While Felix was overwhelmed with matters on his end, Rhodes Island was busy handling its own affairs. Most players chose to join Tomorrow's Development, but that did not mean none would join Rhodes Island. After all, Rhodes Island was also one of the factions featured in the 3.0 PV, and its deep ties with Tomorrow's Development naturally drew players toward it.
After undergoing a full medical examination, the Doctor was put to bed. Ever since leaving the cryogenic chamber, her body had not known a moment of peace. One crisis after another, shock piled upon shock. It was a case of severe overstimulation. Once things finally calmed down, her brain entered a self-protective state. After falling asleep, she did not wake again. If not for the medical operators continuously recording her vital signs, some might have feared she would never wake up.
Amiya sat anxiously outside the operating room. Anyone who saw her worried expression would feel a pang of sympathy. Through the glass, she could see Doctor Kal'tsit and four other medical operators working tirelessly around the Doctor, recording data, filling out forms, and administering nutrient-rich infusions.
Once the routine examinations were completed, Kal'tsit gave a few instructions to the others and then stepped out of the operating room.
"Doctor Kal'tsit… how is the Doctor?" Amiya asked, her wide, earnest eyes fixed on her.
Kal'tsit tucked the medical report under her arm. "She will need several days of rest before she wakes. Next, I'll be heading to the Venus for surgery. Amiya, before the meeting begins, you should go see His Highness."
Kal'tsit and Amiya walked down the corridor one after the other. Operators they passed nodded and greeted them respectfully. Kal'tsit continued, "Loughshinny has already established contact with Lungmen. We must do the same. The mission to rescue the Doctor is complete, and we will need to procure supplies and materials from them."
Amiya pondered this. "When Rhodes Island was first established, we had dealings with Lungmen, but we never met its actual ruler. Doctor Kal'tsit, do you think it's possible for us to sign a cooperative trade agreement with Lungmen? Our number of operators has grown, and income is becoming an issue."
That raised a difficult question. Beyond mercenary work, what else could Rhodes Island offer? As a pharmaceutical company, its strongest assets lay in medicine and medical aid, but awkwardly enough, such aid was usually directed toward the Infected.
Yan did not openly reject the Infected, but in daily life the Infected and non-Infected kept to their own lanes, clearly separated. Under such circumstances, perhaps the only viable approach lay in medical care and nursing services.
Amiya found herself thinking deeply about this. Kal'tsit pressed her lips together and continued walking, crossing the lower deck. The two massive landships were positioned close to each other, less than ten minutes apart. Soon, they arrived beneath the Venus. The system identified them and lowered a boarding ramp.
Kal'tsit headed to the medical level, where several surgeries still required her personal attention.
Amiya made her way to the administrative level. As a partner, her status allowed her free access here, just as it did for Kal'tsit. Lowering her head slightly, she found the door to Felix's office. She paused outside to listen, but heard nothing. Only then did she realize that the rooms aboard the Venus were exceptionally private. Not only were they soundproof, even a party inside would not be heard from outside.
She knocked on the door. It opened shortly afterward, and the person who answered made Amiya pause.
It was W.
She was wiping her mouth, her face flushed, looking guilty as if she had been caught in the act. Upon seeing Amiya, she did not tease her as she usually would, nor did she chat about recent events. She simply hurriedly excused herself and left.
Amiya looked back into the room and saw Felix leaning over his desk, writing a letter. He lifted his head when he noticed her.
"Doctor Kal'tsit has already begun her first surgery of the day. I guessed you would come."
Felix set down his pen, carefully folded the paper, and handed it to a nimble messenger drone unit nearby. It took the letter and flew out through the open window.
"Brother Felix… what was that?" Amiya asked.
"A message to Lungmen, informing them of Chernobog's aftermath and current situation."
Felix gestured for Amiya to sit across from him. "Although Reunion's plan to seize Chernobog failed, the city itself has been destroyed. Most of the remaining civilians have chosen to head to nearby cities in search of work, while a portion decided to stay behind."
"As for Reunion, they have taken Kursk and obtained control of its mobile city core. Even as we speak, they are slowly departing the northern regions and heading toward Lungmen."
"Reunion's target is Lungmen?" Amiya asked.
"Yes. I don't fully understand why they chose Lungmen. Perhaps Talulah intends to provoke conflict between Ursus and Yan, but that seems poorly founded. Lungmen…"
Felix paused. "Should be fine. An hour ago, I received a message from a Lungmen envoy. They have already learned of the tragedies in Chernobog and Kursk and are inviting us to the outskirts of Lungmen. They've agreed to resupply us, and in return, we are to fight for Lungmen."
Amiya nodded. That made sense. It was just that Rhodes Island wanted a bit more. She hoped to secure a stable and lasting trade partner.
"Has the Doctor woken up?"
"No, she's still resting… she's really exhausted."
Amiya answered honestly. In front of the operators she always carried herself with a precocious maturity, but before Felix she looked much more like a child. She leaned over the desk, yawning. In truth, her worry over the Doctor had kept her from sleeping well.
"Get some rest first. The meeting won't start for another few hours."
"Mm…"
Even as she replied, Amiya's eyelids were already drooping. Seeing this, Felix stood up, lifted her gently, and placed her on the sofa, then covered her with a blanket.
Returning to his seat, Felix tapped the tabletop lightly. Lungmen and Reunion… In his previous life, Lungmen had been forced into a passive position against Reunion, largely because Reunion's Infected had infiltrated the city well in advance. Although Lungmen had been thrown into chaos, its casualties were far fewer than Reunion's.
With that in mind, Felix began writing to Lin Yühsia. The number of Infected in Lungmen was enormous, and he needed her to raise vigilance. Fewer suspicious individuals meant less pressure on the LGD.
He was not overly worried. Even if the Venus did not return to Lungmen, Tomorrow's Development already had a branch there. Nine was stationed in the city, along with many players who had settled there long term. They were more than capable of engaging Reunion's players in direct PvP.
Still, the fewer sacrifices, the better. Lungmen was home to Tomorrow's Development's branch and part of his foundation. Carelessness was not an option.
Several hours later, Amiya woke up. A little embarrassed, she leaned against Felix's shoulder as she stretched, sipping milk in small mouthfuls.
The joint meeting between Tomorrow's Development and Rhodes Island began, focusing mainly on the exchange of intelligence. Some Ursus civilians had chosen to join Tomorrow's Development, while others joined Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals. In addition to mission reports, they reviewed casualty numbers and calculated losses in supplies and equipment.
The death toll was kept within double digits. That alone was a stroke of incredible fortune. Without Tomorrow's Development's support, Rhodes Island would not have been able to complete this mission without suffering heavy losses. The sheer number of Infected alone would have caused serious trouble for the action teams led by Dobermann. And Talulah… without Felix, Rhodes Island would not have known how to withdraw from the front lines at all.
No, if Tomorrow's Development had not joined this mission, Reunion's occupation of Chernobog would have been inevitable.
After the meeting, Felix and Amiya began confirming arrangements for their arrival in Lungmen. Kal'tsit stated that she would head there ahead of the others. She needed to meet Lungmen's governor in person and convey Amiya's and Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals' intentions.
The operators finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, they would not have to remain in war-torn Ursus. Being able to return to Lungmen before the New Year and spend it within the city was cause enough for celebration.
Three days later, after completing surgeries for most of the critical patients, Doctor Kal'tsit departed early for Lungmen aboard a transport craft.
Four days later, the Venus's engines roared to life, setting off for Lungmen alongside the Rhodes Island landship.
They were not alone. In the days prior, large groups of Ursus survivors had already begun traveling toward Lungmen. With their homes destroyed, many of them chose to seek refuge in Yan rather than other Ursus cities.
———
Bang.
Ch'en Hui-chieh slammed a file down onto her desk, her expression dark.
"What on earth happened to make our Ch'en this angry?" Hoshiguma asked, picking up the document Ch'en had thrown. After skimming it, she raised an eyebrow. "Chernobog and Kursk in Ursus have fallen, and an estimated two hundred thousand Ursus civilians are heading toward Lungmen for refuge?"
"That's only an estimate," Ch'en replied coldly. "The real number can no longer be calculated."
It was no wonder Ch'en was in such a foul mood. That many people meant that many mouths to feed, and an exponential increase in the LGD's workload. Those two hundred thousand refugees would seep into Lungmen like rainwater, and if mishandled, the entire city could descend into chaos.
"Where's Missy?"
"She went to the city gates early this morning to put up notices."
Ch'en Hui-chieh pressed her lips together. "We still need to conduct strict screenings of the Infected. Chernobog suffered a devastating Catastrophe, and Kursk has fallen to Reunion. There's no way to know whether the people fleeing from those places have been infected."
"Tomorrow's Development might not take such measures, but for Lungmen's safety, I have no choice."
She clenched her teeth. "Allowing untrusted Infected to wander freely through the city would be an unforgivable irresponsibility toward every resident of Lungmen."
Hoshiguma nodded. "So what's the plan?"
"I received a letter from Felix earlier today."
Ch'en spoke calmly. "Reunion's Infected are very likely mixed in among the refugees. All we can do is ensure Lungmen's security. That pink-haired sewer rat should have received his letter as well. She returned from the Venus a week ago. I expect she'll be making a few moves this time."
"A storm's coming, Old Ch'en."
"Isn't it always? I'm glad Felix is coming back, but this really isn't a time for celebration."
Ch'en stood up. "Nine will also mobilize Tomorrow's Development to assist us, but we're the LGD. The responsibility rests on our shoulders. We can't expect them to do more than that."
"Of course."
The LGD headquarters immediately sprang into motion.
At the top floor, in Wei Yenwu's office, he had just finished reading Felix's letter. Ever since Felix boarded the Venus and left Lungmen, the two had maintained a routine of exchanging letters once a month to keep each other informed. From Felix's deliberately worded letters, Wei Yenwu had learned of Reunion's movements and information regarding Talulah.
As for Felix's strength, although he never boasted about it himself, Wei Yenwu had heard enough from informants to understand how far this junior he had taken notice of had grown. His talent surpassed even Ch'en's, and his comprehension of the Chi Xiao sword arts was sharper still.
That comparison might have been redundant. After all, when Ch'en was using Chi Xiao to cut down fleeing criminals, Felix was already using it to cleave through Catastrophes.
Though Ch'en had grown significantly during this period, in Wei Yenwu's eyes she was still not quite mature enough. Perhaps this incident would serve as the crucible she needed.
"Sir Wei, the scheduled meeting with Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals is approaching."
"I know."
Wei Yenwu acknowledged quietly as he rose to his feet. His gaze lingered on his wife Fumizuki's worried expression.
"Lungmen is not a place anyone can enter or leave at will," he said. "As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to Lungmen."
———
Black-and-crimson flames raged within a noble's estate. Talulah gripped a marble table with one hand as its corner burned away completely. She clutched her head, dropped to one knee, and let out a pained howl.
"Shut up!"
"At this point… you already know how this ends."
From the same mouth came two voices, each with a different tone. The black-and-crimson flames surged violently once more.
"The facts prove it, don't they? Your method wasn't very effective."
"Shut up!"
Crack.
Talulah stamped down hard, and the marble table disintegrated into dust.
She listened to the malicious laughter of the Infected drifting in from outside the window. One corner of her mouth slowly lifted into a smile, while a single clear tear slid down from the corner of her eye.