I approached the cube, intrigued by its simple 3x3-inch design and light yellow color. As I picked it up, it felt surprisingly lightweight.
"Hm... Is this really the Galactica cube?" I questioned Garcia, who was walking over to me. Her armor showed signs of a tough battle—cracked and slashed in places, with blood seeping from wounds on her arms.
Damn, what a strong woman!
"Of course, what else would it be?" she retorted, snatching the cube from my hand and examining it with curiosity.
A system notification popped up:
[Congratulations!]
[You've obtained the Galactica cube on this spaceship!]
[Proceed to the Control Room for transportation to the next spaceship!]
[Game Status]
[Blue Team: 2 Cube Galactica, Green Team: 1 Cube Galactica, Red: 1 Cube Galactica, Yellow Team: 0]
Garcia and I exchanged glances. Our new mission: protect the cube and move to the next spaceship. The task became more challenging as the cube couldn't fit into my spatial bag.
"I think I'll give it to you since your weapon is a gun," Garcia decided, handing me the cube. "Just don't mess it up, alright?" Her tone was serious, a hint of threat underlying her words.
I nodded, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility with the cube in my hands. Annoyingly, Tiamat's voice in my head mocked me.
{Not ready to be an MC?}
I rolled my eyes. This wasn't a game or a novel; whether I was an NPC or MC didn't matter. But damn it, I was not an NPC!
The two of us hurried to the control room, following the familiar path we had taken when we first entered the game.
Running in silence, Garcia suddenly spoke up, "Gideon is the one who insisted I join your party, thinking I might be pregnant. Why do people always assume the worst about women?" She rolled her eyes.
"I see... I'm sorry for making assumptions," I apologized sincerely. Considering Gideon's behavior, I could understand Garcia's frustration.
"You believe me just like that?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
"Yeah... I know Gideon's character," I explained. Though we'd only met three days ago, my knowledge from Niel's perspective gave me insight into Gideon's nature.
Garcia chuckled, "Really? You've known him for just three days."
"Yeah, but he's not that hard to figure out," I replied. From the moment I met Gideon, it was clear he prioritized everyone's safety over his own. That made me trust him more than anyone else in our party.
"True, he's a gentleman," Garcia chuckled again, seemingly in a good mood. It was evident she held Gideon in high regard, drawn to his reliable and trustworthy nature.
It was strange how we were bonding over our shared belief in Gideon. Despite the fights, finding common ground in our trust for him felt like a connection.
Perhaps Niel's memories influenced my perception, creating a sense of familiarity, like meeting Randy after a long vacation.
Could someone's memories really change my outlook on life and people?
{It can, especially in someone with a weak mind like you}
Tiamat chimed in suddenly. I sighed, accustomed to her roasts. My mind wasn't weak; it was adaptable, not the same thing!
{Of course}
She chuckled sarcastically. Having Tiamat's personality as the downside of the second system was my biggest regret. She'd be stuck with me forever, like a constant Matthias in my mind, mocking me.
{Hey! Don't compare me to him}
She protested. Now, I was the one laughing, even catching Garcia's concerned glance as I suddenly burst into laughter.
As we reached the Control Room, a gate-like machine stood before us, a feature that wasn't here during our first visit.
The gate exuded an aura of darkness, reminiscent of fantasy gates leading to another realm – probably a machine to teleport us to the next starship.
"Let's go," Garcia urged, already sprinting through the gate as I hesitated, preparing myself.
The nauseating feeling from the previous teleportation made me take a deep breath before plunging into the experience again.
Oh shit, man! I didn't want to get into that thing again! I remember how it felt making me sick already.
{What an NPC}
Shut up, Tiamat! Fine, I would get into that thing!
Stepping in, I closed my eyes and, true to my expectation, felt the nauseating sensation, akin to being spun around by the teacup at an amusement park.
That shit was the worst part of the park!
As I opened my eyes, attempting to hold back the urge to vomit. We were in the middle of the Command Room, with many screens, computers, and NPC.
Then, I saw a woman with long black hair, facing away from us, not wearing a helmet but donning the same spacesuit. She must be our team member!
However, when I moved to approach her, Garcia blocked my way and spoke, "Who are you?" with suspicion in her voice.
I furrowed my brow, remembering that the Infiltration Team could disguise themselves as other team members. It heightened my caution towards the woman in front of us.
She eventually realized our presence, turned around and revealed striking beauty. Long, flowing black hair, captivating ocean-blue eyes, and an hourglass figure that held a mix of oriental charm. She gazed at us with a piercing look.
God, she is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen.
Enchanted by her appearance, I failed to hear what Garcia was saying until she smacked my helmet.
"Seth! What the hell!" she whispered sharply.
"Oh, sorry. What did you say?" I inquired.
Garcia sighed and whispered again, "Do you remember all the faces of our team members?"
I looked at her incredulously; I couldn't even recall the faces of people I'd met five seconds ago, let alone remember all twenty team members.
I shook my head and asked, "Do you?"
She punched my stomach, causing pain.
"Of course not! That's why I asked you!" she hissed.
Well, we were all fucked up now.
"Umm... You guys are from the blue team, right? Me too... I'm from the blue team too," the woman said with a melodic voice that added to her charm.
"Really? How can I believe in you?" Garcia remained unconvinced.
"I... Don't know how to make you believe in me... But, why don't we search for the cube first? I am Aoki Dalton," she introduced herself with a bright smile, giving off an introverted vibe similar to Jayden.
"I'm..." Before I could speak, Garcia interrupted, "It isn't important at all. I think we need to search for the cube separately," maintaining her cautious stance.
The atmosphere became awkward among the three of us. I thought Garcia was overly cautious – the effect of the disguised skill lasted only fifteen minutes, so it should be fine for her to join.
If she turned out to be from the enemy team, we could handle it together. It was two against one.
"Garcia, I think it's fine if she wants to join us," I suggested.
She furrowed her brows deeply and asked, "What? If she is from the enemy team, what would you do?"
"We could just defeat her?" I replied, finding it a strange question.
"Could you do that? You look like you're really awestruck by her," Garcia remarked, crossing her arms and tapping her leg in annoyance.
I didn't know how to respond and just cleared my throat. "It's not like that. There are two of us, so it should be fine. Or are you scared of her?" I teased, smirking as she looked even more annoyed.
Seemingly not a fan of being challenged, Garcia huffed, "Why would that scare me? Fine, let's go together," before leaving the Command Room.
Aoki smiled at me, and I reciprocated, introducing both myself and Garcia. She simply nodded.
Feeling an unusual happiness in her presence, the three of us exited the Command Room, embarking on the search for the next cube.