Man on the ark, forced to become king

Hearing Magellan say this, Himer was also puzzled, as it was different from what she knew.

However, thinking about the series of events following the dissolution of Rhine Labs, she immediately realized that after the dissolution, Rhine Labs was incorporated into large companies such as Raytheon Industries and Beach Pharmaceuticals under the instruction of the Colombian government. This was a very complicated process, and it was inevitable that a series of errors such as missing information would occur. The loss of contact with the Arctic research station should be one of them.

The incorrect information led her to misjudge the situation, mistakenly believing that there was a problem with the research station. This prompted her to gather several friends who had worked with her at Rhine Life to jointly issue a rescue mission for the research station and Magellan.

If I had known this would happen... I think I should have issued the mission anyway. After all, whether it was proactive or reactive, the result of losing contact would not change. Without outsiders entering, the research station located in the far north ice field would not be able to obtain supplies at all, and Magellan, who was stationed there to carry out exploration missions, would eventually be driven to despair due to lack of food.

So, she wasn't wrong in issuing the task; the problem was with the task level.

It's important to understand that conducting deep search and rescue operations on the Arctic ice sheet and re-establishing contact with research stations are completely different tasks in terms of difficulty.

The latter only requires dispatching ordinary operators, while the former requires dispatching an elite squad led by elite operators, resulting in a huge difference in mission rewards.

Golden Tree now has a standardized set of task procedures that even internal staff must strictly adhere to.

Thinking about the task reward she would have to pay, Himer felt a pang of heartache upon realizing that she might have overreacted.

It's important to know that this mission was led by Saria herself, and the team members were all quite capable. The cost of hiring such a team emptied the wallets of her, Joyce, Saria, Muels, and Mel.

None of them were rich to begin with...

She and Joyce were just ordinary researchers with little savings. Although Saria held shares in Rhine Lab, the company collapsed too quickly, turning her from a wealthy woman into a pauper. As for Muirses and Mel, one liked to research strange and unusual things, and the other liked to manufacture mechanical explosives. Their income was basically all spent on purchasing research materials, and sometimes they even couldn't make ends meet.

With this expense covered, they'll probably have to tighten their belts for the next few months. Plus, they have Ifrit to support, and children at that age always have all sorts of needs...

Wow, thinking about it this way makes it even more heartbreaking!

Fortunately, Saria was able to get some of it back after the mission ended...

The image of her wallet flying away flashed through her mind, and for a moment, Himer's gaze towards Magellan turned resentful, making Magellan shudder and ask blankly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Mai Mai!"

Hamer casually tossed the book he was holding onto the table next to him, placed his hands on Magellan's shoulders, and the glasses on his nose reflected a bright arc under the light.

"You must have savings since you don't usually need money, right?"

"That's not quite right. The company that modifies drones can only reimburse a portion of the cost; I have to pay for the rest myself."

Magellan was completely bewildered. Feeling a little uneasy under Himer's intense gaze, he shrank back uncomfortably and replied in a low voice, "But I do have some savings. What do you want?"

"that is……"

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Hemer hesitated to speak. Considering their wallets, she forced a smile and explained, "I posted this rescue mission, it was done through proper channels, and I need to be paid. But we..."

"Hey, I thought it was something serious. It's just a little reward for a task. I should thank you for posting the task in time, otherwise I would have been saved!"

It turns out it was a money issue.

After understanding, Magellan immediately realized what was going on. He patted his rather thin chest with great pride and said confidently, "The mission was issued because of me, how can I let you pay for it? Don't worry, I still have plenty of money in my account, I'll take care of it!"

"real?!"

Hammer's eyes lit up instantly, and he fumbled in his pocket to pull out a bill and handed it over.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

"I will handle it!"

Magellan didn't pay any attention, but when he took the bill and saw the number, his smile became forced, his eyes darted around, and his hands trembled slightly.

She suddenly realized she had agreed too quickly; how could there be so many...?

If that's the figure, her savings simply aren't enough.

I wonder if Golden Tree offers advance payment of wages?

Chapter 269 Talulah and the Black Serpent

"Talulah, why don't you take a rest?"

Alina pushed open the door and walked into the room, immediately seeing the girl Draco sitting at the table.

The light from the Originium lamp fell down, illuminating the messy papers on the table.

"It's Alina."

Talulah looked up at the sound, revealing a haggard face with faint dark circles around her eyes and messy hair, looking as if she hadn't rested in a long time.

This is indeed the case.

Since the day the Originium Scourge descended upon the Icefield, turning two massive army groups into Infected overnight, the Reunion Movement's strength began to increase dramatically, and its size grew larger and larger.

Just as Lin Lu had predicted, the southern ice plains, completely sealed off by the natural disaster, became an isolated place.

Massive amounts of Originium radiation filled the land, and the chaotic flow of energy directly turned all modern equipment powered by Originium into piles of scrap metal.

With communications cut off, the vast ice field was divided into small groups by the army groups that had entered in scattered formations, making it impossible for them to even contact each other.

The infection caused by Originium radiation and dust turned many people into notorious infected in Ursus overnight, and fear spread across the land.

Violent groups like the military, having carried out countless missions involving the infected, know better than anyone what it means to be labeled as infected in Ursus—it means that everything in the past will vanish in an instant, and no one will accept them.

In Ursus, being infected represents original sin.

All past glories have vanished. When Originium crystals appear on their bodies, they are no longer the army group warriors that the Empire is so proud of.

They are the enemies of the empire.

The fall from soldier to prisoner is a dramatic one.

At first, some people still held onto hope, but that hope was completely extinguished after the first messenger left the ice plains and never returned.

The messenger team realized with certainty that they had been abandoned.

Despair, fear, and confusion shattered the barriers built in one's mind.

Then, they encountered the Reunion Movement, found a chance to survive in its gleaming golden light, and naturally entered the Reunion Movement's fighting ranks.

When the past fades away and glory is gone, when abandoned by their homeland, the once elite warriors lose all their status and identity, and survival becomes their only obsession.

The empire abandoned them, but they could not sit idly by and wait to die.

Sometimes, a change in mindset only requires a small trigger.

Initially, only a few insignificant squads made the choice. Later, through their lobbying efforts, more army groups that had been cut off from communication were assimilated, and the strength of the Reunion Movement began to expand rapidly.

However, this is not entirely a good thing.

The foundation of the Reunion Movement was too weak to control the large influx of army group soldiers. As their identities changed, the military's prohibitions and shackles disappeared, and their suppressed emotions erupted violently, giving birth to ambition from desire.

It can be said that in the face of a huge number of soldiers, the original core of the Reunion Movement has been rendered powerless, and open and covert struggles are always present, with countless disputes and conflicts coming one after another.

If it weren't for the fear of the Integration Movement's leadership, who possessed the same power as the giant tree that appeared during that day's natural disaster, internal strife would have already broken out.

Talulah has been working tirelessly for a long time to resolve the escalating internal chaos, yet she still can't find any way to stabilize the situation.

To firmly grasp such a massive army and bring power into her own hands was far more difficult than she had anticipated.

She wasn't powerful enough to fight against thousands of troops like her teacher, nor did she have the prestige to command two legions. The newly joined warriors didn't even know who she was before, so how could they willingly submit?

Even with the addition of Patriot Bochokasti, the situation was only kept on the surface.

"Talulah, this can't go on, you won't be able to hold on..."

Alina's face was full of worry as she looked at Talulah's haggard face and clenched the hem of her clothes tightly.

Even Draco has his limits. No one can withstand working day and night. All the pressure on one person will eventually break them down.

However, aside from offering words of comfort, there was nothing she could do to help.

"No, the problem isn't solved yet, I can't—uh…"

Talulah stood up from the chair, and suddenly everything went black before her eyes. The dizziness drained away the little strength she had left, causing her legs to give way and her to fall to the side.

"Tallulah!"

Alina instinctively tried to catch the falling dragon girl, but someone was one step ahead of her and caught her falling body. Inside the house, the shadow of a third person had appeared out of nowhere.

She was a Liberian woman with short white hair, a tall figure, and indifferent eyes. Her black dress looked extremely out of place in the cold, icy plains.

The pure black dress had no sleeves, and two slender, fair arms were exposed to the air. Her hands, clad in black and red fingerless gloves, steadily caught the Draco girl who was about to fall to the ground.

The girl's head rested perfectly on the soft, protruding breasts of the woman.

"Oh... thank you, Alina..."

She murmured something, and as her vision gradually cleared, Talu moved her head and suddenly felt that something was not right.

This softness...this size...it doesn't seem like Alina?

The black fabric came into view, and looking up, one saw an excessively pale face, coupled with an indifferent gaze, perfectly embodying the word 'aloof'.

“I don’t mind you lying down a little longer, but as a leader, you shouldn’t expose your vulnerability to others. You haven’t grown up enough, Talulah.”

The unfamiliar face, the familiar tone—this attitude subconsciously reminded Talulah of someone, someone who should have died long ago.

No, that's not right, he's not dead yet...

"What comes to mind? That's right, wisdom is an essential quality for a qualified leader."

"Kosice!"

Swish!

Talulah sprang away from the woman's arms like a fully drawn bow. The dizziness caused by the strenuous exercise surged again, forcing her to reach out and hold onto the table to keep from falling.