Chapter 73

"So~ I'm running away too~ Good luck, top student! Jessica, don't be sad, the captain is thinking of you~ Bye~"

Watching the dog-fox skip away after Nana as if he had been ordered to skip work, Liskarm smirked.

"Alright, since you're on business, I won't swore at you this time... you sly fox."

"Wow, you two have a really good relationship."

Without refuting Huang's intrigued statement, Liskarm looked at the Little Cat being led by Su Sulo in warm-up exercises, swishing its tail and doing stretching gymnastics alongside Su Sulo, and asked:

"So... what exactly is the attack by Medic's adopted daughter... Operator Rosemary? Although Nana has told me several times that I have to get used to it, I still haven't seen how that child fights."

"Emmmmm... How should I put it... I can only say that it's something that's probably inconvenient to even demonstrate... Of course, this isn't to say I have a problem with the Blacksteel members, but that kid's attack is really dangerous. If we were to demonstrate it seriously, Rhodes Island would be smashed through... That's about how inconvenient it is."

Listening to Huang's description, which sounded more like a description of shipborne artillery than humanity, Liskarm instinctively thought his old friend was joking, so he smiled and waved his hand.

"This is outrageous! How can someone just smash through Landship like that?"

But seeing Huang's completely unsmiling and extremely serious expression, Liskarm's smile also became awkward:

"After all, even Vouivre like us, known for our physical prowess, couldn't do it, let alone a little Feline... Surely no one can easily smash through Landship, right?"

"Perhaps you can exaggerate a bit more. Rosemary's attacks aren't just capable of easily smashing through Landship; when she gets serious, she can even trigger natural Catastrophes earthquakes... And judging from current records, that attack, which wasn't even at full power, still caused a magnitude 7 earthquake..."

"... Are we taking this child to Ursus to overthrow the royal family and install a new king?"

Seeing that Liskarm's expression was gradually becoming serious, Blaze shrugged:

"Medic said she wanted to take her along, and Director Kal'tsit agreed... Of course, it's possible that Medic is still weak and the Little Cat is worried about her, which is why she insisted on coming along... In any case, having an annihilation operator in the team is always a good thing. For example, when we're being chased by the Ursus Nobility, we can really crush them."

"... I always felt that your tone carried a hint of personal conflict."

"After all, I'm also the Infected, and you know how those Ursus Nobility treat the Infected..."

Shaking his head, Huang didn't say much on the matter. As the Engineering Department's Vulcan operator pushed the trolley to transport the four Tactical Unit to the training ground, it meant that Rosemary's training would officially begin.

While Vulcan was efficiently completing his orders as usual and preparing to move on to the next task, the Little Cat didn't immediately begin teamwork training... but instead grabbed Vulcan.

"Meow..."

"... Little Cat? What's wrong?"

"My mother and sister asked me to commission you to make two more Tactical Unit."

"... Mom, sister?"

After a moment's hesitation, Vulcan, being an equipment specialist, didn't know much about the Little Cat's situation in the Medical Department and Operations Department, so she didn't pay much attention to the Little Cat's explanation.

"So, you want two more Tactical Unit? Hmm... but based on your previous training results, the optimal number of Tactical Unit is indeed four... if you increase it any further, your accuracy will decrease again, won't it?"

"Hmm, so those two aren't for me..."

Wagging its tail and twitching its ears happily, the Little Cat took out its notebook, flipped to its old 'family portrait' drawing... and pointed to the person in the drawing, which was also on Feline but colored with black watercolor.

"It's for Nana- neechan... for Medic operators... You can add the Firearms Arts Nana- neechan is very good at on top! She's amazing with those!"

"... I see... However, Little Cat, your tactical equipment is a very complex thing. Modifying it would cost a lot... Settling it with public funds would require the signature of the Engineering Department or the department head. In addition, it might also require magical coordination with the Medic operators... You've done those things before, just remind me of the process later."

"Okay, I understand. I'll explain it properly to Medic Erlin Wuling Jiuliu... However, we'll be going on a mission soon, and custom-made parts might take a lot of time, so temporary use..."

"... Your Tactical Unit have spare parts. How about temporarily assigning Units Number Five and 6 to the Medic operators?"

"Okay! That's settled then! I'm going to train now~"

"... Be careful with equipment wear and tear; maintaining your stuff is quite a hassle."

Smiling, he watched the Little Cat fly away. Vulcan, using his prosthetic leg, got up, and seeing the Little Cat then playfully engage in a frenzied grazing game with his teammates, he sighed.

"... That's so nice."

"That's great! That car seems to still be usable."

"It's great that Blacksteel Worldwide conveniently recycled the truck bed parts from that vehicle... I was already prepared to buy new parts..."

As they left the communications room, it was unclear whether Franka or Doctor. Franlo had more influence, but in any case... after learning that 'Rhodes Island's Medic operators wanted to reclaim the Exploration Vehicle,' Blacksteel Worldwide readily explained the vehicle's current situation and assured them that they would use a transport aircraft to deliver it to Rhodes Island, ensuring that 'Rhodes Island Medic operators' wouldn't have any work interrupted.

Franka, however, saw it clearly: this was probably just a matter of the Medic operator having a lot of influence...

After all, he is a hero of Columbia, the Light of Ticarondo... Now, any company that makes a living in Columbia, who wouldn't give Rhodes Island some face? Not to mention that 'Medic Operator' personally asked for him, Blacksteel would certainly not refuse.

After all, Blacksteel gained a lot of prestige along with Rhodes Island three years ago. In addition, Blacksteel now has a deep collaboration project with Rhodes Island on the treatment of the Infected, and most of the Infected staff who were previously in Ticarondo have now been transferred to Rhodes Island.

Rhodes Island is currently the preferred choice for Blacksteel to house injured operators, and is also the largest supplier of Originium blocking drugs. Furthermore, Blacksteel is not only the origin of Rhodes Island's regular employees; the doctors at Rhodes Island's logistics stations, who previously lacked protection, now have Blacksteel's the Infected operators providing escort and undertaking drug delivery tasks similar to couriers.

Without Rhodes Island's support, Blacksteel would be doomed, not to mention the Infected problem from three years ago, just the return of treatment costs to normal would be enough to make it explode... After all, Rhodes Island's medical care... truly embodies the principle of exchanging labor for medical treatment, which translates to virtually no cost.

Rhodes Island, in addition to its main Landship and logistics stations, especially in dangerous and war-torn areas, now relies on Blacksteel PMC for over 40% of its defense... The cooperation between the two sides, which began three years ago with the Catastrophes disaster, has now deepened to an almost entangled level.

It's hard to say whether the lower-level staff on both sides view each other with a "your home is my home" attitude... There are only four operators like Franka on the Rhodes Island main ship who possess both Rhodes Island and Blacksteel armbands, but they are commonplace in Rhodes Island's bases around the world.

Seeing that Nana was still puzzled, Franka simply comforted her:

"After all, Blacksteel didn't hold back either. They used that vehicle for three whole years... They've already made back the maintenance costs, and there's definitely more to go... However, I don't know if any parts in the cargo compartment need to be replaced... At least rearranging it will take a lot of work... So, it seems we really need a dedicated logistics team to take care of that vehicle... Six people? Someone like Vanilla should be enough."

"... Is Vanilla's logistical skills really that good?"

"No, I was just using an example."

Seeing Franka's bright smile, Nana twitched her cat ears, then blinked her distinctive heterochromatic eyes and looked at someone passing by.

"At the very least... you need logistics and maintenance skills, right? Why don't you do it?"

"Ah?"

Closure was a little confused when Nana suddenly grabbed her, and she was holding a can of cola in one hand.

What did you say?

3rd This Land: 073 A4 Action Group

"So, let's go to the Ursus Snowfield together..."

"No! No way! I won't go! Don't even think about it! Even if Kal'tsit hangs me on the antenna, you won't let me leave the warm command center!!"

She carefully placed the cola on the table, and then Closure, as if possessed by a monkey, clung to the partition pillar, seemingly glued to the wall, letting Nana drag and pull her along. Her coat and T-shirt bounced back several times, but she herself remained completely still.

Seeing that this guy refused to move like a bat that was completely averse to light, Nana said helplessly:

"But... if our squad is deployed in a large vehicle, we'll definitely need to bring engineering personnel... If you don't go, I'll have to ask Kal'tsit to find someone from the Engineering Department for me, which means I'll still have to ask you, right?"

"No, no, no, asking me to find someone and specifically asking me to go are two different things... Besides, I'm not just responsible for maintaining Rhodes Island, I'm also doing the system maintenance for PRTS, so it's impossible for me to go out with you."

Seemingly having had her fill of fooling around, Closure jumped back to the ground and picked up her cola again.

"However... if the Human Resources Department Action Team is indeed going to deploy in large vehicles this time, instead of using public transportation, like last time... then they really should be assigned an engineer."

"... What about the Weedy you introduced me to last time?"

Nana's words seemed to have hit Closure's sore spot again. The Bloodfiend, still clutching a soda can, dramatically bit through the aluminum can with his tiny fangs: Three

"All I did when I introduced you was say you were the perfect substitute... Did you really have to drag away my only senior engineer? She just took over the sterile renovation of the medical area, which means I only had time to slack off and drink cola after giving her half the work... You can't make me work overtime just because of a joke..." Ling

"Then tell me which engineers from Rhodes Island can join the group..."

Seeing Nana's "you have to give it to them no matter what" attitude, Closure also anxiously wringing her hands... She knew all too well how busy the Rhodes Island Engineering Department was. Logically speaking, all departments on Rhodes Island were currently undergoing their own renovations to meet their needs: pharmacy, blood bank, wards, dormitories, garden herb greenhouse... engineers were needed everywhere to draw up blueprints, so where would they find the manpower?

"... Don't talk like engineers are cheap and everywhere, okay? Even Weedy's resume was only found because I was quick to spot her... By the way, aren't you in the Human Resources Department?! Why don't you do some Human Resources Department work and hire more technical staff?" Qi

"Even if you tell me that, I haven't really seen many technical staff resumes... Aren't most of the technical staff at Rhodes Island people retired from the Operations Department?"

Hearing Nana's words Closure's voice abruptly stopped, as if a goose had been grabbed by the neck... Then, as if reminded of something by Nana's words, Closure up:

"Right, dedicated professional engineers are hard to find, but there are plenty of operatives with engineering skills... Anyway, you just want someone to help maintain the vehicles and handle logistics, right?... Then why not go to the A4 Action Group?"

"... A4 Action Group..."

"They're veterans of Rhodes Island; Captain Yato has eight years of service experience..."

"Has Rhodes Island been established for eight years?"

"... Ahem, anyway, Yato is a veteran operator, her skills are decent and she's a steady person. Logistics tasks are a piece of cake for her... Most importantly, the A4 Action Group has a Durin."

"Durin..."

Upon hearing about this race, Nana quickly recalled the information about this race from her mental database.

Their short, childlike stature, coupled with their advanced machinery manufacturing industry that produces extremely efficient mining equipment, and their technology, which follows a completely different path from that of surface nations, seems to enable them to live an ideal, self-sufficient life underground.

Their efficient mechanical technology means that even when they are on the ground, they often don't stay long... because compared to their homeland, even Columbia probably can't call itself 'advanced'.

How could someone from the Durin race be stationed on Rhodes Island as an operator?

Nana suddenly became interested in her.

"... Is it Durin, the kind of person who's very skilled at mechanical maintenance?"

"Although he's hired as a sorcerer here, as Durin, how could he not be good at mechanical maintenance... You know, any Durin from the underground, even if not a professional, has enough mechanical skills to be a mechanic, since mechanical knowledge is part of their compulsory education... In the end, Nana, you want a maintenance person, not a senior engineer to draw up new blueprints for you. So stop focusing on Weedy and me, go find the A4 Action Group."

Seeing Closure's recommendation, Nana used her access to the Human Resources Department to find the blonde girl codenamed 'Durin'... After confirming that 'mechanical repair' was indeed among her abilities, Nana let Closure go.

"Alright, since you put it that way... Franka, you should go back to the training grounds first. I bet none of you Blacksteel Team members have ever seen my kid fight before, so go and get used to it... I'll go contact the leader of A4 Action Group first."

"Okay, then we'll see you in the lounge after lunch~"

After bidding farewell to Franka and Closure, carrying a very rare large gun, Nana wandered around Rhodes Island...

She had just contacted A4 Action Group via Rhodes Island's local network, thankfully without the frustrating situation where Nana had to contact someone only to have them disappear.

According to PRTS records, the A4 Action Group had just completed its acclimatization training and was undergoing maintenance at the Rhodes Island.

Ironically, the A4 Action Group's leader Yato, has eight years of combat experience, Durin has two years, and the other two... Black Horn also has eight years, while Ranger, though less experienced, is still a veteran with five years of combat experience... But the A4 Action Group was only established in early 1093, and has only been around for a few months.

So what were they doing before the A4 Action Group was formed?

The same problem exists with the E3 Action Group.

The term "E3 Squad" existed even before Rhodes Island was established... However, the registration date of Rhodes Island's E3 Squad does not match the operation records of operators such as ACE at all.

Before becoming Rhodes Island operators, these people must have been operating as A4 or E3 Squad of some other organization... It's easy for Nana to analyze this kind of thing, but Nana's not interested in really going into a deeper discussion.

As a special agent, it's a matter of experience not to be curious about what friendly forces are trying to hide... What if you actually discover something and get yourself silenced?

The agent, who had been sent by the ICA to eliminate witnesses several times, was certain of this.

It seems that because Nana's account had high privileges, A4 Action Group's Yato replied quickly, but by the time she realized what was happening and called to inquire about the situation, Nana had already found the door to their lounge.

Perhaps to accommodate Durin, who is accustomed to underground life and suffers from narcolepsy, the A4 Action Group's lounge and its corridors are designed with very soft lighting.

Walking here, Nana even had the illusion that it was already bedtime... In addition, after this walking tour of Rhodes Island, Nana also discovered some Rhodes Island issues... For example, some automatic doors were broken and needed to be opened manually, and some walls and corridors were not painted... But let's leave these aside for now.

What surprised Nana the most was the layout of the A4 Action Group's lounge.

With a casual "hello," Nana was ushered into the lounge by a masked Rhodes Island operator.

"Um... I'm sorry, we were on a mission and didn't stay here. Then we formed a four-person team, but we left before we could set up... so this place has been used as a warehouse ever since."

Looking at the lounge, which resembled a courier warehouse, Nana saw that the large room was filled with cardboard boxes, each labeled with the name of a member of the A4 Action Group to indicate the status of its owner. She wiped away imaginary sweat.

"Hmm... it's nothing, but some necessary furniture is still needed. It can effectively relieve fatigue, and the effect should be better than that air mattress... although, you guys probably won't have time to set up the lounge again."

"Captain Yato should have seen this; I've already sent a request to PRTS to deploy A4 Action Group... Once the Landship in Kazdel, you will all be joining the Human Resources Department Special Operations Group in the rescue operation for the Ursus the Infected."

"You will be part of the support team for the Human Resources Department's operational forces, responsible for the maintenance of vehicles and equipment, as well as logistical support... You may also be responsible for some long-distance transportation work..."

"Given that this mission may involve direct combat with the army, military personnel, or nobles, I will try my best to keep everyone away from the battlefield... Vehicle information is in the mission file, and vehicle maintenance may be entrusted to Operator Durin..."

As usual, she got straight to the point about the mission, but just as she was finishing, Nana suddenly realized that Yato seemed to be the only person in the entire rest room.

"... Um, where's Operator Durin?"

"Hmm... she's underneath that soft-sided inflatable boat..."

As Nana's expression turned strange, because Yato's eyes were covered by a mask, Nana couldn't see her gaze, but judging from the twitching corners of Yato's mouth, she was probably not at peace.

At Yato's prompting, Nana began to search the room carefully, and near the conspicuous black air mattress, Nana heard faint breathing sounds.

The funny thing is, Durin didn't sleep in the bed... she chose to crawl under it.

If you look closely, it's actually an air mattress with an air boat stacked on top of it; if you don't look closely, you might mistake it for a large mattress.

Normally, Nana would have lifted the mattress to see what was going on.

After all, as an action team member, not being present when the mission was assigned meant missing out on a lot of crucial information... However, considering that her arrival here was purely a surprise attack, and that Durin's file also described his morbidly excessive sleepiness... Recalling the girl in the file who looked about the same size as Rosemary, Nana gave up the idea of flipping over the other person's bed.