On how PhDs become human evil

However, Cecilia didn't know whether she should go in, and she couldn't believe that the noble person whom Bishop Otto valued would be in such a place.

—Arcade.

"Is this outfit appropriate for me to go in?"

Cecilia looked at her Valkyrie uniform and sighed. She had already anticipated the commotion she would cause when she entered the arcade, and she didn't like being surrounded by a lot of people.

"But... never mind, for the mission, I'll risk it all!"

Having mustered her courage, Cecilia pushed open the door to the arcade—

"Wow! Ten consecutive wins! Ten consecutive wins! This player from the East, Bai, actually achieved ten consecutive wins! It's unbelievable!"

As soon as Cecilia entered the arcade, she saw a crowd gathered at the back of the arcade. A flashy-looking man was shouting into a microphone, and the surrounding crowd gasped in amazement.

"That new guy is really impressive."

"Absolutely! He took down the boss here in one go. He's a monster!"

Hearing people talking nearby, Cecilia went over and asked, "Excuse me, what's going on here?"

They must have never seen a woman of Cecilia's caliber before. The two people who were talking froze on the spot, and it took them a while to come back to their senses.

"Oh, oh, oh... There's a fighting game tournament going on here, and the winner has just been decided."

"The winner is a white-haired man from the East. He's really amazing."

A man with white hair.

If Cecilia remembered correctly, Bai Jie's hair was white, and it was in the arcade... Cecilia felt like she understood something.

"Huh? Cecilia, you're already here?"

Just as Cecilia was thinking, Bai Jie's voice suddenly rang in her ears, and then a yellow Houmu doll appeared in Cecilia's field of vision.

"Huh?"

"How about it? Pretty cute, right?" Bai Jie said with a smile. "Although it's not worth much, please accept it as a gift. I'll be relying on you for the next few years."

“No… I’m the one who should—no! Your behavior is really bothering me, Fafnir.” Cecilia reprimanded Bai Jie with a stern face. “You’re Bishop Otto’s guest, so please try to minimize the number of times you act on your own. If you keep acting on your own like this, I’ll be very troubled, and I might not be able to protect you in time—whoa!”

Cecilia was only halfway through her sentence when Bai Jie reached out and pinched her cheek, pulling it slightly.

"Alright, alright, this rigid attitude doesn't suit you at all. Relax a bit," Bai Jie laughed. "Although I'm supposed to be a bodyguard, I'm also considered a member of the Shaniat family now. Just treat me like family. Just forget about the bodyguard mission Otto gave you."

"How can that be? Since it's a mission, it must be completed. How can we treat it carelessly?"

Hearing Cecilia say this, Bai Jie could only shrug helplessly. Cecilia was still just a young girl of about twenty years old, and because she had always been bossed around by Otto, she still had the mindset of obeying Otto's every word.

With a wry smile, Bai Jie shoved the Houmu doll in his hand into Cecilia's hands and said, "Well, think that way if you want, but if you keep doing this, I'm going to make things difficult for you and me. Be prepared."

Bai Jie thought it might be nice to tease the young Cecilia occasionally.

P.S.: One more update! I was writing until after 11 pm again today. I really just can't muster the motivation to write before nightfall (laughs). I'd rather spend all my daytime playing idle games than writing.

P.S.: This volume is Cecilia's main story.

Chapter 144 (Side Story): Rhodes Island Trading Post

This story takes place shortly after Texas arrived on Rhodes Island.

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

As is well known, the most important infrastructure of Rhodes Island consists of trading posts and manufacturing stations. The former is part of Rhodes Island's main source of funding, while the latter is the foundation for the former's operation.

Therefore, the operators on duty in these two locations must be elite operators; if they are inexperienced operators, they are likely to mess things up.

For example, Popka.

As a veteran operator from Penguin Logistics, Texas has an extremely rich logistics experience. Therefore, once she arrived at Rhodes Island, Bai Jie put her on duty at the trading post.

Today, Texas arrived at the trading post as usual.

"Shh-!"

The mechanical automatic doors opened, and as Texas stepped into the familiar trading post, the first person she saw was her colleague—Exusiai.

Upon seeing Texas arrive, Exusiai smiled and said, "Oh, you're here too, Texas. How did you sleep last night?"

"It's alright, the dorms at Rhodes Island are pretty good. How about yours?"

"I'm almost there too. My boss must have taken care of my fame, because he even prepared several eye masks for me in my dorm. That was a huge help."

The Sarkaz people of Laterano all have a distinctive halo above their heads, which is not only their symbol but also a problem that has plagued them to this day.

Everyone knows that lights should be turned off when sleeping at night, but because of the halo above their heads, the Sarkaz people's halos emit a dazzling white light, like the highest performance fluorescent light, even in the dark, making it impossible for them to fall asleep peacefully at night.

Have you ever seen anyone sleep with the lights on at night?

(Author's note: Actually, I used to like sleeping with the lights on when I was a kid, because I always thought that if I slept with the lights off, a monster would take me away—like the monsters in Ultraman.)

Therefore, in order to overcome the problems caused by the halo, most Sarkaz people keep several eye masks in their rooms.

What? Why prepare several blindfolds? Do you think the brightness of the halo can be blocked by one blindfold?

"By the way, Texas, I heard yesterday that the boss recruited a new operator. It seems like she'll arrive this afternoon. Shall we go say hello together?"

"Well... sure."

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

Then, it was afternoon.

In the personnel department, Texas, who came here with Exusiai, just wants to go back to her dorm immediately. If you ask why—

“Tyrannical villains block the path of justice. My master, lead the weak in the name of revenge and malice.”

Lappland, exuding an aura of "I am the villain," proudly uttered words that were off the charts in terms of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), and then the next moment she saw Texas cowering in the corner.

"Texas! It's been so long! I never expected to run into you here."

“Um… Lappland…” Unlike Lappland’s excitement, Texas only showed pure disgust. If you had to put it another way, it was like a father-in-law’s attitude towards his son-in-law, utterly disgusted.

Seeing the two people's unusual behavior, Bai Jie couldn't help but ask, "Texas, do you know Lappland?"

Texas nodded reluctantly and said, "I had some connection with her before, but of course I have absolutely no desire to have anything to do with her anymore, after all, she's just a stupid bastard."

Silly Gou......

"I really didn't expect you to use such foul language, Texas. But... well, since you two know each other, then Lappland is yours to take care of."

"Huh?" Texas was stunned. "Doctor, you mean?"

“You came to Rhodes Island before Lappland, right? So you’re her senior. Show her around Rhodes Island. I believe you can do it.”

Bai Jie patted Texas on the shoulder and said that he would never admit that he arranged it this way because he wanted to see Texas and Lappland interact.

Hearing Bai Jie say that, Texas felt a moment of despair. The thought of having to take care of Lappland like a mother hen made her feel exhausted.

"Don't worry, Texas, I'll help you too. Don't be too pessimistic," Exusiai offered her small words of comfort.

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

A week has passed since Lappland arrived at Rhodes Island. On this day, Bai Jie is sitting in the control center, observing the fatigue levels of the various operators.

Even though the operators are physically strong, they are not made of iron and cannot work indefinitely. They always need to rest. The control center can effectively reflect the fatigue level of each operator. If an operator is too tired, the display color of that area will turn red to remind Bai Jie that an operator has lost focus.

"Hmm... The manufacturing station is fine, Red Bean and Frostleaf are still in good spirits, and Jessica, Fang, and Vanilla are also in good spirits. They should be able to hold out until tonight... Is there an operator at the trading post who's losing focus?"

In Bai Jie's field of vision, the trading post in the upper left corner lit up with a red light, a sign that someone's attention was wandering.

"Huh? Is someone tired at the trading post? I'll cover for them!" said Exusiai, who was with Bai Jie in the control center.

Because Exusiai also came from Penguin Logistics and had always been involved in logistics, Bai Jie often asked her to work shifts at the trading post, and she agreed without much thought.

She skipped and hopped all the way to the trading post, passed the identity verification, and was stunned as soon as she walked in.

Inside the trading post, Lappland was clinging to Texas, incessantly sniffing her scent like a pervert, her face flushed an unnatural red.

Upon seeing Exusiai approaching, Texas hurriedly cried out, "Exusiai? Come help me! I don't have the strength to push this guy away... Hey! Lappland, what are you doing? Don't touch there... Ah~!"

Seeing this scene, Exusiai gave Texas a thumbs up and then decisively left the trading post.

"Exusiai!"

......

In the control center, Bai Jie had just poured himself a cup of coffee when he saw Exusiai return.

"Exusiai? Why are you back? Weren't you supposed to be filling in at the trading post?"

With a strange smile, Exusiai said, "I think the number of light bulbs at the trading post is fine, so I don't need to get involved anymore."

"Is that so? That's good."

Since even a senior operator like Exusiai has said so, then the situation at the trading post must be fine, right?

P.S.: This chapter is adapted from Arknights meme images; I think many people have seen this series of pictures before.

P.S.: It's the end of the fifth watch. Another exhausting day. I really shouldn't have slacked off during the day!

P.S.: Please recommend, vote with monthly tickets, give a reward, and subscribe!

Section 145, Question 8: What comes to mind when you think of hot springs?

"So, I'm just going to the restroom, you don't need to stand outside the men's room, do you?"

“Bishop Otto’s orders are to protect you closely. If something happens to you in the toilet, it will be bad.”

"This is the headquarters of Destiny! Who do you think has the ability to break in? Besides, who would assassinate me?"

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

......

Outside the men's restroom at Destiny School, Bai Jie and Cecilia were having a heated debate.