Rhodes Island's Psychologist

Ch 5: Rhodes Island Has Side Jobs

"Ah. Phone's dead." Shining looks at the black screen, "So troublesome."

"Just recharge it here then." Lin Ye takes a cable out from his drawer and gives it to Shining, "Here."

Shining doesn't take it. She shakes her head, "It doesn't work. We use a proprietary port, so I can only charge it when I am back."

"... You just said Rhodes Island is a pharmaceutical company."

"We also research electronics." Shining puts down her phone, "We need to do a little of everything to survive."

"That's so sad." Lin Ye is a bit speechless after hearing what she said, "Still, why didn't you bring a cable with you?"

"I didn't plan to stay outside for this long. Originally, I came here to retrieve something, and I would have returned right away. I calculated the remaining battery and travel time. If it weren't for the delay and sending a report for you, the remaining charge should have been enough. By the time I am back in Rhodes Island, there should still be 7% left."

Lin Ye is surprised, "Isn't that too precise?"

"For us experienced travelers, this is a basic operation. Don't be too surprised."

"Really? Then I don't understand. Shouldn't an experienced traveler be able to foresee every possible accident and come up with a countermeasure?" Lin Ye voices his doubts, "Isn't it easier to just bring a cable with you?"

Silence.

Oh no.

Lin Ye quickly realizes his mistake when he sees Shining's expression. He hurriedly changes the topic, "Ugh... You said you submitted a request to Rhodes Island for me?"

She nods as if nothing happened.

"Would... that work?"

"I don't know, since I am not part of the management, so I can't decide." She shakes her head, "Usually, the hiring process is managed by the doctor, who sometimes hands it over to someone else."

"... The doctor?"

"Hmm. the founder of Rhodes Island." Shining was going to take a sip from a cup, but she stopped herself after remembering how he served her goat milk with a similar cup. She loses interest and puts the cap back on the table, "How much do you know about Rhodes Island? It doesn't seem to be your first time to hear about us."

"A little bit."

"Bad rumors, I guess?"

"How do you know?"

"Easy. Over half of the staff in Rhodes Island are infected, and most uninfected people hate the Infected very much, so that hate naturally carries over to Rhodes Island." Shining says, "which leads to rumors. For those who have never heard about us, they would treat us as a terrorist organization, but actually, we are just a regular pharmaceutical company."

Lin Ye can't help but teases her, "A regular pharmaceutical company that sometimes sells electronics?"

"Of course not, Rhodes Island doesn't sell its proprietary electronics."

"For confidentiality?"

"No, it is because the quality is too bad. No one wants to buy it."

"..."

"Just joking. I hope you didn't mind."

"Oh no, not at all. You are quite funny." he nervously laugh a bit.

"It is alright," Shining nods, "But your guess was right. We mainly focus on medicine, but in this day and age, for survival, we also do some side jobs."

"Such as?"

"Mercenary work."

Lin Ye is speechless, "Is that another joke?" he hopefully questions.

She says seriously, "No, it is true."

At this point, no words can describe how Lin Ye feels. When he talks with Shining, there is always the feeling that something is off.

"Let's go back to the original discussion." Shing looks at Lin Ye, "Even though I can't make the final decision, in my opinion, Rhodes Island will welcome you when they can verify your ability."

"Really?"

"I promise." Shining says softly, "You don't seem to understand how important your ability is to the Infected."

Lin Ye didn't hear the second part. He was thinking about what it means to join Rhodes Island.

The reason he wants to join Rhodes Island so desperately is that, in his mind, Rhodes Island is the focus of Arknights, the center of the world. If he is not part of it, he is just living in the background. And in this chaotic world, it is easy to die, so entering Rhodes Island after coming to this world is what he must do.

But what annoys him is that he doesn't know much about the game, let alone Rhodes Island. Of course, it is not entirely his fault for being a useless transmigrator. Arknights was still in closed beta when he was alive. This makes him feel mentally exhausted. It is like Heaven has a grudge against him. Otherwise, he would have been sent to other games' worlds that he has more understanding of, unlike Arknights. His knowledge about the game is still at...

Lin Ye raises his head and looks at Shining, "Is there an employee named... Ami-donkey in your company?"

Shining blanks out for a moment, "Ami- what?"

"The donkey." It has been a long time. Lin Ye couldn't recall the exact name of Arknights's protagonist, so he tries to make out the shape of ears on his head with a V sign, "There are ears here, like donkey ears. She is quite pretty."

Shining's expression becomes even stranger, "Are you talking about Amiya?"

"Yes, that's her!"

"... Although I don't know how you know Amiya, I have to remind you that Amiya holds the most power in Rhodes Island beside the doctor." She is a bit speechless, "So watch your mouth, and her ears are bunny ears."

Lin Ye scratches his head awkwardly, "I guess I remembered it wrong."

"Personally, I really hope you can join Rhodes Island because I have someone who really needs your help." Shining says, "But before joining Rhodes Island, I have to make sure of one thing."

"What is it?"

Shining stares into his eyes, trying to capture his thoughts, "What do you really think about the Infected?"

Lin Ye blanks out for a moment when he hears her question, but before he could react, their conversation is interrupted by the loud banging on his door.

{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}

Draft by Demosama

Edit by Jaqqy10