Terra Tinkers Construct is fine.

As many people's expressions changed, Vasily's expression also changed instantly.

"...Excuse my bluntness, this leader."

He struggled to control his breathing and maintained a respectful posture as he said, "Do you know something? Is it convenient for you...?"

"What could a newcomer like me, a wilderness dweller, possibly know?"

Milan didn't wait for him to finish speaking. Instead, he smiled amidst the growing unease among the military and police, and said, "Just a side note, if you're really planning to investigate or do anything out of a sense of responsibility, you'd better be fully prepared."

"After all, rushing in recklessly could really kill people, and I won't take the blame for that."

The Chernobog incident

As the first storyline to appear in the game, it is described in considerable detail in the text. However, most of this storyline takes place after the player character "Doctor" awakens. The description of Chernobog before his awakening, which is the background of the initial events, is hardly clear.

Even with the subsequent addition of several side stories such as "Battlefield Secrets" and "Children of Ursus," as well as individual mini-dramas featuring various Ursus-related operators, it can only be said that some gaps in understanding have been filled.

But for Milan, the intelligence used for deduction was not entirely untraceable.

December 23, 1096, is Amiya's birthday. It is also the day when Amiya leads the team to Chernobog and awakens the player "Doctor" from the sarcophagus, allowing the player to first experience this game world.

At that time, the Reunion Movement, which was still quite oppressive, was raging in Chernobog. Rhodes Island, with its composition and prestige, knew nothing about it... Milan, for one, did not believe it. As for whether the long-term operation of the mobile game "The Classic" had caused the storyline to be retconned, that was not within Milan's calculations.

Regardless of whether the world he's in now is some third-rate fanfiction written by a third-rate author, the issue of retconning the official plot will ultimately have to be addressed by the fanfiction author. As for him, this world is his current reality, so whatever the problem, it's a reality he has to face.

It can't be denied.

But back to business.

Perhaps it was out of trust in the mighty military power of the Ursus Empire, the importance attached to the Reunion Movement, and insufficient intelligence; perhaps it was out of a sense of ritual to rekindle her girlish heart—in any case, Amiya chose this time to formally visit Chernobog and welcome the Doctor back.

Originally, for Rhodes Island's true strength, this should have been a simple, swift, and uncomplicated covert operation with little to no impact; but as a player, Milan knew that the timing was just too unfortunate... because the timing was so unfortunate, it directly collided with the Reunion Movement, which had launched a full-scale attack and moved from covert to overt, and had already entered the final offensive phase.

And now it seems highly likely that the natural disaster was part of the Reunion Movement's plan.

Too much bad luck is also a kind of coincidence.

Milan wouldn't dare say he knew the whole plot, but up until his transmigration, he at least knew all the inside stories of the Chernobog incident: in this respect, the inside story was that there was no inside story. He didn't believe that the current Black Serpent Talulah would even include Rhodes Island in her schemes, nor did he believe that Amiya's goal included wasting her manpower... So it was an accident for both sides. This accident, like the "wheel of fate that begins to turn" in a traditional story, constructed the first stage, forcing players to quickly immerse themselves in the plot and identity.

But in reality, it is the precise interplay of various unexpected events in time that reveals the cruel inevitability.

So, as a player, is there a way to avoid this cruel ending through intervention?

Some brothers, yes.

Chapter 82 "Rhodes Island"

—What is your attitude towards the Chernobog incident?

Milan's stance on the Chernobog incident is rather ambiguous: he wants to redeem Frostnova Patriot and the Yeti Squad's sacrifices in the original storyline, but their scenes are not yet finished; he wants to rescue the Ursus kids, but those kids he knows don't need his help yet.

His memory seemed even better after he traveled through time than before.

He could even recall various story texts from his memory: on December 23rd in the main story, the Rhodes Island rescue team collided head-on with the Cataclysm; and as a time marker, this time also existed as a milestone from another perspective in the memories of several female operators of the Ursus Student Self-Government Group.

On the 23rd, due to the general offensive and natural disasters, the Reunion Movement - Mephistopheles Department, which had been holding students from several schools at "Chernobyl Peterheim High School," lifted the blockade and left. The students did not discover this until the next day and began to escape.

Milan had carefully confirmed that the school was not within her jurisdiction.

The mad Mephistopheles took over the school and the lockdown lasted for about five days. During these five days, the school's food reserves were finally depleted by two fires, one man-made and one accidental. This directly led to the tragedy of the students being driven to desperation by food shortages, resulting in internal strife.

Going back further, before Mephisto took over, the Reunion Movement - Patriots Department was responsible for sealing off the school, which was a team directly under the jurisdiction of the Infected Guerrilla Force. The Patriots were strict and disciplined, and for more than a week, it would be more accurate to say that they "protectively detained" the students in the school. If Milan remembered correctly, even the school's guards complained that these students, who were "inconvenient to scold or beat but had incredibly high energy levels," had caused them a lot of trouble.

In other words, at this critical juncture, the kids are basically still under the protection of the Patriots, which is actually safer than him risking hatred by going to the school to cause trouble. Moreover, given that the social order in Chernobog hasn't collapsed yet, what good would it do if he managed to rescue them? Would he just lock up a bunch of students who haven't actually experienced riots or suffered in his hideout?

Stop joking. Having the idea of ​​saving people is one thing, but how to do it is another. It's like if he really puts all his effort into taking down the entire Reunion Movement in Chernobyl and thwarting the Black Serpent's conspiracy, Milan thought about it and realized it wasn't entirely out of the question.

But what's the point?

He does indeed have an emotional connection to the "operators" he is familiar with, and he understands that as part of their character design, some tragedies exist in the background but may not necessarily have a reason to exist in reality.

For example, there's the memory of Absinthe's father who died in the line of duty, and the psychological trauma inflicted on the children of the Bear Clan.

Indeed, the Chernobog incident was a catastrophe that devastated the entire city. This disaster was not limited to the few operators he knew, but encompassed the majority of innocent people in the city. The tragedy that happened to a few operators was indiscriminately crushed on everyone, and only worsened.

But—call it double standards or whatever the reason: Milan only pays attention to the roles he is familiar with, while he maintains a distant and indifferent detachment towards the majority of the people of Ursus.

He did send warning letters to the authorities and natural disaster monitoring units, but to no avail; all the messages went unanswered. He also made efforts to protect others—even the few people who had personally experienced the power of the MC had this attitude towards his warnings, so Milan felt it was basically not worth trying.

As long as Chernobog doesn't collapse in the natural disaster, for most people, the most dire and hopeless future is just a deceptive excuse; and even if we take a step further, even if he really did shelter the survivors in the entire Chernobog incident, including the natural disaster... so what?

On one side is Ursus, a powerful land nation at the height of its power; on the other is a behemoth agent, seemingly afraid of not being exposed late enough, suspected of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and gathering people to form illegal organizations. This behemoth agent with a red name looks like a soft-hearted, weak, and easy target, and the kind of fat sheep whose "power" is full of money...

Don't worry about what ordinary people who don't understand reason will think or choose. Just say whether Milan looks like an idiot or not.

...Moreover, there is another point, a key point that Milan cannot deny and has never intended to deny.

As a player who travels through time, most of his emotions and sentiments are still residing on the Rhodes Island, which carries his adolescent passion and the idealistic brilliance of this land—so even if we distinguish between priorities, his purpose remains clear and has never wavered.

He doesn't mind giving priority to helping familiar operators, nor does he care about casually scattering some life-saving supplies in Chernobog... but all of this is based on the premise that it cannot affect his core objective.

The Doctor must successfully evacuate, and... first and foremost, minimize the losses for Rhodes Island.

Even in the real world, Rhodes Island is not his island.

"Has anyone ever told you that, sir, you're starting to look more and more like an NPC giving out quests... like in a video game?"

Helag: ?

For a fleeting moment, the old general's usually serious and earnest expression faltered, revealing a bewildered and confused look.

Milan smiled.

—Chernobylburg Plot 13, Above Ground—

Natural disaster is imminent.

In the increasingly tense countdown, Milan could probably be considered quite relaxed: his Artisan Soul research was temporarily stalled in all aspects, his equipment was not invincible but sufficient for the time being; his subordinates did not require his much attention, and the Canned Food Squad may have sensed the subtle tension in the air, and after a period of stress relief, they threw themselves into more serious training—even Pavel and the others who had just joined the combat training were suffering.

Meanwhile, the infected who weren't selected for combat weren't idle either—Milan synthesized a set of leather armor for each of them, set up armor stands as targets, and even made two bamboo-handled bark daggers and a short-bladed sickle for them to play with.

The short-bladed sickle for harvesting crops is irrelevant; as for the dagger…

With the crafting nature of the [Dagger] being split in two and the effect of the Lightness 1 stat, they could easily handle this heavy object that shouldn't even be called a "Dagger"—and when even the step of "triggering animal spawns by attacking with [Feast] equipment" could be done by the Terrans themselves, Milan was freed from this remaining repetitive work.

He was like a bottomless box, with only himself knowing the astonishing amount of food stuffed inside.

Repairing the subordinates' equipment is not as troublesome as when inspecting the shield guards. All their equipment damage can be attributed to durability issues, which can be solved by simply using [repair parts] to replenish the durability. Food resources are not a problem, equipment maintenance is not a problem, and daily necessities are not consumed in a short time. Milan's main concern is that time is of the essence.

In fact, some people in the black market and gangs have already sensed that something is wrong—in fact, the main business supporting the underground black market of Plot Thirteen has now become the dumping of canned food.

—Finally, I saw a return on my investment.

Is Milan really that free right now?

No, the reality is quite the opposite.

Milan simply doesn't have anything he "absolutely has to rush" to do anymore, which doesn't mean he's completely free of worries. The Chernobog incident was just a short-term plan for him. In his longer-term plans, Milan still needs to study the consequences of leaving the game's power-assisted "crafting" of materials. He also needs to consider whether, even if he's not skilled in martial arts, he should at least try to adapt to and learn combat skills. Even just for now, he still has to go to the upper levels from time to time to scout out the Energy Research Institute for Rhodes Island in advance.

Like now.

Milan was busy—which is why Herag spotted him sitting on the street not far from the Energy Institute, on a street that had become deserted and seemed to be filled with tension.

"It seems like whenever this happens, something's bound to happen... Never mind, it's nothing, please don't worry about the details."

The old man looked puzzled. Milan waved her hand and smiled, "What's wrong? Is there something urgent that you've come all this way to see me?"

"I just happened to be passing by; I didn't come looking for you intentionally."

Herag shook his head: "It's you who's appearing on the ground so leisurely that I'm a little surprised."

"I do find it hard to say I like Ursus, especially Ursus at this time."

Milan quickly stuffed the remaining Ursus rice cake into his mouth. The sweet taste of the Russian-style ice cream made his usually composed expression crumble for a moment, but he still frowned and swallowed it down. He then quickly gulped down a bottle of water before he recovered.

He gasped, his expression conflicted, and said, "If the old man goes to the stronghold sooner or later, he'll most likely see me fighting those guys, or me forging iron around the furnace."

Seeing Milan's relaxed demeanor, Hrag returned to his usual expression and looked in the direction Milan had been looking.

The research institute, so desolate it was practically abandoned, remained as deserted as ever—perhaps even more so than usual, as its few guards had been reassigned due to the Reunion Movement riots.

"Speak of it."

Hrag suddenly said, "It seems something happened with the military and police after that day. Did you say anything to them?"

"The general is very well-informed."

Milan raised an eyebrow, a look of interest on her face: "What happened?"

"The day the team returned, the local police station was in turmoil; the next day they held a meeting with the surrounding local police stations, and then organized a team to try to penetrate into the northwest city, which is the area under the actual control of the Reunification Movement."

"The operation was quite large, but it seems we ran into a brick wall and suffered a great loss."

His voice was clearly solemn.

Milan shrugged and said, "What can I say? I just reminded them not to think it's normal for kids to go to boarding school and not stay at home. The Reunion Movement may have a lot of students in their hands... It seems they listened to me. There weren't any major casualties, which means they didn't really try to force their way in."

"If nothing else happens..."

He didn't scoff, gloat, or make sarcastic remarks. Instead, he simply added, "The one responsible for this at this time should be the deployment team of the infected guerrillas."

Hrag's expression visibly grew more serious.

A brief silence fell over the air as a cold wind swept through the streets, carrying the faint sounds of distant flags. Herag's gaze returned to the abandoned research institute, and he suddenly said, "Speaking of which, your interest in this place is related to Rhodes Island, which you mentioned?"

"?"

Milan looked at him and winked: "Why do you say that, General?"

“You had prior intelligence about this disaster, yet you still insisted on staying in this dangerous city, which shows that [this place] is very important to you, and the issue of time and even the natural disaster can be put aside.”

Herag calmly analyzed, "Your training of your subordinates, stockpiling of supplies, and control of land clearly indicate that you are preparing to carry out something."

“You even explicitly told your people to evacuate at the end of the month, so the time factor can now be ruled out; and the only place you’ve shown extra attention to here, besides the Rifttooth gang’s stronghold, is this seemingly worthless energy research institute.”

"Of course, most importantly... the fact that you didn't hide any of this shows that you don't actually care about being noticed."

Hrag's eyes met Milan's. His gaze wasn't sharp, but rather filled with a serious inquiry. Milan didn't answer, his expression ambiguous. Seeing this, Hrag pondered for a moment, then withdrew his searching gaze.

"Rhodes Silk Ball Chessboard Island..."

He said in a low voice: "A registered pharmaceutical research and development company that sets up its corporate headquarters on a large landship, sets sail from Rembiton, and travels all over this land; with a minor girl from Carter's as its public leader, it aims to develop drugs for Oripathy, provide medical solutions for those infected, and solve problems related to those infected."

"For this reason, they even went so far as to openly recruit from the countries of Terra, without limiting the background of the talents or even the identity of the infected... It seems too idealistic and too free."

At this point, Hrag looked at Milan again—he didn't ask directly, "So you're also from Rhodes Island?", he simply asked:

"So, Mr. Jung, what is your opinion on Rhodes Island?"

Chapter 83 Hidden Currents

What's my opinion?

Milan laughed.

Hellagur's expression, which seemed to say "I've seen through you," was quite obvious. Even if he didn't say it outright, the implication in his expression was clear: "You're here to seduce too, aren't you?"... No, it was more like "You're one of those Rhodes Island people, aren't you?"

Milan couldn't help but chuckle—he didn't care about that.

"General, since you've already assumed I'm from Rhodes Island, there's no point in me putting on any fancy stuff. After all, you'll only listen to what you believe, and you certainly won't believe anything too outrageous."

"So let's be frank and get straight to the point."

Hrag looked eager to hear more, while Milan cleared his throat.

"First of all, Rhodes Island recruits widely, regardless of background or origin, and does not exclude infected individuals..."

Then I heard him say seriously, "This thing is not only real, but it can even be said to be the fundamental strategy for Rhodes Island to establish itself. On this land, the Infected are discriminated against, oppressed, expelled and excluded because of Oripathy. This is nothing new in any country. So much so that by picking up gems from the sea among the Infected, it has become a unique brand for Rhodes Island in a short time."

This is also one of the main reasons why Rhodes Island has achieved its current status in a relatively short period of time... It has to be said that although it is well known that Kal'tsit's management ability is not much better than that of a waste, the contrasting case of "having to take the Doctor out of the refrigerator because of poor management" is a case of the Doctor having the narrative-level convenience brought by the identity of "player".

After the disintegration of its predecessor, the Sarkaz military group "Babel Tower," Rhodes Island inherited not only the legacy of Babel, but also the troubles left behind by Babel, and even the subsequent impact of Babel's existence itself. This is a considerable problem for "a pharmaceutical research and development company"—it has developed to this extent in less than two years since Rhodes Island was registered in 1094. The experiences it has gone through are truly not to be taken lightly.

...Of course, this doesn't conflict with Milan before the time travel and the vast number of players and netizens constantly criticizing the old cat as useless: even if the Doraemon maid is really bound by various protocols in terms of underlying logic and behavioral norms... For ten thousand years, have you really only learned to increase milk production, pick up children, and act as a troublemaker everywhere?

Don't.

Milan: I wasn't as useless as you when I was running a marathon in the French king's backyard!

However, judging from Hrag's expression—he probably had this in mind, which is why he could genuinely show concern: the old general knew all too well how difficult the situation was for the infected in Ursus; not to mention the issue of high or low wages, just the fact that such a statement could be made in his eyes was already considered a god-like company.

"On Rhodes Island, the dignity, status, and basic rights of infected individuals are guaranteed by the system. As long as they abide by the rules that conform to universal values ​​and do not actively commit crimes, they can be treated equally on Rhodes Island."

In a sense, Rhodes Island's publicly stated attitude in its recruitment advertisement is that of a "publicly and legally registered company that has made significant achievements in the high-end medical field and the eternally sensitive topic of [Originium disease] in a short period of time, and has gained some fame among professionals." This is also the point that makes Rhodes Island both eye-catching and controversial.

"Secondly, regarding actual benefits, Rhode Island has its own set of management standards for formal employees: the company provides welfare-type room and board, and has high-standard medical services; the salary is not high, but it is not much lower than in the general sense."

"But more important than that is..."