In the end, Penguin Logistics still did not decide when they would return to Lungmen.
However, judging by Exusiai and Croissant's savings, it would probably be within a few days.
During these past few days, the group had been having an absolute blast at Rhodes Island, spending nearly every day exploring new places.
Especially the game collection in the recreation room, it was incredibly extensive.
Games from Columbia, Higashi, Lungmen… almost every country was represented, and the selection was so complete that Penguin Logistics nearly turned into gaming shut-ins.
Unfortunately, happy times always pass quickly. After confirming through special communication that Shirou was in good health and that everyone else had thoroughly enjoyed themselves, Emperor specifically asked Rhodes Island to assign them some work to keep them active.
He did not want to see them return as complete slackers.
Following the request of Penguin Logistics' boss, Amiya arranged a simple task for them.
They were to accompany Rhodes Island's A1 Reserve Action Team to deliver medicine to a small village near Rim Billiton.
It was not a difficult mission just a simple transport task, similar to what Penguin Logistics usually handled, only with a longer distance.
"Hmm… at this distance, we will probably need to stay overnight. Tents and spare clothes are a must."
Although they were reluctant to work, once the task was assigned, they had no choice but to get moving.
They were currently preparing for departure.
Exusiai was busy figuring out how many supplies to bring.
"The vehicle provided by Rhodes Island already has everything prepared. You should check your engraved ammunition stock first."
Texas reminded her from the side.
This time, Penguin Logistics was mainly providing support to the A1 Reserve Action Team, making it even easier than their usual delivery jobs.
After all, Rhodes Island would handle the main responsibilities. They just needed to drive along and assist.
"You are right."
After hearing that, Exusiai tossed the map aside and happily went to count her ammunition.
Meanwhile, Sora and Croissant were also preparing, mainly maintaining their weapons and staves.
"So… I do not need to go, right?"
For some reason, Shirou had been forcibly added to the mission. He could only stand there and ask helplessly.
With projection magecraft, he did not even need to maintain weapons beforehand.
But that was not the point, the point was that he had not been on the original list.
Why had he suddenly been included?
"You would not let us starve out there, would you?"
Hearing his question, Croissant turned around with a pitiful expression.
"I Absolutely would."
Knowing her personality, Shirou replied without hesitation.
This immediately made the "bread girl" furious, as she grabbed her hammer and looked ready to "discuss life" with him, fortunately, her teammates stopped her.
"The main reason you are going with ud is that Amiya asked us to take you out for a bit. We thought she had a point, so we brought you along."
While restraining Croissant, Sora explained.
"Amiya, huh? …Alright. But could we not do it at another time? I do not think this mission is suitable."
Hearing that it was Amiya's request, Shirou found it hard to refuse.
She was very perceptive and could read emotions. She had probably sensed that something was off with him.
He did not intend to reject her kindness but this mission really was not appropriate.
Thinking about it carefully, even if the Penguin Logistics team was included…
The A1 Reserve Action Team seemed to be entirely female, and their accompanying instructor, Dobermann, was also a woman.
If he joined them, he would be the only male there and feel completely out of place.
"Come on, I already talked to them. The girls do not mind, so stop overthinking it and get in the car!"
Seeing that Shirou was still hesitant, Exusiai signaled Croissant. The two of them worked together and shoved him straight into the vehicle.
"So I do not get a choice?"
Now stuck in the passenger seat with the two blocking his way, Shirou realized he could not escape this time. He leaned against the window and rested his head on his hand, expressing his mood verbally.
If he truly wanted to leave, they would not be able to stop him but in the end, he could not bring himself to refuse them.
Since Exusiai said she had already cleared things up, it should be fine as long as he stayed cautious. Besides, with everyone else going on a mission, he would have nothing to do but sit around in his room.
After all, everyone he knew at Rhodes Island was busy.
"No choice! You are definitely coming this time! You know that 'nutritional meal legend' is there, I do not want to eat those meals!"
Croissant laughed as she blocked the car door, taking this as a small act of revenge for what Shirou had said earlier.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten that Shirou could hold grudges, just a little.
At that very moment, Shirou was already thinking about how to "arrange" things for them once they returned.
Serving them nutritional meals directly might be rude, since he was not that familiar with Hibiscus.
But he could certainly recreate the essence of such meals for them.
"Nutritional meals are great. They sound very… nutritious."
After casually replying to Croissant, Shirou began inspecting the interior of the vehicle.
It was a Rhodes Island vehicle, one with excellent protection and a very practical-looking exterior.
Exusiai would definitely like this kind of car. Aside from the driver's seat, almost every other seat had a sunroof, meaning she could open one at any time and shout "Apple pie!" to her heart's content.
The rest of the interior was also quite good. Rhodes Island vehicles were clearly designed with combat in mind, giving off a strong sense of security.
It was also said that this vehicle could reach speeds comparable to sports cars, which made Texas somewhat interested. She was hoping it would give her a different driving experience.
After all, this was a car that combined maximum safety with high speed.
"Is Penguin Logistics ready?"
After examining the car for quite a while, Shirou heard someone calling from outside.
Leaning his head out of the window, he saw a Perro woman with black hair and a stern expression.
Shirou recognized her, he often saw her during training sessions and on the deck in the mornings.
She was Rhodes Island's instructor, Dobermann.
She was also part of this operation, mainly responsible for leading the A1 Reserve Action Team on this mission.
It seemed that this squad was still in the process of working together and had not gone on many missions yet.
"Yes. For this operation, aside from the four of us here, there is also one more person in the vehicle. That has already been reported."
Texas stepped forward to communicate on behalf of Penguin Logistics.
"Understood. Here are the details of the mission. I will have to trouble you to take care of them. This squad has only recently been formed and has not carried out many missions so this will serve as experience for them."
After briefly scanning the group, Dobermann showed a hint of confusion about why Shirou seemed "locked" in the passenger seat, but she did not ask further. She quickly finished her instructions and left.
As for Shirou… there was a large hammer wedged near the car door, but he did not seem particularly bothered by it. After watching Dobermann come and go in a hurry, he withdrew his gaze.
"Whew… it feels like it has been such a long time since we all worked together like this!"
After another while, once they had loaded the necessary supplies into the back seat, everyone got into the car.
Feeling this long-lost atmosphere, Sora even seemed a little excited.
After all, their usual work rarely involved the whole team! Not to mention Shirou even the other four rarely worked together like this.
"That is because Shirou is hard to schedule! After that, he went to the Guard Department and missed several missions."
Exusiai, sitting behind the driver's seat, said.
"Well, I am here now, am I not? Let me take a look at the mission details."
Faced with Exusiai's complaints, Shirou replied helplessly, then took the mission documents from Texas.
"This is a medicine transport… delivering treatment supplies to a small village near a mining site in Rim Billiton?"
After quickly scanning through it, Shirou understood the main objective of the mission.
Transport medicine to a small village near Rim Billiton, that was it.
These supplies were not limited to infection inhibitors; they also included basic medicines. Since it was just a small village, the Rhodes Island operators stationed there also acted as general doctors, treating ordinary villagers.
"Yeah, but the cargo is not with us."
Texas said, casually holding a Pocky in her mouth as she started the engine.
The low hum of the engine sounded, and they followed the vehicle in front as they set off.
"Hmm… even though we are just assisting the A1 team, we still cannot let our guard down. I will handle reconnaissance as usual?"
After confirming the mission's objective, Shirou put away the documents and asked Exusiai in the back seat.
Judging from how they had placed him in the passenger seat, it seemed they intended for him to take on reconnaissance but it was still polite to ask.
"Of course! I did not bring my binoculars, and getting used to new ones is troublesome!"
Exusiai grinned widely and immediately passed the responsibility to Shirou.
"…"
Shirou could not help but feel that Exusiai was getting lazier.
Well, reconnaissance it was. In any case, he did not need to use reinforcement magecraft much right now, so the strain on his body would be minimal.
As the vehicle left Rhodes Island, Shirou turned around and looked curiously at it from behind.
He had arrived by aircraft before, so this was his first time seeing it from the ground and it was undeniably massive.
Although much smaller than the mobile city of Lungmen, this was still a landship.
The sheer size of Rhodes Island was astonishing, making Shirou wonder if all the technology on this land had been invested into these unusual things.
The vehicle moved quickly. With no terrain constraints, it was even faster than before.
Occasionally, voices came through the communication device. It seemed that the other vehicle was being driven by their squad leader…Fang.
The A1 Reserve Action Team consisted of five members: Fang, Kroos, Beagle, Lava, and Hibiscus.
From time to time, Kroos's somewhat lazy voice could be heard reporting the situation ahead only for her to drift off to sleep mid-sentence, followed by Dobermann yelling her awake.
It was worth noting that Dobermann's shout of "Wake up!" also startled Exusiai and Croissant in the back seat awake, adding a bit of amusement to the otherwise dull journey.
"There is a group of suspected infected creatures gathering ahead on the left. Stay alert."
Fully focused, Shirou kept watch for infected creatures and other movements along the way. He reported this because, based on their current trajectory, there was a high chance they might run into them.
After all the experience he had gained from working, Shirou had grown somewhat, he was no longer the rookie who had to ask Exusiai about everything when he first got in the car.
The "lazy angel" was more than happy with this. At the moment, she was sitting in the back seat with an eye mask on, looking completely at peace.
"Did you really see them? Shirou, are you sure you were not mistaken?"
On the vehicle ahead, Kroos held up a pair of binoculars, but no matter how hard she looked, she could not see the infected creatures Shirou had mentioned. Forget living creatures, aside from rocks she could barely see anything at all.
"They are three kilometers away. They are all moving to the right. If we keep going straight, we might run into them."
Faced with the doubt, Shirou did not rush to defend himself.
As long as the vehicles got a little closer, they should be able to notice them soon enough. After that, everything would be easy to explain.
Besides, it was only a swarm of Originium slugs… very easy to avoid.
"…You are right! I can see them now! Then let us just go around them. Shirou, your eyesight is really incredible!"
After about several dozen seconds, Kroos finally spotted a group of Originium slugs moving in the distance. She immediately told Fang to steer around them, while also praising Shirou's sharp eyesight.
Texas, who was following behind them, then adjusted her route according to their movements and went around as well.
The Rhodes Island vehicles were certainly comfortable to drive… but not being able to drive freely still left her feeling somewhat irritated.
On top of that, the snoring from the two people in the back had become rather loud. If not for Sora and Shirou occasionally handing her food and water, she might have tied the two of them to the roof of the vehicle to let them get some fresh air.
Was this level of slacking not a bit excessive?
The rest of the trip went rather smoothly. By the time the sky was about to grow dark, the group finally arrived at the planned campsite and began setting up camp.
Their efficiency was far beyond what had originally been expected, mainly because Shirou could detect and avoid dangers much earlier and more quickly.
At this point, within the A1 Reserve Operation Team, Shirou had already been given three labels.
A superhuman capable of eating nutrition meals, a master chef who was excellent at cooking, and a humanoid radar.
Fortunately, the members of Penguin Logistics, including Shirou himself, knew nothing about this. Otherwise, the group probably would have laughed about it for quite a while.