Arknights: It Can't Possibly Be My Fault... Right? — Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Homecoming 2.0

The scent of bitter, over-brewed coffee lingered in Kal’tsit’s office. She had just returned to the landship after finalizing the exhausting liaison work with the Lungmen authorities, and the paperwork was already piling up.

“That covers the bulk of the situation. We need to dispatch a few reconnaissance teams to sweep that Abandoned City. As for Lungmen, we have to clarify our official stance.” The Doctor stood by the door, discussing the logistics while leaning heavily against the frame.

“I will leave the arrangements to you,” Kal’tsit said, her eyes never leaving the documents spread across her desk. “However, regarding your decision to leave Amiya and the others behind in the field… I expect a highly reasonable explanation.”

She took a slow sip from her mug and finally looked up at the Doctor. He was still leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in a bizarre, stiff posture. She had no idea why he insisted on standing like that during a serious debriefing. According to him, it was a ‘cool pose’ that Kai had taught him. Kal’tsit silently added another black mark next to Kai’s name in her mental ledger.

“Weren’t Kai and M3 both there? Things should be wrapping up smoothly according to my tactical estimates. They can handle the cleanup.” The Doctor waved his hand dismissively, breaking his supposedly cool pose. “Besides, even if there were any unexpected variables, me staying on the front lines wouldn’t have been much use anyway, right?”

Kal’tsit stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head in sheer helplessness. She was beginning to suspect that allowing Kai to participate in the Doctor’s rescue operation might have been a severe miscalculation.

“Speaking of which, their transport should be docking right about now. What do you say?” The Doctor tapped the screen of his communicator. “Want to come down to the deck and greet them with me?”

Kal’tsit frowned, her posture stiffening. “They are not children who need to be coddled., my schedule is entirely booked. Why would I waste time…”

“Stop right there. Just give me a yes or a no.” The Doctor neatly cut off her usual pragmatic spiel.

“…I will go.”

“Honestly, if you don’t want to go, just say… wait, you have ‘worried’ written all over your face, yet you act so…” The Doctor blinked behind his visor, thoroughly stunned. “Wait, what did you just say?”

What happened to all that righteous, cold logic from two seconds ago?

“Lead the way,” Kal’tsit ordered coldly, already walking past him.

Down in the hangar, the heavy loading ramps lowered with a mechanical groan.

“Finally home. That transport ride was so bumpy it nearly rattled my skeleton apart.” Kai stepped off the ramp and onto the polished deck of their loyal landship, stretching his arms high above his head.

“You seem very happy, Mr. Kai,” Amiya said, walking down the ramp behind him with a warm smile.

In truth, it wasn’t just Kai. Almost every Rhodes Island operator felt a deep, bone-deep sense of relief the moment their boots touched the deck after a grueling external mission. To them, this massive vessel was far more than just a pharmaceutical company or a paramilitary base. It was their sanctuary.

“Rhodes Island is my hometown~” M3 skipped down the ramp, humming a cheerful, off-key little tune.

Amiya tilted her head, her bunny ears twitching in curiosity. “M3, where did you learn that song?”

“Hmm? I heard Kai singing it in the transport. I thought it sounded nice, so I asked him to teach me,” M3 replied brightly. Then, her ears perked up. She whipped her head around, her sharp eyes locking onto a familiar figure standing near the hangar entrance. Kal’tsit, the Doctor, and a handful of logistics operators had come down to receive them.

“Kal’tsit!” M3 instantly transformed into a blur of motion, darting across the deck like a gust of wind and throwing herself directly into Kal’tsit’s arms. “I missed you so much! Hehe, let me tell you everything we did this time…”

Kai watched with deep amusement as M3 practically circled Kal’tsit, eagerly chattering about their mission exploits. For a fleeting moment, the notoriously strict head of the medical department and her humanoid summon looked exactly like a large, tired lynx dealing with a very energetic little kitten.

“What are you thinking about, Mr. Kai?” Amiya stepped up beside him. Kai glanced over and noticed she had brought someone else along.

Meeting Kai’s gaze, Misha offered a slightly shy, hesitant smile. Before they departed the ruins, Skullshatterer and Rhodes Island had reached an agreement. Misha would board the landship first for her own safety, while Alex stayed behind temporarily to maintain order among their Reunion compatriots and organize the defectors.

During the journey, when Misha had caught her first glimpse of the Rhodes Island main ship through the transport windows, her eyes had nearly bulged out of her head. She had stared in absolute, slack-jawed shock for a solid minute before finally whispering, ‘It’s so big.’ Kai had mercilessly teased her about it for the rest of the ride. Now, seeing him look at her brought the embarrassment rushing back to her cheeks.

But only after truly setting foot inside the vessel did Misha realize her earlier shock hadn’t even scratched the surface. This was the very first time in her life she had ever seen a place so carefully ordered, a place where the Infected and the non-Infected actually coexisted. They walked the same halls, shared the same air, and helped one another like a massive, sprawling family. Just minutes after boarding, she had spotted a Sarkaz and a Caprine sitting at a lounge table, casually drinking coffee and laughing together. In any normal city, that sight would be a hallucination.

A deep wave of gratitude washed over her. She was so incredibly lucky to have met Amiya and the others. She was lucky that Alex hadn’t crossed a point of no return with Rhodes Island. And she was lucky that Kai had been there to pull so many of her people back from the brink.

Lost in her thoughts, Misha unconsciously let out a bright, goofy smile.

Kai stared at her. Why was this kid just walking along and suddenly grinning at the floor like a fool? Did she smack her head on the doorframe when they were unloading the vehicle?

“Hmm? Is something wrong, Kai… sir?” Misha blinked, hastily imitating Amiya’s polite honorifics.

“Nothing. You just look even happier than I am right now. Also, just call me Kai. There’s no need to copy Amiya, she just likes acting like a little adult,” Kai said, waving his hand lazily.

“Mr. Kai!” Amiya protested, her tone caught somewhere between a pout and genuine flustered annoyance.

“You two have such a wonderful relationship.” Misha watched them bicker, her smile softening into something genuine.

“Obviously. Amiya and I go way back. She was the very first person I saw when I woke up on this ship,” Kai said, casually dodging a series of light, indignant punches from the young Cautus.

Misha covered her mouth, giggling softly at the display. She turned her gaze back toward the hangar entrance, watching M3 cling to Kal’tsit. They looked so physically similar, yet their auras were worlds apart.

Good people always end up attracting other good people, don’t they?

Surrounded by the casual chatter of the returning operators, the group walked through the long decontamination buffer zone and officially entered the heart of the ship.

“Hey, Kal’tsit. I brought everyone back in one piece.” Kai offered a lazy salute before turning his sights on the man hiding in the back. “And you. Where exactly did you run off to? You left us to clean up the entire mess while you scurried back home to safety, didn’t you?”

The Doctor immediately threw his hands in the air. “I am wrongfully accused! My loyalty lies solely with Rhodes Island. I voluntarily withdrew to gather highly crucial tactical intelligence for our cause.”

“You? Where exactly did you go to gather it?” Kai narrowed his eyes in heavy suspicion.

“The communications room. And hey, I did gather it, didn’t I?”

Two distinct veins popped on Kai’s forehead. Sensing the immediate, lethal danger radiating from the transmigrator, the Doctor swiftly sidestepped, perfectly positioning Kal’tsit between himself and Kai as a human meat shield.

Kal’tsit pressed her fingers hard against her temples, exhaling a long, weary breath. “You two… cease this foolishness at once.”

“Doctor. Kal’tsit.” Amiya stepped forward, restoring a fraction of order. “We have returned.”

“It is good that you are back.” Kal’tsit reached out, gently inspecting the rings on Amiya’s hands to ensure her Arts limiters were stable. Finding them normal, her posture relaxed a fraction. “The formal mission report can wait. Go and rest for now. Everyone is waiting for you.”

“Waiting for us?” Kai blinked, dropping his aggressive stance. Was this some sort of standard post-mission protocol he didn’t know about?

“Oh, I know this one!” The Doctor raised his hand from behind Kal’tsit’s shoulder. “It’s a celebration party. Blaze and the others threw it together to commemorate your very first complete external mission.”

“Wait, what? Who? Me?” Kai was suddenly drowning in question marks. It was just a standard field op. Why on earth were they throwing a party? Really, Blaze and the rest of the elite operators had way too much free time.

“Ah, don’t get too emotional about it.” The Doctor stepped out from his cover and patted Kai on the shoulder. “They call it a celebration party, but it’s really just an excuse for Blaze to drink herself into a stupor and cause property damage. Don’t flatter yourself.”

A dull, heavy thump echoed across the corridor.

The Doctor dropped to a crouch, clutching the fresh, steaming lump on his head. He began muttering darkly to the floorboards about how cold and unjust the world was, how he had only tried to kindly explain the situation, and something entirely beyond understanding about ‘Thirty years in Kjerag, thirty years in Laterano, do not bully the young and poor!’The immediate result was Kai chasing the screaming amnesiac all the way down the main deck.’This guy is entirely too narrow-minded and absolutely cannot be kept alive,’Kai thought to himself as he vaulted over a supply crate.’I must eliminate this thorn in my side permanently.’

Amiya stood by the hangar doors, covering her mouth as she laughed at the chaotic pursuit. M3 happily held Kal’tsit’s hand, and together, the medical director and her summon watched the heartwarming, utterly ridiculous scene unfold.

It was just another peaceful day on Rhodes Island.