Kanna was perfectly justified and utterly carefree in acting as the hands-off manager. She even went back to her room and immediately fell asleep, completely unconcerned about how much workload and trouble this new facility would bring to Rhodes Island.
After Kaltsit arrived, the group had a serious discussion and concluded that the small house would be the center of a special area, and access to it would be elevated to the highest level.
Then, ACE and Ascalon were arranged to guard the area in shifts.
The sudden appearance of a high-clearance restricted zone at the entrance naturally caught the attention of Closure, the "Scavenger" boss of the Engineering Department.
When she arrived, she happened to see Kaltsit and the others leaving the house. Through a gap, Closure keenly noticed some strange things floating in the air inside the house, but ACE, standing at the door with a serious expression, clearly wouldn't let her satisfy her curiosity. So, she immediately chased after Kaltsit and the other two as they left.
"Hey, hey, hey! Wait a minute!" The three, who were discussing whether it was necessary to mass-produce this Magnemite, then realized they had a little tail following them.
"What's wrong, Closure?" Kaltsit's mind was completely occupied with how best to handle this thing, so her tone was a bit impolite.
"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? You suddenly designate a high-clearance zone at the entrance of the Engineering Department without even notifying me! Besides, since it's placed right at my doorstep, giving me some access wouldn't be out of line, would it? I'm not curious about what's inside, but I need to know if the contents of this new restricted area affect the Engineering Department, and if I need to adjust the equipment on our side, and so on."
Closure slapped her forehead, speaking with an exasperated expression.
Hearing her words, the three realized that they had been discussing for a long time and had forgotten to include her in their calculations.
As Closure said, as a veteran of Rhodes Island, her authority within Rhodes Island was very high. She had to personally handle the maintenance of many top-secret facilities. With so much equipment in the breeding room, Closure's assistance would definitely be indispensable for future maintenance work, so she couldn't be bypassed.
Furthermore, the breeding room itself was located at the entrance of the Engineering Department. Anyone leaving from that side would inevitably pass by it. If its highest supervisor didn't recognize its importance, what if the subordinates became curious and secretly snuck in to take a look?
"This is not the place for discussion; let's go to my office!" Considering the many people coming and going, and Closure's typically lively personality, Kaltsit felt it was best to discuss the matter elsewhere. So, the group went to Kaltsit's office.
Once there, Amiya first explained the special nature of the things in that room.
Closure said with a surprised expression, "Could there really be metal lifeforms?"
"Yes! No, your focus is wrong! This is a room that can autonomously give birth to small sprites! Think of Frostnova, think of Block!" Amiya hadn't expected that after all her earnest advice, Closure hadn't shown any strange reaction to Kanna suddenly producing such a big thing. Instead, after hearing the introduction of Magnemite, she inquired about its life characteristics.
"Oh, come on, has Kanna caused too few troubles? I'm already used to it. Compared to the trouble she causes, can I research that Magnemite? When you mentioned Brozkarst before, I was so regretful that I didn't witness the emergence of metal life. Now Rhodes Island has new ones; as an engineer, how could I not be interested!"
Closure expressed that she was already numb to Kanna occasionally producing things beyond common sense. How could you few, who are so close to Kanna, still find it strange?
The battle reports of Rhodes Island and the Brozkarst in the combat records had long attracted the attention of this blood demon lady who loved engine oil more than blood. However, given the opponent's formidable reputation, she dared not observe and record him.
Now that Rhodes Island had something new, almost identical in life form, she naturally rekindled the curiosity she had personally buried.
"This Magnemite is too important. We need to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks its appearance brings to Rhodes Island. Then, if we decide to keep it open, we can discuss how to distribute these Magnemites." Kaltsit tried to quell Closure's curiosity.
"Speaking of which, I actually have a different idea. From our visual inspection and simple checks, it seems that this creature called Magnemite, due to its life characteristics, wouldn't attract anyone's attention if it stayed in the Engineering Department. At most, people would think it's a new type of oddly shaped toy," the Doctor suddenly interjected.
???
Upon hearing the Doctor's startling words, the others suddenly looked at him.
Seeing everyone's gaze, especially Kaltsit's knife-like stare, the Doctor couldn't help but cower a bit.
"I think, since Kanna gave us this Magnemite, she certainly didn't intend for us to seal off this room. Kanna herself said that this creature has the ability to assist in combat. So, instead of blocking it, I think it's better to openly release it. We can just claim it's a new type of intelligent machine. As long as its true abilities aren't exposed, I believe no one will pay attention to such a strange thing."
Evidently, compared to the more "prudent" Kaltsit, the Doctor's idea was more "radical" and daring.
Although Kaltsit felt that this method was too prone to problems, she also had to admit that Kanna, in entrusting this Magnemite workshop to Rhodes Island for management, certainly didn't hope for Rhodes Island to completely seal it off.
Moreover, Magnemite itself has no language ability. If it's released and its origin isn't revealed, no one will treat it as a living being. As long as they maintain a unified front and declare Magnemite to be a new type of intelligent machine manufactured by Rhodes Island, normal people wouldn't think otherwise.
Considering this, the Doctor's suggestion, though seemingly very bold, was also quite safe.
Kaltsit sat in her seat, pondering for a long time. Just as Closure was about to become impatient, she finally looked up.
"Alright, Magnemite will be temporarily managed by Closure. We'll tell outsiders it's a new product Rhodes Island is experimenting with. I'll have SWEEP pay more attention to the public opinion within the ship to assess the situation first. Closure, as the manager, you will send me a daily observation report and a weekly summary. Within a month at most, I want a complete understanding of this lifeform's personality, habits, and action logic. Any problems?"
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