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ArabicArknights: The Holy Son's Leisurely Life — Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Big Cat, Miss Blaze
Lucian stared blankly at the name. “Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals? That suspicious-as-hell company that claims to fight for the human rights of the Infected while casually driving around in a massive landship?”
He muttered the complaints under his breath, though he certainly remembered the name. Exusiai had crossed paths with them not too long ago.
According to the energetic Sankta, this so-called pharmaceutical company was practically overflowing with hidden monsters. During her brief stint on their vessel, she had spotted dozens of combat personnel who carried the unmistakable aura of seasoned mercenaries., their demographic was a perfect fifty-fifty split between the Infected and the uninfected, all coexisting without a hint of prejudice. Even their core leadership consisted of Infected individuals.
A medical company with a mobile military fortress, elite strike teams, and a utopian social structure. The only word Lucian could use to describe them was ‘bizarre.’
However, Exusiai had also mentioned that the leader of Rhodes Island was an incredibly adorable little Cautus girl.
If Exusiai called someone cute, they were genuinely cute. And she was a rabbit. A little rabbit!
What was her name again? Right, Amiya.
“Xiao Ling,” Lucian said, looking down at his own resident little rabbit with a solemn expression. “Hurry up and take your big brother to see this guest. I will make you a massive plate of braised pork later as a reward.”
Motivated by the promise of food, Xiao Ling skipped happily ahead, leading Lucian toward the courtyard to meet the mysterious visitor.
The moment he stepped through the archway, Lucian spotted a figure sitting quietly in the distance.
A cascade of long, straight black hair spilled all the way down to her hips, catching the sunlight with a lustrous, feminine sheen. It was exactly the kind of flawless, flowing dark hair that Lucian—an absolute connoisseur of long hair—appreciated the most.
His extensive experience growing up surrounded by women immediately triggered an instinctual evaluation. This was definitely going to be a beautiful woman.
Putting on his best professional smile, he offered a friendly wave. “Hello there. I am Lucian from Penguin Logistics. Are you Miss Amiya?”
The beauty stood up and turned around.
That was when the situation took a drastic turn.
The person facing him was absolutely not a petite little sister. She was a towering, mature beauty standing well over one hundred and seventy centimeters tall. Her figure was slender yet dangerously voluptuous, her proud curves straining against her clothing and radiating the obvious allure of a grown woman.
She tossed her heavy black hair over her shoulder and let out a hearty, booming laugh. “You’ve got the wrong person, buddy! Do I look like a little rabbit to you?”
The pointed Feline ears atop her head twitched in amusement as she jabbed a thumb proudly at her own chest. “The name is Blaze! Elite Operator of Rhodes Island. Nice to meet you!”
This was false advertising.
Lucian’s polite smile froze completely. He leaned down and whispered into Xiao Ling’s ear. “Xiao Ling, didn’t you tell me she was a very beautiful little sister?”
“Big Sister Blaze is very beautiful, isn’t she?” Xiao Ling blinked her large eyes in pure innocence.
Well, she wasn’t wrong about the beautiful part.
But there was absolutely nothing ‘little’ about this woman. She was massive in every conceivable aspect!
Before Lucian could voice his grievances, Xiao Ling eagerly dashed toward the towering Feline. “Big Sister Blaze!”
With practiced ease, the little Cautus leaped two meters into the air and landed squarely on Blaze’s shoulders, riding her neck like a pony.
Blaze did not mind the sudden weight in the slightest. She reached up with one hand to steady the girl, her bright smile never wavering. “You’ve got some serious hops, Xiao Ling. I really wish my Amiya would learn a thing or two from you. Even though she is also a Cautus, she is such a frail indoor type. She won’t even let me hug her properly.”
‘Isn’t Amiya the supreme leader of your entire organization?’Lucian thought dryly.’Since when is it acceptable to casually manhandle your boss?’
, how long had this woman even been here to get so chummy with his little rabbit?
Lucian had a mountain of sarcastic remarks building up in his throat regarding this overwhelmingly boisterous Feline, but he swallowed them down. It was too awkward to start a roasting session this early.
He had to fulfill his duties as a host.
Composing his expression, Lucian stepped forward and extended his hand. “Welcome to Lungmen, Miss Blaze. Please let me know if there is anything specific you wish to entrust to Penguin Logistics. Though, looking at your arm… are you here in Lungmen to recuperate?”
His gaze drifted toward her right arm, which was currently bound in a medical sling across her chest. It looked like a fresh injury.
Blaze waved off his concern with effortless bravado, extending her uninjured left hand to meet his. “Oh, don’t worry about this. Minor scrapes like this are just part of the job.”
The moment their skin made contact, Lucian’s brow twitched imperceptibly.
Beneath the warmth of her palm, his heightened senses immediately detected the terrifyingly high Originium assimilation rate ravaging her bloodstream.
She was a severely Infected individual.
The density of the active Originium in her system easily surpassed that of Crownslayer from the Reunion Movement. For any ordinary person, carrying this level of infection would mean enduring a waking nightmare of chronic agony, rendering even basic daily movements excruciatingly difficult.
Yet, looking into Blaze’s bright, fiery eyes, Lucian could not find a single trace of gloom or suffering.
Oblivious to the deep scan Lucian was running on her body, Blaze simply flashed a toothy grin. “So, where is your Exusiai hiding? I want to drag her out so she can show me the best spots to have some fun in Lungmen!”
A few minutes later, Exusiai, having been summoned via a quick phone call, burst into the courtyard. She spotted the tall Feline immediately.
“Blaze!” The Sankta waved her arms enthusiastically. “You actually made it!”
“Exusiai! I came to crash at your place!”
The two women collided like long-lost sisters, smoothly executing a complex series of fist bumps and handshakes that looked more appropriate for a pair of street thugs than professional operators.
Lucian watched the display with deadpan eyes. “Exusiai, did you and Miss Blaze know each other before this?”
“Nope!” Exusiai shook her halo-crowned head cheerfully. “I only met her the last time I visited the Rhodes Island landship.”
Despite their short acquaintance, the two were practically glued together. Exusiai slung an arm over Blaze’s shoulder, pulling her down to sit close on the courtyard bench. “Blaze is a frontline Operator. We bumped into each other the second I boarded their ship. At the time, she was trying to smuggle a crate of alcohol out of the kitchen, but the Medical Department caught her red-handed and literally dragged her back to the wards by her ankle.”
“Ah! Hey! We agreed not to bring up the embarrassing stuff!”
Blaze’s face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. She waved her good arm frantically to defend her honor. “Amiya put me on a strict alcohol ban! I was going crazy being cooped up in that sterile room for so long! Besides, it was just a tiny scratch, I was perfectly fine to fight! The medics were just making a massive fuss over nothing, and they refused to let me deploy on the next major operation. So, I ran away from home!”
“Wait, what?” Exusiai blinked, thoroughly dumbfounded. “You snuck out?”
Blaze puffed out her cheeks, pouting in a huff. “I applied for medical leave! Normally, when Rhodes Island is gearing up for a critical operation, I would stay on the ship to act as the rear guard even if I was injured. But Amiya just looked at me and said, ‘Blaze hasn’t had a proper vacation in a long time. Please do not worry about the logistics here, just go out and relax as much as you like.’She made it sound like the ship would run perfectly fine without me! Who could possibly stand being treated like dead weight?! Stupid Amiya!”‘What kind of overgrown toddler is this?’ Lucian thought, his expression flattening further.
Blaze, who possessed the imposing physique and aura of a reliable older sister, was currently throwing a full-blown temper tantrum. As she ranted, she actually buried her face into Exusiai’s shoulder, whining and acting completely spoiled.
In response, Exusiai—who was usually the most chaotic and boisterous person in the room—suddenly adopted a gentle, mature expression. Looking like a true, benevolent angel, she began softly stroking the Feline’s dark hair to comfort her.
What kind of bizarre role reversal was this?
Still, seeing how perfectly their wavelengths matched, it was no wonder they hit it off so quickly. Watching the two of them interact smoothly brought a wave of nostalgia over Lucian, reminding him heavily of how Exusiai and Mostima used to behave back in their younger days.
While Lucian was lost in his memories, Exusiai, still cradling the sulking Feline, shot him a secretive wink.
She silently mouthed the words: ‘Quick, coax her.”Ugh, sounds like a massive pain,’ Lucian telegraphed back with a look of deep disgust.
In response, Exusiai’s boot connected sharply with his shin under the table.
She maintained her angelic smile, but the threat was clear. If he did not play along immediately, this hooligan angel’s next kick was going straight for his vital regions.
Left with absolutely no choice, Lucian forced a polite, accommodating smile. “Well then, Miss Blaze, Penguin Logistics will gladly accept this guiding commission. However, please keep in mind that the Lungmen city center has extremely strict regulations regarding the Infected. I will need you to stay close to us and keep a low profile…”
“Just call me Blaze.”
The Feline lifted her head from Exusiai’s shoulder, her golden eyes slightly teary as she sniffled. “You are Exusiai’s fiancé, right? That makes you my brother too. Just call me Blaze.”
“Hold on a second!” Lucian’s brow furrowed sharply. “Who on earth told you I was this menace’s fiancé? She and I are absolutely not—”
Thump!
Exusiai stomped heavily on his foot, cutting off his oxygen supply for a brief second.
As Lucian’s eye twitched in silent agony, Exusiai leaned into Blaze, her cheeks dusting with an expertly faked, bashful blush.
“That is right, Blaze. Although Lucian and I are childhood sweethearts, it is a bit too early to talk about marriage. He is just my boyfriend right now. Hearing you say that makes me so shy.”
Blaze’s face instantly crumpled into a mask of pure envy. “That is so nice… childhood sweethearts are the best! Ah, I am so jealous I could explode! I need a drink! Exusiai, you are drinking with me tonight! We are not stopping until I drink you under the table!”
While Lucian was still busy crushing Exusiai’s ankle in a retaliatory death grip beneath the table, the evening’s itinerary had already been finalized.
‘Women…’Lucian sighed internally.’So incredibly annoying.’