Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Although the ride was bumpy, it was actually quite easy to fall asleep once she got used to it. She was beginning to miss the piano she had in Kjerag, but it was too heavy to carry into the car, otherwise she would have definitely taken it with her.

Anyway, it's not a bad thing to practice piano when you're bored, right?

The trio traveled happily across the wilderness, which was a life-threatening situation for most people. However, because each of them had unique skills, they even lived a comfortable life.

The biggest problem in the wilderness is boredom. As long as they don't encounter a natural disaster, the three of them really have nothing to fear.

Noya had asked Kuro to collect the wanted posters for most of the bandits, and it was a good idea. For those who committed serious crimes, Noya would directly feed the wild beasts. For those whose crimes did not deserve the death penalty, she would beat them up and that was it. After all, Noya was not a cruel person. You see, she couldn't bear to watch -

Noah, thinking about the hellish joke, felt the car tremble, followed by Kuro's sigh. He asked curiously, "What happened? Did the car break down?"

"No...it's just that we seem to have arrived." Kuro was a little uncertain. "How big is Rhodes Island?"

"Um...about the size of a landship?"

"...Is it possible that Rhodes Island has expanded into a city?" Kuro insisted, still unwilling to admit that he was lost even looking at the map. "Three days later, I'm sure you'll see something new. So... it's not impossible, right?"

"...I understand Rhodes Island expanding, but no matter how much it expands, it can't be expanded into a mobile city with just a land ship, right?" Noa sighed. "Kuro, it's about time you admit you've taken the wrong path."

"...(ˇ_ˇ), okay, maybe there's a small error in the map." Kuro nodded and admitted, "I'll have a good talk with the seller of the map later."

"Forget about the map for now... Where exactly are we? Are we headed to Victoria?" Noya was too lazy to complain about the three of them having such a poor sense of direction. But soon, they wouldn't have to think about it anymore. After all, they'd been driving for so long, they finally needed to get some normal human interaction.

Although I didn’t find Rhodes Island - but it’s almost there, maybe there is a Rhodes Island office in this city?

After all, Rhodes Island is famous for having offices in various cities.

Humans are, after all, a social species. After a long journey through the wilderness, it's about time the lost trio meet some normal humans. However, before entering the unknown mobile city, Noa and the others needed to make some preparations. After all, Noa was still a wanted criminal in Casimir, so a disguise was necessary. To avoid revealing his identity, Noa asked Kuro to find a place to park while he began to understand where this place was.

Anyway, with Tora around, she won't have any safety issues.

Anyway, the most important thing now is where this city is. We also have to consider whether there are any new changes in Terra after staying in Kjerag for so many months.

Although Kjerag has begun to become more open, the news is still relatively closed compared to the outside world, and Noah is not sure what has happened in the outside world during this period.

She suddenly remembered that when Rhodes Island left, the tone of the doctor and others was a little hurried. Perhaps something happened in the outside world of Rhodes Island, or there was some reason why they had to leave early.

To be honest, she began to worry about the situation in Rhodes Island.

After all, although the doctor didn't say anything to her at that time, but... she could feel that something had happened that forced them to rush back.

Out of concern for Rhodes Island's current situation, they wanted to go to Rhodes Island as soon as possible to check out the situation.

Unexpectedly, I accidentally got lost in the wilderness and didn't even know where I was going.

The car was turned off and Noah sat in it, waiting for news from Kuro.

——There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that this place is called Little Hill Town, and there is indeed a Rhode Island office.

The bad news is that this is Victoria's territory - I'm indeed a bit too crooked.

Craw learned the news after receiving a warm reception from the Rhodes Island operators. When they heard Noah's name, the operators in the office immediately understood Craw's concerns, so soon after discussing with the guard operator Will, they decided to help. They used their connections to quickly obtain a temporary pass and brought a white wig, intending to let Noah disguise herself and enter the city.

After thanking Rhodes Island and the others for their help, Kuro, wearing her disguise and temporary pass, walked down the street when she suddenly heard a faint noise. She stopped immediately, knowing where the sound came from...

"...Victoria's weapons?" she muttered to herself. "Interesting..."

She had seen Victorian veterans working as knights to earn extra money in Casimir before, so she learned that these Victorian soldiers were good at using certain special weapons powered by Originium dust, such as knight lances that could be replaced with bullets, or launchers that looked like lances. She had suffered a lot from them before, so the impact was very deep.

She decided to go join in the fun first. Noah wouldn't mind if she came back later anyway. She turned around, changed direction, and headed towards the warehouse where she had just heard the noise.

A seemingly ordinary day in Xiaoqiu County seemed... not as peaceful as it seemed.

Chapter 2: Trouble

"We have entered the warehouse. Repeat, we have entered the warehouse. Reconnaissance team, report the situation."

"—Z... Captain, humanoid activity has been detected in the southeast corner of the warehouse, seven rows away from you, with a range of one meter."

"How many people?"

"one person."

"Is there any reaction from the Origin Stone?"

“Not found yet.”

"..." Horn shouldn't have asked any of the following questions. The responding triangles should have informed him before he asked any more questions. However, these people weren't veterans, so it was understandable that they had such questions. After this was over, he would go back and lecture them. After all, the lecture was behind closed doors, and his presence was to ensure these newbies could return safely. "Alright, everyone, take your positions."

The sound of a horn came from the headphones, and Bagpipe rubbed her palms nervously, but soon, the call of the horn was heard from her headphones.

"Bagpipes!"

"Got it!" The bagpipe was startled, but still responded to the horn's call in time.

"What are you looking for?" Horn frowned in confusion. It would be fine if Bagpipe was just nervous, but she seemed to have been looking up as if she was looking for something. In order to eliminate any unfavorable factors, she asked.

"Captain...I just thought I heard someone singing."

"...Don't be distracted. This means the target is not on alert." Horn and Bagpipe spoke quietly, so as not to alert the enemy. Bagpipe was the youngest member of the team, so Horn was personally in charge. After confirming that there were no problems with Bagpipe, she whispered the instructions.

"Follow the battle plan. Wait for my signal, and you'll break in. Now, continue forward, and move lightly—try to resolve this all at once. Every moment of delay increases the danger," Bugle instructed. The captain, with his flaxen hair, was efficient and capable, reminiscent of the Victorian soldiers Bagpipe imagined. She nodded quickly. "Understood."

"Well, standby—five, four, three..." As the horn called out one, Fengpipe, utilizing Vaifan's exceptional physical prowess among Terrans, charged forward, knocking over a row of shelves and destroying all the cover. The noise and speed of the impact instantly brought the target, who had been relaxing, to his feet. However, the dust from the falling shelves obscured his vision, and the horn immediately aimed its cannon at the target, issuing a warning.

"Don't move, stay where you are, and hold your hands up!" The horn roared. As a soldier of Victoria, the cannon in her hand could easily tear apart the wall. Under her aim, most people did not dare to move at will.

But after the target saw the newcomer's attire, he immediately revealed his blatant disgust—

"You...you are, Victorian soldiers?"

"...Why do you call us that? Aren't you also from Victoria?" Bagpipe's question had barely escaped him when the other party attempted to flee. Apparently—he didn't seem to recognize the gun cannon and even thought he still had a chance to escape. However, team member Cello was already guarding the exit, so it was impossible for him to...

"Captain, he didn't go to the exit! He turned back." Fengdi wanted to chase him, but saw him pounce on a bag of suspected explosives. Fengdi didn't fire before because he was worried about the dust explosion in the closed warehouse, or the other party had explosives. The reason they came here was to investigate the theft of a batch of military Originium explosives. The other party was very likely to have Originium bombs.

"Triangle! The target is heading towards the rear shelf. As soon as you detect an Originium reaction, shoot it!"

"Yes!"

Triangle, the team's expert sniper, didn't want to take the life of the Victorian citizen if she could help it, so she'd always preferred to "subdue" rather than "kill." However, if the team members were threatened, she'd be forced to take action. "The rest of you, gather behind my shield!"

She had already put up her shield, trying to prepare for the likely explosion, but she saw Fengpipe not come up behind her, but instead chased her, pinning her down from behind. Then, with a leap, he grabbed the package, which might be the Originium explosive, and pinned it down tightly, still shouting, "I'm covering it! Everyone, run!"

"..." Horn was first in disbelief, then worried, and finally angry... before falling into silence...

"Captain... there's no Originium reaction. Windpipe isn't holding a bomb." Triangle reported cautiously, "Um... Captain?"

"Ah... it was just a false alarm." Fengpi suddenly relaxed. "I thought I was going to have a heroic first day."

"...Where is the target?" Horn had a thousand curse words he wanted to say at this moment, but he still had to put the mission first. He looked at the target lying on the ground. He had just been pinned to the ground by Vaifan's full strength... He was afraid that five or six ribs would be broken.

"I'm sorry... I hit you a little too hard just now. I probably won't be able to stand up for a while..." Fengpi realized what he had just done at this time. He stood up uneasily and scratched his head.

"...That's not Originium explosive...what is that?" Fengdi checked the package in her hand, and found that it was full of potatoes, carrots and cauliflower, which were crushed by her. She felt a little sorry at the time, after all, these were all delicious vegetables.

Looking at Bagpipe's appearance, Horn covered his head, feeling the pain in his trigeminal nerve. But he still said, "Don't let your guard down."

Be patient...be patient, and fight again when you get back.

"Captain, it seems that there are only fruits, vegetables and grains here, no explosives." Fengdi quickly moved between the shelves of the warehouse, checked the goods on them, and then reported.

"Triangle, watch out for anyone approaching." Horn instructed Triangle to remain alert, then turned and instructed the other two team members, "Oboe, search with Bagpipe. Don't let this silly girl grab the grenade again. We can't afford to lose her."

"Yes..." Oboe naturally knew his captain's temper. Thinking that Bagpipe would be taught a lesson clearly after returning, he looked at Bagpipe with pity, as he didn't know that he had made a big mistake.

"Cello, help the target up first. He has lost his ability to resist. If he is injured, give him emergency treatment." After the arrangements were made, the team began to check in an orderly manner.

The target who was knocked to the ground by Bagpipe finally woke up, coughing violently at first, then panicking, while Horn had already come in front of him, asking condescendingly.

"Now, sir, if you would but cooperate with us for a moment—I need you to answer a few questions."

"I... I don't know anything! I sort potatoes here every day - what, potatoes are also contraband?" The target person's panic looked fake, but this could not eliminate his suspicion, so Horn continued to ask.

"Are you a resident of Kouchi County? Do you have a residence permit?"

"Yes..." The target person nodded, then took out his residence permit from his pocket. It seemed that there was no big problem.

"Have you heard of the Ghost Army?" Horn asked with a frown. This time, the other party looked puzzled.

"Ghost... what? Haha, the army? Speaking of the army, I've only seen you guys." The other person seemed to remember something and began to look hysterical. "They've taken Lori, Julia, and Chris away... Is it, is it my turn now?"

"Please calm down." Horn remained calm, unaffected by the other party's emotions. Interrogations are like that; you can't panic before the other party does. "Listen carefully. Someone saw a batch of Originium artifacts being delivered to this warehouse last night. They're not here now. You need to provide a reasonable explanation for this."

"... Explain? You really just want to explain? Don't you want to hang me? I... Bah!" The other party spat a mouthful of blood on the ground. His previous panic was no longer visible. Now he seemed to be surging with anger.

Bagpipe frowned, feeling that the other party was a little unhygienic, but he shouldn't interrupt during an interrogation.

"Any clues?" Horn turned around and asked the returning bagpipe and oboe.

"No, Captain, there are potatoes everywhere. If the information is correct... they should have completely moved all the explosives. They moved so fast that you can't even catch them."

——No wonder they are called the Ghost Army.

"Okay..." Horn nodded, "Take him away. He must know something, but he's just not willing to speak yet."

"I'm saying... you're all the same, trying your best to find fault with us and torture us... you Victorian man-eating beasts!" The other party was obviously very obsessed with the name "Victorians", which made Bagpipe, who had no idea about the situation, frown.

"Victorian? Why do you always say things that only foreigners would say? You are also a citizen of Victoria."

However, her inquiry received no answer, and Triangle stepped forward and reported, "Captain, someone is coming."

"How many?" Horn decided to focus on the triangle training after returning. If he had to ask questions himself every time, the report would be meaningless. While asking, Horn also made a fist and then spread his five fingers, indicating that the team should disperse first.

Fengdi and the others nodded, accepting the order. After all, they were a well-trained special team - they still had some tacit understanding.

The triangle iron was originally holding a weapon, but soon, she saw the Victorian soldier's logo - so she put down the weapon, "Report to the captain, it seems to be one of us."

"The people are here." The person who came was a middle-aged man wearing a military coat with an armband on his right arm. Judging from his clothes, he should be a captain. He came with a large group of soldiers, but these Victorian soldiers looked ill-intentioned. Although they did not take direct action, they still surrounded the team.

Bagpipe whispered uneasily, "Captain, we are surrounded..."

"In terms of numbers, yes." Horn wasn't actually worried. These ordinary soldiers wouldn't affect their elite breakthrough. After all, elite soldiers have their reasons for being elite. "Please be patient. I'll negotiate."

"Um……"

Bagpipe nodded and shrank back.

"It looks like there's been a fierce battle here." The captain adjusted his hat and stepped forward. "Could you please state your identity, ma'am?"

"Rita Scamander, Captain of the 2nd Storm Commandos, 7th Infantry Battalion." Bugle saluted and then announced his identity and unit number.

"Hello... Scamander... Lieutenant Scamander." The other party couldn't remember such a long surname at the moment. He paused for a moment before saying the full title. Noticing this, Horn nodded and said, "My name is not easy to remember. You can call me Horn, Captain."

"Okay, Ms. Horn. My name is Kelly, Louis Kelly. I'm sorry, code names are not popular here." Kelly smiled and thought it was a good little joke, but Horn did not laugh. Instead, she still looked at the captain in front of her very seriously.

"Captain Kelly, you and your men are probably here to track down this warehouse, right?"

"Yes, we received the intelligence." Kelly nodded, but it was normal for the military to conceal intelligence from each other, so it was not uncommon for two troops to be dispatched at the same time.

"Then you should understand the seriousness of the situation. A large number of illegal Originium products disappeared from the military transport route two months ago and ended up in this area. Captain, with so many weapons, plus the ordnance lost in the surrounding counties, if they fall into the wrong hands, the threat will reach far beyond Xiaoqiu County."

"Okay, thank you for explaining this to me. I understand."

"We are very grateful for your cooperation." Horn breathed a sigh of relief. A strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. If it is not necessary, it is better to avoid conflict.

But soon, her expression changed.

"Hill! Take this young man... this suspicious person back to the barracks!" The captain turned around and ordered his men to take away the subdued target.

Bagpipe, of course, refused to do so, but before she could grab her target, Horn ordered, "Let go."

"Can……"

"We are now on the border of Hill County—"

Captain Kelly wiped his sweat. He didn't want to clash with the men of the 7th Infantry Battalion. "I'm glad you cooperated, Lieutenant. And young Ms. Vaifan, please cooperate with us. You've come all the way here. I'm sure the journey must have been difficult and you must be very tired..."

"This is our duty."

"Yes, that's right. However, if you still want to operate in Xiaoqiu County..." He wanted to say something gentle, but Horn spoke first, "Captain, our duty is to investigate the theft of Originium artifacts. The Imperial Garrison has the responsibility to respond to incidents that endanger public safety in the garrison. It is legal for you to take the suspect away, but we should also be able to participate in the interrogation. I hope you remember this."

"Haha... I know, I know, this is in line with regulations." Captain Kelly nodded, but his expression became slightly colder than before.

This attitude made Horn feel something was wrong - but she still believed the soldier in front of her for the time being.

Maybe, it's just my own illusion.

Chapter 3: It's Over

"...Is this considered an internal struggle within the military?" Kuro, who was hiding in the dark, showed up only after both groups had left. Although the military officer named Triangle was perceptive, he was still a little inexperienced when it came to Kuro, an extraordinary being who could control his breathing and heartbeat. Kuro stayed in the warehouse the whole time and watched with great pleasure.

However, after these people left, she realized that there seemed to be some conflicts between the soldiers here.