A Vulpo Lady's Life as a Rhodes Island Operator

Still, this time, Warfarin did lose control a little.

"This blood sample... its purity is frighteningly high. Though it has not quite reached the level of 'impurity-free,' it is still not something an ordinary person could possess. Kal'tsit, where did this blood come from?"

"A newcomer about to join Rhodes Island..." Kal'tsit lifted the coffee cup before her and took a small sip. The report in her hand was the result of the Medical Department's recent physical examination of Fengling.

"An ancient Yan deity, even after becoming fragments, still possesses highly unusual abilities. The ornament Operator Fengling wears was likely a gift into which that fragment put considerable thought."

"Under its long-term influence, Fengling's body has been altered to the point where she can absorb minute amounts of Originium crystals to strengthen her various abilities. That is also why her physical indicators differ from those of an ordinary Vulpo."

"Unfortunately, this is a form of 'favor' available only to extremely rare individuals. It cannot be used as a widespread medical treatment... at least, with Terra's current technology, replication is utterly impossible."

"Besides, they were originally different systems... it cannot be called a complete cure either. The risks remain unknown."

Fengling's Assessment Results

"Eek!!"

After more than twenty rounds of combat, Fengling carelessly allowed Gavial to seize an opening.

Gavial's iron tail slammed fiercely into Fengling.

Fengling was sent flying, completely losing her balance.

Fortunately, she did not fall. Otherwise, that impact would have left her with a minor injury.

Bang!

The air in the training room abruptly turned scorching hot, and a figure appeared behind Fengling just in time.

Blaze, who had been watching from the sidelines, steadily caught Fengling.

"Gavial, that was too heavy."

After mildly reprimanding her, Blaze set Fengling down.

"I'm fine now. Thank you."

After brushing the dust from herself, Fengling hurriedly thanked Blaze.

Though her struck abdomen still throbbed faintly with pain, she was indeed basically unharmed. A short rest would be enough.

"Sorry, sorry! I got too fired up and didn't hold back!"

Gavial grabbed the staff she had tossed aside before the sparring match and hurried over.

After a soothing pale green light flashed from the staff, Fengling immediately felt much better.

Fengling looked at Gavial with a slightly strange expression.

"...You really are a doctor?"

Having gotten acquainted through a fight, Fengling was no longer quite so restrained or polite around Gavial.

"Of course I am! Why would I lie about that?"

Gavial carefully examined Fengling, then pinched and checked her all over. Only after confirming that Fengling had not suffered any real injuries did she finally relax.

"PRTS, turn up the air conditioning! It's too hot!"

After Gavial shouted at the training room, the air-conditioning fans immediately began running at full force.

The heat wave Blaze had ignited gradually subsided at last.

"Whew... Blaze's Originium Arts are much hotter than the Sargon rainforest." Gavial wiped the sweat from her forehead. Seeing Fengling's puzzled expression, she explained, "PRTS is Rhodes Island's terminal system. You can find PRTS in basically every functional area aboard the Rhodes Island landship. Just say what you need."

...Pretty advanced.

That was all Fengling could say.

She had never seen anything like this before.

But she still needed to ask about the important matter.

"So, does this mean I passed the combat test?"

"What does passing or failing have to do with it? Once Gavial decided to spar with you using her full strength—or at least the full strength she would use in an actual combat situation—it stopped having much to do with a test."

Before Gavial could answer, Blaze cut in from the side.

That was right, Gavial had hit too hard.

But then again, how many ordinary Rhodes Island operators could stir Gavial's fighting spirit to such an extent?

That was not to say the other operators were weak. At Rhodes Island, operators who excelled in combat would be formidable fighters capable of taking on ten opponents elsewhere.

It was simply that, aboard this landship, there were quite a lot of freaks when it came to pure combat strength.

Gavial was one of them, though she was not among the absolute strongest.

However, Fengling's shortcomings had also been exposed quite clearly.

"Though you've got some clever tricks, your overall tactical planning is really poor. If you were thrown onto a battlefield, it would be genuinely dangerous... With the abilities you've displayed, you could clearly have gained a much greater advantage. Fengling, what did you do before this?"

Even Blaze, who seemed quite forthright, had put on a stern face when it came to Fengling's flaws.

Still, such strictness was necessary.

Rhodes Island had not been established for long, but the number of operators KIA...

Was not small either.

As an Elite Operator, Blaze had witnessed too many farewells.

Her instinctive strictness came from not wanting to go through even more of them.

"Uh... a street thug? I occasionally helped out with odd jobs and stuff?"

Fengling scratched her cheek and answered somewhat uneasily.

"...Then you may need to attend class properly."

"So, Blaze, why don't you fill out Fengling's test results? You watched for so long; you can't have watched for nothing!" Gavial said with a smile.

Besides, Blaze truly was qualified to do so.

"Next time, once you've rested up, you'll have to spar with me!"

Despite what she said, the strength Fengling had displayed was undoubtedly that of an unpolished gem waiting to be refined.

Blaze was equally full of fighting spirit.

Scratch, scratch, scratch...

Blaze took out paper and pen, filling in the final assessment results and several comments on the form.

[Physical Strength: Excellent]—She truly possesses the ability to contend directly with Gavial.

[Battlefield Mobility: Excellent]—Her movements are fairly swift, and with the support of her Originium Arts, her mobility can be further enhanced. It may even be possible to develop this ability toward improving the mobility of group operations.

[Physiological Endurance: Excellent]—She can take a direct, unguarded hit from Gavial's iron tail and still be basically fine.

[Tactical Planning: Average]—The rating would not normally be this low, but Operator Fengling has not received systematic training. At present, she relies only on her own thoughts for subjective planning, which leaves many flaws. However, Fengling has an exceptionally accurate grasp of her opponents' mentality and applies it in combat. At present, it is not recommended for Operator Fengling to undertake field missions without a designated commander. With further study, Fengling's abilities should allow her to rapidly improve to a high standard.

[Combat Technique: Standard]—Her method of rapidly releasing Originium Arts in coordination with her movements is eye-catching. There is no doubt that Operator Fengling possesses enormous room for growth. However, her current techniques are rather rough.

[Originium Arts Adaptability: Excellent]—Her control of airflow is already quite proficient. Perhaps Operator Fengling could pursue further studies in subjects related to her abilities.

[Suggested Potential Rating: 5★ or 6★. Please have Doctor Kal'tsit make the final confirmation.]

[Overall Evaluation: Field operator testing passed. Operator Fengling need only make up some foundational knowledge to grow into an exceptionally capable operator.]

"All right! All that's left is to submit it to Doctor Kal'tsit, and we're done."

Blaze put away the form she had just filled out, stood up, and prepared to submit the relevant materials.

"Blaze, you think highly of her! You're already recommending such a high star rating?"

Gavial curled her lips.

Blaze glanced at her.

"If you weren't so determined to be a Medic, you should be 6★."

"Then forget it. Fighting now and then is fun, but fighting all the time gets boring. Being a 4★ Medic is pretty great!" Gavial casually crossed her arms. Having just finished exercising, she was in an excellent mood and even began whistling.

However, star ratings were generally not made public. The required clearance was not high, though, and neither were the ratings fixed in stone.

They were merely an assessment of an operator's current condition.

Some 2★ operators even had over a decade of combat experience; they were rated 2★ only because, for various reasons, they rarely engaged in battle nowadays.

"All right, I should get back to the Medical Department too. I've been gone too long, and I still haven't finished my work!"

After stretching hard, Gavial bid Fengling farewell as well.

"Fengling, just take a casual look around Rhodes Island and familiarize yourself with the place. Just pay attention to the broadcasts. Someone will come find you later to handle all the detailed procedures."

"At this point, your operator status is basically confirmed. PRTS should recognize you already. Anyway, PRTS won't open doors to places you aren't allowed to enter. If a door won't open, just turn back—most areas are free to enter."

Fengling also wanted to familiarize herself with the new environment, so she nodded in agreement.

Rhodes Island's Intruder

Fengling had never leisurely strolled around a landship like this before.

Rhodes Island's landship was frighteningly huge.

"What kind of company could even afford to build a landship like this?"

The residential areas, the logistics areas...

Not long after leaving the Medical Department, Fengling saw many people along the way.

Some were Rhodes Island operators, while others were ordinary civilians.

And clearly, the proportion of Infected was quite high.

Yet unlike the slums of Lungmen.

Everyone here wore smiles and was filled with hope for life.

Fengling saw burly field operators patiently keeping elderly people company and chatting with them.

She also saw tiny children presenting others with paper flowers they had carefully made themselves.

Everyone on Rhodes Island was doing whatever they could.

Most people who saw Fengling greeted her kindly, and Fengling politely returned every greeting.

And as she walked...

The fox ears atop Fengling's head suddenly twitched hard twice.

The three large tails behind her also abruptly came alive, gently swaying from side to side.

"Oh... this is..."

That inexplicable innate "treasure-hunting" talent of hers seemed to have activated.

Whenever she felt that strange, heart-pounding sensation, Fengling would vaguely sense some kind of guidance.

Following that guidance usually led her to something odd.

But after years of observation, Fengling had basically determined that they were all important belongings someone else had lost.

But this was aboard Rhodes Island's landship... Whoever had lost it must be terribly anxious.

And... this time, the sensation was much stronger than before?

Fengling found that somewhat strange.

Still, she had never managed to draw any useful conclusions from this talent over the years. It was simply too random.

Should she take a look?

Since she had decided to join Rhodes Island, doing a good deed while getting closer to the others would surely be a good thing.

Following that sensation, Fengling slowly made her way through Rhodes Island's landship.