Arknights: The Prophet of Penguin Logistics — Chapter 46

Chapter 46: A GiftYou'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.

To be completely fair, Texas easily ranked among the most stunning girls Lynn had encountered across two lifetimes. While every member of Penguin Logistics possessed their own unique charm, Texas was the exact archetype that struck a critical hit on Lynn’s heart.

She had long, straight black hair, soft Lupo ears that twitched with subtle alertness, a sweeping tail, and the tranquil face of a cold beauty. She always looked calm, as if her mind was quietly wandering somewhere far away. Although her past smoking habit might have deducted a few imaginary points, she looked infinitely more charming now that she had swapped the cigarettes for chocolate Pocky sticks., Texas maintained a rigorous physical routine. Even beneath the standard, featureless white uniform of Penguin Logistics, the sleek, athletic curves of her slender figure were impossible to hide.

Honestly, if this were the Lynn from before his transmigration, he would never have crossed paths with a girl of this caliber in real life. At best, he might have seen heavily edited idols or heavily filtered photography online. But ever since he arrived in Terra, the baseline for physical attractiveness seemed to have skyrocketed. Over the past few months, he had hardly seen anyone who could be considered genuinely ugly. Officer Ch’en, Texas, Exusiai, Croissant, Sora, the two Operators from Blacksteel Worldwide, the dangerously unhinged Lappland, a random shopkeeper on the street, and even the terrifying Talulah he had encountered back in Chernobog—every single one of them possessed a natural beauty that would utterly crush modern internet influencers.

If anyone dared to suggest that Lynn was dissatisfied with his current life, or that living surrounded by a harem of gorgeous women was somehow oppressive, it would be utter nonsense. He had grown familiar with them over time. They were incredibly pleasing to the eye, and their personalities, despite their quirks, were genuinely good. He didn’t harbor any grand delusions of falling in love; simply coexisting and looking at them was a comfortable experience.

Technically, Lynn was cohabiting with three of them. An outsider might grind their teeth in envy, assuming his days were filled with lucky, cliché romantic accidents. But the harsh reality was completely devoid of such perks.

Why? Because Texas, the very girl who aligned most perfectly with his aesthetic tastes, shared an incredibly tense dynamic with him.

When your physical stamina is drained to the point of blurred vision and gasping lungs, it makes absolutely no difference whether the person standing over you is naked or fully clothed.

Lately, just being in the same room as Texas made Lynn’s heart hammer against his ribs. His eyes would dart around looking for escape routes, and cold sweat would pool on his palms. Do not misunderstand—this was not the flutter of young love. It was the pure, unadulterated trauma of being beaten half to death on a daily basis. That seemingly frail, slender body contained the explosive, terrifying strength of a wild wolf. She could easily pin him to the floor and utterly dismantle him in close combat.

True, after enduring this hellish special training for so long, Lynn had made some progress. He had evolved from being instantly knocked unconscious in a single strike to surviving three whole clashes before eating the dirt. Yet, his feelings toward this black-haired Lupo were growing increasingly complicated. On one hand, he knew she was taking his survival training seriously, dedicating her time to him. On the other hand, he couldn’t shake the chilling suspicion that Texas was hiding something. Every strike she landed carried a heavy, suppressed weight—a quiet anger, as if she were venting some deep-seated frustration directly into his ribs.

Consequently, his survival instincts had kicked in. Outside of mandatory work hours, Lynn subconsciously avoided her. He really, really did not want to run into Texas.

Unfortunately, right now, there was nowhere left to run.

“Is… is there a problem?” Lynn stammered.

“Sit down.”

‘I’m dead,’Lynn thought.’She caught me eating alone and now I’m going to get lectured. Or worse.’

His entire body went rigid. He perched himself on the edge of the living room sofa, his posture so stiff he looked like he was holding a martial arts horse stance. Texas stared at his intensely serious face. For some inexplicable reason, she let out a soft, barely audible sigh. Her eyelashes fluttered as she lowered her gaze, and then she sat down right beside him, picking up a cup of coffee from the low table.

The faint, living warmth radiating from her body seeped into the space between them. Cold sweat instantly beaded on Lynn’s forehead. He caught sight of their reflection in the mirror angled across the room—the two of them sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch. A barrage of wild hallucinations flooded his mind, none of them romantic. The moment she settled in next to him, his blood pressure spiked, his muscles locked up, and his brain screamed that a brutal liver blow was coming in the next second.

“Can you… close your eyes?”

Lynn blinked, frozen.

“I’m not very used to this kind of thing,” Texas murmured, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. “If I do it directly, I’ll still be a bit nervous. So, close your eyes.”

“…Oh.”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.

‘This is it,’Lynn realized with grim certainty.’This is where she hits me.’

Despite the highly ambiguous phrasing and the strangely intimate atmosphere, Lynn’s trauma-addled brain drew only one logical conclusion. He glanced at Texas, noting the rare flash of embarrassment crossing her stoic features, and resigned himself to his fate. He squeezed his eyes shut. She was probably going to use her last bit of energy for the night to conduct a blind-combat reflex test.

He waited. The seconds ticked by. The devastating strike never came.

Instead, the quiet living room filled with the soft rustle of fabric, like someone reaching into a pocket. Then came the distinct clink of metal sliding against glass. Something had been placed on the coffee table in front of him. Stripped of his sight, Lynn couldn’t deduce what it was. The suspense was agonizing. He focused his mind, steadied his breathing, and waited for the Lupo’s next command.

“You can open your eyes now,” Texas said.

Lynn slowly peeled his eyelids open. His gaze locked onto the small object resting on the table, and his tense expression melted into blank surprise.

“…A lighter?”

“Yeah, just a lighter,” Texas replied. “I used it before. I’ve quit smoking now, so I’m giving it to you.”

The tip of her black tail flicked nervously against the sofa cushions. Her fluffy ears drooped slightly, folding back as she turned her head away to avoid his gaze. She picked up her coffee cup again, her voice dropping to a soft murmur.

“You’ve been at Penguin Logistics for a while now, and I haven’t given you a newcomer gift. Let this lighter be it. Whether you use it, smoke with it, lose it, or even smash it in a fit of anger, that’s entirely your freedom. Anyway… it belongs to you now.”

“Oh… oh…”

Lynn numbly reached out and picked up the lighter, his fingers subconsciously tracing its surface.

It was an old piece of hardware, carrying the heavy weight of passing years. The design was entirely retro, a vintage style rarely seen in modern Terra. The metallic shell was battered, the original paint worn away by time and friction. Deep scratches scarred the steel, and there was a distinct, violent dent near the center—as if a sharp blade had once tried to pierce straight through it. At the very bottom of the casing, a single word was deeply engraved: Texas.

It was impossible to tell if this was a custom item she had commissioned for herself, or a token from her past that served as the origin of her Operator codename. But holding it in his palm, feeling the cold, scarred metal, Lynn knew this was no ordinary lighter. It carried a heavy, bloody history. Yet, looking up at Texas, he saw that the usual tension in her shoulders had vanished. Her expression was relaxed, peaceful. Whatever dark meaning this object once held for her, she had finally let it go. Now, it was simply a gift.

“The past is in the past, and we will both grow,” Texas said softly, standing up from the couch. “This gift is for you. See you tomorrow.”

Lynn sat alone in the quiet room, staring at the scarred metal in his hand, his racing heart finally slowing down.

‘You… you went through all that nervous buildup just to give me a gift?’

The sheer relief washed over him, washing away the lingering terror of the night.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.