Daniel and Nian's group arrived at Lungmen's District 5 docking area, where they could see a massive landship moored in the distance. Given the current chaos in Lungmen, this was the only landship visible at the moment.
As an international metropolis, Lungmen typically saw a steady flow of landships, especially from large corporations and conglomerates that frequently used them for travel. In this world, owning a landship was relatively easy—if you had the money, it was akin to owning a private jet or luxury yacht in the ordinary world.
Of course, these landships were the civilian versions. Even if they were equipped with weapons, they were no match for military-grade landships. If they were military-grade, Lungmen wouldn't allow them to dock so close to the city.
However, none of those landships were as large as Rhodes Island. Seeing Rhodes Island up close, Daniel realized just how massive it was—it was practically a small mobile town, comparable in size to the ruined Chernobog city module they had seen in District 14.
Thinking about it, this made sense. After all, a significant number of people lived on Rhodes Island. Even the documented operators numbered in the hundreds, and when you added the unknown number of support staff, orphans, patients, and various branch offices and safehouses, the total population likely reached four digits.
"I remember Rhodes Island was excavated from Rim Billiton. This is somewhat similar to Honkai, where technological advancements rely heavily on uncovering ancient ruins. But what's interesting is why a landship like this would be found inside ruins. If it was built by the previous civilization, why would they create something like this? Did they know about the Originium Catastrophes that would plague this world in the future? And is this really just an ordinary landship?"
As they approached Rhodes Island, Daniel couldn't help but think about its origins. Something excavated from ancient ruins couldn't possibly be that simple, right? It wouldn't be far-fetched to think that Rhodes Island might actually be an aerial ship.
For one thing, if it were just an ordinary landship, would Babel have spent two years excavating it from underground?
"Preserver... Well, that's ancient civilization stuff. I'll think about it later."
Daniel was no stranger to ancient civilizations. He had encountered them in the Honkai world, and the Dark Continent in the Hunter world also hinted at such possibilities.
"Finally, this fake Doctor gets to meet the real Doctor. But this time, I should be able to see their true face."
As they neared Rhodes Island, Daniel spotted Kal'tsit, Amiya, and others waiting on the deck. To Amiya's right stood a figure clad entirely in black robes, their face completely obscured—undoubtedly, this was the Doctor. The Doctor stood to Amiya's left, with Kal'tsit on her right.
Blaze was absent, likely still fighting Reunion forces within Lungmen. Although Daniel and Nine had taken away a significant number of Reunion members, many still remained in the city.
And to be honest, it was hard to say how many of those people were truly Reunion members. Put on the uniform and mask, and in the eyes of others, you were Reunion.
During Talulah's reign, Reunion didn't dress like this. It was only after Koschei took control that Reunion adopted this attire, likely to make it easier for Ursus regulars and other opportunists to infiltrate.
In the chaos of a city in turmoil, there were always those looking to take advantage. Under normal circumstances, most people wouldn't dare, but in times of chaos, it was a different story. Along the way, Daniel had seen several instances of Lungmen's slum gangs donning Reunion uniforms and looting.
There were also mercenaries, bounty hunters, and the like.
For example, at that very moment, a group of about twenty people, dressed as Reunion members, was charging toward Rhodes Island. To them, a landship like this was a treasure trove waiting to be plundered.
"This is the Doctor," Amiya introduced as Daniel's group ascended the gangway to Rhodes Island's deck.
"I can't tell if they're male or female. But I refuse to believe they keep this getup on inside Rhodes Island." The Doctor's voice was gender-neutral, whether by nature or due to the mask.
This wasn't a game. In reality, the Doctor couldn't possibly maintain this appearance all the time inside Rhodes Island. It just wasn't practical.
"I wonder if I'll get to see the Doctor's special skill."
As the Babel Demon, the Doctor's special skill was, of course, eating instant noodles with boiling water in their mouth—a fact attested to by many, including the ninja Shirayuki, who had once spied on the Doctor.
"Sorry, her Oripathy is quite severe. Could you take a look at her first?"
"Miss Misha? We've already made arrangements. This way." Amiya nodded. She was well aware of Misha's Oripathy.
"Miss FrostNova and Miss W, you should also get checked while you're here." Amiya then turned to FrostNova and W. Even though they were Reunion members, as a medical organization for the infected, Rhodes Island was willing to treat any infected individual.
"Let her go. I don't need it. You know how it is with the Sarkaz," W said, her gaze shifting between the Doctor and Kal'tsit.
"Amiya, if she doesn't want to, let it be." Kal'tsit spoke up, and Amiya didn't press further.
"Enemies are coming. Need help?"
Seeing a group of about twenty people, dressed as Reunion members and charging toward them, W unhooked the weapon from her shoulder.
"That won't be necessary. Rhodes Island can handle it."
As Kal'tsit spoke, Mint began to move. Four giant sword-like objects floated up from the ground and shot forward like arrows.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The tremendous force kicked up a cloud of dust, and the screams within were abruptly cut off. When the dust settled, only several large craters and dismembered bodies remained.
The scene left W wide-eyed. It wasn't the gruesomeness that shocked her—as a renowned mercenary, she had seen worse. What surprised her was Mint's power.
With the strength Mint had just displayed, even if the attackers had all been Sarkaz, the outcome wouldn't have been any different. At most, they would have lasted a little longer.
"Truly worthy of being an operator specialized in annihilation."
Who said snipers couldn't take down heavy armor and were only good for chip damage? With Mint's current attack power, even Patriot's shield guards would struggle to block it. Of course, Patriot himself was an exception—he could handle it.
Unfortunately, in the game, Mint didn't have this level of power.
After Mint eliminated the enemies, the Doctor led the way into Rhodes Island's interior. Although this wasn't the first time they had seen such a scene—Rhodes Island had faced many would-be plunderers before—it still didn't sit well with the Doctor. After all, Mint was only fourteen years old.
The current Doctor wasn't the Babel Demon. If they were, they would have exploited Mint's abilities to the fullest. But now, the Doctor didn't want Mint to face such brutal battles so early. At her age, Mint should be living a normal life.
Unfortunately, neither Mint nor Kal'tsit agreed with the Doctor's perspective. Mint had refused, citing Amiya, who was also fourteen, and her desire to help others as reasons. As for Kal'tsit, she had allowed Mint to join the fight with the same goal as the Doctor—to give Mint a semblance of a normal life. Mint's power was immense, and only through combat could she learn to control it and interact with her squad members.
If Mint couldn't participate in battles, she would be confined to the laboratory for life to prevent her abilities from harming others.
As for the normal life a fourteen-year-old girl should have, that was already out of reach for Mint. To put it bluntly, in this twisted world, was there even such a thing as a normal life?
Rhodes Island's philosophy had always been about freedom and voluntariness. When making Mint an elite operator, Kal'tsit had repeatedly confirmed Mint's wishes.
"Doctor Shining, thank you for your help." In Rhodes Island's medical room, Amiya briefed Shining on Misha and FrostNova's conditions. Daniel recognized Shining immediately—after all, she was the legendary sword saint, immortalized in a certain famous painting of three people sitting on a bench, wondering who was the most nervous.
"No problem." Shining nodded and prepared to take Misha and FrostNova for their examinations. Meanwhile, Amiya led Daniel, Nian, and W to the Doctor's office.
Inside the office, the Doctor removed their mask, revealing a rather striking female face.
"So, the Babel Demon's true face is like this."
In truth, the Doctor's gender didn't matter—it was either male or female. What was truly noteworthy was that, like Daniel, the Doctor was a pure human.
"This really is the case. If that's so, then the Doctor is similar to Fu Hua, having slept through to this era. But if that's the case, is she really the only one from her time to have made it here?"
In Honkai, the Flame-Chasers from the previous era weren't limited to just Fu Hua.
"Let's have an open and honest conversation. Who exactly are you?" The Doctor got straight to the point after everyone had taken their seats.
"While I don't know what you're thinking, I can assure you I'm not the person you suspect." Daniel paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm from beyond this world."
"Beyond this world? The Scorched Earth? The Frozen North?" The Doctor exclaimed in surprise.
Although the Doctor had lost their memories, with Kal'tsit's help, they had learned many of the continent's secrets since coming to Rhodes Island.
Hearing that Daniel was from beyond the Scorched Earth or the Frozen North, Amiya, Kal'tsit, and W's expressions turned serious.
"Beyond this world, not just beyond this continent." Daniel then proceeded to explain the concept of other worlds.
"Other worlds? That's impossible!" Amiya and the others were incredulous.
"Nothing is impossible. My presence here is proof."
"Are there many people like you?" The Doctor, after the initial shock, quickly regained their composure—a testament to their title as the Babel Demon.
"I'm not sure, but there probably aren't many."
Daniel had initially wanted to say they were extremely rare, but considering the possibility of the Rainbow Squad arriving later, he couldn't be certain. Transmigrators might not be as rare as one thought—the key was whether they could survive and grow.
For example, if someone transmigrated to the Honkai world or Terra and died early, no one would ever know.
It was like Wang Mang—some said he was a transmigrator, while others disagreed. The truth likely died with him.
"This is truly astonishing. What are other worlds like? Do they have Oripathy?" W, having recovered from her shock, wore her trademark smile again.
"No, the worlds I've been to don't have anything like this. This is my first encounter with such a thing."
"That's fascinating. If you're not from this world, why do you seem to know so much about it? Even I didn't know about Talulah's situation." W's words caused the Doctor, Kal'tsit, and Amiya to fall silent.
"It's simple. Since I can travel between different worlds, I naturally have some unique abilities. One of them is that when I arrive in a new world, I gain some related information. This information could be from the past or the future, though it's usually limited. And once I intervene, this information changes accordingly."
Daniel glanced at W and continued, "If I hadn't come, W, in your attempt to stop Talulah from obtaining the key, you would have tricked Misha and Alex into assassinating the Doctor. In the end, both siblings would have died at the hands of Amiya and Officer Ch'en."
"What are you looking at? Is it wrong for me to want to kill her?" W retorted as Kal'tsit, Amiya, and the Doctor turned their gazes on her.
In reality, that wasn't how it would have played out. With Amiya protecting the Doctor, Alex's sneak attack would have failed. Despite W's apparent disdain for Amiya, deep down, she acknowledged her as Theresa's chosen successor.
"After that, you would have set numerous traps and gone after Talulah, only to underestimate her strength and fail. You would have escaped her attack by self-destructing, then gone into hiding until Kal'tsit, Amiya, and the others arrived at Chernobog, at which point you would have reappeared."
"I would fail? How?" W protested.
"That's just how it would have happened. After failing to assassinate Talulah, your most wanted person would shift from Theresis to Talulah—or rather, the Black Snake."
"However, while you would reappear, you wouldn't participate in the battle against the Black Snake. In that battle, Amiya would ultimately undergo Promotion and gain Officer Ch'en's swordsmanship and Shadowblade, shattering the Black Snake's spirit and allowing Talulah to regain control."
"Promotion?" Kal'tsit's gaze shifted to Amiya. While others might not understand what Promotion entailed, Kal'tsit knew it was the awakening of the Demon King's power. However, for Amiya at her current age, undergoing Promotion would be extremely dangerous—she was too young.
"Of course, that was the previous timeline. Now that I'm here, Amiya won't need to undergo Promotion. I'll deal with the Black Snake."
"By the way, Kal'tsit, can we kill Ursus's Imperial Guards?"
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