RRC 401-425 (Patreon)

RRC 401-425

Chapter One: Executioner's Disgrace, Second Time

In the dimly lit cockpit, the smoky dashboard continued to flicker with electrical sparks, while the red emergency lights blinked intermittently. The ears were filled with the familiar, grating alarm sounds.
Outside the cockpit window lay scattered remnants of fallen zergs.

Pulling the control lever a couple of times and pressing buttons on the console, the communicator had gone silent; the lifespan of this Viking fighter had come to an end.

Surveying the dozen or so holes pierced by spines behind her seat, she struggled to stand up from the pilot's seat and crawled out through those open wounds.

With each step on the ground, whether soft or hard, liquid pooled from unknown sources. Most likely, it was the bodily fluids of the zergs, perhaps mixed with human blood, engine oil, or coolant...

Stumbling out, she found a relatively flat place to sit down. It seemed to be the top of a fallen transport plane, but there was no time to care about such things now; it was good enough to find a place to catch her breath.

But before she could even settle down and feel the awful temperature of this planet, she heard rustling behind her.

Turning her head quickly, she found a scarred and ferocious jumping Zergling quietly approaching from behind, its mouthparts open and its limbs twitching, all indicating its readiness to strike!

"Oh, damn!"

Thud!

[Training simulation complete.

Overall performance: Good.]

Simonov, still in shock, hadn't even felt the intense pain when the assessment results popped up in front of her eyes.

"Oh! I passed! I actually passed this time!?" Seeing her score break into the "Good" range for the first time, Simonov jumped up from the training device.

Though she still accidentally fell prey to the insect, she was evaluated on piloting the aircraft! Ground combat wasn't part of the assessment!

"Ahaha! The commander surely won't have any excuses to forbid me from drinking now! I've had enough of this training room! Goodbye!" With that, Simonov immediately unplugged the data cables and dashed out of the training room, heading straight for the new vertical farm in the ship!

But Simonov's mind was full of vodka now, completely oblivious to the silent ship with no sign of life inside...


...


Two days earlier.

"Wow! This meat is so delicious!"

Executioner sat at the table, holding a piece of sauce-covered beef, oil dripping from her mouth.

Scarecrow opposite her was speechless.

How could she not be more restrained? Which Doll eats with their hands directly?

Can't she use chopsticks?
Does she even know how to use a knife and fork?

"Be careful! Don't embarrass yourself!" Suddenly, the rice cooker beside Executioner spoke up, its voice resembling that of Hunter.

"Huh? What's wrong with this? I'm not a Griffin T-Doll. Besides, our Sangvis Ferri style is all about being carefree! It's no big deal!"

Sangvis Ferri style? Since when did that exist?

"It's obvious you're just lazy, right? And don't include us in it. Haven't you seen Maria and Jaeger over there using chopsticks properly? You... You can't even use chopsticks, can you?" As soon as Executioner finished speaking, a Dinergate next to the rice cooker mocked.

At this remark, Executioner immediately turned her head to look at Maria, Jaeger, CF05, and NZ75 not far away, who were gathered around a bubbling hotpot, dipping slices of beef.

"Uh... But why are only they eating hotpot? Don't the others eat?"

Hearing Executioner's question, Scarecrow's face darkened, glancing at the steaming pot of soup in front of CF05 and the others, shivering, "If you want to eat, you can go try it yourself."

"Huh? Okay, I'll go!" Without thinking, Executioner followed her nose toward the table where CF05 and the others were.

"You're urging her to go over. Is there something wrong with the hotpot they're eating?" Seeing Scarecrow sitting still, elegantly cutting her steak with a knife and fork, Hunter and Intruder, the two who used the bodies of a Prowler and a Dinergate, couldn't help but feel strange.

Why did Scarecrow seem so averse to the hotpot?

"Renault gave Executioner a new Doll body. All the bionic modules on it are manufactured according to human standards, with no limitations whatsoever. Whether it's touch sensation, pain, or taste, the hotpot Maria and the others are eating now... well, the spiciness definitely exceeds what an average person can handle..."

Initially, just sharing taste and pain with Jaeger had caused her psychological trauma even if she lowered her senses at that time. Now, if she were to go and eat directly... forget it, she might end up rolling on the ground in agony.

"Ah-ah! What is this? Ah-ah!"

As soon as Scarecrow finished speaking, Executioner's screams rang out from the other side. She crashed and lay on the ground, hands covering her mouth, writhing in pain!

It was even more painful than being shot!

This is embarrassing!

Seeing Executioner's miserable appearance, Scarecrow smirked, looking away, as if to say, 'I don't know this person.'

"Ahahaha! Executioner, hahaha!"
Maria, who had just picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and put it in Executioner's mouth, burst into laughter, holding her stomach.

While other T-Dolls had experienced discomfort from eating the hotpot, Executioner's rolling-on-the-ground act was truly a first!

Click!

Click! Click-click-click!

Perhaps spending time with the MDR had influenced them; all the T-Dolls had developed a habit of taking photos.

Now, seeing Executioner in such a state, they all took out their phones without hesitation, pointing their cameras at the still-grounded executioner, and the shutter sounds became incessant!

Hunter and Intruder, the two who used Prowler and Dinergate's bodies, couldn't help but step back when they saw this scene.

This was as public an execution as it gets, wasn't it?

Thinking on this, they both made up their minds not to go near Maria's side to try the hotpot, and when eating, they would definitely lower their sensitivity to avoid embarrassing themselves like Executioner.

While the two of them were hiding under the table, Scarecrow happened to turn her head and saw Reno making a phone call.

"The maiden voyage? So soon? Okay, got it, I'll definitely go then. Yes, yes, I'll bring everyone." Hearing Renault say he would bring everyone, Scarecrow raised an eyebrow and looked towards the direction of the bridge.

It seemed that Reno was about to start the spaceship this time; otherwise, why would he take all the Dolls away? What about the spaceship then?




Chapter Two: What's the Name?

"What about those helicopters?"

"We don't need them anymore."

"Why? Aren't they useful?"

"All the useful stuff has been stripped from them already. They're just shells now, not much use. No point selling them, and even recycling them won't yield much. It's too much trouble. We'd be better off finding a factory in Sangvis Ferri Areas and getting some materials there."

Hearing Scarecrow's words, Renault glanced back at the helicopters, their key equipment already removed. He didn't want them anyway, and he probably wouldn't need them in the future.
The intact transport helicopter was left aside; there was no space on the ship for it to park.

Although there were hangars on the ship, Renault wasn't going to bother creating a lift-off platform just for one helicopter. It was too troublesome, and it would take up a lot of space on the ship.

Originally, Renault had planned the spaceship quite well, with the power area and Doll dormitory area all separated. In addition to that, the vertical farm and breeding area also occupied a significant portion of space. But unexpectedly, bringing back the Rippers from the Sangvis Ferri Material Plants, and then bringing back the Vespids under Executioner's command a few days ago, resulted in an excess of Doll and droid numbers at home.

It wasn't that there wasn't enough space; it was just that most of the previously reserved dormitories had been taken up.
Fortunately, there was still plenty of space on the ship, and they could continue to tidy up and use it as dormitories in the future.

After a group of T-Dolls cleaned up all the debris on the vacant land, the neatly laid ground cracked open under Renault's control, and the huge metal gates beneath pushed the surface of the ground slowly upwards, opening to both sides.

The massive vibration made even Scarecrow standing outside worry that the ground might suddenly collapse beneath her feet.

After all, Renault had dug such a large hole underground, and if something went wrong, not only they but even the ship might be buried under the soil and concrete above.

"SPAS-12! Keep it steady! Circle around! Don't fly too fast! It'll be shaky!"

Seeing the huge gates open in front of them, Scarecrow also heard MDR's call.

When they were preparing just now, MDR had already instructed SPAS-12 to take off in the flying craft, saying she wanted to capture the entire process before takeoff. SPAS-12 naturally had no objection. After all, it was something Renault had approved, and it was a legitimate reason to not be busy inside the ship!

Of course, there wasn't much to be busy with down there anyway. Ever since Scarecrow completed the construction of the ship's main structure and moved all the Doll dormitories and vertical farms and other equipment into the ship, the remaining space down there was just some tables, chairs, and benches that the Dolls used occasionally. Cleaning it up was quick and easy, not troublesome at all, especially with the Rippers and Vespids helping; in fact, the Dolls didn't need to lift a finger.

"Come on! RFB, sync your visuals with mine, I want to see what the ship's bridge looks like when it takes off!"

"Huh? The bridge? It doesn't seem that special, just looks like an ordinary ship, just with a few more seats."

As RFB synced her visuals over, she took stock of the furnishings in the bridge. Meanwhile, M200 stood next to her, holding a phone, recording the situation for MDR.

Most of the Dolls were gathered in the bridge, except for those who had been ordered by Renault not to leave the training room, like Simonov, and Hunter and Intruder, who were waiting for their own bodies to be completed.

"I heard our ship is going to take off today. Aren't you going to check it out?" Hunter asked Intruder, shaking the body she was still constructing.

"Well, we can go, but I'm afraid there might be turbulence during takeoff. We don't even have hands; what if something goes wrong?"

"Staying here would be the same, and besides, even if our bodies are completed later, we won't be able to put ourselves into the new bodies. We'll still have to wait for Renault's help."

They could ask Executioner or Scarecrow, but... the structures of these two bodies being built were completely different from those of Sangvis Ferri Dolls. If they asked Executioner for help, they wouldn't be sure either.

"Shall we go now?"

"Let's go, I'll push the chair to the door, you open it..."

With that, the two immediately got moving, running out of Renault's workshop and heading straight for the bridge. Although they had to pass through several doors on the way, it was fine; they could still command the Sangvis droids to help, having the Rippers or Vespids lend a hand.

When they arrived at the bridge, Renault had already returned to the ship, not saying anything, just going straight to the main console, deftly flipping all the necessary switches, then sitting down and starting the ship's engines.

"Hey, don't you want to say something?" MDR, who was on the flying craft, saw Renault's actions through RFB's shared visual images and couldn't help but complain. But if one day Renault suddenly stood on the podium and gave them a long speech... That would be too much to bear.

The group of Dolls in the bridge didn't feel much, but MDR could see clearly. After Renault started the engines, the ship flew smoothly into the air, without any shaking or turbulence.
In the bridge, the T-Dolls realized they were already flying in the sky when they saw the windows suddenly light up in front of them!

"It's really flying!" AK47, lying on the glass, stared outside at the sky.

Such a large ship, unexpectedly flying so silently!

"Indeed! Even Sangvis doesn't have this level of technology! Your commander is truly a genius! To think of building a spaceship!"
Executioner and AK47's actions were almost identical, and they both exclaimed.

"It's not that the technology doesn't exist; it's just that no one dares to do it."
Intruder shook the chopstick legs of the warrior Dinergate beside her and said with some emotion.

As for SF, anti-gravity technology is already quite mature. Whether it's Scarecrow or her drones, or the main reconnaissance unit, the autonomous unit Scout, they all use anti-gravity technology. Although they couldn't build a spacecraft as large as Renault's ship, making one or two smaller ones shouldn't be a problem.

"By the way, don't ships have to be named before they set sail? What's the name of our ship?"





Chapter Three: Vacation

As they say, procrastination won't cut it, but unfortunately, this method didn't work on Renault's side.
Before AK47 and Intruder could come up with a good name, Renault had already directly controlled the spaceship to change direction and fly towards the sea to the south.

"Hey hey! Wait! Commander! We haven't boarded yet!" Seeing the spaceship fly out directly, MDR, who was with SPAS-12 on the flying craft, exclaimed in surprise.

"The hangar door is already open, let SPAS-12 fly back on its own." At this speed, with SPAS-12's skills, there's no reason it can't come back.

As Renault spoke, he directly opened the spaceship's hangar door and set the parameters for the autopilot system. Then he stood up from his seat, clearly not intending to continue piloting.

"Hey! Commander! Aren't you afraid of crashing if you're not piloting?" Seeing Renault stand up so easily, RFB was taken aback.

Renault looked at her as if she were an idiot.

Did she played games too much? It's in autopilot now, just cruising at low speed in the sky. As long as they don't collide with other aircraft, there won't be any problems.

As for whether the ships on the sea will see their ship?

So what if they do?

"Just don't mess with the autopilot." Renault waved his hand and went straight to the workshop. Calculating the time, the bodies of Hunter and Intruder were almost completed.

Seeing Renault's direction, the two Sangvis T-Dolls, restricted within the autonomous units, followed without Renault having to say anything.

"Are we really not going to name this ship?" Seeing that Renault seemed to have no intention of naming the ship, Intruder couldn't help but ask.

"No need, let them figure it out themselves. Once they've agreed, they'll take care of naming the ship themselves."

"Huh? Is that so?" Intruder hadn't heard Renault say... just as she was about to say she hadn't heard Renault say such a thing, she realized that the ship had probably been completed long ago, and Renault must have discussed the ship's name with those T-Dolls.

The conversation between Hunter and Intruder next to her also made sense, but they quickly forgot about the ship's name, as the new bodies were already completed, lying quietly in the printing device.

It must be said that Renault's method of manufacturing T-Doll bodies is completely different from that of IOP and Iron Blood. Both Iron Blood and IOP embed the mental core deep into the body, and to extract the mental core, the T-Doll body must be completely dismantled.

On the other hand, Renault's method is completely different. Although the position of the mental core is protected by the thickest armor, it also has a convenient design for extracting the mental core at any time.

Without waiting for Hunter and Intruder to say anything, Renault moved the two bodies out and connected them to the computer with data cables to begin testing.

After confirming that there were no flaws, he directly inserted the new mental cores, which Hunter and Intruder had just replaced, into the bodies.

Hunter and Intruder are not as impulsive as the Executioner or as childish as those in the family. After switching to the new bodies, they immediately adapted to the new bodies according to Renault's instructions and then went straight to the repair bay for skin grafting.

Seeing this, Renault nodded in satisfaction. It seems that the Sangvis T-Dolls are more obedient. Although there are some impulsive ones like Executioner, Hunter and Intruder are both very mature...

But sometimes there's something off, one always thinking about hunting, the other always thinking about putting on a magnificent play.

But it's no big deal, Nagant Revolver still brings back all sorts of junk from outside every day. It's normal to have one or two flaws.

"Commander, are we still going to William Harbor this time? Will there be any problems?" M14 asked with some concern as she handed coffee to Renault.

She had heard from Spectre M4 before that they had been locked onto by anti-aircraft radar numerous times on their way to William Harbor. This time, they were approaching William Harbor directly from above the sea, so the situation must be more serious than last time!

"It's okay, this time it's even easier than last time. Before, we flew directly over others' heads. This time, because we have plenty of time, we will take a detour from the sea."

"Are we still on a mission this time?"

"Not exactly, just a cruise. There's a cruise ship making its maiden voyage, and we've been invited by the old lady to play for a few days."

"Not a commission?"

"Right."

"No need to protect anyone?"

"Um."

"Then... can we buy things on the cruise ship?"

"Yes."

"Then..."

Seeing M14 still intending to continue asking, Renault couldn't help but look at her helplessly. "Why so many questions? If you don't know, ask M1 Garand or G36. This time, we're just going out to have fun, why are you thinking so much?"

Although Renault waved her away, the smile on M14's face couldn't be hidden. As soon as she stepped out, she made a victory gesture to the few T-Doll outside the door.

"No missions this time! No need to work!"

"Yeah!"

Hearing the cheers outside the workshop, Renault shook his head helplessly, looking at the main structure diagram of the spaceship in front of him, contemplating what weapon to use as the main weapon for the spaceship.

Right now, this ship is purely sturdy on the outside, and there are no powerful weapons on board. Although Renault is confident that this ship won't be shot down, it's still good to be prepared.


...


"Oh my? Isn't this the young man from the other day? What? Are you going to inspect my ship again?"
Seeing the young man who had changed out of his uniform and the female reporter who looked somewhat similar to him, Mrs. Graven asked in a strange tone.

"Well, sorry, Mrs. Graven, this time it's not a mission, just accompanying my sister on vacation..."

"Vacation?" Hearing this, Mrs. Graven smiled and looked at the female reporter with a work badge, microphone, and camera equipment.

This doesn't look like someone who's here for vacation.

But Mrs. Graven didn't expose it. Anyway, they've got tickets to board the ship, no matter where they got them from or how they got them, she only recognizes tickets. As for anything else, she pays no attention.

"Then please, old lady, I'm going back to rest. The sea breeze has been blowing for too long, and this old bone can't take it anymore."






Chapter Four: I Won't Go

"I regret it a bit, Angie," AK12's voice came through the communication device, accompanied by the sound of heavy breathing nearby.

Anjelia scratched her head with a slight headache.

"Regret what?"

"Of course, sending those two T-Dolls of Commander Renault back... I was too naive..."
AK12 gasped, her internal cooling system working at full capacity, with AN94 beside her in a similar state.

"It's too late to dwell on that now. How's the situation? If it's not feasible, withdraw as soon as possible. Intelligence is important, but you two are more important to me now. I don't want to receive an expensive bill tomorrow." Anjelia shook her head and sighed as she spoke to AK12.

"It's okay. Although the number of Sangvis Ferri units far exceeds my expectations, it's manageable. We're just a bit short on ammunition. It would be even better if we could get some support from Griffin."
AK12 glanced at AN94 beside her, then lowered her head to look at the backpack on her own body.

Since splitting up from MDR and RFB, they had encountered a sudden surge in Sangvis Ferri units on their journey, from fewer than thirty encounters in total to layers upon layers of obstacles.

If it weren't for their both having certain electronic warfare capabilities, capable of temporarily paralyzing the command systems of those Sangvis Ferri, they might have already succumbed to the sea of Sangvis Ferri tactics.

"Alright, stay safe." Anjelia felt slightly relieved after hearing AK12's words.

However, after ending the communication, she still hesitated and took out her phone, wondering whether to call Renault again.
But after some thought, she dismissed the idea.

After all, Renault was quite hot-tempered. AK12 had already said they didn't need help before. If she called Renault now and asked him to send MDR and the others to help again... she might be subjected to Renault's scolding, and most importantly, Renault would definitely take advantage of the situation to extort something from her!

Why couldn't he offer an insider price?


...


Anjelia's resentment and AK12's difficult mission had nothing to do with Renault and the others, as their spaceship had quietly crossed the Mediterranean Sea and arrived in the North Sea. William Harbor was just around the corner.

Standing on the bridge, RFB and her companions could already see the cruise ship preparing to set sail in the distance.

"Wow! I didn't expect the cruise ship to be so huge! Hey hey! RFB! Did Mrs. Graven say what we can do on the ship?"
C96 and M1919A4 grabbed RFB's arm and shook it, chattering incessantly.

"Um, I don't know. This cruise ship was just built by the Graven family's shipyard. As for operations and such, they will be handled by specialized companies. I have no idea what's on the ship!"

RFB's head was spinning from being shaken by the two, and she had heard nothing other than the phone call inviting them to play on the cruise ship.

"It should just be free boarding and entertainment. Meals and accommodation are free, but if you want to buy things on the ship, you'll have to spend your own money, as not all the shops on the cruise ship are operated by the company." M200 knew a bit more, but still very limited, as she had only seen some news about cruise ships online.

"Will we scare others by suddenly appearing in front of that cruise ship?" MP5 was worried about their spaceship underneath their feet.

Although the ship had landed on the sea surface from the sky, at least half of the hull was submerged in the water.

However, their ship looked quite strange compared to the ships in the distant harbor, and it might be mistaken by the passengers on the cruise ship as a warship.

Even if its the truth.

"Well, we shouldn't worry. After all, our ship only looks a bit odd, as long as we don't do anything strange, the tourists shouldn't react." MP40 scratched her head.

Although their ship was large, it was still small compared to a cruise ship, and the part above the water surface was not as high as the cruise ship's hull, so it looked like just a small boat now.

"Hmm, makes sense. But do we need to prepare anything?"

"No need, no need! The commander just said to bring money!" P90 waved her wallet, containing all her possessions, including the cash she exchanged earlier and the bank card she got when she opened the account.

"Eh!? When did you buy a wallet?"

"No no no, I didn't buy it! I made it myself!"
As the group of T-Dolls talked, they went straight to the hangar.

Soon, Renault would pilot the aircraft and take them all over.

As for Renault himself? He wasn't interested in wandering around on the cruise ship.

Whether on the cruise ship or on his own ship, it was the same to him. They wouldn't be able to witness the maiden voyage ceremony of the cruise ship, as they didn't have entry permits.

Therefore, they could only wait until the cruise ship set sail and slowly approach it afterwards.

Fortunately, there were no problems afterward. Mrs. Graven had already made arrangements.
After the two ships approached each other, Renault directly sent the large group of T-Dolls to the cruise ship.

"Commander, about the ship..." G36 turned to look at Renault sitting in the pilot's seat. "It's fine. There are still Rippers and Vespids on board, and there's nothing urgent. If anything happens, just give me a call, and I'll come over to pick you up." Renault waved his hand.

"Understood." G36 nodded and jumped out of the aircraft along with M1 Garand.

"Oh, and remind those guys to be careful. I don't want to receive a compensation bill from the operating company later."

"Got it."

The materials used on the cruise ship obviously couldn't compare to the high-strength alloy steel made by Renault himself, so he had to remind them to avoid accidentally damaging the cruise ship because they were used to the sturdy floors and walls of their own ship these past few days.

After exchanging glances with Mrs. Graven, RFB, and M200, they walked over to Renault.

"Renault, you're being careless. Why don't you come over here and have some fun?"

Mrs. Graven seemed somewhat dissatisfied when she saw Renault apparently not intending to stay on the cruise ship.

"Uh, I still need someone to watch over my ship over there. Let them go and have fun." Renault felt a bit embarrassed seeing Mrs. Graven's feigned displeasure.

But embarrassment aside, he definitely wouldn't stay.
He preferred being alone on his own ship to being on such a crowded cruise ship.

"Humph, fine, there are still several days anyway. There will be other opportunities." Hearing RFB calling him from over there, Mrs. Graven waved her hand in disdain.






Chapter Five: Hold On!

"Wait a minute!" The voice echoed through the air. "Where is that aircraft from? Have you seen it before?"

"I have, just a couple of days ago. It was here to deliver goods for the Graven Company. The collapsible radiation detection devices on this cargo ship were brought by them."

As she spoke, she turned her head to glance at the detection devices positioned at the top of the bridge.

"Huh? Why the change in tone? No need for secrecy anymore?"

"Sigh... You've seen it too..."

It was right in front of their eyes, how could they keep it a secret?

Not to mention, he only knew the owner of the aircraft, apparently from a small security contracting company in the east.

The person in charge was named Renault, with a group of unknown tactical dolls under him. Apart from that, there was little information available.

But since their last visit was just a routine delivery, the authorities had no intention of investigating further. However, now it seemed that the ship next to the cruise liner also belonged to that guy, Renault...

"Enough, let's not dwell on this here. If you're curious, just go ask if you can visit directly, okay?"

With that, the woman deftly maneuvered past the security personnel on the tarmac, making her way to the aircraft's door. Seizing the moment as the door was closing, she ducked inside.

"Hey! You!" Seeing the woman's actions, the young man hurriedly followed, squeezing in before the door shut completely.

Sensing the presence of intruders in the cockpit, Renault rolled his eyes in exasperation. Where did these two bold fools come from?

Seeing Renault turn from the pilot's seat, glaring at them, the woman reached into her pocket and pulled out an ID card. She waved it nonchalantly, saying, "Hello, I'm Charlotte! Can we interview you now?"

Hearing Charlotte's words, Renault rolled his eyes again. Not only had he never heard of Charlotte, but the 'ID' she pulled out was nothing more than the boarding pass used to board the ship.

"I don't do interviews, and you two, get out of here now, or I'll throw you both into the sea to feed the sharks."

Renault looked annoyed at the two, especially the woman in front of him.

Did she even realize their current situation?

At this position, no one would come forward to uphold justice to innocent people trespassing. The security personnel on the cruise ship wouldn't care about security issues beyond the ship's boundaries.

He recognized the guy beside her, from Stasi. He had led the team when they delivered goods earlier, but seeing him in casual clothes, it was clear he wasn't here to work.

"Sorry, sir, my sister is just curious. I'll take her away now!" The young man apologized to Renault, pulling Charlotte towards the door. Renault had already reopened it.

"Hey! Wait! Let me ask about the stuff from last time! Where did you get it!?" Charlotte protested.

"Enough! Sister! Stop causing trouble for others!" The young man called out, dragging Charlotte to the door.

"Wait, the stuff from last time? What stuff?" Hearing this, Renault frowned.

He hadn't given out anything noteworthy recently, except for the box he delivered to Mrs. Graven.

Could it be that Stasi withheld everything!?

"Um, it's some things Mrs. Graven gave me last time, like fruits..." Seeing Renault's furrowed brow, the young man explained awkwardly.

"And the bottle of wine!"

This alcoholic! Can't she see he's already angry? Don't blurt out things randomly!

Seeing Charlotte's eyes light up at the mention of the last bottle of wine, the young man regretted bringing her along on this cruise.

If he had known earlier, he would have stayed home honestly. At least, if he didn't come along, his sister wouldn't have done anything so impulsive.

But the reason was that bottle of wine. After she drank it, she had been pestering him for the past few days, asking him to investigate its origin. Even Charlotte had investigated, but unfortunately, they found nothing.
The only thing they knew was that the bottle of wine came from Mrs. Graven.

Hearing this, Renault also looked puzzled. He raised an eyebrow and asked the young man, "Did you two eat those things?"

"Huh? Um? Was those things not supposed to be eaten?" The young man panicked at the thought that those items might be experimental.

"Of course, you can eat them. Still, after eating, did you experience any positive reactions, aside from adverse ones? Like feeling energized, or unable to tire or sleep?"
As he spoke, Renault took out his notebook, jotting down notes while observing the two.

"This...!? Can those things be experimental products from some laboratory!?"
Originally, Charlotte was focused on the delicious wine, but hearing Renault's words, she couldn't help but panic.

"Of course not from any lab, just some vegetables grown at home. Two unlucky guys ate them before with no unusual reactions. You two came at just the right time for me to record your current condition."

Renault could guarantee that normal humans eating these foods wouldn't cause any problems. While there were no adverse effects, it didn't mean there were no positive changes.

For example, the inability to sleep mentioned earlier was simply due to increased energy, not fatigue. Apart from inconspicuous effects like increased energy, there might be other effects as well. Renault needed to ask these two how they felt now.

If he could confirm the degree of positive reactions, he might be able to more accurately make his vertical farm produce the effects he needed. By then, even if he couldn't make medicine, simply selling them directly would surely attract many buyers.

After all, the crops in the vertical farm grew too fast, resulting in a large surplus of ingredients that couldn't be consumed daily, all piled up in the warehouse. Over time, the rotten ones could only be crushed and turned into fertilizer for use in farming again.

So, confirming the specific effects and influences of the crops and making adjustments directly for sale was undoubtedly a good decision.

Renault was thinking about the vegetables in his garden, but Charlotte and the young man opposite him didn't think so.

Because the way Renault looked at them... It was like he was looking at guinea pigs!






Chapter Six: Simonov saw...!

"Where are the people!? Where did everyone go!?" Simonov exclaimed, staring at the empty spaceship. Apart from a few Rippers and Vespids moving about, there wasn't a single person in sight.

Did they go outside?

With this thought in mind, Simonov dashed straight to the ship's entrance, where people usually boarded and disembarked. However, upon reaching it, she found the door tightly shut and locked.

Did she need permission to open it?

"What's this? I've never seen anything like this before," Simonov muttered to herself. The permissions for Doll access didn't work here. The door could only be opened from the bridge...

Scratching her head in frustration, Simonov checked her pockets. It was time to make a call and find out what was going on, right? But where was her phone? Did she forget to bring it out of the dorm?

With no one in sight in the corridor and the exit door locked, Simonov realized her only option was to return to the dormitory, retrieve her phone, and then call the commander to find out what was going on... Huh?

As she was briskly walking, Simonov suddenly heard voices faintly coming from the corridor to her right.

"Raise your hand, turn around, bend over..."

The commander's voice?

Initially, Simonov didn't think much when she heard the voice. She immediately moved towards it; she remembered that the direction seemed to lead to the commander's office.

"Don't be so hesitant! Take it off!"

However, Reno's next words made Simonov stop in her tracks...

What? What is this?

Simonov's eyes widened in disbelief. Her hurried steps slowed down significantly, and she stealthily approached the door of the office, intending to eavesdrop on what was going on inside...

Swoosh!

Sensing someone approaching, the door automatically opened, exposing Simonov, who had been trying to eavesdrop!

At that moment, Simonov finally saw what Reno was doing in the office...

He... He was actually holding a young man by the neck, carefully examining him...

"Commander? So, you're into this?" Simonov, still half-crouching, even forgot to straighten up, staring incredulously at Reno's actions!

"Hmm? Passed the training? Or got knocked silly? Come in already, stop lingering at the door." Glancing at Simonov, Reno's face showed no surprise. He had noticed her before she even reached the door.
Besides, it was just a medical check-up; what was there to be embarrassed about?

"Looks like there are no abnormalities in your physique. Maybe it's because the intake is relatively small. Have you felt anything different mentally these past few days? Similar to your sister's more excited state?" Lowering his head in contemplation for a moment, Reno directly picked up a pen and wrote down a few keywords in his notebook.

Seeing Reno's calm reaction, Simonov also calmed down. Only then did she notice that besides Reno and the young man, there was also a restless young woman standing nearby.

The two of them looked very similar, likely siblings.

"Mr. Reno, will there be any side effects from this?" Putting on her coat, Wright glanced worriedly at her sister, who was absent-mindedly eating fruit, her IQ seemingly significantly lower. She couldn't help but ask with some concern.


Her sister usually wouldn't have such an expression, nor would she act so impulsively, like charging into Reno's aircraft earlier.

That usually never happen!

"Of course not. This amount is not enough to turn you into some kind of alien creature. Maybe if you ingested it directly, there might be a possibility, but eating crops grown from it definitely doesn't carry such risks."

And... Your sister was clearly intentional. Didn't you see the way she kept glancing at you?

Of course, Reno didn't say this out loud. Perhaps this was just how siblings interacted with each other.

Hearing Reno's words, Wright breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there were no problems, the current state was just right. After all, she felt much more mentally focused now, and her physical condition had improved significantly compared to before.

"Alright, both of you are in good health. Don't worry about unnecessary things. Consider this a favor you've done for me this time. If you want to wander around my ship, feel free. Simonov, you better go back and tidy yourself up. You look no different from someone crawling out of a dumpster!"

After sizing up Simonov who stood beside him and seeing her condition over this period which she is obviously didn't have the time to take care of herself. Her clothes were covered in conspicuous stains, oil handprints, and even food residue...


"Um, this..." Hearing Renault's words, Simonov suddenly choked up, looking at her current appearance, then quickly ran out of the office.

Simonov?

Hearing Renault's address to Simonov, Wright and Charlotte both raised their eyebrows.

That name didn't sound like a girl's name... And just now, based on behavior and expressions alone, it didn't seem like a Doll either?

Just when Wright had relaxed, her suspicions resurfaced. These dozens of unknown, unknown, and even unclear tactical Dolls who just arrived on the spaceship...

Were they really human!?

When those girls just jumped off the spaceship, Wright also took a look, but their behavior showed almost no abnormalities, and there were no visible human features...

If those dozens of girls just now were all Dolls... belonging to the security contractor...

hey might already be anywhere in the cruise ship!

Thinking of this, a creepy feeling instantly surged in Wright's heart!

Having dozens of unknown, unknown, and even unclear Tactical Dolls mixed into a cruise ship... In ordinary circumstances, this is already a security incident!

"Mr. Reno... All the ones you just sent to the cruise ship... were they all Dolls?"





Chapter Seven: Vacation, Any Issues?

"Of course, didn't you all see it last time?" Hearing Wright's question, Renault raised an eyebrow in surprise. He remembered clearly that Wright was present when they delivered goods to Mrs. Graven last time.

UMP45 and the others who went with him last time were all present, too. There was no reason this guy wouldn't recognize them, right?

"Last time... Mr. Renault, did you really notice us back then?" Hearing Renault's words, Wright couldn't help but smile wryly. They had thought they were hiding well.

"It's just an automated cargo terminal. The normal number of human staff should be between five and six, and they are all responsible for dispatching those autonomous units in the tower. Where would anyone be hanging around those containers?"

He must have taken him for a fool.

Listening to the conversation between Renault and Wright, Charlotte couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "So, you'd better just go to work honestly in the future. Stop thinking about becoming a special agent all the time; you can't handle it."

Hearing her sister's teasing, Wright sighed. "Mr. Renault, when you came this time, you didn't have any other commissions, did you?"

"You're just overthinking it. We just brought those girls over to have some fun. Mrs. Graven invited them, and she even helped buy the tickets." Along with that, she also paid a hefty transportation fee for the equipment they sent over last time, which was extremely generous.

In addition, Mrs. Graven also helped pay for most of the expenses for this cruise trip, otherwise, he wouldn't have had the heart to just fly the ship over and bring everyone here directly.

Hearing Renault's words, Wright and Charlotte looked at each other in surprise. "This... such treatment, it seems even legitimate companies don't have it this good, right?"

Driving a ship with a group of doll forms to play on a cruise ship... This guy was really generous. Other companies would rather cut their salaries to the minimum and definitely wouldn't treat dolls on par with humans. It could only be said that the situation where dolls' salaries were only a tenth of humans' was not uncommon.

"I'm back! Commander! By the way, where did everyone else go?" Shaking her phone, which had shut down due to lack of battery, Simonov asked strangely.

"Everyone else went to the nearby ship to play. You take Wright and her sister Charlotte around the ship for now, and when I send them back later, I'll bring you over to the ship as well."

"Oh, so I'm just a side note..." Simonov sighed helplessly and then looked up. "By the way, Commander... since I passed my driving assessment, can I..."

"You can, but remember, if you dare to drink on a mission again, I'll buy a robot dog and put your neural core into it."

Of course, it didn't have to be a robot dog; other robot pets would work too.

"Cough! I absolutely won't! Absolutely!" As soon as Simonov heard this, she was choked and quickly made a promise.

"Go ahead. You two follow her. Tell her where you want to go, and if she can't go there, she won't have access either."

Unlike when they were in the factory area, there were many important facilities in the spaceship, so Renault also imposed strict restrictions on the activity areas of his dolls.

T-Dolls like Simonov and A-91 couldn't enter the power area, and he didn't want them to accidentally break a bottle of alcohol one day and make the ship fall from the sky.

M1 Garand and G36 could go in, but they wouldn't go to those places for a walk unless they had nothing else to do.

"Come with me. I'll take you around. What do you want to see?" Waving to Wright and Charlotte, Simonov asked.

"Um, this ship... should be a ship, right? What's on the ship?"

A private security contractor actually had such a large ship. Although no powerful weapons were seen on the ship, ships like this were something that ordinary security contractors couldn't get.

If she guessed correctly, this ship definitely didn't have any relevant operating qualifications, nor did it have any passage permissions in any seafaring areas.

But this ship appeared like this, openly in the waters not far from William Port, and there was no one coming to investigate the origin of this ship.

This was unreasonable.

Simonov didn't pay attention to the distracted Wright. "What's on the ship, well, it's basically our dormitories, and some miscellaneous equipment, a hangar, several vertical farms, a breeding farm, a training room, a restaurant, and so on. Anyway, they're all normal facilities."

The abnormal ones, it seemed that the commander hadn't arranged any of them yet.

"Wait! Wait! Did you say farm!? There's a farm on this ship!?"

Although vertical farm technology was already very mature nowadays, it was still unimaginable to set up a vertical farm on a ship like this.

"Uh, yes, is there a problem?" Did she say something wrong? Seeing Charlotte's big reaction, Simonov was suddenly taken aback.

"Do those fruits and wine grow or brew on this ship?"

"Uh... yes."

"Hurry up! Take me to see!" Charlotte immediately remembered the taste of the wine she had drunk before and immediately put her hand on Simonov's shoulder, trying to push her to walk faster.

Unfortunately, she couldn't budge her at all.

"Huh? Hm?"


...


Beep!

Hmm? Who's calling now?

Just as he was about to organize the collected data, Renault's phone suddenly rang. Could something have happened on the cruise ship?

Angelia?

"Hello? What's up?" Seeing the caller, Renault answered the phone strangely.

Didn't AK12 say that their next mission could be compWrightd by the two of them? Why was she calling again?

"Renault, where are you now?"

"In the North Sea, what's wrong?"

"Huh? North Sea? How did you end up there!?" Hearing this, Angelia exclaimed in surprise. She had planned to ask Renault to help pick up AK12 and AN94!

"Vacation, any issues?"

As Renault spoke, he opened the holographic image, and Angelia, on the other end, finally saw what Renault looked like now.

Although it was still the same old coat, she could clearly see a compWrightly different workspace behind Renault. As Renault walked out of the workspace and came to a row of portholes, the deep blue sea outside the window directly proved Renault's current location.

The weather was clear, the sea was vast, it was obviously not where Renault had been before.





Chapter Eight: Individual Circumstances

"Hmm! This taste! Exactly! The wine from before was indeed produced here!?"

Frowning slightly to endure the faint spiciness in her mouth, Charlotte's eyes immediately lit up as she looked at the wine barrels in front of her, wishing she could just haul all the barrels of wine back home!

"Um... it shouldn't taste that good, right? All the barrels here are failed products from before. We were originally trying to distill vodka, but the data we found was incorrect, and it ended up turning into a whiskey-like flavor. If you like it, you can take some with you later." Scratching her head, Simonov said casually, not really caring about the barrels.

The liquid in those barrels was just left here because they felt it was a waste to throw it away.
And it would be convenient to free up some space for vodka if they took some away.

The wheat in the vertical farm was growing wildly. Just producing alcohol and processing it into flour for daily use wasn't enough to consume all that wheat. The warehouse of the spaceship was already stocked with a large batch of supplies.

Most of it was wheat grown in the vertical farm, and then there were those fruits and vegetables that couldn't be consumed fast enough.

MG3 mentioned before that the breeding farm also had animals growing uncontrollably. In a while, they would have to set up a cold storage in the spaceship to store the meat produced by those animals.

"Wright! Help me carry this!" Hearing Simonov's words, Charlotte directly lifted a steel wine barrel of over 30 liters from the side and handed it to Wright with both hands.

"Oh my god!" Caught off guard, Wright could barely hold the wine barrel with both hands, looking at his sister Charlotte with disbelief, as if he was meeting her for the first time.
He had no idea his sister could be this strong!

Over 70 pounds of stuff, yet it felt as light as carrying a basket of eggs? Even if he held it, it seemed... huh? Strange? It wasn't that heavy?

Seeing all the various ingredients from the vertical farm falling to the ground, Wright and Charlotte followed Simonov around the ship, their curiosity from before compWrightly thrown aside.

Or rather, Charlotte threw it aside. In addition to holding a wine barrel each, her arms were also full of bags, making her look like she had arms like a centipede.

"You guys..." Seeing the two of them loaded with bags, Renault couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Was it really necessary? Even though they were carrying so much, the things they were taking away were very limited. They didn't even take one-tenth of what he gave Mrs. Graven last time.

Although they took a bit more alcohol, it was definitely stuff Simonov and her friends didn't drink, otherwise, the booze-loving Simonov wouldn't agree to them taking it.

Seeing Wright's apologetic expression, Renault waved his hand, handing a piece of paper with his number to Wright. "It's okay, it's just some miscellaneous fruits and vegetables. Even if you don't take them, they'll just be recycled as fertilizer. This is my number. If you experience any unusual reactions, give me a call. We still have several days on this trip. If you want to come over, just give me a call."

With that said, Renault turned to Simonov and the others behind them. Simonov was now ready to leave, holding a large jug in her hand.

While A-91 had a few palm-sized jugs, she had somehow managed to make herself a large jug using the printing equipment, which, at first glance, looked a bit like a small oil drum...

"Why are you carrying so much alcohol? The cruise ship provides drinks, doesn't it?"

Whether it was drinks or food, the restaurants on the cruise ship provided them.
Whether it was the complimentary restaurant or the buffet, they both provided drinks. If it wasn't enough, they could go to the paid restaurants. After all, Mrs. Graven would reimburse all the expenses for the Dolls on the ship this time.

Although it was a bit shameful to take advantage of it, with nearly forty Dolls eating and drinking to their heart's content, the cost was definitely much higher than he had imagined. Instead of dipping into his own meager funds, it was better to let the Dolls freeload for a few days.

With the increase in the number of Dolls, the cost of meals increased almost exponentially. Fortunately, he had wisely set up the vertical farm at the beginning. Otherwise, if all the food had to be purchased, he might have gone bankrupt long ago.

"Um, just in case, you know? Just in case there isn't the kind I like on the ship..." Rolling her eyes at him, Renault started the aircraft and sent Simonov, Wright, and Charlotte to the cruise ship.

The security personnel near the cruise ship's helipad couldn't help but look weirdly at Charlotte and Wright's appearance after seeing them. Even sunglasses couldn't hide the disdainful or scornful looks on their faces.

Charlotte and Wright hurriedly bid goodbye to Renault and rushed to their cabins with their belongings.

Simonov was less concerned about appearances. Carrying her jug of alcohol, she wandered around curiously like a child, touching and inspecting everything. If she hadn't shown her ticket, the security personnel would have wanted to arrest her as a suspicious person.

Renault didn't linger either. After sending the three of them over, he returned to his ship and began organizing data while calling a few Cutters to help bring some ingredients to the deck of the spaceship.

With a little stove, He enjoyed barbecue while feeling the sea breeze.

Its so relaxing!

As for Angelia, who had called him earlier, she could let her underlings AK12 and AN94 stay with Griffin for a while. After all, she originally had a cooperative relationship with Griffin. AK12 and AN94 could act freely, but ultimately, it was still under Griffin's name.

Statesec hadn't authorized her to let her Security Bureau's Dolls undertake such dangerous tasks between Griffin and Sangvis Ferri.

Meanwhile, while Renault was leisurely enjoying himself and Angelina was struggling with headaches, a certain Griffin agent was also busy as a bee.

The AR Team and the intelligence reported back by Angelia indicated that the mainframe created by Sangvis Ferri was brewing up a significant plan.
However, Griffin was still in the dark about what exactly this plan, codenamed "Parapluie," entailed.

Except for this plan called the "Parapluie" plan, there were no other clues at all.






Chapter Nine: While the Commander is Away

"Intruder, why aren't you going back now?" Executioner found Intruder in the hall, holding a cup of wine and leisurely listening to the band play.

"Don't be hasty, be elegant."

"Forget it, no one's watching. Aren't you going back to the ship tonight?"

"I am, of course. Let's go now." Hearing Executioner's words, Intruder also set down her cup, picked up the handbag she had recently bought from the ship, stood up elegantly and walked towards the top deck of the cruise ship.

The helipad was on the top deck. If they wanted to return to the ship, they naturally had to wait there for Reno to pick them up.

These days, they had enjoyed the highest treatment in their lives. Reno personally acted as the driver, shuttling back and forth between their own ship and the cruise ship every day.

Originally, Reno was curious. None of these guys wanted to stay on the cruise ship. The rooms on the cruise ship should be quite nice, with all kinds of facilities available.
Unexpectedly, none of his Dolls wanted to stay in the cabins on the cruise ship for overnight stay.

As for why... it was probably because those cabins didn't have charging equipment specifically for Dolls.

To be precise, it was charging equipment for Tactical Dolls.

The energy consumption of tactical Dolls was much higher than that of ordinary droids. Apart from the energy required for the body's activities, various auxiliary modules of the Dolls also consumed energy.

So the charging equipment used by tactical Dolls had to provide more power than that used by ordinary Dolls.

Although ordinary charging equipment could be used, it was like connecting a small faucet to a large pipe—it wasn't very pleasant to use.

Moreover, not only that, because they all used the modified chassis by Reno, the energy demand was even higher. With dozens of Dolls charging at the same time at night, it wouldn't just reverse the electric meter on the cruise ship, but at least it would cause a circuit breaker in the whole ship.

The group of Dolls left on the cruise ship almost hesitated and chose to return to their own ship.

Although the cabins on their own ship were definitely not as luxurious and comfortable as those on the cruise ship, they didn't need to worry about anything when using charging equipment at home.
They also didn't have to worry about the management of the cruise ship coming to them because of electricity bills, nor did they need to worry about too many Dolls charging at the same time causing circuit damage.

"Ah, I've had enough of this place. There are only a few places on this cruise ship, and it's boring after walking around a few times. Instead of staying on the cruise ship, why not try the training equipment at home? I heard that the simulation training provided by Reno is very challenging?" Executioner said as she glanced at several other Dolls walking over from a distance.

Those few were not Reno's Dolls, and it was unclear what they were coming over for.

And the several security personnel guarding the helipad on the top deck also showed a somewhat indifferent expression when they saw so many Dolls gathering here.
Every night, these guys would take a flying machine to stay on the nearby ship, but it was unknown which aspect of the facilities on the cruise ship these guys were dissatisfied with...

"Yes, yes! The difficulty of those training levels is indeed very high! Absolutely to your taste! But..." Simonov, who had been waiting here for a long time, immediately gave Executioner a thumbs-up when he heard her words.

"But what?"

"But you may not be able to use your current equipment. In the training device, what equipment can be used and what enemies may be encountered are all random... Who are these? Why are they standing here?" Simonov was speaking when he saw the three Dolls who looked as if they belonged here but seemed different from ordinary Dolls, walking into the crowd where she and the others were.

At first glance, they looked like Dolls, but these guys didn't seem like simple Dolls.

"Don't you recognize them? I thought they were friends you invited?" Executioner also looked at the three Dolls with some surprise.

It was obvious that these guys had some mechanical structure exposed under their skirts, showing part of their lower legs. It looked completely like a mechanical structure.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought that these guys might be humans using prosthetics, but there was no reason for three humans to use prosthetics almost simultaneously, right? The probability of this was very small.

However, just as everyone was puzzled, the sound of a helicopter suddenly rang out, and a helicopter approached the cruise ship from a distance, then directly stopped where Reno had previously parked the flying brick.

The three Dolls, who had made Simonov and the others curious, almost hesitated to walk over when they saw the helicopter arrive, and then boarded the helicopter from the open cabin door.

"They're gone."

"Yeah, they're gone. That was quick. Who are these guys? They don't look like normal Dolls." Several Dolls whispered as they watched the helicopter quickly depart.

"They're probably Dolls under some organization. Their clothing and appearance seem quite uniform."

"Oh, the Commander is coming." As they spoke, Reno also drove the flying machine over.

He now felt like a shuttle bus driver, shuttling back and forth between his own spacecraft and the cruise ship all day.

However, it seemed that the Dolls at home were also tired of it. After all, most of them were not interested in entertainment venues such as the cruise ship theater. Therefore, after accompanying others for two days, they just stayed on their own ship and didn't move.
And the number of Dolls going out every day was decreasing.

Until today, the fourth day, only Simonov and her drinking buddies, as well as Executioner and Intruder, were still wandering around.

The other Dolls had already returned, even RFB and M200, who had been accompanying Mrs. Graven, had returned to their cabins. The Dolls staying on the ship these days were arguing endlessly about how to name this ship.

Some Dolls planned to directly name the ship after its original form, the Valkyrie Escort Ship, but others planned to come up with a new name, after all, as Reno said, although this ship was only a replica, it had almost nothing in common with the original Valkyrie Escort Ship.

There was no connection at all between the appearance and the original ship. After all, it was just used as a baseline for the ship.

And just as Reno had just set off to pick someone up, the group of Dolls left on the spacecraft also reached a consensus and decided to sneakily spray the name they had come up with on the top deck while Reno was away.

It was just picking someone up, a matter of three to five minutes, but when Reno arrived at the garage door driving the flying machine, a string of large black letters on the top deck directly made him scratch his head in speechlessness.





Chapter Ten: The Task Is Yours

Hyperion - Hyperion - Alexander - Flying Dutchman - Titanic - Spear of Adun - Pride of Altaris - Memory of Nezin - Pioneer - Harbinger - Pillar of Autumn - Spirit of Fire - Razor Crest - Pelican - Hyacinth - The Brilliance of Markulag - Heading Towards Dawn - Korsmanath A'awoj - White Base - Babel Tower - Rhode Island - Pink...

Pink furry rabbit?

What on earth is this chaotic list!?

How did the Spear of Adun even come up? He clearly didn't mention the Spear of Anduin to the doll back home?
Or did he inadvertently turn a Simulation Battle with the Spear of Anduin into a training level?

Not only on the top deck, but even the side of the ship had it. Two little guys setting up ladders were now using rollers to paint a pink rabbit on the side of the ship. But after noticing the return of the aircraft, they directly grabbed their brushes and paint cans and dashed into the cabin.

After parking the aircraft, Renault immediately smelled a strong smell of paint as he stepped down from the aircraft. These troublemakers at home even prepared paint without saying a word!

Renault sighed and followed the smell of paint. Soon, he saw two little guys wrapping up their brushes while looking for something.

"Hurry up! Otherwise, the Commander will come looking for us soon!" C96 urged quietly.

Maria, on the other hand, rummaged through the cluttered cabinet, trying to find a rag to temporarily wrap up the brush and put it in the cabinet.

"Don't rush me! Those guys must have taken all the rags! There's none left here now! Should we just leave it like this... Oh!" Maria didn't finish her sentence before Renault grabbed her by the neck, and C96, too, was grabbed by Renault like two little animals, not daring to move.

"Cough, um, good evening, Commander..." Being lifted by just one hand, especially being held by the back of the neck like this, apart from G36, perhaps only the Commander would do it.

G36 was currently busy in the dining room, so just by feeling someone behind her, she could guess who it was without turning around.

"Speak up, who started this?" Renault asked, arms crossed, looking at the two little guys with their heads down.

So many words on the deck, each font different, and the colors were all over the place. Maria and C96 were drawing rabbits, but obviously, they couldn't have produced those fonts on the top deck. If no one led this, he didn't believe these guys would dare to mess around like this.

"It's MDR, she said she came up with some good names, so..." Seeing Renault's stern face, Maria immediately spilled the beans, like bamboo tubes pouring beans.

MDR somehow got hold of this long list of names from somewhere, and then everyone gathered together and each picked out a few names they liked, but in the end, they couldn't come up with a unified conclusion.

In the end, P90 just said, "Just paint whatever name you like!"

As a result, everyone acted, got some leftover paint from the cruise ship, and while Renault was flying over to pick someone up, they took brushes and paint and acted without permission.

Hearing Maria and C96's words, Renault rolled his eyes in annoyance and tapped their heads lightly. "I knew you guys were up to no good! If you cause trouble again next time, I'll have you two go clean the deck with the Executioner and Disruptor!"

"Hehe." Seeing Renault gently tap their heads, C96 and Maria smiled apologetically. Obviously, their Commander wasn't really angry.

"Go on, find a place to put away the brushes and paint. It might be need them later." Waving his hand at the two, Renault walked towards the dining room.

It should be dinner time now. Executioner and Disruptor had already eaten on the cruise ship, but the ones left on the ship hadn't eaten yet.

MDR would most likely be in the dining room now. There was nowhere to hide on this ship, and for him, who personally designed the entire ship, he knew much more about the ship's nooks and crannies than these Dolls at home.

MDR sat in the dining room, browsing the anonymous board, looking for new posts to comment on when someone suddenly removed her hat.

Snap!

"Ouch! Who hit me!?"

"Heh, quite a temper you have."

"Uh... cough, Commander, you just came back, we were waiting for you to have dinner." Seeing Renault standing behind her, MDR forced a smile and looked around.

Snap!

"Don't play dumb with me! Are you the one who incited everyone to write and draw on the deck!?"

Hearing Renault's words, all the dolls nearby turned their bodies straight and sat up, afraid that Renault would also pick them up and scold them.

Seeing the reaction of these guys, Renault found it somewhat amusing. These guys, they were probably bored to death during their time at the factory base. It hadn't been long since they came out, and under MDR's instigation, they had all started to let loose.

"Uh, Commander, you see, this ship has been nameless for so long, so we just wanted to..."

Snap!

With no patience, Renault snapped his fingers on MDR's forehead again. He smiled and said, "Alright, you like to let loose, don't you? Great! From tomorrow on, I'll entrust you with the painting of this ship!"

Originally, he had planned to finish painting the ship before test-flying it, but who would have thought that they would receive Mrs. Graven's invitation and rush over? There was no time to paint the ship.

He had originally planned to mix some special paints, but now it seemed unnecessary. With the ship's counter-detection equipment, when they flew over the two straits to the south, no radar detected them at all.

"What!? Commander! It's a big ship! All entrusted to me to paint!?" MDR was shocked when she heard Renault's words.

Such a large ship, all to be painted by herself? How long would this task take?

"Otherwise? Such a simple task, I'm sure you can handle it easily by yourself, right? Remember, don't let those Rippers and Vespids from home take charge." Renault said, patting MDR's shoulder and putting her hat back on her head.

"What!? No...no way! Hey hey! CF05! P38! Nagant Revolver! You guys also participated! Say something!"









Chapter Eleven: Miss MDR Changes Jobs

Speaking was not an option. With a glare from Renault, even MDR's thought of talking back retreated.

Several days had passed since the cruise began, and now the ship was preparing to return.

After all, it was no longer an era where cruise ships were just means of transportation. The passengers were purely here for leisure. After swaying on the sea for a few days, the ship would return to its original port.

As for going back, Renault didn't plan to continue following. Besides, the Dolls at home had probably had enough fun by now.

"Aren't you staying a few more days?"
Mrs. Graven, seeing Renault bidding farewell with RFB and M200, wasn't surprised.

After all, Renault was a safety contractor, and with such a large ship still in hand, if he didn't take on regular contracts, he probably couldn't even cover maintenance costs.

Of course, Mrs. Graven didn't know that Renault's ship was already halfway into self-sufficiency. There were hardly any maintenance costs involved.

Usually, the only expenses were to satisfy the appetites of the Dolls at home.

Of course, there might be ammunition expenses in the future, but for now, the weapons made from the materials accumulated earlier were enough for their daily use.

And even if they ran out, Renault could just run into the Red Zone and find some abandoned factories to haul back materials. With some disinfection, they could be recycled and reused, much more convenient than the producers in the Safe Green Zone.

"No, there are other things to take care of when I get back. I'll take them to visit when I have the time." Renault rubbed the heads of RFB and M200. M200 had always been obedient, but RFB, surprisingly, was well-behaved today.

"Hehe, that's nice! But as for your identities, I can't do much about it. I don't have many connections here, but I'll keep an eye out. If there's any news, I'll call you."

After exchanging pleasantries with Mrs. Graven, Renault took the two back to his ship and steered it in the opposite direction of the cruise ship's current route.

However, as the cruise ship moved farther away and there were no other ships nearby, Renault didn't immediately instruct the ship to take off and return. Instead, it continued to drift on the sea.

For the T-Dolls, it didn't seem like it had any intentiin of returning to the previous factory area they resided.

"Commander? Aren't we returning now?" M1911 asked strangely, seeing that Renault only adjusted the direction but didn't indicate a takeoff.

"No hurry to go back. Anyways that place doesn't get much sunlight. The weather here is still good, so staying a few more days won't hurt. Besides, it's a good time with the sun out to have MDR paint the ship." Renault said, picking up the fishing rod he had made in the past few days.

Then, whistling, he picked up a bucket and grabbed a folding chair as he headed out.

With nothing else to do, it was a good opportunity to see if there were any fish in this area. If so, he might get a change of taste for dinner.

"Oh, Commander, are you going fishing?" BM59 asked, puzzled, seeing Renault heading out with the fishing rod and tools, while holding a plush cat in her arms.

"Meow."

Perhaps hearing the word 'fish,' the plush cat blinked its shiny eyes and rubbed its head against BM59's arm.

"Woof woof! If the Commander catches some fish today, you might be in for a treat!" BM59 rubbed the plush cat's head with her forehead. She was somewhat tempted, but she didn't have a fishing rod, and she had never fished before, nor did she know if Renault had any spare fishing rods.

"Let's go to the Commander's workshop. He might make a few more."

Even if he didn't, he might have left the blueprints in the printing device, so they could just get the materials and print them themselves later.

"Let's go! Opportunities like this don't come often! Our previous factory area was always dull, with not even a small fish or shrimp in the sea!" Hearing M1911's words, Nagant Revolver nodded in agreement, pulling M1911 towards Renault's workshop.



...


"Sigh! Why do I have to go on a business trip later? Can't they just let me have some leisure time? Isn't the salary a bit too low?" Stretching lazily, Gentiane sighed helplessly.

"Business trip? Wasn't there a summons sent not long ago? It seems that several commanders from other jurisdictions and bases were summoned, right? AR Team seemed to have received the summons much earlier than us." Kalina shook her head, these days, writing reports was already enough for her.

Fortunately, she didn't have to go on a business trip with Gentiane.

"Is that so?"

"I heard it was Persica..."

"I don't want to hear Persica's name!"

Don't mention Persica to me! That guy's requests are never simple!

"Ah... MDR? Why is she out at sea?"

While Gentiane was refusing to acknowledge Persica's name, Kalina, on the other hand, saw a post on the Griffin anonymous board.

The photo in the post was of a very familiar MDR, after all, this person was quite famous on the Griffin anonymous board, especially since there were two of them.

One was the MDR who stayed at the Griffin headquarters or in some wealthy areas all day, and the other belonged to the MDR under Renault's command. It was said that Renault's MDR and the headquarters' MDR were originally the same person.

But these were irrelevant to the photo she was currently seeing. In the photo, MDR stood on a deck, with the bright sun overhead and the vast sea behind her.

The only problem was that MDR's expression in the photo seemed forced, clearly not a voluntary smile.

And she was holding something else in her hand, a long-handled paint roller, with several buckets of paint at her feet.

As for the title of the post?

"Miss MDR becomes a painter today!"

As for the poster, it was anonymous, but it was clear that this post was not made by MDR herself, as MDR never hid her account on the anonymous board.

"Haha! Did she do something naughty again and get sorted out by Renault?" Seeing MDR's current state, Gentiane couldn't help but laugh out loud.

But then she carefully looked at the scenery in the photo. "I envy her. I wonder when we can go on vacation to such sunny places."

As she spoke, Gentiane asked Kalina to scroll through the post. There were several more photos, showing several dolls playing and frolicking on the deck of the ship.
Finally, there was even a photo of Renault sitting on a folding chair, fishing rod in hand, fishing.

"Gah! Clearly, they're also security contractors. Why do they have time to go on vacation?"






Chapter Twelve: Any Suggestions?


"Hey! There are coconuts on the trees over there!"

"Where, where!? Let me see, let me see!"

Several T-Dolls frolicked around the beach like monkeys, climbing coconut trees and diving into the sea, having a great time.

Originally drifting at sea, they happened upon an uninhabited island, and seeing the clean beach, Renault decided to park the ship nearby.

Since the group of T-Dolls had bought many clothes on the cruise ship, swimsuits included, it was convenient for them to play by the beach now.

However... while all the T-Dolls, even the Rippers, were enjoying themselves on the island with Maria and Jaeger, a certain Miss MDR, who had just changed jobs not long ago, was now working with a group of Vespids and Dinergates to spray paint the huge ship's hull, which was several dozen meters high.

"Careful! Careful! Hey hey! Alright alright! Don't sway! You're about to fall!" MDR shouted at the group of Vespids and Dinergates on the top deck.

It was really tough for these little guys, who weighed only a few dozen kilograms and had wheels and sticks for feet, to pull someone like her, who weighed around three hundred kilograms.

But who asked her to instigate a group of T-Dolls to scribble and draw on the ship's surface earlier? It was already good that a group of Vespids and Dinergates was willing to help her.

"Hey! MDR! Keep it up! Try to finish spraying the entire side of the ship today! Maybe we can even have a seafood barbecue tonight!" Sitting on a specially made beach chair under a parasol, HK416 smiled as she sipped her cold drink, finding nothing more satisfying than getting her revenge!

Especially seeing MDR, in such hot weather, who was still wearing a thick protective suit to avoid getting paint fumes on herself.

Since Renault didn't have any other types of protective suits on hand, MDR had no choice but to settle for this heavy protective suit, or else the paint would inevitably damage her bionic skin during cleaning.

Then it would be an expense, and the Commander would probably deduct her salary again.

"Oh, Lucky! I didn't expect to go on a company-sponsored vacation right after joining! Commander Renault, your treatment here seems a bit too good, doesn't it, How much did it cost?"
Interfering with the conversation, Intruder pushed up the sunglasses on her face and said to Renault, who was busy calculating something on the side.

Although it was a bit embarrassing to be stuffed into the body of a Dinergate earlier, it was better than losing one's life directly.
Moreover, the new body was much easier to use than the Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing's original one.

After coming out, she went straight to play on the cruise ship, and now she was on a vacation on this island. Although it was only an uninhabited island, the scenery here was enough to make up for this small flaw.

"Didn't spend a dime." Glancing at Intruder, who had quickly integrated in their group, Renault thought she might become a lazy guy like MDR and RFB.

Looking at his notebook and then taking out his phone to calculate, Renault's ship had now surpassed the original Valkyrie-class destroyer by a large margin. Not only was the propulsion system different, but many other data such as the ship's hull shape and armor materials had also changed.

If he wanted to install suitable weapons, he needed to calculate carefully. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good news if the ship became unbalanced due to the force of the weapons firing.

As for why the previous aircraft didn't have this trouble? That's because... he had calculated it long ago. A smaller body meant fewer things to calculate, so it didn't take as long as it did now, trying to straighten out all the data.

"Uh..." Originally thinking that Renault had spent a lot of money, Intruder was at a loss after hearing what Renault said.

How could she continue this conversation? Can't you chat like a normal person?

Seeing Renault throw out a sentence and continue with his own business, Intruder shrugged and lay down on the beach chair, pretending to be a salted fish bathed in the sun.

The stay on this uninhabited island lasted for less than a week. MDR worked hard every day and spent two or three days to spray paint the upper half and sides of the ship.

The bottom of the ship had not been painted yet, mainly because raising the entire ship was needed to spray paint underneath, and also because Renault would probably need to modify the weapon space reserved under the ship later, so there was no rush to spray paint it.

As for the name of this ship... With a group of T-Dolls playing all day, naming the ship was forgotten, so they waited until MDR finished her work and the T-Dolls still couldn't come up with a reasonable name.

There was still no name written on the ship's hull, but the pink rabbit drawn by Maria and C96 before was left behind.

When MDR went to spray paint that area, the paint had run out, and that guy probably did it on purpose, leaving behind such a pattern that looked completely mismatched with the ship, like a child's doodle.

Regarding this, Renault just rolled his eyes and didn't say much. It wasn't uncommon for some people with holes in their heads to paint strange patterns on ships. He had even seen someone draw an Armstrong rotary jet cannon on a ship.

Although the scenery on this uninhabited island was still good, after a few days, the few T-Dolls with the most playful hearts had already left their marks on every corner of the island, able to count every shell under every stone.

Playing like this every day, except for a few like Maria and them who were like children, most of the other T-Dolls were already tired of it.

And Scarecrow was now even more uncomfortable, wanting to maintain the drones she had remade over and over again every day. After all, it was too idle, and without finding something to do, she felt like she was going to have a mental breakdown.

Only those with childish minds, like the T-Dolls, and those alcoholics like Simonov, were very satisfied with this life of doing nothing but eating and drinking all day.

"Commander Renault, don't you think if we continue to stay here, we'll eventually become savages?" As she spoke, Scarecrow pointed outside to the several T-Dolls running wild on the deck.

"Hmm? Any suggestions?"

Now that his ship, besides being able to enter some Red Zones and other uninhabited areas like this, couldn't fly openly in other places.

Although the radar might not detect them, once they got close to places with many people, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't be seen.

"Uh, this, as security contractors, shouldn't we take the initiative to take on some commissions?" We should find something to do! I can't stand being idle like this anymore!






Chapter Thirteen: Can't Stay Idle

"Commissions? That's a good idea, but unfortunately, people like us simply can't get the usual kind of commissions."

Even if we could, he wouldn't want to take those cheap ones.
Activities like guarding wealthy districts and maintaining public order were better left to Griffin; he didn't have the leisure for that.

In the future, they might even bid farewell to the Security Contractor profession. After all, being able to afford to hire them and having the commission align with Reno's interests was highly improbable.

"Then are there no other jobs available?" Seeing Reno's unresponsive expression, Scarecrow sighed. Even the jobs at the vertical farms had been taken over by the Rippers and Vespids. CF05 and NZ75 were now completely liberated from the vertical farms.

These days, the two of them were experimenting with making things like strawberry preserves and chili sauce.

"Not at the moment. It's just too idle. You can learn from Intruder." Reno gestured to the deck outside as he spoke.

Intruder had somehow gotten a bunch of ropes and was tying up Dinergates, leading them around the deck like dogs on a leash. It was unclear what she was trying to accomplish.

Seeing Intruder's antics outside, Scarecrow raised an eyebrow. "Forget it. I'd rather not mess around with Dinergates like her. It's better to go hunt seagulls with the Hunters."

Reno shrugged. He couldn't help, and there wasn't anything for Scarecrow to do anyway.

While the data for installing weapons had been sorted out, it was clear that the inventory in the warehouse wasn't enough to tinker with large weapons suitable for the ship. Most of the materials obtained from S09 had been used in constructing the ship. What was left was just some leftover scraps and common materials, insufficient for weapon manufacturing.

If he wanted to make weapons, that wouldn't be enough.

These days he was asking around to see where else he could procure materials. Eventually, he'd have something for Scarecrow to do.


...


"Wow! I can't believe we have such a luxurious base right next to us! It's ridiculous. Why didn't we use such a good place earlier?" Gentiane said, bringing G36, who had been dispatched to her base by headquarters, to the base mentioned in the notice.

This visit was to discuss how to deal with the Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing's Plan Parapluie.

However, information about Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing was hard to come by. So far, apart from the name of the project, they hadn't figured out what exactly Sangvis was planning.

After exchanging greetings with several Griffin colleagues inside the base, Helian also stepped out. It was surprising that Griffin's proxy agents would come to such a frontline area.

But simulated training... using dynamic terrain simulation training grounds, it was luxurious just to think about it. They didn't know how much power it consumed to activate it.

After some distracted simulated battles with a few colleagues, Gentiane breathed a sigh of relief. In her mind, she was still thinking about the upcoming meeting. She didn't know what they would discuss this time. If they could uncover the true nature of the 'Parapluie' project through discussion, they probably wouldn't need to rush from their respective bases to here.

Just as Gentiane was lost in thought, the communication headset she had been wearing suddenly beeped. The voice coming through was M4A1, who had left her base just a few days ago.

"M4? How have you been these past two days? Do you need me for anything?" Hearing the familiar voice of M4, Gentiane was somewhat surprised.

However, now that she was in this base, she didn't have any spare T-Dolls under her command. If M4 requested support, she might not be able to help.

"...Unsafe... please be ready..." M4A1's voice came urgently, but unfortunately, the signal seemed to be weak, making it sound intermittent. After listening for a while, Gentiane couldn't make sense of it.

Boom!

Just as Gentiane was about to ask her nearby colleagues about the signal problem, the sound of explosions suddenly rang out above their heads.

At the same time, both the ceiling and the floor began to tremble!

Boom! Crash!

Gentiane only managed to shout "Take cover!" before the approaching explosions sounded outside the training room they were in!

The windows of the training room were shattered, and even the walls were blown down in large pieces!

Gentiane was unlucky enough to be hit in the head by several pieces of debris, and before she could get up from the ground, her vision was already covered by a bright red blood.

"Commander Gentiane!" Seeing Gentiane's condition, several colleagues rushed over to help her up from the ground.

Gentiane gasped for air, feeling intense pain all over her body. Fortunately, she wasn't missing any limbs.

"I'm fine. We're too close to the ground here! Quickly, evacuate downward!"


...


"Huh? Scarecrow, why did you suddenly think of coming over to help?" Seeing Scarecrow suddenly appear in the kitchen, CF05 and NZ75 were both a little surprised.

Scarecrow, although usually quite diligent, wasn't keen on coming to the kitchen area. Even if she did, it was usually to eat ready-made meals. She didn't seem to have any intention of helping in the kitchen.

Of course, part of the reason was G36. Although there were more T-Dolls at home now, she and G3, along with a few assistants, were enough to handle cooking. As for the other T-Dolls, G36 was hesitant to let them into the kitchen, especially after the psychological trauma caused by M1 Garand's trickery.
Unless they already possessed cooking skills, G36 wouldn't let them come into the kitchen to help.

However, CF05 and NZ75 were exceptions. After all, CF05 already knew how to cook, and she was particularly skilled in making hotpot bases.

These days, they had been experimenting with how to turn surplus fruits into canned goods, so G36 didn't drive them away.

But they didn't expect Scarecrow to be so restless. With nothing else to do, it seemed that only CF05 and NZ75 needed some help.

However, it was probably just manual labor. Although this kind of work could be done by the Rippers, Scarecrow really didn't want to remain idle. So be it, let her do some physical activity.





Chapter Fourteen: You're Wasting Money!

"Um, is it a bit too sweet?" Tasting the strawberries in the canned goods, Scarecrow frowned, finding the taste overly sweet.

"Hmm, noted. Here, try this one next." CF05 took out her tablet, recording Scarecrow's feedback on sweetness, then pushed another can in front of her.

Next to her, NZ75 had seven or eight open cans in front of her, all prototypes they had been working on for the past few days.

Hearing CF05's words, Scarecrow's expression turned bitter. After all, she had never overindulged in food before, but now, after switching to a new body, she was feeling uncomfortably full for the first time.

Moreover, most of what she had eaten contained moisture, and she could feel the water sloshing around in her digestion module.

Scarecrow regretted it now. She had thought that coming to help would simply involve some manual labor, similar to what the Rippers did. She hadn't expected to be roped in by these two heartless dolls as a taste tester!

They should go find that glutton, SPAS-12, for this kind of thing!

"Still want to eat? SP..." Feeling queasy, Scarecrow subconsciously wanted to mention SPAS-12, Miss bottomless pit when it came to food, but before she could finish her sentence, CF05 waved her hand.

"Ah, she's no good for this. Once she starts eating, she won't bother with careful taste evaluation. And now, she seems to have gone outside to catch octopuses. She said she wants to eat takoyaki tonight."

Hearing CF05's words, Scarecrow looked at the cans in front of her with a headache, and her hands trembled as she picked up a fork.

Eat, what else could she say? She had committed to this, and even if it meant bursting her digestion module, she had to finish it.

But just as Scarecrow was preparing to grit her teeth and continue eating, the broadcast system in the ship, which had almost never been used, suddenly sounded.

"All personnel return to the cabin, assemble in the mess hall, we will depart in ten minutes." Renault's voice echoed through the broadcast system, his brief statement causing all the T-Dolls to pause, but the next moment, they all sprang into action.

M1 Garand also relayed the message to all the T-Dolls through the communication protocol.

Those outside fishing for octopuses, walking 'dogs' on the deck, loafing in the dorms, or doing simulated training in the training room, all the T-Dolls put down what they were doing, tidied up a bit, and rushed to the mess hall of the ship.

A group of T-Dolls crowded into the mess hall, fortunately, the space was not small, otherwise so many T-Dolls might not have fit.

By now, Renault had changed into his coat and walked in, scanning the assembled T-Dolls. After confirming that no one had been left behind, he spoke directly, "Go back and prepare your equipment. We've got a job to do here. M1 Garand will send you the specific information shortly. Move out."

Got a job? That means... we have a commission! A new job!

Just as Scarecrow was wondering whether to continue eating, she instantly perked up at this news! She dropped her fork and dashed out in a flash.

CF05 and NZ75 shrugged and closed the cans they had been working on, then headed back to their dormitory.

Seeing the T-Dolls spring into action, Renault also put on his coat and went to the bridge, starting the ship's engines in preparation for takeoff.

"Commander, preparations complete."

"Mm." Hearing M1 Garand's report, Renault nodded and directly controlled the ship to ascend, turning towards the east and flying off.


...


"Griffin's support will arrive soon, there's no need to issue orders to other security contractors." Watching as Helian quickly negotiated the price with Renault in just a few words, Kryuger said with a headache.

This was completely unnecessary expenditure, and Renault was still near the Aegean Sea. By the time he arrived, the battle here would probably be over, right?

"Renault said it's no problem. They should arrive in about half an hour." Hearing this, Helian felt a little embarrassed, but she still believed that Renault would arrive in time, despite Kryuger's doubts.

"Half an hour!? The distance from the Aegean Sea to here is at least over a thousand kilometers. How could he possibly arrive in half an hour!? Do you think he's coming over in a blackbird plane? Or sitting on a cruise missile?"

Upon hearing Helian's mentioned timeframe, Kryuger's first impression was that it was unreliable. Although he had initially thought that Renault, as a new security contractor, did have some skills, it seemed a bit far-fetched to expect him to arrive in such a short time.

"If he can arrive on time, the commission fee still needs to be paid..." Helian said somewhat awkwardly, implying that if Renault didn't arrive on time, the fee wouldn't need to be paid...

And if he didn't arrive on time, they might all be dead by then. Who would Renault ask for money then?

"You... I'm telling you... This guy, could it be that you've taken a liking to Renault? No wonder you, Helian, haven't been participating much in Griffin's internal social events recently." Kryuger sighed with a headache, but now obviously wasn't the time to discuss Helian's love problems.

The Griffin commanders at the base were still leading the T-Dolls in a fierce battle against the Sangvis's autonomous units. He didn't have time to worry about Helian's dilemmas.

Fortunately, this branch had a relatively large space, and they had enough room to delay the Sangvis's actions until the support from other Griffin squads arrived.

But just thinking about the commission fee Helian had promised Renault, Kryuger couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

Do you really need to offer such a high price? Is it appropriate to be so straightforward in front of your boss? A commission fee of fifty million for one support mission, enough to buy dozens of squads of tactical dolls! And that's including the cost of equipment and ammunition for the tactical dolls! Do we really need to be this wasteful? Is Griffin's money just blowing in with the wind!?

While Kryuger was suffering from a headache, Gentiane was also suffering from a headache, but hers was literal. She had just been hit on the head by something she didn't know, and now her head was throbbing.

"Commander Gentiane, please don't move around. Let me help you bandage the wound on your head." G36 from Gentiane's team held a bandage, pressing down Gentiane's restless head.

Hiss!

As G36 cleaned the wound, Gentiane couldn't help but inhale sharply, the pain from the wound that had just been hit wasn't noticeable at first, but now it was starting to hurt again.

"What's the situation at the base now?"

"The other commanders have already set out to command the tactical doll squads in the base to resist the Sangvis's autonomous units. The situation is temporarily at a stalemate, but it's not looking good. The upper buildings of the base are severely damaged."





Chapter Fifteen: Envy

As the spaceship gradually accelerated, the group of T-Dolls standing in the hangar all felt the intense vibration under their feet as the ship began to shake violently.

This kind of intense vibration was something they had never encountered before, and the only one who found it somewhat familiar was Simonov.

Didn't she experience this kind of vibration when she was desperately accelerating the helicopter she was piloting?

That helicopter only flew once, The engine that was almost ready to be scrapped. Now this ship was shaking non-stop. Could it be that this ship was also going to fall apart?

However, this intense vibration only lasted for less than half a minute before calming down, which relieved the T-Dolls.

In any case, they were somewhat worried about falling from the sky.

"I'm glad I didn't start drinking just now! It's time for you to witness the excellent piloting skills of Simonov!" Simonov touched the wine bottle beside her, resisting the urge to open it and take a sip, and proudly said to SPAS-12 and the others.

"Well, let's hope you don't end up rolling the aircraft on the ground this time." MDR, who had been debugging the power armor that hadn't been used for a long time, said somewhat helplessly.

"I don't mind, anyway, compared to piloting aircraft, jumping down and getting hands-on is more suitable for me!" SPAS-12 said nostalgically as she shook the crowbar in her hand.

"M1 Garand senpai, how should I adjust this height adaptation device?" M14, on the other hand, approached M1 Garand and asked about the adjustment of the height adaptation system inside the power armor.

Because Simonov needed to pilot the aircraft, her original power armor was directly handed over to M14. Along with M14, M1919A4 and A-91 also got their hands on the power armor, as well as MG3 and C96.

M1919A4 used the original power armor of MG3, while A-91 wore the set from Reno, which Reno had modified with an assist system and installed a machine gun and grenade launcher on the outside of the body.

These were all equipment removed from armored vehicles before. Since there was no room on the aircraft, they were directly installed on the power armor.

As for MG3, this guy obviously favored the two tank cannons on the aircraft and directly occupied the gunner's position on the aircraft.

C96 did the same, taking control of the aircraft's machine guns.

As for the other T-Dolls, they could only wear protective suits and serve as a mobile support team.

But it was also just right. The power armor was relatively large, and if the space in Griffin's base was narrow, the power armor might not be able to play a big role.

And what they were dealing with this time should only be some ordinary autonomous units of the Sangvis Ferri, which did not include armored units. Therefore, even the submachine guns in the hands of MP5 and MP40 could easily take out those Sangvis Ferri autonomous units.

As for the elite Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls at home... they were a bit idle. Reno didn't intend to let them join the battle.

The target this time was the army of autonomous units produced by Sangvis Ferri Works. What's the point of you elite Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls running down?

And to avoid "commercial disputes," Reno felt it was necessary to let the strawmen avoid suspicion.

"It's really... a pity that we finally got a commission, but we're not allowed to take action at all. It's a shame." Executioner shook the wine bottle in her hand, sitting at the table seeming a bit unwilling.

"A pity? You'd better hold back your smile first. I see you're quite happy about this, aren't you? You don't need to go into battle; you can just sit here and drink." Hunter gave her a disdainful look, feeling indeed that this commission was a bit of a waste.

But she now had a somewhat bad premonition. If all the commissions Reno received in the future were related to fighting Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing, wouldn't they never be able to go on missions again?

Unable to go on missions meant they couldn't get the task subsidies provided by Reno, which made these Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls with almost no resources in their hands extremely anxious.

"Hehe, but there will always be opportunities in the future. We can't always have fights with Sangvis Ferri Works, can we?" Intruder was not nervous at all. Holding the red tea she brewed for herself, she leisurely drank, seemingly not worried about the upcoming action.

"Scarecrow, what are you looking at?" Just as Intruder was speaking, she noticed that Scarecrow didn't seem to react. When she turned her head, she happened to see this guy standing by the porthole, her eyes curiously fixed outside.

As soon as Intruder spoke, several Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls all turned their gaze to Scarecrow standing by the porthole, or more precisely, they looked at what Scarecrow saw.

"What? What's that thing outside that looks like a line? And the speed... It's almost three Mach!" Seeing the scenery flashing by outside the porthole, Executioner fell silent.

"It's probably something Commander Reno tinkered with. With such a fast speed, we should be able to arrive soon." Intruder waved her hand.


...


"The heavy firepower of those Sangvis Ferris is causing too much damage to the base buildings! If this continues, we might be buried underground!" In Griffin's communication channel, several commanders shouted anxiously.

"Nonsense! Who doesn't know that those heavy firepower can't be stopped! Instead of chatting here, it's better to quickly arrange for a few people!" Listening to the noisy voices in the communicator, Gentiane couldn't help but furrow her brows.

These guys, can't they be a little more serious?

But such a request was probably impossible.

The sudden attack by the Sangvis Ferris caught these Griffin commanders off guard.

If it weren't for Griffin's boss Kryuger and the proxy agent Helian being present in the base, some commanders would probably have turned into cowards by now.

These two were the boss and the boss's proxy agent, and they were absolutely essential. If something happened to them, wouldn't they, the hired workers, be left with nothing?

Commanding the T-Dolls and their Dummy dolls in the base to resist the Sangvis Ferri's mechanical units, Gentiane wanted to raise her hand to rub her aching forehead. In the end, she forced herself to endure it; after all, rubbing it now would only make it hurt more.

Gentiane now envied the equipment Reno had at his disposal, whether it was the aircraft resembling a gunship or the power armor she had seen in Reno's factory.

If she had that kind of equipment on hand, how could they be suppressed by the simple manpower tactics of Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing now?

"Commander Gentiane! Are you okay!?"

Just as Gentiane was thinking about those machine guns and aircraft, the communicator, which had been silent due to poor signal, suddenly rang.







Chapter 16: Preparing for Airdrop

"The AR Team has already departed. If they can destroy Sangvis Ferri's communication nodes, they can halt Sangvis Ferri's advance."

"Well, although this operation is somewhat unusual, sometimes it's necessary to do something out of the ordinary." Kryuger nodded in agreement with Gentiane's proposal.

After Gentiane and the AR Team reestablished communication, Gentiane immediately commanded the AR Team to head towards Sangvis Ferri's communication node without hesitation.

However, the AR Team wasn't fighting alone. In this area, many Griffin echelons were on external missions. Kryuger had given Gentiane permission to partially command the AR Team.

Moreover, the AR Team members themselves possessed stronger command capabilities than ordinary tactical dolls.

Perhaps this time, they wouldn't even need to wait for... wait, the distance between the AR Team and Sangvis Ferri's communication node...

It's a bit far. Even with the help of the Griffin echelons along the way, it might take about an hour to arrive by going straight...

In other words, if nothing unexpected happened on Reno's end, he would definitely arrive here before the AR Team's mission succeeded. He hadn't told Gentiane and the other Griffin commanders that reinforcements would arrive in thirty minutes.

With this in mind, Kryuger looked back at Helian, who was overseeing the transfer of supplies and wounded personnel.

I wonder what kind of chain reaction Helian's request for assistance from Reno will cause... The military might also be watching the situation here. If Griffin fails to stop Sangvis Ferri's attack this time, the military might intervene immediately... No, maybe not...

Upon hearing Gentiane's plan, the hearts of the Griffin commanders trembled involuntarily.

Handing over command authority to echelons commanded solely by tactical dolls was unprecedented in Griffin. At least, other commanders had never heard of such a thing.

This was the main reason for their uncertainty. Could tactical dolls execute their tactics perfectly without human command?

Although tactical dolls produced by IOP had command modules that could be installed, very few tactical dolls met the requirements for installing these command modules.

These command modules were still in the experimental stage. If the AR Team's operation failed due to command errors...

Forget it, for now, they had no choice but to trust the AR Team. Apart from believing in the AR Team, it seemed there was no other solution.

For now, they needed to find a way to hold off the continuous influx of Sangvis Ferri!

Thanks to the depth of the Frontline Base, the bombardment that had previously directly destroyed the upper structure of the base was now not very effective. It was difficult for those bombardments to hit the Griffin echelons.

Moreover, Sangvis Ferri's autonomous units had already rushed into the base. Now, the only direct threats to them were the continuous stream of Sangvis Ferri mechanical units.

With the help of the base's equipment and gear, they could still keep Sangvis Ferri outside their defensive line for a while.


...


"Angie, what about Griffin... Should we go and help?" Upon hearing Angie's report, AK-12 immediately asked Angie.

After all, their successful operation here was largely due to Griffin's support.

Otherwise, not only would they not be able to operate here, but also, without armor-piercing rounds, they wouldn't be able to penetrate the armor of those armored units, which would be enough for her and AN-94 to have a headache.

"Don't worry, Griffin is not so fragile. Instead of worrying about those tough guys, you should worry about whether you two can come back intact. There are too many Sangvis Ferri armored units around you!"

"Uh..."


...


"This is too fast. Can this ship really reach this speed?" Hunter stood next to Executioner, looking at the rapidly passing peaks below, incredulously.

The first time this ship took off, it didn't show such absurd speed at all. Moreover, looking at the strange shield around the ship, that thing seemed to have some miraculous functions.

Because for a ship like this, which is square-headed and square-nosed, how could it possibly reach this speed under normal circumstances?

I didn't expect that the speed of flight in the sky before was far from the limit speed of this ship...

From the moment Reno said "start," it's only been a short ten minutes or so, and they've gone from the unmanned island in the southern Aegean Sea directly to the airspace over the southern Carpathians, and they've all passed by in a flash.

At this rate, it probably won't take long before they reach their destination.

"Instead of marveling at the speed of this ship, it's better to think about how to deal with those Griffin guys later. What if those evacuating Griffin tactical dolls mistake us for other Sangvis Ferri units when they get on board?"

Intruder lazily said while propping up her chin, while Maria beside her played her game without a care, not worrying about any problems.

"That sounds reasonable, but Reno probably won't let those guys take action, right? And you can just switch the identification signal to the universal Griffin identification signal. By then, those tactical dolls won't be able to distinguish between us and them."

"Stop talking nonsense. Your appearance hasn't changed at all. How could they not recognize you? If tactical dolls can't see it, can't those human commanders see it?" Scarecrow said worriedly.

"Speaking of which, it's quite fast for Griffin's base to be attacked directly, and they actually sought Reno's support. The scale of those Sangvis Ferri guys must be considerable, right?" Executioner withdrew her gaze from the porthole and said with a somewhat strange expression on her face.

But there was still a hint of sarcasm in her words.

Back when she went out to search for M4A1, the Sangvis Ferri dolls she brought with her were just a few Vespids, and those Vespids were basically negligible.

Even if she added the Scout Units, the number of Sangvis Ferri units she commanded didn't exceed one hundred.

But now, the attackers targeting Griffin's base not only had heavy firepower capable of directly blasting through Griffin's base defenses but also could command large numbers of Sangvis Ferri units, using swarm tactics to force Griffin to seek external help.

Tsk tsk, this kind of gap was quite remarkable, but those who could use heavy firepower were probably either Dreamer or Architect, right?

As she was thinking about which elite Sangvis Ferri tactical doll was commanding the operation below, Scarecrow and Executioner heard a notification from Reno.

"Get ready in the hangar. Thirty seconds until we reach the drop zone."






Chapter 17: Timely Arrival

"The close combat echelons are being depleted too quickly! Can't we use condensers to block the routes these guys are attacking from!?"

"No! Condensers can't stop the heavy weapons carried by these Sangvis Ferri units!"

One shot is all it takes to blast through! It's too dangerous to have support dolls move forward to deploy condensers at a time like this!

Not only would it result in significant damage to the support dolls, but it would also fail to achieve any combat effectiveness!

"How much longer until the AR Team can destroy Sangvis Ferri's communication node!?"

"It's still early! It's only been thirty minutes since then! There's still at least half an hour left! They'll be able to reach Sangvis Ferri's communication node location by then!"

"Darn it! Why does it feel like it's been a whole week already!"

Several Griffin commanders with guns in hand shouted at each other from safe positions, supporting the tactical dolls in front.

It looked extremely urgent, but evidently, the current situation was just very bad, but not bad enough to be directly overwhelmed by Sangvis Ferri.

The base they were in was built against a series of rifts had very narrow buildings and terrain below, making it very suitable for defense, especially when facing Sangvis Ferri units that didn't have advanced command, only attacking continuously according to remote command.

Those Sangvis Ferri units were directly blocked in the underground canyons and narrow passages.

Although Sangvis Ferri's attacks were relentless, at this rate, they should still be able to hold out for at least two more hours, if nothing unexpected happened...

Kryuger certainly saw the current situation, as did Helian beside him. However, she didn't regret sending the commission request to Reno's side. After all, the current situation was just slightly better than they had expected, buying them some time.

She would prepare for the worst-case scenario, in case the AR Team's operation failed or the Griffin echelons outside didn't arrive in time to support.

Reno's presence was their last straw.

But now, it seemed that Reno's support wasn't so urgent after all. After all, they could still hold out for a while, enough for them to wait for the AR Team's successful operation.

The premise was that the AR Team's operation went smoothly.

Gentiane was certainly very confident about this. She had witnessed the combat effectiveness of the AR Team before. Before she took office in Area S09, they were able to confront elite Sangvis Ferri tactical dolls for such a long time without a commander's command.

And they could even retreat in the end...

Well, although M16 was injured, her injuries were mainly caused by HK416 from Reno's side. Although AR15 had also been captured, she had basically taken the bait herself that time.

As for SOP2 and M4A1, no matter who they were, they were not captured by the dense Sangvis Ferri search.

Now, they just needed to destroy an Sangvis Ferri communication node, a task that was completely within reach for the AR Team.

Of course, it might not be as simple as she imagined, but Gentiane believed that the AR Team would definitely be able to complete this mission perfectly.

And then capture the elite Sangvis Ferri tactical doll commanding the attack and bring them before her! Then let that person taste what it's like to be hit on the head with a gun butt!

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Gentiane, who was checking the battle situation through the portable command system, accidentally bumped her head on her wound again, causing her to suck in a cold breath.

"It's been thirty minutes now. Hasn't Reno arrived yet? It seems that we can save a large sum of commission fees this time." Looking at the time, it had been exactly thirty minutes since Helian called Renault earlier.

If nothing unexpected happened, Renault would make it in time.
The AR Team was close to the communication node now. They just needed to hold on for another thirty to forty minutes, and they would be able to completely destroy the communication node over there.

And it wasn't just the AR Team; the elite tactical dolls sent out before had also arrived near the Sangvis Ferri communication node at this time.

Plus, with the command authority of the AR Team... it seemed that Helian would be disappointed this time.

Boom!

Just as Kryuger was glad that they might save a large sum of commission fees this time, there was suddenly a loud noise from above their heads!

"What's that sound!?" All the Griffin commanders present were startled.

"Could it be that those Sangvis Ferri guys have started shelling with heavy artillery again? Their autonomous unit echelons are still inside the base!"

"When have you ever seen Sangvis Ferri care about these ordinary autonomous units?" Even dolls weren't considered much in Sangvis Ferri's eyes; these machines were nothing but consumables.

"No! This isn't the sound of shelling!" Gentiane, who didn't hear any subsequent rumbling or feel any vibration under her feet, frowned and said.

This sound didn't sound like shelling at all; instead, it sounded like... the sonic boom caused by a plane breaking the sound barrier?

"What is th..."

Before the questions from several Griffin commanders could be asked, Helian's phone suddenly rang.

Originally maintaining a serious expression, Helian's face immediately lit up when she heard the phone ring, she subconsciously smiled.

And just this smile made all the Griffin commanders present stunned.

What did they see?

Helianthus was smiling!

Miss Helian agent, who always had a serious expression, was smiling! And why was she smiling so sweetly! It seemed like she was going to give everyone a diabiates here just by herself!?

This smile, which had never been revealed to the Griffin people before, made the group of people stand still in place, completely unable to understand what was going on.

It was Kryuger, on the other hand, who, after seeing the expression on Helian's face, suddenly felt a thump in his heart.

"Has Reno arrived?"

"That's right! The explosion above our heads is the sound they made when they came over!"
Looking at the information on her phone, Helian said with great certainty, because not only was there this message, but even Reno's current position was directly above them!

"Well, don't get your hopes up too much. After all, Reno is just a small private security contractor, and it's unlikely that he has any extraordinary weapons at his disposal."

With the current number of Sangvis Ferri units, it's not a situation that can be easily resolved with some individual weapons.

Hearing Kryuger's words, Helian raised her eyebrows strangely, unable to understand why her boss would say such things.

Extraordinary weapons? Isn't that certain? Reno definitely has them!

Not long after he came out of the Red Zone, he dared to equip his tactical dolls with powered armor and large-caliber machine guns. Why wouldn't Reno dare to equip those under his command with anything else?






Chapter 18: Which Unfortunate T-Doll Fell Down

Kryuger's guess this time wasn't entirely wrong. Renault didn't have anything particularly extravagant on hand, just some machine guns and two tank cannons.

Due to focusing on tinkering with the spaceship during this period, there hadn't been time to equip his dolls with new gear. Additionally, all the dolls at home had already been issued new firearms, so there wasn't an immediate need for more powerful weapons. Renault naturally didn't rush to work on anything else in that regard.

"The spacecraft has slowed down. Open the hatch and start the countdown for ten seconds. When you jump down, watch your step and make sure you don't fall into any pits."

Under Renault's control, the outer shield of the spacecraft was removed, causing a thunderous explosion in the air!

The aircraft shook violently again, but not as violently as before, and it began to stabilize.

Looking at the slowly opening hangar doors, M1 Garand and the others who had been waiting at the door saw the tense situation below.

To be precise, there wasn't much of a battle happening on the ground; it was just the relentless flow of Sangvis troops pouring into the breach in the Griffin base.

"Wow, so many Sangvis units! There must be thousands of them at least!?" Na-chan was startled by the sea of Sangvis below and began to calculate the spare ammunition on her powered armor.

The conclusion was obvious. Even with the spare ammo on their powered armor, it wouldn't be enough to deal with such a large number of Sangvis units.

"We have ammo boxes with us, so after we run out, remember to come and swap them out." BM59 patted the huge ammo box beside her, almost as tall as a person.

However, even with this provision, there might not be enough ammo. After all, the number of Sangvis units was simply too large.

This was where MDR came in. Through her powered armor's electronic warfare equipment, she could control Sangvis units on a large scale, making them attack each other or even shut down directly.

Of course, this had to be done discreetly; otherwise, if Griffin found out they could directly control Sangvis, it could lead to unforeseen consequences.

This was also why Renault didn't let any of his Sangvis dolls come out to help. Even Jaeger was left on the ship. She was probably lounging in the dining room right now, petting cats.

"Five seconds left!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Go!"

As M1 Garand's voice rang out, SPAS-12 standing by the door immediately stepped forward and leaped down from the edge of the hatch!


...


"There's an unidentified object in the airspace above the base! Unable to ident... wait! The identification code of that unidentified aircraft suddenly changed to Griffin's internal identification code!?" A staff member who had been monitoring the base's detector exclaimed loudly upon seeing the sudden appearance of the unknown signal source above the base!

Griffin's internal identification code?

Upon hearing this, Kryuger immediately turned to look at Helian. Could it be that she had given Griffin's identification code to Renault!?

If helping Renault with a few commissions or increasing the commission fees to him directly were considered reasonable and compliant actions, then transferring Griffin's internal identification code to Renault would be a blatant violation!

To put it more seriously, it was no different from being a mole!

"No, I didn't give Griffin's identification code to Renault. He came up with it himself." Helian said somewhat awkwardly, raising her hand to show Kryuger the tablet she was holding.

And when Kryuger saw the contents of the tablet, he was also taken aback, because the level of permissions granted by that internal identification code surpassed even Helian's agent status, and the authority was on par with his own.

If he hadn't confirmed that Mr. Griffin hadn't sent any help and was currently far away, he might have thought that the other party had come in person.

"How... how did he do that!?" Kryuger couldn't help but exclaim at the sight.

With this level of permission, if Renault wanted to, he could probably directly command any squad and any T-Doll within Griffin headquarters!

"I'm not too sure about that either. He can even make his dolls bypass the identity check devices for T-Dolls."

Helian knew that the dolls under Renault's command were all illegally modified bodies.
Using these privately modified bodies, they would definitely be recognized when they encountered Doll identity check devices.

There were identification codes on the body parts modules, and there would be authentication checks. If the authentication failed, the doll would immediately be recognized as an illegal Doll and apprehended.

However, on the bodies made by Renault, there were no identification codes at all. Yet, despite this, the dolls under Renault's command could still roam freely in the city without worrying about being detected by those Doll detection devices.

Hearing Helian's words, Kryuger couldn't help but massage his temples with a headache.

Originally, he did think that Renault, this private security contractor, had some skill. Initially, he even thought about trying to recruit him or even inviting him to join Griffin.

But after Renault officially established his own security contracting company, he never considered it again. Now, he was extremely glad he hadn't pursued Renault any further.

Just this act of forging Griffin's internal identification code showed that Renault was definitely not a straight-laced guy...

"With so many Sangvis units outside now, when they come down, let them fight and retreat. Have them help defend the internal lines of the base." Kryuger said, although the other party could forge Griffin's identification code, this kind of small trick wouldn't be effective in this situation.

The number of Sangvis troops outside was simply too high. The number of tactical dolls under a private security contractor's command would only be dozens at most.

And with just a few dozen dolls, they wouldn't make much difference in the current situation. However, the more firepower on their side, the better. When Renault arrived, at least it would alleviate some of the pressure on their defense...

Boom!

Just as he was thinking, there was a deafening rumble from the direction of the defense line. It didn't sound like the explosion of a weapon; rather, it sounded like something heavy crashing down. Could the buildings on the upper level of the base no longer hold and were collapsing?

"What's that thing!?"

"It seems like something fell into the Sangvis troops in front!"

"Could it be some unlucky T-Doll?"







Chapter 19: No Room for Maneuver

"Quick, quick, quick! Clear the enemies around the ammo boxes! We leave the situation inside the base to G36 and her team below!"

As soon as they landed, the machine guns on M1 Garand's Power Armor fired without hesitation at the Sangvis units rushing towards the base entrance!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The high-speed machine guns, detached from the aircraft, finally revealed their teeth on these unprepared Sangvis units. Facing the 30mm caliber cannon shells, the Sangvis units, completely devoid of any armor, were as vulnerable as freshly shed zerglings!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After M1 Garand opened fire, BM59 and other humanoid figures without Power Armor also landed.

Upon landing, the group immediately split into two teams. One side consisted of M1 Garand and her team equipped with Power Armor, while the other team, including RFB, wore only heavy protective suits.

G36 and CF05 led RFB and the others directly towards the entrance of the Griffin base!

Although the heavy firepower created by Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing had opened a large gap in the upper levels of the Griffin base, the size of the opening was not particularly large.
Therefore, the number of Sangvis units that could simultaneously enter the Griffin base was limited. Whether Griffin could hold out against them was still unknown.

Following M1 Garand, BM59 and M14, who had just replaced her originally Power Armor, all turned their cannons towards the long-range units waiting in the distance.

These Sangvis long-range units, with no resistance from Griffin on the surface, all waited in the distance to support the Sangvis assault teams ahead.

The appearance of M1 Garand and the others caught these guys completely off guard, but MDR played a role in this. She had already controlled a large number of Sangvis units and launched attacks against those still moving Sangvis Doll units.

Of course, most of those controlled were Dinergates, these small-sized guys consumed much less computing power to control compared to normal Sangvis Doll units, but the weapons equipped on them were no less than those on other Sangvis units.

Especially after being controlled, directly attacking the Sangvis from behind made those Sangvis assault teams suffer huge damage instantly!

However, there was only one opportunity for attack. The communication nodes of the Sangvis have been continuously sending signals to these Sangvis units, and MDR's commands were overridden by the communication nodes' commands after a group of Dinergates attacked other Sangvis units.

The commanders behind these Sangvis seemed to have discovered MDR's actions here, directly increasing the refresh rate of the Sangvis units' commands. MDR could only give up directly controlling these Sangvis units and try to paralyze them through electronic warfare.

While MDR was rarely working hard, others were not idle either. Grenade launchers and machine guns were all in use at this moment.

With almost endless Sangvis units within sight, there was hardly any need for aiming. As long as the general direction was correct, pulling the trigger could knock down several Sangvis units.

Even Spectre M4, a newcomer who had just started, could use the machine gun on her shoulder to clear a large area of Sangvis Dolls.

"Eh? Spectre M4? When did you get here?" Hearing the same machine gun sound ringing in her ears, M14 was also startled.

She hadn't noticed when SpectreM4 had stood beside her!

"I've been here from the beginning..." Hearing M14's words, Spectre M4 sighed, wondering when her habit of being ignored by others would disappear.

Beside the two, there were P38 and Vector, both equipped with grenade launchers on their Power Armor.

However, although they were both equipped with grenade launchers of the same model, P38 fired normal grenades, while Vector...

"Ahahaha! Burn like the withered straw in autumn! Burn even more fiercely! Ahahaha!" Listening to Vector's words as she tilted forward and ignited an incendiary grenade, P38 looked at the nearby sea of fire, involuntarily moving away from Vector's direction.

Fortunately, with such a sea of fire, the direction of advance of the Sangvis units was directly compressed to the extreme, and only those Sangvis units advancing towards the entrance of the Griffin base from two directions were left on the two paths.

Even if these Sangvis units could break through the blockade of the sea of fire, there were still many waiting to greet them.

A firepower net composed of nearly ten machine guns directly knocked down those Sangvis humanoid units like harvested wheat, one wave after another!

At this time, SPAS-12 was a bit speechless. After all, whether it was a cannon, a grenade launcher, or even a machine gun, the range far exceeded the shotgun on her Power Armor. Therefore, she could only hold her gun and stand in front of a group of T-Dolls, shooting down any Sangvis units that came her way.

This was completely different from what she had imagined at the beginning... to rush into the crowd of Sangvis units with Power Armor and an axe, and enjoy a completely different kind of battle!

Where was the intense battle she expected?

Apart from flattening two Sangvis units the moment she jumped down and knocking down a few more when others hadn't landed yet, she hadn't even fired her two guns yet!

Tsk! Next time I'll ask the commander to replace her guns with two machine guns too!

Helplessly watching other T-Dolls continuously spewing flames into the distance, SPAS-12 could only stand still and wait for everything to settle.

Just as SPAS-12 complained in her heart about not having any room to maneuver outside, G36 and the others who had led the charge into the base had already appeared in the eyes of Kryuger and the others.


...


Just as a group of Griffin commanders thought that some unlucky guy had accidentally fallen into the Sangvis crowd, the sound of a piercing motor directly came from the front!

Vroom vroom vroom!

The sound of the chainsaw motor rang out, causing all the commanders and tactical dolls present to look over in surprise.

Shh!

The sound of the chainsaw cutting through Sangvis Doll bodies directly reached the ears of all the commanders and tactical dolls present!

And at the location of the dark figure, the parts destroyed by the chainsaw almost flew all over the place!

"Hiss! What's going on? Could that dark figure be here to help!?" Seeing the chainsaw in the hands of the Power Armor, the group of Griffin commanders, shocked as they were, couldn't help but smile.

Originally, they had heard from their boss, Kryuger, that they did have reinforcements, but they had imagined their reinforcements would be some tactical dolls who hadn't returned from their missions yet.

But now it seemed that the guy not far ahead, wrapped in Power Armor from head to toe, seemed to be different from normal tactical dolls? How could a tactical doll be wearing a Power Armor by itself?

And with one in each hand!?

As everyone was thinking, they were all stunned when they saw another Power Armor falling from the sky right after G36, who led the charge into the base.






Chapter 20: Not Someone who Follows Rules

Amidst the astonished gazes of a group of Griffin commanders and tactical dolls, another powered armor also revealed the objects in its hands...

Aren't those hydraulic pliers for firefighting and a pile driver for engineering...? Who on earth had the idea to equip such things on powered armor? Is it really useful?

Just as this group of people was thinking so, they immediately saw the tragic scene of the pile driver and hydraulic pliers smashing down on those Sangvis Ferri Units

Bang! Clang!

"Hiss!"

Although the efficiency of dealing with Sangvis was not as high as the huge chainsaw in the hands of the powered armor earlier, the visual effect... just seeing those Sangvis units being smashed into scrap metal at the slightest movement was enough to make a group of commanders and tactical dolls feel a sourness in their teeth.

Just thinking about what would happen if such attacks were directed at them, goodness gracious, it would be unimaginably tragic!

And the defense of these two powered armors...

How should they put it, they completely ignored all attacks from the Sangvis Units, directly charging into them amidst the attacks from those particle weapons.

Whether it was the Vespids' small-caliber particle weapons or the Jaeger's large-caliber particle sniper rifles, hitting these powered armors was no different from scratching an itch, without leaving a scratch on the surface!

And it wasn't just these two powered armors. Just as the two powered armors cleared a space where they landed, more than a dozen figures in heavy protective suits jumped down from above!

RFB and HK416, holding their etched weapons, joined the fray directly. Although they didn't have heavy weapons, with G36 and CF05 blocking in front, the group almost cleared out the Sangvis units in front of them in an instant.

The speed at which they eliminated the Sangvis directly made several Griffin commanders stationed on the front lines widen their eyes in amazement.

It was precisely because the tactical dolls of Griffin had insufficient combat efficiency at such times that they needed to be stationed on the front line to directly command these tactical dolls in battle.

But now, it seemed that these guys descending from the sky, aside from anything else, their combat efficiency far exceeded their expectations.


...



"These are Renault's people? Where did he find these hands? Mercenaries?"
Seeing the two powered armors suddenly appearing on the defense line along with the combat personnel in heavy protective suits, Kryuger raised an eyebrow.

This was indeed unexpected.

He had originally thought that Renault only had ordinary tactical dolls under his command, but he didn't expect this guy to somehow gather a group of human employees from somewhere?

"No, they're not. Those wearing protective suits should also be tactical dolls." Hearing her boss ask like this, Helian immediately replied.

Although all those tactical dolls under Renault's command had Griffin identification codes on them, they were not directly connected to Griffin's command system, so she couldn't see which tactical dolls were wearing heavy protective suits.

And generally speaking, tactical dolls wouldn't wear heavy protective suits at all, because the price of these heavy protective suits might be more expensive than a tactical doll plus the entire set of equipment they wore.

Who would give tactical dolls such protective suits?

So it wasn't surprising that Kryuger regarded those personnel below as human employees.

But Helian knew that Renault had heavy protective suits in his hands a long time ago, and the weapons in the hands of those dolls also matched the tactical dolls who had originally switched from Griffin to Renault's side.

In particular, she saw one holding an AK47 and another holding a P90.

These two dolls, one had voluntarily switched sides in the past, while the other was detained by Renault under unexpected circumstances because there was a problem within Griffin's ranks.

Although she had reported this to Kryuger, this kind of unimportant matter obviously didn't weigh on his mind.

Under normal circumstances, who would deliberately remember where a few employees who had just started working less than a week ago in their company had gone? There were so many tactical dolls in Griffin that not even Helian could remember them all.

"Tactical dolls? What about the ones in the powered armor?"

Hearing Helian say that those in heavy protective suits were tactical dolls, Kryuger couldn't help but feel that Renault's train of thought might not be quite normal.

Who would equip tactical dolls specifically made for combat with such heavy protective suits?

"I'm afraid they're tactical dolls too." Helian naturally knew about the powered armor in Renault's hands, and she had even seen it through the holographic communication on her phone. As for why she was sure they were all tactical dolls inside?

That was something Helian was very clear about. Renault didn't have any human employees under his command at all.

Kryuger naturally felt a bit at a loss when he heard Helian say again that those inside the powered armor were tactical dolls, showing a strange expression on his face.

But just then, Renault also sent a message to Helian, reporting that people had been sent to intercept the Sangvis's advance at the entrance above and to prevent anyone from entering the Griffin base to support.

Seeing this message, Helian felt relieved, "Mr. Kryuger, Renault has already intercepted most of the Sangvis's advance at the top. Now, there are only a few scattered Sangvis units entering the lower base!"

Hmm!?

Hearing Helian's words, Kryuger looked up at the entrance above the base.

Sure enough, the Sangvis units that had previously been flooding into the base like a tide were now blocked like a dam in a river. Only a few scattered Sangvis units could come through, and most of them were probably injured.

The situation? Has it been reversed?

Watching those Renault tactical dolls leaning on the two powered armors advancing step by step among the Sangvis crowd, even Kryuger couldn't help but feel puzzled. Could it be that giving tactical dolls heavy protective suits...

No no no! Isn't this violating the signed agreement!?

If he really spent a fortune to equip his tactical dolls with heavy protective suits that far exceeded conventional standards, he wouldn't have to wait until the next day! Military personnel would come knocking on his door that very afternoon!

Equipping tactical dolls with heavy protective suits, wouldn't the effect be better than the armored tactical dolls used by the military!

The military wouldn't just sit back and watch him produce tactical dolls that could rampage freely in the midst of gunfire and bullets!

He had thought about this before, but before he could implement it, he was warned by the military. Now, seeing these tactical dolls, he immediately recalled this old account from several years ago.

"This Renault... really isn't someone who follows the rules..."

Wasn't he afraid of being directly labeled as Illegal Doll Modifier?







Chapter 21: A Touch of Iron in Their Heads

"Up there, the number of Sangvis pouring in has significantly decreased... How is this possible...?" Perhaps hearing Helian's words through the communicator, several Griffin commanders exclaimed in astonishment.

Looking up at the entrance above, where no more Sangvis units were flooding in, they were extremely curious about the kind of team that could directly block the Sangvis's attack from the front.

Clearly, the number of Sangvis units seemed endless, with at least five thousand just at the entrance above, and the subsequent numbers were incalculable.

With such a massive Sangvis Ferri attack, wouldn't even the military feel a bit flustered if they were here?

No, they wouldn't.

If Renault knew what these Griffin commanders were thinking, he would definitely roll his eyes at them.

These Sangvis combat units currently consisted only of some ordinary Sangvis units. Although there were many types—Rippers, Vespids, Guards, Jaegers, Dinergates, Prowlers—their coordination was lacking.

The Elite Sangvis T-Dolls that commanded these Sangvis attacks from behind clearly didn't bother to integrate these Sangvis combat units; they only issued an order for them to attack the Griffin base.

And most importantly, the Jaguars, who should have been the main attacking force, were all stationed in the rear, and now they had all been singled out by M1 Garand and her team.

There were also some Scouts in the sky, but they had been circling in the sky the whole time, seemingly just monitoring the ground battle here.

Of course, these observers couldn't escape from M14's attacks. These Scouts, focused on broadcasting live feeds, were directly shot down one by one without much resistance.

Apart from that, there were these messy ground forces, with no formation to speak of.

With Renault's installed identification systems on a group of T-Dolls and powered armor, most of the Sangvis didn't even attack M1 Garand and her team, just blindly advancing towards the entrance of the Griffin base.

In this situation, if M1 Garand and her team couldn't stop these Sangvis units, it would be unacceptable.

And Simonov in the sky wasn't idle either.

The aircraft, modified into a transport gunship, hovered in the air, while MG3 and C96 inside the cockpit controlled the aircraft's machine guns and tank cannons, happily firing at the densely packed Sangvis humanoids below.

"It feels like being back on Omaha Beach! And it's even easier now! These guys have no idea how to take cover!" M1919A4 controlled the two machine guns on the powered armor, firing indiscriminately at the Sangvis units ahead.

"Hey hey! Don't waste bullets! Save some ammo, will you! Bullets cost money, you know!" Seeing M1919A4 spraying bullets as if they were free, Nagant Revolver couldn't help but feel distressed.

She and others were all shooting in short bursts after aiming, unlike M1919A4, who held down the trigger without letting go! Be careful not to overheat the barrel!

These weapons on the powered armor, although maintained by Renault, were all acquired when they were still in the original city, with materials similar to ordinary weapons.

They were more than capable of handling some light-intensity battles, but in a situation like this, with seemingly endless Sangvis Feri Units, they had to figure out how to use their weapons properly.

Just in this short while, they had already fired over twenty thousand rounds of bullets.

Although it was the total number of bullets fired by everyone, when divided among them, each person had fired one or two thousand.

The large box of ammunition brought down by BM59 had already been emptied by now, and it had only been a short ten minutes.

Someone like M1919A4, with the two machine guns on the powered armor, had already started to see smoke coming out of the barrels, and if she kept firing like that, the barrels might even swell and deform!

"Oh, I just got carried away for a moment. I'm so used to it from training, and the stability system on the powered armor is just so useful, even if I'm spraying, I'm not wasting too many bullets."

"But it's still wasteful!"

As the two spoke, M1 Garand and her team had stopped using their cannons to attack the Sangvis units below. They only used the cannons when they couldn't handle it with their machine guns.

And M14, who only had cannons on the powered armor and no other conventional weapons, felt a bit helpless. They had limited ammunition, and using cannon shells to deal with these Sangvis units that could be easily taken down by machine guns was somewhat wasteful.

"Where did these Sangvis come from? I didn't see any Sangvis manufacturing factories or strongholds nearby when I was in the sky."

While attacking these Sangvis units, M1911 looked around in surprise. These Sangvis units seemed to be endless, with many more Sangvis Dolls coming from afar.

Clearly, Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing had put in a lot of effort to take down this base.

"They probably were mobilized from other areas and bases before the operation began. After all, there are many gullies and ravines here, it's not difficult to hide some Sangvis humanoids."

M1 Garand looked at the surrounding terrain, speaking thoughtfully.

"I'm curious why these Sangvis units are attacking this base so aggressively. Is it really necessary? I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by so many Sangvis units. Those Jaegers look a bit intimidating."

"Yeah, if we see Jaegers again after this, we might have nightmares." P38 also nodded in agreement.

The fact that Renault and his group were idle meant that the battle situation was no longer as dire as it was at the beginning; the number of Sangvis Ferri units was ultimately limited.

Although initially, the gathered Sangvis created the illusion of an endless supply, as most of the Sangvis gathered were destroyed by M1 Garand and her team, there weren't as many Sangvis left.

More were just scattered Sangvis coming from various directions.

"Why doesn't the guy commanding the Sangvis units give up? The situation has already turned like this, why not retreat?"
Watching the self-defeating performance of the Sangvis Ferri below, the Hunter frowned in disdain.

These Sangvis clearly couldn't break through M1 Garand and her team in front of them. The best choice now was to retreat and regroup for another chance to attack, rather than bringing so many Sangvis one by one to their deaths.





Chapter 22: It's Done, Pay Up

"Well, talking about it now won't help. We're not in a good position to show our faces right now. Even if we did want to show up, we'd have to wait until Renault's payment comes through," Scarecrow shrugged, causing several others to turn and look at her.

"This? Are you sure? Jumping in front of others to grab attention as soon as you get paid? Aren't you afraid those Griffin commanders will attack us out of embarrassment?"

Seeing so many eyes on her, Scarecrow blinked. "Why are you all looking at me? This wasn't my idea; it was Renault's. If you have questions, go ask him."

"Oh, um..."

Upon hearing this, Hunter and the others were dumbfounded. So Renault said it, huh? Well, isn't that straightforward? No hesitation once the money's in hand? Isn't that a bit too practical?

And most importantly, with so many Griffin staff members watching, if they were seen coming out of the aircraft like this, who knows how they would frame Renault.

"Anyway, as long as we don't go out, it's fine. There's nothing pressing to do outside right now. Isn't it better to stay at home?" While the others were at a loss for words, Jaeger, who was cuddling a big orange cat, spoke up.

If going out would cause trouble for Renault, then staying in was the best option. After all, could those Griffin commanders really come onto the ship?

"That's true. But how much longer until G36 and the others return? It's getting late, isn't it? What are we having for lunch today?" Executioner nodded, then turned her head to look towards the kitchen.

With G36 and G3 both out on a mission, there was no one busy cooking. They were all useless in the kitchen, and if G36 and the others came back late, they might not even have dinner tonight.

"Why don't you go check the kitchen yourself, as long as you don't mind G36 coming after you later." Seeing Executioner hesitate, Hunter teased with a smile.

After spending some time with Renault's group, she had figured out the situation here. Among the three people at the top of the food chain on this ship, there were only three they couldn't afford to offend.

First was naturally Renault. Offending him would likely result in being tossed into a rice cooker. Second was G36, the head chef of the house. And the third was G3, the dessert master. Life as a Doll was incomplete without sweets.

Executioner shrank back at Hunter's words. She had tried to sneak into the kitchen for some snacks while drunk before, only to be kicked out by G36 and forced to eat boiled broccoli for three days straight.

"I'll pass... I don't want to eat vegetarian for the next few days..."


...


"Internal remnants of Sangvis Ferri units cleared, situation report." G36 detached a limb from the power armor and tossed it aside, addressing the other T-Dolls.

"Minimal damage to the main body, but heavy damage to the protective suit." UMP9 examined her protective suit and reported.

Several others had similar situations. Although the heavy protective suits offered good protection, facing so many SF units inevitably led to some damage.

But it was limited to the suits. If those Iron Blood units had been directed by someone, the damaged suits might have harmed the human bodies inside. But unfortunately, these SF units weren't under any direct command.

"Count the damaged suits and discard them on-site."

"Got it!" Upon hearing G36's orders, UMP9 promptly removed her damaged suit and took a deep breath of relief.

The MP40 and the others followed suit. Only HK416 and RFB looked awkward, as their suits weren't damaged enough to be discarded.

Wearing such heavy protective suits was uncomfortable even for Dolls, let alone humans.

After checking the team's condition, G36 walked towards the direction of the Griffin commanders.

At that moment, Kryuger and Helian approached from behind, coincidentally meeting G36 in her power armor.

Looking at the power armor approaching them, Kryuger couldn't help but be amazed. He had just witnessed this power armor almost unflinchingly withstand all the attacks from the Sangvis Ferri.

But now, seeing the armor's shell, apart from some paint chipping, there were no obvious damages.

What was this thing made of? The particle sniper rifles in the hands of those Jaegers were powerful; even military armor would be pierced by those weapons.

But this power armor clearly demonstrated that there was always someone better. This unassuming material, which looked no different from ordinary steel plates at first glance, had protection capabilities far beyond normal armor.

"Operated by Renault Security Contracting Firm, Tactical Doll G36. The main enemies in the base have been eliminated, and most of the Sangvis units on the surface have been destroyed. Only scattered remnants are still active."
As G36 spoke, she opened the helmet and front canopy of the power armor, allowing Kryuger and Helian to see her face.

"G36?" Seeing G36 inside the power armor with her unchanged maid outfit, Gentiane couldn't help but look back at the vice commander G36 standing beside her.

Wasn't this different from the G36 under her command and the G36 with Renault?

At this moment, Gentiane's G36 also felt uneasy. Seeing another tactical Doll who looked exactly like her, even down to the code name, she couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

"If there are no other commissions, please settle the commission fee as soon as possible." Without waiting for Kryuger to speak, Renault's G36 directly asked for the commission fee.

Upon hearing G36's straightforward request, Kryuger and Helian were both taken aback, their faces turning dark. Gentiane beside them awkwardly forced a smile.

Although they knew Renault was straightforward, they didn't expect his G36 to be so direct. Is this what they mean by 'like master, like servant'?







Chapter 23: Take Action if You Want to Eat

"We currently have a special operations team and several squads on their way to the Sangvis Ferri communication node. We request your support," Helian said to G36 with a stern face, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

"Understood." Upon hearing Helian's words, G36 didn't insist on demanding the commission fee further. Instead, she turned around and contacted Renault while gesturing to CF05 and the others, indicating that they could stand down.

Receiving the message from G36, Renault immediately called Simonov and the others, who were still hovering over the Griffin base, to provide support. After all, it was just a communication node, and with the speed of aircraft, it wouldn't take more than fifteen minutes to finish.

Meanwhile, Gentiane and the others in the Griffin base watched as G36 and the rest left swiftly, feeling somewhat surreal.

Just twenty minutes ago, they were facing a life-threatening situation, but now it had been completely quelled. If it weren't for the gunfire still audible from the opening above the base, they would have doubted if it had all been real.

"Anyway, let's have a few Doll squads go down to the surface to assess the situation. Don't withdraw the defenses of the base temporarily to avoid any changes in the situation." Kryuger breathed a sigh of relief and began to speculate slightly about the Sangvis Ferri's actions.

Could it be that the Sangvis Ferri had discovered his presence here and hastily gathered such a large force to attack?

Helian nodded in agreement and immediately began to make arrangements.

The Griffin commanders and Tactical Dolls, who had been catching their breath in place, also started to move. Several intact squads climbed up towards the surface under the leadership of a few commanders, following the direction G36 and the others had left.

With most of the upper buildings in the base now collapsed, and the elevators directly broken, the only way to reach the surface was by using their legs, just like G36 and the others.

However, G36 and her team didn't climb up leisurely. Their jumping ability far surpassed that of the human commanders and Tactical Dolls wearing exoskeletons, leaping up in a few bounds.

The Griffins could only climb up slowly. The emergency stairs should still be usable, but whether there were any areas that had collapsed or fallen was unknown.

"So, what's the deal with those T-Dolls? Why is their combat effectiveness so much higher than ours?" As they climbed, several Griffin commanders chatted.

"They've probably undergone some extreme modifications. Did you not see how they could jump tens of meters?"

"Yeah, it's extreme indeed. Military droids don't have this level of performance."

"Exactly, who knows what modifications they've undergone."


...


"We still can't go back? How long will these scattered Sangvis Ferri units last?" Nagant Revolver occasionally fired her machine gun to take down a few popping-up Sangvis Ferri Dolls, feeling bored.

A large number of Sangvis Ferri unit remnants had already piled up into a small hill in front of them, serving as cover.

Although the approaching Sangvis Ferri forces were not numerous, they kept popping up intermittently. While not posing a threat to them, it was annoying.

If these Sangvis Ferri units kept appearing every few minutes, wouldn't they have to stay here indefinitely?

"Simonov and the others have already left to support the Griffin team responsible for destroying the communication node. We should be able to go back soon." M1 Garand counted the remaining ammunition in the ammo box while hanging several empty boxes on hooks for the Rippers in the spacecraft cabin to take back.

"That's good, but it's already mealtime. Haven't G36 and the others finished yet?"

"They're done. Look, there they are." MDR pointed in the direction of the Griffin base.

G36 and her team had just jumped out from under the crack. Seeing M1 Garand and the others here, they waved in greeting.

But before G36 could speak, Renault's voice suddenly sounded in the communication channel, and the spacecraft hovering in the air slowly descended to a nearby flat ground.

"Alright, pack up and return to the ship. Leave two people to keep an eye on those scattered Sangvis Ferri units. The rest can go back to rest and rotate shifts later."

Listening to Renault's words, the Doll units immediately jumped into the spacecraft through the open hatch.

HK416 and RFB, on the other hand, took their equipment and went to the top deck of the spacecraft, standing at the edge of the deck sniping at the scattered Sangvis Ferri units.

Since they were in relatively good condition, they would hold the fort for a while, and others would come to replace them later.

Meanwhile, in the spacecraft's dining room, Executioner sat by the bar, curiously eyeing Renault's direction.

"Hunter, are you sure the Commander can cook?" Glancing at Renault, Executioner asked Hunter beside her. It was the first time she had seen Renault rolling up his sleeves and walking into the kitchen.

And Renault's cooking style seemed completely different from G36 and G3's...

What was with that two-meter-wide pot? Was he using a shovel to stir-fry?

"Of course, before G36 arrived, it was always the Commander who cooked for us." Scarecrow nodded, "And the Commander's cooking is also very good, just different from what G36 and G3 make."

G36 and G3's cooking was always meticulous and exquisite, both in appearance and taste.

But Renault's cooking was different. Although it was also delicious, it seemed a bit 'rough' compared to G36 and G3's.

"Hunter, take this pot out." As they spoke, Renault had already put the cooked food into a large pot one meter long, indicating the Hunter to help carry it out.

In addition to this freshly cooked pot, the Hunter had already carried out five large pots of food, two buckets of soup, and several buckets of steamed rice.

"Here we go!" Watching the cheerful Hunter run out to help, Executioner and Hunter glanced at each other. Smelling the fragrant aroma of meat in the air, they couldn't wait any longer.

Scarecrow picked a bowl, sifted the container and left for a nearb table to eat.

"Go call them for dinner." Instructing a few Dinergates at her feet, Executioner ordered them to run towards the hangar.

As they ran, they repeatedly played Renault's words through their respective communication devices, "Dinner! Dinner!"

Meanwhile, Renault didn't wait for G36 and the others to come over. Carrying his bowl and chopsticks from the cabinet, he served himself some food, picked up his bowl, and a folding stool, then went straight to the top deck.

Before leaving, he threw a sentence to Executioner and the others, "If you want to eat, do it yourself, don't just stand there."






Chapter 24: Hurry and Leave to Avoid Embarrassment

"What is this?!?" Seeing the colossal object before them, towering over forty meters high and nearly a hundred meters long, Gentiane and the Griffin commanders couldn't help but exclaim in shock!

Following the direction the tactical dolls under Renault's command had left earlier, they climbed up and immediately saw this colossal object standing not far from the base!

The gunfire they had heard before, and which was still sporadic now, seemed to be coming from the top of this colossal... uh, structure?

"Could this be something that Renault, the security contractor, has produced? And where are his people? And the scattered Sangvis Ferri... where are they?"

Apart from the colossal object that almost blocked out the sunlight, they didn't seem to see any signs of Sangvis Ferri units.

All they could see were a few scattered Sangvis Ferri remains.

"They're probably blocked by this thing. Let's try to go around and check, as the Sangvis Ferri signal seems to be coming from behind this building." The detection devices in the Griffin base had partially restored functionality, allowing them to locate nearby Sangvis Ferri positions.

It was strange that before Renault's arrival, all the detection equipment in the base had malfunctioned one by one, but now, with Renault's arrival, these things had started working again.

Carefully avoiding Renault's spacecraft with the tactical dolls under his command, Gentiane and the others moved around to the side. However, upon seeing the pink rabbit on the side armor plate of the spacecraft, their faces turned strange.

"Hiss!"

Just as they continued walking, they unexpectedly found themselves face to face with not scattered Sangvis Ferri or being attacked by Sangvis Ferri units, but instead, they saw a large area piled up with Sangvis Ferri remains, forming a small hill!

No wonder they had only seen a few scattered Sangvis Ferri remains earlier... they were all piled up over here! How did Renault's tactical dolls manage to do this...

While Gentiane was thinking about this, her footsteps didn't stop. After a few more steps forward, she immediately saw the conspicuous craters on the battlefield in the distance!

Having craters wasn't unusual, considering that the Griffin base had been shelled by the Sangvis Ferri earlier. However, the key point was that near those craters, all they could see were the remains of Sangvis Ferri units...

Clearly, the situation at the top of the Griffin base was probably more exaggerated than what they had felt down below.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just as they were thinking, gunfire suddenly rang out overhead.

"What's happening!?" The sudden gunfire startled them, but the tactical dolls beside them remained calm. As several commanders looked up to locate the source of the gunfire, one of them pointed to a few distant Sangvis Ferri dolls falling down.

"They're sniping at those Sangvis Ferri units." G36 timely reminded, as the number of Sangvis Ferri dolls that had just fallen was about the same as the gunfire they had heard.

"It seems that we won't be needed here. These Sangvis Ferri units can't even get through." One of the Griffin commanders looked up and said, but unfortunately, apart from the freshly painted armor plate, they couldn't see anyone on the spacecraft.

Seeing this, Gentiane could only shake her head and decided to go back to find where she had dropped her phone. Hopefully, it hadn't completely collapsed where she was hit earlier. Otherwise, the chance of finding her phone would be slim. It was quite useful, and... sturdy enough.


...


"HK416, and RFB, you can change shifts now." Just as HK416 was about to take off her heavy helmet, M200 and M14 emerged from the cabin.

Carrying their imprinted weapons on their backs, they each held a large thermos and lunchboxes.

"Huh? Is it mealtime already? G36... oh, it's not Commander who cooked, is it?" Upon hearing M200's voice, RFB immediately turned back from the edge of the deck and looked down at the large objects in M200's and M14's hands.

Initially, she thought G36 had cooked the meal, but then she remembered that G36 had returned to the spacecraft at the same time as them. It had only been about ten minutes, which was clearly not enough time for G36 to cook a meal.

So, it was obvious who had cooked the meal. There were only a few people who could cook in the base, and since it wasn't G36, it seemed that only their commander could have done it.

"Yeah, hurry back, or you might miss out on the food. The Commander won't cook separately for you."

"Hey, no problem, we can always ask CF05 for a meal!" RFB said, but still hurried into the cabin.

HK416 wasn't as blunt as RFB. After pointing out a few directions where there was a higher chance of encountering Sangvis Ferri, she hugged her imprint weapon and ran into the cabin.

"Phew, it's been a long time since we've eaten while on duty. The Commander's cooking smells so good, completely different from what G36 makes." M14 sat on the ground, opened her thermos, took out her chopsticks, and started eating, seemingly not worried about the approaching Sangvis Ferri in the distance.

M200 also followed suit, setting up her engraved weapon in advance.

"It seems like we haven't eaten while on duty like this very often, right?" M200 said as she took a sip of soup from her bowl, then picked up her imprinted weapon and shot down several approaching Sangvis Ferri Prowlers.
Only then did she pick up her chopsticks to eat.

"Yeah, but when will these scattered Sangvis Ferri units stop? Has Simonov and the others finished yet?"

"They probably haven't. They only arrived there less than fifteen minutes ago, so they should have just arrived."

As M200 and M14 sat on the top deck, enjoying their lunch, several Griffin commanders below suddenly smelled a tempting aroma.

"Hiss! Who's cooking? Where's that smell coming from? Why does it smell like braised pork with garlic shoots?"

"No, no, no, I distinctly smell the aroma of twice-cooked pork."

Growl...

The two Griffin commanders babbled on, and as they did, their stomachs began to rumble thunderously.

Hearing this, Gentiane rolled her eyes silently, while quickening her pace underfoot, intending to leave quickly before her own stomach started growling embarrassingly.

Better to hurry back to the base and find some MREs to fill her stomach... Renault... is really too much, the mission isn't even finished yet, and he's already having lunch?

Damn it! It smells so good! I really want to sneak onto the ship for a meal!







Chapter 25: In a Rush to Eat!

"Still no sign? Could it be that Griffin's squad is hiding?" MG3 asked Simonov, who was piloting the aircraft, somewhat surprised.

"It shouldn't be. Those guys are probably some distance away from Griffin's base, but they're really good at hiding. We haven't seen any traces of them."

"Well, if they're visible, that's when there's a problem. There are so many rugged areas here, perfect for guerrilla warfare." C96 waved her hand dismissively.

"In that case, let's try contacting those guys through Griffin's channel. It's not a good idea to just search here slowly without any help." MG3 scratched her head. It had been more than ten minutes since they came out, and if they didn't go back soon, the commander would probably urge them.

"Oh! Right! We're on a mission commissioned by Griffin. It wouldn't be right if the commissioner doesn't come out to help guide us, right?" Simonov slapped her forehead. It had been a long time since she had used Griffin's internal communication channel; she had almost forgotten that it existed.

"Hello? Anyone there? This is the aerial support gunship belonging to the Renault Security Contracting Company. Is the AR Team there? Respond if you hear us! We're rushing back to have lunch!"
As Simonov spoke, she subconsciously touched the bottle she had stashed in her pocket.

But she dared not drink now. Last time, she took a few sips and ended up being locked in the training room by Reno for so long. If something went wrong this time after drinking, she might really end up being put in an electric rice cooker by Reno.

Despite Simonov's call, there was no response on Griffin's communication channel.

MG3 couldn't help but slap her forehead. "Really! It's already this late! I almost forgot it's almost lunchtime! If we go back now, we might only have soup and rice!"

"Yeah, yeah! Today should be the commander's turn to cook! If we're late, the dishes might all be gone! I don't want to eat radish soup and rice! It's tasteless!"

"How could that be? There must be some other dishes in the commander's soup, right?"

"You don't know the others! They scoop up right to the edge of the pot with their ladles! There won't be anything left for us!"

Cooking by their commander is completely different from G36's cooking. G36 always cooks a lot with a variety of dishes, and they can pick whatever they want.

But with Reno, although there's definitely plenty of food, there are only a few types of dishes, and they're all mixed in one pot. When a group of people eats, it's like there's not enough, and if they were late, we might really only be able to eat plain rice!

"This is M4A1 of Griffin's Special Operations Team. Who are you?"

While Simonov, MG3, and the others were discussing the lunch menu for today, a somewhat uncertain voice suddenly came from Griffin's communication channel.

"Oh, we have a response! We're here to support you! You're going to destroy Ironblood's communication node, right? Sync the location to us, and we'll go over and take care of it with a couple of shots!" Hearing M4A1's response, Simonov couldn't contain her joy. She looked out of the porthole, trying to find the possible location of Sangvis' communication node.

But it's just a communication node, not some impregnable fortress. In a place as deserted as this, there won't be any buildings that even tank guns can't penetrate.

Even if there were buildings, they would only be ordinary ones left over from a long time ago.

In this situation, for the tank guns on the aircraft, it's just a matter of one shot. Even if one shot doesn't destroy it, a few more shots will do the trick. It definitely won't take long.

"Uh..." Listening to Simonov's excited chatter, M4A1 helplessly cast a pleading look at M16 next to her. And that voice, she always felt a familiar feeling when listening to it.

M16, who was being stared at by M4A1, also felt a headache. This sudden contact, with no identification marks in the communication channel and the strange tone, was quite suspicious.

There's no way to determine the other party's true identity. Their current mission is crucial to the lives of all the commanders in the Griffin base, especially Kryuger, the boss of Griffin, who is in that base. If the information is leaked here, leading to a failed operation...

This responsibility... they really can't afford it...

"Hello? Hello? Anyone there? Speak up! What are you thinking? Give us a definite answer quickly!" Simonov, who had waited for more than ten seconds without a response, couldn't help but shout angrily.

Ten seconds, if this were in a training device, she might have died several times already. Can't you react faster?

"I'm M16 of the AR Team. We can't confirm your identity, so..."

"Can't confirm our identity? Didn't I already say we're from the Reno Security Contracting Company..."

"Simonov, we're using Griffin's identification code now." Seeing Simonov speak so impulsively, MG3 couldn't help but support her forehead, reminding her.

This girl didn't know what kind of training she went through in the training device, but now she's always in a hurry, turning into a complete hothead.

"Oh, right, then what should we do? How do we prove that we're here to help?"

This really stumped Simonov. If they didn't believe them, would they have to wait until they slowly destroyed the communication node themselves before they could go back?

"AR Team, you can confirm with your superiors that we're indeed here to support you. If everything is confirmed, please synchronize the location of Sangvis Ferri's communication node to us as soon as possible. If we do it ourselves, it will be much faster than if you do it." Hearing MG3's question, she directly took the communication device and spoke to M16 on the other side.

In fact, even without MG3's reminder, M4A1 had already contacted Gentiane. Fortunately, the interference had disappeared, and there was no problem with the communication between her and Gentiane.

Gentiane naturally knew that Reno had sent people to support them. She was also aware that Reno had an airship that could carry and fight, so she readily agreed to sync the location of the communication node to Simonov and the others.

"Oh, it's been a while. I haven't used the information sync system in the Zener Protocol for a long time. Looking at these data flow-based information diagrams, I feel like I'm in a different world." As the information from Griffin synced over, Simonov also felt a bit nostalgic, looking at the symbols appearing in her eyes.

"Alright, let's get to work. We'll have to pull back those Griffin dolls later." MG3 waved her hand and said, after seeing the synced information, she directly changed the tank shells in the turret to armor-piercing ones.