Golden's Anomaly

(Bai Ziye)

A storm tinged with golden sand tore through Ceruno's bubble defenses and spread outwards from the arrow, almost engulfing the entire space.

Just like the Gold-Making Magic we witnessed on the road, everything affected by this storm turned into gold without exception.

Those caught in the golden storm were injured, and inhaling the gold-plated dust was fatal. However, Ceruno promptly provided everyone with a protective shield, so the casualties were ultimately limited. The most severely affected were the various non-human materials. All electronic equipment, floors, walls, surveillance cameras, and even the drones and cables that had been painstakingly retrieved were turned into gold.

But none of these are the most critical issues...

"Wormhole Generator! It's destroyed!"

The walkie-talkies in their ears had long since turned into tiny gold nuggets. The storm hadn't subsided, yet some researchers from the Association still uttered desperate cries.

The entire generating device had lost its original function and turned into a large circle of glittering gold... Perhaps gold is valuable, but it might not be as valuable as this Wormhole Generator, right?

"... How much does it cost to build a Wormhole Generator?"

Ceruno put a protective film over her and asked in a low voice. The researcher sighed, "It's not a matter of money, it's a matter of time! This is the largest Wormhole Generator to date, designed to allow military drones, vehicles, and heavy machinery to pass through directly! There's no assembly line for this, and the materials are scarce. Assembling and rebuilding one will take several months... It's over, all over!"

An elderly man, holding his head, squatted on the ground and cried.

All the time and effort he had put in was wasted; he seemed to be in real pain.

The Golden Storm didn't last long. After it subsided, the elevator doors, which had been turned into a single block of gold, were violently smashed open. Miss Metal was in charge of the operation. Compared to the others, she looked much more relaxed. With the entire hangar turned into gold, her magic for manipulating metals could finally come in handy.

SpiCa, who was following behind her, had a dark complexion, as dark as a hidden character that hadn't been unlocked yet.

This is only natural.

They intended to teach "the Other Side" a lesson, but ended up suffering heavy losses themselves and are now unable to explain themselves to the public.

"Send the wounded up for treatment first. Those who can still move... well, salvage any salvageable equipment... never mind, Metal, could you please collect the substances that can be turned into gold first?"

"Okay! Leave it to me!"

Metal patted his chest.

After glancing at the large iron ring that had turned into pure gold, SpiCa's brow furrowed permanently.

"That Aldebaran guy really gave me a big gift in return."

"The strategist has suffered another setback. What are your plans to do to clean up this mess?"

I know it sounds a bit inappropriate and sarcastic to say this.

I wasn't optimistic about her counterattack plan to begin with, and now that the initial preparation stage has been so severely disrupted, it's hard to imagine how it will proceed.

But SpiCa shook his head.

"The end? Although the losses were heavy, this operation achieved the expected results... We finally saw what kind of world 'the Other Side' really is, which will lay the foundation for future plans. To be honest, I never thought we could figure out 'the Other Side' in one go."

She may have been very magnanimous in words, but this loss has clearly crossed her bottom line, especially with the precious Wormhole Generator.

"Let's get this straight, given the current situation, I can't let you become a scout."

"I know, but I won't send you to your deaths."

"What are you planning to do next?"

"Of course, we should continue reconnaissance. This reconnaissance has proven that our country's time flow is faster. As long as we send drones Past, we will be able to see something no matter what. If we can find a way to escape Betelgeuse's interception, we can further investigate the environment and ecology of 'the Other Side'."

Since no one was on the operation, the setbacks encountered this time were much smaller than those seven years ago, and SpiCa did not become discouraged.

"Well, it seems there's nothing else. I have other plans, so I'll be going now."

Although no one had invited me in the first place.

Ceruno hurriedly said, "Ah? Wait, I'm leaving too! Is that alright, Miss SpiCa?"

"Okay, leave the rest to us."

With permission granted, Ceruno jogged over and took my arm. I patted her forehead, watching her squint like a little animal, and then we walked together toward the elevator that had no doors...

Thankfully, the elevator was still working after the Golden Storm.

"Mom, we can go back now."

The command center in B3 was completely unaffected by the Golden Storm.

Aunt Yuehan said, "Um, come and take a look, Goldie doesn't seem quite right..."

In a corner of the command room, the Golden lay on the ground, clutching a dog's head, its paws covering its eyes—a reaction that appeared to be an overreaction to being startled.

"What's going on? Were you scared by the battle scenes of the Magic Titan?"

"No... things were pretty normal back then..."

Aunt Yuehan stroked the smooth fur of the Golden and sighed, "I remember it was after that arrow was shot that it turned into what it is now."

"What happened? Were you frightened?"

Ceruno squatted down in front of the Doggy and reached out to pull its paw away.

"Let's go home, okay? Don't be scared anymore."

"Waaah..."

It made a sound like crying, but Ceruno still picked it up from the ground... The sight of a 1.5-meter-tall idiot carrying a 1.3-meter-tall golden retriever was rather peculiar.

"Let me carry it."

I carried the Doggy on my back and suggested, "I'll take you to the parking lot first."

Aunt Yuehan drove here; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to bring the Doggy.

"Miluno, where are you going next?"

"I need to make a trip to area E6."

"Southern suburbs?"

"A small town near the southern suburbs."

"It's not far from the branch office, is it? Let Mom give you a ride!"

Aunt Yuehan nodded, and after thinking about it, I didn't refuse.

"Okay, then I'll trouble you."

I wanted to ask Yin Wei for help, but I didn't want to bother her all the time.

The Golden was warm, but it lay quietly on my back. Although it had gotten a little chubby, it wasn't a problem for me with my strength.

"Waaah--"

It was still whimpering, as if it were crying.

The underground parking garage is above the command center, and it's even faster to use the fire escape. Once I found Aunt Yuehan's car, I put the Doggy in the back seat and then squeezed in next to it.

This Doggy is huge! Even though Aunt Yuehan's car is relatively small, it's still so big that with it lying sideways, I barely have room to sit!

There was nothing I could do but let its head rest on my lap.

"What exactly is wrong with Goldie?"

Ceruno, in the passenger seat, turned around and reached out to pet the Doggy again.

How am I supposed to know what kind of trouble it's up to?

Aunt Yuehan said, "Why don't we just go back and give it the leftover steak from yesterday?"

"What steak?"

Do you have any steaks at home?

Miluno replied, "It's a Wellington steak, leftovers from when I had dinner with Nanjixing and the Antarctic Star. I thought I'd give Goldie a treat, so I packed it up and brought it back."

Why did I think of the Doggy first?

I've never been to such a high-end steakhouse before.

I have a feeling...

Her position within the family was threatened.