Arknights: The Prophet of Penguin Logistics — Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Matador and the BullYou're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“Ah… I feel like I have forgotten something, Operator Croissant.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing, Operator Oracle.”

“But I cannot quite remember what it is I forgot, Operator Croissant.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing, Operator Oracle.”

“Could you shift over a little? The airspace up here is feeling a bit cramped, Operator Croissant.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing, Operator Oracle.”

“…Could you maybe change your script, Operator Croissant?”

“But I really am thinking that!” Croissant protested, her voice echoing across the ruined room. “Why are we tied up and strung from the ceiling, swinging back and forth like air-dried cured meat? I, Croissant, have been pondering this deep mystery ever since I woke up. Even for someone with a stellar temper like mine, stringing a girl up without an explanation is crossing a line.”

“Yeah, why am I tied up?” Lynn sighed, the rough hemp rope biting into his shoulders. “Was yesterday not supposed to be my welcome party? Why would the star of the party be treated like a piñata? I think there must be some massive misunderstanding here. As a completely ordinary person, hanging from the ceiling for this long is making my bones ache. If the mysterious culprit who tied us up had an ounce of kindness, they would definitely let us down.”

“Yeah, yeah, they would definitely let us down.”

Is no one coming?

Aside from the rhythmic creaking of the swaying ropes and the sound of Croissant breathing heavily as she dangled a few feet away, Lynn heard absolutely nothing.

Struggling against his bindings to survey the scene below, Lynn felt a deep sense of cognitive dissonance. This did not match his impression of the Penguin Logistics dormitory at all. The windows had been hastily boarded up with wooden planks, and directly beneath them sat a pile of loose bricks and a gaping hole that constantly funneled the biting Lungmen wind inside. The originally crowded, cozy room had been entirely cleared out, forming a massive, circular arena of bare floorboards.

, a large, hastily written warning sign that read ‘NO ALCOHOL’was pinned to the wall with a dozen thumbtacks. A heavy, spicy aroma—something suspiciously similar to a rich hotpot base—still lingered on the floorboards. Splintered wood and loose nails littered the ground, and the remaining cubicle doors were fractured down the middle. Looking at the sheer scale of the destruction, one would easily assume a wild bull had gone on a drunken rampage through the facility. Lynn desperately wanted to shoot Croissant a highly suspicious glare, but because he was bound tight to the ceiling, he could not even turn his head.’This was clearly Croissant’s doing, so why am I the one tied up?’

Looking at the massive, unmistakable horn gouges carved into the walls below, Lynn fell into deep thought as his body swayed like a pendulum.

Unfortunately, the throbbing ache in his temples from his second major hangover made it entirely impossible to recall the events of the previous night. Applying basic logic, however, it had to be the result of Croissant’s drunken frenzy. He was merely collateral damage. Regarding his own behavior while intoxicated, Lynn had absolutely no evidence to back it up, yet he still harbored an inexplicable, unshakable confidence in his own innocence.

As if someone could no longer tolerate his internal monologue, the door behind Lynn was suddenly pushed open. Accompanied by the steady, measured rhythm of boots on hardwood, a dark-haired figure stepped into the room and walked directly beneath him.

“Miss Texas? Could you let me down?”

Down on the floor, Texas twitched her wolf ears. She looked up at Lynn with a completely unreadable expression, then silently turned her head and walked further into the room, carrying a cardboard box in her arms.

‘What is going on? Why is she ignoring me?’

Watching Texas’s departing back, Lynn was completely bewildered. From behind him, Croissant’s voice drifted over, laced with a distinct hint of schadenfreude.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I bet you drank way too much last night and seriously offended Texas. Do not let that cold and aloof act fool you, she is actually incredibly petty—”

“Croissant, what exactly are you saying?”

Hearing Croissant let out a startled, terrified hiccup from behind him, Lynn felt a wave of relief. He immediately flashed his most flattering, innocent smile at Texas, who was dressed in a crisp white uniform shirt and black shorts.

“Um, Miss Texas, I have always maintained a stellar reputation when drinking. Could you let me down? I am just a fragile, ordinary person, and hanging up here for so long is taking a toll. I am sore all over. Besides, looking at the sheer scale of this disaster, it was obviously all Croissant’s doing. I am just a weakling who could not possibly stop her, right?”

“Operator Oracle! What kind of nonsense are you spouting!” Croissant yelled, thrashing against her ropes. “I, Croissant, always fall asleep the second I finish drinking! You cannot slander my good name like that!”

“…It was both of you together.”and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Texas looked up at the bickering pair dangling from the ceiling and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

“It is good for both of you to be hung up to clear your heads,” she said, her tone perfectly flat. “Consider it a necessary lesson. It is better if neither of you ever drinks again.”

“What? Impossible, I am a perfect gentleman when I drink!” Lynn protested, his voice perfectly overlapping with Croissant’s identical denial.

Texas, casually holding a chocolate pocky stick between her lips, gave them a sidelong glance. Without another word, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a smartphone, and held the screen up directly in front of their faces.

The phone was playing a video recorded the previous night.

According to the footage, after Texas and Exusiai had gone downstairs, Exusiai had suggested recording the remainder of the welcome party to preserve the memories. The first three minutes of the video were perfectly normal. But then, the footage showed Croissant downing a massive glass of alcohol before suddenly dropping to her knees with a heavy thud.

In the video, Lynn immediately took the cue. He stepped forward with absolute confidence, grabbed the hem of his jacket, and whipped it off his shoulders like a cape. He gave a sweeping, theatrical bow to the completely stunned Texas and Exusiai in the background, before shouting at the top of his lungs:

‘Next, I will perform a matador dance for everyone!’

“…Pfft.”

Croissant simply could not hold it in and burst into a fit of giggles.

The two culprits tied to the ceiling were forced to witness, with their own eyes, exactly how the Penguin Logistics dormitory had been reduced to a warzone. Under Lynn’s exquisite, highly energetic conducting, Croissant had charged blindly around the room with terrifying, wall-shattering destructive power.

After the agonizing ten-minute video finally ended, a perfectly calm Texas slipped the phone away. She drew her glowing light blade, tapped the flat of the weapon against her shoulder, and spoke in a low, dangerous voice.

“One month’s salary from each of you. Any problems?”

“N-no, none at all.”

“Good.”

Hardly a shadow could be seen moving. A sharp, singular pop echoed through the ruined room as the thick ropes binding the two of them instantly shattered. Gravity took over, and they both plummeted toward the floor.

Croissant handled the drop flawlessly, executing a perfect two-and-a-half aerial twist to land gracefully on her feet. Lynn, lacking any such physical prowess, crashed headfirst into the floorboards, immediately getting covered in the lingering, spicy scent of spilled hotpot base.

Texas looked down at Lynn with mild disgust. She pointed a finger toward the bathroom, then gestured toward the back of the dormitory.

“Go take a ten-minute shower. Your new uniforms have been placed at the very back of the room, three sets in total. Change into them. After you finish washing up and changing, come straight downstairs. We will be waiting for you.”

After delivering her orders, Texas turned on her heel and walked toward the exit, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever. Lynn peeled his face off the floor, finding the entire sequence of events somewhat baffling.

“…I really thought I was going to die.”

“She is just like that, cold to absolutely everyone,” Croissant said, patting Lynn heavily on the shoulder. “But she is actually a great person. Do not worry, do not worry, I have got your back!”

Croissant gave him a bright, confident thumbs-up, flashing a grin so radiant it practically burst with stars. It was the kind of smile that made a person instinctively want to trust her. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, as Texas reached the doorway, she turned her head back and glared fiercely at Lynn one last time before disappearing down the hall.

Lynn was left sitting in a puddle of hotpot grease, his head full of question marks.

‘When on earth did I offend her? Was it because of the dormitory incident? Or was it the matador dance? I guess I really should not drink anymore…’

Picking himself up and carrying a small basket of supplies toward the bathroom, Lynn pondered the mystery with the utmost seriousness.You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.