Chapter 127

There was someone inside, presumably a woman.

Is he Doctor?

The meaning in Ace's eyes was so clear that it didn't need to be spoken.

Scout hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Uncertain.

It may be, or it may not be.

The traces left behind, in terms of personal habits, did not match the traces left by the Doctor he had seen before 100%; there were significant discrepancies. In fact, if one had to pinpoint a similarity, there was only one...

Half right.

But...

Click.

Ace raised her shield. As Elite Operator, they knew they should remain vigilant in the current situation, especially given the uncertainty surrounding whether it was the Doctor.

Even though... very few people besides the Doctor know about this safe house.

Even they only learned of this place after Dr. Kal'tsit told them the address.

Scout loaded the gun and then, as if on cue, hid in the shadows in front of Ace, out of his sight.

"Three... two... break down the door."

With a whisper, Ace raised his shield and smashed through the gate!

Bang!!

The room fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop. Ace and Scout, however, remained rooted to the spot. After scanning the room, they suddenly noticed something inconspicuous: in front of a table in a corner, sitting quietly... a paper bag?

Oh no, it should be... a woman with a fast food bag on her head?

However, just by looking at each other's backs, they could be almost certain of one thing.

She has Doctor!

"Doctor! We've come to save you!"

"Alas!!"

Suddenly, the Doctor, who was under the paper bag, broke out in a cold sweat.

"Calm down, Doctor, they're on our side."

"Also, don't instinctively raise your hands above your head; the Gaul is outdated."

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! These two guys are definitely not to be messed with! Did you hear how they broke down the door just now?!"

"They're on our side? Why do I feel like they're here to arrest me?!"

'... Hmm, is that how you interpret it?'

"What?!!"

"Don't worry, I'm here. Just say whatever I say."

As Ace looked at the figure in front of her, she was suddenly filled with a sense of oppression.

Then he saw the other person slowly turn around, extend their hand, and speak in a low voice.

"Where's the terminal?"

"I hope Kal'tsit remembers what she was supposed to do."

Her voice was hoarse and cold, like a well-worn machine.

Chapter 84, What? Rhodes Island? Haha, I'm not going (Part 2)

"Doctor, this is--"

Ace handed her a terminal screen that was only slightly larger than the palm of his hand, but before he could explain, he spoke first.

"Preliminary RodesIsland Terminal System."

"Elementary Rhodes Island Terminal System, abbreviated as PRTS. Thanks for the reminder, but I know how to use it."

The man looked at the woman in the paper bag with some surprise. You see, Rhodes Island's system had undergone a major overhaul by engineer Closure, and apart from the basic system framework, it had almost nothing in common with the original system.

Theoretically, Doctor should not know...

No, theoretically speaking.

Thinking of this, Ace unconsciously turned around and glanced at Scout beside him.

This is Doctor.

Don't make unfounded assumptions.

Dr. Kal'tsit once said that on this land... the Doctor knows everything.

However, what they didn't know was that the seemingly indifferent and calm Doctor was using the paper bag on his head to hide the various tense expressions on his face.

"Ugh, how do I use this? What do you mean I don't need their help? I have no idea how to use it!"

'Alright, stop arguing and behave yourself. Don't let them see how flustered you are.'

'First, if I'm not mistaken, the flashing diamond in the center of the screen is for biometric verification. Place your finger on it... with your left index finger.'

"There's a hint of uncertainty in your tone..."

The Doctor asked the Wraith in his mind with some suspicion, but to his surprise, the latter did not pretend at all and spoke frankly.

"Of course, none of this was completed before I was stuffed into that Sarcophagus; back then, I was still using a test version of the system codenamed Babel."

Damn it.

However, to the Doctor's surprise, the moment she touched the center of the screen with her left index finger, the image began to flip rapidly, accompanied by a cold female voice, and the system was fully activated.

[Biometric authentication passed.]

[Permission level verification in progress... Permission level 8.]

[... Infrastructure module is linking, communication module is restarting, Rhodes Island ship-wide self-check has begun, data is updating.]

[Welcome back, Doctor.]

In the scene, a massive ship with an internal structure resembling a whale skeleton is disassembled into several different sections, with various parameters and statuses displayed in great detail before the Doctor.

And far beyond the Victoria City, in the wilderness.

At the same moment, all systems on the massive landship named "Rhodes Island" froze at this instant.

Kal'tsit stood on the deck of the ship, watching the massive structure before her, a masterpiece of industrial and metallic beauty, come to a halt at this moment.

Immediately afterwards, one by one, the warning lights and streetlights went out.

Soon, the noise in my ears

A commotion arose, and she turned her head to see a Bloodfiend engineer named Closure running towards her in a panic, shouting as she ran.

"No, this is terrible! Dr. Kal'tsit! The system, the ship's systems have all inexplicably shut down! The infrastructure settings, like the lathes, weren't even adjusted yet, this will cause even more delays... Wait, why are all the lights on the deck off too...?"

However, before she could continue to ask her questions, the lights on the bridge, which had been turned off, suddenly came on again.

Soon, the illuminated areas spread rapidly like ripples on water, restarting again without anyone knowing why.

It was almost as if... it was foreshadowing something coming.

"Ugh... wait a minute! What's wrong with the infrastructure parameters... it just inexplicably disconnected, how come it's showing as runnable as soon as I turned it on—is it a system bug?!"

Closure exclaimed, holding up the terminal in her hand.

However, Kal'tsit silently observed everything before her, and then spoke to answer the former's question.

"It's not a bug, she's back."

"She?"

Closure aback.

"Wait! Her? No way... what about adjusting the infrastructure parameters...?"

"Don't worry about it. Since it's because of her actions, then it's the best-case scenario."

Kal'tsit took a deep breath and then walked straight to the main control room.

She knew that the other person was also waiting for her at that moment...

The mere contact caused such a commotion, it's practically announcing the return of the ship's owner... Doctor... have you changed your mind again?

"Holy crap, did I click on something again?!"

[Risk detected]

[Infrastructure complete.]

"Damn it! Why can't I exit? Do I have to click through all these parameters and build options before I can exit?!"

'Yeah, if you hadn't clicked randomly, things wouldn't have turned out like this.'

"Shut up! My hand just shook a little. Aren't you nervous being stared at by two fully armed men with those expectant looks?"

'Don't be nervous.'

"Damn it—phew, finally finished clicking through! What kind of garbage tutorial is this? It won't let you pass until you've done all the steps..."

However, before the Doctor could finish complaining, his terminal, which had just returned to the main page, was suddenly filled with a red communication request.

"... communication?"

"Have they arrived? Connect, Doctor. This is also the purpose of our trip."

At the Wraith's instruction, the Doctor placed the terminal on the table and then leaned back in his chair.

Communication established.

Soon, a green Feline with an indifferent expression appeared on the screen.

Good morning, Kal'tsit. It's nice to see you still looking so energetic.

The Doctor's voice, even through the screen and through a paper bag, made his face reappear in Kal'tsit's mind.

[It's a pleasure to see you again, Doctor.]

At this moment, Kal'tsit was sitting upright in her chair, just like an obedient student.

"It seems that Rhodes Island is ready to begin initial operations?"

[At present, yes.]

"Very good. Next, there's something I need you to handle: the Loken Watertank in Columbia. I suggest you learn about their deeds and the things they've been experimenting on behind the scenes. If all goes well, I hope Rhodes Island will take in the survivors of that experiment."

"Also, regarding the production of Originium Suppressant, the infrastructure has been adjusted to its optimal state. Apart from necessary operations, I need a batch of production lines specifically for suppressant production. I will draft a detailed production and operation process for you in a few days; just follow it."

[A few days? Doctor, you mean?!]

Kal'tsit was startled, then stood up and looked at the figure on the screen, shouting.

"Kal'tsit."

However, her exclamation did not elicit any change in the other person's tone; the Doctor remained seated on the sofa, as cold as a statue.

[Excuse me... Doctor, don't you plan to return to Rhodes Island...?]

She looked up, trying to sound serious as she asked the Doctor.

However, after I finished listening, the Doctor simply raised his head slightly, and the pupils in the paper bag became as deep as a bottomless abyss in an instant.

"I'm informing you, Kal'tsit, not asking for your opinion."

"You should know that instructions are meant to be executed, not discussed or refuted."

[...I'm sorry, Doctor ...I understand.]

[But your safety--]