English
Indonesia
Chinese (Simp)
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
Portuguese
French
German
ArabicArknights: The Prophet of Penguin Logistics — Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Straight to the Battlefield?
Croissant was a Forte girl with a perpetual grin and an incredibly approachable demeanor.
In Exusiai’s vivid descriptions, she was the sort of person who lived by the paranoid yet practical motto: “There are always villains out to steal my wallet.” Despite this being their first face-to-face meeting, the Sankta’s endless chatter as a middleman ensured that neither Lynn nor Croissant felt like strangers in the slightest.
It might have been because Exusiai’s stories were so carefully detailed. Glancing down at the massive, reinforced suitcase resting by Croissant’s boots, Lynn could practically visualize the terrifying power hammer and heavy greatshield packed inside—or perhaps just a chaotic hoard of miscellaneous “treasures.” He offered a polite, measured response, just as Exusiai had advised him to do.
“I really don’t have a single credit to my name,” Lynn said, spreading his hands. “My ID hasn’t even been processed yet. I’m literally living off Exusiai’s charity right now.”
“If you’re broke, then we’ll just be friends!” Croissant beamed, digging into her pocket. “Here, take this. A little lucky charm.”
She tossed over a small, exquisitely crafted trinket. Lynn caught it, noting the weight and fine detailing that screamed expensive craftsmanship. He felt a sudden rush of flattery. To receive a freebie from the woman Exusiai had dubbed the “King of the Street Stalls” was a monumental favor.
“This is a bit much…” he started.
“Oh, I just picked it up off the street.”
Lynn blinked.
“Ahahaha! Just kidding!” The Forte girl threw her head back in a hearty laugh, stepping forward to deliver a crushing slap to Lynn’s shoulder. He winced, half-expecting his collarbone to splinter under the impact. “I made it myself! Pretty impressive, right? Your reaction was priceless, Lynn.”
“You’re someone Exusiai actually vouches for,” Croissant continued, her smile softening into something more genuine. “You’re definitely going to be a teammate, so it never hurts to build some rapport early. I know Sora and Texas are still giving you the side-eye, but I trust Exusiai’s gut. Don’t let her bubbly act fool you; she’s a ridiculously good judge of character. She acts friendly with everyone, but very few people actually earn her real respect.”
“Right,” Lynn muttered, rubbing his bruised shoulder. “Then I might be the first person she’s ever been completely wrong about.”
He shivered, staring down at the temporary employee badge in his hand. Exusiai’s blind trust felt like a massive, terrifying misunderstanding.
He was just a shut-in otaku. The second they crossed paths, he had practically clung to her leg, begging for a roof over his head. Not only did the Sankta take him in, but she dragged him into her inner circle, defended his highly suspicious background, and convinced herself he harbored some terrifying, latent potential that even he didn’t know about.
It was a crushing burden. Lynn knew he didn’t deserve it—especially since this supposed “potential” was dragging him into a lethal gray zone where a single mistake meant a body bag.
“I… really might not be as capable as you all think,” Lynn said, deciding to lay his cards on the table before Penguin Logistics made a fatal error. “Seriously. I know zero tactical operations. I barely understand the current political climate. I can’t even give you a straight answer about where I came from. Blindly letting me join your crew is a terrible idea for everyone involved.”
“Mm-hmm, your deadpan humor is top-tier,” Croissant chuckled, completely unfazed. “We’re going to get along great. Come on, let me buy you a drink. I’m exhausted after running around all day.”
“Were you listening to a single word I just said?”
She didn’t believe him. Not even a little.
Lynn let out a long, defeated sigh as he watched the Forte stroll over to the lobby’s vending machine. Then, a specific phrase caught his attention, clashing with what he knew of their usual schedule.
“Running around all day? Is the workload here really that heavy?”
“Not usually,” Croissant called back, punching a glowing button on the machine. “Things have just been crazy restless lately. A sudden peak season for orders, I guess? So we’re thrilled to have fresh blood like you on board. Oh, you want milk?”
“Coffee, please. Thank you.”
“But milk is so much better… Here, catch.”
A canned coffee sailed through the air. Lynn caught it against his chest. Croissant ambled back, collapsed into a rolling desk chair, and popped the tab on a can of hot milk. She took a long sip and let out a blissful sigh.
“Phew… hot milk really is the greatest. Anyway, we were already bracing for this mess. I heard the Lungmen Network is an absolute warzone right now.”
“How so?” Lynn pulled the tab on his coffee, the sharp hiss echoing in the quiet lobby.
“Word is, some psycho terrorist group has been stirring up massive trouble across all the underground forums and message boards, dumping data leaks of highly questionable authenticity. Nobody bought it at first. But a couple of days ago, the cyber-sec guys at Honey Badger Tech actually managed to scrub the posts. That’s when the underworld realized the troublemaker was sitting on a goldmine of bizarre data. Some of it’s real, some of it’s fake, but all of it is insanely valuable. So, take a guess. Why is the city tearing itself apart right now?”
“Do you even need to ask?” Lynn took a sip of the bitter coffee, his old instincts as a seasoned keyboard warrior flaring to life. “If you dump a massive payload of mixed truths and lies into the wild, and nobody can verify the source, the factions will inevitably start tearing each other’s throats out to secure the data. Or they’ll play nice in public while slipping knives into each other’s ribs in the dark. I’d bet money they’re issuing joint public statements right now while actively sabotaging each other’s servers.”
“Bingo! Hit the nail on the head.” Croissant’s eyes lit up. She leaned forward, grinning as if she had just found a kindred spirit. “That’s exactly why our delivery contracts have skyrocketed.”
She began ticking points off on her fingers. “More chaos means more demand for secure transport. More demand means more VIP clients. More VIPs mean more violent incidents, and those incidents just breed even more contracts! In short—”
“‘It’s incredibly dangerous,'” Lynn finished.
“‘It’s incredibly profitable!'” Croissant cheered simultaneously.
She blinked, her smile freezing. “…Eh? Dangerous?”
Lynn lowered his coffee, equally bewildered. “Ah? Is it not?”
“Well, yeah, technically,” Croissant scratched her cheek. “But that sounds like something a guy with the codename ‘Prophet’ shouldn’t be worrying about.”
Just how exactly did Exusiai describe me to you people? Lynn thought, staring at the Forte’s utterly baffled expression.
He downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp, resolving to thoroughly shatter this illusion. He was going to explain, in excruciating detail, that he was a fragile, squishy civilian.
Before he could open his mouth, the central elevator dinged. The steel doors slid open, and a vibrant figure practically bounced into the lobby. The glowing halo above her choppy, waist-length crimson hair illuminated the dim room. Exusiai waved vigorously at Lynn, her face split into a massive grin.
Without a word of warning, she lobbed a heavy, matte-black object straight at his face.
Lynn scrambled, juggling the cold metal before finally securing it against his chest.
“Prophet, catch!” Exusiai chirped. “I pulled some strings and requisitioned this for you! It doesn’t have any Originium components, so the stopping power is on the lower end, but I believe in you! I’m leaving the Spotter role entirely in your hands, okay?”
“…What did you just say?”
You believe in me? I don’t even believe in myself!
The closest Lynn had ever come to combat was buying his drill instructor a sports drink during mandatory high school military training and mindlessly burning through a thousand rounds on a digital shooting range. Now she wanted him to provide tactical overwatch in a live-fire gang war?
Did hundreds of hours in PUBG count as field experience?!
Staring down at the loaded handgun resting heavily in his palms, Lynn felt a cold sweat break out across his back. He looked up at Exusiai, who was currently flashing him an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and seriously wondered if her common sense had been trimmed away along with her hair.
He opened his mouth to scream that he was just a rookie, but the words died in his throat.
A second figure stepped out of the elevator.
Texas moved with a quiet, predatory grace, her expression an unreadable mask of cool indifference. A heavy, low-pressure aura seemed to bleed into the room with her every step. The Lupo girl paused, biting down on the end of a cigarette, and gave Lynn and Exusiai a curt nod, gesturing toward the exit.
“Lynn, your official badge won’t clear until tomorrow,” Texas said, her voice a flat, measured drawl. “But a contract just dropped. VIP escort out in District D4. Croissant, you’re on too. Gear up. We’re moving.”
“Alright, alright~” Croissant instantly hopped up, grabbing her massive suitcase. “Gotta love a VIP run. What’s the hazard pay?”
“Ten thousand LMD. Extra commission if we keep the streets clean.”
“Music to my ears. I love a boss who gets straight to the point.”
“Wait, hold on a second!” Lynn scrambled after them as the three girls headed for the glass doors. “Don’t you think this is insanely reckless?! Shouldn’t there be an entrance exam or a physical test or something?!”
“Actual combat is the best test,” Texas replied, spinning a set of car keys around her index finger. She didn’t even bother looking back. “Exusiai trusts you. She says you can handle it, which means we believe you can handle it. So why are you still standing there? Get in the car. Time is money.”
“Exactly, exactly!” Exusiai laughed, patting Lynn’s stiff back. “Even if you mess up a little, we’ll cover for you! You’ve got amnesia, after all, Prophet~”
“And if you really screw the pooch, just dock your own pay to compensate us,” Croissant added cheerfully. “If it’s just property damage, we can probably get the boss to write it off as a business expense.”
“I am literally a rookie! I’m begging you to listen to me—fine, fine! I’m coming!” Lynn groaned, realizing resistance was entirely futile. “Just don’t blame me when this all goes sideways.”
Even if he was somehow trapped in the plot of a novel, going from begging for shelter in a lobby straight into a live-fire warzone in District D4 was a ridiculous escalation.
Is this just my life now?
Watching the three girls chat and laugh without a care in the world as they piled into the armored transport vehicle, Lynn gritted his teeth. Gripping the unfamiliar handgun like a lifeline, he stepped out into the Lungmen streets.