Arknights? Yesterday's Arknights!!

We're all adults; who wouldn't understand such an obvious thing?

Do you really need the girl to confess her feelings in person before she'll stop running away?

An Xin stopped and looked directly at Alina's face before speaking.

"Feel sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" she laughed. "Actually, I knew, and it wasn't just me; Yelena, Talulah, we all knew a long time ago."

You're so easy to understand, Anxin. You still have someone you can't let go of, right?

He was speechless.

I never expected that my uncle, who is such a quiet and steady person, would actually tell others about their conversation.

And it's not just one person who knows.

Alina gazed at the clouds on the horizon. "I can wait, and Talulah can wait, but Yelena can't wait any longer. Her Oripathy is getting worse and worse."

You've never been interested in military gossip, and I know you prefer to keep your head down and get to work, but do you know Yelena's nickname now?

She is neither Frostnova nor the Yeti's princess; those titles are now relics of the past.

She is known as the Halberd of Reunion, corresponding to Mr. Patriot's Shield of Infected.

In every operation, she was at the forefront, leading the Yeti Squad like a blade, piercing into the enemy's defenses.

Others may not know what she's thinking, but don't we? She vents all her emotional frustrations on fighting, each battle a life-or-death struggle.

"I'm sorry, I'll talk to Yelena when I have time. I don't want her to die on the battlefield."

An Xin didn't know what to say. After thinking for a long time, she blurted out some platitudes.

He immediately realized something was wrong. "I'm sorry, I'll find Yelena, don't worry."

"Yes, I know, Anxin. You've always been very reliable, but I'm just very scared inside. This feeling is getting deeper and deeper."

Alina's eyes shifted from tenderness to worry as she grasped Anxin's hand.

“Anxin, I feel like you’re about to leave. It’s like you’re standing right next to me, but I can’t seem to hold on to you. It’s like you’ll leave at any moment, like a reflection in a lake that will shatter at the slightest touch, or like a cloud in the sky that I can’t reach no matter how high I stretch out my hand.”

Chapter Forty-Eight: Wind

Upon arriving in the south, the wind blowing in your face is no longer as sharp and cutting as it was on the tundra; it carries a gentle touch, like a hand lightly brushing your cheek.

In contrast, Alina gripped his fingers even tighter, until his long, slender fingers turned slightly white.

An Xin felt he had made his intentions too obvious. To him, this was a game, and he knew he would leave when the time was up.

But for Alina, Talulah, and Yelena, this is their life, their path forward.

It's impossible to say there were no feelings involved. Humans aren't plants or trees; how can they be without emotions? They are all extremely outstanding women, and moreover, they are comrades who share the same ideals and aspirations as An Xin.

If it weren't for Warfarin, Anxin might have fallen for one of them long ago.

Therefore, Anxin has been accumulating points, hoping to bring them out of the game.

The premise is that he can rewrite the world and create a new "what if" scenario.

The system had been operating silently for the past six months, and An Xin had no idea how far she had progressed. What if it failed to generate an if line?

He felt that the future was bleak, and two weeks ago he began to prepare materials for his departure, hoping that these materials could help the Reunification Movement continue to move forward.

If it weren't for the convenience brought by his time traveler identity, he might not have been of any use to the Reunion Movement.

Now, he can only write down everything he learned at the Party School and his understanding of Mao Zedong Thought and Marxist Philosophy from the Police Academy.

In a few days, it will be a full year.

It's not surprising that Alina was the first to discover it; she is meticulous and gentle. Otherwise, An Xin wouldn't have been able to discover her abilities and appoint her as the political commissar.

The two held hands for a long time, but An Xin couldn't say anything because he didn't dare to make any promises. He was afraid that he would leave when the game ended in a few days.

The light in Alina's eyes grew fainter and fainter, until finally she put on that gentle expression again.

"I understand. We must have a good talk with Yelena. Even if it doesn't solve the problem, we shouldn't let her work so hard."

"Okay, I promise you."

The gentler and more understanding Alina was, the more uncomfortable An Xin felt.

If he were to actually leave, then he would be a coward who betrayed the revolution.

She let go of his hand, turned her back, and walked ahead of An Xin. He followed, tracing the path she had taken.

For a long time, no one spoke.

The atmosphere between the two was not awkward at all. Alina was afraid that time would pass too quickly and take away the young man behind her.

She still remembered when An Xin first came, she was wearing a white shirt and a duffle coat, but now she was wearing a simple gray-black training uniform.

White is difficult to wash and inconvenient; it looks dirty as soon as there is even a little dust or dirt.

Over time, An Xin simply stopped wearing white shirts. Before, she only wore white shirts because it was the bureau's arrangement, as they looked good and neat with the police uniform.

"What are you laughing at?" An Xin glanced at Alina and asked, "Is my outfit strange today?"

"No, it's just that I was thinking about a year ago, when you liked to wear white shirts, and they would get dirty in less than a day."

The little deer moved with light steps and a smile on her face. Anyone who was with her would feel relaxed and at ease.

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you for that dress, otherwise I would have been unable to wear it long ago."

An Xin cherished that dress. Even though it was torn many times, Alina carefully sewed it up and returned it to him.

He really didn't know how to make this. Before he transmigrated, he had plenty of white shirts. Some were given to him by the government, and some were bought. In short, if one was damaged, he could just buy another one. Cheap white shirts cost no more than a hundred yuan.

He no longer wears the white shirt he wore at the beginning, but he doesn't throw it away; he keeps it in his backpack and always carries it with him.

"You didn't lose it? It's in such a terrible state." Alina looked astonished. The others might not know, but she certainly did.

The clothes had seven or eight patches on them, and were sewn up more than ten times.

An Xin nodded, "Yes, those were all sewn by hand for me by candlelight, how could I bear to throw them away?"

With just this one sentence, the summer breeze turned the sky red.

These words were like fine wine, intoxicating, and Alina's ears turned red.

"You..."

"Huh? What?"

"I have something to do, so I'll leave now. I suddenly remembered that I still have a batch of documents to process."

"Oh."

Watching the deer gradually disappear into the distance, An Xin didn't know what to say, so she called out to it.

"I won't leave."

"Will not."

"will not."

He made up his mind at that moment that even if the game was over, he would find a way to contact the Integration Movement in reality. He didn't have money, but he could send the manifesto and Marxist philosophy over there.

If—and he meant if—we could stay in the game and witness this wildfire spread, that would be wonderful.

An Xin's mood grew increasingly heavy.

He returned to his office to find that Faust and Mephistopheles had eaten all the pastries; they had changed their names themselves, wanting to sever ties with the past.

The two men sat on a bench, sipping his black tea, and asked with curious expressions.

"What does Ms. Alina want with you, Ms. Anxin?"

"Children should not ask about adult matters."

"Sigh... I'm not a child anymore," Mephistopheles said, somewhat displeased.

“Who was that who was pestering my white rabbit a few days ago, wanting her to sing you a lullaby?”

An Xin sat down behind her desk and continued processing several documents.

With more people and more standardized rules and procedures, an increase in documents is inevitable.

He stopped worrying about Faust and Mephistopheles and focused on doing his job well.

As night fell, he packed his things and prepared to go find Yelena.

Tonight is a silent night.

The bonfire, which continues to this day, is no longer just for warmth; it has become more of a symbol, a place where people gather in each other's hearts.

Perhaps, even if the revolution succeeds, this bonfire will still be preserved.

When he arrived, there was no one there yet, so An Xin went to get some drinks and meat skewers, and also grabbed a bottle of black pepper from the kitchen.

The Reunification Movement has no shortage of food or alcohol, but it is still lacking in seasonings.

So An Xin felt a little guilty taking it. When she returned with all the things, Patriot and Yelena were already sitting by the campfire, talking about something.

"Do you have any wine?" Patriot asked An Xin as she approached.