Inside Rhodes Island's medical room, Warfarin was watching a screen, repeatedly dragging the progress bar back and forth.
"You're still watching this?"
"How could I not? Falling from such a height… Look at the footage captured from the surveillance cameras—you can clearly see that she landed headfirst on the ground. And yet? Not even a second later, she got up as if nothing happened. Not a single sign of injury. I even went to check the spot where she landed, and there's still a small dent there."
Kal'tsit responded calmly to Warfarin's concerns.
"I think I've figured out what Kanna really is. With your level of knowledge, you must have realized it too. Are you sure keeping that thing on the ship is safe? Can you guarantee that, if Kanna truly loses control, Rhodes Island will remain secure?"
Kal'tsit didn't deny it. "I can't guarantee that. However, you should also understand—if we can make her genuinely like Rhodes Island, then I can assure you that this landship will become one of the safest in the world. Risk and reward go hand in hand. Since she has shown goodwill, I believe the benefits of accepting Kanna far outweigh the risks we bear."
Warfarin let out a long sigh. She wasn't angry—she truly cared about Rhodes Island and saw it as a beacon of hope for the infected. That was why she was so upset at the idea of bringing an uncontrollable entity aboard.
"Fine. I just hope it turns out the way you say it will." Warfarin shook her head before changing the topic. "I just checked—our medical supplies are running low. We need to urgently restock."
"I'm aware. I've already contacted Rhine Lab, and a batch of medical supplies will be transported by Blacksteel International."
After their brief argument, the two quickly shifted back to discussing upcoming medical operations.
Meanwhile, Kanna and Popukar were walking through a hallway when they spotted a Rhodes Island Operator lying on the side of a corridor.
Thinking the person might be suffering from Oripathy symptoms or had been attacked, the two hurried over—only to find that the operator was simply asleep.
Popukar immediately recognized them. "Oh! That's Durin from Action Squad A4."
Unlike reserve operators, Durin was an official member of an action squad. With her bizarre ability to sleep anywhere and at any time, it wasn't surprising that she had dozed off in such a quiet and secluded corridor.
Now that they knew who it was, Kanna and Popukar carefully backed away to let her sleep. As they left, Durin lazily cracked open an eye, watching them disappear.
"Interesting kids… but that's none of my business. Time to sleep some more… zzz…"
"Why were you so nervous just now?" Kanna asked Popukar after they left.
"Well… Durin is an official operator, and I'm just a reserve member. Isn't it normal to feel nervous in front of someone like that?"
Kanna tilted her head. "…I'm an elite operator, and you've never acted nervous around me?"
"Eh?! Kanna-chan is an elite operator? That's amazing! Let me see your badge!"
"Don't get so close all of a sudden—!"
Nearby Rhodes Island staff chuckled at the sight of the two girls playfully wrestling each other like two little fluffy dumplings.
Later, as they arrived at the dessert shop, they spotted Blue Poison waiting at the entrance.
Under her guidance, the three of them entered.
The last time Kanna had visited, no one had been watching her closely, allowing her to steal bites of sweets freely. But this time, Blue Poison assigned Popukar to keep an eye on her, leaving Kanna with no chance to use her "ultimate gluttony technique."
Frustrated, she sat obediently, waiting for Blue Poison to serve their desserts.
After eating, the two girls lay against the table, eyes closed, savoring the lingering taste of the sweets—looking just like two melted marshmallows.
Once they had rested enough, Kanna and Popukar held hands and left the dessert shop, ready to resume their "Great Rhodes Island Cleanup Mission."
Kanna had been taking things easy recently, and it was all because of her mission system.
Since joining Rhodes Island, the system had given her two impossible tasks:
1.Kill ten mutated creatures over three meters tall and weighing at least one ton.
2.Face a Catastrophe directly.
The first task was nearly impossible aboard Rhodes Island. Even if dangerous creatures roamed the land, the landship's sheer size made them flee long before she could reach them.
As for the second task? Out of the question.
Rhodes Island had professional Catastrophe Messengers, and they were always rerouting the landship to avoid natural disasters. She wouldn't even get the chance to face one, let alone survive it.
Of course, she had never considered triggering a Catastrophe on purpose—the thought never even crossed her mind.
Because of this, Kanna had been stuck without new skills, instead spending her time training with Outcast to master her Palm Lightning and Star Alignment abilities.
Now, Rhodes Island was preparing to enter Columbia's borders for resupply and a covert mission. For once, Kanna hadn't caused any trouble.
But just as Outcast's squad was gearing up for their nighttime departure, Kanna's mission updated.
"Successfully complete a mission for your current faction. Your skill reward will be determined by the mission's difficulty."
Kanna rubbed her dragon horns thoughtfully.
How difficult does it have to be?
For her, the only real difficulty in a mission would be if it required complex planning or strategy—she wasn't exactly fond of thinking. If she could F2A (Face-to-Assault) her way through a problem, she wouldn't bother looking for a more refined solution.
If it was based purely on combat strength, then the only thing that could truly challenge her would be some insanely powerful enemy.
That meant she needed to complete a mission outside of Rhodes Island.
Staying on the landship meant only handling easy, trivial tasks—so her reward would likely be weak.
But there was an opportunity.
Over the past few days, Kanna had been secretly observing Outcast's movements. She knew that her team would be leaving soon for a classified mission.
And thanks to all her reconnaissance and exploration, she had mapped out every passage and security camera location aboard Rhodes Island.
If she wanted to sneak aboard without being detected, she knew exactly how to do it.
So, when the moment arrived—when Outcast's team was about to set out under the cover of night—Kanna was already hidden inside their vehicle.
Because it was so late, the squad assumed that everyone else was asleep—they never noticed that a certain little dragon had smuggled herself into the convoy.