A Vulpo Girl's Life as a Rhodes Island Operator

"Someone bullied you?" Ghost Sis's voice suddenly sank, as though she had recalled an unpleasant past. Then she seemed to let it go. "No, that can't be right. There shouldn't be many people over there who could bully you now. Is there some other reason?"

"Ahaha, no, no, I'm doing great." Fengling hurriedly reassured Ghost Sis. "It's because of work. I found a job, and I might be leaving Lungmen for a while."

"Little Ling..." Ghost Sis pondered for a moment before suddenly asking, "For the pork chop rice in lockup, do you want the crispy kind or the soft kind?"

Huh???

Fengling froze for a moment.

Damn!

If she had found a job that would let her leave Lungmen, then in the near future, wasn't the most likely possibility the currently high-profile Rhodes Island?

And for Fengling to get into Rhodes Island, she must have violated the Infected Management Regulations!

She had practically confessed without being asked!

"Don't, Ghost Sis! I don't want to end up in lockup again!" Fengling could only hurry to plead for herself.

"I'm joking." Ghost Sis suddenly laughed from the other end. This matter could be taken seriously or brushed aside. Fengling had caused no harm whatsoever, and there was no other evidence pointing to her, so turning a blind eye and letting it go was not impossible. Then Ghost Sis's tone turned somewhat wistful. "It's just a little regrettable that Little Ling suddenly says she's leaving... What a pity... With your skills, you could have worked for the Lungmen Guard Department."

It was just that... the Lungmen Guard Department strictly prohibited Infected from joining.

Even though Fengling was undoubtedly one of the strongest among the younger generation, a ban was a ban.

"So, is it that company called Rhodes Island?" Ghost Sis continued.

Fengling gave an affirmative reply.

"I saw someone from there once while on duty... Little Ling, you have to be careful when working there. A medical company with so many capable fighters must face dangers far greater than ordinary companies do." Ghost Sis gave her a well-meaning warning.

"Of course! If I can't beat them, I can always run!"

"That's true. If you really start running, ordinary people probably won't be able to catch you."

Ghost Sis had a very clear understanding of Fengling's current abilities.

"Chief Star, we're about to leave!"

Someone on the other end of the call was urging Ghost Sis to get moving.

Working for the Lungmen Guard Department really was exhausting.

"Well then, Little Ling, I wish you a smooth journey!"

"Mm-hmm, Ghost Sis, you should get back to work too! Work comes first!"

The call ended.

Fengling held the receiver in silence for a while before setting it back down.

She had said her goodbyes to everyone she could think of.

Fengling sat by the window.

The night gradually deepened.

Even Lungmen, the city that never slept, had its time to rest.

The streets were utterly quiet.

Now and then, a few drunks passing below the building let out strange shouts.

"Time to go~ Time to go."

Fengling removed the pendant wind chime hanging from her waist and rubbed it in her palm.

The tiny pendant wind chime was made of some unknown material. As always, it had a crystalline dark sheen, without the slightest trace of wear. The short rod beneath it, which swayed in the wind and struck the little bell, was made from the same dark material and traced with delicate golden lines, lending it an added touch of elegance.

Fengling was not stupid. After all these years, this pendant gifted by her childhood friend still looked exactly as it had back then... Its value was probably far greater than she had imagined.

She suddenly remembered her childhood days in Gouwu City.

The day before she left, after Fengling's father told her they were leaving, she had felt much the same way she did now.

There had been reluctance, confusion, and anticipation for the unknown life ahead.

The only regret was that she had not properly said goodbye to everyone as she could now.

Perhaps when she was young, she had not truly understood the meaning of "parting." She had always thought she would return soon.

Little did she know that sometimes, after one farewell, no one knew when they would meet again.

More than ten years had passed in a flash.

But then again... Fengling herself had also been stagnant for more than ten years.

On her final night in her little home in Lungmen, Fengling could barely sleep.

The sun slowly began to rise.

"Time to set off."

She washed up.

She traveled light.

One small suitcase containing only a few changes of clothes and some snacks.

One pendant, unchanged from before.

"And one adorable little fox girl!"

She set off for Rhodes Island!

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At the first light of dawn, Fengling headed for Rhodes Island's main landship at Lauter Shore, Lungmen, carrying her simple luggage.

At the entrance before boarding today, she did not see that little bunny.

That made sense. As Rhodes Island's CEO, Amiya had all kinds of matters to handle. She could not possibly wander around outside every day.

She really worked hard.

However, now that Fengling had an official identity, boarding the ship was no longer complicated.

And today, the moment Fengling arrived at Rhodes Island, someone was already waiting for her.

A Perro woman with a tall, upright figure and a solemn expression, carrying herself like a soldier.

"I am Dobermann, instructor for Rhodes Island's newly recruited operators."

The woman gave Fengling a military salute that was not from Yan, then introduced herself briefly.

Was it really this formal?

Fengling had never received any related training, so she could only greet her normally.

"Hello, I'm Fengling!"

Seeing Fengling's slight discomfort, Instructor Dobermann added, "There's no need to be nervous. Rhodes Island is not a military organization, and we are not usually so strict about rank... Of course, training is an exception. If you cannot pass training under me, then even if you work at Rhodes Island for your entire life, you will only ever be a reserve operator."

She seemed like quite a strict instructor.

Still, it was understandable. If one was careless during training, then when real danger came, blood would be the price.

"I understand!" Fengling hurriedly nodded.

Seeing that Fengling seemed to be a sensible girl, Dobermann's stern expression softened somewhat. "I have already reviewed the relevant reports on your recruitment process. It would indeed be inappropriate to keep you in the reserves for too long. However, until you complete the basic courses, you will temporarily be assigned to the A4 Reserve Team. Your operator class will also not be designated for the time being. Everything you need to do each day will be listed for you, and unless there are special orders, you may use the rest of your time freely. If you cannot complete an item on the list as scheduled, submit an application report to me beforehand. Do you understand?"

Fengling nodded.

"Repeat that," Dobermann ordered.

Fengling was not about to make a mistake over something this simple.

The A4 Reserve Team.

Complete the assigned daily courses on time.

That was what Fengling needed to do during her initial period after joining Rhodes Island: build a solid foundation and become a qualified official operator.

"Very good. Now I'll take you to your dormitory. From now on, that will be your long-term residence."

After saying that, Dobermann walked ahead, and Fengling quickly followed.

Fengling was already familiar with the scenery at the boarding entrance.

She even saw quite a few people she had met yesterday.

Fengling wore a polite smile and waved as she greeted them one by one.

Naturally, Dobermann noticed this.

"Hmph..." A faint smile appeared at the corner of Dobermann's mouth.

No matter what, a newcomer willing to make every effort to integrate into the team left an excellent impression.

They entered the elevator.

At least on the surface, Rhodes Island was roughly divided into five levels.

For such an enormous landship, five levels were clearly nowhere near enough. Even a rough visual estimate suggested there was a great deal of undisclosed space.

However, that had basically nothing to do with Fengling right now.

Most operators' living quarters were concentrated on the third level, and Fengling's new residence was no exception.

Under Dobermann's guidance, Fengling used her Rhodes Island ID card to authenticate the door.

She also memorized the room number.

3088. Not bad, easy enough to remember.

Her new residence came into view.

The room was not particularly spacious. There was a sturdy-looking, practical bunk bed, but the mattress and pillows were clearly high-end goods of excellent quality.

"A good resting environment is very important for operators," Dobermann explained. "Dormitories are shared by two people. Except in cases of special application, men and women will not be housed together. Your room is currently vacant, so you will be living alone for the time being."

On the other side of the room stood an alloy desk fixed in place. Several sets of Rhodes Island standard uniforms that Fengling had seen before were already placed on it.

Besides those, there was also a rather exquisite-looking box.

"These are all for you. When on duty, unless there are special circumstances, you are still required to wear the uniform. If the uniform is damaged, you may go to the Logistics Department to receive a replacement free of charge."

"The box contains some standard equipment selected for you by the Engineering Department and Medical Department based on yesterday's recruitment test. If you have special equipment requirements, you can go to the Engineering Department and have something customized yourself—though that will cost money. Still, the prices are very low, and the quality is much better than anything you can buy on the outside market."

At Dobermann's signal, Fengling opened the box.

Inside was a pair of extremely sturdy-looking rings. Even with Fengling's own limited eye for such things, she could tell that their main function was to serve as Arts Units, making it easier for her to use Originium Arts.

The reason they had been made into rings rather than a staff was because Fengling's demonstrated combat style primarily relied on close-quarters fighting with her fists and feet, with Originium Arts serving as support.

However, compared with a staff, rings would certainly provide less output while remaining within the safe threshold for Originium Arts.

Besides the rings, there was also a green-and-black circular band.

"You can think of this as a physiological Monitoring Ring. It regularly records various data on your physical condition. In extreme situations, it also serves as an inhibitor to prevent Originium Arts from going out of control. Operators infected with Oripathy must wear one. On your arm, leg, or neck—anywhere it can directly touch your skin. It's up to you."

Come to think of it, Fengling had seen devices in this color scheme on many people at Rhodes Island.

So that was what they were.

Fengling had not forgotten why she had come to Rhodes Island in the first place.

She still needed to cooperate with treatment.

So she obediently chose to wear it around her neck.

Although the Monitoring Ring looked very sturdy, its inner side was made of a relatively comfortable material. Having an extra object around her neck did not cause Fengling much discomfort.

As for her "starting equipment"—the pair of rings.

After thinking it over, Fengling decided to wear them on the index fingers of her left and right hands.

After all, rings had their own inherent meaning... though this was not really the time to worry about such things...

"That is roughly everything I need to introduce to you regarding your situation. If you have any questions about daily life here, you can ask the other operators in your group. Then—"

"Temporary member of the A4 Reserve Team—Fengling!"

Dobermann displayed the severity expected of an instructor, and her voice suddenly rose.