Arknights, but Caging Terra Chapter 14

"I think I'm still asleep. I'm going to lie down for a bit longer."

"Doctor! We're out of options! Doctor Kal'tsit has been captured for three days! I... we..."

Doctor: "... ..."

Theology revived, religions rose, Sea Creatures returned, Gods descended...

You say you're out of options, as if I have any.

I'm tired. Let it all burn.

Even though I said that, the Doctor wasn't the type to just lie down and wait for death. The Doctor was frantically spinning their little brain, trying to find a way to break through—

No way.

In the face of a God's manifestation, all other problems cease to be problems.

With that kind of power, if They truly wanted to destroy humanity, you could only compliment Them on how cleanly They did it.

Honestly, besides waiting to die, the Doctor really couldn't think of anything else they could do right now.

But just then—

A rumbling that shook the earth came from outside.

Everyone who heard it instinctively froze, then looked out the window.

As a result, they saw inexhaustible food falling from the sky like rain. In a place thousands of kilometers away, which had once been flattened by that God in an instant, a 'mountain' of food thousands of meters high had been piled up.

Then, on the other side, a giant hand descended from the sky. With a single grab, it scooped out a colossal pit hundreds of kilometers deep. Following that, a flood that seemed to break the sky poured down, gradually filling the pit. It was crystal-clear spring water.

Finally, exquisitely crafted houses, in front of that giant hand, were stacked and assembled one by one, like building blocks played with by children.

Including the Doctor, all the survivors were stunned by these miracles.

Until someone shouted:

"Doctor Kal'tsit! Doctor Kal'tsit is back!"

Only then did everyone snap out of their daze and rush forward.

Because now, everyone believed that everything the God had bestowed must have been exchanged for by their respected... no! Their beloved Doctor Kal'tsit!

They must have suffered greatly, endured immense hardship, and paid some unimaginable price to obtain all of this.

021. The activation sound effect is Hakimi, and the hit sound effect is Meow's Savior Meow Meow Sword. Do you like it?

Before her were the survivors, rushing towards her with tears of joy streaming down their faces.

Among them, she even saw the Doctor.

"What's going on? Didn't I tell you to wake the Doctor only if I didn't return?"

Kal'tsit wanted to ask this, but she quickly sensed something was wrong.

From her physical perception, Kal'tsit felt that she had only communicated with that God for a short while.

Yet, looking around, she found that many people had changed their clothes and hairstyles.

Was it due to different time flow?

Could it really be one day in heaven is one year on earth?

Ah well, these were minor matters.

Looking at the approaching survivors, Kal'tsit really wanted to put on a calm demeanor, hold the 'Holy Sword', wave her hand, and say, "It's alright now. With me here, everything will be fine from now on."

She wasn't doing this to elevate her status or prestige in the eyes of the crowd.

Rather, the calmer Kal'tsit appeared, as if even meeting a God was no big deal, the more she could greatly soothe everyone's worries and fears about the future.

But a certain God's voice echoed in her mind:

"Oh my... close call, close call. I almost poured too much water. If I hadn't reacted quickly, it would have been hilarious if it caused a flood to drown Terra."

Kal'tsit: "... ..."

Can't you be a little more reliable, Your Divinity...?

God sent a great flood, vowing to destroy humanity.

Humanity was terrified, humanity was uneasy, humanity asked what they had done wrong to anger heaven?

And the answer is, God accidentally knocked over a cup of water, right?

So even Kal'tsit couldn't help but feel her vision go black, and she stumbled.

But it was precisely this stumble that made the group of survivors, who had been welcoming her with ecstatic joy, suddenly filled with fear and apprehension again.

The survivors gathered around, asking cautiously, "Doctor K... Kal'tsit? You've obtained food, water, and even housing for us. You... you must have paid a great price, right?"

Kal'tsit really wanted to say no.

The so-called food was just a handful grabbed from a fruit platter by that God at random.

The so-called water source was just a bottle of mineral water twisted open by that God at random.

The so-called housing was just built by that God with LEGOs at random.

Oh, right, none of this was seen by Kal'tsit; the Divine Messenger said it all personally.

Because their perspectives were completely different, in Kal'tsit's eyes, the Divine Messenger was simply creating things out of thin air, their words becoming law, idly toying with the rules of the world.

So Kal'tsit didn't quite understand back then, why the Divine Messenger, who clearly possessed such immense power, would still lie through their teeth, using excuses like fruit platters, LEGOs, and bottled water to brush her off.

But now, Kal'tsit understood.

Because that Divine Messenger didn't see these survivors as people at all.

In the Divine Messenger's eyes, a race, a world, a planet, were all as trivial as feeding a hamster.

Give them some food, some water, set up a wheel, arrange a small box, Then say, "There, this little box is your new home. See how good I am? I even specifically bought you the biggest box, afraid you'd find it cramped and accuse me of mistreating you."

For them, this was a perfectly normal thing to do, even a way to show their kindness.

But for the hamster, their casual words had already decided its entire life.

It was too tragic, and too ironic, so facing the hopeful gazes of these survivors, Kal'tsit really couldn't speak.

But if not this topic, then what? Should she talk about the price she paid?

Kal'tsit really wanted to say she just meowed once, But she always felt that if she said it, these survivors would misunderstand and think she had been tamed by that Divine Messenger.

What if she said she didn't just meow once, but three times, and that Heart of the Corrupted Skadi even recorded her acting cute and fawning over them with her phone?

Then it would be over. Not only would she be tamed, but she'd be treated like a pet cat.

As a result, Kal'tsit opened her mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating for a long time, before finally closing her mouth again.

This reaction, when seen by the survivors, caused each of them to show expressions of self-reproach, regret, and profound respect.

To think that the strong, reliable Doctor Kal'tsit, who was always calm in any situation, would now show such a troubled expression...

What price did she pay for us survivors...

I'm really crying my eyes out.

These gazes made Kal'tsit's scalp tingle.

Having no other choice, Kal'tsit waved her 'Holy Sword' and said, "No need to worry. Although I made a deal with that Divine Messenger, they are kind-hearted. Not only did they agree to my request, but they also bestowed upon me this holy relic, representing their status as a 'Divine Messenger'."

If Sea Creatures could be Divine Messengers, then she borrowing that title wouldn't bother the Divine Messenger, right?

The most important thing now was to divert the survivors' attention and to appease them—

With a hum.

As soon as Kal'tsit finished speaking, she waved her 'Holy Sword,' and it erupted in dazzling light, autonomously chanting the holy scripture:

"Hakimi hakimi hakimi~"

Ah, that was Heart of the Corrupted Skadi's singing.

When the tip of the 'Holy Sword' touched the ground, the earth beneath it split open like tofu. Golden sword energy tore all the way to the distant mountains, directly slicing through the peaks.

Its sharpness was so extreme that not a single sound was made throughout the process.

Instead, as it sliced through the mountain peak, there was a single sound:

"Meow."

Mm, that was the original sound Heart of the Corrupted Skadi recorded with her phone when Kal'tsit was acting cute and fawning.

Kal'tsit: "... ..."

Kal'tsit's face turned black.

No wonder the Divine Messenger suddenly felt inspired to name the 'Holy Sword' in her hand, bestowing it with the inexplicably bizarre name "Savior Meow Meow Sword."

When wielding the sword, it sings "Hakimi," and the hit sound effect is "Meow." Isn't that exactly a Meow Meow Sword?

Fortunately, Kal'tsit looked around and found that, whether due to language barriers or divine blessings, the survivors couldn't understand what the 'Holy Sword' was meowing about.

They just thought it was worthy of being called a 'Holy Sword,' complete with chanting and blessings.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

Kal'tsit breathed a sigh of relief and looked up, only to find the Doctor's small eyes under their hood shifting from shock to a subtle expression, and then to suppressed amusement.

Finally unable to hold back, the Doctor let out a chuckle.

Kal'tsit: "... ..."

022. Heart of the Corrupted Skadi is up to no good

"Savior Kal'tsit, proclaiming herself your Divine Messenger, is spreading your gospel to her animal friends."

"Your follower count +1 +1 +1..."

"You are so kind-hearted, you chose not to mine, but to play Civilization instead."

"Congratulations on obtaining the achievement: Next Turn!"

"In Terra (Sea Creature Apocalypse Timeline), you have simultaneously gained the loyalty of both the Sea Creatures and Humanity."

"Congratulations on obtaining the Collection: Pretty Glass Beads (Sea Creatures Line)."

"Collection Effect: When the number of 'Pretty Glass Beads' you possess is greater than or equal to one, every time you receive a fatal injury, one 'Pretty Glass Bead' will be consumed to cancel the damage for you."

"Let's interview the planet Terra (Sea Creatures Line), which has received such an honor for taking a bullet for its own deity, for its acceptance speech."

"Terra (Sea Creatures Line): Your mom!"

"Alright, Terra (Sea Creatures Line) says it's very happy."

"Items you currently possess:"

"Divine Messengers: Heart of the Corrupted Skadi, Kal'tsit (?)"

"Pets: Savior Kal'tsit"

"Parasites: Sea Creatures"

"Collection: Pretty Glass Beads (Sea Creatures Line)"

"Okay, I've given them food, water, and shelter. Now we can fast-forward straight to the farming simulation."

Looking at the semi-transparent pop-up that flashed before him, Chen Ran ignored most of the content and extracted the key information.

Number of believers +1... Chen Ran glanced at the Faith value he currently possessed and felt that this small amount could be completely ignored.

Still, something is better than nothing. Every little bit counts, so he treated it like an idle farming game.

He'd remember to change the water and replenish the hamster food later. That should be enough.

As for the so-called collection... it was another ability whose effect he couldn't verify on the spot.