Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

The result of his questioning was… disappointing.

None of them felt any luckier than usual. Life went on as normal, which left Felix speechless.

And yet, the talent [Blessing of Kjeragandr] still sat there on his panel. Could it be that his sincerity alone had touched the heavens? That seemed to be the only explanation.

The journey back was shorter than it felt—Kjerag was less than two weeks away from Columbia. Once they left the snowfields, the roads smoothed out, and travel became far easier.

Two days after crossing the border, Felix's group caught up to the trail of the mobile city Trimount. Entering the city, he drove straight home.

"Master~!"

"Brother!"

"Brother Felix!"

"…Welcome back, Brother."

The welcoming party was none other than his so-called Trimount F4—though in truth, they belonged only to him. Senomi leapt up to cling tightly to his right arm, while Mandragora rubbed her body and tail against his left. Susie lagged behind but still wrapped him in a big hug, and Rafaela latched onto his legs, resting her head against his stomach with a dopey, gentle smile.

"I'm home."

Felix returned their affection with a warm embrace for each girl in turn. Senomi's tail and Mandragora's feline tail wagged happily, while Susi's cheeks glowed pink. Rafaela melted into the warmth of his arms, clearly unwilling to let go.

"Do you want a reunion hug too?" Felix asked, glancing at Avdotya, who stood nearby clutching her book.

Her cheeks flushed faintly, but after a moment's thought she shook her head.

Fair enough. Avdotya was no child anymore—already a grown woman in her own right. Then again, Senomi and Mandragora weren't little girls either; they were nearly of age. And yet, they still clung to him with the same fervor, leaving Felix both amused and a little uneasy. He was happy to see their growth and naturally wished for their future happiness, but there was also worry quietly lodged in his chest.

Carnelian let out a teasing whistle from the side, while Degenbrecher only smiled wordlessly at the scene.

"Well, aren't you popular," Mostima commented wryly.

Behind her, Fiammetta followed in silence. But when her eyes fell on the four girls crowded around Felix, something about her gaze sharpened. Before joining Andoain's squad, she had served in the Laterano Guard. The laws of her homeland were etched deeply into her memory, and she'd even spent her spare time studying foreign codes in the Laterano library.

Felix's behavior here… in another country, he'd be in jail already. And did she just hear one of them call him Master? Was he seriously role-playing this?

When the greetings and hugs finally wound down, Felix stepped aside and gestured to the companions behind him.

"These two are my partners, both from Laterano."

Mostima took a step forward, her expression gentle, her smile warm. "I'm Mostima. As Felix said, I'm from Laterano. I've been traveling with him, and we work very well together."

"Fiammetta," came the blunt reply. "My current mission is to monitor both Mostima and Felix."

Her introduction left an awkward pause hanging in the air, but when it became clear Felix and Mostima weren't bothered in the slightest, the others decided to let it pass.

Mandragora, however, caught the way Mostima's eyes lingered on Felix. The warmth in her gaze didn't escape her notice. Something clicked. She tugged urgently at Senomi's sleeve.

Senomi tilted her head. "What is it?"

"Sister Mostima… I think she likes Brother Felix."

"Eh—eh—eh?"

Senomi stole a discreet glance at Mostima, then gave a tiny nod. "Yeah… looks that way. The way Sister Mostima looks at Master is… different."

"What do we do?"

"Should we tell Mumu?"

Muelsyse had always been close with the younger girls. They adored spending time with her, whether studying or playing. Maybe it was because she carried that natural aura that made children trust her so easily.

Both Senomi and Mandragora, mature beyond their years, had long noticed Muelsyse's feelings for Felix. Around her, they sometimes felt a little guilty, but more than anything, what they felt toward her was something close to family.

But now—out of nowhere—this blue-haired stranger suddenly appeared, and Senomi and Mandragora were being told she might like Felix. The sisters found it hard to accept. After all, they were the ones who came first. They were the ones who had been saved, who had shared his very first embraces.

Could it be true, then? That the childhood bonds were no match for the sudden charm of an outsider?

Perhaps they'd been watching too many Higahinese dramas lately.

"Hello there."

After the greetings, Felix had gone off with Degenbrecher and Carnelian to discuss business, leaving Mostima free to approach the children.

"Wow, Sister, your halo is so pretty!"

Rafaela bounded up to her, wide dark eyes sparkling with genuine admiration.

"Do you want to touch it?" Mostima asked with a soft laugh.

"No… I can't," Rafaela whispered shyly. "I tried to touch Brother's before too, but… there's nothing solid there."

Watching her younger sister melt so easily in front of Mostima, Mandragora clenched her teeth lightly. This woman radiated a dangerous kind of presence.

Her gaze fell on the pair of staves Mostima carried. At once, memories stirred—her old teacher's staff, carved with strange runes, able to summon golems of living stone with a flick of the wrist. But the power she sensed from these staves was far greater.

"Mandragora," Mostima said, stepping forward with a smile. "From now on, just call me Sister Mostima."

She didn't pat her head like Rafaela. Instead, she offered her hand, treating Mandragora not as a child, but as an equal.

Mandragora's expression eased. Deep down, she had always longed to grow up, to become someone reliable—a woman who could one day stand at Felix's side. She often imagined whispering in his ear: Don't see me as a little girl… see me as a woman.

So even though part of her remained wary of Mostima, she did not refuse the offered handshake.

Felix, of course, remained oblivious to the delicate undercurrents between the girls. Once Degenbrecher and Carnelian had settled down, the latter began his regular report.

Trimount had been quiet lately. No major incidents. The technology exhibition continued on schedule, though the scientific community was as stagnant as ever. Only the high-energy physicists had made progress—developing a more stable aircraft, a step toward making city-to-city flight a reality.

Still, the challenges remained—fuel consumption, natural disasters, countless risks. But at least it was a beginning. The first prototypes of the new air vehicles had already entered the market. Not cheap, but not impossibly expensive either.

Like the annual release of a new smartphone, the newest models were always pricey. Except unlike phones, these weren't for the average buyer. They were toys for the wealthy—private aircraft that most ordinary people could only dream of.

"Carnelian, don't bother running a branch office. With your talent and skill, you should be coming back to Lungmen with me."

"What about Trimount then? Someone still has to look after things here, right?"

Carnelian shrugged. "If I leave, what happens to Senomi and Mandragora? To Rhine Lab? To Mumu? Boss, you don't seriously plan on taking Mumu and running off with her, do you?"

"…If I actually tried that, I'm pretty sure Saria would leap straight up, grab hold of my landing gear mid-air, smash through the fuselage with one punch, and carry Mumu safely back down."

"…"

Carnelian gave him a strange look. Why did that sound so practiced, like he'd thought it through before?

"For our next step," Felix said, turning serious again, "we can look into buying transport aircraft from Columbia's science community."

He glanced at Carnelian, now effectively his second-in-command after Degenbrecher. Tomorrow's Development didn't yet own any office buildings in Columbia, but they had managed to set up a base of operations—a place for comms, contracts, and coordination.

"The cost's going to be sky-high… Boss, you never thought about building our own?" Carnelian asked casually.

Felix shot her a look. "I don't own a factory. If I started hammering out transport aircraft inside Lungmen, Wei Yenwu would have me invited for tea the very next day. Leaving aside intent, just with my strength alone? Sure, tinkering with small parts is possible, but building a whole aircraft from scratch? I'd be better off buying one."

"Fair point. I'll keep that in mind."

"The sooner the better. If possible, buy one of the latest models—I want to fly directly back to Lungmen."

Carnelian nodded, committing it to memory.

Then Felix turned to Degenbrecher. "Columbia's an immigrant nation. Over the next stretch, I'll need you to handpick a group of physically strong warriors and sign them to Tomorrow's Development contracts."

His conversation with Enciodes had made one thing clear: time was not on their side. If he wanted stability on Terra, strength was the only path forward.

"I'll handle the Emperor and the Duck Lord. Degenbrecher—this one's on you."

"Understood."

Once the small matters were sorted out, Felix let out a breath of relief. Tomorrow's Development wasn't in a position to recruit too many Terrans yet—the funds weren't there, and they couldn't openly train mercenaries either. He had no gear, no money, no resources. Everything was stretched thin. Lungmen had already cost him nearly every coin in his account, and right now all he could do was wait for the recovery. If he started burning money recklessly again, it'd be outright bankruptcy.

But at least the parts for the Sprite had arrived.

Soon, he would be creating the very first mechanical lifeform on Terra—capable of carrying out simple commands. And once his engineering rank rose high enough, he could upgrade the Sprite's core, granting it a true personality, much like Rhodes Island's medical drones.

As for his firearm craft—that had been his first bucket of gold, but going forward it would only serve him in combat, not as a career path. He was, after all, just support. Firearms couldn't give him the kind of growth he needed. Against Terra's true immortals, enchanted bullets meant little.

Felix needed new tools. New methods of attack. Something that would let him survive the trials to come.

Lost in thought, he changed clothes, exchanged a few words with the girls downstairs, and left for Rhine Lab.

It was Mostima and Fiammetta's first time seeing him in the uniform of a Rhine Lab director. Mostima's eyes lit up, stunned by how striking he looked. Fiammetta, too, was caught off guard. She had heard from Mostima and Lemuen about Felix's vast knowledge, but seeing him dressed in his research attire like this… he looked every bit like one of the learned scholars who presided over the great halls of Laterano.

Felix walked once more down the streets of Trimount, summoning the interface to pull up the Horizon Ark blueprint. About a quarter of the plan had been deciphered so far. With his credentials as a high-energy physicist, his progress could only be described as steady—neither fast nor slow. Every day he carved out time to draft schematics. If his specialist sub-profession rank were higher, his design speed would no doubt be far greater.

"You're back."

Stepping into the Chief's office, Felix found her presence colder and quieter than before. Yet the moment she saw him, Kristen's face softened, her frosty demeanor melting into a faint smile. Yes—Muelsyse had told him that every weekend, Saria and Kristen would go out together. With that in mind, Kristen was no longer the woman of his past life, whose world revolved solely around work and ascension.

"This is the blueprint. Give me one year, and I'll be able to complete the full design of the Horizon Ark Project. Beyond that, I'll also need to coordinate with you on the applications of energy."

Felix spread the documents across Kristen's desk. Her gaze flickered, momentarily distant.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The military has joined forces with several research institutions to conduct Terran experimentation. The subjects… are Infected."

Kristen didn't hesitate. Her tone was cool, detached. "For Rhine Lab, this is good news. It means our standing continues to rise. Not to mention the rewards from such a transaction."

"Is that so? And you—do you think we should accept it?"

Felix's eyes locked onto hers.

"As the Chief, speaking from the standpoint of the company, I should agree. But as a scientist… I don't want to."

She folded her arms across her chest, as though warding off a sudden chill. "For the Horizon Ark. For the future of Rhine Lab. I think—"

"Kristen," Felix interrupted gently. "Even without Rhine Lab, you are still you."

He held her gaze. "What is a scientist? Back when I first joined Rhine Lab, you told me yourself. We both know what the parasites of the scientific community truly are."

"Kristen, I hope you won't only look up at the lofty heavens above. I hope you'll also look down, at the land beneath our feet. Because both you and I—we're living beings too. Alive in this world."