RC 576-600 (Patreon)

RC 576-600

Chapter 576 - It has nothing to do with me

So, the reason why Statesec officers were tossed to their deaths scrambling about was actually just because Renault wanted to buy a gift for those dolls at his home?

Looking at Renault who was discussing with Gentiane what kind of gift to buy for the dolls, Angelia scratched her head a bit frantically and wanted to have another cigarette to kill her sorrows, but she remembered that she had thrown the pack of cigarettes to Renault when she realized she couldn't smoke.

At this time of the year in the past, although the work of Statesec was certainly not less, most of the time they had right now was already in a state of half-rest, half-work. But now she could only personally stare at this troublesome figure in the middle of those stores back and forth.


All the while, she herself was surrounded by a drunkard Helianthus!

It wasn't fair!

And it was only a short while ago that she had just had a couple of her own dolls return to the HQ lab on their own for testing, and now she didn't have any of her men on hand at all.

As for the rest of the agents, most of them were keeping an eye on the military. Those guys were mostly grumpy, and if they weren't careful, they might make some kind of big mess in the city.

Now Renault directly ran back. If she does not stare at this point, she will really be uneasy...


Of course, she is not staring to see what Renault plans here.

Since this straight laced guy said he is buying gifts, then ninety-nine percent he will not do any unnecessary things aside from buying gifts.


What really worries her is that those who have not yet left the city. The ones from various forces who will run to Renault's side and cause trouble.


Even if he just came over to simply buy something, Angelia didn't believe that Renault would not carry any weaponry on his body.

Just take a look at the coat that never left his body, and she knew who knew how many things that could kill a person were hidden under that coat.

While Angelia was looking at the surrounding streets, on the lookout for attackers that might jump out from anywhere, Gentiane was looking at Renault with some surprise, or rather, the small book in Renault's hand.

Before, she really did not expect Renault to actually write down what all his family dolls wanted as gifts...

What are you usually doing? Why do you know so much about your own family's needs?

Gentiane heard Renault want to buy gifts after the idea, she herself would like to buy some gifts for her own dolls, but when it came down to it, she realized that she knew nothing about what her own dolls wanted...

This Renault, in addition to consulting her on the shape and color, the type of gift, brand and other information, it was simply off the top of her head, without any hesitation at all.

By this thunderous style of shopping, from the beginning of Renault going into the shopping street to buying a large part of the gifts now, it only took twenty minutes.

It was a good thing that Renault directly let those shopkeepers send the gifts to the warehouse of Universal Anything Airport after wrapping them up, otherwise, she's afraid that they would have already been buried by the gifts by now.

"Hey, Renault, how much longer? Someone has already noticed this side, you'd better hurry up."


Noticing that there were already several personnel of unknown origin on the street corner surveying their direction, Angelia was also a bit unable to sit still. Racking up Helian beside her, she walked into the store and asked Renault.

"Soon, but I have to warn you, those guys are staring at you and have nothing to do with me."

After he came down from the airship, all the surveillance equipment along the way was forcefully interfered with by him.

That is, Angelia didn't see the surveillance screen, otherwise she would have found out that not only this street, but a large area near Renault's activity area, the surveillance equipment are on the dark.

When she heard Renault's words, Angelia frowned and used her afterglow to repeatedly confirm that those guys' gazes were indeed on herself.

When she was at Universal Anything Airport before, she had gotten down from the airship in full view of everyone, and later on, she had even directly commanded all Statesec cadres near the airport.

This was something that the people who noticed the situation near the airport at the time saw and they were at least a dozens if not a hundred.

After she suddenly appeared in the commercial street, although beside her was a drunken Griffin Commander and it made her look like she was just accompanying her friend out for a drink, that couldn't hide the fact that her own rank in Statesec wasn't low.

The guys who were now staring at her not far away clearly didn't expected her to appear here, so now they were observing, trying to see if there's any unusual situation going on here.

If Angelia could guess what was in these guys' hearts, she would have to praise these guys, how could the holes in their heads be so big?

She was really just coming over to watch Renault buy something.

However, when she said this, even she herself did not necessarily believe it. Her purpose is not to come over to accompany the run, she mainly wants to stop those who are watching the scene.

Reporters, investigators, and those trying to find Renault and his partnership in business...

But now... apart from a few dolls who had their eyes on her, thinking that there was some big situation on her side and that there was a possibility of catching big news as well as journalists, it seemed that no one had noticed Renault at all.

Sheesh! What kind of thing is this!


She originally thought of letting Renault not be noticed, but now it's so good, it has nothing to do with him, but on the contrary, it's her side that's on the rails. She just didn't go far but was recognized by someone.


Turning back to look at Renault in the store, this man is now dismantling a pair of just paid-for cat climbing frames.

This thing, it's eighty percent certainly for UMP40 right?

Why is the gap between people so big?

Other people can casually keep a cat at home, but on her side, she is even worried about her own dinner tonight...

Seeing that Renault had emptied most of the inventory one after another, the owner of the gift store smiled with his teeth showing. Usually, there is no such good thing, just the things bought by this man in front of him are enough to top up his half-year's turnover.

Just when the gift store owner's smile couldn't stop, a few unfamiliar breaths quietly appeared in the corner of the alley.

Whether on their bodies or in their hands, these guys were more or less carrying some non-lethal weapons.

Similar to stun guns, chili water, and other things. Anyway, these things are stacked in the warehouse, usually, there is no opportunity to put them to use, but now it is just right to take them out and use them.

After perceiving those approaching guys' bad intentions, Angelia also wrinkled her eyebrows.


She was the first to be stared at, this is the situation she really did not expect it.

If she had known this before, she should not have meddled in the matter. She should have followed AK12, and returned to sit in her uncomfortable office.


----

Chapter 577 - Heartless? Who?


Looking at those guys getting closer and closer, Angelia's brain veins were almost bursting out.


She tried signaling towards Renault, hoping he would do something, but Renault completely ignored her small actions and was still busy on the other side of the shop, checking the last several kinds of goods.

In the face of these people who clearly did not intend to do anything peaceful, although Angelia wanted to act, this city was not a place where one could act casually. Of course, Statesec couldn't do whatever they wanted here.

Not to mention that among those people, there was more than one guy with a press card around his neck, and a few video drones were following them around.


Who knows if they had already started filming...

Seeing the approaching crowd, Angelia's heart complained about Renault, this troublesome guy who was just staring without helping.


But just as she turned her head back towards the store, she found that the large-as-a-doorplate Renault had disappeared!

Where is he?

This gift store had only one exit in the front and back, and although there was an employee aisle, the door was closed tightly, and she hadn't heard any movement indicating it had opened.

She had only turned her head back for a moment, not more than two seconds, and Renault had disappeared from her line of sight!

Astonished, Angelia looked towards Gentiane in the store, but found that Gentiane also had a shocked expression, showing she had reacted to what had happened.

On the contrary, the shopkeeper, smilingly counting the money, had completely not noticed that Renault had disappeared from his store.

Although she wanted to immediately get up and rush into the store to search, considering those guys who were about to walk up to her, Angelia held back and shouted towards Gentiane, "Gentiane, have you finished buying? Time is running out, I have to go back."

Hearing Angelia's call, Gentiane immediately came back to her senses, "Coming, coming!"

She wondered how Renault had disappeared into thin air.


The reason was already in front of her eyes: beside Angelia at that moment was a camera-wielding guy standing beside her, a reporter?

After thinking about it, Gentiane did not hesitate, directly picked up the doll she had just bought, and with a large shopping bag in the other hand, walked towards Angelia and Helian sitting at the door.

Originally, that reporter saw Angelia sitting in the doorway and intended to ask what had happened, but Gentiane squeezed him to the side, leaving his questions choked back.

"Alright, hurry up and send this drunk back to your headquarters. I still have to go back and take a shower." Tugging the mesmerized Helian, Angelia said this, turning around and walking in the direction of the G&K HQ.

Apart from those reporters who were approaching, the other guys with ulterior motives had already clenched various weapons in their hands, ready to arrest Renault, the owner of the airship. But after seeing that the one who came out of the store was a Griffin commander wearing the same type of uniform as Helian, they all turned away in disappointment.

Thinking that it wasn't Angelia who had discovered the situation but was just accompanying her friend to buy something?

"Hey, what just happened? Where's that bastard Renault?"


After walking a little farther, Angelia couldn't wait to inquire towards Gentiane.

Although she knew that Renault have some strange abilities, this time he almost disappeared under her nose!

If she didn't ask this matter clearly, her heart would be as restless as if a hundred claws were scratching it!

"Eh, this, actually, I didn't see it too clearly either. I just slightly inclined my head and saw Commander Renault start to become transparent, just like...." Gentiane looked around, confirming there was no one around to overhear, before she continued.

However, halfway through her words, Gentiane realized that something was distorting the air beside her...

"What?"


Angelia looked towards the direction of Gentiane's gaze. She also noticed that the air beside Gentiane didn't seem quite right.


The scene over there seemed like it had been refracted by some kind of lens, creating a slight distortion compared to the normal scene.

"What is it!?"


Noticing the abnormality, Angelia immediately tugged Helian to jump away from her original position, looking over there vigilantly, her hand already resting on the matching gun at her waist.

"Good eyes, don't stop, keep going."


Seeing that both of them had noticed the abnormality, Renault no longer hid and directly took out a cigarette and lit it.

Gentiane and Angelia watched as the cigarette in mid-air suddenly lit up with an orange-red bright spot, and couldn't help but feel a sense of creeping dread...

If Renault were an enemy, they might have died many times over by now...

Frightened, the two did not make a sound to ask questions. They watched as Renault, from the shadows of a street, walked out and suddenly appeared!

The two were close enough to still feel surprised, but from a distance, it would seem as if Renault had simply walked out from the shadows.

"Renault, what kind of outrageous technique is this? Don't tell me you're from an alien race."


Seeing Renault reappear, Angelia immediately looked Renault up and down with a curious gaze.

Of course, it wasn't the first time she had seen Renault's unusual abilities. This guy could walk through heavily polluted areas without wearing any protective equipment, and now he could be invisible. It didn't seem so strange.

However, Angelia was more willing to believe that this was actually some kind of device on Renault's body that had taken effect. After all, there was technology that could make one invisible, but those devices usually required a lot of energy support.

Like Renault who didn't wear any external equipment. Being able to make his entire body along with the cigarette in his hand, invisible, was a technology she had never heard of.

"Don't think about it, you can't use it."

He didn't have any invisibility technology that could be used on humans, but most of the ones he had required psionic energy to support them.

However, he can consider the dolls; next time he replaced their bodies, he could consider adding invisibility tech to them.

"Ah!"

Angelia blankly glanced at Renault and raised her hand to tug on Helian who was about to slide down.

It wasn't known whether it was the tug that made Helian wake up or if it was the guy's stress reaction to hearing Renault's name...


Helian who was in a daze all along suddenly stared up!


"Renault! Renault, where! Where is this heartless guy!?"




---



Chapter 578 - Wrapping Up




As soon as Helianthus's words left her mouth, the expressions on the faces of both Gentiane and Angelia immediately became incomparably odd, causing them to look towards Renault with searching eyes.

Renault himself was also filled with questions.

What was this situation? When did he become heartless? Helian must be drunk and talking nonsense.

However, a certain drunkard did not consider what was going on in the minds of Renault, Gentiane, and Angelia at such a time.

Helianthus's wide eyes, swaying from side to side with her trembling movements and soon locked onto Renault who stood beside the two women.

"Renault! You guy!!! Why don't you even give me a call when it's almost the holidays? I don't want to spend the holidays alone in the office by myself this year! Ooohhhhhhhh-!"

Helianthus screamed loudly while lunging directly at Renault!

"Ahem! Huh? What's this...?" Before Renault could figure out what exactly Helian meant by her drunken words, she had already shrugged off Angelia's supporting arm and lunged into Renault's arms with a bottle of wine!

"Hey! This is great! This drunkard was so heavy, my prosthetic leg was almost yanked off by her. Phew, easy easy easy!" Angelia pretended to stretch her arm and looked at Renault with derision.

Although she wasn't sure if Helianthus was really dating Renault, this drunken behavior made it hard to believe there was no relationship between them at all.

Moreover, it was said that the weapons exhibition commission was introduced to Renault by Helianthus.


The exhibition organizer had originally wanted to entrust the security task to Griffin, but Helianthus outsourced the commission to Renault. With Renault's reputation and scale at the time, such a commission would never have been given to a small, barely known security contracting company.

Tsk, tsk. Anyway, now that these two people have gotten together, the rest of the matter has nothing to do with her!

While Angelia waited to see the joke, Gentiane was so shocked she almost dropped her jaw.


Although she had long guessed that the relationship between Agent Helianthus and Renault was very good, she never expected that it was this kind of relationship.

After all, regardless of Renault's past impression or Helian's usual demeanor at work, both were serious and unsmiling. She never expected the two of them to actually come together...

"Hey! Where do you think you're putting your hands? Don't touch!"


Hearing Renault chide Helian for moving her hands around, the corner of Gentiane's mouth twitched.
She decided to turn a blind eye and bury her head towards the G&K HQ.

Renault, of course, did not stop walking. Although Helian was digging around in his coat, her weight was negligible for Renault. It was like holding a cup of water.

The only headache was this woman's restless hands...

His coat was still adorned with a large number of grenades. If she inadvertently pulled a grenade pin or gun safety buckle, what would they do?

To the surprise of Gentiane and Angelia, Renault directly lifted Helianthus with one hand and let her sit in the crook of his left arm. At first glance, it looked like Renault was holding a small child.

Seeing this scene, Angelia couldn't help but smirk. Renault was really big and solid. Although he wasn't exceptionally tall, he gave off an impression of great height.

Of course, this impression wasn't exclusive to Angelia and Gentiane. As they approached G&K HQ, many doll gathered near the door, and seeing this scene, their eyes widened in shock.

That person sitting on Renault's arm, gripping the bottle of wine, and snoring softly on Renault's shoulder was none other than their Griffin's Helianthus!

"What's going on? Why are they all gathered here?" Gentiane asked one of the dolls near the door in a somewhat strange manner.

Under normal circumstances, these dolls wouldn't gather at the entrance of the headquarters. Judging by their equipment, it was obvious they were preparing to go on a patrol or had just returned from one.

"Ah, hello, Commander Gentiane. There's a bit of a contact problem at the headquarters. The communication between various patrol squads and the headquarters has been intermittent, so we've been sent back to check on the situation, but..."

But the door of the G&K HQ couldn't be opened, right?

Renault wasn't surprised by that, since it was him who had caused it in the first place.

On top of interfering with the surveillance system in this area, it was very likely that those patrolling Griffin dolls would recognize him.

G&K dolls were always networked. When they encountered any unrecognizable and suspicious personnel, they could always look up the identity through Griffin's servers.

Although Renault was confident in not being discovered by these dolls, sometimes plans fail to catch up with changes, just like now.

Seeing the several dolls in front of the main gate of the G&K HQ trying to forcefully pry open the gate, Angelia looked suspiciously at Renault again.

"Hey, you didn't make this happen, did you?"


From the beginning, Renault was expressionless. Of course, that wasn't the main reason why Angelia said that. It was more...


"And what are you guys doing at Griffin HQ?"

"Wrapping up."

Renault spoke as he directly pulled out his cell phone. After pressing a few buttons, the door of the Griffin HQ, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened to both sides. The dolls who were exerting themselves by the door rolled to the ground.

Seeing the situation, both Angelia and Gentiane stiffened.


No wonder after buying things that this man didn't want to immediately return to his airship but instead ran to G&K HQ.

But did he really need to personally make a trip?


The two of them could see that Renault was obviously using his cell phone for remote control. There was no need for him to run over personally.

Just what did he mean by "wrapping up"? What had he done that required a trip to G&K HQ?

With heads full of doubts, Gentiane and Angelia directly followed behind Renault as he walked into G&K HQ' hall.



----



Chapter 179 - How Many of You Have Come?






The hall of the G&K HQ was usually open to the public, allowing guests seeking help or discussing commissions to enter freely. Therefore, when Renault walked in, no one stopped him.


He proceeded without any hindrance until he reached the door of the passageway used by Griffin's internal employees.


Just as Gentiane was about to take out her identity card to open the door, she saw Renault use his cell phone to scan the door access device.

Click.

The previously locked access door opened wide.

Gentiane and Angelia were speechless.

Although they both had access to the G&K HQ, they hadn't expected an outsider like Renault to be able to navigate the place so effortlessly.


Spitting inwardly about Griffin's lax internal security measures, Gentiane and Angelia quickly understood what Renault meant by "wrapping things up."

"Hey! Look at this! This is Griffin's dormitory! Look at those shabby, broken cardboard boxes! It's like the difference between heaven and hell compared to what we get here! Griffin's guys are all..."


MDR exclaimed before catching herself. "Ahem, in short, you should know that aside from those in special positions in big companies, there's no other company whose treatment can compare to Renault's!"

"Ohhh, but while some of the cardboard boxes aren't fake, those should only be temporary, right? I saw several other doll dormitories when I passed by, and they looked normal," her companion remarked.

"Hi-ya! There's nothing to it! Those dormitories look high-class, but they've been selling their labor at Griffin for who knows how many years!" MDR replied.

"Uh, but it doesn't seem like it's been many years since Griffin started using tactical dolls, right?" The doll responded.

"Hiccup! Ahem! Anyway, you have to realize that these are just selling their labor for a bit of belongings in such a dormitory..."

Appearing in front of them was none other than MDR, who had changed back into her original outfit, and a certain reporter with a camera in her hand.

"You? The reporter from before? Why are you here?"
Angelia recognized the reporter doll immediately, having seen her on Renault's ship before.

It hadn't been long since then, but how did she end up in Griffin's HQ unharmed?

Did Griffin's MDR know this reporter doll from before?

"Ah la, Commander Angelia, it's been a long time. Why don't I see you with some of your dolls today? And Commander Gentiane, are you also going gift shopping?" MDR turned and greeted Angelia and Gentiane.

However, her words made the two of them feel uneasy.

This was because they had never met with an MDR within Griffin HQ, other than knowing there was indeed an MDR among G&K dolls aside from Gentiane's.

But this MDR greeted them so familiarly...

"This doll... shouldn't be the MDR in your group, right?" After Angelia nodded toward MDR in greeting, she looked at Renault with a strange expression.

She then saw Renault receiving a hard disk from a doll, and that doll looked too familiar.

Wait... isn't that?

"UMP45! What are you doing here...? Hey, wrapping up doesn't mean this! What are you planning?"

When did this seemingly straightforward guy... No, she still doesn't fully understand Renault. His straightforward demeanor might just mean he doesn't bother to hide things...


But now...

"Long time no see, Angelia. Don't be so startled. It's just ordinary work. I'm here to get some image data. It won't impact your work. Commander, this side is finished, so I'll continue shopping," UMP45 said, walking away while taking out her cell phone to call UMP9. Her casual and confident manner made Angelia regret a bit.

She had known UMP45's electronic warfare specialization was strong and would be a great help. But she hadn't expected that she couldn't keep UMP45, who rushed to follow Renault as soon as he arrived.

Damn, is Renault's attraction reallh that strong? If this continues, Griffin will have to worry about all their dolls being head over heels for Renault, right?


And... UMP45's build...

Angelia subconsciously looked down. UMP45 wasn't much smaller than herself.

Gentiane, at this time, felt she had nothing to say.

The hall of Griffin, a famous security contractor, had this level of defense at its headquarters?

Until now, no human employee had come out to check the situation. Despite the door just being closed and the communication terminal leading to contact issues with the patrol team, Renault's dolls could move freely inside.

Although the issue might be due to Renault's dolls and Renault himself, the lack of any reaction was too loose, right?

Tap.

Just when Gentiane was feeling down, a crisp footstep sounded abruptly behind them!

"Who!?"

"Renault, are those people just sitting there?" The one who suddenly appeared behind the crowd was Scarecrow in a long skirt. Floating over, she naturally made no noise until she landed.

"Scarecrow!?" Angelia was so startled she broke into a cold sweat. If Scarecrow had any bad intentions, she might already have been incapacitated!

"Hiss! Commander Renault, you didn't bring all your dolls here, did you?" Gentiane gasped. With the Scarecrow behind her, MDR and the reporter doll in front of her, and UMP45 who had just left, this was almost a whole armed force of dolls!

"No, just a few..." Renault waved his hand, about to ask MDR if he had found Helianthus' room so he could send the drunken woman back.


However, halfway through his sentence, several chattering dolls, carrying large and small bags, came running from the other side of the passage.

"Commander! Commander! We've packed everything up!"


---





Chapter 580 - Endure Again




"One, two, three, four... eight, nine, ten..."


The number of people was exactly two doll forces. How can this be called "only a few"?

In addition to the four at the beginning, the six dolls with large bags at the back included three who could still be recognized as IDW, and the other three were G36s, who looked almost identical. So many dolls placed inside Griffin could easily handle a low-intensity encounter or ambush.

Yet, Renault casually claimed there weren't many...

"Commander, we've collected all the belongings of Springfield and Type 80. Their quarters at the headquarters haven't been reclaimed yet, so we brought out everything inside," G36 reported.

Of course, G36 only told half the story. Springfield, WA2000, and Type 80 were dolls whose items took longer to sort. G43 and M3 were less fortunate, as their belongings had already been packed up and ready to be discarded.

Luckily, they came in time. But the items these two left behind were mostly snacks about to expire and some books and papers. The bulk of the items were bedding and other things, which were not necessities for dolls and had to be bought out of their own pockets. Naturally, they packed these things together to take them away.

It was fortunate that there were no outrageously large items among the doll belongings. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for G36 alone, even with the help of those who hadn't changed their bodies.

For Angelia's question, Renault didn't explain.


Following MDR's directions, he returned Helian to her dormitory. After saying goodbye to Gentiane, he left G&K HQ unimpeded.

In the end, Angelia and Gentiane knew only that Renault had gotten some video data and the belongings of Springfield and Type 80. They had no clue if Renault had any deeper motives.

Meanwhile, checking G&K HQ was giving Angelia and Gentiane a headache.

It was a serious headache. Almost all the human employees had suddenly fainted, leaving only those responsible for daily maintenance and guard duties. Angelia developed a new respect for Renault's methods.

The renowned security contractor, Griffin and Kryuger, was as weak as a small child before Renault.


If Angelia and Gentiane weren't there to oversee things, the employees might never have understood what happened.

As for the surveillance equipment, they doubted Renault hadn't tampered with it.




.. 




Renault's return to the spaceship was smooth, without encountering any trouble.


Because Renault, MDR, and the G36 girls walked separately, people focused on him as the airship's owner. Outsiders couldn't distinguish his dolls at all.

After all, with so many dolls in the city, recognizing Renault's was difficult. Most of his dolls, except a few who hadn't changed bodies and the unlucky reporter, could freely switch identification codes, making it easy for those with bad intentions to mistake them for Griffin's.

As Renault's group of dolls returned to the airship, Springfield and the others also finished their purchases. The city that was initially chaotic due to signal interference gradually returned to normal.

Apart from some tabloid reports about the reappearance of the mysterious ship, it was as if Renault and his group had never appeared.



...

"Stg-44? Why are you still doing laundry? Isn't there a washing machine in the laundry room? Hand washing could damage your bionic skin, and the repair costs might be deducted from your salary," WA2000 called out.

She found Stg-44 squatting in front of a large basin, hand washing clothes from Griffin HQ.

"Ahem, hand washing is a bit cleaner!" Stg-44 replied, embarrassed. She couldn't just admit she had a cleanliness fetish. Although G36 and the girls packed her clothes initially, they had gathered dust at Griffin's special base in Sector S09.

"Alright! Put it down and hurry up to eat! Otherwise, G43 will snatch your favorite dishes!"

"Hey! Wait! Wait! I'm coming!"

By the time they arrived at the dining hall, G36 had already prepared a big meal with Sophia and Yulia.

Springfield and the girls had decorated the dining room with ornaments and ribbons, making it look like a festival.

Renault found the lively atmosphere refreshing; he hadn't encountered such liveliness in years. Previous years had been lively but not to this extent, and there hadn't been festivals before.

The dolls' willingness to celebrate was a good thing.

MDR even bought a special video recording device to capture it all live.


...


"Tsk, why does other people's food always smell better? That MDR is really good at this. Gentiane, why don't you apply to headquarters to transfer MDR to our side?" Kalina suggested as she watched MDR's live performance.

"Forget it, it's just luck this time. They don't come to give us Christmas gifts every year," Gentiane sighed, glancing at a Christmas tree not far away.

The tree was a gift from Renault, sent with a box of ingredients. According to Simonov who delivered it, someone suggested celebrating in a snowy place for a more festive feel. That's why they passed over the S05 sector.

Who knows if there will be a next time...


...


"Whew, finally done."


Helianthus took off her monocle, rubbed her eyes, and touched the gift box in her coat pocket.
She wanted to open it immediately but decided to wait for the holiday tomorrow.


"Endure a little longer, Helian! You can do it! Just hold on until tomorrow! Your record of not receiving any Christmas gifts is about to be broken!"




---



Chapter 581 - Who Are You?



"Open your presents!"

Early in the morning, Simonov's cheers rang out, waking up all the dolls who hadn't even rested for a few hours.

"Hiya! Commander knows his stuff! How come I couldn't find a place that sold these drones the other day!?"

"Hey? Drones? Let's see! Let's see!"

Seeing MDR fumble out a brand new drone from the box, RFB next to her immediately gathered around, clutching their respective gifts tightly in her hands.

Apart from the drone that MDR received, the gifts that the other dolls received from Renault's side were also different. RFB got a new console that had just been released, P90 received a whole new set of sewing equipment, Nagant Revolver got a new pair of quick-draw holsters, and Scarecrow received a new drone maintenance kit.

Of course, there were also many dolls who received new clothes, dolls, and similar items. In addition to the gifts from Renault, dolls likewise exchanged gifts with each other. For example, Simonov received a bottle of brewing samples from Executioner.

"Hey! Executioner! You guys! Couldn't you be a little more attentive? You could have sent me a bottle cap, but this is too sweet! It's completely undrinkable! You're even worse than the commander who gave me a smart wine bottle!"

Ranting at Executioner, Simonov held the bottle of failed brew in her left hand while clutching the smart wine jug that Renault had given her in her right.

It looked like a normal wine jug, but it screamed.

If she unscrewed the cap during working hours, it loudly reminded her, "Off duty! Off duty!"

Another sip, and it changed its tone to "Deduction of wages! Deduction of wages!"

And if she persisted, it would howl even louder: "Hang up and beat! Hang her up and beat her!"

She wouldn't fill her drink with this thing unless she was out of her mind!

"Hey! What's wrong with it? Sweet wine is wine too! It fits right into that jug the commander gave you!"

Executioner ran while calling back to Simonov. She didn't have time to tease Simonov, as she wanted to try out what her new mechanical arms could do!

In addition to buying many ready-made gifts from the city, Renault also took time to make some things by hand, such as the robotic arms that Executioner received and the drone that MDR received.


These weren't made deliberately; they were intended as basic equipment for his family's dolls.


Now, giving them out as gifts, it could be said they were, uh, handy?

... 

While the dolls on the ship were happily fooling around, a few kilometers away from the airship... 

"What the hell! What gives those dolls the right to have such a happy holiday! Why didn't Agent approve my request for holiday supplies!"

"Because there aren't any. Right now, the military is keeping a very close eye on us. It's already a blessing to get some ordinary supplies. In the end, those things aren't even necessities for us."

"Ah! Those guys are having a snowball fight! Damn it!"

"Hey! Are you even listening? Your current mission is to build this artillery position..."


Before the silver-haired Sangvis doll could finish, the black-haired Sangvis doll who had been watching through binoculars couldn't wait.

She snatched one of the Dragoon's's mounts and rushed out without hesitation!

"Tsk! Keep up!"

Seeing the other party simply ignore her, the silver-haired Sangvis Ferri doll glanced back at the several Jupiter cannons being built, gritted her teeth, and, gathering a group of Sangvis Ferri dolls.


She jumped down the slope, chasing after the idiot who had just left!


...


"It's so peaceful. If only every day could be as calm as today's Sangvis," Gentiane mused, huddled in her newly purchased blanket, comfortably sipping hot cocoa while watching the dolls from the base play in the open field.

Because of the military's sudden move against Sangvis, the pressure on Gentiane's side had lessened considerably.


Finally, on this holiday, the Sangvis movement had calmed down completely. After several days of patrols, apart from a few stray Dinergates, they hadn't seen any Sangvis dolls.

This state was finally in line with the original Griffin slogan: 'Occasionally deal with some small units of uncontrolled Sangvis dolls.'

It wasn't like before, when Sangvis had even moved out their heavy artillery. If the fight continued at that pace, what else would she fight with? Motorized fighters? Gundam?

She was just an ordinary Griffin commander with a monthly salary of only 760,000 yuan. A battlefield requiring her to fight to the last breath wasn't suitable for her.

"Well, although it's good to be so calm, I always feel there's something not quite..."

"Stop! Stop! Don't say any more! It's bad luck when you open your mouth!"


Hearing what Kalina was going to say next, Gentiane hurriedly raised her hand and shouted, lest Kalina turn her thoughts into reality.

Kalina shrugged, "Alright, since you said so. But it's really hard to imagine, where did Renault get so many supplies? And the variety is so rich? These fresh fruits, the price they ask for in the city's market is not low at all."

It was winter, and although there were many vertical farms constantly producing a variety of fruit crops, growing fruits in winter consumed more energy.


Although in Griffin's jurisdiction, many vertical farms used unmanned electricity, the owners still factored the power loss into the price of fruits and vegetables.

Like Renault sent over a whole container of goods, Gentiane couldn't even buy half with her three months' salary.

"He grew it himself. They had their own vertical farm back in the polluted area. Now it's likely they moved that farm to the ship."

"And that's how it works?"

"That's the way it is. Their days are now very comfortable. They don't need to fight like us, every day on the front line against Sangvis, and guard against those eyeing..."

Tee-!

"Eh? Agent Helian? This time of the year... wouldn't be another mission, right?"

No, this is a holiday season, can't she have a good day off?

Although she complained, Gentiane still raised her hand and connected the holographic communication from Helianthus.

As soon as the holographic image appeared, both Gentiane and Kalina tilted their heads in unison.

"Who are you?" x2


---



Chapter 182 - Good Luck

Looking at the holographic image of the long-haired beauty, Gentiane and Kalina repeatedly confirmed that the communication they received indeed displayed Helianthus's name, right?

And it was also encrypted communication, generally only used for urgent or secret tasks. Helianthus would only use this communication channel for such purposes.

Despite it being Helian's encrypted channel, the person who appeared in front of them was not Helian.

"And you are? Ms. Helianthus' sister? Or a relative?"

Although the person in front of them had hair the same color as Miss Helianthus's, her hairstyle and the glasses on her face didn't resemble Helianthus at all. And most importantly, her soft expression and blushing look couldn't be Helianthus!

If this was Helian, she'd eat the pig that Renault sent over!

"Ahem, Commander Gentiane, it's me, Helianthus, that..."

"Pfft cough cough!"

As soon as Helianthus revealed her identity, Gentiane and Kalina choked almost simultaneously.

It was a surprise, no, a shock! This was really unexpected!

"Alright! You two! Stop pretending! Quickly help me see how I look now! Uh, ahem."


Helian subconsciously growled between shyness and anger. She realized her actions seemed out of character. She hurriedly stopped, cleared her throat, and straightened her hair.

"Uh, the look? This one, good! Very good! Just keep it like this! It's perfect!"

So perfect that no one can tell you're the original Helianthus who had a cold face every day!

Gentiane and Kalina busily nodded and praised her. Although they didn't know why Helian was asking them to look at her now, what else was there to think about?

Since a few days ago, Helian was drunk, and Helian's participation in many social gatherings had not been successful.


They didn't know who had spread the word, but now Helianthus was known as the "social loser" throughout Griffin.

Seeing the two of them sweating nervously, Helianthus realized she couldn't ask them for results. But making these two not recognize her was enough.

Didn't this show that her appearance at this moment was different from the past?

Thinking like this, Helian nodded, "Well then, that's it for now."


She took out her cell phone and prepared to make a call to Renault, while raising her other hand to turn off the encrypted communication.

Helianthus's movements weren't concealed, so before the communication was cut off, both Gentiane and Kalina saw the conspicuous cell phone in Helian's hand.

The style of this cell phone was very familiar to Gentiane and Kalina because Gentiane used it as an alarm every day, and when she was in a bad mood, she would throw it around.

But the quality of this thing was really over the top. No matter how it fell, it still operated normally. Even if a running doll stepped on it, it was unharmed.

Over and over again, even Kalina wanted a cell phone like this, and according to Gentiane, the signal of this cell phone was too good to be true. Even in the polluted area, it could receive signals freely.

Therefore, seeing Helian take out her cell phone, Gentiane and Kalina immediately glanced at each other and instantly guessed what Helian was going to do with this demeanor.

"Eh? Could it be that Agent Helian is calling Commander Renault here?"


As Gentiane said this, she instantly recalled the previous situation where Helian kept chanting about Renault after getting drunk.

"This... is just a phone call. It shouldn't be so solemn, right?"

"That's unknown. Maybe... maybe Agent Helian is planning to confess to Renault today."

"Yeh!"


Upon hearing this, Kalina immediately got goosebumps.

The social loser taking the initiative?

So, will the result be that the social loser continues to set a new losing streak record, or will the social loser successfully remove the label of loser?
We'll see what happens next!

"Hey! Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Kalina covered her head, realizing for the first time that getting hit by this iron lump of a cell phone also hurt.

"Alright, don't rant here. Anyway, I'll go back to rest if there's nothing going on. Luckily, this time it's not a mission." after saying that, Gentiane sighed.


What else could she say? She could only wish Helian good luck in her heart...


...


"Hehehehe! You guys can't catch me! Ahahahahaha!"


The Jaguar's special seat had been optimized for this snowy environment, and with the help of the jet ports at the tail, they were able to move quickly in the snow.

Although this optimization only added part of the tracks on the Jaguar's biped...

At first glance, it looked exactly like a normal snowmobile...

But even with this degree of transformation, for Sangvis Ferri, its only a small part of it. Besides the Dinergates which were very light, all other dolls and armored units were extremely heavy.

Coupled with the recent heavy snow... this was actually one of the main reasons why all of Sangvis Ferri had recently hibernated.

The group of Sangvis Ferri dolls following behind, as well as the silver-haired elite doll rushing at the forefront, were facing such a dilemma at this time.

However, she couldn't directly let the dolls beside her rush over to chase the other party. As soon as they left her side, they might be directed by the other party to turn around and intercept her.

"This idiot who only knows how to fool around!"


While grumbling unwillingly, the silver-haired doll couldn't help but wonder if her previous decision of only letting a small portion of armoured units undergo the snow specialization transformation to save on the budget was correct.

If she had known that... she should have... No, not at all! She should have tied Architect up in the control center in the first place!

The ship that Architect had seen earlier, if there was no accident, should belong to that security contractor named Renault.


That guy's danger level in Sangvis Ferri's internal network had already been adjusted to the highest...

However, according to Scarecrow, as long as she didn't take the initiative to provoke the other party and didn't cause harm to the dolls under his command, that man wouldn't provoke a fight...


Scarecrow's intelligence could be trusted, but the only thing she wasn't sure about right now was Architect. She didn't know what she was trying to do by rushing over in such a hurry.

But this girl doesn't seem to be carrying a weapon, right? No, the snowmobile's seat also has a particle machine gun.


But even if she is a fool, she shouldn't be thinking of relying on a gun to launch an attack... towards Renault, right?




---

Chapter 583 - I came to play with you guys?




Snap!

The snowballs clutched by the dolls like blocks of ice smashed directly onto the hull of the airship.


Although they were only snowballs, these ones had been manually 'processed' by the dolls, making them quite powerful.

Anyway, those Rippers and Vespids whose doll bodies hadn't been replaced yet all hid on the other side of the airship, building snowmen and occasionally making a bit of a mess, but not as much as on the other side.

After all, their bodies hadn't been remodeled yet, and if they made too much noise, they would need to return to the ship for cleaning and maintenance. They hadn't had enough fun yet, so they couldn't waste their time on meaningless maintenance.

Watching these guys joyfully running around the airship, Renault had a whim and drove the low-cost version of the SCV, which had been collecting dust in the hangar, out into the woods to pick some good timber. He processed the wood and started building a small wooden house next to the airship.

In the middle of the cabin, he lit a fireplace, sat on the edge of a recliner to roast the fire, and sipped hot coffee.


Tsk tsk tsk, he had clearly begun to step into old age life.

Some other day, He will remodel the captain's room, Renault thought, while petting the cat.

It was true that BM59's little ragdoll was the most well-behaved cat they have.

As for Jaeger's Big Orange? That one was just lazy and didn't want to move.

UMP40 sat next to him, holding a novel—a gift from UMP45. She had some free time now and didn't want to play with those crazy guys outside having snowball fights. Sitting here reading a book was much more comfortable than running around outside.

Springfield, on the other hand, was sitting next to the cast iron stove with great interest, joyfully watching the coffee pot boiling on the stove.

Originally, Renault didn't intend to get another stove, but both Springfield and G36 strongly requested it, arguing that cast iron stoves were more convenient for cooking.

Anyway, the space inside the cabin was not too small. One more cast iron stove didn't matter.


Luckily, G36 didn't intend to cook for the entire crew inside the cabin, or Renault' entertainment cabin might have turned into a kitchen.



...



"Yahoo!"

Just as the Rippers were joyfully searching for decorations for their differently shaped snowmen, a voice suddenly rang out from the middle of the forest on one side.

Immediately afterward, a silhouette riding what looked like a snowmobile rushed out from the forest.

The group of Rippers who heard the commotion turned their heads curiously, just in time to see the figure stop the vehicle, jump high, and fall into the snow as if losing their mind.

"Nah, isn't that dolll afraid the electronic module on her body will short-circuit?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe there's something wrong with their neural core?"

"Maybe they have better waterproofing upgrades because of it?"

"Hmmmm, it's possible. She looks like she's an elite doll. Have you guys heard of her?"

The group of Sangvis dolls immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered to discuss in whispers.

Seemingly hearing the group of Rippers and Vespid's whispers, the doll that had flopped down in the snow stood up and asked the 'Sangvis Ferri' dolls in front of them, somewhat perplexed.

"Huh? Why have you all stopped? Let's have a snowball fight!"


While saying this, she scooped a human head-sized snowball from the ground and raised it above her head.

However, these Rippers and Vespid knew this girl in front of them was an elite Sangvis doll. The protective ability of her doll body, as well as its power and mobility, far surpassed theirs.

To let them have a snowball fight with this girl? No way!

Unless this girl was on their side! Moreover, they had just built their snowmen. What if a fight later destroyed all their hard-earned creations?

One of the Rippers immediately raised her hands and made a big cross in front of her.

"No fight! Go to the other side if you want to have a snowball fight! Go to the other side and play with the others!"

"Hey?" Hearing the lead Ripper say that, the Sangvis Elite doll tilted her head in surprise.


Although she was a bit confused as to why the Ripper in front of her could respond so fluently, she still looked in the direction the Ripper was pointing.

"Ooh..! This big guy is pretty massive up close! It's at least twice as tall as the Jupiter Cannon!"

Looking up at the massive ship in front of her, the Sangvis doll sized it up while walking in the direction the Ripper pointed.

After only a couple of steps, she heard some scuffling sounds not too far away.

"Ha! Don't run! Stop right there, Executioner!"


Without taking two steps, a voice that sounded very familiar to her rang out from nearby.

"Heh heh! Come chase me if you're capable! You little short-legged child! Eat another move from me! Ha!"

"That voice? Executioner! Uh-oh! Executioner! Why are you here...." The Sangvis doll who heard the familiar sound hurriedly ran two steps to the other side of the airship.

However, the first thing she saw was not Executioner who had just shouted, but a large group of dolls holding snowballs of various sizes.

"Uh... this... huh, you guys play... you guys play..."

Seeing so many dolls, the initially excited Sangvis doll immediately shrunk back.

Although she had seen the dolls over here from a distance, she didn't think there would be so many. She had only seen seven or eight in the binoculars...

Now there were twenty to thirty dolls! And the feeling of being stared at by so many was so scary!

It wasn't like she hadn't fought G&K dolls before. Even if they stood in front of her in full armor, pointing a gun at her head, she would never have felt fear.

But now...

Sorry, looking at these dozens of dolls in front of her with what could be described as impetuous smiles on their faces, she felt like they might rush over at any moment to tear her body to shreds!

"Hm? Isn't this Architect? What do you want here?"


Just as Architect hesitated to bolt, Executioner who had just taunted Maria noticed her.

This girl among the dolls on the Sangvis Ferri side was also known for being unreliable. She didn't expect her to actually run in front of them with such a big grin.

Wasn't she afraid that she would be stuffed into the Dinergate by Renault?

"Eh... this... well..." Listening to Executioner's words and then looking at those dolls who raised their feet and surrounded them, the cold sweat on the Architect's head couldn't help but come out.


Looking at those dolls in front of her, "I... came to play with you guys?"


---



Chapter 584 - Gager! Come and Help Me!


"Ouch! You assholes! This is xenophobic! This isn't fair!?"


Architect shouted defiantly at the group of dolls behind her as she clutched her head in the snow at the edge of the woodland.

"What exclusion! It's clearly you who don't know the difference between enemy and ally! That snowball on my head just now was smashed by you!"

"That's right! And me!"

Hearing Architect's defense, the group of dolls chasing and beating her suddenly shouted in annoyance.

"How can that be! How could you all tell it was me who hit you! Are you all equipped with eyes in the back of your heads?"

Architect was incredibly sure that no other doll had seen when she had just sneak-attacked those guys!

"Ha! That's because your attack was too light! Watch this move!"

As the shouts rang out, a group of dolls stopped holding back, casually grabbing balls of snow and clenching them with all their might.



The originally loose snowballs, in the hands of these dolls, turned into something close to ice lumps...

Bang!

Coupled with strength that far exceeded that of a normal doll, if it weren't for each doll's different accuracy, this attack alone would have been enough to make Architect lie down in the repair pod.

"Ahh..! Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Architect's screams penetrated through the cabin's windows and reached UMP40's ears.


After looking up, UMP40 didn't recognize who the Sangvis Ferri doll being chased and beaten was, but she looked a bit pathetic.

"Commander, there won't be any problems out there, will there?"

Although she didn't know who the Sangvis Ferri doll actually was, she knew by looking at the clothes that it wasn't a mass-produced Sangvis Ferri doll.

What it meant for an Sangvis Ferri elite doll to appear here was that there must be several Sangvis Ferri bases or strongholds nearby, and the number of ordinary Sangvis Ferri dolls would certainly not be small.

"Don't worry about it, let them make a scene."

It was nothing more than a scuffle between dolls, so what if there really was an Sangvis Ferri beating down the door?

When the time comes, once the identification code is converted, those Sangvis Ferri dolls on the other side won't be able to lay their hands on them.

"By the way, Commander, SOP2 asked before when she can change to the same energy core as AR15. The current energy core makes the charging frequency a bit too high."

Since Renault had said so, UMP40 sat back and picked up her book again. She then suddenly remembered something and looking up towards Renault to ask.

Of course, it wasn't just SOP2 who had asked this question. HK416 had also mentioned it once in the morning, and that girl thought that Renault would give her the new energy core as a gift.

It was a pity that all she received was a new set of clothes. While she was quite happy about it, she still wanted that new engine more.


After all, watching AR15 never have to charge every day made any doll envious.

"Soon, it's being prepared these days. It will be ready in about seven or eight days, and then it will be uniformly replaced."


Renault had of course prepared, but this thing was not like those other parts on the doll body.

The existing equipment on hand couldn't be mass-produced yet, so he had to handcraft it himself.

The good thing was that the number of dolls at home wasn't too large. If he rubbed his hands, he could still supply them...

"Replace them together! Do we all get one?"
Upon hearing Renault' words, UMP40's eyes lit up.


Although she wasn't as obsessed with boosting her strength as HK416, if she could recharge without having to do it every two days, she would naturally welcome it!

"Well, I'll have to find someone to try out the new doll material, but let's not tell anyone else about this just yet."


He didn't want a group of people blocking him in the workroom every day, clamoring for a change in their doll form.

"Uh-huh!" UMP40 nodded eagerly, and the way she looked at Renault, it was almost as if she was directly saying he would let herself test the new doll engine.

Seeing UMP40's eager look, the few people and Springfield who were already standing nearby covered their mouths and laughed softly. Even if they didn't go out on missions very often, they were still a little bit excited about the new power core.

While the cabin was buzzing with conversation, Architect outside was enduring the most painful attack ever in her doll life.

These hard snowballs turned ice clumps have been thoroughly weaponized by those dolls. The force was controlled to a level that could knock her around but not directly penetrate the bionic skin on the surface of her body.

Simply put, the damage power was not high, but the insult was extremely strong...

What's the point! Why are all these dolls so strong? She, a Sangvis Ferri Elite doll, actually lost to a group of civilian dolls in a snowball fight! This is not scientific!

But the good thing is that Gager will be arriving soon!


When Gager arrives, plus the dolls she brought with her, they will be able to defeat these arrogant dolls!
They'll definitely beat back these arrogant dolls, Executioner and Destroyer!

They're just Executioner and Destroyer! How dare they beat up their superiors? That's not good! It's not good at all!

Architect was now being chased by a group of dolls around the clearing near the airship, and now arrived right where she had dropped the vehicle before.


If nothing else, the direction Gager was coming from was right here...

Just as she was thinking, Architect heard a large number of footsteps ringing out in the middle of the forest and immediately shouted out.

"Gager! I am here! Quickly! Come help me quickly!" Architect shouted at the top of her voice, waving her arms as she did so.

The group of dolls who were following closely behind, hearing the shouts, glanced at each other and unanimously turned on the recognition code of Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing.

Executioner also waved her hand towards the group of Rippers who were watching from a short distance away, signaling them to stay back.

"Architect!?"


Gager, who heard Architect's shout, hastily accelerated her pace and violently rushed out from the middle of the forest.


At a glance, she saw a group of dolls standing behind Architect.


But when she was ready to make a move, she suddenly realized that the identification codes on this group of dolls... were all Sangvis... and two of the guys looked very familiar...

"Executioner? Destroyer? You guys should obviously be in..." Gager wondered why she met the Executioner and the Destroyer here, who were both Sangvis dolls.


Then she remembered that it was impossible for these two guys in front of her to be Sangvis dolls.


So, the only possibilities were...

These two guys must have been taken away by Renault before...


But there were still two identical Executioner and Destroyer in Sangvi...

"Hey! Gager! Don't worry about this small matter! Hurry up and come to help! I can't beat these guys alone!"


Architect shouted loudly, ducking behind Gager and poking out half of her head to look at Executioner and the others.


---






Chapter 585 - Going to Dinner After the Fight!



"Hey, are you backing out?"


Executioner raised an eyebrow at Gager, and looked at the group of Sangvis Ferri dolls still carrying their respective weapons.

Facing Executioner's words, Gager frowned, hesitantly surveying the dolls behind Executioner and Destroyer.


Although she didn't know why all these dolls were using the Sangvis Ferri identification codes on their bodies...

Wait? These dolls in front of her were no longer the Griffin dolls she was familiar with. Did the dolls under the identification code...

Renault really have specialized identification codes?

"Nah! Gager! Don't just stand there! Hurry up! Hurry up!" Architect again pushed Gager, urging her to get those dolls under her command to join the battle and help her turn the tide!

Although Architect looked very uninvolved, her command authority was actually higher than Gager's.

Even though Gager was directly responsible to Agent, she still had to consider Architect's requests during a mission...

Consider my ass! They are on a mission!


The mission was to construct the Jupiter Cannon platform within this defense zone. Why are they now out here having a snowball fight with these dolls from Renault!

Both the Mastermind and Agent clearly informed them to avoid major conflicts with Renault's people, but now... now it seems they have been bullied to the point of no return!

Should they strike directly while these guys don't have any weapons in their hands?

In her heart, Gager doubted the chances of victory with the nearly fifty dolls she brought. Not to mention the civilian dolls, just the two, Executioner and Destroyer, were not characters to be defeated casually.

Although her permissions within the Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing were quite a bit higher than theirs, the relationship between permissions and actual combat power wasn't that significant. The bodies used by elite dolls didn't have much of a performance gap.

How much combat power could be played out depended on the scene of the battle and the doll's own abilities...

Just like now, the distance between Executioner and Destroyer and her was less than three meters. Such a close distance, even if she carried her special weapon, there was no certainty she could directly kill Executioner and Destroyer in one blow.

As for Architect... she was not in her consideration at all. Even if this idiot carried a weapon, she still had to worry about whether this guy would fire a high explosive bomb at her feet on a whim, something that had a high probability of happening.

"Hiya..! What are you worrying about! It's just a snowball fight!"


Just as Gager was contemplating the various possibilities, Architect forcefully took over the command of the dolls, causing the Sangvis Ferri ones to lower their respective weapons.

"Architect! You!?"

Gager didn't even have time to react. Since Architect had taken over the command of the dolls, if she wanted to command them again, Architect would have to delegate her authority back to her...

"Heh heh! It looks like we can start the second round!" Seeing the Sangvis Ferri dolls lowering their weapons, Executioner immediately laughed.

Next to her, Maria looked at Architect and Gager skeptically. "Nah, Executioner, do we still need to split up people on our side? It won't take more than a few minutes for all of them to be down, right?"

"Hey, it's okay! G36 just called us back to get ready for dinner anyway."

"Right, right! I can already smell the aroma. G36 is probably frying up some schnitzel over at the Commander's side!"

"Then let's make it quick! I can't wait!"

Hearing the conversation between a few dolls, Gager's face darkened.

What do they take her for? The same kind of idiot as Architect?

Clang!

However, just when Gager was feeling incomparably annoyed, a lump of ice hit her squarely in the face!

The violent impact directly caused her thoughts to stall! The struck brain tilted backward!

"Damn it! Who!?" The exasperated Gager dropped the weapon in her hand, scooped a large mass of snow from her feet, and after squeezing it tightly, looked towards the doll figure on the opposite side, attempting to find out which audacious fellow had just sneaked up on her.

As soon as she looked up, she was greeted by a large, overwhelming snowball!

While Executioner and Maria stood at the front talking to Gager, the dolls behind them didn't stop, especially SOP2, who took advantage of the moment to save up a mountain of snowballs just waiting for now!

Seeing the dolls and Gager and the others plowing into the snowballs and fighting, the Rippers who had long since backed off, leaned against the ship and watched with great interest, though occasionally casting pitiful gazes at the unlucky ordinary Sangvis Ferri dolls.

After all, those dolls were just like them. The bodies used by them were still ordinary military doll bodies and couldn't withstand the snowballs thrown by guys like Executioner and Maria.

As the group of dolls and a group of Sangvis Ferri dolls were fighting, two figures were standing on the top of the airship deck, with a camera in their hands and a camera drone hovering in the sky.

"It's really unexpected. I didn't realize that the Sangvis Ferri dolls would actually have such an amazing side, having a snowball fight together with the dolls? This kind of thing, I'm afraid no one would believe it even if it was publicized, right?"


Holding up the camera in his hand, the young reporter said with some emotion towards the MDR beside her.

"Hey, what's so great about this? When Scarecrow was not yet detached from Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing, she even asked us to help her buy a lot of holiday gifts, and I still have the video footage of Maria and Scarecrow coming over to dabble with them!"

Unfortunately, the truth was just as the young reporter had said.

Even if these image materials were disclosed, what could be done? The image of the Sangvis Ferri Dolls in the minds of humans had long been completely solidified and there was no way to excuse what that Mastermind of the Sangvis Ferri was doing right now.

After all, it was an indisputable fact that the Sangvis Ferri had directly occupied a large area of human life.

"By the way, haven't you thought of giving yourself a name? We can't call you Little Reporter every day from now on, can we?"


MDR asked as she took control of the drone and carefully dodged a few snowballs thrown into the sky before turning her head towards the doll beside her.

"That... is still something I should ask my employer..."

She have completely lost contact with her employer, a situation that had been present a few days ago before she even left the city...


---



Chapter 186 - What Does It Mean?


"Damn! This isn't fair at all! Why are you all so strong?"

Watching her side's dolls being flipped over one by one by what were supposed to be snowballs, but were actually ice lumps, Architect couldn't help but admit defeat.

Looking at Architect rolling around on the ground and shouting, Gager was speechless.

What was this unidentified humanoid object rolling around on the ground?

Why is her superior such an unpleasant pile of...

"Alright, stop screaming. Since you've been beaten so badly, we'll treat you to dinner." Maria stepped forward, yanked Architect up from the ground, and walked toward the cabin without saying a word.

Even though it was an invitation to dinner, how could such a thing not be said to Renault?

Gager didn't even have time to react before she saw Maria effortlessly lifting Architect.

As for why Maria, who was shorter than Architect, could still lift her with one hand? That's naturally because Architect had curled up her legs when she was grabbed, making it easier for Maria to carry her.

Of course, Maria herself didn't mind this at all. After all, even if Architect weighed more, could she be heavier than the bodies they were using?

Seeing Architect taken away, Gager hesitated for a moment before picking up her own weapon and following them.

As for the Sangvis dolls she had just brought over, they had already been taken away by those Rippers on Renault's side before Architect even started rolling around.

Because there was no command channel for these Sangvis dolls available at the moment, Gager didn't know exactly where they went after being taken away.


But surely, Architect wouldn't be so foolish as to give away her authority, would she?

"Renault! Renault! I want to invite this guy to the restaurant for dinner!" Maria violently pushed open the door of the room and shouted at the top of her voice before she could see anyone.

Architect landed hurriedly and surveyed the cabin's environment.

Because of the need to keep warm, the windows of the cabin were not big, and the light inside the room was colored by the flames in the fireplace, giving it a golden-red hue.

Renault was sitting on the small sofa in front of the fireplace, holding a Ragdoll cat in his hands. He looked at Maria and Architect standing in the doorway.

UMP40 was seated by the window, and Springfield, seeing someone walk in, stood up straight from the cast-iron fireplace, looking ready to stand behind Renault.

"Woohoo! Just by looking at it, he has the aura of a movie villain!" Realizing that Renault's eyes had fallen on her, Architect shrunk her neck and muttered in a voice that only she could hear (in her own mind).

Unfortunately, the cabin was very quiet, with only the crackling of burning wood and the sound of a cast-iron frying pan. Architect's muttering, in the ears of Renault and the others, was as loud as shouting.

Gager, who had followed to the door, also heard Architect's words. She was speechless, but also vigilant, as she measured Renault sitting in the cabin.


She couldn't help but be a little curious about what kind of person feared by both the Mastermind and the Agent truly was.

Unlike Architect, though Renault's appearance sitting in front of the fireplace did resemble those villains with mysterious backgrounds in movies, Gager couldn't discern what made this man who sat in front of the fireplace petting a cat different from other humans.

"Go, go, go." Renault sighed and waved his hand at Maria.

He wasn't going to hold Architect accountable for her words. Besides, there wasn't anything wrong with what Architect said; it wasn't like he hadn't been a villain before.

"Alright! Let's go! Eat!" Maria sniffed, directly pulling Architect and running out. At the door, she also raised her hand to drag Gager along.

Before being dragged away, Gager nodded at Renault and then followed Maria toward the airship.

To be honest, the whole morning's experience felt a bit magical to her.


When could their dolls from Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing also be invited as guests to someone else's home?

Even before the major change in Sangvis', no one would have treated them like this.

Compared to the sweet-looking, innocent, and cute civilian dolls, informal military dolls like them were inherently less popular. Well, Dinergates were an exception, as they were transformed using the templates of civilian electronic pets.

But then again, eating... what kind of combat rations was Renault, the security contractor, providing to his dolls?

Hmmm? Hmmmmmm?

Gager was pulled by Maria and had just taken the elevator from the bottom floor of the airship into the passageway of the upper floor when a strong fragrance hit her nose!

This scent had the stimulating flavor of various spices, the rich aroma of dairy products, mixed with alcohol and some kind of sweet and greasy taste...

This complex and strong flavor directly caused Gager's taste system, which hadn't been functioning for years, to receive a huge shock.

Architect next to her even stared up, sniffing eagerly, hoping to see what was going on in the middle of the restaurant.

As Maria opened the door of the restaurant, Architect was directly blinded by the sight of meals placed in front of the dolls and on the counter in front of the kitchen.


"Is this heaven?"

As soon as Architect's words fell, she immediately shivered, broke away from Maria's hand, and rushed toward the counter.

Maria also followed closely, running over. If she didn't run faster, her favorite food would be snatched away by others!

Especially SPAS-12!

Gager was left standing in place at a loss for words. She didn't know what to do now, but she happened to meet Scarecrow who walked in from outside.

"Did you bring all those unlucky Dragoon and Guard units here?" Scarecrow sized up Gager.

She had just gone out to help look over the damage of those unlucky ones. Although most of the equipment on their bodies was broken, the doll forms themselves were still fine.

The T-Dolls at home were playful, but their strikes were controlled. They just looked a little worse for wear. A little bit of repair wouldn't even be necessary for her to do it herself; she could just have the Rippers help fix them up.

"Yes." Gager nodded, a little unsure of what exactly Scarecrow was trying to say.

"Hmm." Scarecrow, hearing her answer, just nodded and simply floated away toward the table where M1 Garand was.

Huh? What does that mean?

---





Chapter 587 - Persica Feels something is wrong


Not to mention Gager who was completely confused about what Scarecrow's words meant before she turned to leave, Springfield and UMP40 had already left the cabin and returned to the airship at this time.

After all, they couldn't stay here and snatch food from Renault's plate, could they?

BM59's Ragdoll cat was also taken away when UMP40 left. There was no cat food for Ragdoll cats in the cabin, and although these little guys now had a very good appetite, there was no need to avoid anything.

But the meal left by G36 for Renault was only enough for Renault alone. Well, whether it was actually enough depended on Renault's mood.


If he was in a good mood, he’d eat more; if not, he’d eat less.

Tick-tock--!

Just as Renault was taking the cast-iron skillet off the stove, his pocket cell phone suddenly rang.

Who is it at this time?

Renault, puzzled, answered the call and placed the phone in his hand, not intending to interrupt his eating for the caller's sake.

"Who is it?"

When the call connected, there was no immediate response as Renault expected. Instead, there was a calm silence, with only the slight sound of breathing coming from the speaker.

While stuffing an oiled pork chop into his mouth, Renault curiously glanced at the cell phone.

There was no hologram; the other party had chosen a voice call. But with a twist of his head, Renault saw the caller ID displayed on the cell phone.


"Helian? What? What is it?"

Listening to the increasingly rapid breathing over the phone, Renault raised an eyebrow.

Helian wouldn't be kidnapped or something, would she?


Why didn’t she say a word, but when he opened his mouth, her breathing accelerated?

Thinking of this, Renault pressed a few buttons on the phone, forcing it to open the hologram. Helian's image immediately appeared before Renault's eyes.

Biting her fingertips and gasping for air, Helian's face, which usually had light makeup, now looked distorted with several expressions of frustration.

Of course, correspondingly, Renault at this time had a mouthful of meat steak and suspiciously raised eyebrows, which also appeared before Helian’s eyes.

Facing the hologram that suddenly appeared, Helian froze.

"Ah--!?"

As if her brain circuits failed to understand what had happened, Helian froze for a moment before directly covering her face with both hands and screaming loudly.

Renault on the opposite side of the hologram was startled by Helian's sudden scream, but he didn’t drop the meat in his mouth.

"Hiss, why are you so startled?"

"Officer Helian! Did something happen!?"


As soon as Renault's words fell, a violent breaking sound immediately rang out from Helian's side, and several dolls almost simultaneously asked her.

"Hey! Woo-hoo! Nope! Nothing, it’s just that this movie is slightly scary..."


Helian immediately flipped her hand over and hid her phone behind her back, instantly changing her expression back to her usual stoic face as she addressed the dolls who had rushed in.

"Ah, so... " Several dolls, unsure, looked at each other, nodded, and retreated from the room.

Although Helian said so, they were dolls, and the situation in the room had been seen the moment they opened the door. They clearly saw Helian’s phone and the holographic image reflected from it, as well as the man in the middle of that image.

"Aye, what’s wrong with Officer Helian? It’s possible that she’s been dumped, right?"

"Yes, it’s indeed possible, but this is the first time I’ve seen Officer Helian dressed up like this. If it wasn’t for the Facial Recognition Module confirming it three times, I wouldn’t have recognized her!"

"Okay, okay, don’t talk nonsense. Be careful when this news gets out, Officer Helian will deduct your salary!"

"Ahem, I’m afraid it’s already too late... Officer Helian’s reputation as a sorority loser is just too loud..."

One of the dolls helplessly pointed to the corner of the passage where a dark blue figure with a little pink was hurriedly running away.

"Oops! It’s that guy again!"

The whispers of the dolls outside the room didn't reach Helian's ears for the time being. She was apprehensively turning her back on the hologram on her cell phone, somewhat hesitant about whether she should hang up immediately or bravely turn back around.

"So, where exactly are you going with this dressed-up look? And what’s the matter with calling me? It can't be that your boss was robbed at the party and needs me to go fish for him, right?"

The series of actions on Helian's side were all seen by Renault. Of course, this did not affect his eating.

Hearing Renault’s words, the originally very tense but nervous Helian calmed down and set her cell phone back on the desktop.

Looking at the hologram of Renault still eating, Helian unwillingly pulled at her hem.


Shouldn't he stop and listen to her properly speak? No, she couldn't let it end this way. She had gathered her courage...

No! I can’t just give up!

I! Helian! Today! Must take this man!

As if she had made up her mind, Helian took a deep breath, and then she raised her head, her eyes burning as she stared at Renault in the hologram.

"Renault!"

"Hmm?"

"Can that... be... just..."

Although she shouted Renault's name with imposing energy, the words stuttered as soon as they came to her mouth, causing Helian to revert to her old ways, stuttering so much she couldn’t speak smoothly.

"Huh?" Seeing this reddened and squirming appearance of Helian, Renault pulled up the corner of his mouth, picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, sat on the sofa, and looked at her with a smile.

"Can you be my..."

Boom!

"Helian! M4A1 has been repaired! Help me... huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"

However, just as the last few words were about to come out of her mouth, the door to the office was once again violently pushed open and a silhouette walked in with a big grin.

Helian subconsciously raised her hand and pressed it on her cell phone. When she came back to her senses, she found that she had hung up the call...

Her brewing for nearly a week... repeatedly preparing mentally... and this was the result!

Facing a pair of directly reddened eyes, Persica felt a bad premonition.


---


Chapter 588 - What's the Point?




"Heh, this woman."


Renault naturally heard the sound of the door to Helian's room being pushed open, but he didn't expect Helian to subconsciously hang up the call.

Settling his unfinished lunch, Renault put the matter aside, shook his head, and continued pondering over the new doll body material calculating it a few more times, almost ready to actually test it out.


...


Just as Renault and Griffin were immersed in the festive atmosphere,  RPK16 whp had gone for an overhaul as ordered reopened her eyes in the repair pod.

Doll mind initialization completed.


Mind model structure normal...

Although the self-check module in the body indicated there were no missing arms or legs, with her memories of the previous mission were still there, RPK16's face sank.

There is something different...

Noticing the difference in her body, RPK16's face unconsciously returned to its usual expression of light laughter.

"Is there anything wrong after the check?"


Just as RPK16 was pondering, a voice rang out from the doorway as the door opened.

The smiling AK12 stood in the doorway and gazed RPK16, who had just stood up.

"Of course not, everything's fine, isn't that par for the course?" RPK16 responded with the same smile. As AK12 nodded, RPK16 inadvertently raised her hand to touch the electronic warfare equipment on her neck.


This action that was completely different from her usual habits, caused RPK16 to freeze momentarily, but then she regained her normal expression and grabbed her equipment from the nearby desktop, putting it on and following AK12 out of the access room.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Not long, probably only one night. But Ange's side is really idle. On this big holiday, we still need to go on a mission. Really, as if there’s no vacation." AK12 said as they walked.


She didn't notice the strange expression on RPK16's face behind her.


...



"What's going on again? There's not going to be another sales pitch for some weird product, is there?"


Gentiane somewhat helplessly lifted her hand from the middle of her sleeping bag and propped it up against the tablet Kalina was trying to use to wake her up.

"It's strange how you've become so perceptive now. You never used to detect what I did."

"Heh, probably because I've been eating more fresh vegetables lately, so I'm healthier." Yawning, Gentiane lazily got up from the middle of her sleeping bag, and while pulling her clothes towards her body, she surveyed Kalina's expression.

Well, there was nothing urgent about it, so it shouldn't be anything important. It's likely she's selling those messy goods she purchased. Obviously, she's Griffin's logistics officer, but this woman is incredibly passionate about doing business.

This woman even opened a store at her own base, specializing in doing business with dolls, or rather, in cheating those dolls out of their pitiful deposits...

"How can it be? I also ate the same, but I don’t feel... hey! What?" Kalina said, suddenly dodging the slap that Gentiane tried to land on her head.

"This is not it. You couldn’t avoid this move in the past. The vegetables Renault sent over always feel like something is not right. Those can’t be some kind of biochemical lab products, right?"

In that case, the two of them will become Renault's test subjects?

"Don't rule out this possibility... Wait, I have serious business! There's news from headquarters: the restoration of M4A1 has been completed. In a while, the AR Team will return to command."

Kalina said, shaking her head and shaking off these unimportant matters, looking down at the tablet in her hand, and opening her mouth towards Gentiane.

"The AR team is coming back? What's going on? The situation on my side should still be relatively smooth, right? Shouldn't the AR squad be traveling to other areas where the situation is more pressing?"

The AR Team is 16lab's elite special operations doll. They were supposed to head to more important areas for missions.

But she is in the S05 area.


She shouldn't need them, right?


Although her previous application for mobilization to this side had a purpose related to the AR squad, Sector S05 is at peace. Apart from some small groups of Sangviss, there are no major conflicts, so there's no reason for the AR squad to...

Just thinking about it, Gentiane thought of the Sangvis doll that had seriously injured M4A1 initially. That Sangvis doll's head was not big, but its aura and command authority seemed far beyond the other Sangvis elite dolls.

"I'd better clarify, although your side is very smooth right now, both the Sangvis and the military have long ago placed a large amount of troops at the edge of your sectors. Without any surprises, this is probably the last peaceful Christmas of your life."

Just as Gentiane was wondering, the communication in the combat command room suddenly connected.


The hologram of Persica with swollen cheeks and tears in the corners of her eyes suddenly appeared before them.

"Hiss! Miss Persica, can you not say such horrible words in a calm tone? I still want to live well into my hundredth year!" After she heard Persica's words, Gentiane instantly became so angry that she rolled her eyes.

This woman really said this. She was was clearly cursing her to not live until the end of next year, right?


"And what's with this look of yours? Did you get beaten up because your words were too poisonous?"

The red look on Persica's cheeks was clearly from being pinched or beaten up and Gentiane couldn't think of anyone who would do such a thing to Persica, the IOP's cash cow.

"Hmph, it's just some loser... ah! Ouch ouch ouch ouch!"


Just as Persica was about to let out a couple of harsh words, an arm reached out from beyond the imaging range of the hologram, directly clamping down on the soft flesh of Persica's waist, and twisted it without mercy!

Seeing Persica's screaming face, Gentiane and Kalina both drew a breath of cold air.

Good grief, how big of a grudge is this?

"Hiss! Anyway, that's it. Just get ready to receive the AR Team on your side. They're ready to leave now. The situation in S05 will definitely change again, so prepare yourself mentally." With another large tear in her eye, Persica said somewhat indignantly as she cut off the comms.

Seeing that Persica cut off the communication after she finished speaking, Gentiane couldn't help but pull the corner of her mouth speechlessly, unable to figure out what Griffin's upper echelons were actually thinking.


They clearly knew that the Sangvis and the military's target was M4A1, but still wanted to send M4A1 to her?



---







Chapter 589 - Shall We Stay?





"Ah! I'm sure you used to be an Sangvis doll, right? You must have been a Sangvis doll before! We look so much alike! Even our hairstyles are exactly the same!"


Architect suddenly came in front of WA2000, calling out to her with glowing eyes.

"Hey! Sh! What? How can I be a Sangvis doll! And... and clearly only the hairstyles are similar! Even the braids are not in the same direction!"


WA2000, startled by Architect who suddenly swooped over, heard the other party's words, then took a closer look at her, and called out in some shame.

Going to a snowball fight or something, she naturally didn't go. Of course, when Architect was brought in by Maria, she naturally noticed the two new faces, Architect and Gager.

Since they were brought in by Maria, she thought they would not fight with them on the airship. Not to mention, the other party was just coming over for a meal, which was just enough to help deplete the inventory of the storehouse.

But even so, WA2000 didn't intend to suddenly get close to the other party.


After all, not long ago, they were still fighting against Sangvis. How could they sit down and be nice with the other party as if they were a family now?

Just because she didn't approach Architect didn't mean Architect wouldn't take the initiative to approach her...

WA2000 wrinkled her eyebrows, tired of dealing with Architect in front of her who was chattering away, and inclined her head from side to side to seek help from the doll next to her.

But she did not find anyone. A helpless-looking Gager was quietly moving behind WA2000, reaching for the cake WA2000 had just received from G3, which was emitting a sweet smell.

After Architect glimpsed that Gager had already "gotten her hands on it," she immediately raised her eyebrows, the eager expression on her face instantly changing to a smug smile, and she jumped backward.

After receiving the cake from Gager, she ran off to a location far from WA2000.

"Haha! As expected, I'm still smart!"

"Huh? Ah! My cake! You..." Seeing Architect stuff the cake into her mouth while running, WA2000 felt she was going to be exasperated.

This girl ran to her and made all that fuss just for a piece of cake?

Architect thought WA2000 would be furious and shout to catch her, then she saw that WA2000 just blankly glanced at she, then turned her head towards the counter, causing her to immediately froze in place.

How come this doll's reaction isn't right?

Gager next to her felt even more humiliated at this time. She raised her hand to point to the counter. Architect followed her fingers.

Right over the counter, G3 was standing there with a helpless face. On the counter were several cakes that had already been cut and were waiting to be taken.

As for why G3 looked helpless, it was because most of the dolls had already eaten their fill. Although these cakes that had just been served tasted very good and were taken away by the dolls quickly, a lot still remained.

"Did I make more again?" G3 wrinkled her eyebrows. She wondering if she should discuss with G36 to make all that extra milk into cheese that could be easily stored. That way, the milk sent over every day from MG3's side wouldn't be wasted as much.

"Ah, WA2000! It's okay to take a few more pieces!" Seeing WA2000 return, G3 was also a bit happy. It would be the best thing to have a few more dolls who could eat well in the house.

"No, no, I only need one piece, that's enough. But that doll over there doesn't seem to have had enough. You can go ask her."


WA2000 quickly waved her hand, picking up her plate before pointing to Architect in the distance who was planning to lick his plate.

Cake is good, but if she can eat cake to her heart's content every day, she might even get tired of desserts in the future. This is one of her few hobbies, and it can't be ruined by uncontrolled overeating!

As for why SPAS-12 didn't sweep everything here in one go...

"56-1, I've found it. The stomach pouch of a doll really does have its limits. The more a doll tries to eat, the more it will stretch its stomach pouch to the point of indigestion due to unexpected food, unless it becomes an existence beyond a doll..."

"Hmm? So what exactly are you trying to say?" 56-1, who was sitting right next to SPAS-12, said somewhat helplessly after stuffing the ribs he was holding with his chopsticks into her mouth and then spitting out a piece of bone.

"I reject my T-Doll identity! 56-1!" SPAS-12 looked at 56-1, who was still able to continue eating, and shouted out in dismay.

Hearing SPAS-12's words, 56-1 shrugged indifferently, "Go find the Commander. He might be able to help you transform into a fatter figure to accommodate the enlarged bionic stomach pouch. And as I've said, don't eat so fast when eating. Leave a little time for digestion. Be careful that the stomach pouch doesn't end up breaking."

Not to mention the two eaters exchanging tips on how to eat more food, G3, who had been reminded by WA2000, took the initiative at this time. Using a large tray, she directly picked up those desserts in front of her and walked towards Architect.

"If it's not enough, there's still more here. There's also a lot of ingredients left in the kitchen. Come on, eat more!"

G3 smiled and urged Architect to eat more, but Architect looked back at Gager with some trembling.


"Nah, Gager, I want to resign from Sangvis. Is there any way around that? This place is simply heaven!"

Gager who was also urged by G3 to eat more heard Architect's words and subconsciously paused. She even started calculating the actual probability of success in this matter in her neural core.

However, just after the simulation algorithm model was established, she shook her head to clear her thoughts.


"Don't talk nonsense! We haven't finished our mission yet! Hurry up and leave after eating! The base is waiting for you over there right now..."

Subconsciously, she wanted to repeat the importance of the mission to remind Architect not to intentionally skip work. But she suddenly remembered that this wasn't Sangvis's territory, and most of the dolls around her were tactical dolls just like G&K dolls.

Halfway through her sentence, Gager stopped her words vigilantly and looked around, only to find that no T-doll was paying any attention to them at all.


Even G3, who had just come over to deliver the snacks, had already returned to the restaurant's counter by now.

"Anyway, don't think about all this! Agent and mastermind side are still waiting for us to set up those Jupiter cannons!"

Now that the military's attack on Sangvis was becoming more urgent, after setting up those Jupiter cannons, they would be able to attack those strongholds of the military through this artillery position.

Of course, The Griffin base was the same.

However, their main target was still the military's large combat teams. Griffin's small doll forces were not worthy of using the Jupiter Cannons.


Just their Sangvis's armored units would be enough to give these tactical dolls a headache.




---




Chapter 590 - It's All Piled Up



Staying is certainly out of the question. Gager would not let Architect act so foolishly, although the treatment on Renault's side is indeed quite good...

Shaking her head violently, Gager expelled the slightest sign of faltering from her mind and stiffly dragged Architect out of the airship.

However, when leaving, G3 deliberately packed some uneaten snacks from the dining room and hung them around Architect's neck. Maria also asked CF05 to gather a lot of 'local products' for Architect.


These included canned goods, wine from an overflowing cellar, and meat products that couldn't fit in the warehouse—a series of self-produced and self-sold items that the ship could barely store.

Although for CF05 and MG3, Maria was just helping to clear out the inventory, Architect was moved to tears.

"Decision made! When I get back, I'll stop calling Destroyer a little twerp!"

Hearing Architect's words, Gager sighed somewhat hopelessly. Her superior had already been completely bribed by this bit of material from the other side.

But it was indeed surprising; who would have thought that just relying on the facilities among the airship that the doll on Renault's side would be able to produce so many supplies that were relatively scarce on weekdays?

All kinds of fresh ingredients isn't something seen on the Sangvis Ferri side for several years. After all, Sangvis Ferri dolls do not need to eat. Elite dolls still maintain the function of eating, but that's only due to the original designer's preferences.

Therefore, Agent didn't include the elite dolls' need to eat in the consideration of war supplies—it wasn't necessary for Sangvis Ferri at all. If elite dolls wanted to eat or drink, they could only go to former human settlements to look for expired or unexpired items. Usually, it was mostly canned dry food and some MREs left behind by Griffin.

"Wow! That Renault is quite a nice guy! Tsk, why isn't he the head of Sangvis Ferri? If he came to Sangvis Ferri, our standard of living would definitely improve by a large margin!"

Architect sat behind a Snowmobile and still clutching a can of food sighed with an incredibly conflicted heart.

Gager also sitting behind another Snowmobile, couldn't help but pull the corner of her mouth breathlessly. This kind of unrealistic idea should be thrown away as soon as possible—it's impossible.

But even with this certainty, Gager couldn't help but ponder the possibility...

"Gager! Gager! I've just counted! Renault's side already has Destroyer—ah, it's Maria—as well as Scarecrow, Executioner, Hunter, Intruder, Ourobouros, Alchemist, and a considerable number of ordinary Sangvis Ferri dolls... That guy is our natural ally! When are we going back..."

Hearing Architect counting all the Sangvis Ferri elite dolls she saw on Renault's side, Gager immediately closed her eyes with a headache...

Well, there were only a few Sangvis Ferri elite dolls, and now Renault's side is about to gather half of them... That Commander called Renault, could he have some kind of collecting fetish?

But we have to admit, with so many Sangvis Ferri dolls on Renault's side, if the other side weren't human, he could indeed be called Sangvis Ferri's ally...

But this matter is just to think about—the other side is not going to help Sangvis Ferri...



...



"Ooh wow, are there still so many? It's all stacked up already!"


After finishing her meal, Ourobouro was still holding the portion she had brought to RFB when she was suddenly startled as she passed by the entrance of the storehouse.

"Eh? Yeah, there's no more space to pile them up. We need to find a few people to sell these off, or else you'll have to squeeze between these bins of supplies every day from now on." Alchemist, in her work uniform and leaning against the supply crates, said with some helplessness.

"Alas, I will remind the Commander to find a way to sell these. Otherwise, it would be a bit too wasteful to reprocess them all into fertilizer." M1 Garand squeezed out of the storage room at this time, looking at the tablet in her hand with a bit of a headache.

She never thought she would have a day when she would worry about the supplies in their house being able to pile up...

"Oh, then please, if it continues like this, the farm side is going to be full as well. MG3 is now complaining all day long that the dolls at home are consuming too little." Hearing M1 Garand's words, Alchemist waved her hand and twisted around to skulk away towards the farm.

And looking at M1 Garand and the Rippers going back and forth busily, Ourobouros shrunk her neck and tiptoed away from the doorway of the storehouse.

Although she stood there and didn't move, M1 Garand wouldn't ask for her help. But was it good? Watching others busy while playing games on the side?

Feeling a little guilty for the first time, Ourobouros hurriedly sprinted back to her and RFB's dormitory.

However, after listening to Ourobouros's journey, RFB obviously had nothing to be embarrassed about.


While mindlessly eating, she raised her chopsticks and pointed at Ourobouros in front of her, "What are you thinking so much about? Anyway, when the Commander has a mission, wouldn't it be better for you to put in a little more effort to follow it?"

Since the Commander did not open his mouth, they naturally do not need to think too much. Besides, the Commander is not leisurely every day. If they are too diligent...

Then there must also be something that allows them to be diligent! What is it now? There is no mission! There is nothing to do at all!

Nodding thoughtfully, Ourobouros also sighed.


She was just created, obviously an Sangvis Ferri elite combat doll, but now on Renault's side, she had instantly become someone who can only eat and drink all day...

Isn't something not quite right? Should we ask Renault if there is anything she can do?

Although her current state is no different from the Intruder who fishes all day long and Maria who fights all day long, it's a bit bad to keep on idling like this...

"Oi oi! Ourobouros! Don't freeze up! This monster over here has respawned! Hurry over and help me fight it!"

"Ooooh! I'm coming!"

Hi! What's wrong with me? Get on! Get on the game!

As for the storage space on the airship running out, Renault naturally knew about it. He had already contacted the same freight company from last time, and it was time to sell off a batch of these supplies that couldn't be piled up anymore.

He doesn't know whether the other party has digested those things sent over last time.


---




Chapter 591: A Quiet Sector






"Mission? What mission?" M16 was sitting on the helicopter, carrying the bottle in her hand when she looked at RO635 with some surprise; when Helian gave the mobilization order, she didn't mention anything about a mission.

She had thought that this time she was simply going over to Gentiane's side to help with the co-defense.

"Well, it can't be considered a mission from G&K, it's Persica's side. Shortly after the previous evacuation from Sector S05, a squad was left over there to help scout the Sangvis, and my mission is to go and bring them all back. But of course, it seems like it shouldn't be a difficult mission right now..." RO635 scratched her head and said.

"Uh-huh, after all, Sector S05 is as calm as Griffin's backyard right now, and those Sangvis have all turned into gophers one by one, not knowing in which unknown stronghold they're cowering."


Hearing RO635 say this, M16 nodded and said with some understanding.

If it was just a matter of retrieving a few dolls responsible for scouting amongst the S05 area, it really didn't seem to be a difficult task as things stood now, and perhaps Gentiane's side had already taken care of this task a long time ago.

"M4, why don't you say anything? Is there anything else wrong with your body?" RO635 looked at M4A1 who was sitting by the porthole and looking out the window, and asked somewhat strangely. Since M4A1 had gotten on the helicopter, it seemed that she hadn't said a word.

"Hey? No, no, the condition of the body is all normal, I'm just..." RO635's sudden question obviously made M4A1 a little disoriented, her hands waving, with a slightly unnatural smile.

"Are you worried about AR15 and SOP2? RO yesterday already gave the cell phone to you so worried about it, you can directly call over to ask if your really worried." While saying that, M16 also took out her cell phone and waved it in front of M4A1's eyes.

"Just make a phone call, it's not good to hesitate. Their life now don't mention how comfortable, Renault's treatment to his own dolls is really enough to make people jealous." While speaking, M16 shook the bottle of wine in her hand that was about to reach the bottom.

These days, she had the money to buy wine; otherwise, she would have been wandering around Griffin's base to drink a little bit.

Thinking about it like this, the situation on Renault's side where their liquor is piled up in the warehouse continuously and the drink can't be drunk is already overflowing, it really is too tempting...

M16 also recalled those photos that SOP2 sent her these days, which included the helpless look of Simonov and her drunkard friends carrying barrels of wine and looking at the overflowing warehouse.

Looking at M16 taking out her cell phone and drooling over that one keg, M4A1 and RO both looked at each other and smiled, but M4A1 then also took out her cell phone and started to look through those photos that SOP2 and AR15 had sent over.

Well, a large portion of them were sent over by SOP2; the girl had probably learned how to take selfies from MDR, and often appeared with a smiley face on top of her face on the side of the photo.

The most recent pics are probably the one where they won a snowball fight with the Elite doll Architect of Sangvis...

Hmmmm? Hmmmmmm?


A snowball fight with Sangvis?


No, no, she must have just woken up, and there's still some redundant data in her mind that hasn't been dealt with yet... When did SOP2, who wants to tear Sangvis apart when she sees them and treats their parts as toys, actually manage to get along with Sangvis peacefully?

Moreover, what is the situation on Renault's side? Why is he having a snowball fight with Sangvis?


If G&K doll had encountered such a situation... there would be no such thing as a fight, would there?

Although she was little surprised at the Renault side and Sangvis's way of getting along, being able to see the recent situation of SOP2 and AR15 these days still makes her very happy, if slightly a little helpless...

After all, AR15 and SOP2's situation, I'm afraid it is difficult for them to return to Griffin. Not to mention Griffin will not accept two dolls that were once under the hands of other security contractors: it's also Renault who won't agree to release his dolls, it is a difficult problem to say...

And M4A1's sentimentalism didn't last too long.


Thanks to the calmness of Sector S05, the road back to Sector S05 Command Center was very smooth. In the middle of it, not to mention being attacked by Sangvis, even the shadow of Sangvis was not seen.

"Welcome back." Looking at the trio that came down from the helicopter, Gentiane waved her hand in greeting.

"Ah, it's been a while, Commander Gentiane. Any recent missions? I feel like I'm getting rusty."


M16 responded familiarly, looking around and realizing that each of those dolls in the base over here looked idle.

"Well, don't think about the mission; there are no missions over at the headquarters these days. The only thing that can be considered a mission is probably the thing that RO asked us to help find the whereabouts of those dolls before." Gentiane said while shrugging her shoulders.

And seeing this relaxed look on Gentiane's face, it was thought to be self-evident just how that mission RO had mentioned to the two of them in the helicopter was.

"Commander Gentiane, could it be that you've already found them?" RO asked with a slight urgency as his eyes lit up at the words.

"Yes, but I can't say I've found them. I just ran into them when I was clearing out the remnants of the Sangvis units, so I brought them straight back. You should know that the Sangvis Ferri aren't doing anything at all in Sector 05 right now, and the ones that are left are all just sporadic ordinary Sangvis units."

"That means we have to continue resting?"
Hearing this, M16 didn't know what expression to make at this moment.


Without Sangvis, it was naturally peaceful, but without Sangvis, it also meant that they still needed to continue to maintain the state of vacation...

"Probably sort of. Long time no see, M4, how's the recovery going?"


Toward the M16 spread her hands, Gentiane also turned her head to look at the M4A1, looking at the expression on her face, obviously some distracted appearance.

"Hey? Ah, Commander Gentiane, I'm in good shape now, ready to go at any time..."

Before she finished her words, she saw Gentiane waving her hand, "Alright, just by looking at you, I know you must have just been fixed by Persica before you were released. It's just as well to take advantage of this time to liaise with AR15 and the girls, anyway, there are no missions lately or so."

Since the last attack on the guardhouse of those Sangvis and the Sangvis Mastermind repelled, those originally still in a steady stream towards the 05 area infiltration of Sangvis instantly lessened by half.


After a while, there was completely no movement; do not know where those Sangvis actually ran to.

But in any case did not continue to invade the S05 area is enough, she can only care about her own area now, the situation in other areas naturally have Helion and Griffin's other upper echelons to headache.

"Uh, okay..." She did not expect even Gentiane herself reminding her to call AR15. Her thoughts are still immersed in the previous battle with the Sangvis Mastermind.


M4A1 felt was unable to adapt. It felt like peace had come whenever to 16lab's laboratory.

Also.. Why did it feel like she just stayed in 16lab's lab for a while then the whole world suddenly has become calm?


---




Chapter 592: Delivering and Picking Up Goods

"There's actually a residential area in this neighborhood? I can't believe these guys still dare to live in this kind of area. Aren't they afraid that Sangvis will rush over and raid them all?"


Looking at the town not far away, UMP45 also said with some surprise.

"Probably there are still some important facilities here, or these people don't have the means to leave this place. This place just looks like it's a little hard to get around." HK416 said as he surveyed the small town in the middle of the basin below.

The only thing that could get in and out of this place besides an insignificant looking highway was a railroad, one that was built by Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing, but now that railroad had been vandalized.

It was also a good thing that this place wasn't a transportation hub, and Sangvis's mastermind couldn't think of commanding dolls to come over and overhaul the railroad over here for a while. While the inconspicuous highway was filled with quite a bit of debris crashing down on the part of the coiled mountain, the way in and out of the place was just about blocked up.

"Probably." UMP45 shrugged her shoulders.


The size of this town wasn't too big; there shouldn't be too many residents in it, and at a glance, she could see that there were several airfields in the town where helicopters could be parked. So if all the people who lived here were rich, she thought that it wouldn't be difficult to evacuate from here.

They still live here, probably because they think that this place won't attract the attention of Sangvis or the military.


After all, if they stay here, these rich people can still be their own rich family, but if they leave this place, in the end, how much of the property that they have saved up for their whole life will still be left is unknown.

"Have you brought everything? Vera, by the way, help me see if there's anything wrong with the drone footage." MDR said towards the small reporter beside her while checking the items in the carry-on bag.

Since the last time MDR asked, the little reporter had thought about it for two days and borrowed several books from the other doll side and read them over and over again before she came up with a name for herself.

"Flush flush, the drone footage looks normal, but the light outside is a little less than bright, and the settings on the auto exposure system seem a little off."

"Then hurry up and set it up, it's about to land." MDR said as she pulled out her imprinted weapon under Vera's somewhat alarmed gaze, skillfully pulling the bolt open and checking it over, then directly loading a pressurized magazine.

"Okay! Ready!"

"Eh... MDR? We should just be making a delivery this time, right? Why..."

"Why do we still need to bring a gun? Hey ah, this kind of small matter is something you dont need to dwell on. Although now I'm no longer counted as a 'tactical' doll, this duty still has to be done well."

If she was paralyzed by carelessness, Renault would not hesitate to punish her.

Moreover, in a place like this, where even a proper quarantine facility was far away, there was no telling what might happen, so it was better to consider all possible situations from the beginning rather than wait until something happened to make preparations.

Renault said that this time the employer has already paid in advance and they only need to transport the goods. One by one, all are fragile goods. When in action, they must not make a single mistake.

"This job..." Hearing MDR say this, Vera just remembered.

But isn't this job...

After living on the ship for so many days, she had completely forgotten that Renault is a security contractor...

"That's not right. How come I heard that this time it's just to come over here to deliver to a few rich families?" UMP40 was also walking over at this time, similarly clutching her imprinted weapon in her hand.

Just now, after Renault told them to gather, he had already said that it was clearly just a simple delivery, and those canned goods in the warehouse weren't fragile goods. She had just watched the Rippers stuff those canned goods into the supplies box when they were boxing and packing them up.

"Heya, the delivery was just incidental. You just ran to the stockroom after hearing only the first half, the second half is the point!"

"Uhm, what kind of cargo is that exactly?"

"I don't know, Renault didn't say, but according to the client, it should be very valuable stuff. I heard that the price offered this time is very generous." MDR twisted her fingers as she spoke.

"That said... but, it seems that we are not short of money now, right?" UMP40 walked while scratching her head strangely. The small amount of debt she owed before had already been paid off a long time ago, and she still had quite a lot saved on hand now, so it could be said that she wasn't short of money at all.

Although it hadn't reached the level of being able to buy a house and land, for herself, that amount of money she was afraid she wouldn't be able to spend it all for a long time.


If it was in Griffin, most of the daily expenses needed to spend money, so most of the money in the doll pocket can't be saved, unknowingly consuming all the money. If it is like RFB, who is keen on buying games, or like SPAS-12, who can't stop eating, the speed of spending money will only be faster.

But Renault's side was different.


Most of her daily food and clothing were able to be self-produced, and now even her clothes were able to be ready made with the help of P90. She really couldn't think of what exactly she could spend all this money in her pocket on.

"How can anyone have not have too much money! Besides, you have all been idle for such a long time, you have to find something to do, right?"

As they spoke, several people also came to the hangar of the airship.


Naturally, there was no large open space in this town that could accommodate the landing of an airship, so they, the dolls who needed to go out on a mission, could only go down in Simonov's gunship.

At this time, the Rippers had already moved the prepared goods into the gunship cabin, eight full-sized boxes of supplies, half of which were canned goods, the other half was the flour milled from the wheat that hadn't been consumed.

Although it looks like quite a lot, it's obviously not for the residents of this entire town. But it may be, after all, the buildings here one by one are not small, maybe it is the density of residents here is relatively low.

"Well, I'm finally felt that bit of being security contractor, but us changing our bag of ammunition is really strange."


"Yeah, it's weird, and there's only one type of round, so what if we can't get it right?" Super-Shorty looked helplessly at the white bag of bullets in the chamber.


I'm afraid that this thing is just for show...

"Be happy if you can use it, the commander is probably taking care of your mood. Otherwise, where would this thing be used? Think about it, the commander is always chopping people with his axe!" Standing outside the hatch of the gunship, P90 waved her hand and gestured a chopping motion with an axe.

Looking at P90's exaggerated movements, M870 and Super-Shorty in the cabin all subconsciously frowned.

No wonder they only gave one sack of rounds...


First, a warning shot, and the next one is a head shot, right?




---






Chapter 593 - Failure of Contact




"The commander is going?"


M870 looked at Renault who was sitting right next to her and couldn't help but ask with some curiosity.

After all, in Griffin, except for some very important missions or to ensure the safety of the entire situation, the T-Doll commanders generally do not go out with the doll squads.

However, looking at Renault's appearance who was very well versed at soloing, it was obvious that he was not the kind of combat commander that Griffin later expanded to only sit in the office.

"I'm going to take a look. That second commission  felt like something's not quite right."


This commission which was received from the same captain who received the cargo last time probably saw Renault's ship or saw the Universal Anything's pass permit.

However, this was all Renault's speculation. Perhaps the other party just really introduced a not-so-important commission in passing, as there really weren't many freight companies that had airships that could travel around the proximity of the Griffin and Sangvis Ferri Warzone at will.

Large air transportation companies mostly have large airplanes, and without a serious airport, there really is no way. Small air transportation companies mostly have helicopters, possibly due to the lack of range, but also because they cannot fight against the high risk of flying in the war zone.

The strange thing about this commission is that the price given by the other party is really not low, and the other party did not directly reveal their identity.

An anonymous commission with a high amount of compensation initially made Renault reluctant to follow.

But then the other side mentioned that a representative would handle the docking.

If it wasn't for this, he wouldn't have accepted this commission in the first place. Now that this matter hadn't been completely finalized, if there was a problem when he received the goods, he would definitely turn his head and leave.

"The commission is not right?"


Upon hearing this, not only M870, but the other dolls in the cabin also looked towards Renault.

"Then these goods?" M500 tilted her head and looked at the boxes of supplies in the cabin. If there was something wrong with the commission, was there a need to send these supplies?

Like M500, the group of dolls who heard this immediately set their eyes on the crates of supplies in the cabin.

"It has nothing to do with these things. I'm talking about the second commission. That commissioner has already paid the money. Even if there is a problem, we can just return the money. Don't overthink it; just be a little vigilant for a while."

While speaking, Simonov had already driven the gunship to the airfield that had been discussed beforehand, and there were already several civilian dolls waiting over there.

Apparently, the benefactor who had purchased these things didn't seem to intend to show up in person.

However, this was just as Renault preferred. He also did not intend to exchange pleasantries with the other party.


Deliver the goods, collect the money, and leave – dry and sharp but also straightforward.

On the airport below, eight civilian dolls dressed in maid uniforms were standing at the edge of the tarmac, watching the gunship slowly descend.


In the open hatch of the gunship, they stood there and watched as MDR and the others in the cabin used a trailer to drag the crates out.

Seeing the boxes of supplies being dragged out, these civilian dolls came forward, opened the boxes of supplies, and began to confirm whether the number of supplies in the boxes was correct. Then Renault's cell phone received a transfer message. During this time, these dolls still did not say a word.

After the wordless transaction, Simonov once again drove the gunship into the air.


MDR only then spoke with a strange expression,


"These dolls, they are a bit too dull, aren't they? They didn't say a single word. At least exchange pleasantries and say thank you or something, right?"

"Those dolls are all from old technology. Maybe they don't even have a talk function installed." UMP45 said as she looked through the porthole at the dolls below pushing the trailer towards an estate not far from the airport.

"How can that be? Even for the first generation of civilian dolls, the most basic functions like talking are still there, right?"

"I mean, those dolls, it's possible that they aren't dolls at all. Maybe they're just early droids transformed." UMP45 added somewhat helplessly.


She had just noticed that although these dolls were all dressed very uniformly, the parts that were exposed were completely varied. There was no access to the communication channels used by normal civilian dolls at all.

"Eh, you mean... no way. What era is this? Look at how big that manor is. I guess it must be a decent person. How come you can't even spare a few civilian dolls?" Upon hearing this, MDR also reacted, muttering in some disbelief.

Under normal circumstances, a large manor more or less would need ten or twenty civilian dolls inside for maintenance. Just this expense should not matter at all for a mansion this big.


"Whatever you think, anyway, I'm not interested. There are many strange reasons. If you dig to the bottom of each one, why don't you just change your profession to become a reporter?" After UMP45 finished speaking, she turned her head and smiled at Vera who didn't make a sound next to her.

Professional journalists here haven't even spoken yet, so you amateurs shouldn't make a fuss.

The first commission was unlike the second one.


Although the commissioner of this second commission seemed to be more generous than the previous rich man, what Simonov didn't expect was that the second landing site was neither a small square in the town nor some private apron, but instead a piece of not-so-flat wasteland.

Around the barren land were all kinds of uneven-height trees. The ground also had a lot of messy stones. If she were not driving a gunship but an ordinary helicopter, Simonov really wouldn't dare to land in this kind of place.

In addition, there was a lot of snow in this place, making it difficult to judge whether the ground was stable or not. But for the gunship, it was not a problem at all. Directly landing, it could flatten whatever ground it encountered.


When the gunship stabilized, M500 and Super-Shorty jumped down first, took a look around with their guns, and frowned, "There's no one around."

This was not the same as what Renault had said before.


Renault was also a bit annoyed as he looked around. Not to mention the vicinity of this wasteland, even a few hundred meters away shows that there was not a single person in sight.

Was the client deceiving him? There was no reason for that, right?


The money was in his account. What was the point of not showing up at the end?

"Commander?"

"Hold on, I'll ask." While fumbling for his cell phone, Renault looked towards the surrounding high points. There was no ambush; this place was simply just a wasteland.

Just as Renault dialed the phone number, MDR and the others also came out from the cabin, spreading out in the surrounding area to check the situation.

In addition to the busy tone, Renault's phone was still busy... a landline?


Speaking of which, when the money was transferred earlier, this client seems to have made a phone call before transferring the money...

Had the client been knocked out?



---




Chapter 594 - These are New Clothes





"Commander, there are a few footprints over here!"

"There are also some over here. Judging by the size, they should be from small children."

Just as Renault was having a headache trying to reach the other party's wired telephones, UMP40 and Super-Shorty shouted out one after another.

Hearing the shouts, Renault shook his head helplessly.


The other party was using a corded telephone and the only thing he could confirm from the constant busy signal was that their telephone line had been disconnected. If there were a signal receiver on that thing, he wouldn't be having a headache.

It seemed that this town was not only ancient in terms of doll type, but also used communication tools from a century ago. How did these people manage to live until now?

As Renault walked over to UMP40 and Super-Shorty, HK416 also approached.


"The footprints were left recently, probably the day before yesterday or yesterday. Some of the footprints lead towards the bottom of the valley, and others go to the town."

The bottom of the valley?

Renault glanced towards the bottom of the valley and saw that it wasn’t devoid of people. Although the terrain wasn’t as good as the town's, there were quite a few houses there, albeit dilapidated and likely uninhabited.

"Leave two people with the gunship. The rest of us will split into two teams. UMP45 will take a group to the bottom of the valley to check the situation, and the others will come with me to the town."

Upon hearing this, HK416 was about to follow, but Renault pressed down on his shoulder, "You're coming with me. UMP40 will take the others to the bottom of the valley with 45."

UMP45, UMP40, MDR, and Vera went to the bottom of the valley, while Simonov stayed in place with M870. Renault took HK416, M500, and Super-Shorty with him towards the town.

"Really, why do I have to stay behind and watch the gunship? Is this something others can still drive away?" M870 sighed somewhat helplessly as she looked at Simonov who was at a loss for words with a flask in her hand.


"That's unknown. Probably because I think you look meaner."

"Huh? Me? Meaner? How can that be!?" M870 exclaimed loudly. Then she saw the leather jacket adorned with various skulls on her body through the smooth surface of Simonov's flask.

Snap! That P90! She really tricked me! What's with this outfit being more fierce? Now it's a mess!

The one who had similar worries to M870 was HK416. She didn't want to hang out in this kind of town more than going to the bottom of the valley for scouting. She really didn’t like the sight of those humans staring at her from time to time.

As for why she didn't have this concern while shopping before, it was because she wasn't holding her own imprint weapon when shopping. The humans around her wouldn't care what she looked like at all.

But holding a gun was a different story.


That was how it was after she ran away from Griffin in the first place. As long as she held her imprint weapon, even if it was stuffed into her gun pouch, people would stare at her.

Granted, most were too afraid of the weapon to get too close, but it couldn’t stop them from looking at her.

"What's the point of letting me tag along? UMP40 is more suited to this situation than I am, right?"


UMP40’s imprint weapon was suitable for street situations and her accuracy had improved, so they should be better able to cope if they switched.

Moreover, her magazines were loaded with armor-piercing bullets, specially made by Renault, and in a crowded street, she had to ensure her bullets wouldn't penetrate walls and injure passers-by.

"Indeed, but UMP40 is better suited to dealing with small children. Do you want to add 'scaring small children to tears' to your record?"

Compared to the very affable UMP40, HK416’s current costume was really not very pleasing. She didn’t have her regular carry bag with her, but the tactical undershirt she wore was full of magazines and grenades.

Just by standing here, an outsider would think HK416 was from a different world than M500 and Super-Shorty beside her.

Except for some ammo pouches hanging on their waists, they didn't look as exaggerated as HK416 at all...

"I..." Hearing Renault's words, HK416 looked down at herself.


As soon as she heard about the mission, she had prepared following her training routine and didn’t consider how she looked.

No wonder UMP45 was smiling before she left! Couldn't she have warned her? Did she have to watch her get embarrassed?

But fortunately compared to Renault, she was relatively normal, with just a few more magazines and conspicuous grenades.

But she knew Renault’s coat concealed a lot of gear. She wondered how he managed to carry so much with it.

However, HK416 was miscalculating today. Trying to find some comfort in Renault, she soon realized Renault’s coat looked very light, its hem fluttering abnormally...

No way! Renault's coat would swing so lightly? Wasn’t it heavier before?

Wait a minute! This coat! It looks the same as the previous one! But if you look closely, you can see it’s new!

"Wait! Renault! What's with this coat? Where’s all your equipment?"

"Hmm? Of course it's at home. M1 Garand said the other one needed washing, so I changed it."


Weapons and equipment were naturally in the old coat. This coat was only sent by M1 Garand two days ago. There was no reason to rub a bunch of maintenance oil on the lining of a new coat, right?

"Then... aren’t you carrying no weapons whatsoever?"

Renault doesn’t carry weapons anymore?

How refreshing!

She must be dreaming. This situation must be a simulation by UMP45 to tease her!

"I have them with me," Renault said, lifting his coat and revealing a gun hanging under his armpit and a hand axe.

Since this commission was introduced by the freighter captain, the first commission was just delivering vegetables. If not for the second commission's high price, he would be an ordinary vegetable vendor now. There was no need to bring so many weapons.

What's more, he wasn't allowed to wear new clothes.

Unfortunately, Renault's ‘refreshing’ outfit left HK416 frustrated.

Everyone else was lightly equipped.


They didn’t think to remind her! And now they wanted to bring her to a crowded place for public humiliation?


---




Chapter 595 - No Wonder



It should be said whether HK416's luck was unfortunate or fortunate today. After stepping into the town, the group did not attract pedestrians' attention. On the contrary, the town's pedestrians, upon seeing HK416, dressed like the plague, hurriedly lowered their heads and left.

The relieved HK416 now had a mouthful of frustration stuck in her throat that she couldn't express.

"Commander, the people in this town look a bit down," M500 observed.

Outside of the few pedestrians that had just passed by, the entire street was completely deserted, and among the buildings on both sides of the road, the sound of people talking was rarely heard.

"It's normal phenomenon. This kind of place is far from the city and will be abandoned sooner or later. Not to mention that this place is not far from the war zone at all." HK416 didn't think there was anything unusual about it. She had been to quite a few of these places back when she was still teaming up with M16.

Most towns in remote areas like this were deserted, some due to the looming problem of collapse radiation, others due to untenable law and order.

In short, unless someone was willing to pay out of their own pocket to build a barrier wall, places like this would eventually turn into ghost towns.

"There seems to be a sound coming from over there." The bionic ears on top of M500's head moved, and he raised his hand to point to the center of the town.

Renault looked at the pair of bionic ears on top of M500's head. The production of those ears had taken a lot of effort, but now they seemed quite effective. In the future, it might be possible to produce some external bionic ears.

With this in mind, Renault looked at HK416 wearing a beret next to him. If she put on cat ears...

Renault walked towards the direction pointed out by M500, pondering the feasibility in his mind.


Half a minute later, they arrived at a gathering crowd.

Just after seeing what these gathered people were doing, both HK416 and M500 furrowed their brows angrily.

At this moment, the people gathered in the middle of the square seemed to be conducting a rally while dismantling some broken and tattered-looking civilian dolls.

Renault and the others had obviously arrived a little too late. These people had already completely dismantled the dolls into parts, which were scattered around the center's temporary podium like garbage.

"What are they doing!?" Super-Shorty spoke, unable to accept what she was seeing. She subconsciously wanted to walk up and question these people about their intentions.

Even though how to treat the dolls was a matter for their employers and owners, wasn't it a bit too much to smash them into pieces?

However, before she could take a step, she was yanked back by HK416.


"Don't ask for trouble here."

The humans in front of them were obviously following someone's orders to do this, but it didn't matter who took the lead anymore. The state of these people was a little abnormal.

From the eyes of those people, HK416 saw nothing but fanaticism.

That logo over the podium looks a little familiar...


"Commander, haven't we seen that badge somewhere before?"

"Yes, I've seen it often on the news. It's very famous..."

"Ah! It's the one we saw on TV yesterday, the one that constantly publicizes the destruction of the world by electronic devices, called Paramela's Order..." M500 exclaimed, remembering the program he had seen a few days ago.

"What Paramela? Paramela is a car brand. The group is called Paradeus. Let's go, everyone else is already looking over." Patting Super-Shorty's head, Renault turned around to leave.

He had already checked. The group shouting slogans among the crowd did not include their commissioner's voice. Renault still remembered the voice characteristics from the call not long ago.

As for those who were now staring at them with burning eyes? They could do whatever they liked. If they wanted to revert to primitivism, they should go ahead, as long as they didn't involve him.

Super-Shorty was pulled by M500 and turned around still wanted to look back but was pressed down by HK416. "Don't turn around, or if these guys rush up later, you'll be scared and won't be able to sleep for a week."

"I'm not a child!"

"Yes, yes, you're not a child. What's scary isn't even those guys whose brains are already out of whack, it's..." HK416 didn't continue because Renault was already staring at her.

But seeing HK416 suddenly shutting her mouth, coupled with the target of the other party's gaze, Super-Shorty also understood what exactly HK416 was referring to.

Commander Renault is scary? Anyway, Super-Shorty didn't believe it. Although Renault usually didn't show much expression, when talking to them, he was still relatively mild and didn't seem scary at all.

Seeing Super-Shorty's uncertain appearance, HK416 shook her head

This child clearly had never been to the training room since coming to the ship. As long as you go to the training room and try a random training scenario, you wouldn't still look like that.

But after all, even HK416 and the 'old-timers' rarely went to the training room looking for trouble. Of course, G11 was an exception. She treated the training device like a game.

Recently, a few people from Springfield's group had come on board. So far, only wz.29 had gone to the training room, and that was to learn driving skills.

But even in the cockpit, wz.29 had come out of the training room timid, her degree of weakness seemingly increased, likely scared by the scenarios reproduced in the training room.

In short, if those people really rushed at them, the last to suffer wouldn't be their side. Renault wouldn't show any mercy to those who dared to attack them.

At that time, the commission wouldn't be completed, but half the town's population would be killed. How could they do business then?

No wonder Renault had her follow them... It was to watch over M500 and Super-Shorty.

As for the others... if MDR were here, she might provoke them, and if UMP40 saw the earlier scene, she might be even more radical, pulling out her imprint weapon for an attack.

Don't be fooled by UMP40's usually good-natured appearance, jerking a cat every day. At first glance, anyone would think she was temperless.

But remember, this girl once...


----


Chapter 596 - You're Not Bluffing


"This side of the road is really not easy to walk. These few children with no one to guide them aren't they afraid of accidents?" UMP40 said worriedly, looking at the deep and shallow footprints on the ground.

"No need to worry. The lack of bloodstains means those kids are fine. Besides, we don't even know if they're human. Before assuming they're someone's children, compare your footprints with those on the ground."

"Ah..."

Hearing this, UMP40 strimprint out her foot and compared it with one of the footprints, realizing that her own foot wasn't much bigger than the others.


This was embarrassing.

There were dolls smaller than her size, and if the ones who left these footprints were just a few dolls, then she had worried needlessly. If dolls appeared in a place like this, there must be a reason. Normal dolls even if wandering would go to areas near the city because it's easier to find batteries or charging ports. In a remote town like this without charging, they would be finished.

"Hey, what's there to say? I'll just release the drone first and take a look!" MDR slapped her head as if in a daze and took out the drone she had gotten a few days ago from her traveling bag.

UMP45 didn't stop her and watched as MDR released the drone. Vera held the drone's receiver and carefully surveyed the situation in the buildings ahead.

"It doesn't look like there's much of a crowd... Ah! There is! But not little kids. Huh? Hey! Why are they hiding!?" Vera stared at the screen in her hand. She had just seen a few silhouettes appear, but within a few seconds, those people, as if they had discovered something, quickly hid where the drone couldn't capture them.

Hearing Vera's words, UMP45 and MDR raised their eyebrows simultaneously and glanced at each other in surprise.

Sure enough, there was a situation!

And it wasn't children hiding. It was likely they had discovered the drone flying above them.

Now it is broad daylight, the sky is clear, so it was normal for them to see the drone.

But the strange thing was the speed at which those adults hid. They entered the drone's blind spot quickly, showing a level of vigilance and ability that was definitely not typical of ordinary residents.

MDR thought of this and hurriedly instructed Vera to fly the drone higher. This was a brand-new drone and she didn't want those guys using it as target practice.

As for whether the weapon in the other party's hands had the capability to shoot it down? She didn't know, but having the drone fly a bit higher wouldn't hurt, just in case.

While controlling the drone's action, MDR also rewound the previously captured images to watch them again. UMP45 also came over to look.

Just after seeing the silhouettes captured on film, the two of them instantly relaxed.

"It's okay."

"Hm? How is it okay?" UMP40 asked. "Just now, you both looked grave. Why are you relaxed now?"

"At first, I worried these people might be from the military, but now it looks like they should just be mercenaries on a mission. It's no big deal," UMP45 explained.

The worry was because this place was very close to the military's stationing area. As long as one climbed over two mountains, they would reach military territory, which wasn't difficult for the military's combat units.

If it were a human, it would take a lot of strength to cross the mountains, but for combat dolls and war machines, this distance was nothing.

Fighting with the military in a place like this could even get their airship involved. But since they were just mercenaries, there was nothing to fear.

Even if the mercenaries had backup, it was a world of difference compared to the military. They had no artillery, no anti-aircraft weapons, and not necessarily even heavy weapons.

Most mercenaries were flesh and blood. Even if they had prosthetics, they couldn't compete with the current them.

UMP40 nodded in understanding, but Vera beside her was sweating a bit.


Mercenaries? That's still no small matter.

"Alright! There's no need to look sad! If those mercenaries dare to make a move, I can beat them up myself!" MDR said, patting Vera's shoulder to comfort her.

However, this comfort sounded like bragging to Vera.


Tactical dolls are transformed from civilian dolls. No matter how strong they are, they couldn't be that strong. She had just seen at least seven or more mercenaries!

Although the mercenaries didn't have heavy weapons, they were armed to the teeth like HK416. It wasn't an exaggeration to say they were heavily armed.

MDR and UMP45 only carried their imprint weapons and Reno's special gun. Their ammunition supply was limited.

At best, they had five or six magazines.

In Vera's eyes, most battles were like in the movies, standing there, pulling the trigger non-stop, and it was over in a moment. In reality, it might not even hit anyone.

If MDR and UMP45 knew what Vera was thinking, they would give her a big blank stare.

Can't hit? Stop kidding. Nowadays, as long as it's within effective range, missing is almost impossible! The only problem is accuracy.

"Anyway, don't think too much. MDR, you're at the back, protect Vera," UMP45 said, pointing at the somewhat frightened reporter.

"Understood." MDR nodded and immediately stood in front of Vera, using her body to shield Vera.

Meanwhile, UMP45 and UMP40 glanced at each other and led the way towards the buildings ahead.

"45, don't you think this situation is a bit similar to that mission we had back then?"

"Is it? I don't feel that way."

"Weren't we walking shoulder-to-shoulder with our weapons in our hands in the middle of a group of people back then?"

"Maybe." UMP45 shrugged, not refuting UMP40's words.

As the dolls approached the houses, several gazes from within those houses landed on the weapon-wielding dolls.


---




Chapter 597 - Looking for Someone, Do You Recognize Him?



"Commander, why do you seem like you've been here before?"


M500 asked curiously, watching Renault navigate the alleyway with ease.

"It's just a feeling." Renault glanced at the bionic ears on M500's head, contemplating whether to replace them with a more advanced pair of olfactory detectors next time.

"Renault, it looks like a lot of people have been here; the footprints are messy."


The roads in the town weren't all asphalt. The ground beneath them was paved with cement, but over time, due to lack of maintenance, it had turned into a pitted dirt path.

At best, you could walk a few steps to see the remains of a large piece of cement. HK416 pointed out the footprints imprinted on these roads, which were messy and numerous.

It was evident that many people had gathered in this area, though it wasn't clear if it was a collective action or just spectators. Renault was inclined to believe the latter.

If it was merely spectators, there was no reason for the puddle in the middle of the road to be trampled near. Who in their right mind would jump toward a puddle of smelly sludge water?

"I know, just be careful. It's that house up ahead. There are three people: one behind the wall at the entrance, one in the main hall on the first floor, and another on the second floor, looking our way."

Renault nodded slightly toward the house, indicating the three figures were clearly visible to him, as well as the person watching them from the opposite side.

However, HK416 and the others didn't notice the person on the second floor watching them. The windows above were sealed with wooden boards, allowing no light to pass through. They couldn't see the person standing behind the gap.

HK416 had completely adapted to Renault's ability to find something wrong before she even realized it.


In contrast, M500 and Super-Shorty exchanged puzzled glances, clearly not entirely convinced.

After all, they were still more than fifty meters away from the house and there was no response from any of their life detection modules. They couldn't visually see any signs of activity.

The windows were sealed and they didn't have any equipment to see through, so there was no way to confirm if there were any enemies in the house.

Even though they were still unconvinced, M500 and Super-Shorty were as ready as HK416. Pretending to be aimless, they could lock onto an enemy's head instantly if spotted.

HK416 was ready to shoot the enemy's head off. As for M500 and Super-Shorty, it was unclear if they had even loaded their guns with bullets.

In any case, with only three people, there was no real threat to them, regardless of whether the other party held weapons. Even a Griffin doll who hadn't yet upgraded their body could handle this situation.

A doll's draw speed might not be as fast as some humans at their peak, but they could still cope with the average person or ordinary mercenary.

Of course, HK416 was not included in this. She was very confident now as she had undergone extensive training recently, which had transformed her. Even M16 had been beaten by her already.

She was confident that her drawing speed and reaction time wouldn't lose to anyone, even Renault.

Probably sensing the smug expression on HK416's face, Renault glanced at her, somewhat puzzled about what she was so proud of.

The fifty meters felt like just a few steps, especially since Renault's group didn't seem to be moving slowly. Except for Super-Shorty, their pace was steady.

When Renault reached the door of the house, the three people inside took action.

The person on the second floor came down, and the two on the first floor were ready in the room. Without Renault's reminder, HK416's Life Detection Module had already exposed all their movements.

All three had weapons: one had a crossbow, another a wooden knife, and the third carried something resembling a table leg or a big stick, a blunt instrument.

These three were likely not the clients Renault was looking for, as none of them were children or women.

The footprints at the receiving point were mostly children's footprints, except for one larger footprint. There were three people heading towards the town: a large one and two small ones.

In the buildings outside the town, there were four in total, all small children.

Renault could tell the other party was female from the perfume's scent. Children in this remote town wouldn't have the luxury to wear perfume, right?

Although it had been nearly a day, the scent still was strong to Renault. It was unknown what was wrong with that person, covering their body with perfume... In short, it was an overpowering greasy scent.

As for why HK416 and the others didn't notice the distinct smell?

Probably because the bath liquid they used masked other scents, or they had become immune to cosmetic and toiletry smells.

Renault reached the door, not intending to kick it down. Although the three people inside had a scent, they could be the client's acquaintances. Killing the client's friends or relatives would not be good.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Renault knocked hard on the door. The three people inside immediately tensed up, their hands clutching their weapons trembling.

Sensing their reactions through the life detection module, the three dolls exchanged surprised glances. The people's reactions were not what they had expected.

"Who are you people? Leave this place! Outsiders are not welcome here!" shouted the man with the big stick standing behind the door, guarding against intruders.

"We are looking for someone: an adult and two small children. Have you seen them?" Renault ignored the man's loud outburst and calmly stated their purpose.

Boom! Clang!

The three dolls heard muffled sounds from behind them and turned to see that it wasn't an attack.


Instead, the residents in the surrounding houses had closed their open doors and windows tightly.




Chapter 598 - So Easily Convinced?

"What kind of people are you? Non-human types? Or Griffin?"


Just as UMP45's team was leaning towards the buildings, four or five mercenaries shouted at them from behind their cover.

Hearing the other party shout, UMP45 raised an eyebrow.


The voice sounded subdued, but it was normal. After all, there were only four dolls on their side, and one of them was a camera-wielding reporter.

Three of them must have been civilian dolls converted to tactical dolls, not a deadly threat to the mercenaries, especially since the mercenaries were all in their respective positions at the moment.

Just waiting for the order from their leader, they would launch an attack towards UMP45's team.

Dolls aren't invincible; humans fear guns, and dolls do too. It wasn't like they hadn't fought dolls before.

"Sorry for the wrong guess, but aren't you guys going to show your faces? At least tell us who you really are?" UMP45 said as she narrowed her eyes, attempting to force a connection to a nearby communication device.

These people looked like mercenaries. Since they were mercenaries, they would definitely carry communication devices. If there was a device that could receive signals, she could try to crack it.

Before taking any real action, they needed to figure out what the other side was doing. This commission was important to Renault, otherwise, he wouldn't have taken HK416 to the town to check out the situation.

Well, it's not easy to find a generous client these days. She didn't want to mess up the commission because of hasty actions.

Facing UMP45's question, the other party hesitated about revealing their identity.

But UMP45 wouldn't wait for them to speak. She had already found a communication device near the mercenaries and discovered messages left after their communications.

"We are the giant..."

"Ah, I see, Giant Snake mercenaries. Your mission is to protect a group of brats, right? What about the commissioner? We're here to find your client."

Before the mercenary could finish his sentence, UMP45 stood up from behind her cover, smiling and putting on a harmless appearance. She led the way towards the middle of the other side's shooting boundary.

UMP40 naturally followed suit. Vera was about to get up from behind her cover but was pulled back by MDR.


"You little fool, why are you following them? They're not afraid of bullets but you haven't changed your body yet. Be careful of getting shot!"

"But the name of this mercenary group is really interesting. Giant Snake? Why not call it Giant Serpent's Tail? Maybe there's a guy named Ourobouros among them." MDR muttered as she fumbled for her cell phone, intending to take a few pictures.

Vera looked at MDR strangely, not understanding a single word coming out of her mouth.

"You... you hacked our communication equipment?" Hearing UMP45 reveal their identity, the mercenary who had shouted walked out from behind his cover, but he still held his weapon ready.

Several other mercenaries poked out from behind cover, aiming at UMP45 and UMP40. Even where MDR was hiding, two mercenaries were keeping an eye on them.

"It's just some normal information interaction, but it looks like there's something wrong with your client. We've been waiting up here for a long time." UMP45 pointed in the direction where the gunship was parked.

She had seen in the mercenaries' comms that they were now split into two teams, with one heading to the town, seemingly looking for the client just like Renault.

They left in the middle of the night, and now half a day had passed with no news at all.

Seeing UMP45 pointing, the mercenary was surprised. That place was a wasteland. Even locals wouldn't go there because there was nothing. They had discussed using it as an evacuation site but hadn't expected...

"You guys are the dolls of that security contractor, Renault? Tsk, really argumentative. I can't imagine there are other security contractors besides Griffin that have dolls. We once wanted to get a few tactical dolls, but those IOP guys completely looked down on us."

Not doubting UMP45's identity, the man lowered his gun and waved behind him. The mercenaries lowered their weapons and stepped out from their respective shelters.

"Oh? It's that easy to believe?"


This surprised UMP45. Was this mercenary nervous or simple-minded? Wasn't he afraid of being tricked?

"Aren't you guys afraid we're lying?" UMP40 directly asked what was on UMP45's mind.

"Hm? Hahaha! How could it be! In this shitty place, we can count the number of dolls in the entire town! You guys look like new faces, and the people in town don't use dolls at all, especially tactical dolls."

Whether tactical or not, this town had been closed for a long time. A few years ago, the road to the outside world was blocked by falling rocks, so vehicles couldn't get out.

The remaining civilian dolls in the town were counted, but unfortunately, they were likely completely destroyed now.

"Well, it seems like you guys don't care anymore, but can you tell us where the client went? And what exactly is the cargo this time? We haven't even seen it so far." UMP45 spread her hands, confirming that the mercenaries had dispersed. She waved towards MDR's location.

"Eh? Cargo? That little... no, that woman actually treats us as cargo!?" Hearing UMP45's words, the mercenary immediately shouted.

"Hey, got it, it's not cargo. It's just a communication problem. The client contacted us to get you guys evacuated from this hellhole?"

"Ah, pretty much. This shithole doesn't even have a place to take a bath... Ahem, not all of us, but also the children in that orphanage in the client's name."

"Hmm? Uh-huh?" Hearing this, MDR immediately approached, curiously taking out her camera equipment.

"Who thought of setting up an orphanage in such an isolated place? I'm afraid there's some serious illness involved, right?"





Chapter 599 - Open the Door!



"Eh..." Seeing MDR's cursing, the mercenary was startled. How could he put it? He had seen many dolls, both civilian and military. Those dolls were either as cheerful as little girls or as cold as ice cubes.

But MDR, as soon as she opened her mouth, began to 'kindly greet' them... This was the first time he had encountered such a thing.

"Ahem, you guys are really different from G&K dolls... Anyway, the situation is like this: our communication with the captain is disconnected. Those guys in the city smash any electronic device they see, they also have a signal jamming device."

Although the communication equipment used by the Giant Snake Mercenary Corps was not military-grade, it had been modified from civilian equipment, making it enough to cope with jamming devices used by their peers.

They were stuck in this godforsaken place because the captain had said to wait for half a day without contact. Otherwise, they would still be happily chatting and playing cards at the stronghold.

Fortunately, these dolls arrived just in time, including the guy smoking and blowing smoke rings. Otherwise, no one would have noticed the drone the doll put out.

Nowadays, drones fly silently, like ghosts, above people's heads, seeing their every movement clearly.

"Okay, so when are you going to open your mouth and say a name? You can't just say 'hey, hey, hey' or something like that. At least give a code name or something." UMP45 looked at the mercenaries.


They seemed anxious, but not panicked, indicating this wasn't the first time they'd lost contact with their captain.

"Sasha, it's a name, sort of a code name. These days, a lot of people on one street share the same name." Sasha said, spreading his hands and looking towards UMP45's team.

"UMP45, and this is UMP40," UMP45 said, pointing to 40 beside her.

"Oh, those are very nice guns. So these two, wait, let me guess? This silver-haired doll must be MDR, right?" Sasha guessed, narrowing his eyes and staring at MDR's etched weapon.

"Isn't it obvious? I can't believe you've never heard of this gun!" MDR patted her imprint weapon, clearly unwilling to admit it wasn't as famous as the UMP45s.

"Ahem, sorry, I wouldn't have recognized it if I hadn't read an antique magazine the day before yesterday. Here it is." Sasha took out an old magazine rolled into a tube from his coat pocket and spread it out in front of MDR.

Seeing MDR's displeased face, Sasha hurriedly turned to look at Vera, who wasn't holding a weapon, and changed the topic to avoid MDR's potential outburst. "And this one? I can't really tell..."

Apart from her carrying bag, Vera only had a camera hanging around her neck, so he couldn't identify her.

"Look away! Be careful, or I'll dig out your eyes and stuff them with marbles!" Noticing Sasha's gaze, MDR pulled Vera behind her, swinging her weapon, her finger on the safety.

"Ahem, sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"She's not a tactical doll. Just remember our code names. So, are you going to your leader now, or sending the kids away first, as your client requested?" UMP45 said, narrowing her eyes at Sasha.

"Uh, we still have to wait for our captain here. If you can do it yourselves, it's fine to help send the kids away first." Sasha pointed to the largest house behind him.

"Cut! Wouldn't it be easier if you had said that earlier? Follow the blah blah blah thinking you have a big face?"

Sasha, planning to lead the way, turned around and heard MDR's muttering, making his face turn black.

How annoying was this doll? She was beautiful but had a foul mouth!

The orphanage Sasha pointed to was better than the surrounding ragged houses, though still dilapidated. At least it looked inhabited.

There were no children in sight, presumably restricted by the mercenaries or clients.

"Misha! It's Sasha! Brother Sasha! The people your new dean found to send you away have arrived. Come out and leave with them!" Sasha knocked on the orphanage's wooden gate, trying to sound less forced.

Ka-la.

Hearing Sasha's words, the tightly closed gate suddenly opened a crack, revealing half a small face. MDR curiously approached, cell phone in hand, ready to take pictures.

UMP45 quickly dragged her back, jokingly. This was not the time to fool around. What if the child got scared and thought they were bad guys?

Fortunately, Sasha's familiarity and the dolls' design, which increased affinity, gained some goodwill. The child, gripping the bolt tightly, glanced between Sasha and UMP40, then nodded.

"Hasn't Dean Tania returned yet?" The girl, Misha, looked to be in her late teens, and at first glance, she resembled the T-dolls.

"Ah, the captain and the others are looking for her, but don't worry. Your new dean will definitely return safely!" Sasha said, giving a thumbs-up, not knowing if he was cheering up the girl or himself.

Hearing Sasha's lack of confidence, Misha frowned, then looked at UMP40. "You guys? Did the dean really hire you to take us away?"

"If you're referring to the people evacuating the still flat wasteland on the hill next to us, then yes, that's us." UMP40 nodded and said softly.

Misha's eyes lit up. "Then... I'll call everyone out!"


But she still glanced towards Sasha with some concern.







Chapter 600 - Problems? There's No Problem



"Really, I really don't know what the people in this town have been through. I always feel that the atmosphere here is just like G11's favorite kind of horror game. There won't be any zombies jumping out and attacking us in a while, right?"


HK416 looked at the tightly closed windows and doors and shook his head helplessly.

"What else could it be? Anyway, it's just the 'good' things that Paradeus did. In a place like this, an organization as large as Paradeus can do whatever they want with ease."


Renault looked down at the hand-drawn map in his hand and couldn't help but scratch his head in frustration.

Just a moment ago, those three men opened the door under his warm and friendly persuasion, and although they welcomed him with crossbows and arrows, they ended up sincerely drawing this hand-drawn map.

Of course, these three people did not have any direct relationship with the missing client. They just saw that this house was empty, so they came here with the intention of taking up residence.


After all, most of the houses in the town are in disrepair nowadays, and the ones that are still functional and can protect against the wind and rain like this house are very valuable.

Since the road to the outside world was blocked, not only transportation and communication but even maintenance of such things has become difficult. This town was originally established for vacation purposes.

Without tourists from the outside world and with the loss of supply routes, it was now a bit difficult for them to even find a box of nails that could be used for a nail gun.

"But what the hell does Paradeus want to do here? Disrupting communications, destroying electronic equipment—the people in this town now look almost like they've come from the Middle Ages!"

The most important thing is... not taking a shower.


Although it is possible that it is because of the lack of equipment and conditions, Super-Shorty felt like she couldn't accept it. If she didn't even have the chance to take a proper shower, she couldn't figure out why the people in this town would embrace Paradeus so much anyway.

Part of those guys' eyes were about to glaze over after seeing them just now!

"It's just that those guys are holding something that can keep them alive, the ones we just sent over."

"Huh? Really?! Those supplies we just sent over were all purchased by Paradeus!?" Super-Shorty's eyes widened in astonishment, struggling to accept this shocking fact.

"Unsurprisingly, that should be it. I can't think of any reason why those rich people would have any reason to live in the same town as a bunch of Paradeus fanatics."

Don't let the money go unspent by the time Paradeus brings in people to raise all the ashes.

"Then are we going to go and grab those back!?" Hearing this, M500 also waved his imprint weapon in his hand with righteous indignation, itching to immediately kill back to that manor they had just been to and snatch back all those supplies they had just sold.

"What's the point of snatching them back? Those guys can always buy things from other places. Otherwise, the people in this town would have starved to death shortly after the road was blocked."

"But... I always feel unhappy in my heart..."

Looking at M500's drooping ears, HK416's heart was naturally not very smooth.


After all, those Paradeus had just destroyed a large number of dolls and now they were giving food to those bastards...

HK416 gritted her teeth, but her hand was already mounting the grenade launcher at his waist on the rail that imprinted the wood under the weapon.

Renault raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything. He had a feeling that after seeing his dolls, Paradeus wouldn't stop.

Anyway, he wouldn't leave here until he found that unlucky client.

But the question is... what the hell is this seven twisted hand-drawn map drawing? What exactly are the circles and boxes on it referring to?

If he couldn't vaguely smell that unlucky client's rich perfume from the air, Renault would want to give up directly.

"Just wait, after finding the client in a while, there will be plenty of chances for you guys to have a good time."


Renault sighed. Originally, he had made two deals today; his mood should have been like today's weather, a clear sky.

It was a pity that it was all messed up by these disgusting Paradeus gangs. He didn't know what they were doing here, but since he had seen those Paradeus believers at the airport of Universal Anything before, he didn't find it strange at all to see Paradeus here.

After all, the poorer the place, the more fertile the ground for those guys' theories to survive.

The three people who heard these words from Renault coincidentally had their eyes light up. M500 and Super-Shorty even rubbed their fists together as they loaded the ragged cartridges into their guns, directly loading live ammunition.

After finishing this series of actions, the two suddenly realized something as they looked at each other with the bag of bullets in their hands. There was a wonderful feeling in their hearts.


In the past, when they were in Griffin, if they encountered this kind of situation, they would only follow the standard course of action.

Or report the situation to their respective commanders and then honestly wait for orders of uncertain nature...

Like now...

But now they have their own ideas...


...


While Renault and the others were trekking through the mud in the middle of the town, enduring the various odors everywhere, there was some progress on UMP45's side.

Thanks to UMP40 who was born with a higher level of affinity than others, or other reasons, this girl was very popular with the children...

Looking at those small children who followed UMP40 like little ducks following an old duck, UMP45 couldn't help but raise her hand and touch her eyes, but then she realized that she had already repaired that scar!

This wasn't right! Obviously, she didn't look scary at all after she didn't have the scar!


Why do these kids look like they've seen a natural enemy when they see her? This is not scientific at all!

Ranting like this in her heart, UMP45's eyes were firmly fixed on a young mercenary not far behind Sasha, whose gaze  hovered back and forth between the children and them.

If he was in charge of security, shouldn't his eyes be on the surroundings, alert to possible threats?

No, one of the child also looked over the merc and her.


Did they not trust Sasha? Or did they not trust these dolls that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere?


Or maybe there was something wrong...

In her mind, UMP45 also notified UMP40 and MDR through the doll's communication channel.


Of course, also to Simonov, who was waiting to pull people from the wasteland.


Although this girl has been transferred as a pilot and her imprint weapon is not lost, Picking up the gun and acting as a sniper should still be no problem, right?