Chapter 18: Negotiation Expert? Or Negotiation Disaster?

"Hey, Gavial! Have you noticed that ever since Kal'tsit came back from Lungmen, she's been in a surprisingly good mood?"

Inside the Rhodes Island Medical Department, nearing the end of the workday, Warfarin leaned closer and whispered to her colleague Gavial.

"Yeah… and this time, Kal'tsit didn't even stay behind to work overtime. She actually went home early…"

"Oh my god! That old hag actually left on time?! That's not normal at all! Did the sun rise from the west today?!"

Meanwhile, inside Kal'tsit's personal quarters...

She had already pulled out the bikini Jay had given her and, unable to resist the curiosity, tried it on. But immediately, she noticed a major issue...

"This swimsuit's cup size… doesn't fit me at all!"

...

...

But soon enough, Kal'tsit stopped worrying about that.

After establishing cooperation with Lungmen, Rhodes Island's operators were finally allowed to enter and exit Lungmen territory freely.

The city's slums were home to a large number of infected, both registered and unregistered. While they weren't subjected to the same brutal persecution as in Ursus, their quality of life was still poor. To the Reunion Movement, however, they were an abundant source of potential manpower.

So, upon entering Lungmen, most Rhodes Island operators were dispatched to the slums to investigate and eliminate any hidden Reunion members lurking within.

At the same time, Amiya and Doctor Jay received an urgent task issued directly by Ch'en.

Their objective: locate a young infected girl named Misha, who had illegally crossed into the slums, and deliver her to Lungmen's L.G.D. (Lungmen Guard Department).

"This is so strange. We're supposed to be working together now, but Officer Ch'en won't even tell us why we need to find this Misha girl…"

After ending her call with Ch'en, Amiya stood beside Jay, voicing her frustration.

All they knew was that Misha had short silver-gray hair and a pair of round, animal-like ears on her head an adorable-looking girl.

Amiya had attempted to ask Ch'en for the reason behind this mission, but Ch'en had firmly refused to answer.

"Doctor, do you think Officer Ch'en still doesn't fully trust us?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Jay smiled and nodded.

Knowing Ch'en's stubborn personality, it was only natural for her to be wary of a sudden new partner like Rhodes Island. Jay wasn't surprised in the least by her behavior.

To comfort the clearly disheartened Amiya, Jay reached out and gently patted her head.

"Amiya, all we have to do is fulfill our part of the agreement. Trust will come with time."

"Mhm! I understand, Doctor!"

Encouraged by his words, Amiya's drooping rabbit ears perked right back up, twitching energetically.

Even if she had complaints, Rhodes Island had agreed to work with Lungmen. So, as the field commander, Amiya knew she had to take the mission seriously.

While searching for Misha, the kind-hearted Amiya took it upon herself to hand out free medication to infected patients showing severe symptoms of Oripathy. Jay quietly assisted her along the way.

After some time combing the slums, Amiya finally received a transmission from Franka and Liskarm.

"Doctor, we found Misha. But… she doesn't trust us and started running away. In the confusion, a Reunion member managed to grab her. We need backup…"

"Understood. Hold your position. We're on our way!"

Soon, Jay and Amiya followed the coordinates and reached the rooftop of a six-story dilapidated building.

A battle had just ended moments earlier. Several Reunion operatives lay unconscious nearby Franka and Liskarm's handiwork.

However, one remaining Reunion soldier had managed to seize Misha and drag her to the edge of the rooftop.

"Don't come any closer! I mean it!"

His weapon had long been knocked away, but the crazed Reunion member now had one hand gripping Misha's slender throat and the other clutching her arm, screaming like a madman.

"If you move again, I'll jump off with her!"

Misha was completely terrified, frozen stiff with fear. The chilling wind howling across the rooftop only made her tremble harder.

"…What a headache…"

Franka and Liskarm exchanged troubled glances.

According to Ch'en's orders, they had to deliver Misha alive and unharmed. If that Reunion lunatic really jumped from this height, she wouldn't survive.

And judging by the man's deranged expression and trembling body, half his foot already dangling off the rooftop, things were not looking good.

One wrong move and Misha would be lost.

"Doctor, everyone, I've contacted our nearby sniper support. Luckily, since Penguin Logistics is working with us, Exusiai is the closest on standby. We just need to stall until she's in position."

Amiya put away her comms and explained the situation.

"Nice one, bunny girl. Good thinking."

Franka flashed her a smile.

"How long until Exusiai gets into position?"

"Exusiai and Texas were intercepted by more Reunion members. Estimated time to reach sniping range: 15 minutes."

"That long, huh…? What the hell are we supposed to do until then…"

"I'll negotiate with him. Buy us some time."

Just then, a familiar prompt echoed in Jay's mind.

[Please select from the following options.]

[Rational Choice]Become a skilled negotiator. Calmly talk down the Reunion member, stall for 15 minutes to allow Exusiai to secure a clean shot and rescue Misha.Reward: +20 Rationality

[Madness Choice]Become a chaos negotiator. Provoke the Reunion member into revealing an opening, then exploit the chaos to rescue Misha.Reward: Gain equipment [Wings of Wind], +10 Agility

Item Note: Wings of Wind Unfolds lightweight wings from the back, allowing the user to glide a short distance while carrying up to 100kg.

Special Note: Misha is currently suffering from acute Oripathy. Time is of the essence treatment must begin immediately to avoid critical condition.