Han Fei said with a wave. "Alright, go eat too."

"Okay."

The girl replied and jogged away.

The girl's flower crown set things off. As soon as she left, another member of the Yeti Squad came over with a grateful expression. "Doctor Han Fei, thank you for everything you did. Let me toast you!"

Without waiting for Han Fei to respond, the Yeti downed the entire cup in one go.

Han Fei was dumbfounded. I can't drink this hard liquor!

But seeing the solemn look on the man's face, Han Fei felt too embarrassed not to drink. He raised his glass. "You really don't have to be so polite."

With that, Han Fei took another sip.

That turned out to be a bad beginning. Soon, Han Fei learned what Ursus hospitality truly meant.

One Yeti Squad member after another appeared before Han Fei with a cup in hand, thanking him for treating them during the day.

That alone would have been fine, but every one of them was bolder than the last. Who knew how many bottles of liquor they had seized from the patrol officers' outpost that day? Everyone had a cup, and every toast began with them draining it in one gulp.

After downing their drinks, they would stare eagerly at Han Fei, making it seem as though he had no choice but to drink as well.

Sip after sip went down. Even though he only took a small sip each time, he couldn't withstand being toasted like this.

Before long, the liquor in Han Fei's cup had run dry.

"Stop toasting me, stop. I really can't drink anymore. If I drink any more, I—"

Before he could finish, Han Fei's body went limp, and he began to collapse onto the table.

Fortunately, FrostNova reacted quickly and caught Han Fei, keeping him from falling face-first onto the table.

"Uh, Boss, did we do something wrong...?"

Only then did the Yeti Squad realize that Han Fei's tolerance seemed less than ideal. They all looked embarrassed.

"It's fine."

FrostNova waved a hand. "Someone help me support him. Since he's drunk, let him rest first."

FrostNova herself couldn't support Han Fei. Her body temperature was too low; if she did, Han Fei would probably freeze stiff.

"I'll do it."

A Yeti immediately came over and helped Han Fei up. "Boss, where are we going?"

"Follow me."

FrostNova rose to her feet, led the man out of the cabin, and headed straight in one direction.

At first, the Yeti did not understand. Only when he saw their destination did he realize FrostNova's intention. "Boss, that's your room."

"Is there a problem?" FrostNova glanced at him.

The Yeti immediately backed down. "Uh, no objections here."

"Don't get strange ideas."

FrostNova looked away and said as if nothing had happened, "I don't know where he rested yesterday, so he can sleep in my room. I'll figure something out for myself."

Patriot

When the morning light streamed through the gaps in the wooden window and fell across Han Fei's eyes, he slowly opened them.

The moment he sat up, a sudden headache made him bare his teeth in pain.

"Tch, that hurts."

Almost instinctively, Han Fei decisively pulled out his Hormone Gun and gave himself an injection.

"Hiss, much better."