Rhine Lab, a member of Columbia's vast military-industrial complex.
In the iron triangle formed by the military, congressmen, and military-industrial enterprises, Rhine Lab is considered a semi-military-industrial enterprise, possessing significant resources.
For many years, Rhine Lab had been engaged in the development of Originium studies, life sciences, and natural disaster studies. Through related patents and sales by its subsidiaries, it had amassed considerable wealth.
More portable new Spell release units, lightweight staff modules, small battlefield support drones, intelligent multi-functional auxiliary robots, somatic cell pluripotent enhancement agents... Every patent could be seen wherever Columbia's power extended.
Just take the Rhine Charging Suit, led by Saria and developed by the Defense Department.
This protective suit, with built-in Spell circuits, would gain increasingly powerful defensive capabilities as its warm-up time extended after activation. The small Spell field it generated could deflect many Originium Arts attacks and reduce stray bullet damage.
Although expensive, this equipment has been widely deployed in Columbia's military special forces, making soldiers invincible on the battlefield and significantly reducing casualties.
If lightened and mass-produced, a regular soldier, after training, would see a substantial increase in combat effectiveness. This technology is already slated for deployment in Columbia's regular forces.
This is also why Rhine Lab is highly valued by the Columbian military.
Different political parties, various capital enterprises, and factions within the military all hold a positive view of this research institute, which consistently produces high-tech innovations.
However, everyone knows that both military-industrial research and pharmaceutical research are bottomless pits that require vast sums of money.
The success of one project often signifies the failure and abandonment of countless others, along with thousands of repetitive, erroneous experiments.
Rhine Lab is a research institute; even with numerous subsidiaries, it cannot solely rely on its own funds to support research.
And in Columbia, a country rife with monopolistic capital, the injection of external capital is a path a research institute must take.
Thus, with Rhine Lab's extreme expansion, the once like-minded departments gradually diverged as external capital poured in.
Behind each department often stood supporting forces, whether similar or different.
The Head of each department also had various benefactors with different agendas, or some simply chose independence.
Yes, I'm talking about Saria.
When they met outside of meetings, the atmosphere might not always be pleasant.
"Saria, it looks like you're getting along well with this handsome young man. I always thought you looked so stiff, but it turns out you're quite soft after all."
With leisurely steps, a Liberi woman with long, light-yellow hair entered the Defense Department's training room, looking at the man and woman inside.
"—Now, does this count as an iron tree blooming, or a withered tree coming back to life?"
However, the moment she saw her, Saria, who had just been thoroughly enjoying the combat training, suddenly became serious, transforming back into the stern Head of the Defense Department.
Stepping forward, Saria directly blocked Researcher Goki.
"Head Muelsyse / Muir Sais, the Ecology Department's recent safety inspection has concluded. There is no work requiring the Defense Department's involvement—you have no reason to be here."
Saria, of course, knew who this Liberi woman was—Muelsyse / Muir Sais, the Head of the Ecology Department, a high-level manager at Rhine Lab on equal footing with herself.
Anyone who could become a research institute Head was never an easy person to deal with.
Even more so Muelsyse / Muir Sais—her Ecology Department, unlike the usually low-key Defense Department, was a division that collaborated with many other companies and numerous political groups.
Some of its experiments... skirted the gray line of human ethics and morality.
Many of Rhine Lab's experimental results were either too shocking, extremely dangerous, or even caused the military to be wary of Rhine Lab. Saria had halted them at the paper stage and project implementation stage, or even directly sealed them.
Many of these were developed by Muelsyse / Muir Sais's Ecology Department.
Muelsyse / Muir Sais repeatedly tried to use wordplay and modify experimental reports to prematurely conduct experiments that could endanger personnel before safety confirmation was complete.
Fortunately, those experiments were all halted by Saria, and the resulting products were sealed under the Director's instructions—Saria was not foolish; she knew how to articulate the pros and cons from a Benefit perspective to persuade the Director.
Muelsyse / Muir Sais, this woman, was both a Genius and dangerous.
"Furthermore, Head Muelsyse / Muir Sais, don't look at me and Mr. Goki with such shallow eyes—he is an upright and reliable researcher, and his adherence to rules is far superior to yours."
Standing in front of Goki, Saria glared coldly at Muelsyse / Muir Sais.
Protecting subordinate researchers is the responsibility of a Head!
"Hm, don't be so distant. Aren't you going to ask for this young Mr. Goki's opinion?"
However, Muelsyse / Muir Sais paid no attention to Saria's rejection, wiggling the pointed ears that emerged from her long hair, and smilingly patted her flat chest with her slender hand.
"It seems you've still completely failed to realize your good figure, Head Saria. Your ample figure makes many girls extremely envious, you know?"
Her cunning eyes looked at Goki, and Muelsyse / Muir Sais showed a playful and cute smile, appearing exceptionally harmless.
"Right, Mr. Goki, Head Saria's figure is super alluring!"
However, Goki knew that this seemingly cute Liberi girl was not someone to be trifled with.
No, rather, she was a cute bad woman!
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Head Muelsyse / Muir Sais. I don't deny that among the Vouivre / Wyvern women I know, Head Saria's figure is the healthiest and most beautiful—but that doesn't mean I harbor any inappropriate thoughts about her."
Looking at the beautiful Liberi "person" in front of him, Goki raised an eyebrow, stepped out from behind Saria, and offered a polite smile.
"Head Saria is an excellent scientific researcher who is diligent, principled, and tirelessly strives for her ideals. Describing her with such frivolous words is disrespectful to her—I hope you retract that statement and apologize to Head Saria."
Muelsyse / Muir Sais, one of the well-known satellites floating in the Arknights sky.
This Head of Rhine Lab's Ecology Department, although not yet an Operator of Rhodes Island, YJ is not a charity. How could they draw beautiful girl art and not put it in the gacha to make money? Do you think capitalists are all sandstorms?
You mentioned Frost... well, YJ is a sandstorm.
However, this seemingly ambitious Liberi girl showed no signs of being written off; her chances of joining Rhodes Island were high.
Although she hadn't become a gacha Operator, Goki knew that since this Head of the Ecology Department could stand on equal footing with Saria, she was definitely not an easy person to deal with.
And... [I actually really want to be intimate with Saria, the way she beats me up every day is so cool, okay—she's clearly my future wife, but she has to put on such a facade, I'm disgusted with myself!]
[Ha... I wish you would be serious for once, kind Hunter.]
[Nyah nyah nyah, Muelsyse / Muir Sais, you scheming bitch full of bad intentions, sooner or later I'll make you and Nona Doll my wives too!]
[I haven't agreed yet, kind Hunter.]
The Nona Doll's somewhat embarrassed complaints echoed in his mind. Although Goki's heart was filled with the hormones of human Originium, outwardly he spoke idealistic words.
At least for now, he had to pretend to be a gentleman; that was his persona—no, no, he was a gentleman to begin with, alright!
Truly, Yharnam Hunters are all upright! His moral standards could directly compare to Ludwig's!
[You're completely lowering the average morality, kind Hunter.]
"Ha... how boring. No wonder you, young Mr. Goki, were chosen by her. Everyone in the Defense Department is as stubborn as a block of wood."
Looking at the man and woman in front of her, Muelsyse / Muir Sais seemed a bit deflated, rolled her eyes, and placed her hands on her slender waist.
"I just came to inform you, Head Saria—that idiot Parvis is dead. The Structure Department is in chaos right now, and the Director plans to hold a meeting to address this issue. We need to be there in person."
Muelsyse / Muir Sais's expression remained smiling, but her light-yellow eyes faintly emitted a subtle Originium glow.
At this moment, Goki and Saria felt a hint of threat and pressure from the woman in front of them.
"The Ifrit Project. Perhaps Ferdinand from the Energy Department will get involved, and I don't want him to gain any advantages—compared to me, you wouldn't want that experimental subject, I mean, Ifrit, to fall into his hands, would you? Perhaps we could cooperate?"
Hearing her words, Saria instantly clenched her fists, but then quickly relaxed them.
"I have my own thoughts, Head Muelsyse / Muir Sais. Thank you for the notification."
Although extremely annoyed, Saria didn't need to sour her relationship with a colleague of equal rank.
After all, while Muelsyse / Muir Sais was dangerous, she wasn't her enemy.
For these complex-minded important figures, routine pleasantries were the main part of any conversation.
The truly important message could be conveyed in a single sentence.
Inside Rhine Lab, undercurrents were stirring.
After saying these words, the faint aura of authority around Muelsyse / Muir Sais disappeared, and she reverted to being a playful, cute girl.
"Alright, no more of those boring things. Researcher Goki, since you've said so, I'll apologize to Nona Saria then—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned your terrible, useless chest fat, which piqued Mr. Goki's interest."
Making a statement that was nothing like an apology, causing a slight ripple in Saria's calm expression, Muelsyse / Muir Sais stepped forward, leaned towards Goki, and stood on tiptoe, looking up at the tall man.
"I sincerely invite you, Researcher Goki, to join our Ecology Department. It's much more interesting than accompanying this diamond woman, you know—are you really not going to give it a try?"
For the Defense Department's only newcomer, Muelsyse / Muir Sais intended to... poach him.
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