Chapter 254

"Mika... don't start eating before it's even officially started!"

Clearly, it would be extremely difficult for the petite and delicate Volper Saintia to stop Mika.

In a corner where she seemed out of place, W, dressed in red and black, smiled and perfectly fulfilled her role as a static beauty. This praise continued until she spoke:

"Hey~ Our boss's back~ Come on, don't look at me yet, look to your right, isn't there someone with even more resentment waiting for you?"

W was right. Although her tone immediately put several people in the spotlight, looking at Su Sulo, FrostNova, Mary... and perhaps Jessica, who was deliberately trying to hide her presence but was pushed over by Franka with a mischievous smile, and Typhon, who was being poked in the waist by Mika with a bewildered Typhon... everyone's gaze suddenly became filled with pink bubbles.

"... Captain, isn't there something strange about their atmosphere?"

"The feeling of being speechless and choked with emotion upon reunion after a long separation is like this."

The silence was eventually broken by the casual conversation between Yato and Durin, and then, with the addition of Closure Warfarin back and forth with a chicken leg in her hand, and the Medical Department colleagues (who Closure's throat-clearing voice immediately made the lounge lively:

"Ahem~ It seems our great hero has finally escaped the nightmare of Kal'tsit's office report. Although our beloved Minister of the Medical Department always says things like the crisis isn't over yet... I'm certain! We've achieved a partial victory by welcoming back that Medic and his colleagues!"

Let's set aside those future threats for now! Let's raise a glass together right now!

"Don't worry~ it's a non-alcoholic beverage. We all have to work afterwards, I understand."

As if she had anticipated Nana's actions, watching Warfarin, her senior who was sometimes funny and sometimes serious, hand her a glass of orange juice and milk, Nana, though still unsure of how to face everyone, was at least smiling happily for now.

"Let's celebrate the completion of the Trauma Team's mission and welcome our heroes back!"

""Cheers--!""

So, can non-alcoholic beverages also cause intoxication?

It seemed she had been holding back for a long time, until everyone had gone to work or rested and had mostly left, before Rosemary, blushing, snuggled into Nana's arms.

As the Little Cat rambled on like a drunkard about her and Outcast's actions in Columbia and their subsequent disastrous pursuit of the Rhodes Island main ship, Nana, with her signature Cole -like smile, chimed in.

When the Little Cat gets emotional and starts gesturing wildly, even using Telekinesis, Nana lets it wrap its tail around hers and then rubs its ears against her palms affectionately.

It was as if she wanted to make up for the year and a half that they hadn't seen each other all at once. The Little Cat had even glared at Jessica, who had originally wanted to stay, and made a sound like "Shh--" before taking away the wallet sister who used to be on good terms with her.

In fact, not only Jessica, who has a good relationship with the little one, but Rosemary's possessiveness was exceptionally strong today. Even Huang, Su Sulo, FrostNova, Little Peach, Little Green, who all get along well with her, were sent back to their own rest rooms by the little one.

After all... even Amiya looked a bit annoyed when she saw the flustered Rosemary after returning, so it seemed that everyone tacitly agreed to and took it for granted that Nana would be monopolized on her first day back.

However, no matter how novel and interesting the new journey was for Little Cat, no matter how despicable and worthy those criminals she had killed were... the narrative of the journey would come to an end, and the list of the guilty would eventually be finished. Rosemary, whose voice was slightly hoarse from talking all night, grasped Nana's only free hand and intertwined their fingers:

"... I miss you so much, Nana..."

"After all, more than a year has passed..."

"The thought of us being separated more and more often in the future makes me miss you terribly..."

"After all, you're all grown up now... You have things you want, so you should work hard, right?"

"But that kind of future is still too frightening..."

As she spoke, the Little Cat tried to bury her head in Nana's arms... but in fact, at fourteen years old, she could no longer do such a thing. Even though Feline was very flexible, it was still a bit difficult for her to wrap her tail around Nana's hand, rub her head against Nana's palm, and keep her other hand's fingers interlaced at the same time.

Meanwhile, seemingly hidden, the white moonlight Halo and the Little Cat's same-colored intersecting Cross-Star Halo were also interacting on an informational level... The Little Cat suddenly realized Nana's doubts about her reaction.

The Little Cat, as soft as a cloud, looked at Nana with eyes that seemed to well up with tears, and then spoke in its slightly hoarse kitten voice:

"It was only after we separated that I realized... Nana... was already my last remaining family..."

Rosemary then threw herself into Nana's arms, refusing to look up no matter how the assassin called her.

This continued for a while, until the Little Cat's strained tail softened, and Nana turned and smiled at Jessica, Huang, Amiya, and the others who were peeking out from outside the lounge.

Seeing everyone gather around, some with relieved expressions, others amusedly poking the Little Cat's cheeks, Nana imitated how Kal'tsit had comforted her before, rubbing the Little Cat's ears.

Meanwhile, in the sky where Huang and the others couldn't see, Cole, Kate, Andy, and Rosemary's brothers all appeared in reality for once, and they all gently hugged Rosemary... the little girl named Narcissa Matilda Bruce.

"It's alright, our family... is all here."

As she spoke, Nana asked the idle agent cats to reply to the greetings sent by her manager... Then Nana opened her contacts and sent belated greetings to everyone in her contact list, including Captain Puff (Teresa Walter) of the Columbia Flying Experimental Ship, Director of Blacksteel Worldwide BPRS (Jenny Franlo), the new head of the Columbia Laterano Church, Mrs. Wilson, the manager of Blessing Wilson Apartments, and everyone else in her contact list.

'Merry Christmas.'

At least, Nana is very happy right now...

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: And so it's time for the 'Medic's job' phase again, which happens every volume... Anyway, for Nana's mental health, Kal'tsit assigns her some simple tasks... After that, Nana is going to see Skadi!

It's time to show the Terra what the horrific bombing of Previous Civilization looks like.

The 8th Spring of Siracusa: 286 Nana's Work

Although Kal'tsit told her that she could relax a bit recently, the battlefield where Patriot and Black Snake's army fleets were facing off against the Old Nobility Faction was less than 50 kilometers away from Rhodes Island. So, it would be absurd to say that Nana could completely relax.

The mere sight of the ship guns, fire control radars, and magical waves sweeping across the battlefield was enough to make Nana's hair stand on end, causing her cat ears and tail fur to bristle like Lupo's. A quick calculation of the number of warships on both sides would roughly explain why Medic, who was normally a normal Feline, now had a tail that made her look like Lupo.

As for Nana's tail, which even brushing and grooming oil couldn't smooth down, the Little Cat, aside from a brief three-second moment of silence, mostly chuckled. When discovered, it would hug Nana's waist, pat the frizzy tail, and give a slightly ingratiating smile while silently mourning for another three seconds. Then, when Nana turned away, the cycle would repeat itself.

After playing a unique game of "Red Light, Green Light" with the Little Cat for a while upon waking, Nana returned to her workstation and focused on the work that Kal'tsit had predicted would be very busy.

Firstly, the supervisory authority that originally belonged to me as the head of the Human Resources Department was transferred to the Doctor. Although it might sound like a demotion, in reality, because I still belong to the Human Resources Department, and because the supervisory authority of the Human Resources Department has been upgraded from my level six to the Doctor's level eight, from the perspective of Rhodes Island's overall organization, the more accurate description is that the overall status of the Human Resources Department... or rather, its influence has increased.

Although Nana herself, with her Columbia agent background, never intended to interfere with Rhodes Island's operations or take control, lower-ranking personnel like Orchid could clearly feel that their status within the ship and the speed at which their needs were responded to had significantly improved since the Doctor's return.

If the increased compensation isn't yet readily apparent to Nana, the 'Medic' directly responsible to Kal'tsit, then the decreased need for the Rhodes Island PRTS database to access the Human Resources Department's data is undeniably clear.

Clearly, even though Kal'tsit had been referring to the Doctor as "that person" before, Kal'tsit still immediately unlocked a considerable amount of information for the Human Resources Department after the Doctor's return... This was not only to let the Doctor understand herself and Rhodes Island itself, but also obviously to let the other people in the Human Resources Department understand these originally confidential matters, so as to better assist the Doctor.

At least that's how Nana understands it.

However, after losing the authority of the Minister of the Human Resources Department, Nana discovered that the issue of unit affiliation caused by her holding multiple positions had now been reorganized.

First, Nana's original command of the Human Resources Department Operations Department force was transferred to the Doctor, but the temporary structure of the Medical Department and the Human Resources Department's Special Operations Team, which were established to protect the Doctor, was retained.

The former not only had four full-strength squadrons after the reorganization, but also had the authority to allocate personnel from various departments at will depending on the combat situation.

This is significantly more lenient than Nana's original authority, which only allowed her to mobilize one squadron (thirteen people). However, the Doctor is, after all, a Level 8 authority holder of Rhodes Island and the designated frontline commander.

So it's normal that they get better treatment than her in this aspect. Nana is more concerned about the changes in her own team composition... that is, the commanders still belong to her, similar to the concepts of the ACE team and the Scout team.

The Medic Squad, formerly known as the 'Human Resources Special Operations Team,' is named the [Rhodes Island Battlefield Cleanup and Trauma Response Team]. It is under the command of the Emergency Medical Department of the Medical Department and is directly under the jurisdiction of Kal'tsit, the head of the Medical Department.

The full strength remains a squadron, but the team's operational roster only includes Folinic as her graduate student and adjutant.

Because Nana couldn't find any other Human Resources Department position for herself after searching high and low, Nana was surprised to discover that she seemed to have been suddenly removed from the Human Resources Department system she had reorganized.

But as she continued reading, Nana discovered a privilege unlike that of traditional Senior Elite Operator... that is, the 'Medic Squad' has the same authority as the Doctor, which allows them to temporarily modify the team roster and allocate personnel from various departments depending on the battle situation.

To the average person, this might not be enough to convey the absurdity of such power. According to the new instructions given to Nana, even though she no longer possessed the key to the head of the Human Resources Department, Nana could still use this authority to drag Kal'tsit out of the Medical Department's break room to work overtime whenever she deemed it necessary...

Since the person being dragged out could be Kal'tsit, it also means that it could be any high-ranking or even Elite Operator from Rhodes Island. Nana searched through the entire PRTS and it seemed that apart from the Doctor, only she herself had this kind of authority.

After all, even the 'Classified Annihilation Squad' that is yet to be formed, with Rosemary as its core, is still a standard configuration of one Top Operator leading other regular operators. If Nana wanted, she and the Doctor could have their entire team composed of Rhodes Island's captain-level personnel.

"... In other words... I am still Rhodes Island's lowest line of defense..."

Muttering to herself, Nana signed the transfer documents from PRTS using a handwriting tablet.

Although most of the people she was close to were kept in the Human Resources Department, and she might have to work in the Emergency Medical Department of the Medical Department on the fourth floor in the future, Nana didn't think there was anything wrong with this division of power, considering that the Human Resources Department was almost becoming her private army.

After all, he was there to work, not to seize power or rebel.

After issuing the effective document to the heads of various departments in the Human Resources Department, Nana continued to look at the pile of work that could reach the ceiling, frowning as she picked out the Chernobog -related items.

These issues that Rhodes Island is currently dealing with are clearly its top priorities.

From the Sarcophagus transfer she secretly carried out under the name of Rhodes Island, to the vacation arrangements for her own personnel and the maintenance of weapons and equipment, to the relief of war refugees that can be put on the surface, and to mediating negotiations between the two sides in the Ursus Civil War as a neutral international third party... Nana has a lot to deal with.

First, there was the whole story of the Sarcophagus incident that I had reported to Kal'tsit a couple of days ago. After Kal'tsit saw it, she immediately encrypted it with Level 10 encryption and made it directly managed by SWEEP. Nana agreed to this... After all, she didn't know where Kal'tsit had put the half of the Sarcophagus that was without power. Anyway, Nana didn't want to know. Let Kal'tsit worry about this.

This operation also marked the point at which things spiraled out of control, with Nana killing two Inner Guards in quick succession... Although Kal'tsit and Nana both mentioned it briefly on Rhodes Island, it's hard to say whether this incident will actually cast a shadow over the relationship between Rhodes Island and Ursus.

Kal'tsit's annotation was to increase communication and cooperation with the Ursus authorities to minimize the threat of collateral damage caused by rescuing the Doctor... At the same time, it was also necessary not to hinder the actions of the informed 'Black Snake', lest the other party have any sudden ideas that would disrupt their plans.

Nana readily agreed... Kal'tsit's words made sense, so they did it that way. Soon, under Kal'tsit's guidance, a new electronic tag named 'Medic Read' was added for Nana.

Kal'tsit said she would personally handle the negotiations with Ursus, and regarding refugee relief, PRTS is currently divided into two parts... One part is the field relief team, consisting of members from the Human Resources Department's Welfare Department, where Eileen works, who go to the neutral zone to prepare meals for the refugees and ensure basic supplies.

In addition, the Rhodes Island Medical Department will provide humanitarian aid to civilian wounded in this war, as well as treatment and care for those the Infected after the Catastrophes.

Because of the arrival of the Patriot Chorbokashti, the former Reunion Movement members who controlled Chernobog were not as violent towards the Infected as in Ursus tradition. Therefore, they were willing to stay and wait for the negotiation results. In fact, those who chose to continue living in Chernobog accounted for two-thirds of the number of refugee the Infected.

As for the remaining third, through Kal'tsit's previous Contingency Contract and communication with surrounding city-states, the Lungmen Mobile City, led by Great Yan, was the first to express its willingness to accept mildly the Infected who could pass the immigration exam and were willing to abide by Great Yan's relevant laws and regulations.

After much discussion, the moderately the Infected were ultimately taken in by the Columbia the Infected Relief Foundation. Most of them will be transported by special public flights to the sparsely populated Columbia wilderness to establish their own pioneer villages. As for those disabled by war or unable to travel long distances due to severe illness, it is planned to establish settlements in the outer wilderness of Chernobog without affecting them.

However, because the latter will take place within Ursus's borders, the question remains whether the Columbia Foundation's funds will be allowed to enter the country. The Ursus government itself and public opinion are not optimistic about this...

The tradition of persecuting the Infected in Ursus is clearly still going strong. Compared to these feudal dregs, even a country like Columbia, whose moral standards can be said to be the lowest in the world, can be considered a moral exemplar. This is something that Nana, who knows Columbia very well, finds utterly surreal.

What should I say in this situation?

I'm begging you, please adopt some form of capitalism!

Sighing, she printed out the documents she had confirmed and signed, and sent the electronic copies to Kal'tsit... But then Nana discovered that because of the presence of an additional Level 8 access holder, Nana also needed the Doctor to sign these documents.

With these tasks on hand to be completed later, Nana continued signing documents for the Contingency Contract to have relevant companies transport supplies to Chernobog. Since these external affairs were categorized and organized by PRTS, Nana only needed to sign them. This mindless work of flipping through pages and signing documents on a whiteboard reminded Nana of the Columbia National Laboratory.

Back then, she was a signing robot in the Finance Division, the kind that specializes in signing pay slips. According to her agent, that job was so easy to make mistakes because of the cross-checking process; you could even tie a dog down and have it stamped.

With a touch of nostalgia for the past Nana quickly dealt with the last of her backlog of work in the Human Resources Department, and soon... she got to the task of arranging things for the former team members.

First, the old Human Resources Department team was disbanded, Ptilopsis was transferred to the Medical Department, and Amiya also needed to leave the Human Resources Department... After all, she was the proper CEO, and the official term for her being transferred to the action team this time was actually 'company internship'.

Aside from Ptilopsis and Folinic, the other combat personnel remain in the Human Resources Department's combat talent pool, similar to the Blacksteel Squad or Saria... after all, they initially signed cooperation agreements rather than joining Rhodes Island.

Speaking of joining Rhodes Island, Nana actually saw FrostNova's official employee onboarding approval... It seems she didn't go with Talulah the north to develop noble territories where the Infected could be treated kindly, nor did she intend to follow her father to serve the emperor.

FrostNova and her entire FrostNova Squad joined Rhodes Island, and judging from the documentation, this seems to be a decision made after careful consideration by Talulah and Patriot.

Nana was naturally happy for her friend... Not to mention that rationally speaking, splitting the Reunion Movement into different organizations would make it more resilient to risks... After all, Nana and FrostNova had spent quite a bit of time together, and seeing her leave before her condition was fully under control would leave Nana feeling terrible.

Although controlling Oripathy is currently a non-issue, that doesn't stop Nana from wanting to make FrostNova's life easier.

After handling the assignment of collaborators, Rhodes Island operators like Blaze returned to their respective squads after their field missions. With all the notifications in place, Nana glanced at her Tactical Unit being towed away by the Shipping Division Engineering Department personnel. After confirming that her equipment was being maintained, her final work at the Human Resources Department was considered complete.

However, looking at the orange-yellow lounge that the Little Cat and her friends had decorated by hand... but which actually belonged to the Human Resources Department, Nana still felt a little reluctant to part with it.

But even though she was reluctant, there was nothing she could do; she really had to move.

Glancing at the almost entirely personal belongings belonging to her and the Little Cat, and ignoring the Little Cat's extremely reluctant expression after she mentioned it, Nana flicked her still-frizzy tail, chuckled, picked up the prepared documents, and let the Little Cat lead her by the tail as the two of them went out one after the other.

"Nana?"

"Hmm, I'm going to find the Doctor... Also, I can check on the situation at the Emergency Medical Department on the way..."

After confirming that the Doctor was on the top floor, Nana secretly took the Little Cat to the ward for a peek.

Incidentally, because her combat suit and equipment were sent for maintenance, Nana is currently wearing the old-style uniform of a Rhodes Island employee, which includes firearms.

Wearing the long-unseen Rhodes Island standard black jacket and blue pleated skirt, with a medical operator insignia on the sleeve, and the outer brim of the hood and the Originium Dust protective soft collar all in Rhodes Island's signature blue... Because it was part of the outfit and for hygiene reasons, Nana also wore blue-gray surgical gloves that she might not have needed otherwise.

Then, slinging that long-forgotten medical supplies bag over my shoulder brought back all those old feelings.

Although this outfit doesn't give off the aura of a Top Operator, if it were placed on Rhodes Island's main ship, it would blend in perfectly and be completely indistinguishable from a group of ordinary operators.

If it weren't for the Top Operator named Rosemary following Nana in a custom uniform, who would notice that this unremarkable, frizzy-haired Feline is Rhodes Island's last line of defense, the legendary Medic?

Nana first saw Radrovna Alexandra Scaya in the observation ward, who was hugging Ptilopsis's waist and crying bitterly, seemingly recounting her experience of being abducted... This girl, who had been chatting happily with Nana on the train while Nana was disguised, seemed unaware of the origin of Ptilopsis's inexplicable expression.

Also in the same ward was the child of the 'Student Council', named Natalia Andrei Rostova, whom she had met once before in the industrial area.

It seems that the Student Council is deeply divided because of the Infected in the warehouse. Judging from her melancholy expression, it seems that she, as the Student Council, has to take the blame for the system's problems.

Curious as to why a Rhodes Island trainee Guardian was stationed specifically around the child's ward, Nana asked the ward manager. She then learned that Natalia had previously been attacked by other mildly the Infected in the ward for allegedly abusing the Infected.

An ordinary student, who is healthy, criticizes her; people the Infected due to Catastrophes and other reasons resent her... It seems this child has had a very difficult time lately.

Should we move her to a private room?

"I don't think so."

Before Nana and the ward director could reach a conclusion, several other Ursus children, whom they had met once before, appeared in the ward:

"Natalia ~ We've come to see you~"

"... Why do you still look so long-faced? I told you, you don't need to pay any attention to the complaints of those weaklings. Those of us who left the core area know how hard you've worked. What's the point of caring about the opinions of those who just listen to rumors?"

Watching the little bears chattering around Natalia's hospital bed, Nana only remembered that the fashionable girl with red highlights leading the group was named... General Winter, wasn't she?