Chapter 204: Scent of Freedom

The crew didn’t linger more than necessary as they all headed full speed away from the lab. While Ruby didn’t seem to mind the terrors around her and Michael acted stoically as ever, the rest of them felt greatly disturbed.

Even Richard found it hard to keep his mind calm.

“Thank god, we are done here.” Leo’s shoulders dropped. He anticipated having nightmares for the following days.

“I know how you feel…” Enzo nodded soberly, throwing a glance towards Michael.

“Yet some seem blissfully uncaring…”

As the squad sprinted across the tunnel, Ruby naturally wasn’t able to keep up. She wasn’t a cultivator, so it was only given.

That was why she had settled on Michael’s shoulders like a curious pet, her blue eyes sparkling and her black hair trailing to the side as she traveled faster than she ever had before.

’She’s too light.’ Michael realized. It wasn’t just that she had been starving. At 170 cm, Ruby should have weighed at least 50 kilograms, yet as he carried her almost effortlessly, he estimated she was under 30.

Whatever if it was because she was a hybrid between a human and cat, he did not know. It was something that they would investigate further once in a safe environment.

Reaching the vault from which they had entered the tunnel, the squad exited one by one, instantly being reminded of the high temperature outside.

“Is that…”

Leaping from Michael’s shoulders, Ruby gazed at the sky. The cosmos was hidden by the planet’s thick atmosphere, yet there was something majestic about it.

“The ceiling…” She murmured barely above a whisper. “It’s so tall, almost like there is no end to it…”

Silently Michael gritted his teeth, realizing that she had spent her entire life locked into confinement, uninformed about the outside world.

Since they had reached this point with the miner, Leo investigated if he could drive it. Sadly, however, the controls didn’t bear any similarity to the vehicles he knew how to control.

“Forgive me, it seems I am lacking in the one thing that I am supposed to be good at.” Leo bowed in dejection.

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s not like you could have known that you would need to learn how to control a miner anyway.” Michael reassured.

It seemed that going back to the city would be happening on foot. Not optimal considering the atmosphere, but there wasn’t really any other choice.

Continuing their march, they eventually saw the settlement beyond the horizon.

“Wait a moment.” Victoria said, realization hitting her.

“It will be bad if somebody spots Ruby.”

Indeed, while Michael’s crew was understanding, others could prove not to be. It would be easy to imagine some soldiers branding Ruby an alien with her altered appearance and trying to exterminate her.

Short of options, they concluded that putting a hood over her head would suffice for now.

“Sorry, bear it for now.” Michael exclaimed, concerned that Ruby would get heat stroke from the hot weather.

“I don’t mind.” Her tail would have wrapped around his arm if it wasn’t hidden. “The last thing I want is to bring trouble to the people that have agreed to aid me.”

Swiftly they reached the military base positioned right below the city.

“Halt!” The soldiers on guard duty felt alarmed when they saw newcomers. However, their concern faded when they recognized Michael.

The recent battle against the aliens was still fresh in their minds, as well as how Michael and his crew had been vital in taking them out.

“Glory to Mankind!” Saluting in respect, they proceeded to let them pass, not even sparing a glance at Ruby hidden by the hood.

Before taking the elevator to the floating city, Michael went to meet with Commander Greg.

“I have uncovered the source of the disappearances. It’s rogue AIs that have begun to act upon their own will. It’s not only happening here but in pretty much every city on Venus.” Michael said, not beating around the bush.

“…”

Commander Greg was rendered speechless by the bombshell of news Michael had so casually given him.

“If you want more information, set up a meeting between me and the ruler of this place.”

“A—As you wish.” In the end, Greg could only nod, springing into action.

While the city’s ruler was a busy person, Greg’s request pretty much skipped all the queue. Michael would be meeting the settlement’s ruler in 12 hours.

Exhausted, the crew boarded the elevator to the floating city.

“Wow! It’s like we are flying!” Ruby giggled, her blue eyes observing the planet’s surface through the see-through material of the elevator.

“I am so tired…” Richard rubbed his shoulders.

Not wasting any time, the squad went to take baths and recover their strength.

In the shower room, the three girls promptly undressed before turning their full attention to Ruby.

HISS!

She suddenly began to feel alarmed when she sensed the water. Apparently, she hadn’t thought a bath actually involved liquid.

“Come on. It’s not going to bite.” Ava reassured, splashing a bit of water playfully.

“But… it feels wrong.” Ruby exclaimed, her ears and tail dropping, clearly hesitant.

Wordless, the three girls exchanged glances, wondering what to do.

“You know…” Claire said as she allowed the hot water to engulf her naked body.

“At the lab the place smelled terrible, so nobody minded your aroma. But here it will stand out… Are you sure that you want to make Michael uncomfortable with your scent?”

Surprisingly, that seemed to do the trick. Gritting her teeth, Ruby relented and allowed the hot water to run across her bare figure.

“!!!”

A shiver ran along her spine, goosebumps rising, as the warm, mineral-rich, soapy water crept from her legs to her waist, torso, and at last her head.

“That… feels better than expected. I am not sure why I even hesitated to begin with.” Ruby admitted, her tail swinging excitedly. Playing in the water.

Taking a shallow breath, Victoria neared, gently putting her hands over Ruby’s athletic build.

“You might not know, but just soaking in water isn’t enough! You have to scrub your body thoroughly!” Victoria exclaimed with a calm demeanor, grinning inwardly.

’Ahhh! She is so cute! I hope this moment lasts forever!’

Realizing Victoria’s scheme, Ava pouted.

“No fair! I was the one who suggested I help her shower!” Ava reasoned.

“I… Umh suggested the idea that we battle together!” Claire added.

Suddenly feeling three pairs of arms caressing her body caused Ruby to start giggling.

“This tickles!”

However, rather than backing away, she began to purr, clearly enjoying the moment.

Like a contagious disease, eventually the three girls started to giggle as well.

“This was fun… We should do this more often.” Claire heaved a sigh, allowing her body to soak in the water.

“I don’t see a problem with that.” Victoria nodded, relaxing in a similar manner.

While the two let the mineral waters do their thing, Ava observed how Ruby was curiously playing with the water.

“It stings…” Ava sighed dejectedly, sneaking a glance at Ruby’s chest before quickly shifting her attention to her petite frame.

“For heaven’s sake, how could a hybrid between a cat and a person be more gifted than me?”

Truly, nature was the most unfair of all.

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