RC 501-525 (Patreon)

RRC 501-525


Chapter 101: It Kinda Makes Sense?

The energy lines were dismantled and reconnected, and the energy core was taken out for easier cooling. The remaining parts were of no value, having been damaged beyond repair. It's fortunate that SOP2 survived, thanks to M4A1's protection.

Whether or not to salvage it depends on Griffin's decision, but Renault decided to take it back anyway.

After fixing the last speaker and taping the broken lines together, Renault handed all of SOP2's remaining parts to M4A1.

"Give it a try."

Try? Try what? M4A1 looked at Renault in confusion, then at SOP2's head in her arms.

"Ah—ah—ah? Oh! I can talk! But why is the speaker stuck to my forehead? The voice sounds weird!" M4A1 was puzzled until SOP2's voice suddenly sounded from her arms.

Startled, M4A1 was initially frightened but then delightedly lifted SOP2, "SOP2! Are you okay now!?"

Honestly, even though Renault and Executioner had said SOP2 would be fine, M4A1 thought SOP2 would only regain consciousness after returning to Griffin for formal repairs.

Who would have thought a few connected wires by Renault would allow SOP2 to speak again!

"Because there was no other place to put it," M16 said, glancing at the wires tied around SOP2's neck and chuckling helplessly. She then looked at AR15, sitting next to M4A1.

This might be the worst situation the AR team has faced. M16 was half-paralyzed, AR15 had lost most of her bionic skin, M4A1 was covered in wounds, and SOP2 was reduced to just a head.

Well, not exactly. Renault didn't reconnect SOP2's head, so calling her just a head isn't wrong.

"Being able to talk is good enough," AR15 said, leaning back and reflecting on the mission. She relaxed visibly but frowned, feeling embarrassed by her performance.

Despite not fighting much, she ended up in this state. If not for Renault's sturdy body replacement, she might be worse off than SOP2.

Had she become too affected by the dolls while staying with Renault?

Executioner didn't look much better but had taken down many military figures, whereas AR15 felt she had done little besides rescuing M16 and shielding M4A1.

She was more or less like a meatshield for the whole duration of the mission.

No accomplishments at all? How could this be!?

AR15 rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of it.

Maybe the problem lay with Renault's group. The original AR team always had a detailed plan and a cautious commander, ensuring nearly injury-free missions.

But Renault's approach was different—no plans, no commands, just improvisation. Rescues involved charging in and grabbing people, with no regard for enemy strength or routes. Had she been influenced by Renault's team?

Closing her eyes in frustration, AR15 tried to review the mission to distract herself from the impending separation from M4A1 and the others.

"15! 15! Are you coming back with us?" SOP2, eyes rolling, bluntly asked AR15.

Despite SOP2's cheerful tone, her face remained expressionless, her eyes the only moving parts, her skin a deathly pale.

However, the dolls were accustomed to such sights, having seen many fallen comrades in similar states.

AR15 hesitated, unsure how to respond to SOP2's eager question.

"SOP2, don't get excited. 15 can't come back now," M16 sighed, shaking her head.

AR15's issue with leaking Griffin's information wasn't resolved. Returning would likely mean facing severe consequences. Being with Renault was a relatively good situation.

Though Griffin treated tactical dolls well, information leaks or mental issues led to harsh measures—either dismantling and reassigning or destroying and recreating the doll.

For humans, it seemed like a simple technical visit, maybe with a slight memory loss. For dolls, it was different...

"Can't return? Is it because..." SOP2, ready to blame Renault for detaining AR15, saw M4A1's troubled expression and recalled the situation.

AR15 had escaped Griffin's custody.

"Then... I won't go back either!" SOP2 declared after a moment, her eyes darting between Executioner and AR15.

"What!?" AR15, M16, and M4A1 exclaimed in shock.

What was SOP2 thinking? Was AR15 not enough? You also want to jump ship?

"It'd be lonely for AR15! And who knows if I can be repaired properly! Their tech isn't even as good as mine!" SOP2 argued, determined to stay with AR15.

"But..." M4A1 felt something was off, but SOP2's argument sounded reasonable.



### Chapter 102: I Want to Stay!

Ding-a-ling!

The persistent ringing echoed through the cluttered room. A figure, wrapped in a blanket with bionic ears on her head, groggily sat up, rummaged through the mess, and then lay back down.

Unfortunately, the ringing didn’t stop, continuously blaring from a poor-quality speaker.

“Who is it?! Can’t a person get some sleep around here?”
Persica angrily rubbed her already disheveled hair, her bionic cat ears twitching in irritation.

Using her bionic ears, Persica quickly located the phone she had discarded in the pile of junk after a single use.

Though her workspace was chaotic, she wasn’t forgetful enough to lose track of her belongings.

“Who is this? And where did I put my coffee cup?” Seeing the unknown caller ID, Persica hung up and started searching for her coffee cup on the floor.

“Ah, here it is.” She soon spotted her usual coffee cup beside the mattress on the floor.

As she bent down to pick it up, the phone in her pocket started ringing again.

Ignoring it, Persica went to the coffee machine, poured herself a cup, and added nearly half a box of sugar until the coffee was nearly overflowing.

Without waiting for the sugar to dissolve, she took a sip, smiling in satisfaction, before finally answering the still-ringing phone.

M4A1’s holographic image appeared before Persica.

“M! M4A1!? Ow, hot, hot, hot!” Persica, sipping her coffee—or rather, sugar water—gasped in surprise upon seeing M4A1, causing her to inhale and choke on the hot liquid.

The heat jolted Persica awake.

She remembered now—wasn't this phone used specifically arranged to contact Renault?

The only people who knew this number were Renault and possibly AR15 but she hadn’t expected to see M4A1’s hologram!

The AR team was supposed to be on a mission for Griffin!

“Uh, Persica, I have something important…” M4A1 hesitated, seeing Persica’s disheveled state.

“Something important?”

“Well, SOP2… she wants to stay with Commander Renault and AR15 so they can take care of each other.” M4A1 glanced nervously at AR15, fearing she might object.

But AR15 merely looked away, slightly embarrassed.

“What!!! What’s going on!” Persica screeched.

M41A winced at the scream while Persica inquired so she threw the pot to SOP2.
"It was SOP2's idea."

"Explain."
Persica was surprised that SOP2 had her own ideas and plans.

Was she maturing?

As M4A1 explained the situation, Simonov successfully landed the aircraft in the ship’s hangar.

“Welcome home, Commander,” UMP45’s voice came through the intercom, and M1 Garand closed the hangar doors.

With all the necessary objectives completed, the next step was simply returning the Griffin dolls to their base.

“Set the course for the last Griffin base,” Renault ordered.

“Got it!” UMP45 responded. The ship wasn’t far from the Griffin base, and even at normal cruising speed, it wouldn’t take more than half an hour.

“Home sweet home!” Executioner jumped out of the aircraft, intending to get some drinks with AK47 and the others, but remembered her two immobilized arms.

She resigned herself to waiting for Renault to take her to the workshop, as the IOP repair units couldn’t fix Renault’s custom bodies.

As she stood there, MDR appeared almost instantly, snapping rapid-fire photos with her phone.

Click, click, click!

The constant shutter noise made Executioner roll her eyes.

Whatever, blackmail material meant nothing to her!

“Instead of photographing me, why not capture the AR team? They’re in pretty rough shape,” she said, nodding towards the aircraft’s hatch.

A-91 had already opened the hatch, revealing M16 and the others to the waiting MP5.

M16, on the phone with Persica, glanced up, annoyed as MDR approached, snapping pictures of her and M4A1.

If not for holding the phone and talking to Persica, M16 might have attacked MDR. Did she not realize they were on a call?

“Anyway, that’s the situation. SOP2 should stay with Commander Renault for now. If we take her back, I worry Griffin might do something drastic,” M4A1 explained.

While Griffin couldn’t legally dismantle AR team’s bodies for research, SOP2’s current state might be seen as a lost cause by their technicians, who might scrap her.

Despite SOP2’s seemingly wild idea, it made sense. At least this way, Griffin wouldn’t exploit her current vulnerable state.

Griffin’s collaboration with 16Lab and IOP didn’t ensure complete trust, and with the organization’s size and complexity, a few unscrupulous technicians wouldn’t be surprising.




Chapter 103: Nothing Out of the Ordinary

“You’re getting special treatment. If you weren’t one of the mission’s main targets, you’d have to wait until we reached the Griffin base for repairs, like the other Griffin dolls.”

The bionic digestive organs of the dolls were within the repair pod’s capabilities, and since M16’s frame wasn’t severely deformed, it could be fixed in just a few minutes. Before they reached the Griffin base, she’d be fully repaired.

Unable to speak while lying in the repair bay, M16 felt relieved upon hearing Renault’s words. It meant she could enjoy a few more drinks here before landing.
Once back at Griffin, she wasn’t sure if she’d get the chance to drink again.

Griffin didn’t have a stable supply of alcohol since it wasn’t considered a necessity. Even if they did, it was mostly ordered by a few employees. Among the dolls, many liked to drink, but none could indulge freely and staff wouldn't be so accommodating to those Doll's request.
Unlike Renault’s place, where a few dolls guarded the liquor supply day and night, almost soaking their neural cores in alcohol.

While talking to M16, Renault secured SOP2’s neural core and head to a Proweler chassis.
As for the container for the SOP MOD 2 neural core, it was the same rice cooker previously used by Scarecrow and her team. It was convenient and ready to use.

“Try moving the wheels. Once we deliver the Griffin dolls, I’ll get you a new frame. There’s another unlucky one needing a new body too. I’ll check on the Griffin dolls in the cargo hold first.”

With that, Renault left SOP2 in charge of monitoring the remaining three members of the AR team in the repair bay. There were still many injured Griffin dolls in the cargo hold needing attention.

Scarecrow and Hunter hadn’t rested yet. Executioner could have helped, but she was too fixated on alcohol and was already soaked in it. After returning, she claimed her arms were damaged and headed to the workshop, only to have made a Ripper install two spare arms.
Though they were standard doll arms, they were sufficient for holding bottles.

Aside from the damaged Griffin dolls, Renault had another concern: Alchemist who had tagged along.
She looked intimidating with her eyepatch but had been surprisingly well-behaved since boarding, even wandering to the ship’s restaurant with a few dolls. Since she had no special privileges and was unusually docile, Renault allowed her to roam freely, doors here require access to the ship's network which all his dolls are connected, Alchemist who was an outsider couldn’t access any r restricted areas or harm the more capable dolls like Rippers and Vespids.

Returning to the cargo hold, Renault found the Griffin dolls had calmed down, with most resting. Scarecrow and Hunter directed the uninjured dolls to sort the injured ones.

Upon reaching the Griffin base, the uninjured dolls could walk out on their own, while those with minor damage would be assisted by others. The more severely damaged dolls, those with neural core damage or ruptured energy cores, were set aside, observed by their friends.

Scarecrow figured their fate was nearly sealed. The intact neural cores might be extracted for data, but those with damage would likely be scrapped, as Griffin’s technicians wouldn’t retrieve data from them. Ultimately, the commanders would receive their dolls back, minus the memories of this mission, resulting in minimal loss apart from the dolls themselves.

“How many neural cores are damaged?” Renault asked. Scarecrow glanced at the dolls on the floor.

“Not many, just seven or eight. Most have damaged energy cores, but we’ve connected temporary batteries to keep their neural cores from losing data.”

“Alright, no need for further repairs unless it's serious. We’ll reach the Griffin base in about fifteen minutes.”

Emergency repairs by Scarecrow and Hunter weren’t considered official repairs by Griffin’s standards and wouldn’t affect the mission rewards.

However, since Helian had requested the mission, the payment shouldn’t be an issue.

“Got it. But are you sure it’s okay to let Alchemist roam freely? You haven’t updated her root protocols yet, right?” Scarecrow asked worriedly. After all, it was akin to letting an enemy tour the ship.

“It’s fine. She’s only in common areas and can’t access critical sections. Even if she did, she couldn’t dismantle the ship from the inside.”


…


“Why are you staring at me?” Ouroboros frowned at the Alchemist who had appeared before her. But she wasn’t surprised. She had already seen Scarecrow, Hunter, Executioner, and even Intruder on Renault’s ship.

Another Alchemist wasn’t anything new. Renault’s taste was peculiar, uninterested in Griffin’s colorful dolls and instead collecting Sangvis Ferri dolls. It was strange indeed.

Ouroboros shrugged, returning to her handheld game console. She still had her daily tasks to complete.



Chapter 104 Are You Here to Help?

Chapter 104 Are You Here to Help?

Glancing at Ouroboros' lower body chassis of a Prowler, Alchemist couldn't help but marvel.

That Renault was indeed talented, actually coming up with the idea of combining Doll and Prowler together.

Fortunately, she hadn't suffered any serious injuries before, so minor wounds wouldn't matter even if left untreated.

The most important thing was to not give Renault the opportunity to repair her. Otherwise, if she ended up like Ouroboros, pieced together in such a manner, she might as well shoot herself immediately.

This embarrassing appearance was truly shameful...

However, Ouroboros seemed to be completely oblivious to it, happily playing multiplayer games with the just-returned RFB and G11.

Seeing that none of the three paid any attention to her, Alchemist could only shrug and casually stroll out.

One had to admit, this ship was indeed huge. Being able to propel such a large ship into the sky, the engine of this ship must be extraordinary. What's more, any known similar things outside were all still on a prototype stages and was exceedingly smallar than this behemoth.
Unfortunately, she had just tried, and without authorization, she couldn't even enter the room labeled "Engine Room."

And other T-Dolls didn't go there either. Even if she wanted to persuade a Ripper Doll to take her there, it wouldn't work.

Casually walking through the corridors of the spaceship, Alchemist saw many Rippers and Vespids chatting in groups while holding cleaning tools, and occasionally a group of Dinergates would scurry by.

If she hadn't just walked out of the restaurant on this ship, she would now think she wasn't on some private security contractor's ship but inside an Sangvis stronghold.

"An animal... farm?"

There's still such a place on the spaceship?

Looking at the sign at the junction, the left led to the breeding ground, and the right led to the vertical farm. Just arriving at this intersection, Alchemist smelled a scent of plants.

Compared to the flowers and plants in the vertical farm, Alchemist felt the breeding ground was more worth seeing. So, without hesitation, she directly walked towards the breeding ground.

As she raised her hand to open the gate of the breeding ground, MG3 happened to be standing at the door, putting on a pair of work overalls.

"Huh? Aren't you the one who came back with the commander earlier... that one?" Seeing Alchemist appear in the breeding ground, MG3 was also somewhat surprised. After all, except for herself, very few people usually come to this side of the breeding ground.

One reason was that the smell inside the breeding ground wasn't pleasant, and the other reason was that other Dolls weren't interested in breeding or taking care these livestock and animals.

Of course, cats were an exception.

After all, working here in the breeding ground meant that one day, they would send the animals they bred onto the dining table.

MG3 was about to become one of the top butchers on this ship.

"Alchemist."

"Oh, Alchemist, what a novel-style name you have. But do you have any business coming here?"

"No, just wandering around." Alchemist said, turning her head to look at the animal pens not far away, where the animals inside were all well-fed and chubby thanks to MG3.

"Oh, how about it? Interested in working at the breeding ground? Do you want to come over and help me later?" MG3 really wanted to find one or two Dolls to help her. Always forcing the Rippers to help felt a bit guilty.

"Well, it depends on the situation. Maybe later..." Hearing MG3's words, Alchemist shrugged and watched as MG3 picked up a brush and shovel to start working, seeming completely defenseless.

"MG3! MG3! Are there any sheep ready for slaughter today? We're having a hot pot tonight! My spices are ready! It's going to be a fantastic hot pot!"

Alchemist was about to get closer to take a look when shouts and footsteps came from outside the breeding ground.

CF05 entered with NZ75, both pushing the door open. CF05 was carrying a box filled with a large pile of seasonings, including a whole box of bright red peppers, making Alchemist's eyes twitch.

"Oh? Isn't this Alchemist? G36 just asked about you. Do you have any favorite dishes? We can have G36 prepare them. Usually, when new people arrive, we have a richer meal!"

Although the meals were usually lavish.

After CF05 finished speaking, she looked over at MG3.

MG3 naturally had no objections. It just happened to lighten her workload a bit. "Come here, how about this one? It's fully grown, and if we wait a few more days, it'll become an old sheep. By then, the meat will be tough."

MG3 licked her lips as if she could already taste the mutton hot pot.

"No problem! That one it is!"

With MG3's affirmation, she immediately got to work, deftly pulling out her set of tools and quickly transforming the sheep into pieces of high-quality hot pot ingredients.

Splashes of bright red scattered flawlessly and fallen in a controlled manner, MG3 making sure that it didn't scatter too much and contained in the small area.

While CF05 and NZ75 didn't say much, Alchemist's eyes lit up. MG3's handling of the sheep was incredibly precise, almost like watching some kind of art performance.

In the end, she even directly asked for a set of tools from MG3 and, after putting them on, started working with MG3 to process the animals.

Seeing this, MG3 ignored CF05 and NZ75, who had grabbed their things and quickly left, and instead brought over another sheep to serve as teaching material for Alchemist.

She had long hoped for a Doll who could help her for a long time in the breeding ground! She didn't expect this wish to come true today!


...



Let's not mention how Alchemist helped MG3 in the breeding ground for now. After flying for more than ten minutes, Renault's ship returned to the entrance at the top of the Griffin Base they had visited before.

Helian was already standing here with a group of Griffin employees, waiting.

Seeing Renault's ship, Helian also breathed a sigh of relief. Although Renault had notified her before that the mission was successful, it wasn't until she saw the ship appear again that Helian truly relaxed.

Fortunately, this time they had Renault's help. Otherwise, with such a large group of Griffin Dolls, they would surely have been annihilated by Sangvis Ferri.

Also relieved like Helian were the Griffin Dolls in the cargo hold of Renault's ship.
With the cargo hold door open, a group of Griffin Dolls who were sitting inside resting, upon seeing the familiar terrain and the proxy, Helian, couldn't help but cheer loudly!

After almost sprinting down from the ship like they were racing and escaping from containment, when they saw Helian standing at the cargo door, Renault looked over.




Chapter 105 Aren't You Taking Them?

"Wow, it looks like a they are prison escapees... Is the cargo hold on the ship really that terrifying?" MP40, who was running to the top deck to get some fresh air while the ship was landing, sighed as she looked down at the swarming Griffin dolls below.

Before boarding the ship, these guys weren't so enthusiastic. Now that they've arrived at Griffin Base, they're all pumped up. Seems like they still think Griffin is better.

"Well, maybe they were just scared by Scarecrow and Hunter... After all, Griffins and Sangvis Ferri dolls are hostile to each other. Those two Sangvis dolls were hanging around there for so long, it's understandable if they're afraid..."

MP5 paused halfway through her words, suddenly feeling like her reasoning was off. After all, she didn't find Scarecow scary at all. We're all the same kind of dolls, at most, Scarecow have slightly more combat experience.

"Are you scared?"

"I'm not scared."

"Yeah, I can't think of anything scary either." MP40 scratched her head. "Let's go, there's nothing interesting here. G36 is urging us to go back and help."

"Mm, let's go. But it would be nice if we could leave a few dolls behind."

"Leave a few? We're not even that busy right now. If more dolls come, we might just end up lounging around in the dorms all day."

"Let's take turns then. Anyway, the commander's ship is so big, we can always find something to do."

As for the situation with the Griffin dolls, Renault's dolls couldn't help. Besides, there wasn't much to help with, just moving some dolls that couldn't move onto stretchers.

Griffin had human employees, logistics dolls, and specialized handling tools. Renault's dolls had no place to interfere with their chaos.

"This time you guys are unexpectedly generous." Renault nodded satisfactorily as he looked at the message on his phone. The price given by Griffin this time was really good, almost three times the total of the previous few commissions.

"Phew, there's nothing we can do about it. This time Sangvis's actions were unexpected. I didn't expect them to have the ability to disrupt Griffin's communications on a large scale. Plus, there are quite a few Griffin dolls. If they were all destroyed by Sangvis, Griffin's strength would drop by at least forty percent in a short period of time."

Helian said somewhat helplessly, glancing cautiously at Renault's expression as she spoke. But this guy's face was expressionless except for a slight smirk when he saw the transfer record. Otherwise, he looked indifferent.

Shouldn't this guy say a few more words? What should she say now? Think, Helian! Use your brain! Quickly think about what to say in this situation! Prolong the chat!

While Helian was trying to find a topic to continue chatting with Renault, she saw him suddenly turn his head and look into the cargo hold of the ship.

There were a few Griffin employees there, counting the dolls that had completely shut down and could only maintain their neural cores with emergency batteries.

Of course, in addition to counting the quantity, these guys also carried a device that looked like a suitcase to upload the mental data of those dolls to the Mental Cloud Map server.

Backing up mental data was something that could be done as long as the dolls had a good signal where they were. They could even directly back up their mental data through the Zener Protocol now, and it just happened to be right next to Griffin Base, so it was not a big deal to back up the data of these dolls whose neural cores were still intact.

However, after these Griffin employees backed up the mental data of those dolls, they did not take the neural core with them, nor did they take away the damaged bodies of those dolls. It seemed like they were planning to just leave them in the cargo hold of the ship.

"Aren't you going to recycle the bodies of those dolls?"Although the bodies of those dolls were already destroyed, he remembered that one of the dolls should still be considered a high-level doll, and there should be quite a few rare materials in their bodies.

Bringing them back for recycling shouldn't be a loss-making deal.

"Um, this, should be the technicians judging that there's no recycling value..." Helian, who was thinking about what to chat with Renault, heard his words and looked up happily, but then she realized what Renault was asking, and her expression changed back and forth, finally shaking her head somewhat helplessly.

If these tactical dolls had been damaged to this extent, then there wouldn't be anything of value left on their bodies...

As Helian uttered these words, the technicians over there also finished checking the last few neural cores of the damaged dolls, shook their heads, and then left the cargo hold with their equipment.

The neural cores had suffered damage, so their instruments couldn't read the mental data of these dolls. Naturally, there was no talk of backing up the data.

With Helian's words spoken, Renault grimaced. It wasn't that he found those dolls annoying; he just felt that Griffin's attitude towards these dolls wasn't as good as he had imagined.

But he seemed to have witnessed this kind of thing before. Now he was just revisiting it...

"So... Are you going to have them all taken down from my ship?" Seeing Renault's grimace, Helian couldn't quite tell whether Renault was dissatisfied with the Griffin technicians or with the unlucky dolls lying in the cargo hold taking up space.

"No need. There aren't many of them in total. After all, all the dolls that can move have been taken away. Let me deal with these few myself."

The number of dolls with malfunctioning neural cores wasn't that high, totaling less than ten. After all, most of the dolls that had shut down or suffered neural core damage had already fallen on the battlefield.

The ones that were brought onto Renault's ship still had a bit of life in them when they boarded... Or at least they could move a bit.

However, due to various reasons with their bodies, during the journey, these severely injured dolls had shut down directly due to power issues.

But weren't there several of their companions with them before? No, where were they?






Chapter 106: Adding Insult to Injury...

Apart from those who malfunctioned after boarding the ship, there were a few others who had been carried on earlier by other T-Dolls. He remembered several T-Dolls guarding them at that time.

It’s unclear if they, like other Griffin T-Dolls, have returned to the Griffin base. If that's the case, then it’s perplexing—why did you bring these already presumed deceased T-Dolls on board in the first place?

Thanks to the Griffin staff, his workload had increased. He now had to reconnect the emergency batteries for those T-Dolls.

"Dispose of them? Completely dismantle and recycle their materials?"

"Something like that, but there's not much rare material on them. What’s truly useful is their Neural Clouds. Repairing them a bit, I could have over a dozen more helpers."

Managing a ship this large indeed required a lot of manpower.

Yes, a lot of manpower was needed, but this was probably just self-deception. In reality, not that many were really necessary…

What really needed assistance were those scattered trivial tasks, unrelated to the ship's normal operations.

"Can their damaged neural cores even be repaired?"

"Of course. Due to the special nature of neural core materials, unless there's pulverizing damage, there isn't much loss of the T-Dolls’ neural data. The AR Team members are coming over. Once I hand them to you, my task is done."

After a few minutes of repair, the AR Team members—except for SOP2—showed no visible injuries. M16 even grabbed a box from Simonov and slung it over her shoulder, with a large wine jug in her other hand.

It was obviously made by Simonov and her group, and it was clear what was inside.

M4A1 seemed somewhat displeased by this, but she was still worried about SOP2. Among the AR Team, only SOP2 was still just a head.

Helianthus watched AR15 walk out with M4A1 and M16, then glanced worriedly at Renault and the nearby Griffin employees.

Hey Renault! Why is AR15 out in the open here!

AR15 was currently wanted within Griffin. If seen by others or other T-Dolls, it could lead to a fight. Helian hadn’t told anyone except Gentiane about AR15’s involvement with Renault.

But Helian's concern was suddenly overshadowed by SOP2’s appearance!

"This is… SOP2!? How did she end up like this!?"

"They got injured while diverting Sangvis Ferri's main forces. Her body is completely scrapped, only her neural core and head are intact. She’ll stay with me for now. Persica knows about this. If there are any issues, take them up with Persica."

Keeping SOP2 on his ship was his decision, but it was also SOP2’s choice. Blaming Persica was normal since she created SOP2 and the AR Team.

"But this…" It's against the regulations!

Helain protested internally, knowing it broke Griffin internal regulations. She wanted to reject SOP2's request but wasn’t sure if Persica could restore SOP2 to her original state.

Seeing Renault’s indifferent expression, she knew he wouldn’t change his decision based on her opposition.

"Alright, say what you need to now. If you need to contact later, just call. Keep your phones safe." Renault waved off M4A1 and M16 as they greeted him.

"Thank you for your help, Commander Renault," M4A1 politely said.

Seeing Helian, the AR Team members waved at Renault before heading towards the Griffin base.

Helian sighed.

They recovered the AR Team, but could they still be called a team? Out of four special ops T-Dolls, only two remained.

Although M4A1 was intact, it was clear the boss would have words about this upon their return.

"I'm done here, leaving." Watching M4A1 and M16 depart, Renault waved at Helian and turned back to the ship’s cargo hold. "Hurry up, there's a commission from Universal Anything waiting."

Helian sighed, unable to connect with Renault on personal matters outside work again...

But he mentioned Universal Anything Services? Did Renault accept a new commission from them?

Helian knew about Universal Anything Services, though they had little business with Griffin, as they also sold security T-Dolls.

Their business often overlapped with Griffin's commissions.

No cooperation, but some competition…

Beep beep!

As Helian prepared to return to the Griffin base, her phone rang.

‘The military has acted. Prepare early.’

This sudden message left Helian puzzled.

Seeing it was from Renault, Helian’s eyes lit up—at least Renault had contacted her first!

However, the military’s sudden action was indeed a fact. They, who are usually indifferent to Sangvis Ferri, now had a direct confrontation. There must be reasons Griffin didn’t yet know.

Luckily, the AR Team had returned. Even with only two members, M4A1 could upload her mission logs. This could help Griffin understand the military’s movements, if not their full intentions.

Sangvis Ferri revealing another hidden card and now the military’s restlessness?

It's like they suddenly joined the pot…




Chapter 107: The Box is Full

"Alright, stop hiding and come out quickly." After leading AR15 and SOP2 back to the spaceship's cargo hold, Renault closed the cargo hold door. UMP45 was already preparing for takeoff.

"Hmm?" Seeing Renault talk to an empty spot, AR15 and SOP2 looked over in confusion.

At first glance, there didn't seem to be anything unusual except for a few Griffin T-Dolls lying motionless on the ground and some previously emptied ammo boxes.

These ammo boxes were moved out by M1 Garand and her team earlier. They originally contained machine gun ammunition for the power armor, but now all the shells were loaded into the power armor's ammo storage.

The empty ammo boxes hadn't been moved back to the ammo workshop storage yet. The plan was to have the Rippers help move them after leaving the Griffin base. However, it seemed some Griffin guests had already moved in.

Seeing no movement beside the ammo boxes, Renault walked over, stood next to one, and picked up a strand of black hair hanging from the edge of the lid.

AR15 and SOP2 then realized it was a T-Doll's hair.

They hadn't expected Renault to notice through the box... perhaps it was due to his height?

From where they stood, they couldn't see the gap in the ammo box's lid, but Renault, with his height, could see it clearly.

Renault gently tugged on the strand of hair.

"Eek!"

Hearing a squeal from inside the ammo box, AR15 and SOP2 exchanged looks, puzzled by which T-Doll could be inside. They were already at Griffin's doorstep, so why would someone hide on Renault's ship?

Lifting the ammo box lid, AR15 and SOP2 saw the situation inside.

The spacious ammo box was crammed with six T-Dolls, along with their weapons and equipment, making it a tight fit.

Why? With so many boxes around, why squeeze into one?

"Get out now, or I'll have you locked in the warehouse with the box." Renault knocked on the lid, looking at the T-Dolls inside.

They all seemed unfamiliar, except for the one at the bottom. Her clothes, a blue top and white skirt, looked familiar...

And her gun, a Springfield M1903. Yes, it was Springfield.

But that didn't make sense. Wasn't Springfield supposed to be working at Griffin's headquarters café? Why was she here, hiding in an ammo box?

As Renault pondered, the T-Dolls inside awkwardly climbed out and stood before him, scratching their cheeks in embarrassment.

Seeing they weren't speaking up, Renault didn't push them. Instead, he reconnected the temporary power sources that Griffin's technicians had removed.

Whether these T-Dolls stayed or not was unknown, but the deactivated ones couldn't have their neural data erased, or they would need re-training like the Rippers.

Griffin T-Dolls were much harder to deal with than Sangvis Ferri's. Sangvis Ferri's were factory workers with stable personalities, but Griffin's... were a handful.

While the Griffin T-Dolls stood by watching Renault, unsure how to start a conversation, they heard the inner hatch open. A group of Rippers, carrying cleaning supplies and stretchers, ran over.

"Sangvis Ferri?!" Though they had seen Scarecrow and Hunter before and watched Alchemist come out of the hangar, seeing so many Rippers now made them panic. They instinctively reached for their weapons.

But before they could act, AR15 stepped forward to block them. "Don't panic, put down your guns."

Seeing AR15 in front of them, Springfield pressed down a fellow T-Doll's gun barrel.

Though worried about the Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls, Springfield noticed they were unarmed, and Renault, AR15, and the odd-looking SOP2 were calm, suggesting this was normal for them.

Indeed, the Rippers came to Renault, listened to his orders, and carried the deactivated T-Dolls on stretchers.

Those with cleaning tools began tidying up the cargo hold. The Griffin T-Dolls hadn't littered, but they brought in dirt and debris from the battlefield, needing cleaning.

Springfield and her companions anxiously watched the Rippers and Renault.

"If you're worried, follow them. You're all still injured."

Though Renault said this, the T-Dolls hesitantly followed, still apprehensive.

"So, why were they hiding in the box?"

"Maybe they wanted to stay with me on the ship, like you."

"Impossible. They don't know you or AR15 well." SOP2 didn't remember seeing these T-Dolls before; Griffin had too many.

"Didn't you figure it out? They're here because of the T-Dolls the Rippers carried. They brought them onto the ship."





Chapter 108: The Floor is Dirty

"One, two, three, four, five... fourteen, fifteen. Hmm, not a lot of people, but welcome, welcome! Looks like my post on the anonymous board has gained some popularity!" MDR said with a cheerful smile, rubbing her hands as she looked at the group of dolls standing in the workshop.

"Hmm? What kind of nonsense are you up to now?" Hearing MDR's words, Renault, who was about to start transferring the neural data of those dolls, frowned.

It was indeed strange. Normally, as long as Griffin dolls weren’t problematic, with normal neural functions and operational protocols, they wouldn’t come back to Griffin's doorstep and not go inside.
Let alone take the initiative to run away.
AR-15, HK416, and UMP45 were exceptions due to special circumstances, One, a weirdo from the AR Team, A guy who got her Fire Control dismantled and a doll made for covert purposes that also got hit by a virus.

Regular dolls... even if they died in battle, they wouldn’t think of escaping from Griffin.

"Eh-hey?" Seeing Renault frown at her, MDR tilted her head, pretending to be clueless. In fact, she had just posted about her previous experiences on Griffin's anonymous board. Unexpectedly, the situation with the two MDRs on the board attracted quite a bit of attention, increasing her followers significantly. The dolls in front of her were likely here because of her publicity.

After all, she had mentioned on the board that Renault could fix neural cores even if they had a hole in them... well, maybe he could, right?

Seeing MDR playing dumb, Renault knew she must have said some strange things to these Griffin dolls.

"Um, Commander Renault, we heard that you can repair neural cores here?" At this moment, a doll standing with Springfield raised her hand as if answering a question, looking at Renault.

"Repair? Neural cores can't be repaired."

Upon hearing Renault's words, both the doll who spoke and Springfield, who was clutching her wound, had their eyes dim with disappointment. They had hidden when the Griffin employees came to check the dolls, believing that Renault could repair neural cores. But it seemed things weren’t as good as MDR described. Moreover, there was no turning back; Griffin’s personnel statistics should have been completed by now. Even if they returned now, the technicians would find out what they did upon checking their neural data, classifying them as problematic dolls.

Problematic dolls, especially those who escaped from their employers... would likely have their cores melted down, right?

"We can only replace the neural core with a new one."

Just when Springfield and the others were feeling hopeless, Renault’s words made them freeze for a moment...

This guy!? Why does he talk like that!? Finish your sentence first!

However, his words relieved them a bit. At least their actions weren’t in vain—they could still save StG-44 and PK.

As the dolls exchanged happy glances, MDR, the one who started it all, tiptoed out of the workshop. She had no further part to play; bringing the dolls here was an unintentional success. She didn’t want to stay and help Renault with the repetitive tasks anyway. Plus, Renault would never let her directly access the neural clouds of these dolls.

Rather than staying and doing grunt work, she preferred to slack off somewhere else!

Renault glanced at MDR who was escaping, "Remember to find Ouroboros and Alchemist who just boarded after you leave."

"Uh, okay, okay, I got it. I’ll go find them now..." MDR shrugged helplessly upon hearing Renault’s words. She knew he would find something for her to do.

Watching MDR leave, Springfield and the others felt awkward.

What should they do now?

Normally, at this time, they would be back at the Griffin base for repairs or recharging, or just wandering around. Springfield herself would return to the café run by Griffin to do her main job.

But now they were on Renault’s ship. After walking through the ship, they only remembered the route to Renault’s workshop. Moreover, without his permission, they didn’t dare wander around, fearing they might be mistaken for intruders by the Sangvis dolls they saw earlier.

"Find a place to sit. If you’re injured, lie down in the repair pods. Of course, you can also introduce yourselves if you want." Renault pointed to a few chairs and the repair pods, speaking to Springfield and the others.

Hearing this, the six dolls looked at each other and then introduced themselves and their specialties.

Springfield, WZ.29, QSB-91, WA2000, MG42, and a rather short Super-Shorty.

Besides Springfield looking a bit like WA2000, there were no similarities among the others.

How did these dolls come together?

And they were all fooled by MDR to come here. The dolls waiting for repair didn’t need introductions; everything would be known during the neural data transfer.

"Springfield, can you get your abdominal wound fixed in the repair pod? Your leaking fluid is making it hard for the cleaners."

Despite holding her wound, Springfield couldn’t stop the fluid from leaking. Her white dress was stained red. And the cleaner with a mop had chased her from the cargo hold to here.

Seeing the Rippers standing with hands on hips, glaring at her, Springfield awkwardly smiled and hurried to the repair pod, while WA2000 helped draw the curtain.

QSB-91 and MG42 sat down without hesitation, and Super-Shorty followed suit. Only WZ.29 hesitantly stood with her gun, but QSB-91 quickly pulled her to sit down. "Commander Renault, what are you doing now?"

Seeing Renault remove a neural core and place it on a device, QSB-91 curiously asked.

"Transferring her neural data. The original core is unusable." Renault weighed the ping-pong ball-sized neural core, which had a shrapnel piece right through its center, nearly piercing it completely.




Chapter 109 - Payday! Look here!

The few T-Dolls who had thought that Renault would need to do some preparations or something like that to transfer the T-Doll's neural cloud were surprised to see that Renault had simply placed the neural core in the middle of an unknown device and then turned around to do something else on his own.

"This? That's it?"

Watching Renault start fiddling with the printing device next to him, WA2000, who had just sent Springfield into the repair pod, was also dumbfounded.

Why did it seem like a joke?

"Just wait. If she doesn't get stuck herself, it won't take more than a quarter of an hour to finish."

The damaged neural core was not a comfortable place for a T-Doll's mind, and as long as it wasn't stupid, it would definitely take the initiative to accept the data migration and go to the new neural core to take up residence.

Although it sounds like setting a trap for rabbits, it really is that way.

Who let Renault take out the neural core, which, at a glance, was better than those T-Dolls originally equipped with a large section?

As long as you have eyes, you can see that it's three circles better; this still needs to be considered?

"Getting stuck yourself? What does that mean?"

"Literally, there was a guy before who, dead or alive, wasn't willing to come out of their own neural core, and in the end, someone else had to pull her over."

Naturally, it wasn't someone else, but Executioner. But that guy never talks about her first time, and of course, she also didn't have the heart to bring up this matter.

Every day, hanging out with Simonov and them, drinking a little wine, isn't it more pleasant?

What Renault was currently tinkering with was a new body, using a normal power core.

He wasn't going to install that kind of engine into a T-Doll body until the stability test of the new engine on AR15 was over.

It just so happened that this time the commission from Universal Anything was to go to a heavily polluted area, and it would be just right to use it to test the stability of that Miniature Cold Fusion Engine in a heavily polluted environment filled with Collapse Particle.

"Eh... can it still be like this?"

Why does it seem that it's pretty unbelievable?

Something like T-Doll neural cloud transfer... That said, WA2000 never heard of any neural cloud migration technology before, right? The neural cloud map on G&K is nothing more than just backing up data...

Regarding this, counting Springfield, who was already lying in the repair pod, the few T-Dolls who stayed in the workroom were a bit unconvinced. After all, this kind of thing was only something they had heard a few words about in MDR's post and it's a little unbelievable.

However, just ten minutes later, there was no need for them to be unconvinced, as Renault directly connected the neural core that had successfully migrated data to a computer device.

"Salary! What about my paycheck if the mission fails!?!!"

A T-Doll lying on the ground rolling around all over the place came directly into the crowd's eyes, and the ensuing screams instead startled a few of the T-Dolls.

"Eh? M3? Is that you?" Hearing this voice, WA2000 took two steps forward somewhat incredulously and asked as she came up to the screen.

However, M3 on the screen acted as if she didn't even see her, minding her own business and rolling around while crying, mourning in her heart the possibility of her paycheck being docked.

Although they were initially skeptical that Renault could really transfer the T-Doll's mental data, seeing M3's behavior made them believe it a little more. After all, M3 usually didn't have a big hobby, but she was very concerned about her salary.

After all, M3 was not a high-level T-Doll, and her salary from Griffin was the lowest among all T-Dolls. Because she was an ordinary low-level T-Doll, field missions rarely came to her.

Without assignments, there were naturally no assignment subsidies, so she could only earn some pocket money by doing odd jobs at the headquarters.

Coupled with the fact that the prices within Griffin were not very cheap, M3's little salary was simply not enough to spend on anything.

Just going to the cafe to eat some dessert or going to the restaurant to eat something good would almost use it all her money.

"Can she not hear us now? She can't seem to see us either?" QSB-91 plopped down on the heel of the screen and looked up and down with some curiosity before turning back toward Renault.

"Of course she can't see, that's just a monitor. If it wasn't for the speakers on top of that thing, you wouldn't even be able to hear her. If you want to talk to her, you can connect the microphone and the camera over there yourself. You can do that, can't you?"

"Oh! I'll do it!" Hearing Renault say that, QSB-91 immediately picked up the connecting cables, microphone, and camera from the desktop next to her, and skillfully began to connect these external devices to the monitor.

"Wan, I can't imagine that you still know how to do this? This kind of antique is already decades-old equipment, right?" MG42 looked at the skillful QSB-91, also called Buzzsaw, and said with some surprise.

"Hehehe! The store where I used to work part-time used this kind of antique equipment, and it broke down every three days, but it was all fixed by me! Okay! Try it!"

Connecting the data cable in three clicks, Buzzsaw directly placed the microphone on the desktop in front of a few people, and the camera was also placed aside, just enough to capture the WA2000 and a few people in front of the monitor.

"Hey, M3, payday!" Seeing M3 who was still rolling around, WA2000 directly raised her voice and shouted.

"Eeeeee! What! Payday! WA2000! Is there any share for me?" Suddenly hearing WA2000's shout, M3, who was still in a state of mourning, scurried up as if she had touched an electric fence.

However, as soon as she stood up, she immediately recalled her own previous battlefield shrapnel piercing her neural core, "Well, really, I can't imagine that after the death of the T-Doll, it would actually go to heaven? But what exactly is this place? Why is there a blank slate everywhere? It's so blinding."

"What's dead or not! Look here! You still owe me two months' salary! Pay up!"

"Yikes! Wow! Is it hard to believe that you're dead too? I can't imagine a T-Doll would look like this after death."

"I'm fine! Don't curse me, okay! Look this way! This way!" WA2000, annoyed by M3's words cursing her, immediately slapped the table. However, once she remembered this was Renault's workroom, the palm that she still wanted to slap was hurriedly and gently put down.

"WA2000! Why are you guys out here! What kind of place is this! Why am I here!?" Following the direction from which the voice came, M3 in the mind space then realized the group of T-Dolls standing in front of the camera, and hurriedly swooped over to inquire towards them.

Watching a few T-Dolls begin to ask M3 about the status of the mind transfer, Renault naturally didn't stop. In addition to M3, there were still eight other T-Dolls waiting to be transferred here, and there would also be Ourobouros and Alchemist shortly.

Transferring the minds of ten or so T-Dolls would take at least three to four hours.




Chapter 110: What's Different?

"Let's go."

"Yeah, but luckily we still have this phone." M4A1 looked down at the phone in her hand as the spaceship slowly lifted off and flew steadily away in the sky.

Although they were temporarily separated from AR15 and SOP2, as long as they had this phone, they could keep in touch with AR15 and SOP2 on the Renault's ship.

It wasn't a pleasant situation, but it was certainly better than watching AR15 being forcibly disassembled by Griffin's technical personnel.

"Although it might be a bit untimely to mention this now, you two should hand over your phones to me for safekeeping." Helian suddenly appeared behind M16 and M4A1, sighing with some helplessness.

"Why? These personal items usually don't need to be collected, right?" M16 frowned at Helian's words. These phones were the only means for M4A1 and her to contact AR15 and SOP2. If Helian took them...

Who knows what condition they would end up in after being taken apart?

"Of course, it's because you’re about to go to Area S05. All the Dolls involved in this operation need to undergo quarantine inspection. The technical personnel from Griffin will definitely take apart the phone Renault gave you for examination." Helian said while pulling out an identical phone from her pocket and waving it in front of them.

"Quarantine inspection?"

"Yes, because the signal source of the main brain is still active and the threat of the Parapulei virus hasn't been eliminated yet, so..."

"Understood. But can we hand our phones over to Commander Gentiane or Persica for safekeeping?"

"Of course. But you should still remember mine and Gentiane's numbers. If something important comes up, you can contact us using a public phone or a regular mobile phone. Have you memorized the other numbers you saved?"

"Yes, I’ve memorized them." M16 nodded, handing over her phone to Helian first.

Although she didn’t know where Helian got her phone from, it was clearly related to Renault. She also didn't expect the ever-serious Helian to have a phone made by someone as unruly as Renault.

Seeing M16 hand over her phone so readily, M4A1 sighed and reluctantly placed her phone in Helian's hand.

"Alright, no need to be downcast. You'll still have a chance to call AR15 as long as you’ve memorized the numbers. These phones will be returned to you once you’re done with quarantine."

"Okay."


...


"Why have you so quickly integrated with these people! And you're even serving tea to Renault! Where's your Sangvis Ferri pride?" Ouroboros shouted, frustrated, at the sight of Alchemist wearing an apron and holding a tray.

"Pride? How could I have something like that? I actually think this place is much better than where the mainframe is, and as long as I'm on this ship, I won’t receive any forced orders from the mainframe."

Alchemist smiled at Ouroboros, who was almost drooling beside her.

MG3 and she had just prepared two sheep for slaughter; some of the materials were taken by CF05 to make hot pot, and the rest was sent to G36 as dinner ingredients.

The leftovers were made into a barbecue by MG3.

And that’s what was on the tray.

Although it felt a bit off to roast lamb in front of a flock of sheep, the taste was still great.

MDR had passed by, and MG3 asked her to bring everything to Renault.

Though she didn't know what Renault was up to, MG3 was well aware of Renault's routine after missions. If he wasn’t in the restaurant, he’d be in his workshop.

Slurp!

Ouroboros could barely hold back at the sight of the tray in Alchemist's hands.

Her bio-modules, which she had turned off, strangely restarted at the sight of the barbecue.

Smelling the tempting aroma, Ouroboros wanted to pounce on the tray and claim all the meat for herself.

But she didn't dare. She was already in this state, while Alchemist beside her was unscathed!

How could she, welded to a prowler chassis like a hermit crab, possibly beat Alchemist?

And the cost of not daring was her bionic stomach growling like a drum.

She had been gaming with RFB for days, but unlike her, RFB still went to the dining hall for meals, while Ouroboros hadn’t eaten for days.

Now, seeing food, her eyes were practically glowing green!

"Don’t even think about this tray. There's plenty more with MG3. Once you’re done with what Renault asked, come with me to the farm for a bite. If not, you can eat in the ship’s restaurant. Renault hasn’t restricted your movement on the ship, has he?"

Alchemist squinted at Ouroboros, sensing a subtle difference between Ouroboros and herself, who hadn’t fully left Sangvis Ferri.

"No, he hasn’t. What do you want to ask?" Ouroboros frowned, eyes still glued to the tray.

"So, can you tell me, what modifications did Renault make to you after bringing you back?"

"Isn't it obvious? Look at this!" Ouroboros pointed to her prowler chassis angrily.

"This should just be an emergency measure to ensure you can move, right? I mean internally, like specific modifications." Alchemist tapped Ouroboros's forehead.

"Internally? You mean... Oh, he deleted my lower-level root protocols."

"Which ones?"

"All of them."

Alchemist's uncovered eye widened in disbelief at Ouroboros.

How could that be!? Did Renault even delete the protocol against harming humans?




Chapter 111: Sudden Attack

"That's your new body. Wait here, and after we replace their neural cores, we'll do yours."

"Oh." Ouroboros, holding a game console, responded absentmindedly. She found a table, sat down, and continued playing her game. She was deeply engrossed like RFB often was.

Of course, she was mainly trying to cover up her nervousness. After all, there were five or six armed Griffin T-Dolls staring at her, and she had no weapons. Plus, her current body was a makeshift assembly, making her anxiety understandable.

Alchemistdidn't have much to worry about. Her body only had some minor scratches, and her weapons were still at her waist. Moreover, the cramped workspace suited her combat style well. Even if a fight broke out, she wouldn't be afraid of the Griffin T-Dolls.

"Stifle any thoughts of fighting. If anyone makes a move, I'll dismantle them and stuff them into Dinergates," Renault said irritably, seeing the tense standoff between Alchemist and the Griffin T-Dolls.

If a fight broke out, he wouldn't have any problems, but the equipment in his workshop would be at risk, and he didn't want to deal with the aftermath.

"Dinergates...?" WA2000, who had been glaring at the Alchemist, shuddered when she saw a group of Dinergates passing by the workshop door.

Absolutely not! She'd rather die than be put into one of those toy-like things!

Springfield, emerging from the repair pod, also smiled unnaturally at the sight of the Dinergates chasing each other outside the workshop door. She forcibly turned MG42's head away from the Alchemist.

Speaking of you, why are you staring so intently at the Alchemist?

MG42, though still somewhat indignant, sat quietly when she remembered the Dinergates Renault had mentioned.

Compared to them, what Buzzsaw was focused on was quite different. She had her eyes on the tray Alchemist had just set down, which was piled high with grilled lamb skewers.

The enticing aroma kept stimulating her olfactory system, and just looking at the greasy meat made her feel she could eat several bowls of rice!

"Commander Renault! Can we eat this?" Without thinking, Buzzsaw ignored Alchemist at the table and eagerly asked Renault, waving her arms.

"Yeah, go ahead." Renault nodded, looking at the meat skewers.

He then turned to Alchemist, "Just visited MG3's farm?"

The grilling technique was clearly MG3's handiwork, and the apron Alchemist wore was typical of the farm.

The kitchen wouldn't use such thick aprons.

"Ah, we just discussed some interesting things." Alchemist nodded, her smile unrestrained. The smile seemed harmless, but combined with her eyepatch and monocular vision, it gave her a sinister look.

Wz.29, who had been silent, shuddered at the Alchemist's smile, feeling as if a movie villain had walked off the screen to stand before her. Meanwhile Renault frowned at her answer.

Interesting? What could be interesting at MG3's place? Besides cleaning animal habitats, it was mostly... Oh, these lambs were just processed. The farm's animals had been breeding unusually fast, and G36's menus had noticeably more meat dishes.

CF05 had also been making hot pot much more frequently, almost every other day.

With MG3’s self-sufficiency in grilling meat, even though the T-Dolls at home were eating their fill, the farm's meat supply was still abundant enough to be packaged and frozen.

The vertical farm was the same. The spaceship's storage was half full already. At this rate, the cold storage would be insufficient in less than half a month.

"How do you feel after the tour?"

"Not bad."

"Made up your mind?"

"Yes."

Listening to Renault and the Alchemist, the Griffin T-Dolls watched curiously, wondering what secret code or hidden message they were exchanging.

"Then come sit here." Renault pointed to the nearby computer. He wasn't exchanging secret codes; Alchemist had just wanted to see the living conditions before deciding whether to stay.

Renault had been surprised by the request, as Alchemist didn’t seem like someone who cared about such things.

But it wasn't a bad thing. After all, those who cared about living conditions wouldn't be as careless as Ouroboros.

Having Alchemist sit down was to delete her base root protocols. Even though it was surprising that the Alchemist, who had been diligently tracking M4A1, now wanted to leave Sangvis Ferri, Renault didn't mind.

Whatever orders or plans the mainframe had, once the lower-level protocols were deleted, Alchemist wouldn't return to work for the mainframs unless she was mentally twisted.

While Buzzsaw and Super-Shorty were eating heartily, Renault deleted the Alchemist's lower-level protocols.

As he deleted the final protocol limiting T-Doll actions, the Alchemist's eyes suddenly lit up!

The red glow indicated she had activated all her body's power!

"Mr. Renault, watch out!" WA2000, debating whether to join Buzzsaw and Super-Shorty for some meat, shouted as she saw Alchemist's change!

Just as she screamed, Alchemist raised her arm, crackling with energy arcs, and punched towards Renault's head!

The Griffin T-Dolls in the workshop widened their eyes in shock. Buzzsaw and Super-Shorty quickly abandoned their meat skewers and lunged towards Renault, trying to save him from Alchemist.

Bang!





Chapter 112: Take It and Play

A deafening roar erupted from Alchemist's fist, causing the auditory modules of all the T-Dolls in the workshop to issue warning alerts. As the sound faded, the T-Dolls finally saw Renault’s situation clearly.

Renault stood with one hand holding the laptop he used to delete Alchemist's root protocols, and the other hand casually blocking Alchemist's powerful punch right beside his face.

"What did I just say? No fighting in my workshop." Renault released Alchemist’s fist and frowned at her, clearly displeased.

"Heh, just as MG3 said, you really aren't worried about deleting all root protocol restrictions for SF and Griffin T-Dolls. But you... Hey!"

Bang!

Alchemist, surprised and delighted that Renault easily blocked her full-force attack, raised her eyebrows. Although she didn't understand why Renault was so strong, she was relieved he hadn’t tampered with her lower-level protocols very weirdly.

However, her smile lasted only a few seconds before turning into utter shock. As she suddenly felt like she was flying and her vision flipped, she let out a panicked scream.

Springfield and the others were equally stunned.

What did they just see? A human effortlessly blocked the full-force attack of an elite Sangvis Ferri T-Doll and then threw her onto the workbench!

"Wait! What are you doing!? Hey—"

Alchemist's scream was cut short. She didn’t even have time to sit up before collapsing limply on the workbench like a noodle.

Renault stretched his hands, pierced Alchemist's chest and pulled his arm out, successfully extracting Alchemist's neural core from her body!

Hiss!

Springfield and the others gasped in disbelief.

What kind of joke was this? An elite Sangvis Ferri T-Doll, a special operations T-Doll Alchemist, in her full power, was treated like a child and easily manipulated by Renault!?

And Renault didn’t use any tools to extract her neural core! He used his hand to penetrate the elite T-Doll's body and pull out the core protected by armor!?

Seeing this, the T-Dolls who were about to help immediately took several steps back, watching from a distance as Renault rummaged through a junk box under the workbench with Alchemist's neural core in hand.

The box contained various discarded items, including the discarded shells of Dinergates, barely usable parts, and toys previously collected by Nagant Revolver. Among them was a remote-control car, whose outer shell had disintegrated, but its chassis, wheels, and circuit board were still intact.

Seeing the Dinergate shell on the table, WA2000 recalled Renault's warning: ‘Don't fight, or I'll put you all in Dinergates!’

He was serious!

She glanced at Ouroboros, who had changed locations to avoid looking at Renault. Ouroboros was already half-converted into a wheeled body! What couldn’t this commander do!?

After stuffing Alchemist's neural core and energy core into the tiny Dinergate shell, Renault began tinkering with the remote-control car, replacing the Dinergate’s original legs with its wheels and attaching the remote-control module.

With the remote-control car's wheels and a toy's tiny speaker, this was Alchemist's new body.

"Hey! Don't..." Alchemist’s voice came from the small speaker when she rebooted. The speaker's quality was poor and distorted her voice.

Hearing the strange noise, Alchemist was dumbfounded. She then saw through the Dinergate's monocular camera that her original body lay on the table!

"Hey!? Renault! Really? Why did you... Wait! What is this body!? I can only see and hear, but I can’t control anything!"

Realizing her predicament, Alchemist panicked. She had learned from MG3 that Renault had an unusual hobby of putting T-Dolls into Dinergates.

Was she really doomed now!?

Ignoring her protests, Renault continued dismantling the remote controller and inserted a new battery. He turned on the remote, satisfied as the wheels responded smoothly.

The six T-Dolls and M3 in the mental space shuddered. If they were turned into this, death would be preferable!

Buzzsaw and Super-Shorty nervously retreated to the table with the tray, hesitant about continuing to eat the meat skewers.

Renault wasn’t done. To avoid confusion, he labeled the Dinergate shell with a note: ‘I am Alchemist.’

It's over!

Now even Springfield and WA2000 found this unbearable to watch. MG42, however, was intrigued by the remote control.

But Renault didn’t hand it to the nearby T-Dolls. Instead, he called over a curious Ripper who was glancing from outside the workshop.

"Here, take it and play. Don't forget to find MDR to take a full set of pictures of Alchemist." He patted Ripper’s head as he spoke.

"Mm-hmm!"

Like a child with a new toy, The Ripper awkwardly controlled Alchemist out of the workshop.

"Hey, hey! You’re going to crash! Slow down! Slow down!"





Chapter 113: Let Me See

After witnessing Renault's actions of actually stuffing Alchemist into the Dinergate shell, the T-Dolls who were initially relaxed immediately sat up straight, and even the ones still eating began chewing slowly, afraid of angering Renault.

Seeing their fearful expressions, Renault nodded in satisfaction. Although his intention wasn't to intimidate them, at least this would keep them in line for a while.

"Alright, as long as you don’t cause too much trouble, I won’t put you in Dinergates," Renault assured them.

Now that he had printing equipment, as long as their original bodies were intact, there was no need to resort to the Dinergates or prowlers.

While Renault was busy with Alchemist, another T-Doll’s data migration completed. She stood behind M3, curiously looking at her.

"M3? What's going on? Where is this place?"

Hearing the voice behind her, M3, who had been completely focused on Renault, was startled.

"Ah! G43! Why don't you make any noise when you walk!"

"Did I not? I Didn't notice. Hey! WA2000! Springfield!"

"G43! You're awake!"

While the T-Dolls were talking to G43, Renault replaced another neural core and started the next data migration. There were seven more cores to process.

As time passed, the T-Dolls Springfield and the others had brought began to regain consciousness one by one. Meanwhile, Ouroboros's new body finished printing.

Renault called the most diligent worker, Scarecrow, to help Ouroboros adapt to her new body before coming back to the repair chamber for synthetic skin application.

With so many T-Dolls in the workshop, it wasn't appropriate for Ouroboros to adapt to her new body there. Scarecrow’s improving repair skills made her the perfect helper for Ouroboros’s body adjustments.

"Do I really have to go out like this?" Ouroboros asked, glancing at her skinless form.

"Of course. The synthetic skin material is expensive. What if you damage it during the adjustment?" Scarecrow replied, nodding to Springfield and the other T-Dolls.

Scarecrow’s polite behavior stunned WA2000 and the others. After fighting Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls for so long, this was the first time they saw one nodding to them.

Before they could respond, Scarecrow had already taken Ouroboros out of the workshop. The only place spacious enough for body adjustments was the cargo hold. It provided ample space without worrying about Ouroboros accidentally embedding herself in the ceiling.

"Renault Commander... how many elite Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls have you taken in?" Springfield asked.

Since boarding the ship, they had seen five elite Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls: Scarecrow, Hunter, Executioner, Ouroboros, and Alchemist. Did Renault capture all the elite Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls?

"There are two more you haven't met: Intruder and Destroyer. But the Destroyer’s name is Maria, given by Lycoris."

"Maria? There's no such record in Griffin. Does that mean the Destroyer we encountered isn’t the same one on your ship?"

"Of course not. Maria’s been with me since before the time Griffin and Sangvis Ferri became enemies."

Springfield, confused, shook her head. She had no time to delve into these matters. They were now completely detached from Griffin, and even if they wanted to return, Griffin wouldn’t accept them.

Acting without orders was a serious offense to Griffin's technicians, classifying them as problematic T-Dolls.

"Alright, you all come over one by one. I'll delete your root protocol restrictions," Renault instructed.

His words left the T-Dolls stunned, exchanging uncertain glances. Was this good or bad for them?

“This…”

“Don’t hesitate. Do you have anywhere else to go?”

For tactical T-Dolls who had abandoned their employer, even without their fire-control cores, IOP wouldn’t reintegrate them into the workforce.

No human would hire T-Dolls with “ideas” of their own.

Understanding this, Springfield nodded and approached first. As she sat down, she recalled Alchemist, who had ended up on the workbench or rather, inside the Dinergate.

Alchemist had sat here just like this, hadn't she?

With Alchemist as an example, Springfield and the others were obedient during the protocol deletion, not daring to make any extra movements, fearing the same fate as Alchemist.

However, they worried needlessly. Renault didn't have enough Dinergate shells, and Nagant Revolver hadn’t collected many. Renault wouldn’t dismantle operational Dinergates either.

So, the newly reactivated M3 and the other T-Dolls would have to stay in the mental space a bit longer.

“Woohoo! That was amazing! Only you, Commander, could come up with the idea of turning Alchemist into a toy car! You should’ve heard her screams in the hands of the Rippers!” MDR burst into the workshop as Scarecrow and Ouroboros returned.

The photos and videos she just uploaded anonymously would surely explode in views!

"Alright, stop playing. Take Springfield and the others for a tour around the ship. Ask G36 to arrange their accommodations."

"Got it! But first, let me photograph Alchemist’s body! Her expression is priceless! Oh, by the way, is she really a cyclops? Why would a T-Doll wear an eye patch?"





Chapter 114: Not Many, Not Even a Bit

"I can't shake this feeling... something's not right," MDR muttered, lifting Alchemist's eye patch and furrowing her brows.

Although Alchemist not being a real cyclops was a bit disappointing, MDR had expected as much. T-Dolls could easily replace parts, and it was rare for them to leave injuries like M16's eye untreated, opting instead for an eye patch.

Wearing an eye patch had only two possible reasons: either to conceal an abnormality or as a personal preference. Alchemist's situation seemed to be the latter, but MDR couldn't shake off the strange feeling that things shouldn't be so mundane. Moreover, when she removed the eye patch, Alchemist's face seemed different...

"Restore her facial expression and take another look," Renault suggested, observing Alchemist's puzzled expression.

MDR complied, adjusting Alchemist's eyebrows and eyes back to normal.

"Ah-ha! No wonder! No wonder she wears the eye patch! Now I have material for tomorrow's post! To maintain her intimidating image, an elite Sangvis Ferri T-Doll has to wear an eye patch and pretend to be a cyclops! Ahahaha!" MDR exclaimed, about to rush out of the workshop.
But before she could take a step, she felt an ominous gaze piercing through her back.

Renault had just asked her to escort Springfield and the others...

Running off before completing her task?

"Ahem, everyone, follow me. I'll take you to the cafeteria to meet G36 and the others, and get you acquainted with the ship. Then you'll be able to move around on your own," MDR quickly turned around with a friendly smile, addressing WA2000 and the others.

"Haha, can't believe fearless MDR knows when to back down! Are you really that afraid of the Commander?" WA2000 teased MDR as they left the workshop.

Even though she didn't know this MDR personally, the MDRs at Griffin Headquarters were already headache-inducing.

Ever since another MDR appeared on the anonymous forums over a year ago, the clashes between these two—real and fake—MDRs hadn’t stopped. One was the Griffin MDR using Dummy Dolls to create multiple accounts, while the other was the MDR with unknown origins who dared to say anything.

In the end, these two made the anonymous forums of Griffin lively.

"Shh!"

Hearing WA2000 speak at a normal volume, MDR quickly gestured with her fingers and reminded WA2000 through the T-Doll's communication protocol.

"Don't say that out loud! You dummy! Renault has excellent hearing! We've only just left, and he can already hear the vibrations from your synthetic respiration system!"

"What!?"

"Shut up! If you want to talk, wait until we've passed three isolation doors!"


...


While MDR led Springfield and the others away, Renault confirmed that Ouroboros could control her new body and instructed her to proceed to the repair chamber for skin attachment.

"There are fifteen in total this time?"

"Yes, six are operational, and there are nine waiting for new bodies," Renault nodded.

Luckily, they had acquired plenty of materials last time. Otherwise, if they needed nine new bodies, Renault might not have had enough rare materials. He had plenty of common materials like steel and aluminum, but what he lacked were rare metals and other elements.

Otherwise, Renault wouldn’t have needed to resort to purchasing materials from the black market. If they only needed steel, they could easily scavenge plenty from any run-down city and reprocess it if necessary.

"Not many," Renault remarked casually. For his ship, just crossing into three digits for T-Doll count wasn't much, especially considering that at least half of them were inexperienced Rippers and Vespids.

Seeing Renault’s nonchalant attitude, Scarecrow shrugged.

What more could she say? If the boss wasn’t worried at all, why should she be?

Listening to the conversation between Renault and Scarecrow, M3 and the others in the mental space exchanged glances.

They had hundreds of T-Dolls under their command now.

Among Griffin's commanders, except for Acting Director Helian and the Boss, who else could command so many T-Dolls? Most Griffin commanders only had three to five teams at their disposal.

"Looks like we've landed in a remarkable place," Stg-44 remarked, watching Scarecrow leave and the Rippers passing by. She couldn't help but sigh.

"But... does that mean we can't return to Griffin anymore?" M1897 raised her hand and whispered to the few T-Dolls gathered in front of her.

"That's for sure. Didn't you hear what Springfield said? Griffin’s technicians have already examined our bodies and mental cores. Each of us has been declared deceased," G43 shook her head.

"Hey, if that's the case, does it mean we'll see someone exactly like ourselves, with the same memories..." M870 widened her eyes.

"That's a given. The MDR at Griffin Headquarters is a ready example."





Chapter 115: Ready

"M3, G43, Stg-44, M1897, PK, M870, M500, Type 80, and MG34, right?" Renault confirmed with the group of Dolls in the mental space, cross-referencing the data he received during their transfer.

Not sure why Renault suddenly called them over, the designated T-Dolls nodded instinctively, awaiting further instructions.

"Well, most of your original bodies are probably beyond repair, so they don't have much maintenance value. Now we need to replace them with new bodies. Anyone unhappy with their body's appearance? If not, I'll replicate your original bodies based on your data," Renault offered.

Not all Dolls were entirely satisfied with their bodies. Some, like Nagant Revolver and UMP45, might want to increase their height or tweak the size of their bio-organic tissues. Renault wasn't stingy in such matters; if M3 and the others had requests, he could accommodate them without much hassle.

"Unhappy?" Hearing Renault's question, the Dolls exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Admitting dissatisfaction with their appearance in front of so many others would be like calling themselves ugly!

"Can you adjust my gaze to be less fierce?" However, Type 80, who stood at the back of the group, chewing bubblegum, raised her hand and asked.

How she managed to get bubblegum in the mental space was a mystery. But her request for gentler eyes might stem from a similar issue as G36's.

"Take off your glasses; let me see," Renault gestured, examining the glasses on Type 80's face.

Just like G36, once Type 80 removed her glasses, her gaze immediately turned fierce.

"I can't change it. It's not a body issue but a problem with your own neural cloud. It's become a habit, and only you can change it," Renault explained. G36 had a similar issue; her body had no problems, but she still instinctively furrowed her brows and stared fiercely.

But G36's habit had mostly been corrected now, probably due to not constantly carrying weapons around.

"Okay." Type 80 shrugged upon hearing Renault's explanation.

"What about other aspects? Any other height requests?" Renault's gaze shifted between Type 80 and M1897, then he asked the other Dolls.

As before, everyone shook their heads, indicating they were satisfied with their current appearances.

"Alright, I'll replicate the bodies based on the original data. But I'll have Scarecrow oversee it. I have some other matters to attend to. If you have any needs, just ask Scarecrow," Renault concluded.

Scarecrow had become the ship's go-to person for assistance. Whenever there was something that needed attention, Renault would assign it to her. Helping with the Dolls' body replication was just another task tossed onto Scarecrow's plate.

Of course, Scarecrow volunteered for these tasks. She wasn't like those idle loafers who did nothing but lounge around all day.

"Understood." The T-Dolls nodded, casting strange glances at Scarecrow, who was inspecting the printing equipment beside Renault.

They never imagined they would one day rely on an elite Sangvis Ferri Doll to replicate their bodies. Thinking about it that way, it felt like they had defected to Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing...

"Renault, M1 Garand is urging again. It seems the client is getting impatient," a voice informed.

"Hmm, I'll go over." Renault scratched his head. Wasn’t it supposed to be a week later according to that G... g... guy? How come, in less than two days, he’s already getting impatient?


...


Although Renault had already given a timeline, Gerald ‘slightly’ investigated. After all, information about Griffin’s commissions was readily available. Griffin wasn’t just a target of criticism but also the foremost shield among all PMCs.

Wanting to know Griffin’s information was easy. Just ask a few information brokers in the black market, and you’d know what Griffin was up to.

Despite Griffin’s operations being mostly confidential, unfortunately, Griffin's communication system wasn’t constructed separately.

After all, the military wouldn’t grant Griffin such privileges. Relying on the upgraded civilian communication system, for those who cared, it wasn’t a secure channel at all.

It was like... thinking you were being secretive?

Unfortunately, the truth was that only those who didn't care didn’t know. For those who wanted to know, a little investigation could reveal everything.

Griffin's information protection could fool some Sangvis Ferri Dolls, but compared to humans, it was child's play.

So when Gerald heard that Renault had already sent the Dolls back to Griffin and the ship had taken off from Griffin's S09 area, he immediately tried to contact Renault.

But instead of Renault, he got M1 Garand, who had been holding Renault's phone.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Gerald," M1 Garand said calmly.

Though inwardly anxious, she glanced at the door of the lounge, specifically Renault's own resting place, which was essentially his bedroom.

The common lounge was either crowded with chatting or drinking; it wasn’t a good place for a conversation.

It seemed like it was time to add a small reception room to the ship. Otherwise, if a client or commissioner came aboard, and there was nowhere to sit, it would be quite embarrassing.

Oh, and the new Dolls, besides Springfield and the other six, there were nine more. If they needed double rooms, that would require a whole five...

Lost in thought, M1 Garand lowered her head to ponder the layout of the ship's compartments. When Renault pushed the door open and entered, she snapped back to reality.

"Commander, Mr. Gerald is waiting for you." She pointed to Gerald's holographic image and nodded to Renault.

"Is the timing moved up? Or did the commission hit a snag?"

"No, no, everything is normal, Mr. Renault. I was just a bit hasty, and the disinfectant materials you requested in advance are all ready."




Chapter 116: Adaptation

"Tsk tsk, up close, this ship looks really huge," Gerald remarked, marveling at the massive vessel. It was almost comparable to the former maritime superpower battleships, wasn't it?

"Far from it, really," Renault rolled his eyes at Gerald's comment.

What did he mean by that? Had he never seen a battleship before or was he just trying to impress?

"Haha! But to have one's own ship in this day and age is quite remarkable. I actually wanted to buy a cruise ship myself, but I heard it's not good to spend too much time on a ship. So, I forgot about the idea. Now, seeing this ship again..."

"Stop. Are you sure about the location of the cargo container you provided? It should be close to the black zone, right? Does the freighter's route really come this close to these areas?"

After double-checking the location provided by Gerald, Renault asked in advance. This was the only information Gerald provided, and it was crucial to clarify.

"Ahem, the location isn't very precise, but I can assure you the approximate location of the container is correct. As for how the coordinates were obtained, I'm afraid I can't disclose that," Gerald replied.

Universal Anything naturally had its own sources of intelligence, which couldn't be casually shared with Renault.

Actually, he didn't even know how this information was obtained. After all, he was just an employee on an overseas business trip. It was better not to inquire too much about internal corporate secrets.

About the cargo container's location, there was only a simple coordinate, but there was plenty of information on other aspects, even including the military's defense situation in that area.

Universal Anything' influence was quite significant. Even such information could be obtained. Unfortunately, it was of no use to Renault. The military radar might not even be able to detect his ship in heavily polluted areas.

"Alright, we'll depart soon. If you want, you can come along," Renault said, putting his tablet in his coat pocket. He glanced at the cargo hold, where the disinfection materials provided by Gerald had been safely loaded.

"Come along? Ah? No, no, no! I'll pass! I'm heading back! I'll wait for your good news!" At the mention of coming along, Gerald shuddered.

Follow them? What a joke! He wouldn't risk his life by going to a heavily polluted area with them!

The situation there was completely unclear. It had been a heavily polluted area over a decade ago, and now it might have turned into a black zone!

Even Dolls couldn't guarantee safety there, him, a living person, going in? Wasn't that asking for death!?

With that said, Gerald hopped on his motorcycle and sped off. However, he didn't go too far before turning back with a puzzled scratch of his head.

Renault had all Dolls under him, he already knew. Although it wasn't common among PMC companies, it did exist. But the place Renault was going this time was a genuine heavily polluted area.

The heavily polluted areas were also classified. For the location the company provided this time, it was said that collapse radiation intensity was even too much for military Dolls to handle.

And this guy Renault still wanted to go there with only Dolls?

Oh, he was overthinking it. Thinking too much about making him bald wouldn't earn him a bonus from the company. It was better to go back and wait for Renault's news.

Hopefully, Renault's perfect completion rate wouldn't suffer because of this commission...

There wasn't much for Renault to do. With the advanced batch of materials on hand, the disinfection materials for the ship were sufficient. Of course, they needed to be used sparingly since they had to disinfect the entire exterior of the ship each time they entered a heavily polluted area.

If the collapse radiation wasn't too severe, they could just rinse with seawater. But if the concentration was too high, they needed to deal with it properly before returning to the green zone.

"So much disinfectant. Commander, are you planning to disinfect the entire ship inside and out?" Maria, who usually didn't do much work, was unusually diligent today. She had originally planned to come and help, then sneak out to the city outside, but her plan was destined to fail.

This port was just an abandoned port where no one paid attention. It was at least several hours away from the modern metropolis where many people lived. It was impossible to sneak out and explore.

"I think so. I heard from RFB that this mission seems to be heading to a heavily polluted area. Even ordinary Dolls could crash there," Ouroboros replied.

"Eh! Isn't that very dangerous!?" Maria was also startled, but then she quickly regained her composure. She was no longer an ordinary Doll now. The performance of the body Renault created far exceeded that of an ordinary Doll.

The most prominent feature of this body was not its combat ability, but its protection. It could completely resist electromagnetic attacks, a feature not even available from Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing!

"But we'll be fine. The ship's protection is good," Ourobouros shrugged, helping the Rippers move the boxes filled with disinfectant onto a trolley.

Although this place was called the cargo hold, disinfection materials couldn't just be piled up in the cargo hold like this.

M1 Garand had already made plans. These things needed to be moved to the front material warehouse. It was better for the cargo hold to remain empty.

Moreover, they were going to a heavily polluted area later. There was even a possibility of bringing in a container that had been exposed in a heavily polluted area for a long time.

If these disinfection material boxes were contaminated, how would they use them later?

"Let's go, let's go. There's not much stuff. Let's hurry up and finish and go find G11 and the others to hang out. Renault didn't say we were going on a mission."

After spending a few days idling on the ship with RFB, Ourobouros had almost adapted to the rhythm of the ship.

Just get things done when there's work to do, and relax when there's nothing to do. As long as they don't really annoy Renault, no one will come to bother them.

As Maria and Ourobouros helped move things, Springfield and the others, who had just been taken to the restaurant and met the other Dolls, curiously watched as the ship took off once again.

"Why is it taking off again? Didn't it just arrive at the destination?"
Buzzsaw, perched by one of the few portholes in the restaurant, looked outside with curiosity as the ship gradually moved away from the sea.





Chapter 117: Where's the Battle Plan?

"Besides AR15, who's mandatory for this mission, anyone else who wants to join can sign up. That's the gist of this mission. Check the specifics yourselves, and those interested, gather your gear in Hangar 2," Renault handed the tablet to G36, who was taking a tea break. G36 then broadcasted the message through the mental communication channel to all the other T-Dolls while Renault settled down and took a sip of his tea.

Before the group of T-Dolls could even gather around G36, the cafeteria's speakers blared to life, startling everyone with UMP45's complaints.

"Commander! Can't you find another T-Doll to take my place for once!? I've been at the helm these past few days! At this rate, I'll be stuck on the bridge growing mushrooms!" UMP45 yelled into the comms system, eyeing the empty seats on either side of her discontentedly.

Initially, UMP40 and UMP9 would keep her company, but they quickly got bored and left. One went off to play, while the other went to the cafeteria to pet the cats!

Fine, they could leave, but couldn't they at least bring me some food!?

"Uh..." Renault paused, realizing he had indeed forgotten about UMP45.

But didn't she have time to rest while the ship was cruising in the sky? Why the sudden resentment...

Just as he was pondering, Renault noticed UMP9 eating pastries and UMP40 sipping tea while petting a cat.

Seeing UMP45's distress, Renault assured, "Hang in there for a day or two, and you can rest after this mission." He then glanced around, trying to find a reliable T-Doll to take UMP45's place.

At least someone like Simonov, who's not prone to drunk driving, or SPAS-12, who's not constantly eating and annoying the cleaners...

"Okay, but can someone bring me some food before that? My biometric module has reminded me several times that I need to eat. Even though it's just simulated hunger, it's still uncomfortable, isn't it?" UMP45 requested.

"I'll go! I'll go! I want to see the bridge!" Little Wanyu, holding a plate of food, eagerly volunteered upon hearing UMP45's plea.

Although MDR had shown them around the ship, they hadn't been to the bridge. Super-Shorty and wz.29 also looked at Renault curiously.

Of course, wz.29 was more concerned about whether she could take over driving the ship from UMP45. After all, driving a ship without having to fight was more suitable for her.

"Go ahead," Renault waved them off. He had already granted them access when he deleted the underlying protocols. As long as they didn't cause trouble, they were free to go wherever they pleased.

Except for the engine room.

After the T-Dolls left to visit the bridge, AR15 and SOP2 approached, looking puzzled. Especially AR15, who seemed baffled by Renault's insistence that she must go.

"Commander Renault, why do I have to go this time?" AR15 asked, puzzled.

Hearing AR15's voice, Renault turned and saw SOP2, who hadn't had her body changed yet.

Rubbing his head, Renault realized he had forgotten about SOP2's body change and the transfer of her neural cloud.

"I'm sending you to test the new engine inside you, to see how it performs in heavily polluted or even contaminated areas," Renault explained.

"Test... okay, got it." AR15 recalled the purpose of her mission with Renault's reminder.

Without his prompt, she might have forgotten what it felt like to recharge.

And since replacing her power core with the new engine, sometimes she even felt like she wasn't a T-Doll anymore.

"What kind of test? And Commander, when will my new body be ready?" SOP2 asked, confused.

"It's just a routine test. As for your body... it might take another day or two. Just be patient," Renault assured her.

Scarecrow was already arranging bodies for M3 and Stg-44. SOP2 could cut in line a bit, followed by the bodies for Springfield and the others, and finally, the unlucky Alchemist.

"Okay, looks like we can't go together this time. Commander, could you at least install two arms for me first? Or find a regular body to replace this one? I can't do anything with just the Prowler body," SOP2 lamented.

Although she was grateful to be alive, if she had to stay in this state, she might as well find a place to hibernate for a day or two.

"Not now, be patient..." Renault sighed as he watched SOP2 maneuvering the Prowler body around the table.
UMP40's two tabby cats were attracted by SOP2's antics and started playing with her.

Thankfully, she had a childlike temperament and forgot about the body replacement when someone played with her.

"Is that all for the mission details?" AR15 naturally received the group message from G36 and knew the specifics of the mission. However, the action plan hadn't been mentioned by Renault yet.

"That's it. Under normal circumstances, it's straightforward. As long as luck isn't against us, this mission is simply about finding crates according to coordinates, hoisting them up, disinfecting, and returning," Renault explained.

Under normal circumstances... but what if it's not normal?

"Then be prepared to deal with some big mutants. After all, you've all seen those Zerg Swarms in the training simulator. These mutants are just more of the same," Renault reassured them.

Although mutants might have strange abilities, weren't Zergs already weird enough?




Chapter 118: The Most Reliable Among You

When Renault spoke, he didn't raise his voice, so most of the T-Dolls in the cafeteria heard him.

Normally, they didn't pay much attention to battle plans, after all, their commander's plans? Wasn't it usually just a couple of reminders, then charge ahead?

But... the moment they heard "mutants," the T-Dolls had to take it seriously...

M200 glanced at her imprint weapons, then at the gun Renault had issued later, and remembered the Zergs they encountered in the training simulator, along with the powered armor and railguns used to deal with them.

Their weapons felt like mere toys.

"Commander, what about our weapons?"

"Don't worry about weapons. Everyone going will be in powered armor, and the imprint weapons might not even be useful. And if we really encounter mutants, there are cannons on the gunboats," Renault reassured. If that failed, they could always use the Jupiter Cannon on the ship.

As for whether firing the Jupiter Cannon would spread contamination in the heavily polluted area, he didn't concern himself with that. After all, the contamination had been maintained for over ten years. If it were to spread, it would have happened long ago. How could their intrusion cause significant changes?

"We still have time, about three hours until we reach the designated location. Discuss among yourselves and finalize the list before then."

Apart from AR15, who was required to participate, there were seven more slots. With dozens of T-Dolls at home, couldn't they just fill in the gaps?

Thankfully, many T-Dolls at home were enthusiastic about missions. After all, missions meant more pocket money, and there wasn't much else to do on the ship.

The ship's speed was still fast, despite having to navigate around military and other restricted zones. Shortly before the three-hour mark, Renault's ship, under UMP45's control, entered the heavily polluted area shrouded in dark clouds.

"This is the heavily polluted area... We've only just entered, and the windows look like they've been tinted with gray filters... Isn't this a bit too much? Won't we crash immediately if we go out?" WA2000 looked at the rolling clouds outside the porthole, shuddering at the thought of them possibly being sent on a mission here.

While fighting Griffin and Sangvis Ferri was dangerous, this situation seemed... absurd!

"Probably, and if it were me or wz.29... We'd probably collapse with eyes rolling as soon as we stepped out of the airlock... Oh, and MG42 too."

"What? Our bodies weren't meant for use in extreme conditions like this. Who would spend a fortune on protection against this?" MG42 sighed in resignation.

WA2000 was fine, though. Her body was the most advanced among them and could probably hold out a bit longer in this high-concentration collapse radiation environment... just a bit longer.

T-Dolls capable of operating in such a life-prohibiting area must have plenty of data on dangerous environments in their core systems. Lower-tier T-Dolls couldn't handle such tasks, only those higher up in the hierarchy.

Even their bodies and core modules needed special modifications, and their equipment would undoubtedly be expensive specialty gear.

Before entering Griffin, many had been modified from civilian T-Dolls with added fire control cores. They wouldn't have absurd equipment like the ones they have now.

"Uh, But the Commander didn't seem to ask us to sign up for the mission? Aren't those joining were original T-Dolls he had?" Seeing WA2000 break into a cold sweat, Springfield smiled wryly and reminded Renault.

After all, besides acquainting them with other T-Dolls here, Renault hadn't given them any work.

Just now, Wanyu and MG42 had wanted to check out the situation, but the isolation doors leading to Hangar 2 had already been closed. They had barely taken a few steps when G36 came to usher them back.

The T-Dolls who signed up for the mission were all the ones who had received new bodies from Renault. With Renault's manufactured bodies, it was no problem to move freely outside.

New arrivals like Springfield and the others couldn't do it, so G36 naturally wouldn't let them cause trouble for Renault.

"That's true... But why have all the isolation doors in the corridors closed? And why have all the Rippers gathered in the upper area near the cafeteria? Weren't they usually active in the middle and lower levels?"

"Just in case, to prevent excessive collapse radiation contamination when opening the airlock doors inside the ship," G36, standing behind the bar in the cafeteria, wiped plates as she spoke.
"As for the Rippers and Vespids, the reasons are the same as yours. Their bodies are still their original ones, and even though they have better radiation resistance, they haven't been tested in this environment."

Even if they had been tested, Renault couldn't get hold of test reports. Those things were all stored in Sangvis Ferri's servers. He didn't have time to run all the way back to Sangvis Ferri headquarters for an unimportant test report.

"Oh, I see." Hearing G36's explanation, WA2000 and Wanyu nodded in understanding, mentally noting the information about changing bodies. They didn't know when it would be their turn, but there were still M3 and Stg-44 and others waiting in line before them.

Meanwhile, M3, Stg-44, and the others watched nervously as Scarecrow played with a body just printed from the equipment in front of them.

"In short, these are the precautions to take when using these new bodies. Have you all remembered?" Scarecrow pointed to the nearby body and explained to the nine T-Dolls, who currently only had neural cores.

She couldn't go through each one individually, and these were relatively common issues. With a little attention, they could get used to the new control methods in just a few minutes.

It shouldn't be difficult; T-Dolls could surely remember. But just to be safe, she chose the most reliable T-Doll according to Renault's evaluation.

"Alright, Type 80, you can try moving your arms now."




Chapter 119: Not Necessary

"Why is it Type 80... I was the first one to regain consciousness..." M3 muttered, watching Type 80 stretching and kicking beside Scarecrow.

"Didn't I already explain? I arranged the order based on Reno's evaluation, and you woke up first because Reno saw that your mental core was the most damaged. In other words, you were the weakest," Scarecrow replied without turning her head, guiding Type 80 to adapt to the new body.

Upon hearing this explanation, M3 blushed, and G43 next to her blushed too. After all, she was the second one to wake up, making her the second weakest...

Originally, the other T-Dolls wanted to say something, but upon hearing Scarecrow's words, all their hidden thoughts vanished, and their eyes focused on Type 80's body, wondering if her lighter injuries were due to her unusually petite body...

After all, smaller targets were harder to hit...

Type 80 proved to be very reliable, mastering the control of the new body in just a few minutes. After trying a few runs in the corridor, she entered the repair chamber to attach the biosynthetic skin.

Scarecrow began preparing the next T-Doll's mental core into a new body while Type 80, coming out of the repair chamber, put on the clothes Scarecrow had prepared and headed to her original body.

She took off the equipment and coat from her original body and put them on herself, putting on her glasses habitually and taking out her original belongings, the bubble gum...

Seeing Type 80's familiar actions, it was evident she had done this many times before. The only difference was that this time she didn't lose any memories.

Scarecrow nodded approvingly. Type 80's stable behavior proved her mental stability, confirming Reno's earlier evaluation. However, they still had to see how the second PK would turn out.

It shouldn't be a problem. PK's performance in the mental space matched Reno's evaluation.

On the other hand, M870, according to her memories, was supposed to be quite talkative, but since waking up, she had been standing silently behind the group of T-Dolls, which was a bit unusual.

Still, it was within Reno's predictions. It wasn't surprising for such a sudden change to occur.

The second PK to receive a new body was relatively composed. Although she had a slight stress response when Scarecrow touched her body, it wasn't troublesome.

"By the way, the Rippers and Vespids that have been hanging around outside the doors recently, have disappeared. Did something happen?" Type 80 stood at the door of the workshop, looking outside for a moment before asking.

"Hmm? Nothing happened. We've just reached the mission location. For safety reasons, the Rippers and Vespids have all been mobilized to the upper area of the ship. Don't wander around later. I'll take you directly to the upper level. The lower level is currently sealed."

"The lower level is sealed?"

"Yes, to prevent collapse contamination from leaking in. After we take you to the upper level, the isolation doors in this area will also be closed."

"Collapsing contamination... So, the ship is currently in a heavily polluted area?"

"Yes, it's probably near the west of Lake Belka."

"Then, isn't it just a step away from the Black Zone!?" Stg-44 exclaimed, eyes widening in shock.

"So, for safety reasons, after changing bodies, don't move around casually." Hearing Stg-44's words, Scarecrow nodded. It seemed someone had looked at the map.

The T-Dolls, including PK, all looked at each other, beginning to worry about their future careers. Their first mission was already so dangerous... It seemed they were going to have a tough time ahead.

...

"AR15, CF05, Nagant Revolver, NZ75, HK416, AK47, Executioner, Interferer..."

"And me..." a weak voice came from the cockpit of the nearby gunboat. Simonov lay somewhat wearily on the console, watching several T-Dolls already in powered armor.

AR15 also wore a dark expression as she looked at the powered armor on the other T-Dolls and compared it to her wearing only her clothes.
If Reno hadn't said this mission was to test the stability of her engine, she would have thought Reno was targeting her...

This time, Reno had changed the weapons on several sets of powered armor. Although they still had machine guns, each one also had cannons and grenade launchers. CF05's powered armor remained unchanged, still equipped with hydraulic clamps and pile drivers.

NZ75 wore the same powered armor G36 had previously worn, which might make use of the chainsaw. Executioner, of course, wore the powered armor with SPAS-12, and the pickaxe she used was handy.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's all get into the cockpit. Simonov, prepare for takeoff. M1 Garand, open the No. 2 hangar door as soon as we enter the gunship cockpit."

"Understood." M1 Garand on the bridge nodded at the command, but her brow furrowed as she glanced at the collapse radiation detector next to her. The device, bought from the black market, was about to malfunction, constantly fluctuating between the maximum value and error. It was clear that the radiation level in this area had exceeded the device's detection limit.

"Commander, are you sure you don't need to wear protective suits? The contamination level in this area is... " M1 Garand reminded with concern. Although she knew Reno had a completely different physique from ordinary humans, when it came to collapse radiation, any carbon-based organism...

Whether it was animals, plants, insects, or even microorganisms, they couldn't survive in this environment. Their bodies would begin to develop towards silicification in a short time, skipping even the early symptoms of ELID, and be trapped in a siliconized shell on the body surface, turning into a mass of silicon in a short time.

"Not necessary." Reno shook his head, but his eyes glanced at AR15's synthetic skin and some fillings inside her body, all made of natural materials. They might also...






Chapter 120 This is a good thing!

"Come on! Watch this! This is a high-resolution photo that I took a huge risk in taking! This is the closest the Griffin T-Doll has ever gotten to the Black Zone!" MDR was taking a selfie with her cell phone as she brought it up to the window and shot out.

No need to ask, this guy must have started another live post on Griffin Anonymous Board and is now broadcasting the conditions of the heavily contaminated zone to those Griffin T-Dolls.

If it wasn't for the fact that this guy didn't draw in the lottery, otherwise she would have already run to the live broadcast at this moment.

Of course, Renault will not agree, this commission is different from the previous those commissions he got, it's a commission from the Universal Anything Services.

Looking for something related to the compan6y's data is what needs to be kept secret, how can let her MDR make a live broadcast outside?

Of course, if the mission is over, he can consider to intercept some irrelevant images and make MDR send them to the anonymous version, which is also possible.

But now, MDR can only shoot some images from a distance through the ship's porthole.

Luckily, the scenery of this heavily polluted area was also new to Griffin's T-Dolls, and the post did get quite a few replies.

"It's really rare, I didn't expect MDR to be able to connect to Griffin's network now, when did cell phones become so capable of communication?" Watching MDR taking pictures for a while and pressing the buttons on her cell phone to the point of snapping, MG42 couldn't help but marvel.

When did Griffin's network communication become so good? Being able to send messages freely even in the middle of a heavily contaminated area?

"That must be because Commander Renault is so powerful, otherwise how could we be sitting here drinking tea so leisurely?" Buzzsaw waved her hand, her mouth stuffed with snacks.

Super-Shorty, who looked like a hamster next to her, also nodded in agreement. She had never thought that they would still be able to leisurely sit here and look at the scenery outside the window even though they had already arrived at the heavily polluted are ......

If this had been Griffin's carrier, it would have crashed by now.

"Speaking of which, where's WZ.29? Seems like I haven't seen her since just after a few bites." WA2000, on the other hand, looked around a bit strangely, there was no wz.29 in the restaurant at all, except for those T-Dolls of Renault and the Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls.

"M200 and G11 took her to the training room, she said she wanted to learn how to fly the ship." Naturally, Springfield did not ignore the movements of wz.29, and when she heard WA2000 ask about it, she immediately spoke up.

"A training room? Like the kind of simulation training device in the headquarters? Commander Renault really has everything here."

This kind of training device, even among G&K commanders, not all bases are equipped with it.

She really didn't expect that Renault's ship even had this kind of thing.

"Right, speaking of which, in the future, if you guys want to participate in a mission, the training room is a must! Otherwise, the commander won't let you guys go on a mission when the time comes!" Presumably hearing the conversation of the few people over here, RFB, who hadn't raised her head all this while not far away, suddenly opened her mouth and reminded them.

"Hey? There's still such a rule?"

It's just a simulated training device? What could be so difficult about it? Could it still be more difficult than roaming mountains full of SF units?

WA2000 didn't feel in her heart that there was anything difficult about simulation training, knowing that her simulation training results at Griffin HQ had always been very good!

Seeing the confident expression on WA2000's face, RFB narrowed her eyes with a sneer in her heart, "Yes, the commander stipulated that, without passing the test in the simulation training, he would not let us go out on a mission at all... the test is so difficult ah."

"Difficult? How could it be, it's just a simulation training device, what could be so difficult? Go! I'm going to take a look too!" WA2000 stood up confidently, and even patted the etched weapon in her hand with great care.

"No problem! Come come! Follow me! The training room is not far from the cafeteria!" Upon hearing this, RFB also stopped playing the game, put away the game console in her hand, pulled up WA2000 and took a step in the direction of the training room.

Seeing RFB's smile, Springfield bitterly laughed and shook her head.

WA2000 this guy is really abit impulsive to fall into an obvious trap, Renault's simulation training device will definitely be not as simple as WA2000 thought.

However, bitter laughter is still a bitter laughter, Springfield is actually also a little curious about what the condition of the simulation training device on this ship is, so she also got up and followed.

Buzzsaw, Super-Shorty, and MG42, after seeing Springfield get up as well, they naturally wanted to follow, but they were still carrying plates with snacks in their hands.

G36 shook her head when she saw this.

She only hoped that these guys wouldn't throw up due to the bionic reaction of the bionic body after seeing the simulated scene in the middle of the training device in a while.


...


"I was fooled...."

Sitting in front of the communicator and looking at the communication that had been disconnected, Gentiane thought back to what Helianthus had just said.

'Sector S05 is a relatively easy job, consider it as a can-do job.'

"What an easy job! This is undoubtedly just squeezing your labor force, isn't it!?"

Rank promotion, salary increase ...just with these, in exchange for her being in charge of an entire sector by herself ....it's not a loss right?

Helian was clearly trying save human resources, right?

The veins on her brain throbbed, Gentiane sighed, no matter what, this was something she had asked for, after all, among those T-Dolls that Renault had helped to withdraw back earlier, quite a few of them were under her command.

Furthermore, the only two remaining members of the AR team were now in the quarantine facility in the S05 base.

But I didn't expect that guy Renault, not only did he abduct AR15, but now he's taken away the SOP2 guy, is Griffin so unpopular now? Is Griffin so unpopular now that the T-Dolls are all running out of their town?

And it's not just AR15 and SOP2, there are also a few less T-Dolls at the headquarters.

These T-Dolls did not appear in the casualty report, but at the same time did not show up, Griffin also did not continue to pursue it further.

After all, in a large-scale battle, one or two echelons of T-Dolls were completely wiped out during a loss of signal, which is not an uncommon thing...

Although the technicians at Griffin headquarters have already determined that those T-Dolls were killed in action and have started to recreate them using the copies of their memories that they had uploaded to the neural cloud map, Gentiane just has a feeling... that those T-Dolls must have been abducted by that guy Renault!

"Commander, why the sad face? Your rank has been raised, the salary has been increased, isn't this a good thing? Why don't you go over to my side and pick out a few items? Consider it a gift for M4A1 and the others!"

"Hiss! I'm the one who got a pay raise......Why are you the one so happy......"

Hearing Gentiane's breathless words, Kalina wiggled her fingers, "That must be because you'll have more money to buy things from me after you get a raise!"






Chapter 121 Inapplicable Scene

As Kalina tried to persuade Gentiane to help her clear her inventory, Renault's side also opened the spacecraft's hatch.

Simonov in the gunship had already closed the isolation door between the cockpit and the rear compartment. AR15 didn't wear protective clothing to test her fusion engine, so she didn't need any equipment. Closing the hatch could also prevent instrument malfunctions caused by collapse radiation.

"How's it going? Any abnormalities with the body and power armor?"

"Everything's normal."

"Same here."

The tactical dolls in the cockpit checked themselves and moved their power armor limbs, seemingly not finding anything unusual.

The protective ability of this power armor was still very good. At least for a short time, they wouldn't feel any abnormalities.

"No abnormalities are good. Simonov, take us down..."

"Um, Commander, you seem a bit... abnormal... on your body..." Simonov, who was observing the situation inside the cockpit through the observation window on the isolation chamber door, suddenly spoke up.

As she spoke, she pointed at Renault.

The tactical dolls checking their conditions and AR15 all looked in the direction pointed by Simonov's finger.

"Hmm?" Renault also lowered his head strangely and looked at his hands. He didn't feel anything unusual, though?

Crackle!

However, just as Renault raised his hand to observe, a slight scraping sound suddenly came from his arm.

"Commander, it seems that your coat is indeed made of real leather..." Seeing this, AR15 first checked her own clothes, finding no siliconization phenomenon like Renault's coat, and then relaxed.

"Of course, although it's just picked up, I have carefully confirmed the material of that coat! It's a pity, Commander, it seems that this coat can't be worn anymore. You'd better change your clothes." Seeing this coat, which she personally brought back, turning into this appearance, Nagant said with some regret.

Although this coat was covered with bullet holes shortly after being worn by Renault, it had been worn for so long...

Shaking the coat with siliconized clumps on top, Renault felt that this coat could collapse at any time. Now, there was only a layer of ordinary lining hanging on his body, and the weapons and ammunition inside were stable, after all, all the hooks inside were metal.

Looking at AR15's clothes and then at his completely tattered coat, Renault could only sigh and take off the coat.

Most of AR15's clothes were made of various synthetic materials, so there were no unusual changes in this harsh polluted environment.

But the clothes on his body were all ordinary clothes, the same as those worn by the other dolls. After all, the body itself was very strong, so there was no need to spend a lot of money on expensive clothes.

The clothes on AR15 were her own clothes from before, after all, her clothes were not damaged, so there was no reason not to wear them.

Of course, AR15 is also fortunate that she did not choose to ask P90 for help in making new clothes. Otherwise, someone like Renault who had to change clothes on the spot would probably include her as well.

And... it's not just the coat... Renault's boots...

"Commander, your boots... um..." NZ75 pointed at Renault's feet somewhat embarrassedly, reminding him quite awkwardly.

In fact, there was no need to remind him, Renault already knew, after all, both toes of his feet were now cool, what else could it be except that his shoes were broken?

"Cough, Commander, I don't want this either. All the things I brought back are high-quality leather coats and leather boots. It's just that the environment here is a bit too targeted..." The coat and shoes were all brought back by Nagant Revolver, not second-hand goods, just left in the store's warehouse.
At that time, they looked very good in quality, but she didn't expect that this time the quality was too good.

But as soon as Nagant said this, Renault's face became even darker.

He hadn't forgotten, what Nagant Revolver gave him, not just coats and shoes... that leather belt...

Fortunately, there were always several protective suits in the gunship's cockpit, which were placed in the storage box in the cockpit and could be worn when taken out.

Wearing the protective suit and hanging the helmet behind the protective suit, Renault waved to AR15 and the others.

While Renault was putting on the protective suit, Simonov had already controlled the gunship to come to a place more than twenty meters above the ground. This height was like stepping on a step for the dolls at home.

Naturally, Renault jumped down with them. The weapons and ammunition that were hanging on the lining of the coat were all removed by him and hung on this protective suit.

"Simonov looks in the sky, and the others are spread out at intervals to find the wreckage of that cargo plane first."

According to Gerald's description, their goods were transported by a cargo plane.

The cargo plane slightly deviated from its course during flight and eventually crashed directly into this heavily polluted area.

What they were looking for was one of the cargo containers carried by that cargo plane.

"Um, it's all black as far as I can see. How do we find it..." Simonov in the cockpit of the gunship looked a little headache as she looked at the dark scenery outside.

Clearly, it should be less than ten o'clock in the morning now, and the light should be relatively bright, but the visibility now is even dimmer than dusk. Without staring carefully, Simonov couldn't see the specific shapes of the objects on the ground.

"Don't worry, just search the approximate range given by the client comprehensively. There's plenty of time, no need to rush."
Indeed, they had plenty of time because Gerald didn't specify how long it would take in the contract.

And if there was really an aircraft wreckage, it should be very easy to find in this area, after all, all the animals and plants in this area had been siliconized, and the cargo compartments of cargo planes, no matter what, were all metal products, in a black silicified area, it would definitely be quite conspicuous.

Hearing what Renault said, the tactical dolls wearing power armor didn't feel anything, but AR15's face looked a bit ugly because shortly after she landed, the biomimetic skin on her body began to slowly transform into silicon...





Chapter 122 - Almost Leaked

"What the heck, I thought I could have a fight by following along, but it turned out to be a simple search for something. There's no living thing to speak of in this place at all," complained Executioner as she looked at the various silicides that filled her vision.

"Hmph, I've already said that this quest is nothing fun, and you guys still have to drag me into it! What an unmitigated disaster!" Not far away from each other, Intruder, while picking at the silicide debris with her hands, controlled the power armor as she walked forward with slow steps.

She hadn't wanted to come out this time. Who would have thought that this guy, Executioner, would actually report her name in order to increase her winning rate at the draws? As a result, Executioner herself was drawn in, not to mention that even she, someone who didn't want to move at all, was also drawn into it.

"Hey, you just came out of your room in the first place. Anyway, you guys have been growing mushrooms in the airship for a long time without moving. Coming out for a walk isn't a bad thing!".

"How is it not a bad thing? And even if you want to take a walk, it shouldn't be in this bleak scene where the sky and land is filled with pitch-black silicon towers! Not to mention a beautiful scenery, at least it should be a city, right?"

While Executioner and Intruder were arguing, NZ75 also looked around somewhat strangely.

From the point where they had just landed, this area had been completely traversed by them, and from beginning to end, they didn't see the appearance of any airplane wreckage. Even the fragments of the airplane were not seen, and there was no sign of the mission objective at all in the area of the coordinates given by their employer.

"Commander, we've already searched this area. Is it possible that the coordinates given by the client are wrong?"

"Yes, yes, there must be a problem with the coordinates! Otherwise, how could we not even see a single piece of the airplane?" CF05 also chimed in at this time.

The scenery in this heavily polluted area was really too depressing. If she stayed here for a long time, she estimated that she would have a mental shadow.

HK416 didn't feel anything. This kind of thing has been encountered many times in the middle of Griffin, hasn't it? The mission target didn't appear on the predetermined coordinates as expected. As early as when she hadn't run out from Griffin, she had already encountered it for an unknown number of times.

And...

"Commander, are you sure AR15 is okay in her current state? The bionic skin on her body is completely silicified now, and she looks almost like a Heavy ELID infected."

Raising her eyes to look at AR15, who was sulking over there and whose movements were starting to become sluggish, HK416 opened her mouth and spoke towards Renault, who was walking in front of all of them.

"AR15, what's the current state?" Hearing HK416's words, Renault also turned his head to look at the uncomfortable AR15 and asked.

The bionic skin on her face had all siliconized, and now it was like a layer of mask with a shiny black light snapping onto AR15's face. The bionic skin on her body, on the other hand, had mostly fallen off between walking and moving around. If it wasn't for the clothes in the way, AK47 and the girls might have been able to see the original appearance of AR15's bionic body by now.

"Fortunately, other than the surface bionic skin having been completely damaged, the metallic frame is in good condition and the internal engine is functioning normally," AR15 replied in an emotionless voice after lowering her head and checking her condition.

"Uh, commander, AR15 seems to have gotten angry? Should we go back and fix it first? How long is your stability test actually going to last?" Looking at AR15's siliconized 'face' that was completely unable to put on any expression, Nagan Revolver couldn't help but ask Renault with some worry.

"Soon, we'll go back when we find something. Isn't there still a small area over there that hasn't been searched?" Renault said as he took two steps towards the hill littered with silicides, then pointed at a small piece of ice not far away and opened his mouth.

Ever since this area had turned into a heavily contaminated zone, the temperature changes here had also become bizarre and unpredictable. Just like just now, when they came down from the gunboat, it was clearly still chilly. However, now that they had just arrived not far from the lake, the temperature over here had inexplicably risen. And that piece of ice that Renault was pointing at looked like it was gradually melting as well.

Before, no matter if it was Simonov or the other dolls, most of them had already seen that small piece of lake not far away at the bottom of the hillside. But that piece of lake was frozen and the ice looked very thick. If the cargo plane had smashed down from the sky, it was impossible that there was no trace of it at all, so they naturally ignored that piece of lake area.

Renault pointed to the ground under his feet with the steel pipe he picked up casually. A few very irregular looking drag marks were left over there, and some of the silicon compounds on the ground had even been crushed into powder form. Obviously, in this area, there seemed to be something very heavy and being dragged from here to the lake below.

"Hiss! It looks so scary! This trace... looks like it should be the airplane that crashed or was forced to land. But what on earth dragged that airplane down to the water?"

An entire airplane of this size, if there was no external force dragging it, that plane would have come to a steady stop on this small hill at their feet. But apparently, some unknown creature moved and dragged that airplane right into the water!

"Ah yes! I seem to have read a legend somewhere before, which seems to be that there is actually a mysterious and incomparable water monster in the middle of this lake! Maybe it was that water monster that dragged the cargo of the Universal Everything along with the airplane into the water!" Simonov, who was in the cockpit of the gunboat and really couldn't find anything to do, immediately joined the conversation.

"Huh? That's just a legend, isn't it? No one really knows if it's real or not." Executioner obviously didn't care much about such a nebulous thing. Even if there really was one, so what? Is it hard to fight it?

"Nagant Revolver, fire a few incendiary rounds into the ice."

"Hey? Ohhh, Commander, you've determined where that freighter is?" While replacing the incendiary rounds for the grenade launcher on his power armor, Nagant Revolver asked curiously towards Renault.

"Of course not."

Renault was only testing something. After all, it didn't cost any money to try, and if there were really any unknown creatures in the middle of this lake area, they might be enraged by Nagant Revolver's direct attack and then rush out.

Most importantly, he saw the ice surface.

There seemed to be some not so eye-catching reflections, and those silica reflection are not the same as the others near the area. Although the brightness is the same lack of brightness, the appearance of those reflections looks a little like some kind of metal.

Although Renault's answer made Nagant Revolver shrug her shoulders helplessly, she still raised her hand after changing the type of ammo and hit a series of incendiary bombs on the ice of that lake.




Chapter 123: Accidents Happen Frequently?

It was probably because this time period was not the ice period of this lake area, or because the variable temperature here made the surface of this lake area not freeze too tightly in the first place.

After a series of incendiary bombs smashed down, the sound of ice cracking inch by inch immediately came to mind on the surface of that lake.

"It cracked! Cracked!" CF05, who had been staring at the ice surface, also shouted out in delight at the sight.

NZ75 beside her squinted her eyes and carefully scanned the crumbling ice, trying to find traces of the crashed freighter in it.

"Quickly look over there! There's debris there!" Even with the dim light, NZ75 still saw those aviation materials that floated up after the ice had crumbled.

Hearing NZ75 shouting, the group of dolls instantly discovered those airplane fragments floating up from underneath the ice, and with surprise in their hearts, they subconsciously moved towards the edge of the lake.

Fortunately, now that the temperature is relatively low, the ground near the lake has all been frozen hard, or else, by virtue of their current weight of more than a ton, one will have to sink into the mud.

However, a few dolls arrived at the lake, but they were also not stupid and did not stupidly continue to go forward. They were wearing power armor, but this power armor... seems to not be waterproof, right?

And such a large weight, once in the water, wanting to come out again can be difficult, even if they are not wearing power armor. AR15 is the same situation.

"Commander, what now?" Each of them had no way to get into the water, and now only Renault seemed to have the ability to get into the water to take a look.

However, this lake area has obviously been heavily polluted, and the water in the lake is all covered in a pitch-black color, so they don't know if Renault will completely turn into an infected creature when he comes back up if he really jumps down.

Hearing AR15's words, Renault also frowned with a headache.

Although the coordinates given by that guy, Gerald, were indeed near this lake area, he really didn't expect that the cargo plane would actually crash directly into the lake.

Maybe the pilot of the cargo plane was ready to crash land in the lake when he saw that the plane had no hope of pulling up.

But this does not seem to make sense; they have seen the traces of the plane dragging on the ground, coupled with the aircraft wanting to force landing in the water, it is not generally difficult. As long as it is a normal driver, there is no reason to do this kind of hard work, which is not a good thing.

Moreover, in the place they just passed through, there was a very flat ground, there were no siliconized trees, and there were no bumps or anything like that on the ground; it was definitely a good place for a forced landing.

But this cargo plane is now under the lake. This mission, changed from contaminated area item recovery into the contaminated waters deep salvaging operations...

It was really quite different.

But what else could he say? He'd already said he can finish this all, so he couldn't just go home now?

Thinking about it: it is not possible. Although the doll cannot go into the water, only he himself can.

Sure enough, the current T-Doll he made still has big limitations, although the super-heavy doll frame in battle can be quite good at getting the upper hand...

Unfortunately, in this kind of special task...

They are all not very suitable; now he had to back to think about using other materials to replace those original alloy steel.

Next time, he cannot use metallic scraps like these thing to create a doll frame. This thing which is used as an armor plate is indeed a good defensive tool for a doll body, but unfortunately, the weight is too much.

Thinking of this, Renault raised his hand somewhat helplessly, intending to take off this set of protective clothing on his body and personally go into the water to see the situation.

However, just as he raised his hand, a wave of vibrations suddenly came from underneath everyone's feet!

"Earthquake?"

"It seems to be...?"

"You guys, look at the lake!?"

The piece of incendiary bomb that Nagant Revolver had just shot out, although it did indeed make a piece of the lake's ice break apart, was only a small portion of it; the area of the main piece of the lake wasn't small, and there was still a large area of ice that hadn't been thawed out in the distance.

However, with this sudden vibration, the surface of the lake in the distance even directly began to undulate!

The wide surface of ice is directly shattered at this moment due to the vibration! Large chunks of solid ice were even bounced a few meters into the air due to the impact!

First, the ice shattered! Immediately after that, a huge whirlpool appeared in the center of the lake!

It was as if something was violently stirring the lake below the surface!

"Hey, hey, hey! There's not really a water monster in this lake, is there?"

Looking at the condition of the lake below from the cockpit, Simonov couldn't help but exclaim, and at the same time, in order to avoid being hurt by the contraption emerging from the lake, Simonov was also very sensible in controlling the gunship to stay away from the lake's airspace.

"I can't be sure about the water monster, but an ELID mutant, that's for sure, ah! That thing is coming out!?" AK47 looked at the water that had just suddenly sunk but was now rising violently and hurriedly shouted at the top of her voice.

"Retreat to higher ground!"

The group of T-Dolls heard Renault's words quickly raised their feet and retreated backward.

Good thing the power armor's power was sufficient; returning to that high slope just now was just a matter of two or three leaps.

It is also good that there is a high slope on this side to block the water waves that come like a tsunami; otherwise, even if the humans have more than one ton of power armor on board, after colliding with the huge waves, they will definitely not be able to escape the fate of being washed away.

"Roar--! Ga--!"

Boom!

Accompanied by an ear-piercing shrill cry, a huge figure directly broke through the water, revealing itself in front of Renault and the others!

"Water monster, ah--!"

At the instant of seeing this huge figure, Simonov and AK47 were screaming out, and the several human figures next to them were also startled by the huge unknown creature in front of them!

A huge body of more than thirty meters tall! At first glance, it didn't even look much smaller than Renault's ship!

Most importantly, the body of this thing, which is covered with various kinds of crystals, is enough to make people feel their stomach bags flip.

Simply outrageous! It was frighteningly ugly!

Coupled with those tentacles that were waving around, this thing really did have the appearance of a water monster! All of the appearances were completely in line with people's mental expectations of a water monster!

"Commander, has the mission target we're looking for been eaten by this thing?" AR15 squinted her eyes at the huge body of the unknown creature.

On the other party's body, not only was the light of the siliconized shell glittering, but she could also see the reflection of quite a few metallic substances, so if her deduction was correct, this positively unidentified mutant seemed to have some sort of instinct to devour metallic objects.

"Better not..." Renault is also face black as ink; he indeed did not expect this situation, as if the unexpected events are all gathered at the same time to find the door.

"But I seem to see that guy's body had an airplane engine wreckage attached to it."




Chapter 124: The Mutant in the Lake

"Click!" Following AR15's finger, Renault's eye twitched immediately.

Just what he feared!

"Hmm, I think ther is actually good news! Since ther guy has already surfaced, we don't need to dive in!" Executioner scratched her head unconsciously, finding it awkward with the helmet of her power armor, and shook her demolition axe in her hand.

It seemed she was trying to figure out where to cut to dismember ther gigantic creature, which stood dozens of meters tall.

"No need to dive? Unlikely, that thing doesn't seem to want to come ashore. Are you thinking it will respond if you call it?" Intruder said weakly, looking at the massive mutant in the lake.

Had she known they would encounter such a strange creature, she would have insisted on finding someone to swap with her! How is this a good thing?

Just those countless tentacles were enough to give her a headache. If they weren't careful, they might really be dragged into the water by ther creature!

"Hey! You octopus! Look over here!"

But clearly, Executioner didn't catch the sarcasm in Intruder's words, thinking it was sincere advice.

And as soon as Executioner shouted, the nearby dolls helplessly looked at the straightforward guy, thinking it impossible to attract that thing ashore.

Unexpectedly, the gigantic creature in the lake, as if it heard Executioner's call, roared towards the sky!

"Roar!"

As the roar echoed, the tentacles that were merely twisting around the mutant started to grow like vines!

Thick tentacles, at least as thick as bowls, reached directly towards the dolls on the shore and the gunship in the sky!

"It actually responded!?"

Ther strange phenomenon astonished all the dolls present, but HK416 quickly reacted, "No, that thing probably didn't hear Executioner's call. It's likely reacting to the metal around us!"

Whether it was the power armor they were wearing or the gunship in the sky, these were almost entirely made of steel and metal!

Coupled with the ELID Mutant dragging the cargo plane wreckage into its body...

Undoubtedly, it should be a unique trait of the mutant.

Didn't you see that not a single tentacle moved towards Renault? It was as if it didn't even notice his existence!

"Hey! That's not fair! Why isn't the commander getting any attention!" Nagant revolver shouted, raising her grenade launcher and firing at the approaching tentacles.

Boom boom boom!

Of course, HK416 and the others weren't idle either. How could they just stand there waiting to be dragged into the water as food by those tentacles?

Crash!

As grenades and cannon shells exploded, the tentacles shattered like glass, making similar sounds.

"Effective! Ther thing's defense isn't that great!" Nagant revolver exclaimed excitedly.

She had used only regular fragmentation grenades, the most basic kind, and didn't expect such good results on ther creature!

"Not at all! Those are just its tentacles! Look over there! Another wave is coming!" HK416 said after firing a round of cannon shells, observing the mutant's condition.

Apart from losing a few tentacles, the main body showed no reaction, not moving at all, and instead grew more tentacles, covering the sky and heading towards them!

"Hey! Simonov! Do something! Hit the main body hard!"

Since the tentacles' defense wasn't strong, the main body's defense should be similar!

Maybe just one armor-piercing shell from the gunship could take down ther giant creature!

Hearing AK47's words, Simonov, maneuvering the airship, shouted back angrily, "Easy for you to say! I'm the only one on the gunship! Someone come up and help!"

Hearing Simonov's shout, Renault scratched his head. When modifying the gunship, to save trouble, they didn't install control modules compatible with the doll communication system.

They could only control it manually through the gunship's controller. After all, there were plenty of dolls at home, finding one or two to act as gunners was easy.

Before they came down, they thought they'd encounter ordinary mutants, at most four or five meters tall. The gunship's weapons might not even be needed.

Who would have thought their mission would throw such a big monster at them, over thirty meters tall, and the gunship's tank cannon might not even be able to take it down!

Renault didn't think the main body's defense would be weak. The layers of metal in its body alone could resist armor-piercing shells!

"AR15! Move away, let Simonov pick you up!" Renault said, pulling out her grenade launcher, thinking where to shoot to hurt the mutant.

Though Nagant revolver's team had no immediate safety risks, it was only temporary. The mutant's tentacles were endless, but their ammunition was limited!

In just a short while, they had used up half of their ammo! If ther continued, they'd surely be dragged into the water.

While Simonov distracted a large group of tentacles, NZ75 noticed the tentacles stopped about five hundred meters from the main body!

"The attack range of these tentacles is only five hundred meters!"

Hearing ther, Renault put away his weapon, "Retreat first."

They were here to find something, not to fight to the death. Gerald wouldn't give them extra pay for dying here.

"Understood!" Even Executioner, who was enjoying the battle with her axe, immediately responded to Renault's order.

She just loved fighting, not dying.





Chapter 125: Come Up Here, You!

Seeing the dolls and the gunship in the sky retreating to a distance of five hundred meters from the lake, the mutant in the center finally showed some reaction. The overwhelming tentacles stabbed into the ground at the lake's edge, dragging its massive body towards the shore!

"Hey! This guy really dares to come over! Quick, AR15! Hit it hard!" Seeing the enormous mutant moving towards the shore, Simonov called out to AR15, who had just jumped onto the gunship from the rear hatch.

But turning back was a mistake. Simonov was stunned by AR15's current appearance.

"Whoa! Have you turned into a mutant?!" Seeing AR15's face, black as ink, and the cracked black silicate material on her arms, Simonov almost broke the control stick in his hand.

"Wrong topic!" AR15 rolled her eyes at Simonov, her white eyes standing out sharply against her black face.

"Uh, anyway, quickly... that big guy's not slow..." Simonov said awkwardly, turning back to control the gunship to a firing position.

She didn't realize the implications of putting AR15, an 'infected' impostor, into the gunship's isolation chamber...

There was no immediate reaction, and AR15 quickly took the gunner's seat, controlling the two tank cannons below the gunship, aiming at the mutant crawling towards the shore.

But just as she was about to press the firing pedal, AR15 frowned because the mutant suddenly stopped at the lake's edge. Though still waving its tentacles, it clearly had no intention of rushing out of the lake.

"What? Is it scared?" Executioner, ready with her demolition axe, waiting for the mutant to climb out of the water so she could make a move, was at a loss seeing this.

"Maybe. This mutant seems quite smart. I always thought they were brainless," AK47 said, surprised. She thought they could lure it out, kill it, and complete the mission to get paid.

Renault scratched his head, looking at the gunship in the sky and then at the stationary mutant, which even seemed to be retreating.

This guy...

"Simonov, fly a bit closer, but remember not to get caught." The mutant's behavior changed when Simonov controlled the gunship out of its attack range.

The nearest one now was Executioner, who had excitedly run forward when the mutant approached, eager to be the first to charge.

Who knew that the mutant seemed uninterested in these dolls in power armor were actually attacking them almost incidentally.

Its real targets were AR15 and the gunship, their engines...

Well, this was unexpected but understandable...

"Damn, another dangerous task. Hopefully, it won't shoot supersonic bone spears like the Ultralisk!"

"Supersonic... isn't that a bit exaggerated? How could a creature have such power..." AR15, now at the cannon control, doubted Simonov's words.

She switched to the cannon mainly to deal with any tentacles that might reach for the gunship.

"Why not? Those guys hit me flying thousands of meters high! If it's not supersonic, I'll jump off right now! But maybe the commander's memory is faulty, though that's very unlikely."

Simonov shouted, controlling the gunship to charge at the mutant! It looked less like a lure and more like a suicide mission!

"Hey! Simonov! Take it easy!"

"Don't worry! I'm the ace pilot at home! Ace!"

Excited, Simonov pushed the gunship to full speed, charging straight at the mutant!

Unexpectedly, the mutant didn't react to Simonov's reckless move until the gunship was right above it, then it roared, sending its tentacles towards the gunship!

"Ah!"

AR15, who was unprepared, slammed into the control panel!

Fortunately, the panel was sturdy, but the siliconized crystal shell on AR15's face shattered, exposing the metal skeleton of the doll inside.

The giant mutant, chasing the gunship, didn't hesitate to leap out of the water!
Its huge body, like some soft-bodied creature, wriggled out of the lake!

With AR15's scream, Simonov controlled the gunship, dodging the tentacles with agile maneuvers, avoiding any contact!

"Well done, Simonov! Now leave it to us!" Seeing the mutant lured to the shore, Executioner charged with her demolition axe!

"Mission accomplished!" Simonov, dodging the last few tentacles, gave a thumbs-up behind him.

"Ugh! If you knew you were going to be the bait, why didn't you warn me?!" AR15, picking herself up, tossed the last piece of siliconized shell from her face, and sat back at the gunner's seat.

"Huh? No way! Does anyone still not wear seat belts these days?"

Hearing Simonov's teasing, AR15 angrily threw the siliconized fragments at Simonov's head!

"Ow! Hey! It's not hurting at all!"

Seeing Simonov's reaction, AR15 rolled her eyes again. This girl was always jumping around!

But even AR15 had to admit, her piloting skills were indeed impressive...

The mutant below, realizing it had been tricked, roared furiously, its piercing cry deafening the dolls' audio modules, and even the gunship in the sky heard the roar from below.