Chapter 81: Am I Targeting Myself?

"Commander, should we upgrade these two Dinergates? They're still using Sangvis Ferri's outdated communication protocol."

"No need. They're just two Dinergates, they can't harm us. No need to be so tense." And if they change the communication protocol, they won't be able to act as a relay station for Sangvis Ferri anymore.

Sending out these two Dinergates might be Scarecrow's way of keeping in touch with Renault.

Renault, naturally, saw no reason to object. What harm could two dolls do? He wasn't sure if SF's elite Dolls were well-paid, but if he could establish a connection with Sangvis, he might even acquire some equipment that he currently couldn't obtain.

He didn't have any expectations from IOP. They were too busy making money to bother with a small security contractor like him. Griffin's orders were still unfinished.

"By the way, Commander, how much money can we expect from this assignment? Is 3.5% a lot or a little?"

"We should get at least three million rubles. After all, the items in these crates are quite valuable."

"Really!? Just escorting a few trucks can earn us so much money!? That's incredible! When we were with Griffin, we only got five thousand exchange vouchers a month!"

"Five thousand vouchers? How much is that in money?"

"Well, about three thousand. The vouchers I had in my Griffin account have probably expired by now."

"Um, when we get back, I'll give you guys some pocket money. You can buy whatever you want."

Wow, tactical dolls really have no status at all. If the Griffin vouchers weren't converted into cash, it was as if Griffin hadn't spent any money. Even if they were converted, it would only be a pitiful three thousand.

What can you do with three thousand? It might only be enough to buy a small cake from a street bakery, which probably wouldn't even satisfy a doll's appetite.

Of course, the primary purpose of a doll's eating function was to make them more human-like, and no legitimate doll relied on eating to maintain their functionality.

"Pocket money! How much!?"

"Five...hundred thousand per person? It's not too much." It's just one month's salary; he hadn't thought about paying them before.

"Yay! After I get back, I'll buy five crates of wine to stock up!" Nagant Revolver's eyes widened with excitement, her joy still not fully expressed when Simonov's cheers came through the communicator.

One hundred thousand per Doll, totaling one million two hundred thousand in expenses. Fortunately, the Dinergates didn't need pocket money, and they didn't need to spend money on dog food either. Maybe Dinergates were the ultimate pets of this era?

"Don't celebrate yet, Commander. One of the trucks behind us has left the convoy and is heading in a different direction. Should we stop them?" G36 interrupted Simonov's cheers, looking nervously at Renault for guidance.

"No need. Just keep an eye on the remaining trucks. Let that one go if it wants to. It has nothing to do with our mission."

As Renault spoke, the truck that had left the convoy had already accelerated into another road, heading north, clearly with a destination completely different from theirs.

"In the end, what are these guys here for? Just for a few SF Dolls? Couldn't they just buy them directly? Sangvis wouldn't refuse to sell even two Dolls, right?"

MG3 was also puzzled. Such behavior seemed a bit excessive, didn't it?

"Because there won't be any records left. All agreements they've made with Peter are verbal agreements, and not necessarily with Peter himself, maybe just some employees in his company. The only records that can be traced back are that we took away a batch of raw materials from the port."

If Sangvis Ferri cooperated, then those guys in protective suits were familiar to Renault.

They wore protective suits very similar to the ones worn by the attackers who raided Griffin, perhaps even from the same factory.

"Well, but these shouldn't have much to do with us, right? After all, we're just small security personnel."

MDR held up her phone and took a photo of the two Dinergates in the driver's cab through the partition window.

New pets acquired! Daze!

After taking the photo, leaving a comment, and sending it, MDR sat back down, eagerly awaiting the replies that would soon appear in the post.

"What is this? You're still keeping pets at your age? Are you an immature brat?" by-MDR

It didn't take long for the first reply to appear in the post, but unfortunately, it wasn't very friendly...

"Ha!? I'm immature!? And what are you then!? We're both the same!"

"Hey! What do you mean by the same!? I'm a senior Griffin Doll, treated much better than a fake like you!" by-MDR

"Fake!? Clearly, you're the fake! Dare to show me your production date!?"

BM59 and M1 Garand, sitting beside MDR, watched as her expression went from relaxed and happy to distorted, then directly started typing furiously on her phone.

As she yelled, she tapped the keys on her phone rapidly, clearly engaging in a heated argument with someone on the anonymous forum.

Here we go again...

The two sighed and instinctively moved away from MDR, trying to put some distance between themselves and this troublemaker.

The return journey wasn't exactly smooth either. They encountered several infected individuals, but they were all low-level ones, moving slowly. Apart from having to slow down once again due to road problems and having the Dolls get out to clear the way, there were no unexpected incidents on the first day of the journey.

But on the second day...

"Commander, there shouldn't have been any checkpoints on the road when we came, right?"

"Of course not. Who would be foolish enough to set up checkpoints in the Yellow Zone? Those irrational ELID infected wouldn't stop just because they see a checkpoint, would they?"

At this point, Simonov was driving the jeep at the front of the convoy, with Renault driving at the rear, the opposite of their arrival order.

Ahead of them, Simonov and G36 could see the cement barriers and tire spikes on the road used to stop vehicles.

Those guys blocking the road ahead seemed a bit unfriendly.

"What's going on? Are we being intercepted? How many people? What equipment?" Renault raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that someone would jump out to intercept their convoy.

"Forty-four people, two trucks parked on both sides of the road, and there may be more people hiding behind the obstacles on both sides of the road. They only have makeshift radiation protection suits and light weapons, but heavy firepower may also be present. Commander, should we stop?"

Simonov raised her head from under the windshield of the jeep and looked at the situation at the checkpoint.

"No need. But remember to slow down and stop in front of the tire spikes. Prepare for battle."

As soon as Renault spoke, G36, sitting in the passenger seat of the jeep, picked up her engraved weapon, checked the ammunition, loaded it, and switched off the safety. If those roadblockers ahead made any aggressive moves, she could immediately return fire!

SPAS-12 and Vector in the back seat did the same, and Jaeger even opened the sunroof of the jeep, stood on the seat, and mounted her particle sniper rifle on the roof.