195. The Pentagonal God of War
"Brother-in-law, how did you meet my sister?"
"Brother-in-law, how did you fall in love with my sister?"
"Brother-in-law, why hasn't my sister mentioned you to me before?"
Exusiai, clutching the gift Xiling had given her, was as excited as a lively little bird, chirping incessantly in Xiling's ear, calling him "brother-in-law" with unparalleled affection, a stark contrast to her initial wary demeanor.
To be honest, this change in attitude was so rapid that even Xiling was a little slow to react.
But as Lemuen's sister, well, she was practically his sister too, so he couldn't just sternly retort her with something like, "What's it to you? Get lost!"
So, Xiling could only bite the bullet and patiently explain things to her—though the truth of the story... well...
Lemuen, standing to the side, wore a faint smile, listening with interest as Xiling fabricated stories for her sister.
Texas excused herself due to Penguin Logistics matters, leaving Exusiai behind.
The Doctor, leading the way, subtly pricked up his ears, carefully listening to the conversation behind him.
"My first encounter with your sister was when she had just woken up," Xiling said with a hint of reminiscence.
"I sneaked into the hospital because of some...personal matters, and happened to end up in your sister's room."
"And that's how we met."
"After that, we chatted a lot, and as we talked, I fell hopelessly in love with your sister."
"I started pursuing her relentlessly, and finally, through my persistent efforts, I won her heart."
The Doctor, after hearing this, thought to himself:
"...Bullshit, who believes that?!"
This story is full of holes, with many crucial details vaguely mentioned.
"Is that so? Sis, is brother-in-law lying to me?" Exusiai immediately grabbed Lemuen's arm for confirmation.
"Hmm…" Lemuen glanced at Xiling, whose eyes were darting around and who looked visibly guilty, then smiled broadly and nodded affirmatively to her sister.
"It's like this."
As a Sankta of the same race, Exusiai could clearly sense the overflowing, pure joy in Lemuen's heart through her unique empathy.
Therefore, based on her understanding of her sister, while her brother-in-law's story certainly had some artistic embellishment, the core parts were roughly the same, as for the specifics, she had no way of knowing.
Exusiai's feelings towards Xiling were somewhat complicated at this moment.
To be honest, she quite liked this white-haired man with a unique aura, and she especially loved the weapon he gave her.
But more importantly, the continuous joy she sensed from her sister clearly confirmed that her sister truly loved him.
But…all of this came too suddenly!
Just as Exusiai was brooding over the weapon case…
The personnel department arrived.
Rhodes Island's personnel department's core function is to select suitable operators for the ship and assign them to different departments for management and allocation.
Theoretically, this department exists solely to serve the operator system itself…
"…I don't think filling out this form means I've joined Rhodes Island, do I?" Xiling turned to the Doctor, his tone slightly wary.
"Of course not!" The Doctor spread his hands, looking innocent.
"Rhodes Island isn't some shady company. The way you're saying it makes it sound like we're luring people in to work illegally."
"Actually, I think it's pretty much the same," Xiling thought to himself, but still picked up the pen and signed his name on the form.
Afterwards, he and Lemuen underwent a routine check of their belongings—neither of them carried anything extra.
As for how much was inside Xiling's Starry Cloak?
Xiling himself probably forgot.
As for Lemuen, The City technology was breathtaking; the black gloves Lemuen wore were all of her weapons located.
Even the weapon case in Exusiai's hands was thoroughly inspected, clearly under special scrutiny—likely an order from Kal'tsit. Unfortunately, no matter how thoroughly they examined it, they couldn't discern anything extraordinary about it.
After the two finished registering, the Doctor's expression quickly shifted from disappointment at failing to unravel the weapon case's secret to a gentle smile.
"I will now officially guide you two as you inspect Rhodes Island."
"Thank you for your trouble, Doctor. But before that..." Xiling waved the registration form in his hand, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
"How about taking me to experience your Rhodes Island operator assessment first?"
Xiling had no other intentions—he simply wanted to become a six-star operator.
"I couldn't be happier!" The Doctor was inwardly overjoyed. He also wanted to see just how capable this guy, who exuded the aura of a final boss, really was.
"Then come with me!"
"Come on! Brother-in-law, I'll take you there!" Before the Doctor could even take a step, Exusiai had already grabbed Xiling's hand with one hand and Lemuen's arm with the other and dashed off towards the training grounds.
"Hey! Don't run so fast!" Looking at the figures that showed no intention of waiting for him, the Doctor rolled his eyes helplessly.
His body, long neglected from exercise, couldn't withstand this kind of exertion.
"Red is still the best, willing to stay with me..." Just as a warmth rose in the Doctor's heart, he turned to look beside him—the spot where Red had been standing was now empty.
Clearly, she had also gone to carry out her surveillance mission.
"...Suddenly, I feel like I've lost all love." The Doctor sighed, resignedly taking steps to catch up.
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Rhodes Island's training grounds welcomed its king.
The operators watching the assessment had only one thought in their minds: Whose subordinate is this, so valiant?!
A legend circulates in the training grounds: in Rhodes Island's operator assessment, the highest single rating is Excellent.
Legend has it that a legendary woman, with her unparalleled physical strength, once redefined our understanding of limits.
Today, they will witness the birth of a new legend.
Witnessing this scene will be worthwhile!
Physical Strength Assessment: One sword to shatter it.
Battlefield Mobility Assessment: Teleport to the destination.
Physiological Tolerance Assessment: Attack at will.
Tactical Planning Assessment: Average.
Combat Skill Assessment: Unrivaled.
Originium Arts Adaptability Assessment: As far as the imagination takes you.
The Doctor stared intently at the five unknown ratings on the comprehensive physical examination report, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the data in disbelief again...
Holy crap! A god descended to earth!
Recognizing reality, the Doctor's gaze towards Xiling was filled with a naked, almost greedy desire—like a dragon discovering a rare treasure, a dog seeing excrement, a hero seeing a demon king's delight.
"If this were one of our own operators, he'd be unstoppable!"
He thought it was just a high-quality weapons supplier, but it turns out you yourself are the most powerful weapon!
Xiling, you really make me... so happy!
No way! I have to win this man over!
"Brother-in-law! Your performance is outrageous!" Exusiai, who witnessed the whole thing, was once again shocked and excited by her brother-in-law's unfathomable depth.
"So-so, third in the world." Enjoying the amazed looks around him and Exusiai's praise, Xiling looked smug.
"Just a little clumsy in terms of tactics," Exusiai added with a grin.
Xiling: "...You talk too much!"
The Doctor tried to suppress his inner turmoil and walked to Xiling's side, feigning composure. A brilliant kidnapping plan instantly formed in his mind: first, take him on a tour of Rhodes Island, let him fully experience its excellent environment and atmosphere.
Finally, he led him to the spacious deck, where, bathed in the warm sunlight, he sincerely explained Rhodes Island's lofty ideals and mission, and then… extended a hand representing an invitation.
The Doctor couldn't help but feel a little helpless again at this astonishingly brilliant mind.
Ah, perhaps this is the trouble of being a genius.
Back to reality.
The Doctor's face was filled with sincere admiration:
"Xiling, you are truly… an eye-opener. All of Rhodes Island's existing assessment records are history in your presence."
"It's alright," Xiling replied with an undiminished smile.
"Then, let's continue our sightseeing tour of Rhodes Island," the Doctor enthusiastically suggested.
"Next stop—the Medical Department."
A department that focused to treats Oripathy.