Civilization. Goki had almost forgotten how to write these two words.
Ever since he left Earth, his life had been cut off from civilization.
Although Yharnam had black technologies like the Hunters Workshop, its industrial level was probably still pre-Industrial Revolution. Forget computers and televisions, there wasn't even a single-chip microcomputer.
To be honest, Goki's days were very boring—if he had games to play, he wouldn't be pestering the Young Misses every day, only to be cut down by Senior Sister Maria three times a week.
Hunting was interesting, but going out to kill people every day wasn't ideal either.
It could be said that Goki's current thick-skinned personality, like a heavy-armored Operator, who shamelessly approached any familiar Nona for cuddles, was forced upon him by the boredom of Yharnam.
Therefore, Goki himself was originally a pure and good young man; it was Yharnam's cannibalistic old society that forced him to become a scumbag with no integrity whatsoever!
It wasn't his fault, really!
Anyway, Goki had stayed in Yharnam for so long that he had forgotten the advanced entertainment of his Earth days.
And after coming to Terra, he was still in the wilderness.
Whether it was the dilapidated coastal cities of Iberia, the primitive Rainforests of Sargon, or the ancient underground settlement of Qin Jiao, although Goki had been on Terra for a long time, he had never truly interacted with Terra's civilized world.
He had even forgotten that Terra was not a dilapidated wasteland but... an advanced modern society.
And this time, he was finally about to step into civilization.
— — — —
A crimson moon hung high in the sky, indicating that it was midnight.
"Hoo... easy."
In the small room, Skadi, wearing a light red dress and a green pointed hat, walked out of the cubicle in slippers.
Now, Skadi loved to wear the little red dress Goki gave her when she relaxed.
Blushing, she cautiously looked around, and only when she realized Goki wasn't looking at her did Skadi breathe a sigh of relief.
She was still a little shy when using the restroom.
This room was only forty to fifty square meters, small in area but complete in content.
The soft and elastic double bed, the refrigerator full of food, a small kitchen with everything from an induction cooker to an oven, a wide-screen TV hanging on the wall, a cabinet full of books, and various common medicines—all were things Skadi had never seen on her journey.
Of course, the most important thing was the automatic toilet!
So, Skadi was very satisfied with this room.
The room occasionally trembled, and the floor beneath her feet swayed slightly, indicating that this was not a room fixed on land.
However, this was not an RV either; at least, compared to Kaltsit's car, it was much more spacious and luxurious inside.
This was a "vehicle" much larger than a car, with multiple levels and many rooms. Skadi and Goki were only staying in one of them.
Goki had said it was called... yes, a Landship!
Aegirians had even bigger ships, but Skadi had never seen one that ran on land.
Because it was somewhat novel, she had wandered around the Landship a few days ago.
Leaning against a window, Skadi pressed her fair little face against it, looking out at the night scenery.
Through the thick bulletproof glass, Skadi suddenly noticed that in just the short time she was in the restroom, the yellow sand and withered grass she had seen outside the vehicle these past few days had suddenly disappeared, and the scene illuminated by the headlights had turned into a lush meadow, with even a few green trees visible.
"Goki! Goki—we're out of the desert, aren't we almost there, Co-co-what was it again, hey?"
Her gem-like eyes immediately blinked excitedly, and Skadi quickly walked to the bed, leaping onto it—
Crack—
"Pfft—yes, Columbia."
Accompanied by the sound of a rib breaking, the air in Goki's lungs was instantly squeezed out.
The Little Orca's heavy love landed directly on him, and despite the pain, Goki still smiled.
Having been tormented by Skadi for so long, Goki had grown accustomed to maintaining a normal expression even after she knocked off half his HP.
Of course, the Little Orca was also Goki's; only he could be subjected to such torment by her, so she certainly wouldn't do this to anyone else.
Pain was pain, but this was also the Little Orca's exclusive love, which Goki gladly accepted.
"Let me check the map... From central Sargon to the Columbia border, hmm, it's about time."
Taking out the mobile terminal Ifrit had given him, touching this large-screen smartphone he hadn't touched in who-knows-how-many years, Goki opened the built-in map software and checked his current location.
Kaltsit traveled alone and was often in areas without network access, so she naturally didn't need a phone or computer. But here, Goki enjoyed VIP treatment.
Currently, Goki was an expatriate of Sargon's "Qin Jiao Industrial Co., Ltd." returning to Columbia from a business trip in Sargon, and the Little Orca beside him was his bodyguard.
Evidently, this so-called Qin Jiao Industrial was just a shell company created by Ifrit to conceal his influence in Columbia.
Although it required passing through several customs checkpoints, the border officials had long been taken care of. As long as enough taxes were paid to various Columbia departments, coupled with various related "operations," Ifrit could freely transport clients between Columbia and Sargon.
And, they would be transported in grand fashion—in the first-class cabin of a Landship.
This was the largest type of transport vehicle for Terrans, besides Mobile Cities, resembling the MCV base vehicle from Red Alert.
Of course, the Landship Goki and Skadi were on was not as massive as the Rhodes Island in the game, but the smallest model.
It was only two stories high, with just over ten rooms in total, and only dozens of crew members besides the guests. The journey was also more comfortable, specifically designed for transporting VIPs.
The Landship was incredibly heavy, moved by tracks, and had excellent shock absorption. Goki, who had been jolted all the way in an old jeep, finally got a good night's sleep.
Although there was no internet connection here, there was a vast library of movies and TV shows that could be watched by plugging in a USB drive.
To his excitement, Goki even found that he barely knew how to use the remote control.
Finally, after who knows how many years since leaving Earth, he once again enjoyed the convenience of modern technology.
Terra, it really was a modern society! Having stayed in Iberia and Sargon for so long, Goki had almost forgotten this fact.
Turning his head, Goki looked out at the scenery through the porthole beside the double bed; he could see the lights of the escort convoy.
Of course, these people were not escorting him, but were bodyguards hired by other high-ranking clients. Ifrit would always gather a group of guests before dispatching a vehicle, and the tickets were incredibly expensive. No one wanted to die on the way to the paradise of Columbia.
Data was not shared between the nations of Terra, and there were no household registration records, so creating a person out of thin air was not difficult.
As long as the money was in place, they would soon be enjoying the good life of Columbia in any city-state.
Columbia was indeed a paradise—a paradise for the rich.
However, Goki had not spent a single penny to board this Landship.
The only fare Ifrit demanded from Goki was to convey his regards to Kaltsit on his behalf.
He didn't care about the loss or gain of his property; instead, he hoped to establish a good working relationship with Goki, especially after knowing he had a connection with Kaltsit.
What kind of attitude did this Qin Jiao Land Master hold towards Kaltsit, the person who changed his life?
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Goki felt it was neither gratitude nor curiosity.
Goki knew that after he completed his revenge, he would still go to Rhodes Island to find a way to fill the void in his life.
Well then, perhaps we'll meet again in the future.
"Alright, alright, tonight we'll cross the customs, and our final destination is... St. Foucault City."
Opening the panoramic map of Columbia, Goki pointed to a city in the west.
This was the address Kaltsit had left for him, and Goki planned to find her here.
"Perhaps... we'll run into some acquaintances again. Come on, get down, let's watch a movie."
"Mm."
Goki gently set the Little Orca down from his body, skillfully wrapped his arms around Skadi's slender waist, embracing her in his arms, and they sat one in front of the other at the head of the bed.
Having traveled together, the two had long grown accustomed to hugging and cuddling. Skadi didn't mind, and Goki merely held her hand and embraced her waist.
In fact, even with the fragrant, soft beauty in his arms, Goki could now manage not to make Skadi feel like she had a gun pressed against her back.
Cuddling was one thing, but acting too lewd would be a bit undignified.
Although he was lying in bed with the silver-haired beauty watching a movie, it was truly just to learn Columbian—really!
"How about this one, 'Who Am I'? It's really exciting, and it was also filmed in Columbia—Shitie Shou is an international martial arts superstar."
Goki was particularly excited, pointing at the silver-haired Ursus girl on the TV, who was full-figured, with two round black ears, and was sliding down a slanted glass exterior wall.
Shitie Shou had not yet retired due to illness, and her action films without stunt doubles were produced at a high rate of one per year. Goki enjoyed watching them and planned to definitely get an autograph in the future.
"No, I want to watch this one—"
Skadi, however, shook her little head like a rattle drum, then picked up the remote and switched to another movie.
On the screen, a man and a woman stood at the bow of a Landship. The girl spread her arms, embraced by the man, as they watched the long river and setting sun.
"Titanic" told the story of two young people traveling on a Landship like Goki's, who met and fell in love by accident—until the ship was eventually destroyed by a natural disaster, a meteor shower.
Show off your affection, die fast! Goki and Skadi always knew to cuddle out of sight.
Skadi had never seen a movie, so of course, she didn't know what a romance film was. Goki originally didn't intend to show her such a profound movie, but the Little Orca had high artistic aesthetic talent and loved such grand scenes, so she chose it herself.
"Don't you think these two people are very much like us? We also met in an accident—hmm."
Skadi was happily introducing the movie's plot to Goki, but then she saw the male and female leads kissing.
Although she had always believed this was a normal understanding between land-dweller friends, for some reason, watching the man and woman who almost seemed to melt into each other's bodies, Skadi still blushed.
Turning her little head away, Skadi buried her face in Goki's chest, murmuring softly.
"...Let's watch Lungmen Police Story instead."
The Abyssal Hunter Nona still had much to learn.
"Ha, it's alright, I'll slowly teach you the meaning of the movie's content later—want to watch a horror movie?"
Goki flashed a mischievous smile and switched to another movie—a story about how a group of Ursus polar research station researchers escaped an attack by a shapeshifting face-destroying monster.
An hour and a half later, Goki turned off the TV, extinguished the bedside lamp, and lay down on the bed.
"Goki... hold me, I'm a little scared."
The next second, a warm, soft, delicate body slid into Goki's bed.
Clamping Goki's arm with her thick front armor, the superwoman who could directly cleave the Landship beneath her feet with a giant blade was now as scared as a child.
Although she had just eliminated a Clone of a god not long ago, that didn't stop her from being afraid of the demons and monsters in movies.
Compared to before when she treated Goki as a pillow, this time, Skadi clung extra tightly, her silver-white hair reflecting the moonlight, exceptionally soft.
Goki silently curved his lips, embraced Skadi, played with her white hair, and listened to the Doll Nona's complaints in his mind.
[Good—kind—hunter, you really are a bad, bad guy!]—the Doll Nona had also learned to speak strangely.
"Goki, stop playing with my hair, it'll be troublesome to comb tomorrow."
"It's alright, I'll help you comb it."
"Oh, then just touch it... "
Just like that, under the crimson moonlight, Goki and Skadi once again embraced each other and fell asleep.
And the small Landship slowly drove across the Columbia border, entering this free and advanced nation, stepping into true civilization.
However, Columbia's civilization had little to do with humanity.
— — — — — —
Drip, drip, drip—
Accompanied by the humming of instruments, in the cold-toned laboratory, expressionless researchers indifferently adjusted instrument parameters, monitored experimental data, and continuously wrote and drew in their notepads.
And in front of them, in sealed chambers resembling coffins, small figures were vertically fixed.
There were boys and girls, of various races. These individuals, covered in electrodes and with specks of blood on their bandages, were all underage children.
They were in a deep sleep, but their expressions were exceptionally pained, as if they were suffering intense pain even in their dreams.
Drip— — — —
Accompanied by a sharp buzzing sound, beside several children with tightly closed eyes, the lines representing their vital signs struggled several times before returning to zero.
Several children had died.
"Send them to the harmless disposal room. It's a shame; after surviving this round of modifications, their survival rate for the next experiment would have greatly increased. Never mind, at least there are plenty of test subjects."
However, the man in the white coat in front of him showed no sadness, merely waved his hand, instructing his subordinates to send them to the disposal room—which was the incineration device.
"Parvis, my old rival, my old friend, I originally thought we could determine a winner and loser. It seems I can only walk alone on the path of seeking truth—it succeeded."
Walking to the experiment chamber with the best data, and the only one with a surviving individual, the blonde Feline man adjusted his glasses, revealing a joyful expression.
"I hope your student can inherit your talent. I am still curious what kind of weapons Rhine Lab can provide to the military—but no matter what, my creation is the strongest in the world!"
Looking at the white-haired Feline girl, under ten years old, in the chamber, Loken Williams's face showed a satisfied smile.
"Ah, Teacher Kaltsit, I truly wish you could be here to see this great masterpiece of mine—she is the daughter of the Mobile City, a being forged of steel."
Columbia's "civilization" had always existed only in imagination.
Here, it was a Hell more savage than the Akahula Rainforest!
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