Poseidon in Arknights

“We’ve cleared some of the original planting area for now,” Patriot said, pointing to a map on a nearby table. “But given the current situation, it will be quite a while before we can have our first harvest.”

"It seems you'll have to hold out a little longer." Xi Yue looked at the map, nodded, but didn't say anything else.

Talulah looked at Yuuki with some confusion: "Miss Yuuki, why did you have time to come today?"

"Firstly, I suddenly remembered you guys and came to check on things," Yuuki shrugged at Talulah. "Secondly, I came to find some peace and quiet."

"Why are you hiding away for peace and quiet? Is something wrong?" Froststar looked at Yuuki with some curiosity. She wondered what trouble someone like Yuuki could have that would make her want to come here to hide away for peace and quiet.

“My family has been causing some trouble lately,” Xi Yue said with a helpless smile. “So I came here to find some peace and quiet, and also to check on how you all are doing.”

"Of course, I also came to see if Talulah wanted to go back and spend the New Year with Officer Chen or something."

"Oh~" Frostnova nodded, but she was a little puzzled. Would a god like Yuuki have family?

"Why wouldn't there be?" Yu Yue looked at the white rabbit with a smile.

"Hmm!" Shuangxing, after being told this by Xiyue, was surprisingly flustered and quickly shook her head.

“My daughter was just curious, she didn’t mean anything by it.” Patriot, who was standing to the side, also looked at Xiyue with some nervousness.

“I know.” Yuzuki nodded with a smile. “And I don’t really care.”

Then Yuuki walked over and glanced at the various books on Talulah's table, all of which were about politics or agriculture.

However, it is obvious that most of these books are damaged, and some even have scorched edges.

"It seems the situation is worse than I thought." Yuzuki looked at the books on the table. "Were they all salvaged?"

“It’s more accurate to say that a lot of things were burned.” Talulah shook her head and looked at the scenery outside the command tower. “Whether the destruction was intentional or unintentional.”

"Now that we've calmed down and looked around carefully, we're not even living any better than we did on the ice field. Even people who might have supported us have started to resent us."

“The only change is that we now have a city, or a ruin, but it also holds hope.” Talulah looked at the scenery outside. “We will get better, but it will take time, and it will all be worth it.”

“It would certainly be worth it, provided we can get through this snowstorm and freezing cold.” Yuuki walked over and patted Talulah’s head. “I look forward to your flames crossing the cold and spreading warmth to distant places.”

"Then, could Lady Yuuki do me a favor?" Talulah hesitated for a moment before taking Yuuki's hand.

"Sure, what do you need my help with?" Yu Yue looked at Talulah with a knowing look in her eyes. She guessed that Talulah probably didn't want to ask Wei Yanwu for help anymore, and since Talulah was here, she decided to try her luck with her.

“Miss Yuuki…” Talulah stopped herself from speaking. She knew that this matter shouldn’t have troubled Yuuki, but given their current situation, they might really have a hard time holding out until the land could grow crops again.

Even if food could be grown, how many people could that amount of food sustain?

With that thought in mind, Talulah made up her mind and looked at Yuuki, "Could you help me get some more food?"

A hint of displeasure flashed in the eyes of the Patriot standing behind Talulah, hidden behind his mask. He didn't want to trouble Yuuki unnecessarily; this was a problem they should solve themselves, not one that Yuuki should help them with.

However, Kan also understood why Talulah had asked Yuuki for help. Chernobog was not an agricultural city to begin with, and what they had cleared was only a small part of the planting area.

Leaving aside the refugees still remaining in Chernobog, even the grain produced from their small plot of land by the Reunification Movement would probably not be enough to feed them.

As for Lungmen, on a smaller scale it's charitable aid, but on a larger scale, that snake wouldn't let go of a blatant reason to declare war. It could easily fabricate a charge against Lungmen for funding an attack on a terrorist organization in the Ursus mobile city. That reason would be enough to warrant a declaration of war.

This is why Wei Yanwu had the previous batch of grain delivered under the guise of a merchant, and even before that, he had erased all evidence that could potentially point to Longmen.

Despite his reluctance, Patriot could only calmly watch as the flames, after their initial burst, had already burned away all the firewood beneath him.

“Yes, I can help.” Xi Yue nodded. “It’s just that you seem to have told me a little late.”

Talulah looked at Yuuki with some confusion: "What do you mean? What do you mean by 'too late'?"

"It's nothing." Xi Yue looked at the Patriots beside her. "I guess you didn't send anyone to that area that I've turned into the sea, did you?"

“Of course not.” Patriot was slightly taken aback. He knew that the area was actually in the best condition right now, but because of the special circumstances there, he had his Shield Guards and Frostnova’s Yeti squad guarding various positions to prevent anyone from entering.

"Why are you being so cautious?" Yu Yue looked at Patriot with some helplessness, but she could understand Patriot's caution, so she didn't say anything more and continued to explain later.

"The sea, of course, should be allowed to have its uses."

-------------

"I'm back." Xi Yue pushed open the door and looked at the hall, which was now decorated with small lanterns everywhere. "...How many did you hang?"

"About two packs?" Exusiai glanced at the packaging bags in the trash can. Actually, Texas only helped her hang a few bunches before she gave up and went off to tease Red.

Then Exusiai looked at the remaining lanterns in her hand, and since she had already bought them, she decided to hang them all up herself. She got more and more carried away with hanging them, and in the end, they ended up looking like this.

"...It's quite festive." Xi Yue looked helplessly at the large number of lanterns hanging on the wall. It was quite festive, but there were too many, at least in the house.

"I hope the tape isn't too strong, so it doesn't peel off the wall plaster when we're fixing it," Yuzuki said, looking at the lanterns on the wall with some concern.

One or two bunches wouldn't have been a problem, but now that Exia is sticking them up like this, if they're torn off, and they accidentally peel off the wall plaster, it'll probably be large patches of plaster.

Suddenly, Xi Yue felt someone bump her lower back. Without turning her head, she reached out and pulled Hong into her arms.

Then, Xiyue gave Hong's head a good rub: "How many times have I told you, little guy, don't bump into things like that. You're getting stronger and stronger."

"Mmm~" Hong rubbed against Xiyue's hand, then snuggled into Xiyue's arms. "Anyway, Mommy's strong, so I'm not afraid~"

"You little rascal." Xi Yue raised her hand and gently tapped Hong's head, then hugged Hong with one arm and began to take out the New Year's goods she had bought from her clothes.

Finally, the floor was piled high with all sorts of New Year's snacks. Exusiai's eyes lit up as she looked at the snacks. She quickly got off the sofa and pounced on them, grabbing two bags before immediately returning to the sofa.

"Where are you going to put all this stuff?" Texas walked over, looking at the New Year's goods scattered all over the ground. "Are you planning to eat all their snacks until summer?"

"Anyway, they just can't stop eating, they should finish it quickly." Yuuki shrugged. "As for where to put it, wasn't Specter dragged back by Skadi?"

Upon hearing this, Texas looked down at the clean, distinctly different area from the somewhat worn flooring around her, running from the sofa beneath her feet to the doorway.

It wasn't a big deal. Yuuki had gone to buy groceries, and everyone was peacefully preparing to move on to the next step of their plan when the door was suddenly pushed open, and Skadi, looking somewhat angry, walked in.

As for what happened next, the damaged floorboards on the ground are quite obvious. It has to be said, the Specter Shark is incredibly strong; it even dragged a bit of the floorboards along with it as it walked.

The floor was repaired by Xiyue after she returned, looked at the mess on the ground, and remained silent for a while before taking out a crystal from her pocket.

—————Rhodes Island, Department of Medicine, Psychiatry, Specter's Ward—————

"Shark, do you have any camaraderie at all? How can you be like this? I just left, and you've already run off to live with Yuuki." Skadi said while eating, looking at Specter, who was strapped to the hospital bed with a belt and looked speechless.

Ghost Shark stared at the ceiling with a look of utter despair. Ever since Skadi dragged her back yesterday, she had been tied to this hospital bed.

The belt is easy to break free from; even if it were several times thicker, Ghost Shark wouldn't be afraid. But the problem lies with the orca next to him. Ghost Shark's physical condition has only just begun to recover.

Moreover, as a deep-sea hunter, even with her current physique, she's strong enough to defeat many people. But the guy next to her, who's also a deep-sea hunter, is even stronger than an animal. She can't beat him.

This orca is truly ruthless; it has no brains at all. If you found me, you could have just stayed with me, right? Instead, you dragged me back.

You dragged me here, fine, I'll just consider you an idiot, but what's the point of you standing here like a complaining woman for 24 hours straight, nagging on and on?

Last night, I couldn't sleep because of your incessant nagging!

"I haven't even stayed with Yuuki for two days, yet you've stayed with her for over a month." Skadi's voice was full of grievance as she looked at Ghost Shark, who was staring at the ceiling as if counting the cracks in it.

"So, Skadi, have you ever thought about this?" Specter murmured, turning his head to look at Skadi with a speechless expression.

"What's the problem?" Skadi, who had been muttering to herself, finally looked up at Specter, seemingly having finished complaining.

Specter squinted at Skadi: "If you hadn't dragged me back yesterday, you could have just sat on that sofa and waited for Yuuki to come back, and then naturally moved in together."

“…” Skadi stared blankly at Specter, who seemed to be looking at her as an idiot.

“…” Specter just stared at Skadi, whose eyes at that moment revealed a kind of clear stupidity.

Neither of them spoke to each other. Specter's eyes grew increasingly helpless. She suddenly didn't really want to ally with Skadi anymore; it was just a complete disaster!

"So, you can do that?" Skadi looked at Specter as if she had finally come to her senses.

"So when you dragged me back, you didn't even consider why I was living there?" Specter rolled her eyes. "Didn't you live there too? How come you can't even figure this out?"

Aba aba aba

Skadi's eyes revealed more foolishness. When she returned and found Specter not in the ward, she wondered if he had gone out, so she asked a nearby doctor.

I learned from the doctor that Specter left with a Liberian girl she didn't know, and it seems they even got Kal'tsit's permission.

The reason the doctor knew about it was because the ghost shark's escape was so dramatic that even though he was eating at the time, several doctors still saw it, and it became a topic of conversation.

In short, after learning about this, Skadi's mind exploded, and an equation gradually took shape in Specter's mind.

Specter + Liberi Girl = Specter and Yuuki going out together = Specter ran away!

Afterwards, Skadi, furious, went to the headquarters of Penguin Logistics. Originally, Skadi just came to see if she could ask the staff where Yuuki and the others were.

After asking around, Skadi learned that Specter was there, and then Skadi, filled with resentment, went straight to the door.

At the time, Skadi seemed only focused on catching a shark that had escaped, and didn't think about the possibility of coming along herself.

"Well, you can't just run away with Yuuki." Skadi's momentum weakened after realizing her mistake.

"Who told you that Yuuki and I ran away?" Ghost Shark rolled his eyes, snapped the belt, and sat up abruptly. "I clearly ran there by myself. If anyone ran away, it was someone else."

“But the doctors here all saw you dragging a Liberian girl out with you.” Skadi shrank back. “And the doctor who loves riddles agreed…”

“That’s another guy.” Specter looked at Skadi. “I used her as a shield, but she used it to her advantage and escaped even faster than we did.”

"Hmm?" Skadi scratched her head, looking at Specter with some confusion. "Who is it?"

Chapter 133: The Little Whale's Impact

“Müllerse, if I remember correctly, she seems to be the director from Rhine Lab, right?” Specter sat on the bed, looking somewhat sullen. “I don’t know the specifics, and she’s a direct subordinate of Yuuki.”

"Directly subordinates?" Skadi tilted her head, seemingly not quite understanding what Specter meant.

"How can I explain this to you?" Specter looked at Skadi, thought for a moment, and then decided to let it go. "Never mind, she's not here anymore anyway. When you see her next time, you'll understand why I said that."

"So what do we do now?" Skadi asked timidly, looking at Specter.

"Sigh..." Specter sighed, looking at Skadi with some helplessness. After thinking for a moment, Specter still asked, "I'll just ask you one question: do you want to be with Yuuki?"

"Of course, but what's wrong? Aren't you the same?" Skadi turned her head away, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Why are you asking this?"

"So, since you know there are other people in Penguin Logistics who share the same thoughts as you?" Specter looked at Skadi with a smile on his lips.

"What?" Skadi tilted her head, recalling that brief moment with Yuuki, and then tentatively asked, "You mean Red?"

“…” Ghost Shark’s lips twitched. Yes, why would she expect this orca to discover anything? So Ghost Shark raised her hand and slapped Skadi’s head hard.

"What are you doing, shark?" Skadi touched the spot where Specter had hit her, then adjusted her hat, which had been knocked askew. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"How could I possibly count on you?" Specter looked at Skadi speechlessly. "I meant Texas, and Exusiai too."

“Hmm?” Skadi recalled the two people and then shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

"Heh, with your personality, you'll be counting the money when someone sells you out." Specter rolled her eyes. Of course, Skadi wouldn't be that stupid, but when it comes to feelings... well, never mind.

"How about this, we team up, I'll help you with the strategy," Specter said, looking at Skadi. "You'll provide cover for me, and we'll share the spoils?"