I originally thought Kanna, who was tied up like a caterpillar, wouldn't cause any more trouble, but the surveillance footage showed otherwise.
Among those dangling in mid-air, Warfarin had rolled her eyes and clearly passed out. Elysium and Thorns were entangled in their ropes in mid-air, practically cuddling at high altitude… Just then, a Fountbeast Operator with exaggerated bull horns crashed into them from below, amidst their terrified screams. Even though the two entangled individuals saw the person below, they couldn't dodge.
"Eek~" Everyone present gasped, and the sharp horn on the Operator's head seemed to have pierced someone's backside.
The happiest person among everyone now was only Kanna. Relying on her thick skin, she swung herself around like a giant hammer, smashing wherever there were many people, having a blast.
If one were to say who was the most miserable, W was undoubtedly the first.
At first, she was relieved that she was high enough from the others, so even if the collision below was horrific, it wouldn't affect her.
However, she couldn't smile after that, because her position was directly above the others, and their actual distance wasn't far. So, when the ropes below twisted into a mess from the swaying, W, who was at the very top, suffered greatly.
In her horrified and desperate eyes, she was quickly bound into a mummy by several ropes in mid-air.
It was fortunate that Kal'tsit discovered it early enough and immediately had the people on the bridge release everyone, saving her life. Otherwise, a few minutes later, she would have become Rhodes Island's first Operator to die from playing a game.
Even so, she had several bones broken and was urgently sent to the Medical Department for treatment.
Among the others, except for the unlucky Thorns, who had an extra hole opened in his backside by a Fountbeast's horn and was sent to the Medical Department with W, shedding tears of humiliation, the others mostly had minor bumps and scrapes. Besides looking a bit disheveled, there wasn't much danger.
However, after this incident, Kal'tsit had Closure modify the hoist on the bridge. Instead of using ropes to hang people, it now used immovable crucifixes connected by heavy iron chains. Those being punished would be fixed to the crucifix, then the chains would be extended, suspending them in mid-air from the bridge.
Because of the weight of the iron chains and the fixed crucifix, those hanging there had practically no chance of struggling, which made a certain unnamed vampire's hanging appearance even more fantastical.
Kal'tsit looked at Kanna with a weary expression. Since Kanna's return, Kal'tsit hadn't had a moment's peace whenever she encountered her.
Although she learned from others that Elysium was the culprit this time... Elysium only made that suggestion because he saw her having so much fun!
"Ground her for a week! She said there's a lot of content this time, right? A week is enough time for her to write it all from beginning to end several times…"
Kanna looked at Kal'tsit with an innocent expression, seemingly having completely forgotten that she was the most frantic one playing just now. Kal'tsit pinched the bridge of her nose and then said to Outcast beside her.
As an old hand who was frequently grounded, Kanna wasn't afraid of this punishment. After all, only she was grounded. Although she couldn't go out, others could come to play with her.
Besides, she was indeed bothered by having to write so much, but if she was grounded, she would have plenty of time to write.
In the afternoon, just as Kanna, biting her pen and racking her brain, finished another report, the door was pushed open.
Popukar, Ifrit, Rosmontis, and Dahlia walked in from outside, each holding a lunch.
"Ifrit, long time no see! And Rosmontis, speaking of which, why didn't I see you two last night?" Seeing Ifrit and Rosmontis, Kanna suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen the two of them yesterday.
"Hehe! Do you know that a new batch of students arrived at Rhodes Island a while ago? Doctor Kal'tsit specifically organized a collective training for people of similar age. Rosmontis and I were both in the training team. We were out on a long-distance training march a few days ago and only returned this morning. Hearing you were back, Rosmontis and I specifically took leave to come see you… But you just got back, why are you grounded by Doctor Kal'tsit again?!"
Ifrit happily recounted what had happened recently. It was clear that Ifrit's mood was getting better and better now that she had a large group of peers.
"New students?"
"The leader is called Sonia, and she took a new codename, 'Zima,' after coming to Rhodes Island. Although she has several subordinates, none of them are a match for my subordinates, right, Dahlia!"
Hearing Ifrit's words, Dahlia transformed into a strong arm to show her power.
Kanna rubbed the back of her head after seeing Dahlia's action.
"After all this time, Dahlia still hasn't learned to speak?"
In her memory, Purewater Spirits, although completely different from carbon-based lifeforms, should also be able to "speak."
"I… can… speak… but… it's… very… slow…"
Hearing Kanna's words, Dahlia spoke haltingly.
Listening to that voice with only reverb and 3D surround sound, Kanna gave a thumbs up. "Hmm, that's the flavor… You speak quite well… Speaking is something that requires a lot of practice. The more you practice, the faster you'll get…"
Kanna was a bit curious seeing Dahlia's disinclination to speak, but she wasn't aware of Dahlia's past situation and didn't know if this disinclination to speak was something she always had or if it came with her current form.
"I… will… try… to… practice… more."
Hearing Kanna's words, Dahlia agreed.
"What did you practice this time? Given your physical condition, Ifrit, would Doctor Silence agree to this? And Rosmontis, you're an Elite Operator now, why would you participate in this activity?!"
Although Rhodes Island had gained a lot of new blood this time, logically speaking, Kal'tsit shouldn't have agreed to such an activity that seemed to have little meaning and carried a certain risk.
"I requested to participate myself, because I heard about what you did in Chernobog from Zima and her group. Although I couldn't participate in this operation due to injury and illness, I also wanted to understand Kanna's hardships more."
"Yes, yes! All the other Elite Operators came back to rest, only Kanna stayed out the longest. If Doctor Kal'tsit hadn't confirmed you would return, Rosmontis would have broken out of Rhodes Island to look for you…"
After Rosmontis finished speaking, Ifrit immediately nodded and took over the conversation.
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