On the Observation Deck Before the Thunderstorm

"Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!"

Just as the two were about to follow the AI squad down, Blue Poison's communicator started ringing. Once connected, a frantic voice—Javiel's—came through. Apparently, she was working in the Anesthesia Department today, and several patients were scheduled for surgery. She noticed that the anesthesia room was running low on medication, and after contacting Kal'tsit, she learned that only Blue Poison was both skilled in preparing the drugs and available, so she was called in to provide support.

Unable to continue accompanying Kanna on her leisurely wander, Blue Poison patted Kanna's head and told her to go play on her own. The confidence to leave her stemmed from Rhodes Island's robust security and surveillance systems—and the fact that Kanna was a full operator meant that if any trouble arose, help would be quick to arrive.

After parting with Blue Poison, Kanna stared at the empty corridor, unsure of what to do next. Then, her own communicator rang. When she answered, Kal'tsit's voice came through:

"Kanna, I heard from Scout. As you know, a heavy downpour is coming. The weather messenger has reported that a powerful thunderstorm is on its way. Ahem… So, would you like to…"

Kanna touched her "dragon horns" and thought that since she had been eating a lot since arriving at Rhodes Island, it might be a good idea to channel some energy a different way—otherwise, she'd really get labeled a glutton. With that in mind, she agreed to Kal'tsit's proposal. Kal'tsit, curious to see if any mere mortal could face and even absorb lightning, promised that she would come in person; if Kanna couldn't fully absorb the thunder's force, Kal'tsit would find a way to divert the excess electricity away from her.

Kanna, however, felt that Kal'tsit looked down on her; after all, how could lightning that struck her be spat out by her? Once she made up her mind, Kanna didn't venture further inside but retraced her steps and headed toward the bridge.

At the door, she saw Scout leaning against it.

"Wow! You're a monster!" Kanna exclaimed. Although she had seen Scout enter earlier, she hadn't noticed when he reappeared on this side—and his seemingly ghostlike ability to appear out of nowhere startled her.

"Ahem! You all take the main road as usual; there's an emergency passage here, but it's reserved for full operators only. And you can call me Scout—pleased to meet you, Kanna-chan," he said, pointing to a very hidden small door beside him.

"Since you're here, I assume Kal'tsit has briefed you. However, Outcast still thinks this plan is somewhat dangerous. If you're not completely sure of your safety, I can help you apply to abort this experiment. After all, lightning is far less docile than the electricity we usually use. The latter can easily kill someone—let alone the utterly uncontrollable former."

Scout spoke at length, clearly concerned that Kanna's bravado might lead her to recklessness—a trait common at her age. If something went wrong, it would greatly damage Rhodes Island's reputation and the cohesion among operators.

Kanna looked at the man before her. In the storyline, he was known only by his back and the news of his demise. Yet his past—leading his squad to eliminate an enemy leader among elite Sakaz—demonstrated formidable infiltration and sniping skills. Had he not sacrificed himself in Chernobog, he would have been the Doctor's sharpest "arrow."

"Uncle Scout, you're a good man. But Kanna isn't lying—no matter how fierce the lightning, it won't harm me. I'm confident I can absorb every bolt that falls."

Scout was taken aback that his kind words earned him both an "uncle" and a "good guy" label, nearly twisting his waist in surprise.

"Alright then, do you need me to take you up to the observation deck at the top?" With a resigned sigh, Scout pulled out an access card, walked down to the bridge, and opened the adjacent elevator to invite Kanna along.

Kanna glanced upward. Although the observation deck was very high, it didn't exceed the maximum range of her "Stardust Repositioning" ability.

She shook her head and said, "The elevator is too slow, Uncle Scout—I'll wait for you at the top." With that, a Thunder Wedge materialized in her hand, and with a swift flick of her wrist, she sent it flying toward the observation deck.

Scout's pupils widened in shock—not only because the Thunder Wedge traced a perfect arc and landed squarely on the observation deck, but also because such precision and force—unless aided by a weapon—can only be achieved by a top-tier warrior.

Moreover, the fact that the wedge didn't vanish even from that distance indicated that it was well within Kanna's transfer range, greatly enhancing the strategic value of her Originium technique.

Kanna waved at him, "Then I'm heading up first!" And with that, she disappeared from Scout's sight.

Scout shook his head and stepped into the elevator alone.

At the top, Scout found Kanna sitting on the edge of the observation deck, while two operators assigned to duty at the tower's summit lay sprawled on the ground, their eyes rolled in a daze and black fumes rising from them.

"What happened?"

Kanna shrugged. "When I got up here, they pointed their weapons at me, insisting I'd come with you. But you hadn't gotten off the elevator yet, so they didn't believe me and demanded I surrender. I just zapped them a little. Don't worry—they were only stunned for a moment. There won't be any lasting side effects."

Scout covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight. As the person responsible for the observation deck, he had entrusted only his best personnel there. Yet, in the few seconds it took him to ascend, these two elite operators were effortlessly neutralized by Kanna.

Fortunately, Kanna harbored no malice, and her strike was measured; the two were merely rendered momentarily unconscious by a brief electric shock and would soon recover.

This gave Scout a rough estimate of Kanna's true combat capability.

To swiftly and effortlessly neutralize two highly alert elite operators wielding weapons—without any warning—was a feat on par with top operators like Logos or Ascalon on Rhodes Island.

But considering that these two operators were seasoned, and Kanna was still just a youngling, perhaps once she grew up she might even go head-to-head with the veteran monsters of the Sakaz court.

Scout sighed as he pondered this, and recalling Amiya's prodigious learning ability under Kal'tsit's guidance, he couldn't help but muse that children nowadays were frightening—am I really getting old, unable to keep pace with the times?

Just as Scout was wrestling with his own thoughts, the two operators who had been stunned by Kanna's electric shock began to regain consciousness. As they cautiously stood up, they saw Scout—sitting nearby with a sorrowful, cigarette-smoking expression—and Kanna, curiously gazing into the distance from the edge of the observation deck. They exhaled in relief.

After all, even though it was embarrassing to be taken down frontally by a young girl, the current situation was far better than losing control of the observation deck on Rhodes Island.