About an hour after Kanna and her group left, another new convoy approached from that direction.
Judging by their equipment and attire, it seemed that those who wanted to capture Rosmontis had recruited more than one team of mercenaries.
When they arrived at the canyon entrance, the leader sitting in the front suddenly waved his hand, signaling the convoy to stop.
He got out of the vehicle and walked to the middle of the road, sniffed the air, then waved to a subordinate. "Go catch an Originium Bug from the road we came from."
"Boss? What do you need that for?"
"Just do as I say! Tell everyone to get out and rest." Hearing his subordinate's question, the leader turned and cursed, then looked at the strange puddle of water ahead, his expression becoming somewhat unpredictable.
A short while later, a subordinate walked over, holding an Originium Bug the size of a human head with a look of disgust.
"You, throw that Originium Bug into that pile of water." Seeing his subordinate return, the leader ordered.
Although the subordinate looked bewildered, he dared not disobey his boss. Moreover, even though the puddle was twenty to thirty meters away, throwing an Originium Bug into it was not difficult for him.
Following an arc, the Originium Bug landed precisely in the puddle. Before the subordinate could even celebrate his successful hit, he saw the leader's expression turn extremely grim.
He crushed the lit cigarette in his hand as if he had made some sort of decision, completely unconcerned about the sparks burning his palm.
"Everyone listen up. I've decided to abandon this mission. If you trust me, follow me back."
With that, he unhesitatingly got into his car.
The rest of the team exchanged bewildered glances.
While some were tempted by the mission's reward, they also trusted their leader.
Their strength wasn't particularly high among mercenary groups, but their leader's judgment was incredibly accurate. It was under his guidance that this not-so-strong mercenary group managed to survive on Terra and even thrive.
Since the leader wasn't willing to explain, no one asked further, as the leader had quite a few secrets.
Before leaving, that subordinate looked back at the puddle. There was no Originium Bug left in the puddle, only a few sparkling Originium fragments shimmering within.
During a drunken night, the leader brought up this incident and told them that during the Kazdel war, the Princess Faction once had a caster who could melt anyone she fought into a puddle of liquid...
Kanna and her group did not encounter any further obstruction after leaving the canyon. However, for safety, Outcast did not directly return to Rhodes Island. Instead, she led the team on a large detour around the border of Columbia before successfully returning to Rhodes Island.
When the convoy arrived at Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit, who had heard the situation from Outcast, had already arranged a special passage, and Amiya, skilled in mental soothing, came to meet them.
As the convoy just drove into Rhodes Island, Kanna sensed that Rosmontis's emotions were experiencing some issues. It was likely "stress-induced trauma" caused by the previous "medical treatment."
However, fortunately, Kanna had held her hand the entire way from outside to inside, so although her emotions fluctuated slightly, it did not cause greater destruction like the first time.
Soon, the car door opened, and Amiya's donkey ears poked in from outside the car.
When Amiya walked in, she saw the Feline girl looking nervously out the door, like a small squirrel.
With her empathy, she easily intruded into the Feline's not-so-resilient, tense, and taut mind.
Using her Arts, Amiya quickly soothed the Feline. Then, she and Kanna, each holding one of the Feline's hands, led her out of the car.
Kal'tsit, standing not far away, nodded as she observed the situation. Having generally understood the Feline's condition, the medical teams that arrived, under Kal'tsit's arrangement, had all removed and hidden any equipment related to "doctors." Thus, when the Feline got out of the car and saw no "white devils" around, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Subsequently, the Feline and the other young children were settled in separate rest areas within Rhodes Island.
Touch stood before Kal'tsit, calmly recounting her observations and judgments about the Feline during this period.
Kal'tsit and the experts from the Rhodes Island Medical Department who had arrived all looked grim after hearing Touch's words.
Firstly, they hadn't expected Columbia to have such deranged medical practitioners.
Secondly, if the Feline's psychological trauma couldn't be alleviated, not only would it be impossible to treat and diagnose her, but the personal safety of the doctors involved couldn't be effectively guaranteed. After all, with their flesh and blood, they couldn't resist the terrifying ability that Outcast and Touch described, which could indiscriminately depress the surrounding ground by about ten centimeters.
Soon after, Amiya walked in. After hearing what had happened, Amiya appeared very angry, but she still managed to control her emotions well.
Afterward, she discussed with Kal'tsit and confirmed that it would require at least two to three months for Amiya and the medical experts to guide her in managing her stress and controlling her Arts. Once she could control her emotions and not harm others, the next step of treatment would commence.
The rest of the Medical Department also agreed to this.
After Kanna and Amiya escorted the Feline to her dormitory, the Feline quickly fell asleep due to the tension and exhaustion from the journey.
Amiya left first, and Kanna quietly walked out and closed the door only after making sure the Feline wouldn't wake up.
After stepping out, she turned the corner and saw a young girl looking at her with red eyes.
Kanna awkwardly touched her horn, then walked over. "Popukar, you're here!"
"Waaah! Liar!" Hearing Kanna's words, Popukar's previously suppressed emotions instantly collapsed, and she burst into tears.
A man dressed in an extremely flashy, host-like outfit emerged from the shadows nearby and sighed as he watched Kanna comforting Popukar.
"You should at least tell us when you're going out on a mission. Popukar came looking for you earlier and found you gone, then she ran all over Rhodes Island like crazy. She hasn't said a word to us these past few days. Spot is so worried he's almost shedding fur. Luckily, we heard you were back a while ago, otherwise, Popukar would have driven us all mad."
Kanna felt a pang of guilt as she looked at Popukar, who was crying inconsolably. Yes, if it were her, and a friend she had just met suddenly disappeared without a trace, she would probably be upset for a long time, let alone Popukar, who was still young and not yet fully developed mentally.
She stroked the girl's forehead. After Popukar cried herself out, Kanna took a clean white handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away the tears and snot from Popukar's face.
"I'm sorry! Next time, no! There won't be a next time. If I go out on a mission, I'll definitely tell Popukar first, okay?"
Hearing Kanna's promise, Popukar finally stopped crying and smiled. The tension that had been building up for days eased. She held Kanna's hand, leaned on Kanna's shoulder, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
I recommend this book... no~~~ I should say, I'm latching onto a new book by a big shot~~~
"Lawyer Simulator: Starting with Running Away from a Law Firm Partner"
[I am a lawyer. The content of this book is adapted from my real experiences.]
Fang Ming worked at a law firm in a first-tier city. One day, the firm's director went bankrupt due to failed investments and could no longer afford the high legal fees. He told Fang Ming, "Our firm took on over 800 cases this year, and currently, none of them have been completed. How about you finish these cases, and I'll give you a 30% commission on each one?"
Because the regional bar association was undergoing its annual review, Fang Ming was forced to accept this Delegation and began contacting the clients, only to find they were all rather troublesome cases.
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Case One: Betrothal Gift Case
A client came to him, saying he was about to get married, but the woman's parents told him, "One hundred thousand for the engagement, one million for the betrothal gift, and another four hundred thousand when you register the marriage. Otherwise, don't even think about entering my house. Lawyer, how should I respond?"
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Case Two: Group Activities Case
A client, a student, came to him one day and said that he was chatting with someone on a certain platform. They got along very well and several people agreed to meet offline. After drinking a lot, someone suggested they gather again, so they went to a hotel for group activities. The next morning, the woman demanded four hundred thousand in compensation, citing criminal involvement. "Lawyer, how should I respond?"
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Case Three: Mistress Case
A client, a housewife, discovered one day that her husband had been keeping mistresses (second, third, and fourth) outside, and had spent tens of millions of yuan on these affairs over several years. The fourth mistress repeatedly demanded that she divorce her husband. Unable to bear it, she came to inquire: "Lawyer, what should I do?"