Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend Now

"Announcement: Due to a malfunction in Chernobog's power system, the city cannot move. All citizens, please proceed to the shelters according to instructions. The Catastrophe will occur in two hours. Announcement..."

Hearing the broadcast, Chernobog's citizens began evacuating. Everyone knew the city had been unstable lately, with explosions happening all the time, so people had stayed indoors and the streets had become deserted. But with one glance outside, anyone could tell this was no joke, and they hurriedly took their families and fled.

The streets were full of people wearing armbands and calling themselves Reunion. No one knew that most of them were actually Infected. Everyone was busy evacuating.

"Those from C District, this way."

"Those with children and elderly people, go this way."

Under Alina's arrangements, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Meanwhile, the Rhodes Island group hiding in the shadows watched the scene, utterly unable to understand what was happening.

A power system malfunction? That might fool ordinary people, but anyone with some knowledge knew that every city's mobile modules were detachable to prevent the risks of system failures. If one section broke down, they could simply abandon that district. Besides, even they had received news of the approaching Catastrophe three days ago. How could Chernobog not have known? Were three days not enough to repair it?

"It seems Dr. Kal'tsit was right. Someone has taken control of this city."

As the main person in charge of this operation, Amiya could not help frowning. She sincerely hoped that the people beneath her feet could reach safety soon and avoid needless casualties.

"I investigated. A great deal of important equipment from various factories has been moved to the Core City. It seems Reunion intends to take the Core City with them and use it as their future base of operations."

"It's fine. Our mission this time is to rescue the Doctor and avoid unnecessary combat as much as possible. The other squad Dr. Kal'tsit sent should have arrived by now. We'll rendezvous with them first, then head to Chernobog's main energy supply chamber."

While every faction was making its moves, Mr. K stood in Chernobog's core energy supply hub, facing the Sarcophagus before him. A trace of nostalgia flashed through his eyes as his fingers gently wiped the dust from the control console. He first entered a long string of operational codes. After hesitating for a moment, he removed his mask, blinked at the camera, and waited.

[Facial recognition passed, iris recognition passed]

Those two lines appeared on the screen. Mr. K put his mask back on and watched the Sarcophagus open. His right hand transformed into the shape it had taken when it clashed with M3, its sharp curved blade easily capable of severing steel bars—and naturally, the Doctor's neck as well.

As long as he killed the Doctor here, everything would take a turn for the better. Perhaps there might even be new possibilities.

But when he saw inside the Sarcophagus, those emerald-green eyes instantly contracted. He even forgot to maintain his usual disguised voice.

"How is it empty?"

Yes, the Sarcophagus was empty. Other than a few traces, nothing remained. This made no sense. How could the Doctor not be inside this Sarcophagus?!

Kal'tsit's face flashed through Mr. K's mind first, but he immediately shook his head and dismissed it. Kal'tsit could never have predicted this far ahead. She did not even know his identity, much less move the Doctor in advance.

"Has Mizuki arrived...?"

Feeling a certain part of his body struggle joyfully, Mr. K knew Mizuki had arrived. He put on his mask, becoming that mastermind once more, and swiftly left the area. The Doctor could not possibly be acting alone. After sleeping for so many years, someone must have taken her away. Reunion was the most likely suspect.

Yet as Mr. K withdrew, he instinctively looked up at the sky. The dark clouds Mizuki had brought were visibly devouring the Catastrophe clouds.

"He's actually reached this level already..."

At that moment, an unrealistic thought surfaced in Mr. K's mind. Why not intercept and kill Mizuki directly? As long as either Mizuki or the Doctor died, the things he feared would never happen.

But it could only remain a fantasy. Even having lost most of his memories, Mizuki still possessed strength he could not contend with. His only advantage was that he truly knew more than Kal'tsit did—more than anyone else in this world.

"This is the place."

The rendezvous point Rhodes Island had chosen was not far away. Amiya and the others spent only a little over ten minutes avoiding Reunion soldiers, but the moment she arrived, she felt droplets of water fall onto her ears.

"Is it raining?"

As soon as Amiya spoke, the rain in the sky gradually grew heavier, as though urging the city's citizens to reach shelter faster. But this should not have been happening. The Catastrophe was still at least two hours away, and what should have fallen were dangerous Originium crystal clusters, not tiny raindrops.

On the other side, Alina also raised her head. This rain felt like a summons, making her feel unusually at ease. She knew Mizuki must have caused it. He was eating the Catastrophe.

"Isn't he afraid of getting an upset stomach?"

"He can even eat the food you make. Why would he be afraid of this?"

"Heh. I'm not like someone who can't tell salt from sugar."

"If you've got the guts, let's see who finds Mizuki first. Alina doesn't count—she comes with a Mizuki-tracking radar."

FrostNova and Talulah were still arguing behind her. Alina sighed softly, then clenched her fists.

"Keep arguing, you two!"

The Doctor's Abduction Operation

Regarding Mizuki, Amiya had heard Skadi mention him more than once. Yet only after meeting him in person did she truly understand why Skadi said Mizuki was such a lovable good boy.

Pure as water. As someone who could sense others' emotions and read memories, possessing an ability almost like mind-reading, this was Amiya's first impression of Mizuki.

Mizuki's thoughts were so clean that he hardly seemed like an adult. Amiya had only seen such pure thinking in several children aboard Rhodes Island. Of course, that did not mean Mizuki was a blank slate. It was simply that he could focus at all times and possessed an unwavering sense of self.

"Ms. Skadi, congratulations on finding your younger brother. And this is Ms. Laurentina?"

"That's her..."

Amiya's congratulations brought a smile to Skadi's face, but the latter half immediately made her pull a long face. She stared resentfully at the smiling Laurentina beside her. If not for the fact that they had once been comrades, she would have buried this woman already.

Every time, every single time, whenever she wanted to get close to Mizuki, this woman would always pop out to interrupt them and pull her away from him!

The past few nights had been the same. Whenever Mizuki called out, this woman was more obedient than a dog. Skadi had barely pressed herself against him when Laurentina opened her eyes, rushed over, and directly threw Skadi out. As an Abyssal Hunter, Laurentina naturally was not weak.

If Laurentina had not been around, Skadi would have taken Mizuki down long ago.

"Mr. Mizuki, welcome aboard... No, I should say welcome back. Though this isn't Rhodes Island."

Kal'tsit had already relayed most of Mizuki's information to Amiya, at least confirming his identity as a Rhodes Island member. She had also explained that Mizuki had been recruited by the Doctor in the past, though his information had never been formally registered.

Mizuki was also studying Amiya. For some reason, he felt quite fond of this adorable little rabbit, like the affectionate doting an older brother had for his younger sister. Don't get any strange ideas.

Moreover, he actually sensed a trait in Amiya that was very similar to his own, though he could not quite put into words what it was.

"Alright, the mission is urgent. We need to rescue the Doctor as soon as possible. Can Mizuki and Laurentina serve as combat personnel?"

"Mm, no problem. Laurentina is about as strong as I am, and Mizuki isn't weak either."

Since she had yet to see Mizuki fight seriously, Skadi could only give that assessment. Mizuki's credentials identified him as a Rhodes Island elite operator, after all, so he definitely could not be bad.

The arrival of those three multiplied the entire team's combat power dozens of times over. Skadi and Specter alone could tear this city apart, and Mizuki could even give both of them terrain buffs.

"That's wonderful. Let's go rescue the Doctor right away."

Amiya's eyes nearly lit up. Frankly speaking, this operation carried far too much risk. Aside from Ursus guards and Reunion soldiers, the greatest concern was still the Catastrophe.

"There's a little over an hour until the Catastrophe. After rescuing the Doctor, we'll need to reach a nearby shelter. This rain has given us an opportunity. Things are getting chaotic outside."

As an important member of the operation, Dobermann needed to carefully calculate the time required for every action. Mizuki looked at her curiously, feeling that she must have come from a military background. Her manner and bearing both suggested it.

"The main issue is the Catastrophe... If we can't avoid it in time, it'll affect us too greatly."

"There's no need to worry about the Catastrophe. It won't happen."

Mizuki shook his head. He knew very clearly that the Catastrophe about to form no longer posed any threat.

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"It's already been eaten."

Pointing at the dark clouds overhead, Mizuki could clearly sense that the portion belonging to him had grown considerably. The Catastrophe clouds, meanwhile, were constantly being gnawed away and devoured, all the Originium serving as nourishment.

"Huh?"

Several enormous question marks seemed to pop up over Amiya's head. She felt that Mizuki was talking about something she completely could not understand.

"My, my. It seems this Catastrophe isn't coming down after all."

Elsewhere, after Reunion had finally evacuated the citizens, a white-haired woman wearing a Reunion armband raised her head to look at the sky. A light rain fell steadily, and the powerful pressure from before rapidly vanished, as though something had driven the Catastrophe away.

Yet the sky remained gloomy. The rain seemed to urge people onward, and the Doctor could not help sighing.

"The world has become filthy again."

Yes, the Doctor had joined Reunion. She had defected!

Actually, the Doctor could not be blamed for this. She herself had been rather bewildered. It was a long story.

As for how the Doctor joined Reunion, it had happened six days earlier. To gain deeper control over the city, Alina had personally led a team into Chernobog's core power chamber. Since Talulah had impersonated the Black Snake and made Ursus believe Reunion was merely an abandoned pawn, they generously gave up the city, using it as a bargaining chip to provoke a war between Great Yan and Ursus.

The conflicts within the Ursus Empire had accumulated for a long time. The clash between the new emperor and the old aristocracy steadily intensified, and the radicals desperately needed a war to shift domestic tensions. As the Black Snake's successor, Talulah had been implanted with the Black Snake's consciousness by her adoptive father, Koschei. The radicals chose to cooperate with her, hoping she could turn the Empire's internal situation around.

Talulah had originally intended to refuse, but there was no helping it. They were offering far too much!

At the time, she had already developed Reunion and planned to fight for living space for the Infected. But they had no money, no influence, and no talent. Reunion could practically be described as a group of well-trained bandits.

Then the Ursus Empire arrived with benefits comparable to a massive subsidy program. Others offered help in desperate times, but these people were different—they pulled Reunion straight out of the snowfields.

Because Talulah's impersonation of the Black Snake had been so convincing, Ursus truly believed her consciousness had been overtaken by the Black Snake. To let Reunion develop enough to capture a city, the radicals deliberately refrained from suppressing them, allowing them to grow freely. They even secretly sold all sorts of Ursus equipment at low prices. Talulah had nearly wanted to shout that the boss was generous, though she would have preferred the boss to stop breathing.

After deciding to seize Chernobog, Reunion naturally accelerated its operations. Then, when Alina entered the core power chamber, she happened to run into the Doctor yawning as she lifted the lid of her own coffin and got up.

Afterward, once they confirmed the Doctor posed no threat, they temporarily allowed her to remain.

Only then did they discover that the Doctor was a rare all-round talent. Whether it was mechanical repair, electronic calculations, medicine, or strategy, she was practically a genius at everything. Other than not remembering her own name, she truly seemed to know everything.

"Our Reunion is exactly what we need someone like this for!"

Talulah waved a hand grandly, only to discover that the Doctor seemed to be physically in Reunion but mentally back at Rhodes Island. She was always muttering about returning to Rhodes Island to see handsome men and beautiful women, and Talulah had spent several days trying to poach her into Reunion.

Then she discovered she was not the only one poaching people. The Doctor was poaching too. She was trying to recruit all of Reunion's officers, aside from Skullshatterer, to that place called Rhodes Island. Just like now.

"FrostNova, I'm leaving."

"Huh? So soon?"

"Yes, but I can't bear to leave you all behind. Why don't you come to Rhodes Island with me? Bring Patriot, Alina, and the others. I don't want Skullshatterer, though. She's useless."

The Doctor tightly held FrostNova's hands. There were even eye drops in her eyes, making her tears look rather sincere. It would have been better if she had not been putting eye drops in right in front of FrostNova.

"I'm not going. Reunion still needs me. I can't leave."

Although she had only been there for a few days, the Doctor had already gotten familiar with all of Reunion's officers. To what extent? She tugged Talulah's tail, rubbed Alina's horns, called FrostNova a chubby shut-in rabbit, and even directly called Patriot Old Man. These were things most people would not even dare think about.

Other people had social anxiety. She did too, except she was a social terrorist. Oh, the Sarkaz mercenaries were an exception. She was afraid W would kill her.

"What do you mean, needs you? How much longer can you live if that body of yours goes untreated? I already talked to them, and everyone agreed to let you go receive treatment."

The Doctor spoke with deep sincerity, while FrostNova helplessly tilted her head. There was nothing she could do. The Doctor was right. If Mizuki had not helped nurture her health years ago, she probably would not have been far from death.

"So, are you coming? We offer full insurance and housing benefits, meals and lodging included. Not only can you travel on business trips at public expense, but we don't make you work extra days to compensate for holidays."

"You should go ask someone else."

FrostNova helplessly shook her head. She still needed to find Mizuki. She had no idea where he was, for him to appear at a time like this and even eat the Catastrophe clouds, sparing them a great deal of needless loss.

"How boring."

Seeing FrostNova refuse, the Doctor went to find Patriot instead. This veteran of Reunion had changed into armor thoughtfully custom-made by Ursus and taken up a newly manufactured spear, increasing his combat strength by at least twenty percent.

Nearly everyone acknowledged that Patriot was Reunion's strongest warrior. He could once have been called the strongest warrior in all Ursus as well. The last pure-blooded Wendigo of ancient times, Ursus's most steadfast embodiment of war, Reunion's backbone—those titles were enough to demonstrate his power.

Yet the Doctor was not polite to this rather old-fashioned elder at all.

"Old man, why don't you come to Rhodes Island for treatment too? We might even have some old acquaintances of yours there."

"...Are you very free?"

"I really am. The plans are done, and the arrangements are written. Reunion will have to walk its own path from now on. There's no way for me to interfere."

The Doctor spread her hands. During this time, she and Talulah had talked a great deal about Reunion's future policies and such. The more they spoke, the more Talulah felt she had found a kindred spirit—and the more she wanted to keep the Doctor.

"So, old man, just come with me. Rhodes Island has quite a few Sarkaz too, especially that one... Uh, I don't think she's joined the island yet at this point."

After all, she could barely remember her own name, so the Doctor had no idea when exactly Surtr had joined Rhodes Island. But it did not matter. There was still Logos. They were both Sarkaz, so they would definitely have plenty to talk about.

"Rhodes Island even has a retirement home, dedicated personal nurses, and private doctors who tailor health plans specifically for you. Treatment is free."

"I cannot go."

Patriot reached out and scratched the Doctor's head with his enormous claw. Although they had only known each other for a few days, he liked the Doctor very much. She was lively, cheerful, clever, and active, yet she never treated important matters carelessly. She worked seriously, and compared to Talulah, her theoretical guidance for Reunion was much more mature.

Moreover, the Doctor always called him Old Man, to the point where he had unconsciously begun treating her like half a granddaughter and indulging her somewhat.

"Why not? Let me tell you, as soon as you come, FrostNova will definitely come too. If FrostNova comes, Talulah will definitely visit now and then. Then Alina will come too, and Ino and Sasha won't be able to get away either."

The Doctor rubbed her hands together, as though she could already see Rhodes Island overflowing with talent. Leaving FrostNova and Talulah aside, if Patriot came to Rhodes Island, they would have confidence whenever they went out to beat people up. His combat power truly ranked among the strongest humans on Terra.

"By then, Rhodes Island can open a Reunion branch!"

In truth, the Doctor's poaching efforts over the past few days had not been a complete failure. She had successfully talked those Ursus Middle School students into returning with her. They were all promising talents.

"Better not."

"Alright, then. But we can still work together on some medical supplies later."

Seeing that Patriot remained completely unmoved, the Doctor helplessly shook her head and prepared to find Mudrock, who was wrapped up tightly over there. She knew very well that Mudrock was a stunning beauty. What was there not to love about a youthful, beautiful Sarkaz woman who could swing a sledgehammer barehanded and make tiny clay dolls?

"What about me?"

Skullshatterer watched as the Doctor simply went around her, and she could not help staring blankly. What, was she looking down on her? Lyudmila was the captain of Reunion's vanguard squad, after all!