In the dimly lit cockpit, the smoky dashboard continued to flicker with electrical sparks, while the red emergency lights blinked intermittently. The ears were filled with the familiar, grating alarm sounds.
Outside the cockpit window lay scattered remnants of fallen zergs.
Pulling the control lever a couple of times and pressing buttons on the console, the communicator had gone silent; the lifespan of this Viking fighter had come to an end.
Surveying the dozen or so holes pierced by spines behind her seat, she struggled to stand up from the pilot's seat and crawled out through those open wounds.
With each step on the ground, whether soft or hard, liquid pooled from unknown sources. Most likely, it was the bodily fluids of the zergs, perhaps mixed with human blood, engine oil, or coolant...
Stumbling out, she found a relatively flat place to sit down. It seemed to be the top of a fallen transport plane, but there was no time to care about such things now; it was good enough to find a place to catch her breath.
But before she could even settle down and feel the awful temperature of this planet, she heard rustling behind her.
Turning her head quickly, she found a scarred and ferocious jumping Zergling quietly approaching from behind, its mouthparts open and its limbs twitching, all indicating its readiness to strike!
"Oh, damn!"
Thud!
[Training simulation complete.
Overall performance: Good.]
Still in shock, Simonov hadn't even felt the intense pain when the assessment results popped up in front of her eyes.
"Oh! I passed! I actually passed this time!?" Seeing her score break into the "Good" range for the first time, Simonov jumped up from the training device.
Though she still accidentally fell prey to the insect, she was evaluated on piloting the aircraft! Ground combat wasn't part of the assessment!
"Ahaha! The commander surely won't have any excuses to forbid me from drinking now! I've had enough of this training room! Goodbye!" With that, Simonov immediately unplugged the data cables and dashed out of the training room, heading straight for the new vertical farm in the ship!
But Simonov's mind was full of vodka now, so she was completely oblivious to the silent ship with no sign of life inside...
...
Two days earlier.
"Wow! This meat is so delicious!"
Executioner sat at the table holding a piece of sauce-covered beef with oil dripping from her mouth.
Scarecrow opposite her was speechless.
How could she not be more restrained? Which Doll eats with their hands directly?
Can't she use chopsticks?
Does she even know how to use a knife and fork?
"Be careful! Don't embarrass yourself!" Suddenly, the rice cooker beside Executioner spoke up, its voice resembling that of Hunter.
"Huh? What's wrong with this? I'm not a Griffin T-Doll. Besides, our Sangvis Ferri style is all about being carefree! It's no big deal!"
Sangvis Ferri style? Since when did that exist?
"It's obvious you're just lazy, right? And don't include us in it. Haven't you seen Maria and Jaeger over there using chopsticks properly? You... You can't even use chopsticks, can you?" As soon as Executioner finished speaking, a Dinergate next to the rice cooker mocked.
At this remark, Executioner immediately turned her head to look at Maria, Jaeger, CF05, and NZ75 not far away, who were gathered around a bubbling hotpot, dipping slices of beef.
"Uh... But why are only they eating hotpot? Don't the others eat?"
Hearing Executioner's question, Scarecrow's face darkened. She glanced at the steaming pot of soup in front of CF05 and the others, shivering, "If you want to eat, you can go try it yourself."
"Huh? Okay, I'll go!" Without thinking, Executioner followed her nose toward the table where CF05 and the others were.
"You're urging her to go over. Is there something wrong with the hotpot they're eating?" Seeing Scarecrow sitting still elegantly cutting her steak with a knife and fork, Hunter and Intruder, the two who used the bodies of a Prowler and a Dinergate, couldn't help but feel strange.
Why did Scarecrow seem so averse to the hotpot?
"Renault gave Executioner a new Doll body. All the bionic modules on it are manufactured according to human standards, with no limitations whatsoever. Whether it's touch sensation, pain, or taste, the hotpot Maria and the others are eating now... well, the spiciness definitely exceeds what an average person can handle..."
Initially, just sharing taste and pain with Jaeger had caused her psychological trauma even if she lowered her senses at that time.
Now, if she were to go and eat directly... forget it, she might end up rolling on the ground in agony.
"Ah-ah! What is this? Ah-ah!"
As soon as Scarecrow finished speaking, Executioner's screams rang out from the other side. She crashed and lay on the ground, hands covering her mouth, writhing in pain!
It was even more painful than being shot!
This is embarrassing!
Seeing Executioner's miserable appearance, Scarecrow smirked, looking away, as if to say, 'I don't know this person.'
"Ahahaha! Executioner, hahaha!"
Maria who had just picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and put it in Executioner's mouth burst into laughter, holding her stomach.
While other T-Dolls had experienced discomfort from eating the hotpot, Executioner's rolling-on-the-ground act was truly a first!
Click!
Click! Click-click-click!
Perhaps spending time with the MDR had influenced them; all the T-Dolls had developed a habit of taking photos.
Now, seeing Executioner in such a state, they all took out their phones without hesitation, pointing their cameras at the still-grounded executioner, and the shutter sounds became incessant!
Hunter and Intruder, the two who used Prowler and Dinergate's bodies, couldn't help but step back when they saw this scene.
This was as public an execution as it gets, wasn't it?
Thinking on this, they both made up their minds not to go near Maria's side to try the hotpot, and when eating, they would definitely lower their sensitivity to avoid embarrassing themselves like Executioner.
While the two of them were hiding under the table, Scarecrow happened to turn her head and saw Renault making a phone call.
"The maiden voyage? So soon? Okay, got it, I'll definitely go then. Yes, yes, I'll bring everyone."
Hearing Renault say he would bring everyone, Scarecrow raised an eyebrow and looked towards the direction of the bridge.
It seemed that Renault was about to start the spaceship this time; otherwise, why would he take all the Dolls away? What about the spaceship then?