However, since everyone else in the group referred to the newcomers as "friendly forces," the two female operators steeled their nerves and stepped inside the cabin, sitting tensely by the entrance.
"Hello there!"
Seeing the two Rhodes Island Operators who had entered with their bodies stiff as boards, Flandre poked her small head out from the back seat, her red eyes gleaming with unbridled curiosity as she initiated conversation.
"H-Hello...!" one of them managed to reply after swallowing hard.
"My name is Flandre. What about you two?" Flandre continued happily, delighted to find that the newcomers were willing to interact with her.
"My name is Zhi Ri, and this is Hui," the woman who spoke first introduced, still visibly shaken from her brush with the storm. "It is truly a pleasure to meet you all, and we are profoundly grateful for your rescue. If it weren't for your timely intervention, our entire squad would likely have been completely finished today."
"Actually, that might not necessarily be true," Patchouli interjected calmly from her seat. After arriving at the leeward ridge, her analytical magic had scanned the immediate terrain and uncovered another potential survival path for the unit. "There is a subterranean cave entrance located approximately ten meters behind your previous position, off to the left. Had you been fortunate enough to discover that geological opening, your squad could have easily weathered the storm inside."
Now that the rescued personnel were securely accommodated, Hong Meiling called out from the driver's bench, "To those riding on the Camel-beasts, hold on tight to the reins! We are officially setting off!"
Jianshi and his three fellow operators replied confidently that they had ridden Camel-beasts across harsh terrain countless times, assuring her there would be zero issues. But no sooner had the words left their mouths than they watched in absolute shock as the pair of Camel-beasts harnessed to the carriage gracefully lifted their hooves into the air, taking full flight above the desert.
The operators who had been perfectly calm a second prior instantly panicked, clamping their legs tightly against the saddles.
Although the air directly surrounding the backs of the Camel-beasts remained strangely serene and still, they couldn't ignore the horrifying reality that they were currently floating hundreds of meters above the earth!
The furious, howling storm of the Catastrophe was still violently churning all around their flight path. Under such extreme environmental conditions, if anyone accidentally slipped from their mount, they would likely be swept away into the vortex in an instant. Even if a search team miraculously located their remains later, there would be nothing left but shattered debris torn apart by the storm.
Thinking of this terrifying outcome, every single Rhodes Island operator couldn't help but shiver violently.
At this moment, they looked back toward the flying carriage as if gazing upon the vehicle of immortal gods. After all, what manner of terrestrial transport could navigate through the violent heart of a Catastrophe completely unscathed, and achieve sustained flight on top of that?
Even the legendary Sanguinarch of Vampires from the Sarkaz Royal Court likely didn't possess such hyper-advanced, godlike equipment!
Amidst the operators' internal shock and breathless wonder, the carriage glided unhurriedly out of the storm's boundary, returning to a safe, stable sector before gracefully descending back onto solid ground.
The exact moment the hooves of the Camel-beasts touched the firm earth, the Rhodes Island squad felt a sudden, profound sense of relief, as if they had just returned from an entire past life. They were entirely certain they would never forget the miraculous sight they had witnessed today for the rest of their natural lives.
Having successfully exited the effective range of the Catastrophe, the operators didn't presume to remain mounted on the flying beasts. They immediately dismounted, stepping forward to offer their deepest, most formal gratitude to Remilia and her companions for saving their lives.
"Since you are all traveling toward Rhodes Island, and our team happens to be returning to the landship as well, if it pleases you, please allow us to lead the way!" Jianshi offered, gazing toward the carriage with overwhelming reverence and gratitude.
To be completely honest, before this miraculous carriage appeared out of the blinding dust, Jianshi had already succumbed to deep despair. At that time, he simply couldn't identify a single strategic play that would allow his squad to survive the storm. Therefore, in his eyes, it was this noble carriage and the enigmatic individuals within who had granted them a second chance at life.
Individuals capable of passing Rhodes Island's rigorous screening to become formal Operators naturally possessed normal, highly ethical worldviews and values; they were entirely incapable of committing acts of shameless ingratitude. His expressions of thanks at this moment stemmed directly from the absolute depths of his heart.
To his offer, Remilia offered an elegant, aristocratic nod. "Then we shall trouble you to guide our path."
By evening, the combined convoy halted beside a quiet, sheltered valley. Everyone leaned near the frame of the carriage, lighting a bright campfire and gathering around its warmth to rest.
Sitting by the fire, Jianshi formally introduced his squad's operational mandate to Flandre and her companions.
This particular unit was not a standard combat strike force from Rhodes Island, but rather an advance exploration squad primarily tasked with surveying ground conditions, environmental hazards, and tactical routes along the landship's planned trajectory. Although every member possessed a baseline level of combat proficiency, their overall offensive capabilities were relatively modest.
The primary reason they were operating in this dangerous sector was that Dr. Kal'tsit intended to navigate the landship through the southern perimeter of Rim Billiton to enter the territory of Siracusa. Their squad had been dispatched specifically to evaluate whether the local terrain could accommodate the massive footprint of the mobile landship.
The route planning had already been fully finalized, but during their return leg, they were suddenly ambushed by the localized Catastrophe. The storm had manifested with terrifying speed—taking a mere ten minutes from initial detection to full-scale atmospheric detonation. They had zero buffer time to dodge or retreat, which was why they ended up trapped beneath the rock face.
Recalling the harrowing ordeal, Jianshi felt an overwhelming wave of self-reproach. Although time had been extraordinarily tight, if he had made the correct tactical assessment—forgoing the attempt to outrun the expanding storm radius and instead prioritizing local terrain to find a deep cave—the terrifying sequence that almost wiped out his entire team could have been avoided entirely.
He sternly criticized his own leadership errors, stating firmly that he would submit a full, unreserved incident report detailing his misjudgments to Dr. Kal'tsit upon their return to the landship.
Hearing his harsh self-criticism, his squad members immediately spoke up, insisting that the fault did not rest solely on their captain's shoulders. After all, every single member of the team had actively agreed with Jianshi's initial decision to sprint for the boundary. It could only be said that everyone had succumbed to a foolish, wishful mindset, naively believing that so long as they ran fast enough, they could outrace a natural disaster. But the harsh reality of Terra had taught them a terrifying lesson.
Reflecting on their narrow escape, they turned toward Remilia's group to express their deep gratitude once more.
Remilia accepted their thanks with calm dignity. "It is a noble virtue to recognize and correct one's errors. As for your expressions of gratitude, I accept them in full. I only express the hope that the next time you encounter an unforeseen hazard, you will never allow such wishful thinking to cloud your tactical judgment again. You possessed the extraordinary fortune of crossing paths with us today, but on your next assignment, you may not enjoy such remarkable luck."
Hearing Remilia's solemn counsel, the Rhodes Island operators nodded repeatedly in absolute agreement.
As for their evening meal, it was prepared by their master chef, Sakuya Izayoi, with the enthusiastic assistance of several Rhodes Island personnel, resulting in a lavish spread of delicious dishes.
Among the menu items, the savory charcoal-grilled insect legs and roasted Feathered Beast meat had been harvested by Flandre and Hong Meiling, who had ventured out to forage the surrounding valley the moment the carriage came to a halt.
Ever since she had tasted charcoal-grilled Needle Flea legs for the first time, Flandre had grown utterly untiring in her pursuit of the delicacy. Of course, this was also largely due to the severe scarcity of high-quality culinary ingredients in the wild wastes of Terra. Yet, once processed through Sakuya's masterful culinary techniques, the meat inside the calcified limbs became remarkably sweet, tender, and rich, serving as a unique, highly satisfying savory treat. It was deeply adored by both Flandre and Remilia.
It was precisely because of this shared culinary preference that Remilia had never once restricted Flandre from slipping out to hunt for Needle Fleas every evening after camping (after all, she thoroughly enjoyed consuming them herself, though to preserve her majestic, aristocratic dignity, she could never bring herself to state so openly).
Not long prior, when Flandre had casually strolled back into the camp holding a pair of half-meter-tall, writhing Needle Fleas in her bare hands, the sight had given the Rhodes Island operators a severe fright.
After all, even when facing these dangerous organisms while fully armed with standard weapons and offensive Originium Arts, an average field operator found them exceptionally difficult and risky to pacify due to their potent neurotoxin. Yet Flandre—a young girl who appeared to be a Blood Demon of less than ten years of age—could casually subdue two of them with her bare hands without a single scratch.
Upon discovering that this seemingly delicate child engaged in this exact, terrifying hunting routine every single night, the Rhodes Island personnel couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of biological disparity.
The fearsome Needle Flea—a creature that average field operatives had to approach with extreme caution for fear of lethal neurotoxic poisoning—was nothing more than a casual, late-night snack that could be captured and cooked at will in the eyes of this mysterious household.
Even the adult companions in their party exhibited complete indifference to the presence of the toxic organisms, treating these beasts—which were viewed as far more dangerous than ordinary Rift Beasts by average citizens—as though they were even less threatening than common Originium Slugs.