About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

Chen's face suddenly turned red. She looked at Orson, then immediately shifted her gaze to Tallulah.

"I see... Hehe, don't worry, my sister, I'm an old hand, hehe!"

Tallulah was stunned for a moment, then she instantly understood Chen Huijie's true intention hidden behind her shy expression.

"Um... I suddenly remembered that I have something to tell Snow Pheasant - RUA!"

Orson, feeling like he had seen this scene somewhere before, was about to run away, but was mercilessly pulled back by Tallulah.

----after a while----

"Didn't you say... you were... an old hand..."

In a hotel, Chen Huijie lay on the table, complaining breathlessly.

"Being an experienced person... doesn't mean... I can handle it..."

Tallulah responded by lying motionless on the sofa.

[So, please don’t always call me out to take the blame… I’m actually being… my dignity is…]

As for the shadow of Miss Black Snake, she squatted in the corner with her head in her hands, motionless, with only an extremely resentful voice constantly flowing out of her mouth.

"Why do humans always make the same mistakes...?"

Orson sat on the edge of the bed, thinking deeply.

(Group: 488749799)

07. Rhode Island

Rhode Island anchorage——

"Does this area need to be equipped with drainage gutters...? This is too hard to imagine... Hmm, is it really possible?"

"Well, don't worry! Although there's no landship modification on Terra that can actually do this, our previous deductions on the blueprints were already perfect!"

"But, you clearly said in the blueprint that 'real-world physical factors don't need to be considered', so I planned it this way..."

"Aiya, Miss Xuezhi, we're not just building something cookie-cutter that anyone can make. What we're going to make is the coolest, most powerful ocean ship ever built on the continent of Terra, a ship even more super-class than a super-class ship! Do you know what the most important part of building a super-class ship is?"

"Um... yes, planning ahead?"

“It’s the momentum, the momentum!!”

"Wow wow wow..."

On a plain, the USS Rhodes Island was anchored not far away. The area around the ship was filled with various expensive-looking building materials, as well as various fancy robotic arms, vehicles, and welding and cutting devices.

In the middle of this mess, Rhodes Island's chief engineer, Klothir, was holding the chicken from Lungmen in one hand and talking to the blueprint.

Judging from Klucie's expression, the two's job seemed simple, easy to understand and extremely effortless, but judging from Snow Pheasant's "Wow Wow Wow..." expression, her job was more like the difficulty level of rubbing a Gundam with bare hands.

Of course, there were more than just these two engineers. Although Kalsil was the project leader, a task of this level was no longer something that could be accomplished by one person. Surrounding the two of them were many people wearing safety helmets and blue work clothes. These people were all engineers and architects from various countries that had signed jump agreements with Rhodes Island. There were even a lot of acquaintances among them, such as Mr. Isaac, the Ursus engineer who had previously installed a "single-soldier cutting device" on Alina, causing Miss Silver Deer to instantly become the integrated first combat force (wrong).

These people did not want to come here at the beginning, after all, they had their own work on hand, but when they heard the specific plan of the project called "Ikaros", they resolutely joined the team.

Ikaros - as the name suggests, it is a "suicide" act of challenging the scorching sun in the sky with a mortal body.

[Transform the Rhodes Island into a sea vessel capable of splitting the wind and waves, tearing apart the monsters hiding in the deep sea, and reaching the end of the world that has never been set foot on.]

When they heard that they had the opportunity to participate in a project that challenged the "Gods", they all chose to join.

On this land, the existence of the "individual" is too insignificant. Faced with natural disasters and mineral sickness, all people can do is escape. This has been the case in the past and will be the case in the future.

But... this time is different. This is not an 'escape', but an active embrace, an 'offense', a head-on confrontation between humans and the malice of this world.

Everything rests on the Rhodes Island—and the young man who brought them all together.

In a temporary marching tent not far from the Rhode Island modification project site, Orson was sitting in a chair, frowning at a list in front of him.

The modification of the Rhodes Island is certainly important, but no matter how powerful a ship is, it still needs a "crew" to set sail.

As for the selection of personnel, this matter was more difficult than Orson had initially thought.

According to the news we got from Ghost Shark and Skadi before, there is a creature called "Sea Heir" living in the deep sea of Terra. In a sense, it is similar to the previous sea monster, but it is more threatening.

In fact, the existence of the most mysterious and ancient existence called Haisi itself is a disaster for ordinary people. In other words, "as long as that thing is around, it may cause SAN."

Ordinary people, let alone facing Hai Si, would probably suffer incurable psychological trauma if they just heard the words of that thing or realized that it was around them.

Because of this, those who board the Rhodes Island must be the so-called "elite", with extraordinary courage, leadership skills, and the ability to fight without giving up hope even in harsh environments - only such people can be immune to the effects of losing SAN.

Although Orson compiled a list of personnel based on these conditions, new problems also arose.

Most of the people on this list already have other 'positions' and are indispensable to what they protect.

Isn't it a bit too selfish to seek their help in this way?

Orson was not afraid of being rejected. Although it might sound a bit arrogant to say this, Orson had no reason to think that if he made a request to these people, none of them would refuse him.

But precisely because of this, Orson became even more hesitant. He didn't know whether he should interrupt their original pace and force them to accompany him in an absurd adventure that might not be meaningful and might cause them to die halfway.

Orson is no longer the naive guy who liked to carry everything on his shoulders. He knows very well that this mission cannot be completed by himself alone. In other words, even if Rhodes Island and the Reunion Movement join forces, they still cannot complete it.

He had to rely on external forces, on all the strength he had accumulated from the northern border until now. Only in this way could he possibly touch a corner of the "sun".

"What are you doing, Orson?"

Just as Orson was thinking about what to do, Tallulah's voice came from the door. The other party was still wearing the Ursus-style military uniform that had not changed much during the guerrilla period, but the expression on her face was not as sharp as when she first joined the guerrillas.

"Well……"

Orson sighed. Now was not the time to hide anything. He handed the list he had compiled to Tallulah and expressed his anxiety.

"Haha, it's just something like this, what's there to be entangled about?"

"Eh?"

Unlike Orson, after hearing Orson's concerns, Tallulah sighed and said in a tone of "There's nothing you can do about it."

"Don't worry about that. This isn't kidnapping or coercion. If these people choose to help you, it's for one reason only—not to save the world, but simply because you exist."

Tallulah looked at Orson with an extremely firm tone.

"I, well, maybe, but..."

"There's no need for a 'but' here, Orson. We trust you, so we decided to follow your lead. Isn't there only one room left for you to do?"

Tallulah looked at Orson and smiled faintly.

"Is it... to protect everyone?"

"Of course not. We will protect ourselves. What you need to do is trust us, just as we trust you."

"—"

Seeing that Orson looked a little dazed, Tallulah smiled more obviously this time. At the same time, she held Orson's arm, pulled him up from the chair, and walked to the tent.

"Actually... before you made this list, quite a few people couldn't help themselves and came here early, huh?"

Tallulah lifted the curtain of the tent, and what appeared in Orson's vision were the various friends he had met along the way, as well as the people with whom he had a closer relationship.

"When do we set off? The old stubborn man and I are on standby at any time." Frost Star patted the patriot behind him and asked.

"We will witness it until the last moment, please rest assured, Orson." Alina had her usual smile as clear as a spring.

"Sasha and I can't go to Iberia, but... I will always bless you, Teacher Orson!" Faust and Mephistopheles showed a pure and innocent smile that was slightly inconsistent with their age.

"I can't get over here...but all the forces of Qicheng are at your disposal, Orson." Zaolu shook her hair. She skipped class today.

"Um...um, if you don't mind, please let me join..." Rosemary hid behind Amiya. Maybe she didn't expect there would be so many people, so she looked a little shy.

"Although I'm not sure how many elite operators of the Rhodes Island can make it back before the ship sets sail, I will definitely go with you. We need a doctor after all." Kal'tsit said awkwardly.

"My sister and aunt insisted on coming together, even though they were eventually held in Casimir. As a substitute, I will do their part together, Orson." Knight Yao said, standing at attention.

"Haa... Do we have to work with the knight again?" Platinum seemed a little impatient.

"Just let me know in advance. Notify me three days before sailing. Xingxiong and I will quit our work at the Guards Bureau and come to help. Don't tell that guy Wei Yanwu." Chen said seriously, saying something about slacking off that might be bad for others to hear.

"Yoho~! Of course you have to take me along for such an interesting thing~" Exiah was as carefree as ever. It seemed that he didn't even know what would happen next. He just came here to have fun.

"You have touched upon the truth of the past, haven't you, Orson? And what's next... hehe, we don't know what the ending will be, but I don't mind witnessing it with you." Mostima still had an unfathomable and sinister smile on his face.

"Let's end this quickly. Those people from Syracuse are always restless." Texas said as he pushed Lappland aside.

"Rhodes Island's security measures are very complete, so... I will temporarily serve as your personal bodyguard for a while." Hei looked away and said in a low voice.

"Going to the deep sea... this is a reckless and crazy act, so count me and the ghost shark in." Skadi waved her hand lightly, her calm expression and the content of her words seemed a little inconsistent.

Junjun is working overtime.

"...Everyone, I, um, I understand."

Orson looked at the people in front of him who had come from all over Terra, his tone a little flustered, but more of it was one of pride and relief.

It was as if the guerrillas once gathered in front of the campfire in the north and talked about their vision for the future.

However, this time we are not trying to "survive", but to be able to proudly and hold our heads high and continue to march on this land.

Even though the destination is just a coordinate, even though they have to cross a deep sea filled with ancient objects, even though everything ahead is just a location, everyone has a strong premonition - perhaps, this is the end.

So, three weeks later, the Rhodes Island was triggered in the port of Iberia and headed for the sea.

----------

"Squad Wendigo, everyone prepare your crossbows! The enemy's skin can block some of the kinetic energy, so wait until you're close enough before pulling the trigger—now!!"

brake!!

Inside the cabin of the Rhodes Island, the originally closed glass windows were forced open, and several members of the Snow Monster team leaned out from them, aiming at the sea monsters that emerged from the ocean and slowly climbed up along the outer armor of the Rhodes Island, and pulled the triggers of their crossbows.

The crossbows blessed with the Frost Star Originium technique instantly froze the monsters and turned them into shattered ice chips, but people had no time to celebrate because this was just the most mediocre round among countless attacks.

“Screech, ahh ...

The dark green monster was completely freed from its shackles. It kept waving its sharp claws, tearing apart all the sea monsters that pounced on it. But even so, Mon3tr still didn't seem so scary when surrounded by those things.

“#####——#######!!!”

"Sorry, although I am a messenger who is proficient in many languages, sea monsters are not within the scope of my study. You'd better shut up!"

On the deck of the ship, Mostima crossed his two staffs in front of him, and an extremely huge clock suddenly appeared on the other side of the sea. The sea monsters covered by the clock all stopped attacking as if they were paused.

"It's up to you now, Aneng."

"give it to me!"

After immobilizing the monsters, the Angel rushed out from beside Mostima, the two submachine guns in her hands continuously pouring out flames and rain of steel. After the bullets were empty, she immediately threw the guns aside, took out an automatic rifle from the halo out of thin air and continued firing.

"The waves are coming...Huang!"

"Ahh, I'm ready here!"

A huge wave far higher than the Rhodes Island surged in from the other side of the sea. Rosemary immediately manipulated the giant baffle that had been prepared to stand in front of the Rhodes Island, while Huang manipulated the Originium technique behind the baffle, using the impact of the "steam explosion" to help Rosemary withstand the pressure of the waves.

“Buzz—Boom!!”

On the other side, a huge and twisted "Sea Si" suddenly emerged from the seabed. The volume of that thing exposed above the sea was already as large as half of the Rhodes Island, and countless tentacles extended from its mouth.

"Hold your breath, don't get burned by the thermals!!"

Tallulah shouted to the people around her, then took out the modified 'Dragon Striker' from her waist, solidified her flames and compressed them to the limit of the barrel, aimed at the 'sea monster' and pulled the trigger.

The intense white light, accompanied by a high temperature that could instantly evaporate a person, penetrated directly into the sea monster. However, before the sea monster's nerves were burned, it had already given the next command to its tentacles.

"Get out of the way, Tallulah."

The patriot's deep voice came from behind, and his mountain-like body stood up, and the spear in his hand pierced through all the evil and heretical things like a meteor.

"The injured ones, come closer to me—don't be tough!"

Suddenly, a golden sun-like light emanated from not far away. The Brilliant Knight Margaret Linguang placed the hammer in her hand on the deck, and a warm golden halo instantly enveloped the extremely tired crowd.

"Ahh... That's why I don't get along with knights like that. I really am such an idiot, always standing out like that."

"The light is actually quite nice."

At the top of the Rhodes Island ship, Platinum and Black were sniping back to back at the flying objects that leaped out of the sea, and they cut down all those that tried to attack from the air.

"Just like before, Shark."

"Yeah, it's the same as before... hehe."

Skadi and Ghost Shark were at the forefront of the battle line. The two former deep-sea hunters showed no fear in the face of these strange creatures. The greatswords and chainsaws in their hands kept roaring and cutting off everything that attacked them.