"Hahaha!! The Third Office Chair Caster Race has begun!!"
Today, it seemed Kal'tsit was once again away from Rhodes Island, a rare occurrence.
The chair caster race, an event held only when Kal'tsit is absent, was being held once again.
However, this time the venue wasn't the second-floor corridor, but the massive first-floor training room for new recruits.
"Alright!! Still in the lead is Logos, the most handsome man in our Rhodes Island, and he's on the final lap!! Is Logos about to become the one and only three-time champion of the Rhodes Island Office Chair Caster Race?!!"
"If Logos becomes the three-time champion, he will receive a one-month all-you-can-drink voucher from the second-floor bar at Rhodes Island!!"
"Oh no!!"
"Still in second place is Scout. As the perennial runner-up, is Scout preparing to wash away his past shame?"
"Third place, third place!! So fast!!"
"It's the Doctor!! The Doctor is catching up!!!"
"Go, Doctor!!"
In the training room, many new operators were cheering for Lucas, among them a cute, yellow-haired Cautus and the adorable Sarkaz sisters.
Lucas had been at Rhodes Island for half a month and had basically gotten to know many of the people there. With his gentle and kind personality, he had easily integrated into the company that was Rhodes Island.
Originally.
Lucas hadn't wanted to participate in such a boring and childish office chair caster race...
However.
After trying it once...
Tsk tsk, it was actually a bit fun. After that, Lucas was hooked. The moment Kal'tsit was away, he immediately signed up for the third race. He even borrowed equipment from Closure's workshop to make his chair more powerful and interesting, just to spice things up.
For example...
He installed an engine and jet nozzles on his office chair, and even added missile launchers. Of course, they didn't fire real missiles, but they could be used to create obstacles with smoke grenades or tear gas canisters.
With Lucas's intervention.
A perfectly ordinary office chair race was abruptly transformed into a battle race with items.
Among the crowd of spectators, Closure excitedly waved her arms.
"Go, Doctor!! Let them see the power of our brainchild!!!"
About a week ago, Lucas was wandering around Rhodes Island as usual, being a spectator, and happened to stroll into Closure's Engineering Department. At the time, Closure was agonizing over some blueprints, so engrossed that she didn't even notice Lucas approaching.
After Lucas took a few glances.
Leveraging his absurd talent and abilities, he thought for a moment and quickly solved the problem that had been troubling Closure for a long time. From then on, Closure frequently asked Lucas to visit her Engineering Department, and after a few visits, the two became familiar.
Of course.
Her profiteering nature was also completely exposed.
Lucas finally understood what it meant to be ruthless, what it meant to be a scheming merchant.
Although Closure was Rhodes Island's chief engineer, she was also responsible for procurement and other related matters. So, she would open some material shops within Rhodes Island, and the profit margin of these shops was as high as 80%. What kind of profit margin was that?
"Take this!!"
With the release of a tear gas canister and the high-speed roar of the engine.
Finally, at the last moment.
Lucas successfully overtook Logos, shattering his dream of becoming a three-time champion.
In an instant, the entire room erupted.
Operator after operator chanted the Doctor's name, and Closure started her sales pitch, relentlessly promoting the latest product she and the Doctor had invented. Any contestant who wanted to could send their chair to the Engineering Department for modification. The price wasn't high, just six figures!
"Let us welcome the new king!! The champion of the Third Annual 'Office Chair Race Because Kal'tsit Isn't Here' is!!"
"Our very own Doctor!!"
"A new dynasty has been established! Let us witness together! The legend of the Doc—ah... Kal'tsit..."
And just then.
The originally cheering crowd fell silent.
The next second.
Along with the sound of hurried footsteps.
Everyone scattered in an instant, including the host who had just been cheering enthusiastically and enjoying the show. Only Scout, Logos, Lucas, and Closure were left.
"Huh?"
They turned their heads in confusion.
They saw a short-haired, white-haired, cat-headed woman standing at the entrance of the training room, her forehead covered in pulsing cross-shaped veins, an expression of 'nuclear' friendliness on her face. Beside her, Amiya gave a helpless, wry smile. Although it was a good thing that the Doctor could integrate into Rhodes Island so quickly, but...
In an instant.
The cheerful atmosphere of the training room completely changed. In the center of the room, the trainees who had been watching while training saw Kal'tsit's arrival and immediately became tense, training even more diligently.
Kal'tsit's intimidating presence at Rhodes Island was substantial.
She was like the 'homeroom teacher' of the entire organization. Whenever she appeared, many operators would instinctively become fearful, like mice seeing a cat—though Kal'tsit was, in fact, a cat.
Scout looked awkward and slowly shuffled backward. As for Logos and the fourth-place finisher, Misery, they had vanished long ago, leaving only Lucas standing awkwardly in place, single-handedly bearing the brunt of Kal'tsit's gaze, which felt like a burning flame.
Damn it...
Every single one of them ran faster than the last.
That Misery is so lame! You clearly have such an insane spatial Originium Art, why didn't you take me with you?!
"Doctor! Please come with me to my office!!"
Kal'tsit glared at Lucas, then turned and left. This was the first time Kal'tsit and Lucas had met in the half-month since he arrived at Rhodes Island.
Amiya sighed helplessly, yet she also felt a sense of relief.
She had been worried that the amnesiac Doctor wouldn't be able to integrate into the atmosphere of Rhodes Island, but now... she had clearly worried too much.
In Kal'tsit's office.
Amiya was a little worried, afraid that Kal'tsit would say something too harsh to Lucas, so she decided to stay by his side.
After arriving, Lucas sat down directly on the sofa in Kal'tsit's office.
He had expected Kal'tsit to start scolding him immediately.
Unexpectedly.
Kal'tsit didn't mention the chair race at all. Instead, she asked about his daily life in a calm tone.
"Have you gotten used to Rhodes Island over the past half-month?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Not only Lucas, but even Amiya was stunned.
What the...
Is that a question Dr. Kal'tsit would actually ask?
Amiya even suspected she had misheard.
After all.
Amiya had been with Kal'tsit for so long.
While it was true that Kal'tsit had a soft heart, her sharp tongue was genuinely sharp. Coupled with her innate Riddler tendencies, it was almost impossible for Kal'tsit to say anything normal.
A simple sentence, like, "It's late, let's have dinner together," would be translated by Kal'tsit into:
"I have not the slightest interest in your physical condition, nor am I your nanny. I will not concern myself with whether you have eaten or not. But if your performance suffers because you skipped a meal, I will absolutely make you regret it."
The second version was Kal'tsit's usual style.
"It's been fine. I'm a little surprised you'd ask something like that, Kal'tsit."
"Hmph."
Kal'tsit snorted, proudly tilting her pale neck.
In reality.
There was something Lucas didn't know, something even Amiya didn't know.
Although they hadn't met for half a month, Kal'tsit had been using every monitor in Rhodes Island to watch Lucas's movements 24/7. Of course, there were no cameras in his room or bathroom; Kal'tsit wasn't that perverted.
She didn't dare to truly trust the Doctor.
In the past, it was because she had trusted the Doctor too much that the final tragedy occurred. At first, she even suspected his amnesia was a trick, an act put on for her benefit. However, after observing him for a full half-month...
She finally confirmed it...
Holy crap, he really has amnesia!
Moreover.
The amnesiac Doctor now, though he remembered nothing, had a personality identical to the Doctor from his scholar days, when their relationship was at its best—gentle, talkative, and friendly.
"Do you want to know where Amiya and I went these past few days?"
Kal'tsit asked.
"Columbia."
Lucas stated directly.
He knew because when Kal'tsit was having a meeting with Jessica, he had been hiding inside Jessica and saw everything clearly. He even secretly stuck his tongue out at Kal'tsit.
"Mm..."
"Miss Jessica seems to miss you very much. The next time we go, you should accompany us."
"Uh..."
Lucas had a lot he wanted to say... because he saw Jessica every day. To be honest, Jessica really didn't miss him.
"Also, I heard you're skilled in mechanics?"
Finally.
After the small talk, Kal'tsit got to the main point.
"I know a little bit."
Lucas said.
However, Kal'tsit frowned. "I don't remember you ever knowing these things."
Lucas shook his head. "I taught myself after I woke up. I only know a little. Kal'tsit, do you want to see the treasure I made?"
Kal'tsit agreed.
"Since your memories of neurology and tactical planning haven't returned, then if you are skilled in mechanics now, you can stay in Closure's Engineering Department from now on. With her guidance, you should be able to learn quickly. The Engineering Department at Rhodes Island is severely understaffed right now. Your participation should alleviate a lot of the pressure."
Lucas stood up and gestured to Kal'tsit.
"Come to the deck, Kal'tsit, Amiya. I'll show you the fruits of my labor in Columbia."
Kal'tsit didn't speak, but a faint sense of anticipation grew in her heart. Lucas's expression just now had been rather confident.
Don't be fooled by Kal'tsit's icy expression, as if everyone owed her money. In reality, she was very passionate deep down. Because her past relationship with the Doctor had been so intimate, she had almost completely trusted his arrangements, which led to the final tragedy and her initial aversion.
Kal'tsit believed in the Doctor's talent.
Or rather, the Doctor was one of the most talented people Kal'tsit had ever met in her millennia of existence. Of course, he didn't have much talent in combat, but in any area that required intellect, the Doctor would display astonishing gifts. On the way to the deck, Kal'tsit specifically notified Closure. After all, having a professional there would allow for a proper assessment of the Doctor's skill level.
But if you said the Doctor's skills surpassed Closure's, Kal'tsit wouldn't believe it.
After all.
Lucas said he was self-taught after waking up. It had been less than a year since he awoke. To surpass Closure through self-study in less than a year was highly unlikely, even for a genius. Closure was a genius herself, after all. Upon receiving Kal'tsit's notification, Closure also rushed to the deck.
Hearing that they wanted to gauge Lucas's mechanical skill level.
Closure just smiled mysteriously.
"Kal'tsit... you used to be a riddler with me all the time. This time, I'll be a riddler with you. I can only describe the Doctor's skill as terrifying. It will absolutely far exceed your understanding."
Lucas arrived on the deck and clapped his hands towards the sky. Then, the unmanned control console inside the large transport drone parked not far from Rhodes Island lit up on its own. Its wings extended, and its jet nozzles rotated downwards. With the high-energy output from the four jets, the large transport drone, personally forged by Lucas, took off and flew towards Rhodes Island.
Kal'tsit didn't know what Lucas was trying to do.
But seeing Closure's mysterious expression, Kal'tsit actually felt a tiny bit of anticipation.
The next second.
Kal'tsit and Amiya were both stunned. It wasn't just the two of them; even Closure, who had been mentally prepared, was frozen in place.
An aircraft larger and more advanced than Rhodes Island's two fliers slowly hovered in the sky above the landship.
This...
Kal'tsit's eyes widened involuntarily.
Aircraft are rare on Terra. Even Rhodes Island only has two. And... this aircraft seemed to have no one inside. Could it be an unmanned aircraft?! How is that possible? How could Terra have unmanned aircraft...
Lucas snapped his fingers.
"Allow me to introduce my treasure to the three of you."
At Lucas's command.
Several hatches on the aircraft opened in unison.
"This aircraft is a large unmanned aerial vehicle that I built with my own hands. I dare say it is the only one of its kind on all of Terra. I've named it [Stardust]."
Lucas said confidently, then pointed to the wilderness in the distance.
"[Stardust] is equipped with a gatling cannon on its underside that fires 2,000 rounds per minute. The ammunition it uses is pure Originium Rounds."
With that said.
Lucas waved his hand.
The gatling cannon on the aircraft, after a brief spool-up, fired for a few seconds. The muzzle flash and the continuous stream of spent casings falling to the ground left Kal'tsit speechless.
"In addition, [Stardust] is also equipped with numerous small Originium missiles, drop-style Originium bombs, flares, smoke grenades, and the like."
"Next, let me show you my core technology!"
Lucas clapped his hands, and another, much smaller unmanned transport vehicle flew over. This was a dedicated carrier Lucas had built specifically for the Titan.
At Lucas's call.
The three of them saw a massive crimson figure descend from the sky.
With a loud crash, the enormous body landed on the deck of Rhodes Island. For a moment, everyone on the landship could clearly feel the vibration from above.
"This is my greatest core technology, codenamed [Titan]."
"The armor is made of Nirvana Alloy, which I developed. Even Victoria's city defense cannons can't inflict much damage. The internal engine is one I developed myself, far surpassing current technological levels. The energy core it uses is an Active Originium Crystal, which can provide a continuous supply of power. Its maximum endurance is seven days without needing to refuel..."
Closure was dumbfounded. She knew the Doctor's mechanical skills were impressive, but she never imagined they were *this* impressive.
The Titan...
Gulp...
Closure swallowed hard. It was a product that transcended the era. It was too incredible. Even Raythean Industries didn't have this kind of technology.
As for Amiya, her eyes were sparkling.
"Woooow!! As expected of the Doctor I admire, this is just too amazing!!!"
As for Kal'tsit.
Her perpetually cold and indifferent face was starting to crack.
After witnessing so many things that defied comprehension, a hint of shock finally appeared on Kal'tsit's face.
It seemed like just a hint.
But in reality.
Anyone who knew Kal'tsit knew.
Only when she absolutely, positively couldn't hold it in anymore would any other expression appear on her face.
That gatling cannon...
Isn't that from Laterano!!
Could it be...
Did the Doctor successfully replicate Laterano's top-secret gatling cannon one-to-one?!
Is the Doctor really that incredible?