"Are you very unaccustomed to it?"
Kanna wasn't sure if turning people into sprites was a good thing or not. Although it was saving lives, whether they could still be considered human after being saved was truly debatable.
"It's alright! At first, I was a bit unaccustomed, but it got much better later. However, after being human for decades, suddenly becoming a giant mantis, many habits can't be changed in a short time."
Block sat there, looking at the communicating crowd not far away, and said.
"Then why are you sitting here? Did Sharp and the others distance themselves from you after your transformation?"
Kanna didn't believe Sharp would distance himself from Block, but it was hard to guarantee that the people in their squad could still be as harmonious as before after seeing the completely non-human Block. (Monthly fee, Group 694936, 135)
"No, not at all. It's a personal habit! I wasn't very talkative before. If it weren't for the Captain, I might still be a mercenary in some small place, eventually dying in an unknown location."
Block recalled his encounter with Sharp.
"After that, I joined Rhodes Island with the Captain and became part of the squad, serving as an assault specialist. Everyone in the squad and at Rhodes Island are good people. From the very beginning until now, I've never felt any rejection or isolation. Even in this form, everyone still treats me as a good brother.
Speaking of which, aren't you afraid of me in this form?"
As he spoke, Block used his scythe-like hand to remove his hood.
Seeing Block's action, a few members of Sharp's squad who had been silently observing from not far away couldn't help but feel a little nervous. After all, a huge mantis head was still quite startling for many people seeing it for the first time.
"Why would I be afraid? Come on, it's super cool, alright!" Kanna walked over to where Block was sitting, patted his shoulder, and then gave him a thumbs-up.
"Really... really?" Hearing Kanna's praise, an excited expression appeared on Block's mantis face.
"Of course! If you don't believe me, ask them..." Kanna pointed to the crowd behind her.
Block looked over, and everyone from Rhodes Island gave him a thumbs-up. As for the few from Lungmen, although it was their first time seeing Block's appearance, they weren't afraid. Chen and Texas, being more knowledgeable, simply regarded him as an ancient ancestor of some rare race.
"Hey, Croissant, that mantis guy looks really impressive!" Exusiai nudged the bread-man next to her and whispered.
"Wow! Such ancient ancestors still exist on Terra! Did they used to live in the primeval forests of Sargon?" Croissant exclaimed in shock after glancing at Block's appearance.
It was obvious that because he was very human-shaped and could communicate in Terra's language, most people who saw him would regard him as an ancient ancestor who emerged from some deep mountain.
And Block, realizing that everyone wouldn't reject him because of his appearance, happily moved to a closer spot.
After Block left, Kanna, standing in her original spot, made a gesture with her small hand towards the team, then said to Amiya beside her, "I'm going to wander around and see if there's anything fun..."
"It's so late, where are you going to play instead of sleeping..." Amiya was speechless at Kanna's sudden suggestion. However, Kanna had always been like this, coming up with ideas out of nowhere while at Rhodes Island, so she didn't suspect much.
Kanna openly bid farewell to Amiya and walked outside. Soon after, a reliable man with a fox walked out from the side.
"Hmm? Frostnova, why did you follow along?" Kanna looked at Frostnova, who was beside Big Brother ACE, with some surprise.
"Don't think your movements are so discreet. At least five people here noticed your signal, but they didn't follow because you called for me. Frostnova was asked by the Doctor to come along, saying she might be helpful."
Big Brother ACE tidied his equipment and then complained about Kanna's "discreet" movements.
"Alright! I just found several 'rats' nearby and was preparing to catch them. If too many people came, they might run. Big Brother ACE, I trust your skill, so I was going to call you for help," Kanna said, gesturing towards a dark direction with her eyes.
Big Brother ACE subtly scanned the direction and said doubtfully, "There's no one there?"
"It's the Phantom Squad!" Although she also didn't see any signs of people, Frostnova immediately identified the name of this squad that even Big Brother ACE hadn't detected.
"Phantom Squad?" Big Brother ACE's eyes showed vigilance after hearing this. As a guardian, he naturally harbored suspicion towards enemies who could approach without being detected by him.
"This is a team almost entirely composed of Sarkaz. They are skilled at completely integrating themselves with their environment. In such poor visibility, it's almost impossible to see their movements with normal eyesight."
Frostnova first explained the Phantom Squad's Originium Arts, then looked at Kanna in surprise.
It was important to know that although the Phantom Squad lacked direct combat power, as the eyes of Reunion Movement, they had provided a lot of intelligence to Reunion Movement with their natural "invisibility," and had never been discovered by enemies.
She never expected that in such an environment, which was 100% advantageous for the Phantom Squad, even her adoptive father couldn't guarantee 100% detection of them, yet they were easily discovered by Kanna. This indicated that Kanna's eyesight far surpassed hers and her adoptive father Patriot's.
"Sister Frostnova, is your power still intact?" Kanna asked.
Frostnova nodded, "Not only is it intact, but this body's enhancement to ice Originium Arts far exceeds my imagination. If I don't consider the short-term adaptability of the body, and just talk about the arts themselves, my current arts are three-tenths stronger than when I was at my peak before."
"That's good. In a bit, Big Brother ACE and I will drive them towards you, and then when they get close enough, how about you freeze all of them at once? Don't worry, I didn't intend to harm them. It's just that this strength is really wasted on the current Reunion Movement. My idea is to simply 'kidnap' this team back to Rhodes Island. Big Brother ACE, what do you think?"
Kanna told them her plan.
"The Phantom Squad has only ever participated in intelligence work, and they don't have much blood on their hands. Moreover, most of them are Infected, so they are indeed suitable for Rhodes Island's style. After we capture them, I can try to persuade them. These people all have very good personalities. As long as Rhodes Island can deliver on its promises, getting them to join won't be difficult," Frostnova affirmed after hearing Kanna's words.
Although Reunion Movement's intelligence was managed by Talulah, she had long been familiar with this Phantom Squad.
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