Miss Vulpo's Life as a Rhodes Island Operator

If all they needed to do was fight, perhaps there would not be much to fear.

The soldiers in these detachments were poorly trained themselves, and it was difficult for them to possess any large-scale battlefield weapons.

The Reunion Movement could absolutely join forces to crush a small force of this level.

But the settlement was full of women, children, and the elderly.

They had no combat ability.

The settlement was not small. With the Reunion Movement's manpower, holding it would be extremely difficult. If they tightened the defensive perimeter too much, they would be vulnerable to area-of-effect weapons. In the end, they would likely have to abandon the settlement and hide in the surrounding woods, then look for a way to break through from a single point.

"Let's go, before things get chaotic." Talulah gave Fengling a push toward her truck, forcing a smile onto her face. "I'll remember you, my friend. May we meet again someday."

Fengling did not want to run away like this.

If she ran now, even the color of her tail would turn dull!

Though reason told her that she should not get involved in this matter, that she should leave.

She should take the nearly full load of minerals back to Rhodes Island.

She should...

"Thud!"

Fengling stomped hard on the ground.

Talulah, who was closest to her, even felt the ground tremble.

Her back tensed instinctively.

What kind of monstrous strength is that?!

"I, Fengling! Am not! The kind of person who abandons her friends and runs away!!!"

Using all her strength, eyes shut tight, Fengling shouted every word aloud.

She slapped her cheeks hard.

Thinking rationally always felt incredibly frustrating!

At her core, Fengling was a girl who leaned heavily toward emotion.

She was capable of rational thought, but when it came time to make the final decision, she preferred to follow how she felt at the moment.

"If there's anything I can't be sure of! It's that I can't tell from the information I have whether you, Talulah, are lying to me! For example, maybe the people coming after you aren't warlords, but regular troops carrying out a punitive mission under some order."

"...Don't worry." Talulah looked at Fengling's expression and laughed. "In Lungmen dialect, lying to you... would make me a puppy."

"Then I won't retreat. Absolutely not!" Fengling shouted, pointing at the Rhodes Island insignia on her coat. "Rhodes Island fights for everyone striving to live! That was the first thing my seniors taught me after I came to Rhodes Island! I believe in my decision, and it absolutely does not go against Rhodes Island's principles!"

"So confident... What if you get fired?" Talulah asked after laughing a few times.

"Then... I suppose I'll have no choice but to stay here and work..." Fengling's voice grew quieter.

"Ah, then you should get fired! We'll support you!"

"Hey! This job means a lot to me! I'm putting my whole career on the line here!" Fengling said with a trace of displeasure.

After looking at each other for a moment, the two smiled.

"Pfft! Hahaha..."

The tense atmosphere eased somewhat.

But that relief did not last.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion sounded from the rear of the settlement.

"Looks like even if I had chosen to retreat just now, I wouldn't have been able to leave anyway." Fengling blinked. "Fate has decided it. It seems this disaster was meant for me after all."

They... Were Enemies

"Big Sis Talulah! This is bad! A group of people in Ursus military uniforms has attacked!"

A panting sentry ran over and confirmed that the settlement was under attack.

Since the Reunion Movement's settlement had come under attack, Talulah and Fengling needed to act immediately.

Fortunately, Talulah had originally been seeing Fengling off, so they were standing right beside Fengling's truck.

To Talulah, Fengling was unexpected extra combat strength.

Fengling had not been included in the original combat plans, which meant that she was currently a free agent in this soon-to-be battlefield.

"Talulah, catch!"

Fengling opened the truck and tossed down a compact-looking but sturdy walkie-talkie.

Though Terra had failed to develop ultra-long-distance communication methods for certain reasons, communications within a small area had long since become a mature technology.

At the very least, this walkie-talkie had a range far greater than the Reunion Movement settlement.

"Get moving, Talulah! I think you're needed elsewhere right now. As for me, I need to urgently report the situation to Rhodes Island first. Then I'll do my best to find some isolated people and get information from them."

"Okay!"

This was not the time for pointless talk. That explosion just now had been highly abnormal; it practically announced the beginning of an attack.

Talulah said nothing more. After taking Fengling's walkie-talkie, she immediately set off.

"Fengling, you're close to the house. I appreciate your help, but I don't want to cause you more trouble... There's a Reunion Movement coat inside. It's mine, and it should fit you. Remember to put it on."

Talulah's voice immediately came through Fengling's walkie-talkie.

"And... if you can, help me look after Alina and the others. We'll still try to defend the settlement. They're on the eastern side, at a huge warehouse. You've been wandering around these past few days, so you should know it. It's suitable for hiding, and there's a secret passage for retreating. I sent several teams to guard it, but I'm afraid something could still go wrong. Once you're done with what you need to do, I'm leaving them to you."

"Okay." After replying to show that she understood, Fengling climbed back into the truck.

She turned on the radio and quickly switched the frequency to the emergency channel.

"Rhodes Island, this is Fengling. I am at the Reunion Movement settlement, roughly on the mountain southeast of Sector 5-4 in this mission's operational area. I am under attack. According to one-sided information from Reunion Movement leader Talulah, the enemy should be a warlord force subordinate to the Ursus Third Army. Based on the information currently available, they are expected to disregard my Rhodes Island identity and harm me."

"This is Rhodes Island. A support team will be dispatched immediately. Operator Fengling, please ensure your own safety."

"May I ask... under these circumstances, am I permitted to assist the Reunion Movement in combat?"

There was only a few seconds of silence on the other end before a response came through.

Fengling's request was swiftly approved.

"Of course you are permitted. Then may fortune favor you in battle, official Rhodes Island Operator Miss Fengling! But please still ensure your own safety."

The report was over.

The last stone weighing on Fengling's heart finally fell.

Official operator...

Rhodes Island's manner of addressing Fengling made its attitude very clear. That also allowed Fengling to truly cut loose.

"First..."

Fengling stepped out of the truck and closed her eyes to listen. All kinds of sounds traveled through the wind into her ears.

Though the sounds were distant and indistinct, she could roughly tell that skirmishes had already broken out in at least four areas.

"However... there are no sounds of fighting from the direction where I first heard the explosion. It should be a small infiltration unit."

If their goal was profit, then they would definitely have their eyes on this Rhodes Island Specialist truck.

It was a demilitarized military truck, and it had also been modified by those wildly imaginative colleagues in Rhodes Island's Engineering Department. Anyone unfamiliar with it would likely have to put in some work to drive it away.

Without sufficient cracking skills and technical knowledge, they probably could not even hotwire the truck.

Fengling decided to take a small risk.

This was her first time in a combat situation like this.

The grim atmosphere was worlds apart from group fights with street thugs.

Fengling knew her own limits. Compared to the most elite combatants, she was still lacking, but compared to ordinary soldiers, her abilities were more than enough.

As long as she grasped the range where she held the advantage, she could face this danger without a scratch.

Even for larger battlefield engagements, Rhodes Island had taught her on paper how to handle them.

What remained was practical experience.

"Since I want to help Talulah gather information, there's no need to change out of my Rhodes Island coat yet."

As a third party on the battlefield, especially one who was ostensibly a "victim" of the Reunion Movement, Fengling could at least create a harmless image in front of those warlords.

Fengling did not know whether soldiers on a battlefield would obey the most basic rules, but she understood the minds of greedy people very well.

She would be an easy target.

"Then... I need to prepare a gift at the very least."

Fengling hid her weapon, the unremarkable-looking War Club, beneath the truck.

She removed a trigger flash grenade from her leg strap, pulled its ring, lightly braced it against the truck door with her back, and concealed it with her tail.

Then she put on a pitiful, tearful expression and assumed a harmless posture of surrender.

The Vulpo girl, with a belly full of schemes, decided to stage a solo honey trap.

Under Fengling's expectant gaze...

It did not take long for the targets to appear.

A small squad of soldiers wearing Ursus military uniforms and carrying long blades or crossbows.

"Damn it, I thought this would be an easy score, but we haven't gotten anything yet!"

"Who knew this dump would be so poor? It's nothing like what the boss said! Bah! These Infected scum should all be dragged away and beheaded one by one! What a waste of my time!"

Their grumbling carried over from far away.

After hearing them, a flash of anger crossed Fengling's face.

To be honest, before seeing them, Fengling had still held on to one last shred of hope.

But after truly seeing this trash among the Ursus troops, Fengling's heart went cold.

They... were enemies.

Fengling raised her vigilance to its highest level and quietly assessed their equipment.

Blades... crossbows, and perhaps even Casters.

She had to handle everything carefully.

"Boss, is there someone up ahead? That big vehicle might have lots of valuable stuff inside too!"

Once they got closer, the soldiers were not blind. They immediately spotted Fengling, who looked completely harmless.

"Approach her."

A sturdier-looking soldier in the squad gave the order.

He appeared to be the leader of this group.

Target acquired.

Fengling silently recited.

Resistance

"Soldier brothers, I'm a Rhodes Island employee who was kidnapped by the Reunion Movement! I have my work ID on me!"

Her pretty face, on the verge of tears, carried the excitement of seeing hope and the fear of encountering an unusual situation.

Fengling obediently remained still, preventing the others from having an alarmed reaction.

And those thug-like soldiers, who could barely even walk properly, surrounded her.

"Oh! Seems like I heard the boss mention something like this."